Welcome back! If you’ve been reading this blog for a while, you probably know by now how much I love Australia. Studying abroad changed me so much (more on that in another blog) and allowed me to meet amazing people and see a whole new part of the world. However, during this trip, I also realized how much I love home.

There were so many different moments where I noticed this bit by bit. Here is a brief list of some my favorite ‘Merica moments Down Under (in no particular order).

1. Hearing Sweet Caroline at an Aussie Rules Football I attended with the rest of the study abroad group. You can bet yourself the entire section we were in could hear our “Go Pitt!” chants throughout the chorus. I’ve never seen so much Pitt Pride outside of Oakland.

2. My first 4th of July outside the United States. I must say, I was a little sad going into this trip knowing that I would be missing Independence Day back home. Needless to say, I was pleasantly surprised with how much effort all the students put into planning for this holiday. We decorated, barbequed, and spent the entire night celebrating our nation’s birthday proudly donned in red, white, and blue. You could barely notice the 10,000 mile difference.

3. Any time I turned on the news. Oddly enough, US news took up a huge portion of global news shows, so I never felt like I was missing many current events back home.

4. Talking to every non-American about the US. I once stayed at a hostel in Cairns in which I met a Portuguese traveler who mentioned the Philadelphia Sixers. This led to an hour-long discussion about “Trust the Process” in which I excited gushed about the upcoming season’s potential.

5. Every McDonald’s (Macca’s) ever. Nothing seems more American than those golden arches. Plus, a long night of adventure only gets better with a side of fries.

So although I have not given you much love lately, America, please know you’ll always have a special part in my heart.

 

Cheers,
Jocelyn

 

PS: I wrote this blog while scarfing down a sleeve of double-stuffed Tim Tams.

PPS: My second suitcase was filled almost entirely of said Tim Tams. I’m not ready to give up certain parts of Straya just yet.