Lizzie Frombach
Study Abroad
STEP Reflection
- For my STEP signature project, I traveled with a group of 20 Ohio State students to both Australia and the island of Fiji. This Australia/ Fiji Leadership Experience was offered by the Outdoor Adventure Center here at Ohio State, and took place last May. Over the course of the month, we traveled around Australia and Fiji partaking in many exciting outdoor activities.
- Traveling to the other side of the world is a big deal, let alone traveling to the other side of the world with complete strangers. I decided to go out on a limb and go on this journey with students I had never met in order to branch out and meet new friends. Besides, Australia was somewhere I had always wanted to visit, so this trip seemed like a great opportunity. Little did I know, I would make some amazing friends and learn so much about both myself and the natural world. I do not consider myself to be outgoing or a very social person. Because of this, it can be hard to make friends, especially at a school as big as Ohio State. Going on such a long, far trip with a small group of people made it easy to bond over the experience and become close friends. As the trip went on, I felt myself “come out of my shell” more and more. I learned that I had so much to offer and that I was capable of building strong relationships with others. I also became much more appreciative of the natural world. We spent most of our time outside doing activities such as snorkeling, hiking, kayaking, and surfing. This made me more appreciative of the beauty of the outdoors, something I issued to take for granted. Also, our cell phones were not working so we did not have the distraction of social media. It was nice to have real life interactions with others and be forced to take a good look at the beautiful world around us.
- As I mentioned before, spending a month abroad with a small group of people made for some pretty meaningful friendships. Although we started off mostly as strangers, I felt almost as if we were a family at the end of the trip. We did many team building activities to get to know each other in the beginning, but as time went on we bonded during the incredible adventures we went on. Activities such as snorkeling the Great Barrier Reef or hiking in the Blue Mountains is something I will always remember, and I will always remember the people I did it with. This trip was called the Australia/ Fiji Leadership Experience, so each student took a turn being the “leader” of the day. This helped me to figure out my leadership style and forced me to come out of my comfort zone. I am usually not a social person, and being brought out of my comfort zone allowed me to come out of my shell and form great friendships. This is something I am truly thankful for. Without this trip I would not know many of the amazing people that I do now, nor would I have realized that I am capable of branching out and forming new relationships.
For our entire time abroad, our group had no internet connection on our cell phones, aside from a few brief moments of Wi-Fi connection. Nowadays, I feel as if society is so obsessed with their cell phones, and social media, a lot of personal interactions are lost. Without this distraction, we were able to appreciate both each other and the natural beauty of the environments around us. I saw beautiful views of the ocean, both above and below the surface. I saw natural waterfalls and canyons while hiking in the Blue Mountains of Katoomba, Australia. The most transformative experience by far was when I witnessed how much I take for granted while I stayed in a village in Fiji. Even with no electricity or indoor plumbing, the people there were the happiest most humble people I’ve ever met. While I was there I witnessed how happy the people were even though they had barely anything. The people of the village opened their homes to us, fed us, and treated us like their own. It was an eye-opening experience, and probably the most impactful experience of the entire trip. From witnessing the true beauty of nature to being humbled by the beautiful villagers in Fiji, I truly gained a new perspective on the world.
A lot of the activities I did on this trip such as surfing, snorkeling, vigorous hiking, and sea kayaking are activities I never thought I would do. Not only were some of them out of my comfort zone, but I never thought I would be given the opportunity. I also tried many new interesting foods in Australia and Fiji, as well as discovered many cultural differences. I am proud of myself for pushing myself to new limits and experiencing a different culture for all that it was worth.
- These changes in myself are definitely valuable and important for my life. I am able to open up to people more and build new, meaningful relationships. This has greatly improved my people skills and will help me in any professional setting. My career goal is to be an X-Ray technician one day, so good people skills are especially important to that job. Also, it is personally satisfying to know that I overcame that obstacle in my life, as I have always been more on the shy side. I also have a greater appreciation of the world around me. I definitely appreciate more of the things I used to take for granted. I am a more humble person as a result of this trip. I also gained a deeper love of travel, and I am anxious to go on another amazing adventure soon. I am now a firm believer that it is more valuable to spend money on experiences than materialistic things. I am so thankful for this opportunity that would not have been possible without the STEP program; it has truly changed my life.