Reflection

Name: Julia Dolle

Type of Project: Education Abroad/Internship

1. My STEP Signature Project was an 8-week internship program in Sydney, Australia.  I worked for an investment relations company, First Advisers, as a data analytics intern.  I also explored Australia and learned about its culture.
2. While traveling to the other side of the world to work for a foreign company I grew immensely as a person and my view of the world changed.  Although scared at first to go to a country with people I didn’t know I quickly realized all of the opportunities there was for me in Sydney.  I became more independent as a result of traveling to Australia.  I first had to figure out how to get to my internship.  Walking around a big city alone was intimidating, but I eventually was used to it.  I also had to cook for myself for the first time, so I was able to learn what I can do next year living on my own.
   Australia is a very different lifestyle than I was used to and it was interesting experiencing it.  The culture is much more emphasized on traveling and exploring the world before going to college and getting a family.  I met many different kinds of people form all over the world who taught me about living life to the fullest.  Overall, I became more confident with my self and my ability to travel alone.
3. During my time in Australia, I worked for a small investment company. I was able to interact with many of coworkers and they taught me many things.  The way that most Australians look at traveling is very different than Americans.  They see it as something essential that every person in their 20s should do.  After going to college many of them found it was important to take time to travel before settling down with a career.  I found this to be very different than what is expected of Americans.  Once we go to college it is expected for us to know what we want to do with our lives.  Although I am not sure if I would want to travel after college it gave me something to think about.
   Another event that changed my perception was when I want scuba diving in the Great Barrier Reef.  Being in the greatest coral reef in the world I felt scuba diving was something I needed to try.  Not thinking too much into it, I signed up and went through an intro course.  I suited up with all the gear and jumped in the ocean.  I was with an instructor and as we went just a few feet in the water the panic set in.  I had not realized how uncomfortable I would feel scuba diving and it terrified me.  In that moment I had my first panic attack.  I felt like the ocean tank wasn’t working and immediately wanted to go back up out of the water.  However, after my instructor was able to calm me down and I calmed my breathing I was able to continue with the scuba diving.  It was one of the most fantastic days I have ever had.  I learned that although many things seem scary for me I am able to over come them.  They joy I felt after doing that and so many other scary moments on my trip abroad changed my perception on the world forever.
   Another activity that transformed me abroad was the nature walks.  At school and at home, I am rarely completely by myself.  When I am walking through the oval there is always hundreds of people walking around me.  Although I am not always talking to people, I am always surrounded by them.  Going on hikes in remote areas of Australia, I was completely by myself.  This seemed very intimidating at first.  If something happened to me no one would be around to see it.  However, I then realized how peaceful it is to spend time alone in nature.  I was able to spend a lot of time reflecting on myself.  I hope when I return to school, even though I wont be alone, I will still be able to do this.
4. The transformation I made during my project will be valuable as I begin to live on my own. I learned how to balance a full time job with exploring and everything else I wanted to do.  While abroad, there were activates I wanted to do everyday, but I had to balance them on top of my internship.  I was able to learn how to grocery shop and meal prep for myself each week.  This will help during this year when I live in a house and need to cook for myself.  I am now more organized with planning what to cook for myself.
   Another way this is valuable for my life is that I am now much more independent.  Before going on the trip, I would only want to do things to felt comfortable to me and when I knew I would know people.  I went to Australia not knowing anyone on my trip.  This was terrifying to me at the beginning, but I soon became good friends with anyone.  I can now go places not knowing people and feel confident in it.  This will help when I am trying to pick a a job and a city to work in.  I will be able to pick a place that I want to live in even if I don’t know anyone else who lives there.  Overall, going abroad made me into a much stronger and more confident person.