Today is Monday. I leave on Friday. If I said I wasn’t terrified I would be lying.

I’ve always known that going on exchange would mean tackling some of the biggest obstacles I’ve ever been faced with. There is nothing ‘easy’ about leaving everything you know and love for an unknown quantity. Maybe that is the reason I wanted to do it. I’m not really an adventurous person but I do believe in ‘faking it ’till you make it’ and so to me this year is about leaving my comfort zone far behind and learning to live life to the full (as cheesy as it sounds).

I don’t really think anyone expected me to want to go on exchange. I hate change. I love control. Exchange means a lot of change and very little control. My best friend finds the idea of me ‘going with the flow’ very funny and I do understand why. I like to know exactly what is happening and when, I’m a bit of a control freak.

So far all I’ve only really stated the reasons why I’m not suited to exchange and that’s not the point I’m trying to make.

So, I now present you with the reasons why I am doing it.

1. I live in one of the least multicultural places in Sydney. Going on exchange presents me with an amazing opportunity to meet new people who come from everywhere. I want to learn to see the world through other people’s eyes or at least gain an understanding of what life is like for other people.
2. I want to figure out who I really am. I have two very defining features: my height and my ability to do well at school. Those seem to be the things that define me, they’re what people sort of know me for. Going on exchange will remove both those aspects from me. I won’t be that tall in a Scandinavian country and no one expects me to do well at school when it is in a different language. Who I am, what sort of person I am isn’t really even known to me.
3. I think I need to put my life into perspective. Different people have different values, that’s life but at the moment I think what I believe matters is sort of unimportant in the scheme of things. I care about school and my marks….. a lot. I value this far above social interactions and things of that sort. Let me be the one to say I think I need to focus less on school and more on living and I don’t think I’d be able to achieve that if I stayed in an environment where I know I’m expected to do well.
4. I want to learn to be more independent. Like a lot of people, I rely on my family to support me in various ways. I don’t think there is anything wrong with this but, being a middle child, I’ve always had another sibling at school with me, doing the same extra-curricular activities as me and playing in the same sporting team as me. I love having sibling support but I also want to do something where I’m on my own and have to deal with it.
5. Last but certainly not least, I don’t want to do what’s easy and comfortable anymore. I’ve only moved house once (when I was 3), I’ve never moved schools and I can’t remember doing something where I didn’t already know somebody. The point is, I don’t honestly believe I’ve ever pushed myself in a social way. I’m not particularly good with meeting new people but I’ve never really put myself in a situation where I needed to improve that. I have known exactly what I’m in for whenever I’ve tried something new. Putting myself in a completely uncomfortable situation can only build character.

This year, for me, marks the start of the rest of my life and, whilst terrified, I can’t wait!

Four days to go!

Alicia