The country that made me fall in love was Australia: my first solo trip and the trip that taught me about myself – that I was independent, that I could speak to strangers, and book trips myself. I witnessed another way of life, one that revolves around the beach and the sun, not the TV and rain.
I tried to surf, I scuba-dived alongside a whale shark, and I kayaked meters from whales and dolphins.I saw the Sydney Opera House, jumped out of a plane at 14,000 ft, and then celebrated surviving the jump by seeing Far East Movement.
In Australia I grasped every opportunity, and made the most out of every day. In short, Australia taught me how to live. And it was through meeting people there, who had travelled from all over the globe with their unique habits and lifestyles, which encouraged me to travel Asia the next summer, Europe the summer after, and South America this coming summer. And, ultimately, to return to Oz to live.
This Valentine’s Day, Australia has my heart.