My journey to Sydney, Australia will forever be a cherished opportunity that shaped my perspective and future as an individual. I remember first landing there just as the sun dawned across the smoky horizon due to the fires the country had been dealing with. It hit me then that I was in a different country and that this was no longer something that I would read about in the news- but rather something I would experience live and learn from. Although people tend to think Australia is parallel to the USA due to their similar western ways- I write this to argue the contrary. From the food, shopping centers, environment to the slang, classroom, behavior, and writing- Australia was as culturally unique as a country that had a dominant language other than English. The beauty of the Opera House as I watched from the top of the Sydney Harbor Bridge as the wind blew my hair and I felt on top of the world is an image forever sculptured in my brain. Even while I was sitting the classroom examining cadavers for anatomy class, I was soaking up every moment knowing the amount of knowledge, culture, and mindset I take away will shape the individual I become. My goal was to leave Australia with an awareness to not take my life for granted. At home I felt trapped in this bubble within our community, unaware of what the rest of the world has to offer. I could not have thought of a better time to be in Australia, because now I have the ability to compare how one country handled COVID-19 to my own country. Although the path to get to Australia was neither as well laid-out as claimed, nor as supportive and that my time here was cut inexcusably short- I do not regret it, because I will remember how independent, strong, and influential I have become in spite of all the odds against me.

Name: Katarina Theodora Vrzovski
Status: Junior
Majors: Biomedical Laboratory Science
Hometown: Macomb, Michigan
Program: University of New South Wales in Australia