This post was written by Kelsey, one of our graduates who did the Australia program. Read on to see her thoughts about New Year’s Eve in the land down under!

Three, two, one, HAPPY NEW YEAR!!! We shouted and cheered, hooped and hawed, hugged and high-fived. Our eyes lit up with the explosions in the sky. The first fireworks boomed, spelling out SYDNEY. That’s where we were, my new bestie, Ashley, and I, watching the start of the New Year in Sydney Harbour on Cremorne Point. As the fireworks blazed on, shining light into the darkness, I felt giddy. I let a full out cheesy grin spread over my face, turning pink, blue, then green with the bursting lights. The Sydney Opera House across the harbour from us was lit brightly and the boats in the water danced merrily, their fairy lights twinkling. At that moment I thought, “Wow, I’m really here. I made it.” For years I wanted to visit Australia; I was drawn to it for some reason. I was proud I had made the jump to live in a different country where I could experience something as special as this moment.
Earlier in the day Ashley and I had suffered through some serious heat and humidity (95° F/35.3 ° C). It would all be worth it, though. We packed snacks to eat and games to play throughout the day. A ladybug landed on my hand, a sign of good luck. It got to be quite windy in the evening, combined with our sweat from the previous hours made us very chilly. The first round of fireworks came earlier in the evening for those that wanted a show, but also an early night. At that point, we realized we had parked our spot directly behind a tree, blocking the view of the fireworks. I scoped out a new spot for us to watch the real show from while we waited for midnight to come. The crowd grew more dense as 2020 inched toward us. Groups small and large of family and friends danced and conversed all around us. A far cry from where we are now.

Those were the days…before COVID-19 swept through the world and brought with it social distancing among other restrictions. Even though it is tough right now not being able to celebrate big moments like this among hundreds of other happy and hopeful people, I couldn’t be more grateful for the memories I have to think back on at this time. This is just one example of a beautiful moment during my time abroad. I’m also so appreciative to have a friend like Ashley to share amazing moments like that with.
Ashley and I met through Rome Abroad. We got in contact through a group message on WhatsApp which the program set up and we met up soon after I arrived in Brisbane. We were instant friends. We had gone to the same high school and happened to live no more than 5 minutes from each other back in Utah, but we didn’t know each other before this experience. It was nice spending time with Ashley because I didn’t feel so far away from home. She introduced me to new people and places. She was a reliable travel buddy, too. My experience was definitely made better with her being part of it. Though this isn’t the new year we envisioned that night in Sydney, we can feel good knowing we started the year off right, following our dreams.