How often is it that you get to say this past weekend was one of the best weekends of my life? Well, this Monday I get to say that. This weekend seventeen of my closest friends at Bond Uni took a trip to the beautiful Whitsunday Islands.
Our adventure first started at 5am on a Thursday when we were picked up and taken to the Brisbane airport. Eagerly anticipating what was ahead of us, we enjoyed our first day in Airlie Beach reading by the lagoon and grilling next to our hostel, Down Under. As if Thursday’s relaxation and new sights weren’t enough, we boarded our new 7.5-meter home for the weekend, Wings III.
Wings Sailing Adventures knew how to take care of us with the picturesque snorkel and scuba dive destinations they took us to, the food they provided and the mind-blowing weather we encountered.
The capacity of the boat held around 25 people, most of which were TEAN Bond students. The other lodgers were two people from the UK, 2 from Austria, and 2 from Brazil. Instead of spending my weekend with my already well-known friends, I decided to get to know these people who I was lucky enough to be stuck with for the weekend. These six people made all the difference in my weekend, with their scuba and travel stories.
Sitting outside looking up at the stars while talking to these people, I realized how rare this moment was. Not only is being on a boat for a weekend rare, but also getting to know people from 4 different countries all though out the world. The woman from the UK had ventured off on her own for five and a half months in order to travel, do many scuba dives, and meet new people. The admiration I have for her is immense because not only did she step out of her comfort zone for almost half a year, she did it by herself.
Meeting these people and realizing I was not going to get to see them again was sad, but did wonders for me. I realize on this short vacation how lucky I am to be presented with such a cultural opportunity. When you travel, your heart is divided up into small pieces all over the world and you are always missing someone.
Brittany Goldstein is a student at Indiana University and a TEAN Featured Blogger. Brittany is currently studying abroad with TEAN on the Gold Coast, Australia.
