Tag: blog

I need to stop jumping into the ocean with my clothes on.

Published on by ashleybmuirheadLeave a comment

It seems that I have this silly little habit of jumping into the ocean no matter the circumstances, and I know for a fact that my dorm washing machine hates me. I’m fully clothed? I’m getting in the water. I have nice white pants on? Doesn’t matter, ocean here I come! I just washed my hair? Looks like I’ll just have to wash it again. It doesn’t matter where I am, who I’m with, or what I’m wearing – if someone even jokes about getting into the water, I’m there (socks and all). I have only been in Perth, Australia for about two weeks now, and the amount of times that I have had to do laundry because of this habit is getting concerning.

So far, I have jumped into the ocean fully clothed three separate times. The first was on one of the first nights of O-week; my new friend, Kallarni, and I decided to go visit one of her hometown friends that was staying in another dorm. All three of us chatted, laughed, and hung out late into the night. Later, we decided to go and meet up with a larger group of friends, some of whom are from all over the world (Ireland, Scotland, South Africa, and some locals, too). It was really cool being able to talk to people that I otherwise wouldn’t have to chance of meeting. Anyways, we all decided to walk down to the Swan River to look at the stars, and long story short, we all jumped in at the end of the night to celebrate the start of O-week. The Swan River is a part of the river delta, meaning that it leads out to sea. Because of this, the water is filled with large brown jellyfish. Thank God it was dark outside, because otherwise I might not have gotten in!

The second time I jumped into the water fully clothed was when my dorm won the fresher dance! What is the fresher dance you may be wondering? Well, each of the dorm houses compete in a mega dance-off at the end of O-week on the shore of the Swan River. This event is a huge deal – we spent close to four hours a day perfecting our 7-minute dance, and the hard work clearly paid off! Anyways, its tradition for the winning dorm to run into the river right after being announced, and we did exactly that! Thankfully, I took off my shoes just in time.

The third time was just this past Sunday. Kallarni and I went out to a dance club that was located right by the beach. We were celebrating a few different people’s birthdays, which was so much fun (side note, there are some great dance clubs here, if you’re into that!). After a good long night, we decided to walk down to the beach, considering that it was literally across the street from the dance club. Once again, long story short, I ended up being (quite easily) convinced to go headfirst into the water, despite having to get in an Uber 10 minutes later.

Being from Colorado I have never gotten the opportunity to live so close to the ocean (or even a large body of water), so I think it’s important to take advantage of my location while I can. I went into this adventure with the goal of saying yes to more opportunities, more adventures, more everything! I don’t regret jumping into the water (I’m convinced I was a mermaid in a past life, despite only being able to hold my breath for 30 seconds max), and I definitely will do it again. Hopefully next time I think about packing a change of clothes!

Fomo is a Friend

Published on by vanessacepedaLeave a comment

It’s ok to have a rest day, I was afraid to have one because I did not want to waste time. But to be truthful, I (for some reason) feared being pitied for choosing to have a reset day because others will always assume that you’re either boring, wasting time, or lack the means.

But then it hit me: I am a grown-up here and I invest in these experiences for me. Besides, if my body was asking for a day of planning out my purpose and intentions for my time here, then that’s what I should do- no questions asked. And that play-by-play led me to realize that feeling FOMO is a gift to give ourselves the big question of: why? If you can come up with a concrete reason, then leap towards that, and if not, then don’t destroy your own fun and push through.

When studying abroad, there is a continual rush to see everything, sample every cuisine, and seize every moment when studying overseas. However, I’ve discovered that pausing is acceptable—even necessary. At first, I was afraid of missing out or that others would think I was uninteresting or that I didn’t have the resources to do more, so I took a rest day. What struck me, though, is that I didn’t come here to entertain. I came here to have experiences that spoke to me meaningfully, thus speaking portions from the heart towards this post. To engrave this message, I created this for you all

I know when to check in with myself, whether my body or mind is requesting a day off. A reset day may sometimes be more than simply a vacation; it’s a time when my purpose is reoriented. This perspective on FOMO has changed everything. It’s no longer something to avoid but a prompt to clarify my motivation. FOMO doesn’t have to be a bad thing; it may really help us concentrate on the important things in life. I now ask myself two questions whenever I get FOMO: “Is this something I really want to experience, and why?” I take action if the response is affirmative. If not, however, I respect my own pace and let go. 

My recommendation going forward is to accept FOMO as a check-in point. Instead of feeling compelled to keep up, let it serve as a gentle reminder to get back on track with your goals. Give yourself guilt-free days to relax, to plan, to ponder, or simply to be. In fact, you’ll have more fulfilling encounters in this manner, based on what you actually desire as opposed to what you believe you should desire. Let FOMO be your buddy, reminding you to make the most of your time overseas. Remember: it’s about quality, not quantity.

Ciao!