It's almost time to be an adult

For those of you who don't know, I'm currently in Wollongong, Australia, for an exchange. Life's been pretty great and I'm having such a blast. I know it may seem like nothing to some people, but I would never have imagined myself living overseas, even though it's only for a few months. To be honest, I've always been afraid to step out of my comfort zone. Growing up in Singapore, and having parents like mine, I feel like I have never truly been independent even though I'm already in my twenties. Although it does feel suffocating at times, I get a tremendous sense of security and comfort from that and I guess I got really used to it?

So you can imagine my fears and doubts when I found out I was going for this exchange (I was still super excited of course). I literally knew no one. Many of my friends who come over to Australia for studies have family here. So every time I watch their instastories, they're always surrounded by familiar faces and friends. But when I first arrived here, I literally had no one. I had to get settled all alone. Buy groceries alone. Eat alone. Cook alone. Back at home, I've always been sorta a loner, really closed off and have always loved being alone. So I thought it'd be a piece of cake. But boy was I wrong. My 'safety net' that was once my parents and friends was no longer there and I knew I had to step up and ultimately, only have myself to rely on. I was also dreading making new friends, especially as someone who's wearing the hijab and don't drink or party. I fear that all these Australians would be Islamophobic and steer clear from me or judge me because of it. I remember being so nervous on the first day of uni because I thought people would look at me weirdly or something. But I'm glad things went smoothly and all these fears were just in my head. People are super friendly here and no one gives a damn about your religion/culture (I mean this in a good way). Things got better and I've made so many new friends and have grown to love living alone and now I feel conflicted about leaving.

I know I'm babbling. But it's just so weird thinking about how scared I was just a couple of months ago. Like, I've grown so much since then. These past few months made me realize that I'm no longer a teenager just living my life, having fun. I'm a fully grown adult with all these responsibilities. Don't get me wrong, I love my parents and am so thankful for what they have done for me and for the sacrifices they've made but literally this experience has just made me rethink my entire life and forces me to reflect and grow up.

Living here these past few months is such a great way to end my final semester in uni. I still want to continue my studies, get honours and later pursue my masters/phd. There's just so many possibilities you know and although the future is scary, I'm really hopeful!! Finals will be in 2 weeks and insya'Allah I'll smash it out and then I'll be doing some traveling with friends and family. November is gonna be a great month and finally, I'll be home in December. And it's time for me to be an adult. I honestly can't wait xx

City Beach, Wollongong.
Australia has the prettiest beaches. Not a bad place the live at eh?