Blog 1- The Journey Begins

My name is Morgan; I am a junior at Grayslake North. I have been dancing since I was 6 years old. I am on the varsity poms team, and it takes over my life. In my spare time I try to find time to spend with my friends.  I am a very family oriented person, and I enjoy nature. As a child I use to go camping with my family about 3 times a year. Summer is by far my favorite season of the year; I never have a boring moment. I also work at the Round Lake Park District, I’m a lifeguard. Traveling to Australia with a group of individuals I have never been close with, really pushes my limits as a person. I want to step out of the box, and realize how many wonderful people this world has to offer.

1.) The reason I signed up for this class, is because I want to be able to study abroad, and get a better understanding for other countries culture. Learning about another countries culture can change a person’s way of thinking. I enjoy having moments take my breath away, because it's a memory I would never forget. I feel the only way to get the best out of traveling is to really embrace everything that country has to offer, and making the best out of every situation. Australia has many beautiful aspects that I cannot wait to explore.

2.) What I hope to get out of this class is an everlasting life changing experience. I want to be able to grow from the people around me, and learn not only about Australia's culture, but to also learn more about myself. I want to learn more about the history of Australia, because I have never learned much about it. I've realized that in history classes, they emphasize history in Europe and Italy and places like that, but I don't recall learning much about Australia. By me not knowing much about their culture and history, makes me want to go there and learn as much as possible.

3.)In Australia what I want to specifically learn about is the history, and what made that country the way it is today. Like I said before, I have never learned much about Australia. It's really intriguing to hear about the way the ancestors of people in Australia changed their culture and ways of life. When I went to Hawaii in 6th grade with a group called people to people, I didn't understand my reasons for traveling, and to be honest I didn't embrace the traveling experience to the fullest. I want to learn from that experience and allow myself to grow as a traveler, and really take in everything that I see and learn about Australia.

4.) In order to get the most out of traveling to another country would be learning about it's history and its present. I feel this way because as a traveler, you have so much to offer and grow upon. If a person traveled to Australia and had no intentions of learning about the certain structures their viewing  they will not be able to embrace the building or monuments full potential. If a traveler just decided to go visit another country and had no background knowledge, they can be referred to as a tourist. A tourist in my mind, is a type of person who travels to look at beautiful things, but doesn’t comprehend the reasoning behind this structure. When a person looks at something and knows  how the culture has grown just because of  a monument, the traveler can experience a life changing moment.

I put this picture because I am very excited to see a kangaroo, Its going to be sweet seeing an animal I have never seen in person before in its natural habitat.


I also put this picture because I am looking forward to seeing all the beautiful fish that the Barrier Reef has to offer.