Submitted by Olivia Szefer on the 2020 spring semester study abroad program in Sydney, Australia…
This past weekend, the CAPA program sponsored a trip for the students to the Blue Mountains as well as the Featherdale Wildlife Park. From the time I landed in Sydney, I was excited to travel to these places because I am an avid hiker and large animal lover. Once I got there, it was exhilarating since I have never been this close to such beautiful creatures, and I even had the chance to feed some of them like the kangaroos and wallabies. The picture below shows my friend Amíca on the left and I on the right feeding a kangaroo some regular feed. However, with the Blue Mountains trip I was forced to get out of my comfort zone. I am petrified of heights and during the hike we were passing by cliffs that had high drop offs that would lead straight to the valley below. At one point in our hike, there was a moment where we had to climb down steep stairs to get onto the three sisters – where it was a straight drop. Though I was scared to climb down, I pushed myself through my comfort zone in order to experience new things and to have amazing memories with my newly made friends.