My First Roller Coaster

Everyone has those moments that stay with you your entire life. Brief, little moments when you experience something for the first time that seem to stick with you forever… and you can remember every detail so perfectly. Like the time you learned to ride a 2-wheel bike…  or getting your first kiss…  or that first drive after you finally get your license… Its these moments that you’ll never forget. One of these moments that was particularly significant for me was my first roller coaster ride. It was on a field trip in 6^th grade to Indiana Beach, a little amusement park up in Monticello, Indiana. I was terrified. My class had taken the same trip the year before and I had gone, but refused to ride a single roller coaster the entire trip. Sure, I did the bumper cars and the ferris wheel… it was just those tiny cars on their wooden tracks, speeding down those hills and around those turns, that I just couldn’t bring myself to try. It was just plain scary, and I would not risk it. All my friends told me “Nicky just do it! You’ll have fun!”, but I quietly just shook my head and sat on the bench outside the ride watching them.

            But the following year, I was no longer a 5^th grader… I was a 6^th grader, and I had grown a little braver. I was still extremely wary of the roller coasters, but my best friend, Meredith, persuaded me to at least wait in line with her for the biggest one there, The Hoosier Hurricane. She assured me I didn’t have to ride it, so I went ahead and stood in line with her. Once we got to the front of the line, they came over the speaker and told everyone to get in their seats. I didn’t hesitate, didn’t think… I didn’t over analyze it, didn’t worry about what I was about to do… I just… got in! The bar came down on my lap and Mere and I began the climb up the biggest, steepest hill I’d ever been on. It was then that the realization hit me. I was on a roller coaster. Mere and I were so nervous on the painfully long ride up that hill that we sang “Mary Had A Little Lamb” together so that we wouldn’t think about what was to come. I remember the rush, the screaming, the laughter, and the pure thrill of the next minute, and when the two of us stepped off that ride, we looked at each other smiling and said, “Let’s do it again!”

            You may wonder why this moment was so important for me. Why has it stuck with me so vividly for so long? Well, the fact is, I learned a huge thing that day, and have thought back to that experience many times since then. I often find myself in situations where I don’t want to try something new because I don’t know what its going to be like… I look at it from an outsider’s perspective and overthink every possible scary, awkward, challenging possibility that could occur. I think the new, scary situation to DEATH until I’ve scared myself so much that I just refuse to try it. Big things, like going to college or interviewing for that job… or smaller things, like asking someone out on a date or trying that new food. It is these times, where I’m sitting there nervously, beginning to turn and walk away, that I think back to that summer afternoon when I was 12…. in the same situation, terrified, sweaty hands, racing heart… standing in front of that gigantic roller coaster, imagining how bad it could be. And I remember the way I just blocked out all those little voices telling me I shouldn’t… I couldn’t… I wouldn’t… and I just got in that line, got in that seat, buckled my seatbelt, and took the ride of my life.

            That first roller coaster ride ended up being an extremely significant life experience to me… one I reflect back on anytime I’m faced with something new that I’m not so sure about and would normally just walk away from. As the time till I leave grows shorter and shorter, I find myself just sitting there, thinking and thinking and thinking about what I’m about to do… In less than 2 weeks I will be getting on a plane, all by myself, headed to the opposite side of the planet. I may get lost, I may need a friend, I may not understand the culture… And I start to get anxious and freak myself out… But then I remember my first roller coaster, and I know the only way to do this is to stop stressing out and not even worry about it. When July 8^th comes and I’m waiting there in line at the airport, I’m not going to think. I’m just gonna get on that plane and start singing “Mary Had A Little Lamb” and know everything is going to be just fine.

How It All Started

The whole thing happened pretty spontaneously. It all began on New Years Eve 2010. The last night of 2010 I sat with my family eating dinner at a great seafood restaurant in Fort Meyers, Florida, where we were on our annual family vacation. We were taking turns reflecting on the past year and the many experiences we’d had and the ways we’d grown. My 2 sisters had both studied abroad, one in Argentina and the other in Cairo, and they had many exciting stories and great experiences to share. They are the adventurous ones in the family.. I've never been the type to venture out of my comfort zone, and I realized that I had felt stuck in a rut for the past year. I didn't feel as if I'd grown as a person at all. I was the same insecure, unstable, slightly irresponsible, naïve girl I'd always been. I decided my New Years resolution for the year 2011 was to take more risks, get out of my comfort zone, and really grow as a person. I had no idea how I would do it at the time, but I believe the universe provides opportunities as they are meant to happen.

And low and behold, that opportunity came, early one February morning when I woke up for class and the idea popped into my head that I should study abroad! My friend Jasmine picked me up that morning for our coffee date at Starbucks as usual and I let her in on my random, exciting idea. On our walk to the Campus Center we continued chatting about it and as we rounded the corner we noticed international flags hanging all over the windows of the building. As it turns out, that morning was the Study Abroad Fair at IUPUI and dozens of booths and representatives were standing around ready to inform and answer questions on every program option. Jaz and I couldn’t believe it. We decided it was simply meant to happen!

I explored the booths and asked many questions and spent the rest of that morning sipping coffee and researching my options. My first thought was France, because of my passion for the country and language, but I’d already been there and wanted to try somewhere new. I also preferred an English speaking country, so I wouldn’t have to learn a new language. I looked at Canada (too close), England (wanted to go somewhere other than Europe), and Australia. Australia… where’s that again? They speak English, right? Hugh Jackman is Australian. I decided it was worth looking into.

All I really knew about Australia was that they had kangaroos, koala bears, the Outback, the Great Barrier Reef, and some cute accents. I also knew it was pretty much on the opposite side of the world. The picture I had in my head was pretty much tan, blonde Paul Hogans wearing khaki and driving jeeps through the desert. Ignorant? Maybe. But my only impression of Australia had been formed by Rescuers Down Under, Crocodile Dundee, and Steve Irwin as the crocodile hunter. I decided to look into it a little bit more.

There were four options of places to study abroad in Australia, Adelaide, Canberra, Perth, and Wollongong. The characteristics listed under the Adelaide program were as follows: “The capital of South Australia”, “a lively city surrounded by parks”, “on a beach”, and “near Outback and wine country”. I was immediately in love. A lively city? Beach? Wine? This place was worth looking into. Yes, I looked at all four options, but Adelaide seemed to be calling my name.

I called Mom to bounce the idea off of her, and she couldn’t believe what she was hearing. Let’s just say, it was the last thing she was expecting me to ask about. After a long conversation I explained to her my options and we decided I should go ahead and apply. And so, I wrote an essay, filled out some forms, and emailed an old professor to send in a recommendation. I sent it all in a few hours later, and then went on with my day. I was excited about the idea for the next couple days, but a week later had pushed it to the back of my mind. A month or so later I received an email back saying that my application had not been completed accurately and that it was past due. I shrugged my shoulders and thought, hey, it must not have been meant to be. I forgot about my plans of going to Adelaide.

That is, until the afternoon of April 7^th when I received an email from the study abroad director and the first sentence was “I wanted to touch base with you regarding a few matters you should be aware of as you prepare to study abroad this fall.” Um. What??! Me?? Going to Australia in 3 months??? No. Way.

Over the next month and a half as the semester wrapped up I had a lot of questions and a lot to think about. I emailed back and fourth with the director a little and learned that my application has still been submitted and accepted, despite it being incomplete. They had sent me an email back in March, but I had accidentally deleted it having not recognized the email and believing it to be junk mail. I was overwhelmed, and with finals approaching, felt I could not make the decision. And so I didn’t. I love Indy and was happy here. I had no reason to leave. I have lots of friends, a great job I love and am good at, a nice apartment on campus, the city of Indianapolis practically in my backyard… why would I leave? I talked to some of my friends about it and they all couldn’t believe I was actually thinking of not going. Many of them were jealous I even had the opportunity to spend 5 months living in Australia. I also talked to my family, especially my mom and sisters, about what to do. They all told me I WAS doing it. They didn’t even give me an option.

Still, I felt doubtful. I listened to what everyone said and explained to them the pros and cons, but never really had time to sit down and think about it until finals ended the first week of May. I can’t tell you the exact day I lost all doubt and made the decision that I was going, but I do know that all of a sudden I started actually researching Australia and Adelaide and learned everything I could about Australian culture. It sounded like a lot of fun and a great opportunity to put my New Years resolution into effect. I got my passport renewed, housing applied for and taken care of, courses scheduled with my study abroad advisor, and emailedemailedemailed. It is SUCH a process to study abroad, but I’m sure all the trouble will be worth it.

And so, now here I am, 3 weeks away from being on a plane bound for Adelaide, (Well, actually LA, then Sydney, THEN Adelaide), and I still don’t have it all sorted out. There are several last minute things I need to get taken care of, and I hope I’m able to get it all done before I leave! For now, I’m finishing up my summer class, still working some at Starbucks, and making the most of the time I have left here in my city with my wonderful friends. I have a feeling these last few weeks are going to fly by!