After traveling for 2 days because of a delay and halfway around the globe, I finally touched down in Melbourne with my traveling buddy. Stepping outside of the airport, I was immediately hit with a wave of fresh, winter air. Never would I have imagined I’d end up going to Australia before somewhere like Europe but here I was, blessed with this opportunity because of the Warner Exchange. Although I was able to visit Melbourne like a tourist, my favorite parts of the trip had to be meeting the people there. In school, I got to meet guys in every class who all had many interesting things to share. For me, I wanted to know what they thought about their life and culture as much as they wanted to know what American life was like. I can still remember kicking a soccer ball on the soccer field and just chatting about anything with the lads. On top of that, the experience I will remember most is playing rugby there. Going into the exchange, my plan was to play winter tennis down there, I had never really played a contact sport and rugby had to be one of the more extreme contact sports considering they wear no pads. Moreover, we practiced on a muddy field in wet, wintry conditions while just wearing shorts and t-shirt. However, even with many of these doubts in my mind, something about training with others on a team felt different. This was by far the biggest team sport I had ever played in yet everyone treated each other like brothers. What had swayed me over was many of the guys I met kept asking my host whether or not I’d come to rugby training or not. Eventually, I came to enjoy training and working through tough conditions no matter how sore I would get after contact sessions because it felt good to work hard with others who wanted to do the same while supporting each other every step of the way. To top it off, I got to play in a rugby match on my last game there and it was more exhilarating than I could have ever imagined. On the whole, this was an eye opening experience that has grown my perspective on how others view America, one of the biggest things I heard mentioned to me were the guns in America and how all of the Aussies are terrified of them. It’s just interesting to see what others' thoughts and perspectives are. Regardless of what they thought, my host family and the people I met took me in like I was one of them. I would encourage anyone who enjoys meeting new people or wants to step a little outside of their comfort zone to at least apply for the Warner exchange, where you go won't matter, but all of the guys who went this year will remember their time fondly when looking back on their time on the hill.
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