Personal Experience Of Traveling On My Own And Growing Up

I do not come from a big religious or cultural family. Thus I have not had a huge coming of age experience in my lifetime. However in the fall 2017, I had little a bit of a life changing experience. I was offered to go play softball in Australia. I knew this was going to be a once in a life opportunity and I could not pass this up. This also meant I had to look at reality and realize I needed to do a little growing up of my own.

Throughout my entire life I have always lived at home. I have always had two awesome parents who have always taken care of me to the best of their abilities. My parents made sure I have had clothes on my back, food either ready for me when I got home or packaged up so I could take it wherever, a ride to or from where I needed and they were just two people who I could relax with and talk to. Traveling on my own meant I needed to do a little bit of growing up.

First of all I need to start saving money. I have never really saved money before but I was able to do that with a little help from my parents. I was so nervous do go by myself. Once I was in Australia I was going to be all alone. I lived with a nice lady but she was rarely home. Being home alone made me mature in ways I was never ready too yet. I was a 19 year old boy who now had to pay rent, cook my own meals, do my own laundry, and plan everything out with my job there while trying to learn a new culture and get to my sporting event every night. It definitely took some time getting used to and adjust to my new life. But once I was settled in and made some new friends it was a whole lot easier. It was a completely new experience for me that I will never forget.

The part that I liked the best was growing up mentally. From being a babied boy at home, to being able to support myself fully all by myself. It really made me happy knowing I could grow up and be an “Adult”. This is something I will never forget and will prepare me for whatever the future holds.