Sydney Opera

The Sydney Opera House is gorgeous. Nothing could compare to looking at the magnificent building as the sun slowly sets behind it. Everything around it is cast in a peaceful glow while the white “sails” take in every extra fragment of light and stand out as blindingly white.

The bench I sat on was cold to the touch, but the cup of green tea I held in my hands warmed me from the inside out. Around me I could hear the sound of my friends laughing about a stupid joke Mitch had told, but my attention was elsewhere. My gaze was locked on the massive structure that was the major landmark of Australia. My thoughts were centered on the feelings I was experiencing.

Nothing would ever be able to steal away the rush I had. My perspective on life changed in an instant, and looking up at the setting sun I knew what I wanted to do with my future. I had always known there was something bigger than the United States, something more universal. Now, however, I had found the thread that would connect me to the world- my reason for wanting to connect.

Something in the shape of the sails or the color of the sky showed me in a way nothing ever had before that in order to appreciate my own life, I would have to be involved in other lives. It confirmed to me I could do this for a living- I could travel to other countries, have once-in-a-lifetime experiences, all while helping my nation and others become better neighbors.