I don't know how many people can say they decided to skydive over Queensland, Australia, on their 21st birthday, but I'd definitely tell anyone that's debating to do it not to think twice, because quite frankly, it was one of the best days of my life!

Hi! My name is Teresa Ferrara, and I am currently a junior at La Salle University. I decided to study abroad in Australia at the beginning of my junior year because I wanted to take advantage of being a certified scuba diver and check out the Great Barrier Reef! I had no idea what was in store for me after 22 hours of flying when I landed in chilly Melbourne, but after coming within three feet of a wild kangaroo that very day, I knew that I would never regret leaving home for four months and traveling half way around the world for this so-called "cultural experience."

Attending Bond University on the Gold Coast of Australia not only handed me a school a few miles from the surf, but gave me the opportunity to take up salsa dancing, which has become my latest hobby. I had the chance to hold a kangaroo from the wild in Brisbane, and traveling to Cairns allowed me to not only achieve my goal of diving the Great Barrier Reef, but also horseback ride and bungy jump for the first time! I also had the chance to travel to Sydney and witness World Cup Rugby from front row seats at Telstra Stadium, where New Zealand competed with France for third place and won! Telstra Stadium was also the site of the Olympic Torch from the 2000 Olympic Games, which were held in Sydney.

Perhaps the greatest experience from studying abroad in Australia, though, was the chance to travel to the Philippines for the first time to meet my mother's side of the family. It took me 21 years, but I finally met uncles, aunts and cousins that were once just voices on the telephone. I was also exposed to a third world country for the first time and only then truly realized how fortunate I am to have the freedoms I may take for granted while living in the States.

There are endless opportunities to take advantage of while studying abroad, and if you have the courage and stamina to adapt to a new culture and really discover what life is like in another area of the world, then I highly recommend doing it. I guarantee you that with an open mind and heart, it will be one of the best experiences of your life.