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I feel a nudge on my shoulder. That’s it, no turning back now. Time to go. My heart is racing so fast and beads of sweat are running down my face. I’ve got everything ready. I keep wondering if I’ll be okay, even though in the back of my mind I already know the answer. I’m excited, but can’t help feeling the sense of anxiousness for what lays ahead. My buddy gives me a wink and cracks a smile. And somehow, I feel better, because we are in this together. Where’s my sense of adventure? Here we go. My jump into the unknown starts now. That’s how my Australia expedition begins. A chilly December night in London. My friend who I was traveling with taps me on the shoulder. It’s time for our friends to take us to the airport. There is no turning back now. I’m sweating and my heart is literally pounding so hard. I have all of my bags (boy, for a backpacking trip there’s certainly a lot of them!) We arrived at the airport and I start to feel horrible, here come the waterworks. The hugs and goodbyes were harder than I anticipated. I see one of my friends winks and smiles at me. It was in that moment I knew I had a team rooting for me. As much as I would miss them all, I would be okay. This is something I had to do for me. This was my adventure. Here we go. My jump into the unknown starts now. That’s how my Australia voyage continues. Tap on my shoulder. The roar of the plane is so loud, I can’t hear. I keep looking out the window in awe of the earth beneath me. I don’t think my heart has ever raced this fast. I could physically see it popping out of my chest. Sweating from nervousness is an understatement. My instructor tightens up my gear. The thoughts running through my head right now are insane. I’m hoping everything will be okay. I’m excited, anxious and everything in between. The plane starts to level out. That’s it, no turning back now. Red light: almost time. Yellow light: door opens so get ready. John gives me a wink and cracks a smile right before he is sucked out of the plane. Now, as I am about to hurl myself out of a plane 15,000 feet high, I start to feel better because I know we got this. Green light: time to fly! My jump into the unknown starts now. That’s how my Australia journey ends. A beautiful clear day at sea along the Great Barrier Reef. I’m mesmerized at the color of the ocean. Tap on the shoulder. I cannot believe what I am about to do. My friend has since left, so this is all for me. All the training was about to pay off, there’s no turning back now. My heart isn’t racing, nor am I having the sweats from anxiety. This is something I’ve worked for. My gear looks good and I’m ready to put it on. We all look at each other, share a wink and smile. We are all in this together. This would be an awesome experience unlike any other. As my time comes closer, the unknown is not worrisome to me. I can’t wait to see what is down there. It’s not every day you become a certified scuba diver at this beautiful landmark. I’m at the edge of the boat. Okay, time to find Nemo. Here we go. My jump into the unknown starts now. I feel a nudge on my shoulder. My friend asks me if I’m okay and if I’m missing being in Australia. I smiled and said it was time to come back. I lived my dream. Accomplished what I wanted to accomplish. I grew as a person. I had to come back and tell my story. I’m excited and not worried if everything will be okay because I know it will be. I wink and crack a smile at my friend. Somehow everything feels better. Time for my next chapter. Here we go. My jump into the unknown starts now.