A Soft Start in LA
By Ayero Moro, Australian National University, Australia
Before heading to Australia for my year abroad, I decided to break up the journey with a few days in Los Angeles. I figured it would help with the jet lag (kind of), but mostly I just wanted to ease into the adventure slowly somewhere familiar but still exciting.
I booked a hotel in DTLA with a rooftop and a view over the city. It was a quiet spot tucked away from the chaos, which turned out to be exactly what I needed. Most mornings started with coffee on the rooftop, the LA sun doing its best to reset my confused body clock. Of course I HAD to make the most of it since I was going into a Canberran winter.
I walked around Hollywood and the quieter residential streets that feel like they’re straight out of a film. I ate incredible tacos (those Mexican food trucks SLAPPPPED! I recommend a corn tortilla with steak, diced fresh onion and a squeeze of lime), and bought a moon teddy from the museum that was WAYYYYYY too overpriced. Thank you SFE.
More than anything, LA gave me space to chill before the big leap. I was excited for Australia, but also nervous. There’s a weird limbo that happens when you’re between places. You’ve left one version of life behind but haven’t landed in the next yet. Those few days gave me a buffer. A soft landing before the new beginning.
If you’re heading across the world for a year abroad and you can squeeze in a stop like this, do it. It doesn’t have to be big. Just enough time to let your mind catch up with the moment.
