*Off the Coast of Somewhere Beautiful*

I apologize for this very much overdue blog. The past few weeks I've been struggling with incorporating my old life back home into my new life in Australia...and communication with family and friends has been lacking because of it. I've always been the "organized" one of the group - I have my color coded planner outlining study schedules, tasks that MUST be done, tasks that SHOULD be done and even day to day activities. My god, one day I almost caught myself writing down: "things to do: shower!" I know....completely embarrassing. I like to make plans and know where things are heading. Well, last year in Columbus this type of lifestyle finally got a little too boring for me. I spent more time throughout my dietetic internship stressing about my studies and where my life was heading than actually enjoying the fact that I lived in a fabulous apartment downtown, right around the corner from my family and friends that I love. I'm 23, why should I feel old or bored when really - my life is just beginning!!

I'm also an over thinker...surprise surprise. When I was accepted into my internship in Columbus verses my other hopeful prospects in Boston or Charleston...I was constantly thinking "well how does this change things? what would my life have been like in Boston?" What if. What if. What if. Luckily enough, I had my best friend come along for the ride in Columbus. Em and I are in many ways complete opposites - which is why our friendship remains so strong. Last year, when I was stressing about my internship and had the idea in the back of my mind to move abroad....I had a best friend living with me that simply came home one day and was like "hey, I'm doing this". If it wasn't for both her spontaneous and fearless personality, I don't think I'd ever have the courage to do this....and look where I've ended up!! Christa just sent Emily and I both a card that read, "Life begins at the end of your comfort zone." This couldn't be more true. Life is a complete adventure for me right now. I look back on my quick conversations to my mom...as I'm literally sprinting to work...and they're absolutely hilarious. The "how are you going" question (yes, in Australia it is 'going' not 'doing') turns into "well I ran out of clothes so I need to go to the laundry mat, a homeless man took my package - don't worry just the food not the necklace, the landlord yelled at me 5 times about my overdue rent, my Swedish roommates won't stop playing Madonna downstairs, there's a new mouse in my kitchen....but no worries mom, everything's great! - going out with friends after work - can't talk!" This lifestyle couldn't be MORE different from my comfortable, day to day lifestyle back in Columbus.

Emily's last blog was called Sliding Doors, titled after one of my favorite movies. We were talking about this movie the other day because I felt like I had reenacted one of the opening scenes. I was SPRINTING down Southern Cross Station to catch a tram to meet a dietitian. Let me preface this - the week before I completely forgot about our coffee date and stood this woman up...who was going out of HER way to meet me. Fail. She for some reason, very kindly decided to reschedule. I couldn't miss this train. I literally jumped off the escalator onto the platform and squeezed into the doors as the were sliding shut. Phew, I made it. The movie is based on the question people ask themselves, "what if". What if Emily didn't move to Columbus? What if I didn't come to Australia? The over thinker in me could go mad by constantly disputing which decisions would lead me where...which brings me back to my first apology for lack of updates. For once, I'm trying to not think about the "what if" and instead, live in the 'now'. I'm running around like crazy, still attempting to be my organized self, but also trying to live in the moment and enjoy my life in the present.

Two weekends ago, Emily and I traveled up to Brisbane and the Sunshine Coast. We went to visit our friend, Corey, who we met on the plane ride over to Australia. Random right?! Who knew that a random coincidence of sitting next to an 24 year old Aussie on the plane would lead to great friendships and a weekend of experiences that would never have occurred otherwise. To sum up: I learned "the proper" way to eat Vegemite; watched Corey, his friends and world champion wake boarders compete; stayed in a penthouse suite overlooking the Sunshine Coast; drove to Somerset dam in the middle of what looked like the"safari" of Victoria; boated until the engine burst; rope swung into water full of dead fish; played more Jenga than I ever have in my life; saw an owl and learned how to wake board!

One month ago I could have given you a deadline of when I'm coming back home. Now, I have no idea. Honestly, I don't even want to be bothered thinking about it. The decision will eventually come soon enough - and for now I am enjoying this beautiful place with the great friends I'm able to share it with. If I could give any advice to friends and family, it would be to step out of your comfort zone and take a chance. It might be a scary, confusing path...but you never know where it might lead or who it might lead you to!

Missing everyone back home, oh and see you in one week :)

In the land of footy and breaky...

"Fear less, hope more; whine less, breathe more; Talk less, say more; Hate less, love more; And all good things are yours."

I'm beginning to love this country more and more...not just for the gorgeous beaches and exciting city life, but because of the people I am meeting. Before my move, I spent the summer emailing dietitians about my plans to come to Melbourne in hopes that I could make some good connections. I couldn't believe how kind people were in response to my inquires and how willing they were to help once I got to Australia. However, before I knew it September came and I still felt very lost. I didn't know where to live, let alone how to find a job that could really excite me with the restriction of a working/holiday visa. Everyone knows how dreadful job searching can be - the endless search online, phone calls to grumpy secretaries, email after email to just get one response back - well let me tell you, I randomly called a sports institute in Melbourne and the secretary was the most cheerful person to talk to! In every aspect, people are just willing to help each other out. For the most part, people say "excuse me sweetheart" or "watch it mate!" when I bump into people for awkwardly walking on the "wrong" side of the sidewalk....which I much prefer to the "watch it stupid" look I'd get back home. I may have just gotten really lucky for once, but I have come across some amazing people these past few weeks!

Two weeks ago I met for coffee with Emma Stirling, a dietitian who I'd been in touch all summer. We ended up chatting for two hours and had a great afternoon! Her 8 year old daughter, Lucy, was there as well and I swear she knows more about Twitter than I ever will! Emma is an entrepreneur, editor of her own blog, has a lot of experience in communication and marketing and is very big in the dietetics community! We've decided to keep in touch and work together as much as possible during my time in Melbourne! I'm hoping to help with some projects and attend some dietetic conferences/lectures with her, I couldn't be more thrilled! I was ecstatic to have such a wonderful person reach out to me - so thank you, Emma!

Today I met with a friend of her's, Jo Shinewell, who is a sports dietitian for the Melbourne Footy Club.

Quick Side note - If I haven't mentioned this before, footy is a combination of football, rugby and soccer. It's a huge sport in Australia and the professional season just ended last weekend with the Australian Grand Final. I'm officially a St. Kilda fan since I live in the suburb, haha...well and MY team, the St. Kilda Saints, were in the final! We were in Portsea to watch this "Superbowl-esque" game when it ended in a TIE! Completely bizarre. The rematch was last weekend and we unfortunately were demolished by the obnoxious Collingwood Magpie fans...

Back to Jo - we met today for coffee and chatted about my interest in sports nutrition. Jo was so great to talk to....at one point she mentioned that she has met with dietitians for the New York Giants and New York Jets! Jo offered to let me help her out next month during footy preseason. I'll be helping with "sweat tests" to analyze the nutrition status of the players. From these results, she then creates individual diets for every player on the team (about 46 guys). Again, I kept thanking her over and over - and she looked at me like a was crazy - like this was not a big deal to help me out! It's amazing how one kind gesture to meet someone for coffee can open so many doors to new experiences :)

In the middle of all these great opportunities...I do need to find a way to pay the bills. Emily and I both passed out resumes for waitressing positions last week. It's a great temporary job because, unlike the states, you receive an hourly wage of 15-22 dollars an hour verse relying on tips. I've had a few trials in places ranging from a really cool beach bar to a posh (think posh spice - upperclass) city restaurant on the river....and after the whole "what do I do/where should I try to work?!" dilema, I ended up going with a restaurant called West Beach Bather's Pavillion. It just opened about 6 months ago and is about a 20 minute walk away from our place along the beach. I'd describe it as my surfer's paradise - it's located right on the beach where surfers can walk up for a lunch of fish & chips and families can have their kids run off into the sand. West Beach is open for breaky, lunch and catering/wedding events - so for the most part, no night time shifts for me!! The restuarant is very open with floor to ceiling glass windows/doors looking over the bay and a wrap around patio going out onto the beach. I walk out onto the patio on a sunny day and look at the kite surfers and sailboats in the harbor....and I just can't complain about the fact that I'm a waitress or wearing a very unattractive black apron. I'm serving classic diner style Australian dishes (yes, vegemite included!) and home baked goods, so it's very laid back and nothing too fancy. I'm also in the midst of being taught how to make coffee - a huge deal in Melbourne, as they pride themselves in their skillful coffee making. Seriously, today I got a 20 minute lecture on where the beans come from.... And with dietetic projects hopefully to come, this is great and carefree way to pay bills. Not to mention making some spending money and meeting new people! So as for now, I'm simply serving on the beach with hopefully many sunny days to come :) Cheers!