The drift of life.

I think everyone should have a bucket list - a list of things they have to accomplish in their lifetime. I'm not trying to be morbid or anything....this should be exciting! During the months of July and August, I successfully was able to check off a handful of items off my list. Even better, I got to do it with two of my best friends. If you asked me about my bucket list a mere two years ago, half these items wouldn't be on it....yet, that's the fun thing about it. Your list can be private, public, silly and serious all at the same time. It is always changing and growing, especially if you throw traveling into the mix. Here's a few of mine that I've gathered from my last six weeks in the Land of Oz.

Bucket list number #24: Living in a van.

During the last week of July, one of my best friends, Christa, came to visit for our final month in Australia. Living right near the "gateway of the Daintree Rain forest" in Port Douglas, Queensland the three of us went on a day trip into the wild. We were packed into a tour bus and had a hilarious Aussie tour guide about our age....so no, it wasn't quite like crocodile hunting with Steve Irwin. We walked through the rain forest, went on a 'croc spotting' tour and I was even chased by an Emu at the koala sanctuary. The following day, the three of us said our goodbyes to Port Douglas and headed to Cairns. We hopped on another tourist opportunity and took a boat to Green Island - where the Rain forest meets the Great Barrier Reef. I wasn't too impressed with the snorkeling as I had already dived in a much more secluded area...but all and all, we still spent a gorgeous day on a island in the inner reefs :) Now the adventure begins. For the next three weeks, we rented a campervan to drive down the East Coast to Sydney. We lived, breathed, ate, slept and drove 2500 km in this car. And did I mention it was only meant for 2 people?? It was a tight fit, but we managed. Check!

Bucket list #31: Living the life of a Gypsy

To backpack down the coast of Australia, everyone has to do it the "right" way at least once. It took Em and I almost a year to get it right, but we finally decided to take the plunge and do it. Well, and the fact that we were trying to stretch our hard earned Australia dollars as far as possible....For our first stop, the three of us took the van and headed down to Townsville and on to Magnetic Island. I think simply driving on the opposite side of the car on the opposite side of the road to get there deserves a spot on my bucket list alone. Magnetic Island was one of my favorite spots in Australia. It is a small island with secluded beaches and amazing wildlife...there's not even a traffic light in sight. Our thought process - A. we paid heaps for this van. B. secluded beaches?! C. we have goon, a stove, a cooler of food and a sink with a bucket of water all located nicely in our trunk......so yes, D. we're camping out for free by the beach!!! In the 15 days we stayed in this van, we slept in a hostel a total of 2 nights. We became pros at sneaking into random hostels to use their hot showers and kitchens. "Pay $10 for a campsite? Why? We have a van! That 10 dollars should go towards something much more useful than a place to sleep!" That's how our vacation worked. No more lapse of luxuries like in the old days of family vacations, steady houses or regular meals....we lived the lives of 3 gypsies and had an unforgettable experience. Most nights were spent by a beach - simply talking, enjoying semi-cold beer, making backpackers food and meeting other people from around the world doing the exact same thing we were. As they say, we were *living the dream*

Bucket list #16: koalas, emus, kangaroos, wallabies, pythons, huntsman spiders, crocodiles...and other Australian creatures

I can now say that I've officially seen all of these animals in the wild! I've seen them all the way from the Great Ocean Road, Victoria through the Nullarbor Dessert to Perth, WA to Port Douglas, Queensland and to the Daintree Rain forest in the north. I'm not going to lie, spiders terrify me. Growing up, I was that squeaky voiced girl that would yell for my dad every time I spotted a spider the size of my thumbnail in the tub. I never used to believe in desensitization of phobias, but after my experiences I'm a firm believer. In Perth, we had a "common house pet" - a huge funnel web spider with a body at least 2 inches in diameter above the kitchen sink. Only in Australia would you keep this in order to kill the other poisonous spiders....ask any of my roommates, I was not happy about it! One night in July in Port Douglas, I stopped by Em's work because she had something cool to show me - a gigantic python snake that was hanging out on the tree next to the entrance of the restuarant. I was so excited that I just wanted to get a better view...it didn't occur to me that I should probably back away NOT towards the deadly reptile! Flash forward to back home just last week, my dad yelled to me about a big spiderweb blocking the doorway to the outside patio. My response, "no worries, it doesn't have a colored stripe. It's not even poisonous!" I guess I've come a long way in one year :)

Bucket list #63: Sunset at the Opera House

It had been a 15 long, incredible days living in a van and we had finally made it to Sydney! It was a bittersweet feeling entering the city - I was excited to once again enter into city life, but also couldn't shake off this feeling that it was the beginning of the end. The three of us tried to cram as much touristy stuff into our 3 days as physically possible....we walked through the Botanical gardens filled with bats, ran up the stairs of the Opera House, took a ferry to Manly Beach and even made the hike to Darling Harbour. It was great to see many of the sites that Em and I missed out on during our last visit on New Years Eve. The last afternoon in Sydney, Em and I both decided to do our separate things for the day. Odd, I know. I called her up - she said, "Hey I'm sitting right next to the Opera House overlooking the Harbour Bridge, writing down quotes. The sun is about to set. Want to join?" I hung up the phone and was immediately on my way. When I got there we both started laughing....when, WHEN will we ever be able to have a phone conversation like that to one another again??"

Bucket list #42: Unofficial, Secret Tour of Melbourne

Back to my home away from home. I love this city. Melbourne is infamous for it's unreliable and often rainy weather, but somehow it pulled through and was sunny and warm for our last four days in Australia. It was perfect. The greatest part about this city - so many places are hidden or simply known by word of mouth, sort of like speakeasies. I truly believe one can live here for fifty years and still find out about a new restaurant or area of town that they've never been too. On our last Saturday in Melbourne, Em and I met up with our two friends (shout out, Jamie and Jess) in our favorite alleyway while getting "the best soup in Melbourne" for lunch. That was the beginning of one of my favorite days in Australia. From then on out, Jamie decided to take on the role of our tour guide for the day. We strolled around the city center, drank "the best coffee", acted like bogans on the tram, busked for money....we were trying to accomplish as much as possible on our "Melbourne bucket list". We had a notebook going so Em and I could make sure we made it to our old houses and favorite streets to say goodbye. It was one of those unique days where you simply go exploring with your friends and see where the day takes you. At one point, Jamie took us to a pub behind an old record store...somewhere I walked by each week in St. Kilda and still never knew it existed. We were the only ones in the secluded beer garden, but had a great time. The owner came up to talk to us about the music and little did we know - he was the son of the lead signer of ACDC! At sunset, the cheesy English writer that she is - Em, wrote a wish, “My wish, right now, in the here and now – is to cherish these fleeting moments, for they end too fast. As well as to love and appreciate the people, because even the smallest impacts last a lifetime. ‘To think in such a place, I lived such a life.'"

Saying Goodbye to Oz. I was holding back tears. It was our last night in Melbourne and I was sitting there hard as stone at our friend's apartment - not able to grasp that I was leaving this country of Australia in a mere 5 hours, not wanting to realize that I had no idea when I'll next see my friends....not fully understanding how I felt about leaving. I was tired and exhausted. I had just spent the last month couch surfing and living in a van! I couldn't wait to see my family and friends from back home...and at the same time, I didn't want to leave this place. My friend, Jamie, was about to head out. This is a guy that had to go back home in April from Melbourne to Ecuador - I never thought I'd see him again. But here we are. He says, "Patsy, it's just the drift of life. Man, goodbyes happen - but hey, I have no doubt that we will see each other again down the road." I've finally realized he's right. If you're adventurous in life and truly doing what you want- what's holding you back? I believe if you're smart and want something enough, anyone can save money and make it happen. It might be a challenge, but would life be as exciting if it wasn't? If my friends from Australia want to have a reunion in Spain in 2, 5 or 10 years, I'm already planning for it because I'm not going to miss it! I used to think that you had to wait for that "perfect" time in life for things to work out - the perfect time to go to school, the perfect time for relationships, the perfect time to move....my experiences this past year and the friends I've made along the way have changed that perception for me. It's not what happens to you in life, but it's what you do to make life happen. So thanks, Australia, it's been incredible :)

Above all, watch with glittering eyes the whole world around you, because the

greatest secrets are always hidden in the most unlikely places. Those who don’t believe in

magic will never find it.

~ Roald Dahl

nomads

Melbourne – Ritz for Backpackers. Jessica House. Carlisle St, St. Kilda. McIlwrick St, Windsor.

Perth – Sundancers Hostel. Hines St, Hilton.

Port Douglas – Parrotfish lodge.

Seven homes in eleven months. I lived in all these places for various amounts of time in Australia, from one week at the Ritz to four months in Windsor. These are not simply names of places I’ve stopped over during a fun weekend on the Gold Coast or holiday in the Whitsunday Islands – they each had a special impact on me and at one point I considered each of these my home.

Think of your favorite place in the world. The place you go to in the back of your mind to calm you, focus, or meditate. If anyone has done relaxation exercises before a big race or big exam – you know what I’m talking about. It’s your “happy” place. Well, without going further melodramatic on everyone, I’ve found that place of mine. It’s a park at the end of the main street in Port Douglas, Queensland. A circle of grass carved out over the rocks with tall, outlining palm trees overlooking the ocean and mountains of the Daintree Rain forest beyond. Em and I went there the other day to take what must be the millionth photo and soak up the sunshine. We got to talking. Like I said, it’s my “happy” place….it brings out thoughts, emotions, laughter, reminiscing and smiles.

I leave Australia one month from TODAY. Eleven months have passed….and where have they gone??? Well, for one thing – it hasn’t gone like I expected. We rocked up to this country with wayyyy too much luggage, expecting to sort out comfortable housing, proper jobs and a steady life pretty easily. Mistake number 1. Things may look difficult, but that doesn’t mean it has to be terrible. I look back and we had the time of our lives just trying to figure out the journey. We thought hostel living would be the worst thing that ever happened to us. “Sharing a communal bathroom?? Yuck.” Well, without Ritz I wouldn’t have met the amazing friends that truly made up some of my best times in those first few months. And Jessica House...that’s just funny. I got to have a puppy for a few weeks, but really the only life lesson with that move was – don’t rush into things!! Our house on Carlisle Street in St. Kilda was a step up in the fact that we had our own place to take care of and call our own. We literally had to put the bunk beds together piece by piece and clean the bathroom with fuming chemicals until it finally went back to that original shade of bright green. We created a life of friends and work in an environment that almost made you feel guilty if you were homesick or woke up in a bad mood. People thrived on making the most of life. We lived around the corner from a sunny beach, cappuccino strip, the iconic Luna Park and a pier where penguins would play around sunset. Did I have the “proper” job that I originally intended to find?? No. We both had to work our butts off in hospitality this entire year to make our way through this country, but I don’t regret a minute of it. Each job, each person and each place taught me something about myself that I didn’t know before.

So the grand plans of AUSTRALIA!....beaches. bbqs, surfing, sunshine, sheilas, crocodile dundee, 'no worries, mate' mentality…..became something entirely different to me. Em and I didn’t end up living in a sunny beach town (pretty much opposite until now) traveling to New Zealand or Southeast Asia, and could name about a hundred more places in Australia we’d like to still see for that matter. But when I stepped off that plane last September, I would never have guessed I’d make the friendships, however fleeting, that would impact me for a lifetime, that I’d make instant connections with people and still keep in touch – even if it means months/years without seeing them, find love and discover heartbreak, and explore a country that always seems to offer more as soon as you feel you might have reached an endpoint. Eleven months ago, I would never have expected to find Melbourne the city that I will always consider my “home away from home”. When we made it to Perth, I found friendships that made me realize, once again, why I am traveling. It's sometimes not the places you end up, but the people you meet along the way that make it significant. As poor as we all were, get ten good friends in one room and somehow you all creatively make feasts from nothing and have wine and laughter to last night after night.

Now, I find myself sitting in one of my favorite places in the world in Port Douglas. It is in every way paradise….small and friendly, a gorgeous main strip lined with palm trees and coral colored buildings, and set in Northeast Australia with tropical rain forests to one side and white beaches to the other. I live in a small room with my best friend plus four other people. I work at the hostel for free rent and live out of a bag. I eat at free bbqs and only cook when I have a bunch of friends to share it with. I’m renting a van to live in as three of us travel down the east coast for my last three weeks in Australia. I’m in no way living in luxury or working a “proper” job….but I couldn’t be happier. All these months and experiences have shaped me into who I am now. I can finally say that I’m living like a “true” backpacker (shout out, Josh!). This lifestyle is not forever – so I guess it’s easier to live out of a bag when you know there’s an endpoint – but it does enable you to live in the present and cherish where you are and the friends that you get to share it with.

Em and I have moved all the way from the lovely Ritz backpackers, dusty Jessica House, creepy Carlisle, “home away from home” McIlwrick, heartbreaking Sundancers, bogan Hilton and now to the laid back, tropical Parrotfish. I’m home in one month and Emily is off to teach in China for one year. I really hope I won’t move seven times next year as I travel back home to Columbus, Ohio….but at the same time, I don’t see this as the end as my life as a nomad. Even if I settle back in the Midwest, I plan to keep traveling and discover the world. It’s a passion that I don’t want to let go of and now I have friends all over the world to help me out! Australia, Canada, England, Mexico, France, Holland, Germany, Ireland…..I will even have my best friend in China.

I have one more month with Em to explore the sunnier parts of this country and weave our way back down to Melbourne, back to where our adventure began. The ending will be bittersweet, but not something I'd like to dwell on now! If you’ve made it this far, thanks for following this sappy blog. More to come soon of life in Port Douglas, funny diets, swims in the Great Barrier Reef, encounters of the rain forest and plans of the upcoming weeks :)

Cheers and good day, mate

The Life of a Bogan - part 2

January 1^st – January 4^th, 2010. Frazer Island. Getting up at 9 am on the 1^st of January for a 14 hour drive isn’t as hard as you think – well if the circumstances include the fact that you didn’t go to bed until after 3 am and you and your best friend can continue to sleep while the two boys are being responsible in the front. We arrived to Rainbow Beach after our long journey at nearly 1am, were shown to our hostel room by the attractive Frenchmen “Fransico” and passed out before waking up again at 6:15 am for our 7am briefing before the safari. Let’s just say it wasn’t the smoothest of mornings. I woke everyone up, teary eyed and shaking, to shower and pack their one small garbage bag full of belongings for the next 3 days. As we loaded the car with the rest of our packs, Emily and Jim Beam had a bit of a fight as he fell out of the car and cut her hand open. In the midst of Emily in shock and finding a nurse, we find out that it was actually only 6am!!! I forgot to set my clock ahead for the time change in Queensland and got everyone up an hour early at 5:15am....whoooops. Despite a few set backs, we met Murry, our safari driver, and the rest of our team and headed off to Frazer. Think of Jurassic Park – dirty Jeeps filled with sand, food and camping gear speeding down the beach and roughing it through the rain forest. The “biblical” rain going on in Queensland had just ended and we lucked out with 3 days of gorgeous weather. We had 2 nights and 3 days of camping, swimming in freshwater lakes and champagne pools, climbing sand dunes, exploring a 75 year old shipwreck, scaring off dingos from our tent….and all and all being bogan. Never have I ever had been told to grab the shovel if I had to go the bathroom, shower in a lake, wash my dirty dishes in the ocean, or sleep in a tent by the beach….also never have I ever thought I would laugh and smile away through all these things, hike through a sand dune to discover a magical lagoon, climb to the edge of a cliff overlooking the clear ocean, eat a live pippy (mussel), or catch up on the beach with both old and new friends while holding a beer, dodging bats and swapping at mossys, looking up at the vast Milky Way. I could not be more content with life.

January 5^th-January 8th, 2010 - I returned to Rainbow beach from Frazer Island dirty, smelly, tired and never more thrilled in my life to relax and take a warm shower. Little did we know, another BIG bump in our travel plans was coming. This “biblical rain” had caused so much flooding that the 3 major highways leading up north to Airlie beach were closed off. Basically, all of Australia between where we were headed and where we needed to be is underwater. As the boys enjoyed their naps and Em and I began to compulsively shake from lack of sleep and sheer panic – we went on a limb, hoped for the best and booked the cheapest flights out of Brisbane up to a town north of Airlie. It was an unexpected cost, but in the end – it was the best decision we made the entire trip. Our Whitsunday sailing trip on the Clipper was my favorite part of our 3 week adventure. We arrived to Airlie beach in surprisingly beautiful weather, in much contrast to the flooding just a few hours south of us. And the biggest surprise?? “Cousin” Josh flew up from Melbourne to meet us! We all celebrated our reunion that night, packed our garbage bags for the next 3 days and headed to the boat. The ONLY time it really rained on our trip convenieltley happened during our 20 minute walk to the harbor….so here come the 3 extremely loud Americans in singlets, an English guy heaving slabs of beer and an obnoxious Canadian very late and SOAKED as we walked up to the rest of the passengers. Good first impression, huh? The only way to describe the Whitsundays is paradise. During the day we went out to a deserted island and swam in the clear blue water amongst jellies. At night, we could watch dolphins come play by the boat and feed on fish. You think that being in the ocean in the middle of sharks and other wildlife the crew would be a bit strick…..but no, we’re in Australia here. We partied by night with the crew and snorkled/scuba dived by day. I wasn’t going to pay the extra money to scuba because I’m a slight bogan and on a budget…but at the last minute Kyle and I decided it was a chance in a lifetime that we just couldn’t give up. So on the last day of the trip, I emptied my wallet and went to talk to Rizza, the scuba instructor. Rizza looked at me, slightly hungover, and said “no worries, mate!” No sooner was I strapped in a 50 pound tank with weights, waddling my way to a small boat with Kyle looking at me nervously as I could easily fall into the water and drown right then and there. In the States, you have to pay a couple hundred dollars to take lessons in a shallow pool before even making it into a real body of water. In Australia, strap on a tank in the Great Barrier Reef, get to the beach and have a 10 minute briefing. I couldn’t stop laughing on the beach about our bizarre situation - I didn’t even know what thing to breathe out of and Kyle was freaking out that his oxygen was leaking. No worries though – I ended up learning that Rizza will be in National Geographic next year for scuba diving 2 straight weeks from Melbourne to Tasmania with only 10 minute breaks above water for food supplements – I was in good hands! The dive was absolutely unreal. As soon as I was comfortable, I took off and was exploring caves, touching coral, and trying to ride a fish as big as me – little did I know Rizza kept signaling for me to come back! I made it alive though, dived 10 meters and can’t wait to have another go.

Sunday January 9^th, 2011 – On the Ferry to Hamilton Island to take us back to Melbourne. I’m sad to leave and more depressed to say goodbye to those I’ve met. I have little to no money left to my name. I have to live out of my garbage bag for yet another week while our next apartment is getting fixed up. I’m currently unemployed as I try to get myself out of hospitality work and into nutrition. On the other hand, I couldn’t be more happy with my life and I couldn’t be more lucky to have my bogan family right by my side to share it with. It's the life of a bogan - I may hate goodbyes, but will never regret these past 3 weeks that have forever altered my life and where I may be headed.

The Life of a Bogan - part 1

Sunday January 9^th, 2011. I was sitting on top of a ferry to the Great Barrier Reef airport, looking at the deep blue water reflecting from the sky across the Whitsunday Islands, reminiscing on the past 3 weeks. As I was sulking about the end of a great adventure, one of my best friends turned to me and put it in perspective for me.

“You know – the last 3 weeks I could have been sitting on my couch, playing video games and relaxing from the hell of finals. And you know what – I’d be completely content with that. But instead, here I am with you – in this gorgeous paradise – sad that I’m probably never going to see any of these people again. But what’s better - Being content because I’m completely unaware of what I’m missing out on? Or completely broken up about the fact that I have to say goodbye to this wonderful place? I say the latter. And that’s just what you have to deal with, Patty, it’s the life of a bogan. You have the highs where you get to experience things completely unfathomable to other people, but you have to deal with the lows as well. It’s the life of a traveler, you always have to say goodbye.”

I can’t begin to describe the last 3 weeks of my life. Honestly, I think the only people that will ever truly understand my experiences will be the people I traveled with – but I’ll do the best to tell you the highlights. Dave Matthews has a good lyric “Turns out it’s not where, but who you are with that really matters”. I love this quote, however I really think I got the best of both worlds on this trip. Chris, Kyle, Em and I began our road trip on a 7 hour drive to Mount Kosciusko in New South Wales. It was Boxing Day and we were already thoroughly worn out from our 3 day Christmas extravaganza together. Its funny how close you can come to people from sharing a holiday away from home together – we had already become a family and were sad to leave one of our members behind, “Cousin Josh”. Despite our bodies already telling us noooo, we were in great spirits. I’m not known to enjoy car rides, but I have to say that this trip up the east coast of Australia was an unforgettable one and I don't regret one minute of the 32 hours of driving.

December 28^th – 30^th, 2010. It’s sad to say the only kangaroos I saw this trip were road kill. Ya bummer....but other than this slightly depressing site, the views up this mountain were breathtaking. If in the states, the last 2 hour drive to Thredbo probably would have been cut in half by a big road carved up the middle of the mountain. The Aussies, however, are known in many aspects to appreciate the environment and keep it in it’s natural beauty – soooo instead of a nice drive, we trusted our lives to Chris as he did multiple 180s up the winding narrow paths through the dark woods. It’s currently summertime, but as we were driving into “the largest ski resort in Australia” (aka tiny mountain town with one street) I could imagine the winter village it turns into during the cold snowy months. Cabins set among the creeks, cobble stones lined with Christmas lights…it was the Christmas wonderland I’d been waiting for! The next day was spent climbing one of the 7 summits of the world!!! The scenery was nothing I’d seen before – very peaceful with rock pools everywhere and no animals in sight. I felt like I was in the Lion King after Mufasa had died, a quiet safari but beautiful at the same time. Climbing the highest summit in Australia, check that off my bucket list!

December 30^th – January 1^st, 2010. Sydney, Australia. The ride into Sydney was a pretty easy one until about 20 minutes outside the city and wait – Em left her wallet back at Macca's almost 2 hours ago. We weren’t all too thrilled about the 4 hour detour, but ONLY in Australia would a person spot a girl crying in the parking lot, make the connection about Kyle Melling walking down the side of the highway in desperate search and stop their car to help them out. Emily had left her wallet on top of the car, so as we drove out of the fast food place onto the on-ramp her wallet and all of her belongings flew into the air. An Australian woman spotted the wallet has she drove past. She stopped and pointed Kyle to the right direction 1oo feet away. Em’s wallet (although run over and “slightly” torn) and all of her money/credit cards were found after a quite amusing Easter egg hunt along the highway. Success. We finally got into Sydney and met our jet lagged friend Jeff at his cousin’s gorgeous condo overlooking the harbor. We had a fun night relaxing and dancing on the beach of Bondi Bay before calling it a night to rest for the next days festivities. How can I describe my NYE in Sydney? – really only by my constant feeling of “wow, where the heck am I?!” Sydney was unbelievable. Throughout the day, Kyle kept putting it nicely – “OH.MY.GOD. I just went to the bathroom in the SYDNEY OPERA HOUSE. I POOPED in the opera house!!” “OHHH.MY.GOD. I’m drinking by the Sydney harbor bridge. I have a BEER by the Sydney harbor bridge!!” We explored the city all day, amongst many pub crawls and beers in the park, and somehow made it to a point under the bridge to watch the midnight fireworks. Popping a bottle of champagne with 3 best friends at midnight on NYE in one of the coolest places in the world, doesn’t get better than that :)

4 flights, 3 bags and 2 days later...

“You have to forget about what other people say. When you're supposed to die and when you're supposed to be living. You have to forget all of these things and be crazy. Craziness is like heaven.” ~ Jimi Hendrix

Emily and I met people from our hostel right away in the shuttle from the airport, two really nice girls from Germany and a very loud, outgoing Irish guy from Dublin. Little did Em and I know that over half of Ireland was taking over Melbourne. We met a lot of really nice people over the next few days, all from Ireland, Scotland or England. We’re now playing a game called “spot the Aussie” and it’s proving itself to be a difficult game!

Melbourne is enormous, driving into the city at night felt like driving into NYC….well even though I’ve been there just once. I felt like the stereotypical Midwest girl, staring wide-eyed in my jeans and tennis shoes, completely overwhelmed by the enormity of the situation. Of course, in my head I always had that great image that everything would work out right away…warm weather, great house, friendly people and a cool job...well here was our first reality check: COLD weather, a blank white room in a hostel, cold showers, a MASSIVE city and people with unrecognizable accents. The first two weeks have proved to be a whirlwind, but what did I expect when I packed 3 bags to move myself to a completely different country?? I'm not living at the Ritz and I’m no longer spoiled by my mom’s brilliant cooking and warm home. On the other hand, these past two weeks have been such an eye opener to me and so far its been an incredible time!! Em and I have both laughed until we cried about our subpar housing, but we’ve also had a great time finding our way aroundthis amazing city. And yes, we’ve already been made fun of about our outfits and American accents…but we’ve explored, seen penguins, walked along breathtaking piers, viewed the most gorgeous sites and met really great people. The friends we’ve made so far are really nice and always fun for a good laugh; and not just because they say “jumper” instead of sweater, call us “sweetheart” or “m8” (mate) every other second, and that once we start drinking the Irish and northern England accent is COMPLETELY unrecognizable.

All of you know me as the Type A, clean, organized, “I like things my way” personality…and you love me for it :) Well, these past few weeks have pushed me to go the Type C, crazy, laidback lifestyle and I think I’ll be better for it! I currently live in a share house called “Jessica House” with Emily, which is easier described as a frat house. Other than a cute Teddy Bear dog, we live in a smoky room next to what our friends call “the reckless drunk Irishmen”. However, I also live two blocks from a gorgeous beach, I’m down the street from the famous Luna Park (shout out Grand-dude), and a tram ride away from a city full of music festivals, markets, outdoor cafes, Aussie Football and beautiful gardens. People are also as nice and friendly as everyone had described. I know there is a reason everyone tells me to give this city a chance, because you’re bound to fall in love with it. I’m sitting right now at a café on the beach, drinking an Irish coffee and looking at the Tasmania cruise ship in the harbor. Things could be worse! I’ll write soon with some of our actual stories of this past week and updates on hopefully better housing and jobs soon to come!!

“If we wait for the moment when everything, absolutely everything is ready, we never shall begin."

We grow up learning that we should always “live in the moment”, but I found myself spending the beginning of my summer wanting everything to speed up. Studying for dietetics, following the same old routine, wanting and wishing for August 31^st to come….when Em and I would finally begin our trip to Australia. Then July and August rolled around and everything all of a sudden seemed to be going by too fast. I needed to go to all of my favorite restaurants, bars and places for the last time. I wanted to see all of my family and friends for the last time. It all seems a little dramatic considering I don’t even know how long I’ll be gone, but moving halfway across the world has proved itself to be as crazy as I imagined.

After a few dilemmas of overstuffed (and overweight) luggage I was looking down over the bright lights of LA. I have to say, the trip from Ohio to LA proved itself to be much harder than the actual flight that took us halfway across the world. I met Emily at the LA airport; we laughed about our matching luggage and bruises already forming from carrying our bags, had a few drinks and were off. We sat next to a stereotypical Aussie surfer from the Gold Coast who had endless drinks and talked with us until we finally ignored him so we could fall asleep. Next thing I knew, we were flying over Auckland New Zealand. It was absolutely gorgeous, but it was also the first time that I had that anxious feeling of just being SO FAR AWAY. I had mix emotions of excitement and fear, wishing the summer had gone by slower, scared that my decision to leave had actually come true, yet also extremely excited for what was to come.

Auckland seemed both very different and similar at the same time. People literally jaywalk EVERYWHERE. I don’t understand how people aren’t hit by trams. Everyone wears black. I swear people don’t go to work since it’s the middle of the day and everyone’s walking around the city. However, as soon as Emily and I felt like outcasts, we ran into a Pita Pit around the corner (don’t worry we didn’t go in). After our afternoon in Auckland and buying some duty free Jameson whiskey, we finally boarded our last flight to Australia. We had been traveling for 30 hours now…so of course our last flight had to consist of an old Vietnamese man named Clark badgering and spitting on me the whole time. (Read Em’s blog for more details). It’s pretty hilarious to look back on, but when he slapped my hand for not eating I think I almost snapped. Flying over Australia looked a little like Ohio! Green farm lands everywhere. I couldn’t believe that we actually arrived. Down Unda, whether I am ready or not, we’ve made it!!!