Thursday, October 29, 2009
The End of an Era....
Since my last post, I have continued my travels around the south and eastern coasts of Australia, making another stop in Melbourne before hitting the great ocean road. For pics, refer to http://www.facebook.com/album.php?aid=2039417&id=1054940637&l=0b68f28446.
To be honest, 10 days by myself was all I could handle. I actually cut my travelling short by a day to return to Sydney to be back amongst people again. It was a fabulous trip and great time, but anything worth doing is worth doing it with someone.
Tonight, a few friends and I head out for an almost final time to have dinner, drinks, and take in the Michael Jackson "This Is It" movie. Perfect evening, I reckon. And tomorrow is the final farewell to this city I've come to love passionately. I fly out to Cape Town, South Africa on Saturday morning at 10:15am. (Sam Welch and Tony Corbin, if you're reading this, it means that Friday night must be a tame one.....I have an early flight!)
This time in Australia has been completely incredible and something that I will never forget. The lessons learned here have been many and varied and in order to keep this rated G, if you want to know what the lessons were, let's chat offline. Just kidding, but in all seriousness, my perspectives have been broaden beyond belief, as has my network. This will not be the last time I'm in Australia, I can guarantee that (unless something unfortunate happens to me in the next year). However, it is, as Sam put it, the end of an era. As Kristen has said, life will never be like this again.
So, my next post will (hopefully) come from South Africa, assuming I have internet access. Our group going to South Africa will be keeping a more detailed and focused blog that you should take a gander at if you're interested. There is a link to it on the left navigation bar.
Until I reach another continent......
Cheers!
Thursday, October 22, 2009
A week of firsts.....
In the last couple weeks of time in Sydney, Karalee (my roommate) and I enjoyed a visit from a friend of her's from Chicago - Tiffany Westfall - who also, coincidentally, is someone who went to my high school as well. It really is a small world. We also enjoyed the arrival of Karalee's husband, Brian. Our last day of work was filled with little work really, and much more socializing. Our team gave each of us the Australian version of Monopoly as a parting gift. The interesting thing about this version of the game is that it doesn't include any money. Everything is via credit cards and a little electronic computer thing that keeps track of how much each player has. While I suppose this is only the logical next step for this game, I wonder how children will learn to count money without Monopoly money.
Later that evening, KL and I and 8 others boarded a somewhat dodgey looking boat for a harbour dinner cruise with an ABBA tribute group for the entertainment. A great time was had by all, and it was a wonderful opportunity for us have one last memorable time together.
The following day, KL, Tiffany, Brian and I boarded a plane to Cairns, Queensland. This is where the holiday began, as well as the week of firsts.
- First time snorkeling (at the Great Barrier Reef)
- First live encounter with a shark
- First time driving in over 3 months
- First time driving on the left side of the road
- First time driving along a seaside road that hugs cliffs on one side and mountains on the other
- First vacation by myself (KL, Tiffany and Brian left on Monday and I proceeded north in my car to Port Douglas)
- First time in a rain forest (northern Queensland is basically one rain forest after another - this week's news here is that two scientists have found a chemical in some tree's fruit in the QLD rain forest that shrinks cancer tumors overnight)
- First hot air balloon ride
- First time on a beach where there is no development for as far as the eye can see
To view some pics from this week, go to http://www.facebook.com/album.php?aid=2038619&id=1054940637&l=e5ab669482
I've been in Queensland for about a week now and am boarding a plane later today to head down to Victoria to continue my holiday.
I'm becoming quite sentimental about my impending departure from this amazing place. When I was preparing to come to Australia, I was anticipating that once I arrived in South Africa, I'd be an emotional mess because it would be the first time I'd be seeing some great friends from home. However, I'm now beginning to think that I may be an emotional mess in South Africa because of what I will have just left in Australia. I have met some incredible people here and have had the absolute time of my life in the last 3 months. I am going to tremendously miss these people and this country and hope that it won't be too long before I am back.
Well, I'm off to get a skinny flat white and some breaky. More later....
Sunday, September 27, 2009
Looking towards home....
While the prospect of staying here forever is a tempting one, I have gradually become more excited about coming home. The time here has been amazing and I've had the absolute time of my life. But as I reflected a bit, the conclusion I have come to as to why I've been looking towards home so much is there is this sense that life is on hold right now. I'm sort of in this weird yet incredible spot where I am having the best time, yet life is not really progressing at all. So, in that regard, all of you who have been fearing that I wouldn't be looking to come home, breathe a sigh of relief.
However, enough with the introspection......what's been going on....
As I mentioned, two weekends ago, 3 American friends and I jetted off to Melbourne for the weekend. Melbourne is a really lovely city that has a much more European feel to it. The arts seemed to be a more regular part of the culture there, and there was certainly a slower pace to things.
I've also spent the last two weekends at the beach in one fashion or another. The beaches of choice are Bondi and Manly - both two of the world's most renowned for surfing and both with friends living there. I love having the beach as an option for the weekend festivities. I'm gonna have to find a way to reconcile that to Midwest living....somehow.....
And probably the most exciting thing that has happened in the last few weeks is that I have planned and booked my holiday for the end of October. I will be leaving Sydney on October 17 and heading north to Cairns and Port Douglas, home to the Great Barrier Reef. I will be spending a week up there soaking up the rays, finding Nemo, and hopefully cuddling some koalas. I then head back south to Melbourne where I will be renting a car and roadtripping along the Great Ocean Road (http://www.greatoceanrd.org.au/). I then fly back to Sydney for two final nights here with friends and head off to Africa for two weeks.
I only have 3 more weeks of work left until the relaxation begins. I'm so looking forward to the break and am sure that the next 7 weeks before I actually step back on US soil will be full of more incredible experiences and great stories. Forgive the rather melancholy tone this evening. I guess in the end, I've been putting off this post as I knew it would have to discuss the beginning of the end. I guess all good things come to an end....and this has definitely been a very good thing.
Sunday, September 6, 2009
Another reason I love it here.....
View from the otherside of the harbour.
Thursday, September 3, 2009
What I love about Sydney.....
Ok, so as I thought of this and reflected, I compiled a list of things I'm going to miss about being here when I am home. I'm not sure that there's much to the order here, but maybe....
1. Living near enough to the beach that I can go there every weekend
2. Lamingtons - google it, but it's a cake-esque thing
3. Scotch Fingers - shortbread biscuits - best served with nutella
4. Not having to drive anywhere
5. Did I mention the beach?
Ok, there are other things, but my roommate just got home and there's a pushy New Yorker waiting on us to go to dinner, so I must cut it short for now. (Jonathan, if you're reading this, know that I am only speaking the truth in love.)
Until next time....oh, and you'll want to read the next one. This weekend involves sailing! Yay!
Sunday, August 23, 2009
Time is Flying By.....
We then wrapped up this evening with some much needed American cuisine. The food here in Australia is really quite non-distinct. Everything seems pretty average, but just a little different tasting than "normal." Therefore, I've been disappointed with dinner more often than I've been pleased or impressed. However, fear not! The American franchise business is alive and well in the Sydney CBD....just a couple blocks from our apartment. A group of us headed out to Tony Roma's for dinner. Ribs, a baked potato and let's not forget the proverbial onion-ring-esque appetizer. It was just what I was craving - something that tasted just as you expected it to!
Well, on that note, it's time to head to bed for another week to start. The time has flown by here. It's been 6 weeks already, which is surprising and depressing all in the same. I continue to have a great time and came to the realization last week that there is nothing I could ask to be different about my life right now. That's a pretty great place to be. I hope you each can find that same place.
Until next time.....
Thursday, August 13, 2009
City 2 Surf
From left to right - Lisa (UK), Sam (UK), Jonathan (NYC), Me, Karalee (Chicago) and Henriette (Amsterdam) - after the run, enjoying the beach.
The official after party - Kristen (NYC), Tracy (Toronto), Karalee (Chicago), Me