Looking towards home....

Realizing it's been quite a few weeks since my last post, I figured it was time to update you all. The last several weeks have been more of the same fun....a weekend in Melbourne, days at the beach, and the beginning of the end of my time here. Last weekend, we said goodbye to two of our new friends here as they boarded planes - one to New York via New Zealand, and another to New York via everywhere in Australia you could ever want to go. Three days later, we sent another back to the Netherlands via Cairns, and on Wednesday of this week, we will send our Canadian home as well. And so, the 6 short timers will be down to two - myself and my roommate, Karalee.

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.

Another reason I love it here.....

.....in a word.....SAILING!

That was the highlight activity of the weekend. One of my new friends here has become a certified crew member for sailing large racing yachts while he's been here. So, with a little (although not much) coaxing, a group of us encouraged him to hook us up. The result? See for yourself.....

It was a lovely afternoon out on the water - including the open seas. We started out in the harbour and headed out past the heads and into the ocean. No whales were spotted, but it was still a nice time. Some of the folks on the boat were a little queezy in the swells, but my roots prevailed and my stomach held strong. Granted, lake life is nothing like ocean life, but I'll still attribute my feeling well to that.

Then, today (Sunday) I just spent some low key time wandering around a bit - making my way by foot across the Harbour Bridge into Kirribilli. This provided me the opportunity to see the bridge and Opera House from a different side, literally. Grabbed lunch at the Freckle Face Cafe and chilled out in a quaint little park where you just feel like you go to picnic if you really live there. Ended the evening with "family dinner" at my place, where I made tacos for 4 Brits, 1 Canadian and 5 Americans. All in all, a great day!

View from the otherside of the harbour.

So, to continue the list of things I will miss.....

6. The culture that the water brings to an area

7. The coffee - it is so amazing here. Starbucks will never suffice after this.

8. A cold day in winter = 13 degrees celsius

Ok, well, a run is calling my name in the morning. Next race is in 2 weeks and I haven't been running since City 2 Surf. It's a problem. The next race is called the Bridge Run, which takes you across the Harbour Bridge. 9K. Approximately 5 miles. Should be a good time. On that note, I'm out. Until next time......which will include stories from Melbourne.

What I love about Sydney.....

I promise, there will be another post in the coming days. Too much fun planned for the weekend to not tell you about it. However, this post is dedicating to a little reflection that has been triggered by the great travel book writer - Bill Bryson.

I've spent the week in Blacktown, NSW. This is a suburb of Sydney and maybe only familiar to anyone in the US because it was the 'burb where the softball games were held during the 2000 Olympic games. I spend an hour on a train to get to Blacktown (and, consequently, an hour to get home, too). During this commute time, I have been doing some personal reading. Already finished one book this week. Began the next. Or, should I say, restarted the next. In a Sunburned Country is Bill Bryson's comedic tale of his travels in Australia.

On my train ride home tonight, I was reading chapter 4, which seems to be all about Sydney. One particular paragraph really resonated with my current reality, and I thought it best to share it with you:

[In reference to his time at Circular Quay, the main stop for commuter ferries as well as the space between the lovely Opera House and also lovely Harbour Bridge] "An air of cheerful industriousness stuffuses the scene. These are people who get to live in a safe and fair-minded society, in a climate that makes you strong and handsome, in one of the world's great cities - and they get to come to work on a boat from a children's storybook, across a sublime plane of water, and each morning glance up from their Heralds and Telegraphs to see that famous Opera House and inspiring bridge and the laughing face of Luna Park. No wonder they look so damned happy."

Honestly, everytime I pass the Opera House and Harbour Bridge, I still want to take heaps of pictures of each. There are friends I've made who have been here 3 years who still do this as well. It never gets old - seeing that majestic sight still stirs something in people who've been looking at it for 3 years. So, here are a couple for your viewing pleasure.

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!