The Final Chapter

Hi everyone! Welcome to my last blog post! Oh so bittersweet. But before I get to the reflections of my time in Oz, I would just like to thank all of you for bearing with me all semester and reading my blog. I really only expected my parents to look at this thing, but I'm flattered that other people actually enjoyed reading about my adventures as well. I cannot thank everyone enough for all of the compliments and encouragement to keep writing (because to be honest, this blog was pretty un-fun at times) and for pushing me to be creative and exciting. You are all the best!

Some immediate thoughts upon arriving in America: 

Wow, what day is it?
OMG unlimited cellular data! Use all the internet!!!
How do I flush this toilet? There's no button on the top?...oh right it's a lever.
Ugh, tax isn't included in prices here.
Jet lag is REAL.
All of my stuff is forever covered in sand.
Holy cow why is everyone driving on the wrong side of the road?!?! ......
Hot shower hot shower hot shower
BAGELS
Football? What's that?
There.are.squirrels.everywhere.
Why is everyone so grumpy?
What shoes do I wear if I can' wear flip flops?/How do I dress for winter??
It's 4:30 pm, WHERE IS THE SUN

Clearly coming back to the States has been quite a whirlwind for me. Now my blog wouldn't be my blog if I didn't get a little sappy about my time in Australia. So without further ado, here is a list of the 10 most important things that I learned this semester.

1. Educate yourself about other cultures. As my trip to Australia was my first time out of the US, I did not realize how important experiencing other cultures really is. By immersing myself into the history and uniqueness of Australian culture, I was able to truly gain insight on the similarities and differences, as well as the strengths and weaknesses of both the Aussie and American way of life. This really opened my eyes to the fact that every country is completely its own - living, eating, speaking, and even driving in ways that cannot be copied. Learning about these qualities is crucial to understanding the world that we live in and will provide you with memories to last a lifetime along the way.

2. Take time to travel alone. From my day alone in Tasmania to random solo activities done around Sydney, the time I took to travel by myself resulted in some of my favorite memories. During these times, I learned what kind of people I gravitate towards and which parts of myself I look for in a companion. I learned that people are, for the most part, good, and that a simple smile is the best icebreaker out there. Time goes by much slower when you're alone as you observe everything around you and soak in each and every moment. There are no distractions from yourself when you are alone, and sometimes that is the only way to truly connect with your thoughts and the world.

3. Do something everyday that is worth writing down. Because of this blog, I developed the habit of writing down my daily activities so that I wouldn't forget them. If a day ended and I had nothing significant to write down, I felt a little defeated, like I had wasted the day. So from now on, even though I probably won't be blogging about my life, I want to do one thing a day that I would qualify as noteworthy. Even if the day is dedicated to studying or some other uninspiring activity, I think that it's important to go out and make a memory or learn something that will stick with you longer than the information for your upcoming test. Don't waste your limited days on this planet.

4. The song 'Riptide' is applicable to any situation. That song, man. It really makes you feel things.

5. Fully engaging yourself in a difficult/new situation is the only way to get everything out of it. When I first interviewed at Lucas Gardens and met all of the students, I was intimidated and to be honest, scared out of my mind. I had never worked with children with such severe disabilities and I hadn't even taken a physical therapy class, much less worked alongside a physiotherapist. With confidence and encouragement from Kaitlyn, we jumped into our internship at Lucas Gardens with everything we had. And I am so incredibly glad that we did. From taking initiative in the classroom, to learning the school song in sign language, to cracking jokes in the break room, we made the most out of our time with those adorable little munchkins. In strength we grow <3

6. You ruin your life by tolerating it. At the end of the day, you should be excited to be alive. When you settle for anything other than what you innately desire, you cheat yourself of your own potential and happiness. Travel. Dance. Write. Eat. Do whatever it takes to live your life from a state of joy, don't comply with anything less.

7. Sand sticks to everything. You can't get rid of that stuff. Learn to love it or get off the beach.

8. Sun, saltwater, and great friends are the cure to any obstacle life throws at you. This semester has given me even another reason to love and appreciate my beautiful friends. They always know the right thing to say, how to make me smile, or when I just need a good cuddle. From all of the ups and downs of this semester, I know that I could not have gotten through any of them without the support of those I now consider family. I could not be more grateful for Sidra, Natalie, and Ruthie, as well as all of the other amazing friendships that were created this semester because you guys were what truly made this experience irreplaceable. If you only remember one equation in your life, let it be this: great friends + beach = pure bliss.

To all the incredible people I met here

9. Don't let anyone stop you from living your dreams. Cliche, I know, but it's true. If you want something, just go do it! People will always doubt you, think your crazy, or put you down, but missing out on life because others don't feel like participating is plain insane. Just do you.

10. Traveling truly changes every fiber of your being. Oh man. How do I even begin to explain this one? Honestly, I think Ruthie put into words something that I never will be able to, so please enjoy this excerpt from her blog.

"I think there's a common misperception about traveling as some romantic montage of wandering down rustic side streets and encountering perfect strangers on random corners - where everything you see and smell and taste becomes a metaphor for your burgeoning self-discovery. This line of false nostalgia could continue forever. But from my experience, traveling isn't empowering - it's humbling. The problem of hearing, seeing, and feeling everything so acutely - to such intense extremes - is paralyzing. You go from not feeling anything to experiencing everything all at once. Each blink of your eye is like a camera shutter, snapping mental images of places that pictures could never do justice. And while you're taking in such spectacular, surreal other worlds - places that are beyond the scope of your own imagination - sometimes the most shocking and alien thing you find is yourself."

Traveling opens up a world of unknown unknowns, experiences you didn't even know you could have because you were naive to their existence. Words escape me when I try to describe the ways in which traveling has opened my eyes, broadened my horizons, and without any sense of irony - changed my life. From scuba diving the Great Barrier Reef, to bushwalking the Blue Mountains, to cuddling a koala, to exploring four out of the six Australian states, I have come out of this experience a completely changed person. Saying I fell in love with Australia is an enormous understatement because the way I feel about my glorious home away from home for the past four months is beyond compare. I am so incredibly grateful for the opportunity to travel abroad and I cannot wait for my next adventure :)

If this post wasn't already making you experience the feels, please please please watch this short video that wonderful Ruthie made, it really captures the raw emotion and wonder of this trip (and has some great typefaces as well).

Tears every time.

Coming home has been such a bittersweet experience and I wish I was back in Australia everyday. While it's always great to come home to family, friends, and a strong wi-fi connection, I long for the beaches, accents, and laid back attitude of Aussieland. I JUST REALLY MISS IT THERE. Yes, I am in a state of post-Australia depression. While I'll never be able to sum up my semester as simply as Madison or as eloquently as Ruthie (both of their blogs made me cry), I hope that this post displays some of the impact that traveling abroad has had on me.

And with that, it all comes to an end. Although these pictures, videos, and blog posts do this country not even a fraction of the justice it deserves, I hope that you all were able to find just a little inspiration from the place that has given me so much. So thank you, Australia, for the semester of a lifetime. I'll be back for you.

"and if you are very, very lucky, there are a few blazing hot little pains you feel when you realize that you are standing in a moment of utter perfection, an instant of triumph, or happiness, or mirth which at the same time cannot possibly last ‒ and yet will remain with you for life."

The Last Hurrah

Hello readers! I am officially back in the good ol' U S of A and it could not be more bittersweet. Literally. I have never had so many feelings about something.

Alright, now for my last recap of my last week in the greatest country ever in my (second to) last blog post. *insert crying emoji*

On Monday, Sidra and Natalie went on a run to Circular Quay and I took the bus to meet them there (lolz) so that we could do some last minute shopping and various activities in the city. We started at the shop underneath the Opera House at which I was tempted to buy a $400 Lego set of the Opera House (never necessary but like, it totally is) and was inspired by Sidra to turn my Pandora bracelet into a wearable travel memento of the places I've been. That Sidra, always has great ideas. After shopping around for a little while longer, we headed off to the Harbor Bridge to climb up to a lookout point on one of the pylons (those big cement sticks that hold up the bridge) and take in the view of the harbor for the last time. Our admission to the lookout was included in our fee to climb the bridge so we breezed on up a breathtaking amount of stairs (literally, we were out of breath), 89 meters above sea level to be exact, and finally reached the top where we saw this:

Ugh, this city <3

and I tried for a long time to do this:

We then decided that we should probably go home to study (keep in mind that it was finals week) so we made our way to Autolyse, a cafe near our apartment, and studied downloaded new music using their fast wifi until our computers died. Then we went home and studied for like, a whole hour. Study abroad is hard. 

Tuesday was the day of our final which we all took with ease. Two sentences of this blog dedicated to school work seems to accurately reflect the amount of actual school related things this semester. Sorry to all of you who are currently studying for real school finals. Anywho, after our final, we cleaned and relaxed until 4 pm, when the bus to our end of the semester party was picking us up. BU had arranged for all of us to go to Petersham Bowling Club and participate in some authentic Aussie barefoot bowling. Barefoot bowling you ask? It's basically like bocce ball except the ball is a little oval shaped and I have no idea how to keep score. Our team, consisting of me, Natalie, Sidra, and Ruthie (obviously), lost in the first round so we were free to enjoy the company of our peers (and the open bar!!!!) for the rest of the night. At the event, there was even a band made up of a couple of the students on the program and some of the teachers. This was definitely the highlight of the night because they absolutely killed it! Great job guys :)

After that party, everyone went back to the BUSAC where we gathered in one of the apartments and well, basically, had another big party. Fueled by the energy of it being our last night together and the aftermath of the open bar, we spent the night singing karaoke and crying over our too soon return to the States. Man, I miss those people so much already.  

Wednesday was our true last day in Sydney so we spent it nowhere other than the beach. We decided to go to what has become our favorite Sydney beach, Bronte Beach, as a final goodbye to sun, sand, and the crystal clear waters of the Pacific. The day was hot, filled with friends, and finished with a delicious lunch, so basically it was perfect. 

Please note how I have not once mentioned packing as an event that occurred during our last week because hahaha we waited until the absolute last minute to begin this overwhelming activity. When we arrived back at our apartment from the beach around 5 pm, we all took a look at our unpacked rooms, laughed, and decided to lay on the couch instead. Keep in mind that we needed to leave for our flight at 8:30 am the next morning. Finally at like 7 pm, we began to pack. And what a slow, dreadful process it was. Our night involved a lot of complaining about the amount of stuff we had, regretting that we had waited until the last minute, and crying over the fact that we were no longer going to be roommates in less than 24 hours. Cue the waterworks. Long story short, my suitcase looked like this and we stayed up very late reminiscing on our time in Sydney.

I love me some TimTams

And before we knew it, the day we had been dreading all semester, the day we would live through twice, or D-Day as the Hatch coffee man refers to it, had arrived. We took the most uncomfortable, unenjoyable shuttle ride to the airport and suddenly all of my worst nightmares were coming true. Thankfully, most of the program was on the same flight back to LA as us so goodbyes were not in order just yet. However, Ruthie decided to take the longest flight in the world (literally, the flight from Sydney to Dallas is the longest you can possibly take) so she parted ways with us at the airport. After a tearful farewell, we boarded the plane. Forcing myself to step foot on that plane was literally one of the hardest things that I've ever done. That plus trying to get Ruthie's bags to be within the weight restrictions. Still waiting for that duffel back Ruthie :P Thankfully, Sidra and Natalie had an open seat next to them on the plane so I hung out with them for most of the flight (yay for not sleeping a single minute of a 13 hour flight!). After what seemed like forever, we landed in LA, were greeted by a nice photo of Barack, and stepped foot on American soil for the first time in 3.5 months. Now for arguably the worst part, my 9 hour layover in LA. Thankfully again, Sid and Nat were there for the first six hours of my layover so we took turns sleeping and eating and wishing we were back on the beach.

Fast forward a lot of hours to me finally being in Chicago and getting in the car only to see what was basically heaven on Earth, a Lou Malnati's pizza, waiting for me in the car. Good work Dad. So yeah! I'm back, America!

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So this was supposed to be my last blog post but after I started writing my reflections on the trip, I realized that even a person with a really long attention span would not be able to make it through a post that long. So stay tuned for my actual last post coming soon!!

Winding Up to Wind Down

Alright hello everyone! Sorry that my blog posts have been sporadic and lame lately, my life has been quite the whirlwind as I enter the last week of my time here in Australia. But now that I have a second to catch my breath, let me tell you about what I've been up to :)

Garden Talk

So this week marked my last days at Lucas Gardens :( But before I get to the sad reflective stuff, I shall talk about the events of our final week.

On Wednesday, Lucas Gardens had the first of their many Christmas parties. Literally, this school celebrates Christmas like six times. Anyways, this party was held at a restaurant on a nearby golf course that is owned by one of the teachers at the school. A woman's golf group puts on the party for the kids every year and they absolutely love it. In order to get all of the kids to the restaurant, girls from the high school down the street came to help push the students so that we didn't have to make multiple trips. Once we all made it there safely and the high schoolers left (not gunna lie I was nervous that all my kids were going to start liking them more than they like me) we were served bowls upon bowls of hot chips (french fries) and the feast began. Side note, most of the students are not able to eat solid food or are tube fed so the majority of these hot chips were eaten by Kaitlyn and I. I'm fat. After the chips came the lasagna for the kids and we quickly fell back into our classroom duties of helping to feed students and catering to their individual eating needs. When they were done eating, the staff was served lunch (whoo!) and we got to indulge in the same lasagna as the kiddos. It was delicious, probably the closest thing I've had to a home cooked meal since I've been here. Besides the meals that I actually cook at home. You know what I mean. After all the eating, the Christmas Fairy made an appearance (not a thing in Australia or America, just a random old lady from the golf club dressed as a giant pink fairy) and then you know who, Mr. Santa Claus himself, paid the kids a visit. The. Kids. Love. Santa. The smiles on all of their faces when he walked into the room were absolutely radiant and I don't think Santa has ever gotten so many hugs.

Santa then began the process of giving out Christmas presents to each kid which was just ugh so adorable. The teachers had previously given gift ideas to the ladies of the golf club, so each student was gifted something that they like or needed. There were firetrucks, socks, CDs, hats, toy keyboards and everything in between. I just can't get over how adorable this whole Christmas party was. All the kids looked so stinkin' cute in their little reindeer antlers and I just seriously have grown way too attached to them.

Christmas at Lucas Gardens definitely ranks as one of my top three days at work and I'm so happy that I was able to experience it. Thank goodness Christmas celebrations begin so early in Australia! (there's no Thanksgiving to mark the beginning of the Christmas season)

On Friday, our last day, all of the teachers threw Kaitlyn and I an Aussie themed goodbye party with enough cookies, cake, and lollies (candy) for the staff of five schools. Everything there was exclusively Australian and we were even sent home with a package of TimTams each (major score!). Of course, out of gratitude to the staff, we had brought in a giant cake for everyone to share so there were sweets coming out of the roof at Lucas Gardens that day. I didn't hate it. I think being all hyped up on sweets numbed me up a little bit and made the goodbyes just a tad less painful. I managed to choke back all my tears as I waved goodbye to my favorite kids for the last time so you could say it was a successful day. And I know you're not supposed to have favorites but can you blame me?

Okay now for the sappy part.

We're in love, it's fine

I don't even know where to begin when describing the immense impact that Lucas Gardens has had on my life. I am so grateful for the experience of working with all of the amazing students and teachers at LG and I could not have asked for more out of my internship site. I have learned so much about working with children, disabilities, physical therapy, and my own strengths and weaknesses. But most of all, I have come to love all of my Lucas Gardens munchkins. Not only are they the cutest kids in the world, but these kids hold more strength and determination in their little bodies than any person, child or adult, that I've ever met. Everyday I left school feeling like I cheated the students because I know that they taught me way more than I ever taught them. They have shown me that nothing is impossible and that there really are no limits to the things that you can achieve. They have given me a completely new perspective on people with disabilities. They have proven to me that learning is always possible and that with a little creativity, tasks that appear difficult become attainable. They have taught me to never, ever give up. Because taking one step or being able to press a switch or make a choice between two objects may seem like a small feat, but it in fact means the world. I know that these kids will have such bright futures because of the great work that everyone at Lucas Gardens does. I am beyond thankful to all of the teachers and staff at the school for dealing with Kaitlyn and I for the past seven weeks and for making our experience in Australia truly unforgettable. I'm honestly surprised that I was able to come up with this much to say about LG because my time there has literally left me at a loss for words. So to sum it up, thank you, Lucas Gardens, for changing my life in more ways than you can know.

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Wow alright, once everyone is done wiping their tears, aka me, I suppose we can move on to the next part of the blog!

*Nothing interesting happened from Monday to Wednesday*

Thursday was Thanksgiving! Yay for celebrating an American holiday while in Australia! Except not really because it doesn't feel like Thanksgiving here at all (where are the changing leaves and annoying Black Friday commercials?) and not having a gigantic home cooked meal really defeats the purpose of the holiday. And no leftovers! It's a true travesty. Anyways, BU threw us a Thanksgiving dinner party on Thursday night and it was a ton of fun. We had turkey (it was kind of weird, but turkey nonetheless), cranberry sauce, mashed potatoes, sweet potatoes, salad, rolls, and stuffing (the stuffing was gross though) and we all ate and were merry. Did I mention that they had unlimited wine? A very fun night indeed. Towards the end of the party, there was a slideshow of pictures from the whole semester that all of us had submitted and of course, I cried. Reflecting on how unbelievably amazing this semester has been while being thankful on Thanksgiving really just got to me. Alas. Oh yeah! I won $40 because one of my pictures took first place in the "best landscape" category! I'm really liking this whole 'BU gives me money when I win things' thing that keeps happening here...

On Friday after I got home from an emotional day at work, I decided to head off to the Royal Botanical Gardens to do some reading and soak up the view. This was a good decision.

When I arrived back at our apartment, plans for the night began to take shape. Sidra, Natalie, Ruthie, and I along with our friend Danielle decided that we wanted to spend the night on the beach and then wake up for the sunrise and all of its beauty. So that's what we did. At 10 pm we headed off to Bondi Beach carrying enough bags to resemble homeless people and create quite the debacle on the bus, but we eventually made it onto the almost deserted beach. We set up camp (quite literally, we had blankets and basically everything you could possibly need to camp besides a tent) and settled in to stargaze and discuss the wonders of life. Observation: the ocean is a lot warmer at night than you would expect it to be. Also the sand is COLD. Cold was basically the theme of our night. Haha I'm laughing just thinking about it. We were bundled to the extreme but that ocean breeze really cuts right through you. Regardless, we are five tough girls and we made it to sunrise. So take that, night beach, we conquered you!

 After stuffing our faces with a delicious breakfast at Bondi, we plopped right back down on the beach for a much warmer nap. In total, we spent 16 hours at the beach that day and it was 16 of the sandiest hours of my life. I think there's still sand coming off of my body from it. But so totally worth every grain.

When we returned from the beach, we all took much needed showers (we basically turned our shower into our own private beach due to all of the sand) and then crashed into a deep oblivion of sleep. Groggy and confused, we awoke two hours later and pretty much forced ourselves to get dressed and go out for a casual night on the town. We can't waste a single second, there's so little time left here! We ended up at the Opera Kitchen, a bar/restaurant underneath the Opera House. We got drinks and just had a relaxing night that obviously involved a photo shoot with the Opera House and it's surrounding beauty.


On Sunday we ventured to Balmoral Beach, one of the many beaches along the Sydney Harbor. As all of the beaches here are, it was beautiful and a perfect relaxing end to our busy weekend.

Repping Green Day Construction. You're welcome Dad

The best part of Sunday though was coming home to Facetime with all of my ridiculously crazy and amazing friends (the crazy is referring to you Jessie)(is that an acceptable shoutout for you?) as they were all at home hanging out WITHOUT ME :((( But that's okay, I'll be home with them soon enough. I can't wait to be reunited with you guys! Love you all! Oh, and a special birthday shoutout to Kelsey! You rock my socks :)

Don't fear, my Sunday story isn't over yet.

Tori this part is for you.

My Sunday night adventure involved going to the main campus of Hillsong Church with Kaitlyn, a place we have been wanting to go for a while. Last weekend we attended a service at one of the regional campuses, but as this was our last opportunity to check out all of the hype, we decided to make the trek out to Balkham Hills for Sunday night service. Let me give you some background on this church. Like Willow Creek, my church at home, Hillsong is a modern style Christian church which, for lack of a better word, could be referred to as a mega-church. They play pop-style music and the venue is quite large. Hillsong's claim to fame is their worship team, as they have come out with tons of albums and their band is currently touring all over the world. Everyone at the church gets super into singing and worship and there's actually a mini mosh pit that happens during the beginning songs. It's crazy, I've never seen anything like it. Being at the services is really energizing and tons of fun. Anyways, the real story lies in our journey to Hillsong. Here's a play by play for you all.

4:00 pm. Kaityln and I depart the BU SAC and head to the bus stop

4:04 pm. I should have eaten more before this...

4:05 pm. Ugh I forgot my waterbottle #foreverthirsty

4:10 pm. Two busses pull up in front of us. One says 607, the other says 610. We get on the 610.

4:32 pm. Kaitlyn and I spend a lot of time on busses together...is that all our friendship consists of?

4:44 pm. We drive over the Harbor Bridge! Check that off my bucket list

5:06 pm. Hmm I wonder when we're supposed to get off the bus

5:08 pm. Kaityln goes to ask the bus driver if he will tell us to get off when we get to the correct stop

5:09 pm. The bus driver informs her that we are in fact on the wrong bus, that we just missed the bus that would have fixed our predicament, and that he would attempt to fix the situation in a different way. Fun fact we were supposed to take the 607 bus that was literally right in front of us when we got onto the 610. Cool. Confusion ensues.

5:11 pm. The bus driver tells us to get off the bus. We talk with him for a minute to try to figure out where to go from there, but his suggestion involves us waiting 40 minutes for the next bus. Being impatient and trying to make a 6 pm service, we opt for a different route that we found online.

5:15 pm. It starts to rain

5:16 pm. We get on a new bus. This bus is super new and fancy. We praise the Sydney suburbs for having great public transportation and begin getting excited for the service at Hillsong.

5:22 pm. Kaitlyn again goes to ask the bus driver if she will inform us when to get off the bus (notice how I never am the one to ask anything, public confrontation is not my area of expertise). Again, the bus driver tells us that we are on the wrong bus and that we should get off at the next stop and catch one of the other busses that stops there.

5:23 pm. It's still raining. No busses in sight

5:30 pm. 30 minutes until church starts.

5:35 pm. The bus comes! This bus is probably the weirdest bus I've ever been on, the seats were gray and leathery and we were 2 of 4 people on the bus.

5:37 pm. WE'RE ON THE WRONG BUS AGAIN

5:39 pm. Still raining. Picture two girls in dresses standing on the side of the road in the suburbs, soaking wet, looking lost. That was us. We're just trying to get to church.

5:41 pm. Executive decision to take a cab to Hillsong

5:44 pm. No cabs anywhere. Getting wetter by the second.

5:45 pm. Why won't anyone pick us up and take us to church? I thought church people were supposed to be nice. The rain is getting to us. Copious amounts of laughter begin.

5:46 pm. I call a cab

5:51 pm. Cab shows up after what feels like an hour. We get in completely soaking wet, looking like lab rats, and smelling like wet dog. The cab driver looks at us with a very quizzical expression and asks us why we were walking to church. We simply say that we suck at directions. He understands.

5:59 and 48 seconds. We pull up to the church!! WE MADE IT!! I don't think I've ever been so happy to see a building in my whole entire life.

6:02 pm. We find seats and try not to touch anyone as to not get them wet. My hair continues to drip water down my neck for the entire duration of the service.

8:00 pm. Service ends and everyone is ushered outside for the Christmas lights ceremony and fireworks. Like what church sets off fireworks? Thankfully we were handed ponchos because it was still raining (although it wouldn't have made a difference, I was still sopping wet from earlier) and found a spot on the lawn outside of the church.

8:10 pm. This happened.

8:20 pm. The fireworks finish and everyone is just in a great mood. We begin to wonder how we're going to get home.

8:23 pm. We decide to ask one of the security people the quickest way to get back to Sydney on public transportation and he tells us to take a bus to the train station and then take a train back to the CBD. This is exciting to us because we love the trains. 

8:24 pm. We get a second opinion on how to get home from another church employee. She says that we have to walk 20 minutes down the road to the nearest T-way station to catch a bus back. Of course the two people we asked had different opinions. SOMEONE PLEASE JUST GIVE US A RIDE.

8:27 pm. Alright, we're going to trust the woman's directions because she seemed a lot more confident. 

8:28 pm. Is everyone positive that they don't want to give us a ride home? 

8:30 pm. We begin the dreaded walk to the T-way in the rain. Thank God for those ponchos. Literally. 

8:36 pm. I hate this part right here...

8:50 pm. Salvation! We've found the T-way stop! I'm either crying tears of joy or there's just a lot of rain water on my face, I can't tell. 

8:55 pm. We get on the bus, the right one this time (yay go us!), and it is the warmest, most amazing feeling. 

10:00 pm. Finally back at the BU SAC. Never riding a bus with Kaitlyn again. 

 

So yeah, I guess that's my week! I'm going to go enjoy my last few days left in Australia (aka watch Nashville while eating TimTams) and indulge in the sun and 18 year old drinking age. See you back in the States!

A Thanksgiving Reflection

With less than a week left, we've began to reflect on our time here in Australia. Thanks to Sidra, Natalie, and Ruthie for helping me to make this list!

Things I miss about home (in no particular order)

• Family
• Friends
• My puppies
• Junior
• My bed
• My shower
• Portillos/Chipotle/Panera/Jimmy Johns/Sonic
• Lou Malnati's (this get's it's own bullet for obvious reasons)
• Doing crafts
• Driving
• Not paying for food/having someone cook for me
• Ice cream
• A fridge that makes ice cubes for you
• The gym
• Dollar menus
• The radio
• Netflix
• Wifi that functions properly
• Thanksgiving
• American style breakfast aka bacon

Things I'm going to miss about Oz (this list might get long)

• Endless summer 
• Beaches
• Koalas
• Aussie accents
• Gelato
• Being legal (ugh 8 more months til I'm 21)
• Not doing real school work
• LUCAS GARDENS :(((((((((
• Seeing the Opera House/Harbor Bridge on the reg
• Fresh seafood
• The Great Barrier Reef
• Traveling and doing amazingly fun activities
• TIMTAMS HOLY COW I DON'T KNOW HOW THIS WASN'T THE FIRST THING ON THE LIST
• Henry the vacuum cleaner
• The Aboriginal people that play digeridoo music at Circular Quay
• All of the markets that happen all around Sydney
• Did I mention beaches and endless summer?
• Trying to explain to people how cold Boston gets in the winter
• $2 sushi
• Pancakes on the Rocks
• The trains
  
• Coffee (Sidra and Natalie added this one)
• Kangaroo - for eating and for petting
• Being in a city that gives you personal space
• Botanical Gardens
• Jacaranda trees
• Living with Sid, Nat, and Ruthie
• Jasmine plants
• The fruit here (it's seriously way better than America's)
• The wonderfully amazing people that are on this program with me
• Airports with minimal security
• The nice, welcoming, laid back attitude of everyone around
• Our sofa bed
• Aussie slang (particularly the words dingledangle, how ya goin', and ta)
• The smell of the ocean
• The Blue Mountains 
• Doing extreme sports
• Writing this blog
• Ruthie's sheepskin boa
• Eating really poorly and not exercising because I think I'm on vacation
• The Sydney skyline
• Taking the ferry
• The rich, interesting history of Australia
• Being mistaken for Aboriginal
• Multicolored money (it's waterproof and fireproof too)
• The large selection of bakeries/cafes
• Carmelo Koalas
• The Aboriginal man at Paddy's 
• Getting drinks with teachers
• The little family that we've created here - you guys are all so amazing!

Things I won't miss about Sydney

• Not knowing appropriate restaurant protocol
• Being a loud American in a foreign country
• Really expensive alcohol
• Washing dishes
• Lecture Room 1
• Walking the tunnel to Central Station
• Super high prices
• The flies
• The alarm that goes off outside our building every night at 9 pm sharp
• Cold showers
• The lack of ice water
• The fear of bed bugs/any other type of bugs
• Needing to use an adapter every time you want to plug something in
• Paying a bajillion dollars for sunscreen
• Carrying around huge amounts of change
• Having an Asian woman ask me if I want a massage every time I walk down the street

And that's just the start of it. I'm sure that these lists could go on forever but I will spare you all. 

Today I'm feeling especially thankful for the opportunity of studying here in Australia and being able to experience all of those things listed above (even the ones I won't miss). This amazingly beautiful, wonderful, crazily eye opening trip has been more than I could have ever dreamed it to be and I cannot thank the people that made this possible enough.  So, Happy Thanksgiving everyone! There's so much to be thankful for :)

A special shoutout to these goofballs because they mean more to me than words can describe. Love you guys and I can't wait to be reunited with you all!!!

AHHHH

ONLY 9 DAYS LEFT THERE'S NO TIME FOR BLOGGING

Here's some pictures of my week

Monday: Bronte Beach, class, BU BBQ

Wednesday: Called in sick to work (sorry not sorry), Bondi Beach

Bondi Beach 

Friday: Marquee for Caroline's birthday

Saturday: Shopping at the Rocks, walking around Circular Quay

Obligatory selfie with Opera House

Saturday: Sidra makes the ferry by the skin of her teeth, North Sydney Olympic Pool

Saturday: nap time

Saturday: N2 Extreme Gelato

They freeze the gelato with liquid nitrogen

Sunday: Attempt to go to the nude beach, it was filled with old men, we turned around

Sunday: Camp Cove Beach

 CURRENTLY FREAKING OUT BECAUSE I LEAVE SO SOON. THERE'S NOT ENOUGH TIME

AHHHHHHHHHHHHH