Goodbye Sydney

Just finished packing... After re-packing a hundred times and getting so annoyed that I started throwing out things I wanted to keep, oh and after sea-mailing my school papers and books back home (see ya in 3 months!), I was able to fit everything into three suitcases and one duffel bag. Geez that was tough... hopefully it is all within size weight limits otherwise I may go postal in the airport!

So this is it, my last hours in Sydney- killing time before I head to the airport. I'm sitting in my empty room, feeling a bit blue, and thinking about the incredible year I've had. I have met some amazing people, seen amazing places, and done things that I only ever dreamed of. Now I am so sad to have to say goodbye. It feels like it was not long ago that I was sitting in my room at my parents house packing and wondering what the heck I was getting myself into traveling across globe to go back to school. And at first it was tough adjusting to my new life, but relatively quickly I made friends, felt more comfortable exploring the city, and Sydney became home to me.

Now its time to go back to my "real life" and my "real home". Strangely I feel that same reluctance as I did before I left. I know I have some amazing things waiting for me at home, but I can't even think about that now because I just want to love this city for the few more hours I have left.

This year I learned a lot of good lessons. I learned that:

- When you give people a chance, and open yourself up to friendship, they usually won't let you down.
- I still hate awkward situations, but when I force myself into them I usually feel good about myself afterwards.
- I love being a beer drinking, flip-flop wearing, smart-assed, Texan girl!
- What I consider to be my extreme shyness, other people usually perceive as bitchiness... so I gotta work on that.
- The worlds a big place, and there is still SO much of it that I haven't seen... but I will someday.
- I'm too old for Student Housing, even a shared bathroom is a bit of a stretch for me.
- No matter how much you want something it won't change whether or not someone else wants to give it to you.
- I'm a lot stronger than I think I am...

Goodbye Sydney! Hope to see you again someday.

Coogee Beach

Yesterday Ashleigh and I went to Coogee beach to enjoy the summer sun. Finally I got into the water in Sydney! We were in the water for awhile when I saw something blue and jellyfish-like in the water. So I started screaming and pushed it away from me. Ashleigh saw it too and said "I don't think its a jellyfish, it looks like a used condom". God I hope so!

Right when we got out of the water the lifeguards made an announcement over the loud speaker that a group of blue bottle jellyfish was spotted coming in and that people in the water should use caution. Craziness! What if it was a jellyfish I saw?

Also, my skin is highly traumatized right now... too much sun, and so much pain! :(

Other things I have crossed off my "to-do before I leave Sydney list":
- Movie at the IMAX theatre, largest screen in the world!
- Ferry ride from Darling Harbour
- Mexican food at Guzman y Gomez
- Walk around Sydney Uni and Victoria Park
- St. Mary's Cathedral

Ten Days of Sydney

After an amazing day in Sydney, I just said goodbye to Jackie, my closest friend here, because she is going back home for the break. So much sadness!! And this made me realize that I will be saying goodbye to Sydney in just ten short days. It makes my heart hurt just thinking about that. I am SO in love with this city, this country, and the past year I have spent here. I will be so heartbroken to say goodbye... but as they say 'all good must come to an end'. I hope to make these next ten days amazing, and hopefully I can cross off some of the items on my "I will eventually get to those" list.

Sydney Beaches

On Lisa's last day we wanted to go to the beach, since I have never ever been in the ocean in Sydney, but alas it was too cold. So instead of a swim, we did the beach walk from Bondi Beach to Coogee Beach (pronounced "could-g"). This walk took us two hours and it was beautiful. It made me anxious to visit all the best Sydney beaches. In fact I think I will make it my mission to do just this before I leave.

Check out this pic below... I just love it. See the tiny sailboat? All alone in the big blue sea :)

Scuba Diving in The Great Barrier Reef

Once again Australia has provided me the opportunity to cross something else off my "Life To-Do List". I not only snorkeled the Great Barrier Reef (GBR), but I got to do an introductory scuba dive there. Amazingness!!

Let me start from the beginning. After debating over the hundreds of GBR tours offered in Cairns, Lisa and I found a fun one that stopped in two locations around the reef including a private island. The ride out to the GBR was pretty long, but we passed the time by lounging on the boats netting and soaking in some sun. I have been trying to work on my tan, so of course I didn't wear any sunscreen, but after awhile my skin felt like it was on fire and I had to cover up. :)

The first stop was Paradise Reef. This is where I did my scuba dive. Lisa couldn't do it because she was honest and told them she had asthma, so she snorkeled while I dove. We both rented stinger suits to keep the jellyfish away. These jumpsuits were very attractive... (sarcasm here)... and included mittens and a hood, in addition to the fins. Although I suppose the jellyfish could still sting our faces- so no worries there! Eek!

This is me in my stinger suit and my scuba gear... you can't see the tank in this picture, but it was very heavy. Like I said it was only an introductory dive, for 30 minutes. And I guess if you are not certified you can only go under 12 meters max and are supposed to stay within arms length of the instructor. But my dive was only me and one other girl and we were both pretty comfortable so we didn't stay that close to him. The only uncomfortable part was the pressure on my ears was a pain, so I kept having to equalize the pressure. Plus I was worried that my mouthpiece would come out and I would get water in mouth, so I was biting really hard on the mouthpiece and my jaw hurt for days.

Here was my scuba instructor, Rob. Obviously I had an underwater camera on my dive, but of course the pictures are totally crap compared to what the GBR actually looks like. Basically it was incredible! There were these gigantic schools of fish that were all around, and the reef itself was so colorful especially when the sunlight hit it in particular ways. We didn't see anything scary which I was disappointed about, but Rob kept picking up these weird things, like sea cucumbers that we got hold. I was surprised that the fish were not that big- the biggest one I saw was maybe 2-3 ft long. But it was So SO SO beautiful under there.

The next place we stopped, after lunch, was called Michaelmas Cay, which was much more shallow that the first stop and was also within a short swim of an island. Lisa and I snorkeled here, but at one point we got separated. I didn't realize until I pulled my head out of the water and I was far away from everyone else in our group, and the boat. I was a little spooked by this, especially because it was really deep where I was and I was certain a shark was going to attack me. So I decided to head back to the boat... and as I was swimming back I swear, I swear I saw a jelly fish coming towards my face. So I screamed underwater, pushed the water away and swam even faster to the boat. What a great day in Cairns.

Cairns... Pronounced "Cannes"

I'm so happy that I finally got to go to Cairns, Queensland. This is the main tourist city around the Great Barrier Reef and I was worried that I wouldn't get a chance to see it before I leave. So when Lisa said she was down, I was stoked! However no one told me that November was the beginning of "stinger season". Yes, stinger as in jellyfish... specifically box jellyfish, or "the most venomous marine animal known to mankind". Perfect!

So I guess I shouldn't have been surprised when we got to the beach on the first day and there were warning signs all over. Everyone had to swim within this sectioned off area of the ocean that was surrounded by netting. It was odd, and slightly concerning, but because it was SO hot in Cairns (like in the 90s) we had to get in the water for a little bit.

I guess Cairns is not really known for its beaches anyway, I mean we did have take a 30 minute bus ride to the "nicest beach", but they are well known for their Great Barrier Reef tours which we would be partaking in the next day. I'll admit I was a little concerned about sharks already, and now I'd have to be worried and jellyfish too... eek!

Thanksgiving Day Miracle

Being the "token American" in my group of friends is a title that I not only relish, but try to milk for all its worth. For this reason I decided to host a Thanksgiving in Sydney for my non-American friends who had never experienced the glory of the most physically painful holiday (with stomach muscles stretched to maximum capacity). Luckily I had Lisa here, and help from Jackie too, because I am sure I definitely could not have done it alone. It also helped that Lisa brought some essentials from back home (Stove Top, canned cranberries, marshmallows, canned pumpkin pie, etc). But even still- cooking for 10 people is quite a feat.Our menu included the standard American dishes: turkey, ham, stuffing, green bean casserole, baked mac 'n' cheese, mashed potatoes, sweet potatoes, corn, cranberry, rolls, gravy and for dessert pumpkin pie... oh and s'mores because they really wanted to try these.We were most concerned with the Turkey as none of us had every made one before, but Lisa had no fear and like a pro ripped out the neck and removed the liver of the raw turkey, and off she went. After we remembered to foil-tent the bird, it went very smoothly. Everything did in fact... we were like a well oiled machine, working in the tiniest kitchen using the tiniest oven imaginable, and using American recipes having to convert weird measurements. I even surprised myself with my first attempt at baked mac 'n' cheese from scratch. Okay, it wasn't as good as my sisters, but give it a couple more tries and I am sure it will be perfect! My favorite was the turkey, but most everyone else loved the sweet potatoes. "How can a vegetable be so delicious?"... uh, maybe its the tons of butter and sugar added. Here's the final products:We also had everyone make a "hand turkey"... you know, because you always make a hand turkey on Thanksgiving- ha! They really got into it anyways, and it kept them busy while we finished up in the kitchen. Thanksgiving was a phenomenal success and I am thoroughly impressed with us for not screwing anything up. And even though we couldn't watch American football. Lisa and I both wore Texas shirts to pay homage to the Longhorns, this years future National Champions.
I realize one of the best parts of Thanksgiving is leftovers, but unfortunately Lisa and I didn't get to have any because the next morning we were off to Cairns to swim the Great Barrier Reef. PS- I love having the biggest meal of the year and then getting into a swimsuit twelve hours later!

Just a Friendly Visit

I've just put Lisa in a cab and she is off to the airport- back to Texas. We've just had a great 10 days together and did lots of stuff which I will blog about soon enough. But first, I think I should warn you about something... my accent has changed... apparently!

My roommate, Will, always tells me that I am starting to sound like an Australian, but I never believed him. That is until Lisa told me I sound weird. What?!? Specifically she said that I only sound weird when I ask questions. Like I put the emphasis on the wrong words or syllables. I dunno... but I do NOT want to have some creepy wanna-be faux accent. How do I change back? What if I've forgotten my regular voice and can never get it back to me? Who am I?This is us on Lisa's first day in Sydney. Not sure why we were taking an engagement pic here, but pretty good for just getting off an 18 hour flight... me not so much! Eeek! :)