Alex's 4th entry - Going, going...
I can't believe that this trip is going by so fast. I realised that one month from now I'm going to be back in the United States working and trying to get myself back on track there. As much as I love Australia, I think one of the biggest lessons learned from studying abroad is how much you appreciate where you come from. I think this is true no matter where you come from. You just know what is going on around you so much more when you're in your home. That being said, I'm truly going to miss Australia. But I guess I still have a month to enjoy it so I'll save the sadness of leaving Australia to when I actually leave the country next month.
For now I've been myself and went on more trips across the land down under. Three incredible trips highlight this month: Adelaide, Sydney, Gold Coast and Surfers Paradise. All three were flat out incredible in their own respective ways. Adelaide was laid back and casual, Sydney turned into two incredible experiences and Surfers Paradise was well... Paradise... and trust me it didn't disappoint.
Adelaide was practically free because we stayed with two friends from our home uni, Brockport. Becky and Rachel were great at accommodating us for the weekend. We started off by attending a costume party at PJ O'Briens. I went as an aussie bogan. I'm not really sure if I did the part well, but I found a cork hat and wore as much tan as possible. It worked out ok. After the first hour no one really cared anyway.
We continued to enjoy Adelaide the next day by checking out the Botanical Gardens and strolling through the CBD. Now as one might notice, there's not a lot of money in me anymore so we skipped out on the beach because the tram cost some cash. We then met up with the buddy I made in Tassie because he's in Adelaide working on a film. You guys may know of it, Harry Potter and the Half Blood Prince. Yeah so this guy is kind of a big deal. He's sweet too so we all made friends.
The next day consisted of Amanda, Rachel and I all going to the Museum of South Australia and incredibly enough I enjoyed the Museum (I think it's because I'm getting older and I'm starting to appreciate everything a little bit more). But the trip in Adelaide was overall casual and relaxing.
Sydney on the other hand was more intense and go-go-go. I once again went and stayed in Sydney for free via the REX Backpackers pass my home uni gave us and stayed with my buddy Edan. We went to see the Centennial Rugby Match between Australia and New Zealand. The part I loved was the pyrotechnics they had at the show. Ok, and the rugby. That game is intense and the last thing I ever want to do is get in a fight with one of those guys. The best part of the whole thing is that Australia won the match 28-10. Go Australia. So since I watched the 100th time Australia and New Zealand faced each other in Rugby I should've expected a streaker, but none the less, I was still surprised when the streaker came on the field. I love the lifestyle here.
Then the next day was dedicated to the Blue Mountains outside Sydney. There's a reason they call those Mountains Blue. You'd think oh leaves are green so the mountains should look green. No. It's gum trees all over those mountains so the mountains look blue. A three hour hike down into the valley and back out via canyons and rock climbing made the day incredibly tiring but totally worth it. Alison, Edan and I all thought it was an incredible trip and passed out on the way back to Sydney that night.
I can't help but say that the last of the three trips this month was the bread winner. Surfers Paradise really is paradise. By all means if you come to Australia make sure you get to Surfers Paradise. It's part of the Gold Coast and it's all about enjoying the day on the beach. The sand was perfect and everyone enjoyed the hot weather we had. We met up with our Brockport friends Alex, Lara and Taylor at University of Southern Queensland (Toowoomba) and our buddies Ryan and Brian also from Brockport studying at Southern Cross University (Lismore). Something I will never forget is watching the sun rise over the water at Surfers Paradise. It truly was amazing.
There's only one month left. One trip left and most importantly one chapter left to this amazing journey. This last month will not be a disappointment I can guarantee that.