7. Penguins

These past two days have been slow starts, ever since we extended our stay in Melbourne. We worked out a relocation deal where for very little cost, we can drive a campervan back to Sydney from 26th - 28th letting us do some exploring along the way. Until then, we've had some calm rainy days here. 

Yesterday we took the tram to St. Kilda area to see the penguins. We strolled down Ackland Street, where I officially fell in love with Melbourne. Tons of busy cafes and neat restaurants with people along the street selling their handmade jewelry. We got Fish N Chips, like Dave said a proper Aussie would, and ate on the grass near Luna Park surrounded by seagulls.

The strangest part of the day was the bustle of IronMan supporters and participants. Watching them push through the last leg of their race and their loved ones running alongside them cheering them on brought me to tears. I can't exactly explain why, but I thought it was beautiful. I wish I could say it inspired me to go for a run this morning... Not so much.

 After I spent my time in the sun and it was setting, we wandered down the pier with a hundred other people to wait for the penguins to come back to their nest. They came out after about an hour, only saw about four of them but heard the rest nuzzling each other before bed. 

6. Z

Yesterday Dave's friend Zrinka showed us around Melbourne. We ate Chinese food in Chinatown, browsed through Rose St. Art Market, drank beer in Fotzroy and had coffee in the lanes. Which is where I found out that 'iced coffee' is coffee with a dollop OF ICE CREAM. So that made me unexplainably happy. After a stressful morning of planning our way back to Sydney, we are going to St. Kinda beach to hopefully see the Penguins. It could only get better if the Penguins come with a dollop of ice cream as well. 

^the lanes

4. Food

Queen Victoria's market is only a few blocks away from our hostel. It is amazing how long you can walk around and stare at fresh food. A market that is open 6 days a week ALL YEAR, not for tourists but for people to actually do their grocery shopping. So we did just that in order to save money from all the eating out we were doing and admittedly, all the coffee I've been drinking. For dinner, an authentic Australian BBQ prepared by an Australian: kangaroo shish kebabs and corn on the cob.  

I bought a box of strawberries to eat on yet another rooftop and read my book.

3. We Crawled.

...metaphorically. We drank... literally though. We danced. We made friends. We ended with meat pies when I so badly wanted McDonalds. 

2. Edit

Take back what I said about the boring breakfasts... The Flat White itself makes up for it all.

2. Sydney

I got to kiss my boyfriend and ate all the free food I could get on the plane. I actually had a hard sleep on the plane with some graceful help of my NyQuil pills and was geared up for the day after I landed. 14 hours on a plane seemed mild compared to the 30 hour bus ride I took to get to Florida last week and fell asleep on an ex-con's shoulder.

We made it out of the airport but wandered around far too long before Dave's sister, Lucy, graciously picked us up. She fed me some coffee and fruit and let us hang about until our hostel would let us in. Kangaroo/Emu pizza, aka the Coat of Arms and Little Creature Beer was my first meal or... I guess afternoon tea (the light meal snack thing between lunch and dinner to make up for the boring breakfasts in these parts). The view from our hostel is to die for 

As Dave said, "two minute noodles, a water bottle full of vodka and this view is the backpacker's life." It has only been two days in Sydney but I'll be coming back, hoping to find work in this city. It is magnificent. Last night we met friends of Dave's for dinner and drank and laugh and I was so happy that he has such lovely people to introduce me to. 

1. Flights

All I can say is that I am the luckiest girl around. This past summer when I traveled in Europe with my best friend, Sam, we met LA native Chris at our hostel in Nice, France. After following him around there, we decided to meet up again with him in Barcelona. Chris being the friendly guy he was, Chris was also meeting a different friend in Barcelona, Ricardo. Us four hit it off and hung around Ricardo while he was on his layover with his awesome job of being a flight attendant for Delta Airlines. Through this crazy connection of people, Sam decided to apply to be a flight attendant... And got it! For a frame of reference: based on the rate of acceptance, it is harder to get a job as a flight attendant than it is to get in the Harvard. Girl is awesome.

How does this relate to me? Well, like I said, I am the luckiest girl around and Sam gave me a companion ticket from her flight attendant benefits. A $1,500 ticket for $250 Standby ticket. Sydney here I come. It will be 24 hours of traveling and was a little bit of crying (ok more than a little)when I said goodbye to my mom.  But I am looking forward to the free pretzels and kissing my boyfriend.

Story gets crazier... Waiting for my flight at LAX and I see Ricardo hanging out at the gate next to mine!! He was the good omen I needed.

Prologue: Adventure in Australia

I've felt this emptiness before.

I am at the cusp of bravery, standing at the edge, hands shaking looking over the cliff of new experiences and taking risks. Where I cry every fifteen minutes or so then promptly pull my lips into a smile. Behind me is my mom rubbing my cheek with the silk edge of my baby blanket as I fall asleep, playing with my big sister's hair or sitting as close to on-top-of my best friends on the couch.

Ahead of me: emptiness. Only space for me to fill with new failures, new loves, new adventures. The unknown makes me nauseous, which is what happens when you have too much excitement on a terrified stomach... also too much coffee on an empty stomach.

Four years ago at this very time I was a freshman in college living in the dorms at CMU. I had just been offered the opportunity to become an RA on the floor just above me (disciplinary disaster floor), which is all I could have imagined wanting at that point of my life(only because I didn't know the hell that would soon ensue). Mind you I was 19, only 3/4 the way through my first year, being put in charge of students my age who I had partied with earlier that year. I was all alone in a dorm, typically filled with 400 of my friends, with everything packed in to boxes, crying and watching Netflix. Early the next morning I was going to NYC on a spring break trip that defined my religious habits and the very day I got back from that trip I was to be moved in to my new room.

My qualms with accepting the job was mainly being nervous I would lose my two best friends, who I were now technically my "residents" and we couldn't do many of the best friend things that freshman best friends do (aka get trashed in our dorm rooms). Turns out, it was the best decision I had ever made. Being an RA in Wheeler made me a better person and I was proud that I took a more difficult path, by choice, and it was more than I could've hoped for.

Once again, by choice, I am taking the road less traveled, hoping to come out more of the person I want to be. The person I am, is shaped by the experiences in my life that were typically out of my control. I want it to be my choice now, I want to shape the experiences that shape me.

I've learned that friends still stick around, even when you can't drink in the dorms with them anymore. The people in my life are truer than most, hearts so sincere and encouraging that I will be able to feel their love over the ocean. My mother gave me wings. She did more than just say I can accomplish my dreams, she showed me by pursuing her own. My dad would be turning in his grave by the mere idea of me going outside without a helmet on... but he would be happy that at least I am bringing sunscreen.

Now, surrounded by boxes of my life, hanging over a cliff, shaking and crying but something still pulls me in to this emptiness, a picture I so badly want to paint myself... also a super awesome boyfriend in Australia. With so many unanswered questions: When will you come home? What will you be doing? Why are you going? Literally my only answer is: why not.