My Australian Adventure: May 2015

I can't accurately describe my time in Sydney. A couple of days before I left for Australia I remember thinking to myself 'What have I done....why am I doing this!?' Words can't properly describe how incredibly happy I am that I got on the plane, despite my fears. These past six months in Sydney have been absolutely incredible. I LOVE THIS CITY. I can't say that enough. Leaving UD was the hardest thing I've ever done in my life...that was my home for four years..all my best friends were there. The memories from Dayton will be with me forever. If I wasn't there I needed to be somewhere that would make me equally as happy. I found that in Sydney. I felt at home here since the beginning, have made absolutely incredible friends, and have had the time of my life. I've grown much more independent and have learned so much more about the world and other countries and their cultures.

It's so crazy to think that my year in Australia is half over. I've had such an amazing time here in Sydney..I can only hope my next six months will be just as great. I've fallen in love with city life and am a tad nervous about moving out to Ayers Rock (Uluru) which is an incredibly remote place. The town Yulara only consists of the resorts, a post office, grocery store, souvenir shop, and police and fire stations. No beaches, public transport, movie theaters, malls, nothing. The nearest town is a five hour drive away. At the end of my year, I will have experienced the real Australian experience, having half my time in Sydney, and half in the outback. It's definitely going to be an adventure and I'm looking forward to it! At this point, I just want to get settled in and start working again. My main goal for these next six months is to just save up money so I can come back to Australia on a tourist visa and travel through this amazing country for a few months...and then keep on discovering more amazing parts of this world! I know people back home think I'm nuts for coming out here instead of settling down after graduating and starting a career. Yes, it's different from the norm, but I can't describe how happy it makes me. And when it comes down to it, happiness is the only thing that really matters in life. Let's just say this is only the beginning of my travels and I don't see myself stopping any time soon!

It's so sad in my final days here thinking this could be my last time I'm here or there. It's going to be so hard to say goodbye to my friends and I am dreading it. Traveling is amazing and you meet the most incredible people, but having to say goodbye to such great people repeatedly is horrible...it never gets easier. There's just so many wonderful people in the world, I feel so lucky to have met all the people I have. Cheers to you Sydney and the past six months. Here's to looking forward to the next six in the outback!