It's my last day here in Australia, and I am so glad that I decided to come. It was incredible to see some past volunteers and meet new, amazing people. Throughout my stay here, I lived with the family of one of the volunteers I met. He is still traveling around India, but his family took me in with open arms. Being my awkward self, I didn't know how it would work out or if I would stay the whole time here, but the more I talked with Janet, the mom, the more open I became, and we would have long discussions about everything. Almost every night was spent at the kitchen table talking about me, my family, her family, India. It was so nice and it honeslty made my time here.
While everything is relatively fresh in my mind and I have the energy and the great internet that is Australia, let me lead you through a recap of my time here until Byron Bay:
28th November- I flew into Sydney on Thanksgiving. This was my first holiday away from home, and I was sad not to spend the day with my mom, drinking wine and watching a marathon of the Walking Dead, or some other equally inappropriate show for the holidays. However, to commemorate the day, I had a glass of airplane wine and some questionable airplane food curteousy of China Southern. Once we got to the airport (I was traveling with Mauli and a father of one of the competitors) there was a mix up with where the others were supposed to go. The man didn't speak any english and was supposed to travel to his son (2 hours away) but the organization didn't know that he was coming. It was a mess, and we ended up having to leave him with one of the volunteers and hope for the best. (In the end, everything worked out fine.) And the ATM at the airport tried to eat my card. Not a great start to the trip, but really, what can you do?
29th- I spent the day with Janet and her daughter Hez and tried to figure out my banking issues. PNC, you are going to hear from me soon, because for the two weeks that I was here, my card has not worked yall don't seem to care to answer my urgent messages. So rude. However, I was able to work something out and get it relatively resolved in the end. At night I took the train into the city to meet up with Karen and Tony, two volunteers that I met my first week in India. Let me just say that I was not used to such luxury on the train. Everyone waits for others to get off before calmy walking on themselves, each person has their own seat, and there is no pushing. Honestly, one can get spoiled here. It was pretty surreal to see Tony and Karen again, but super chill. I never thought that I would find myself in Australia hanging out with some people that I met in India a couple months before. We got some drinks with their work friends and went out for some good Asain food, which I have really missed. That's what I've found I miss the most about western countries: food from other countries. Give me some good Japanese, Chinese, Mexican, and I am good to go.
30th- Today was my day to be a tourist. I got to eat some Laksa, which may have been a highlight of my trip- Kev if you haven't had any, check it out, it is awesome. Tony took me down to the Harbour and I got to see the iconic Harbour Bridge and Opera House. It really is beautiful, and I always love anything to do with singing and music. Another Indian moment occured- a man bumped into me and immediately turned and apologized to me. I was so taken aback- apologizing? To me? I stammered out a response, but it hit me then how used to India I have become. When an open gesture of curteousy surprises me, you know that I've been in a crowded country for some time. We walked around the Royal Botanical Gardens and caught a ferry over to Manly Beach. The boat ride was great because it gave the view of the entire Harbour, bridge and Opera House included. I am uncomfortable playing the role of tourist, always have been, but I loved being able to see the iconic sights. The higlight of the day, though, was the Pacific Ocean. God, I've missed the ocean. We just walked along the beach from one end to the other; there is nothing better than putting my toes in the sand and feeling the water for the first time in months.
While everything is relatively fresh in my mind and I have the energy and the great internet that is Australia, let me lead you through a recap of my time here until Byron Bay:
28th November- I flew into Sydney on Thanksgiving. This was my first holiday away from home, and I was sad not to spend the day with my mom, drinking wine and watching a marathon of the Walking Dead, or some other equally inappropriate show for the holidays. However, to commemorate the day, I had a glass of airplane wine and some questionable airplane food curteousy of China Southern. Once we got to the airport (I was traveling with Mauli and a father of one of the competitors) there was a mix up with where the others were supposed to go. The man didn't speak any english and was supposed to travel to his son (2 hours away) but the organization didn't know that he was coming. It was a mess, and we ended up having to leave him with one of the volunteers and hope for the best. (In the end, everything worked out fine.) And the ATM at the airport tried to eat my card. Not a great start to the trip, but really, what can you do?
29th- I spent the day with Janet and her daughter Hez and tried to figure out my banking issues. PNC, you are going to hear from me soon, because for the two weeks that I was here, my card has not worked yall don't seem to care to answer my urgent messages. So rude. However, I was able to work something out and get it relatively resolved in the end. At night I took the train into the city to meet up with Karen and Tony, two volunteers that I met my first week in India. Let me just say that I was not used to such luxury on the train. Everyone waits for others to get off before calmy walking on themselves, each person has their own seat, and there is no pushing. Honestly, one can get spoiled here. It was pretty surreal to see Tony and Karen again, but super chill. I never thought that I would find myself in Australia hanging out with some people that I met in India a couple months before. We got some drinks with their work friends and went out for some good Asain food, which I have really missed. That's what I've found I miss the most about western countries: food from other countries. Give me some good Japanese, Chinese, Mexican, and I am good to go.
30th- Today was my day to be a tourist. I got to eat some Laksa, which may have been a highlight of my trip- Kev if you haven't had any, check it out, it is awesome. Tony took me down to the Harbour and I got to see the iconic Harbour Bridge and Opera House. It really is beautiful, and I always love anything to do with singing and music. Another Indian moment occured- a man bumped into me and immediately turned and apologized to me. I was so taken aback- apologizing? To me? I stammered out a response, but it hit me then how used to India I have become. When an open gesture of curteousy surprises me, you know that I've been in a crowded country for some time. We walked around the Royal Botanical Gardens and caught a ferry over to Manly Beach. The boat ride was great because it gave the view of the entire Harbour, bridge and Opera House included. I am uncomfortable playing the role of tourist, always have been, but I loved being able to see the iconic sights. The higlight of the day, though, was the Pacific Ocean. God, I've missed the ocean. We just walked along the beach from one end to the other; there is nothing better than putting my toes in the sand and feeling the water for the first time in months.
1st December- How is it December already? I went to the Opening Ceremony today in Newcastle to see our eight children walk onto the field as part of the 530 Indian participants in the games. We didn't buy tickets until the day of the ceremony, so our seats were pretty high up, but it was worth it. All of the kids were so proud to be there, and regardless of the size of the group, the kids would dance onto the field with a huge smile on their faces. There were different performances from famous Australians, but I had no idea whho they were. What I really liked about the ceremony was that it empowered children with special needs, both intellectual and physical. They were given the spotlight to perform and get their voices heard. There was one boy who was severely autistic that played a duet with the choreographer of the total event, dancers had down syndrome, boys in wheelchairs were wheeled onto the field, etc. We were able to see Renu and Mauli there, and they were absolutely loving it and their time in Australia, which made me really happy.
2nd - In the morning Janet, Hez, and I drove to this cliff that overlooks the bay and the opening to the sea and drove past the famous Bondi Beach on the way to the airport.
I flew up to Byron Bay and it is absolutely beautiful there. White sand beaches with a hippie town surrounding it, drum circles, and street performers. I checked into my hostel, found out that my credit card still didn't work, and decided to just explore the town. I went down to the beach and the park by the water and just sat for a while. It was a hot day out, but there was a great breeze coming from the water and the smell of the ocean just brought back so many memories of going to the Jersey shore growing up. I was pretty stressed the first day because I had about 100 dollars to last me four days, where no meals were provided. I sat down and budgeted my money for my time in Byron Bay and decided to ivest in some food from the local supermarket. I bought a apples, bananas, and a half a loaf of bread for 12 dollars. This went on to be my breakfast and lunch for the next 4 days. Then, I would have about 25 dollars to spend on a nice dinner and a beer or two, should I feel up to it. Once I wrote out my budget and organized myself, I was able to relax and really enjoy the beach.
End Part One
End Part One