Goodbye, Mate!

To call my last week in Australia a whirlwind would be an understatement. I got off the plane from New Zealand on Monday morning and then proceeded to take exams on Tuesday, Wednesday, and Thursday, unlike the rest of my friends whose exams were nicely spaced along the two possible. Thankfully I had been keeping up with my classes so finals weren’t too bad. After finishing my econometrics exam on Thursday, I had 20 hours to pack everything up, clean the apartment, say goodbye to everyone, and get my life together before flying out of Sydney.

It was sad to leave the land of OZ; I had never lived in one place out of the US for four months before. I experienced a new way of life (relax!) and picked up some Aussie lingo. I learned a lot academically in all four of my classes and really enjoyed all of my professors. I’m going to miss living in Sydney, just a short walk from the heart of a city bustling with 5 million people. I’m definitely going to miss the 20 Thai restaurants in Newtown (if only I was traveling to somewhere with Thai food…) and the weekly Tuesday $5 Dominos pizzas. I’m going to miss having a rock climbing gym less than five minutes from my house. I’m going to miss Sydney’s campus, but excited for Duke’s. I’m going to miss cooking almost every night with my roommates. I’m going to miss the SCUBA diving in Sydney, not to mention the Great Barrier Reef. And I’m going to miss having the ability to take a random weekend trip to Tasmania or the Blue Mountains.

But most of all, I’m going to miss the people I’ve met and the friends I’ve made during my time down under. My roommates and travel buddies have been so much fun to get to know. My friends from classes and group projects have given me a true look into life as an Aussie. My adult friends including the Stevensons, the Wongs, and Jane have kindly had an eye out for me during my stay. And of course my rock climbing mates from all around the world (Argentina, Antarctica, Spain, Australia, Sweden, Norway) who I’ve gone on so many adventures with.

I already have plans to meet up with a few of my American friends I met abroad but I have no idea when or even if I will ever see most of my Aussie friends again. But I had a blast getting to know them and I am confident we will keep in touch. I say this about just about every country I travel to, but I’ve got a feeling that someday, I’ll be back.