G’Bye Australia.

My time in the great land of Aus is over and it couldn’t have ended in a nicer way.

My final week here has been an absolute dream, I joined Sophie and Tom down in Mornington and we had a really fun night out on Saturday and then spent Sunday and Monday doing a little bit of exploring. We went to the Pilars, a stunning little piece of rocky coast and just basked in the sun there for a while, we had a good old fish and chip dinner and on Sunday we went to YOMGs for Lunch, to a playground, geocashing and big cuddles with Tom’s doggos of course.

I have been really lucky and had gorgeous weather for my last week, so I spent the next days heading into the city to find sweet parks and gardens where I could just sit, read and enjoy the final feelings of Aussie sun. It might sound a bit sad that that’s what I did with my last days, but I had done all the exploring I could for now and just appreciating everything around me with a few cups of Melbourne coffee, was just what the doctor ordered.

Then, before I knew it, it was Thursday, my last night. I got all packed up, Sophie, Savannah (Sophie’s friend from Philli) and Tom picked me up to go to our Airbnb in St Kilda and we did one of my favourite things in the world, we went to the Ballet! It was Les Ballets De Monte-Carlo’s semi-contemporary take on Swan Lake, and although we all said we kinda wished it was the classical version with the big tutus and fouettés, it was a really stunning performance. Honestly, I could not have dreamed of a more perfect final night, and you can bet I got hella emotional.

Friday morning, the perfection continued – I know I’m making everything sound airy-fairy wonderful, but that really is how its felt, I’ve been so blessed with this time. We went to a really cool café for breakfast and got to say hello to a couple of beautifully behaved doggos. Afterwards, regardless of how full we were, we did not hesitate to nip into a cute little cake shop and grab a couple of treats to enjoy on the beach. And that’s it. That was my time up. We drove to the airport, said our final goodbyes, shed our fair share of tears and I was off. It didn’t feel real, I shouldn’t be leaving, it’s not right.

I am currently sat on the first leg of my flight home writing this and I have never felt such a greater feeling of confliction in my life. Its hard because genuinely, in my heart, Melbourne feels like home, and the people I have met there are my family. Don’t get me wrong, I am looking forward to running into my mum’s arms and seeing my dear, dear friends, but that doesn’t stop me feeling slightly heartbroken. So much has happened over the last 5 months, I have changed and learnt so much that I’m almost a little scared of going back to normal, I also don’t think that the fact some of the best friends I have made are now scattered across the US makes this any easier. Not that that means I’m not going to see them again, you bet that there are going to be many crossings of the pond in the future, I’ve just been spoilt with being used to being with them every day. One thing that is bringing me one level of comfort is the things I have planned for when I’m home, from little things I want to learn, to going to visit my dearest Dush. I still think the reverse culture shock is going to hit pretty hard, I guess we will just have to wait and see.

On a final note, as my Aussie adventure is complete (for now), nothing could have prepared me to say goodbye or for the feelings that would accompany that, I am just immensely grateful for this opportunity and I can’t wait to see where we go from here.

All the Love, Goodbye for Now x

The Study in Study Abroad

As the title suggests, these past couple weeks have been less of exiting trip planning and more of significantly less exciting essay planning.

I guess these weeks have been the ‘Living like a standard Uni student’ experience, actually doing work, revising and not just buggering off here there and everywhere. Its not been all that bad, to be fair I only had one exam and for once in my life had been on the ball with my assignments and had them all submitted super early. So once that exam came and went it was serious celebration time, and on top of exams being over, we have had the excuse that it is coming very close to everyone’s times here so OBVIOUSLY we had to go hard and cram in as many nights outs before people start leaving. It would be rude not to experience liver damage as a cohesive, no?

We haven’t been complete animals though, since people are leaving we have had a nice list of things people wanted to tick off before they go, so we have had some really lovely city trips recently. I think we almost got a bit carried with visiting other places that we hadn’t fully explored the city on our doorstep, this is one thing I am grateful about with arriving early and having those first couple weeks to really immerse myself and enjoy the city. Its safe to say we have completed every gallery and night club we possibly could.

Talking about people leaving, today we said goodbye to Keegan and Becky is leaving this weekend, I think we are all a bit shocked as to how quickly the end has snuck up on us, I could not tell you where the last month has gone. I am not ready to leave, I’m not ready for other people to leave,I don’t think I ever could be – and I have another couple weeks left! I cannot being to imagine what it is like to go so soon. Its starting to bring to reality how insanely close I have become with the incredible people I have met here and how bizarre it is going to be to suddenly have then live on the other side of the world to me when they have been across the road this whole time. At least it will give me a good excuse to do more travelling right?

So yeah, sorry this post is a bit dry but we have just been living ‘normal’ student lives recently and honestly its been nice (my bank account agrees), discovering cafes that have been under our noses the whole time – Sophie and I found this gorgeous french cafe where we had the most delicious little cakes and discussed all our future plans and how we are going to live in Paris together etc etc (its going to happen, mark my words) and just trying to spend as much time with eachother. But yes, very low key, and almost bitter sweet couple of weeks.

For me, my ‘before I leave bucket list’ includes; one final trip booked to Adelaide, Goodbye meals with work, properly exploring Mornington since I was severely hungover last time I went down and I guess just maximising every day I have left in this beautiful country with the beautiful people that are left.

Wine and Dine

This week has been full of last-minute fun (along with a hefty amount of shifts) from nights out, concerts and wine tasting, I wonder when my body is going to start crashing from lack of sleep? It has also been a week where I have felt some real personal growth. I am so appreciative of the opportunity I have to be out here and I continue to be amazed at all the once-in-a-life-time things I get to do out here (mainly due to my extreme excitement for our trip up to the Great Barrier Reef next week!)

Is there anything better than coming home from a long shift at work and your friend messaging you for a last-minute night out? I think not, pass me the bottle! We went to a low key dance bar in Hawthorn, which was a nice change from all the massive sweaty clubs here! We only just about caught the last tram home (after frantically running after it), on which our Aussie friend Katie found a poor randomer to spill her life story to all the way home, RIP.

On Wednesday a group of us bought last minute tickets for the John Mayer concert (since Sophie wouldn’t stop banging on about him;)) and off we went that evening into the city and even though I don’t know that much of his music and our seats were off to the side of the stage, the vibe was so good and we all had a good boogie and a really great night! – Just as a side note, John Mayer’s guitar solos are insaneeee, check out his live albums.

So Thursday was meant to be a pretty chill night, I was just going over to Sophie’s to drink and catch up on Made in Chelsea, but the temptation of everyone else heading out was too much, so surprise, surprise we went out again! To be honest it ended up being a well needed girls night to let loose and have a lot of fun, just what the doctor ordered.

The final event of this week was wine tasting in the Yarra Valley Wineries. We got a pretty sweet deal too, we went to 4 wineries with at least 8 tasters at each place, along with a yummy cheese and pizza lunch and a final stop at a chocolatier! Our tour guides were pretty awesome too – Aussie Escapades, highly recommend. The weather kind of sucked and it rained most of the day which was a shame because it would have been so lush to be able sit outside and enjoy our drinks, but all the same it worked for good picture lighting haha and didn’t dampen our mood.

And then I spent Sunday stuck in the library because I have so many assessments due for when I’m away on trips coming up, wish me luck!

Road Trippin’

This week has without doubt been the highlight of my visit so far, me and four friends booked a hire car and set off on a long weekend along the Great Ocean Road, and my god it was incredible. I’m not sure if I am going to be able to do the trip any justice by putting it into words as even the pictures don’t capture half the beauty but I will give it a go.

We met the Great Ocean Road at Torquay, where Becky had her first swim at Bell’s Beach (if there’s water, she’s in it), we are planning on going back there for the surfing competition later in the year. Next stop was the lighthouse at Aireys Inlet lighthouse where we saw our first Penguin down on the beach! The Animal theme carried onto Kennett River for the Koala’s but it turns out that once you’ve seen one Koala, you’ve seen them all, all they do is sleep. A sighting that was less planned however, was a family of Kangaroos along the side of the road, which was when Keegan thought it would be a brilliant idea to open the car door and try and get out before we had stopped, this was a habit we had to try stop throughout the whole trip. Friday night we stopped over in a brilliant hostel in Apollo Bay called Surfside Backpackers (Highly recommend and only $30 each) but I think it was the Saturday that was the highlight of everyone’s trip.

The biggest tip we learnt on this trip was that you should stop off at every ‘scenic view point’ because these are the secluded places not bursting with thousands tourists and actually are more beautiful than the main tourist spots along the GOR. One of our favourite stops was Castle Cove where we found a little trail down onto the beach, and I thought I had seen beautiful beaches but this was next level breath-taking! (It took some persuading but we managed to stop Becky trying to swim in the 6ft waves with insane currents.) The only other stop that compared to that was the final detour on Saturday night that Gus insisted on going to see and thank God he did! It was a thin section of cliff jutting out into the ocean with the most incredible view, without sounding mega cringe, we all said that being on that cliff edge was the freest we had ever felt.

At this point we were going to head towards our accommodation for the night but on the way back we bumped into a group of travelling New Zealanders who we had met at an earlier detour, they were setting up camp and invited us to join them in watching the sun set. Of course we were never going to decline such a brilliant offer so we went, bought beers, snacks and had the most surreal sunset experience of our lives.

Yes we visited the 12 Apostles, Loch ard Gorge and all the other ‘must sees’ but as much as they were gorgeous, being surrounded by groups of tourists diminished their impact somewhat. The appreciation you gain for the quiet, ‘unpopular’ places is unparalleled.

Our final day consisted of the Otway national park where we went on small hikes to stunning waterfalls which is not what you would expect from Australia in drought! The rain-forests were so lush but again we were lucky with our timing because for the most of it we had the waterfalls to ourselves and as we were leaving so many people were arriving. I think its safe to say we had a really special and lucky trip (apart from almost hitting a Kangaroo whilst driving in the dark, which actually made us stop so Sophie could cool off but we got to see the stars, so silver lining!).

I am truly grateful for this road-trip and the people I was with, it was an experience none of us wanted to end and its going to take a tough time beating it. The Great Ocean Road is different for every person who takes it but the only advise I would give is to not just go on a tour bus because you miss out on the true beauty of the coast.

Party, Party, Party

This was our last week before classes start and I can safely say we used that excuse to its full.

We went on a Study Abroad ‘scavenger hunt’ around the city (purely on the basis of a promised bar crawl at the end), so obviously once we realised our group wasn’t going to be the winners of the hunt, and everyone had had enough of walking around the city, we packed that in and headed to a bar called Asian Beer Cafe. We quickly decided we had made the right choice with happy ‘hour’ being from 4-8pm and pitchers of beer -what more could you want? This night quickly turned into a much bigger one than we expected… We went to the next bar, at which I was taught a rather questionable Irish jig from someone I am pretty sure was definitely not Irish. A few of us then headed up to an apartment party on South bank with the most incredible views of the whole city! We danced and drank and were all having hella fun and wanted to carry on partying so headed to my old flat mate’s housewarming party – unfortunately by the time we got there they were shutting down but there were enough of us that we started it up again – night only slightly dampened by Becky deciding to forget her phone, passport and purse back at the apartment party…

This week was Orientation Week on campus so they were advertising their sports clubs etc but more importantly giving out free food, so that is where we got our lunch from all week. On one of the days they also had a ‘petting zoo’ which is not where you got cuddle puppies as I thought, but instead handlers just coming up to you and placing snakes around your neck – weirdest sensation ever!

We visited the Chadstone Shopping Centre and I don’t think I was quite prepared for how big it is, me and Becky got lost on several occasions but that did result in a spontaneous nose piercing trip (for Becky, don’t worry mum) and me getting a $30 top for $15 because someone in front of me paying gave me the rest of their gift card – what did I say about everyone being so nice here?!

We have also had more people move into the house and i’m starting to question how many this place actually holds because there seems to be a new person moving in every time we speak to our landlord?? We also have a tiny pest problem and I can’t figure out if it is our fault because we hosted pre-drinks and the patio door was opened a lot, but we seem to have acquired a whole bunch of little flies in our house…not quite the critters they warn you about when coming to Australia but just as annoying I promise.

And then for the rest of the week all we have done is party every night and beach every day, resulting in classic Leonie losing her voice on the fist night (netball tour all over again) and a rather nasty bruise down the back of my leg from falling off a dance podium in a club. I must also point out that the 35 degree heat, although beautiful when you’re on the beach, is not as fun in a club with everyone dripping with sweat. Now it is just time to give our bodies a bit of resting time before classes start – even though I hardly remember what one is now I’ve been off study for so long.

Settling in

When organising to come out to Australia to study, I gave myself 2 weeks before university orientation in order to allow myself time to settle and get to grips with where i am living. I was coming quite literally from the other side of the world after all, and it has been the best decision. It has allowed me time to explore the area, sus out the groceries situation and head into the city a couple of times without having anything else to worry about.

I have been living in my shared house in a suburb just out of the city for a little over a week now and i can say whole-heartedly it has been one the easiest places to settle into. Luckily i moved in with people who have been here for a trimester already so they have taking me under their wing a little bit, from taking me food shopping on my first day to festivals and nights out in the city, and with the added bonus of their amazing Indian cooking.

One of the events they took me to was the St Kilda festival where we met up with more people went for a drink, enjoyed a variety of the local artists preforming – check out The Preatures – got overexcited at beach Zumba and proceeded to relax in a park before heading to a nearby club. The whole evening had a brilliantly chilled, sunset vibe about it, even though the beer was expensive (a common inconvenience around here it seems). Honestly the mere facts of not having to take a coat out with me and the sun not setting until 9pm every night is bring so much joy to my life right now.

I have surprisingly found myself enjoying my own company as my housemates have had exams so i have taken myself off the explore the city solo. There is a certain liberation to being comfortable by yourself, it is the freedom of not having to ‘plan’ anything, if i want to walk the length of the city (RIP my feet) and just roam about and take everything in i can without feeling like i am boring anyone else, and quite frankly the streets are so beautiful there is no need to do anything else. This is also aided by how safe and beautiful the city centre is or at least felt. I was thoroughly surprised how open-aired everything was and i don’t know whether the clear blue sky had any impact on it but i have never been in a UK city that felt so spacious and light.

One thing about this city is that you are guaranteed to never go hungry, especially if you like Asian cuisine! I don’t think if i lived in the city for my entire life i would be able to complete all the eateries packed in and i can vouch for its reputation of serving brilliant coffee -Max Brenner’s New Yorker is some next level iced coffee FYI. I can also vouch for the friendliness, even if rather forwardness, of the Australians (well that of who i have met), as seeing a girl seemingly travelling by herself seems to draw a bit of attention and curiosity wherever you go.

One of the crucial parts of my settling is the joining of a gym. Although it may not seem like it would be near the top of the list of things to do, the gym brings a certain structure to my life (along with the fear of loosing strength if i leave it too long) which i needed. And i can tell you, i have hit the jackpot with this gym, Training Day has some of the best facilities i have seen with separate rooms for every style of training you could think of. Between that and reading my book in the morning sun with my coffee, i have managed to get into a bit of a routine every morning, something that without i would feel very restless.

So yes, i can say i am well and truly settled, i can see why people come out here and never leave, the next couple of weeks have surfing camp, orientation week and new housemates in store so its all rather exciting right now. The Facetime calls off my family and friends (shoutout to mumma bear and Duresha) most mornings and nights have really bought comfort and helped with me feeling like i haven’t completely left my whole life behind and that i always have support, which i couldn’t be more thankful for.

So that’s me done for this week, thanks for reading xx