This past weekend was really great. 42 of the International students had a trip to Kangaroo Island planned for the weekend and it ended up being a wonderful trip!
It was with a tour group, so it was all-inclusive and we had to amazing tour guides, Tony and Bob. We woke up early Friday and drove about an hour or 2 then took a ferry over to the island.
We spent Friday through Sunday there... stayed in a really nice hostel on the island and had a great time hiking, swimming, sand-boarding, exploring a cave, and seeing wild kangaroos, koalas, seals, etc.
Once again, my favorite part wasn't just the amazing views and wildlife, but also the companionship that comes along with a trip like this. It was the friendliest, most fun group of people I could ask for and we fully enjoyed each other's company and the experiences together.
We returned to reality late Sunday.. a newly close group of friends.. and with only one month left together.
Now I'm here, in my last week of classes and with an intense list of presentations, papers, and exams. On the one hand, its the time in the semester when our hardest, most important assignments are do... but on the other, it is my last month in Australia... my last month in this incredible, thrilling, beautiful, diverse, mysterious country... my last month with some of the most amazing people I've ever met... my last month before returning to Indiana... home. Where things are all the same, familiar, unchanging. When will I ever get the chance to be here again? When will I even have the chance to really travel again?? The time I've spent here has been one of the most enlightening, exciting, fun learning experiences of my life... and I am not ready for it to end. My time here is growing short, and I want to make the most of it.
Basically, my motivation is suffering, and with it, my sense of guilt is growing. Guilt because I simply cannot turn my focus to school and studying and assignments. Guilt because I only want to enjoy my last few weeks here. I suppose, as always, the completely unbalanced girl must find a balance.
I've spent the majority of this week working on a presentation I must do Thursday in my Passions course over the novel 'Sorry' by Gail Jones. Once that is done Thursday, I have to tackle a couple 3000-word papers, then prepare for my exam in my lit course. It will not be fun.
Otherwise, I'll be enjoying the warm weather and the last few weeks with my dear friends. Temperatures are in the 20's this week (70's) and will be only getting warmer, with summer beginning next month. Its strange to be wearing shorts and tank-tops in October! Halloween is this weekend and there are a couple Halloween parties we will go to dressed up in our costumes. Will be fun celebrating such a holiday here in Australia! After this weekend I have 3 full weeks left here. Though we don't have classes, we still have papers to do and exams in those weeks. But I will do my best to manage my time and spend as much of it as I can with my friends enjoying this city that has come to feel like home.
November 20th I will take my flight back to the US of A... back to Indy. Back to my family and friends and my Stubby. Back to Starbucks and driving and watching movies. Back home.
I have many mixed emotions right now.
No comments:
Post a Comment