Early April Thoughts

Hi! I thought about apologizing for not writing sooner, but then I had a better thought - no news is good news!! And for me, this holds true. I'm soaking up every single second I have left in this place, and I barely have time to sit and collect my own thoughts. But, it's good for me and better for you if I keep up with my blog, so here's my early Spring (actually Fall here) thoughts:

First of all, Bali was INCREDIBLE!!! We stayed in two towns - Ubud and Uluwatu. Ubud is in the country, filled with rice terraces, rivers, and volcanoes. We stayed in a GORGEOUS villa nestled directly in the rice paddies. Like workers were outside our windows picking rice in the morning. Here, we got to see what Balinese life was like. We made connections with locals, and even got the chance to walk around our tour guide's family complex (in Bali families live in gated compounds with a house built for each sibling's family, one for the parents, and a courtyard in the middle). We also went white water rafting which was SO fun, and then woke up at 2:30 am to hike up an active volcano. It was crazy to wake up in the middle of the night, but so so worth it. We then went to our next beautiful villa in Uluwatu, which was much more relaxed and touristy. We went to some cool beach clubs, including Savaya, the number one club in Asia (a fact that not a single abroad kid will leave this country without knowing. Not sure if it's a really successful marketing gimmick or true, but either way we had a blast). Overall, Bali was really special. I got to spend time with my absolute oldest friends in the world, as well as my newest. I feel really lucky that I get to travel the world with people I hold so close to my heart. Also, I feel lucky that I get to travel the world in general.

Someone recently asked me which trip has been my favorite, and I don't think I can choose. I've grown in completely different ways from each trip, and I've gained something new each time I leave from the Sydney airport. Right now my last trip planned is New Zealand in a few weeks, but hopefully I'll squeeze one more in. I can't wait to see what my next trip brings. 

Since Bali, I've been enjoying my time in Sydney. It's becoming pretty clear with each passing day that our time here is rapidly running out. It feels like just yesterday I was sitting in my first apartment (cockroach city) writing about how uncomfortable I still was and that I know I'd adjust I just hadn't yet. Fast forward to this week. After being away from Bondi for 10 days, it felt so good to be HOME. I got right back into the swing of things, went to my classes, caught up with friends, went to the beach, and did everything in my routine. Everything just feels like it fits and like I really live here. There are really hard days and moments, of course. But never at any point has a hardship been because of this place or this life. It's just usual stuff like job search stress, schoolwork, and friend dilemmas. Meaning that I truly am living here, not just vacationing. Anyway, as I usually am in these posts, I'm very thankful for pretty much everything. 

More running around in Sydney to come. Updates soon!