Rebecca in Australia
For the past while I’ve found myself living in paradise in none other than the land Down Under. While Australia has many different climates and landscapes, I have been lucky enough to live and work in the famous Whitsunday Islands – where cockatoos visit bright and early each morning, kangaroos and wallabies are as common as cats and dogs, and you sweat within minutes of leaving your apartment. Seriously.
During my stay thus far, I’ve met tons of incredible people from all over the world – Dutch (!), Philippine, German, various Americans, Scottish and Irish (those accents though…), French, etcetera. Most of the employees on the island are also people around my age who are here to fundraise their various travel ambitions. In all honesty, I believe they were my ultimate inspiration to take the leap and stay for the full year my Visa permitted.
While I still have plenty of time and far more to see, I’ve already had some incredible experiences. For example, my first ever scuba dive was at none other than the Great Barrier Reef! SO COOL! Everyone MUST try this at one point in his or her life! Put it on your bucket list, right now. Think Ripley’s Aquarium up close and personal. I’ve also fed cockatoos and kangaroos from my back porch, and just recently visited South Australia solely to take advantage of their fantastic wine regions. The tours started at 9:00am, but hey, its 5:00 somewhere, right?!
I’ve learned: photos can only capture so much, and even at that, most often don’t do the subject justice. Take a second to step back and make a mental note of the feelings you’re experiencing in that moment, the sounds and smells, too.
I’ve missed: Dry skin. And my cat.
What’s up next? Sydney Harbor Bridge climb!
“Twenty years from now you will be more disappointed by the things that you didn’t do than by the ones you did do. So throw off the bowlines. Sail away from safe harbor. Catch the trade winds in your sails. Explore. Dream. Discover.”
Mark Twain
Phi love,
Bec Kloosterman (Eta Class)
