The circumstances surrounding my decision to go to Australia are less than pleasant (y'all know it, don't think I need to re-hash that!)....in some odd way, I have to thank my ex-husband for leaving me, because without that, who knows if/when I would've ever gone to my dream destination? And I know I wouldn't have had the same experiences I had, so for that, I'm happy!
Now, what to say about the actual year? BEST YEAR EVER. That is it. Nothing more needs to be said, because it truly was the best year ever. But, y'all know me, so I definitely have more to say! :P
I left Halifax with the intent to spend 7 months in Australia, which was so not enough time! I think I realized this about 2 months into my trip - that I needed to change my flight home (thank goodness I did!) My only major regret is that I didn't get my 2nd year visa, because I would've done it to allow me another year in Australia!!! (for those that don't know, anyone on the working holiday visa can apply for a 2nd year visa provided they do 3 months of regional work - outside of the city areas - however, you still have to apply for this prior to turning 31. I found out about it a month before my 31st - thus meaning I couldn't get it. Had I known, I would've gone and done my 3 months as soon as I arrived in Oz, thus allowing me to have 2 years instead of one...)
I arrived in Australia broken, hurt, and pissed off. And I left Australia happy, glowing....and, most importantly, fixed. I feel like the "old me" is back (something my girls back home have been missing for years, so they tell me!) but it's a newer version -kinda like Vera 2.0. I'm the upgraded version of me! ;)
So, what to say about this year? I met so many new friends this year, people I hope to have in my life for many years to come. Some of you were only in my life for a few days, some for most of my trip - but each and every one of you helped to make my adventure exactly what I needed - best.year.ever! And I can NEVER forget my family back home and my friends (home and away) who stood by me from the time I made the decision to go to Australia, through all the phone calls (some at weird hours - damn massive time difference!!!), and to the welcome home! I am truly blessed to have so many amazing people in my "corner", friends for life!
And now on to the actual point of this blog post: the highlights!
Laura and Charlie - I can't start this without thanking the both of you. I spent an amazing 5 days with y'all in Cali, got to celebrate the 4th, see the Michael Jackson death drama unfold live in LA, and just get to know some of the most amazing friends I will EVER have! Thank you for inviting me into your house, for showing me a great time, and for being there always! Love you both! xx
Nic and Damien - what can I say? Thank you a million times over for taking me in for my first month in Oz! Y'all are both amazing friends and I love the time we got to spend together (even if I did help y'all move in the DAY I landed in Australia - till I almost fell asleep!! lol) A person couldn't ask for better friends - so I consider myself so lucky to have you both as friends. Thank you for everything - especially getting me hooked on the NRL and Parramatta!!! Go Eels - and no I can't ever say "go the Eels". It just feels wrong! :P
Ben - probably one of the first people I met outside of my comfy zone in Parramatta. I'm sure your question to my friend Laurie and I in the lobby bar at the Marriott was a "line" to get you in to chat with us - and clearly it worked, cause we're still chatting and it's been a year now! Miss you terribly - and once again, you're in the Parra circle - go Parra!!!
Sean - what do I say? Can't even begin to comment on our 7 month journey in Australia - was a roller-coaster ride for sure! You were the first person to chat with me on my very first night at Base. I'm not sure if many people knew this, but I was terrified to move into a hostel. Loads of people, horror stories of crap housing, blah blah blah. And yet, I went to the bar for dinner that night and you came over and chatted with me - and then we sang karaoke. Haha! I'm still amazed I sang karaoke - I hadn't done it prior to my trip - and somehow ended up singing a LOT while in Australia! Anyway, off topic - thank you for befrending me on my first night and for still being a friend today! I met so many people through you (your cousins and Seana, the Scruffy's gang...) and all of them have been such an important piece of my trip, you included! I'm not sure what else to say other than - thank you - and I will never forget you! I hope we get to see each other again in the future! :)
My CSA gang - y'all know who you are. Y'all made me feel more than welcome on my very first day there and you still make me feel welcome - even though I left that job in Feb (damn immigration regulations!!) I will never forget our time together - bitching about s120's, liquid lunches at Tailors (that turned into a quickie $2 bubbly or two on breaks - on occasion!), all the email chains, and the "delectable pop" hahahaha! It's amazing how close we all became and I am thankful every day that I got a placement there - without that I would've never known the awesomeness of Tailors, got to see an amazing wedding of two friends of mine (cheers again Jordan and Reena!), and made so many close friends in such a quick time! xx
My mates at the College of Law - my second job in Australia and it was such a blast! Bitching about all the uppity law students, constant completion runs (haha!), and those amazing Thursday morning teas! I will never forget the drama that unfolded whenever someone forgot to have sausage rolls at Thursday morning tea! LOL!
Johnny/Bangers - darlin, what can I say to you? True friend from the day I met you till now! The first of my "Scruffy's boys" - I'm so blessed to have met you! Scruffy's, all the boxes of goon with the boys in the common room at the Porterhouse, till the last night before you left (when NO one believed you were actually leaving - myself included!) when we partied late in the night at Scruffy's (I paid for that one the next day!) I truly think we'll be friends for a long time and I hope you'll be buying me a drink when I come to Ireland!
The Scary Canary crew - my first "local" in Sydney - and it became a local quickly! So many memories from there - I met some of my closest "aussie besties" there, had many a drink (haha!), partied it up, and just got to love the place! Thank you to everyone I met while I was staying at Base - and we all know, staying at Base = drinking at Scary Canary! So beyond upset/embarrassed that it ended as it did...but I still love my time there!
The Scruffy's gang - all the regulars, the bar staff, everyone. I can't count the number of nights I spent there, but it was truly my home away from home. I knew at any time of the day I could go there and know at least one person there! I can't believe I've missed the renovations, but will see them there when I return to Sydney in the future! So many good times had and great friends I met because of the pub that I will never, ever forget! I'm desperately missing the Sunday Sessions with Peter Byrne on stage, a nice cold Bulmers in hand, and everyone partying around me!
And now it comes time to recognize some of the BEST friends and people I met on my adventure:
My "girls" - Claire, Seana, Aylen, Liza, Adrienne, Alethea, Sarah, Mesa, Jess - you girls were my saviours in Oz! Whether you know it or not, each of you changed my life and I know that I will see each of you again! Whether it started at the Scary Canary, Scruffy's, or the CSA - y'all will forever be in my mind and my heart! I am truly blessed to have met each of you and I *know* we'll be partying together in the future!
My "boys" - Jason, Eamon, Chris, Stephen, Peter - my boys! What do I say about them? Quite possibly the nastiest, bitchiest, most evil people I know.....and yet, once you're friends with them, they're the sweetest, most generous, some of the most loyal people I have ever met. I know for a fact that if it wasn't for each of you, my Oz trip would've been so much different - and probably not nearly as fun! Too much crap went down between all of us and I have to say I really miss being around you guys on a regular basis!!!
It has been so very hard to articulate my feelings on my trip - I feel like this blog post hasn't done the past year justice at all! The friends I made and the memories I have will be with me always! Leaving Sydney was one of the hardest things I had to do - because I truly didn't want to leave. I want to make Australia my new home and I intend on doing that in the near future! Plans are now underway to finish my Commerce degree, then find a way to get sponsorship and come back to Sydney, to my new home! My heart will always be in Australia, in Sydney - most likely sitting at the corner of the bar at Scruffy's! :P
To finish, I thought I'd list the things I've been missing the most since leaving Australia:
* Tim Tams - damn you are delicious! Mad love for the original, caramel and mint crush varieties!
* Red Rock Deli chips - specifically the honey soy chicken flavour! Love, love, love it and wish we had something similar here!
* seeing the Opera House on a daily basis - such an iconic view of Australia that gave me goosebumps from the first time I saw it till the last!
* liquid lunches/breaks/after-work drinks at Tailor's with my CSA gang - countless times of going to Tailor's and ordering two glasses of $2 bubbly at a time - cause what's the point of getting just one?! I still need to school Alethea on the art of carrying 4 glasses of bubbly at one time withOUT a tray! ;)
* Sunday sessions at Scruffy's - mentioned this earlier, but I really miss the party that would always happen on Sundays. Whether it was playing spin the bottle, a jam session on the patio, or just chilling at the bar with a pint of cider, every Sunday spent there was amazing!!
* wandering around Sydney - I really do miss just wandering around, walking the city and going to all the festivals/celebrations around Sydney.
* cheap shopping - yep, love it and miss it! Rubi shoes, Cotton On, Paper Scissors, all the shopping at Darling Harbour - miss it all!
* trivia nights with Pommy Andy - some serious good times were had whether I was playing trivia or working it! I definitely miss my trivia nights!
* goon - okay, probably don't miss this as much as everything else, but the boxes of goon do have a special place in my heart! So many boxes gone - so many memories! Drinking goon in the room at Base before the party bus with Claire, all the boxes we put away in the common room at the Porterhouse, Christmas day in the rain at Claire and Lianne's (and then the attempt to sneak goon in water bottles into Randwick for the races on Boxing day!), and ending with goon in the Whitsundays with Drin and the staff of the resort!
* the random days at Scruffy's shooting the shit with the boys - I told y'all this I think, on my last week there, that I would just miss the random nights when we just sat around and chatted about whatever. Pub was empty and we'd all be there, at the corner of the bar, stools surrounding it, just chillin. I miss that so much - wish I had something similar here, but nothing will compare to it, I'm sure!
* pints of Bulmers - OMG how I miss the cider!!!! Cheers to my girl Seana and to Sean for both introducing me to cider - how I miss it! I've scoured Halifax trying to find Bulmers or Magners with no luck - all I have now is Strongbow, which we all know doesn't even compare!
* cheap glasses of bubbly! I took full advantage of the ability to order bubbly by the glass - whether getting it for free, $2 or $5 - loved it all!
* and finally - ALL my friends!!!!! I miss each and every person that I met through the year and wish that we could all live closer so I could see y'all daily! I miss everyone so much, but know that I will see everyone again at some point in my life!
So that's it - a year in review. Pics are all on facebook (all the highlights of over 4000 photos through the year!) and I'm always contact-able! I will be back to Australia - hopefully before my 33rd. And I'm working on plans to go to England and Ireland....now looking at spring 2011!
Love, love, love everyone who was (directly or indirectly) involved in the last year of my life - I will only look back on it with the fondest of memories and can't wait
And with that, I think I'm done! Once again I will say - BEST.YEAR.EVER!!!! Thank you each and every one of you for being a part of it - and now on to the next adventure - finishing the degree so I can make my move back to Australia!!!! :)
