Catching some sun at Bondi beach after a day of classes.
I’ll tell you the truth; the time transition from Orlando to Sydney was far less painful than my transition back to Eastern Standard time. When I arrived in Sydney I felt like I was fairly well-adjusted within days and now being back in Orlando, the jet lag is overwhelming. I’m sleeping odd hours during the day and waking up in the middle of the night. Nonetheless, the more time that passes the more adjusted I become.
I’ve been home for about a week now and I’ve saved my final article to write about my transition home – the things I missed about home and the things I will never forget about my Sydney experience. I’ve narrowed it down to about five things I’ll miss and five things I’m glad to have back in my daily routine.
First, I’ll miss the overall care-free, happy-go-lucky attitude I found within each individual I met in Sydney. The notion of carpe diem is now fully engrained in my mind. Of course, business is business and I’m sure Australians don’t shirk their responsibilities, but they sure know how to “play.”
Second, I’m going to miss that two-block walk to Bondi beach; the never-ending sunshine and the breath-taking bikinis. Third, I’m going to miss having my laundry done by Rachel, my house mum. If I could pick out one thing I hate about college, it’s doing laundry, and boy did Rachel know how to fold’em. Fourth, I’ll miss my daily, arduous routine (sarcasm). I had more free-time in Sydney than I have ever had in Orlando and with my college career slowly, but surely, coming to an end, I have to cherish the time when I can do absolutely nothing. And in Sydney, this free-time was spent roaming the city and experiencing the culture. Finally, I’ll miss the friendships that I formed in Australia. The characters were unique and unforgettable. I only hope that I can stay in touch with certain individuals and one day repay the favor; that is, showing them the best possible time in the U S of A.
I attempted the Tom Cruise look from "Risky Business" (I don't know where the tie came from) and my friend Erin was actually ME for halloween. Apparently I wear bright, exuberant colors and love the 90's (very true).
Although I will miss Australia and all that came with it, I can say that I’m happy to be home. There are a few components of the American lifestyle that I missed dearly. We are considerably, CONSIDERABLY, superior technologically. The Internet in Australia is painfully slow and overwhelmingly expensive, and the funny thing is Australians really think they’re keeping pace with the rest of the world. Second, I am more than excited to have my mode of transportation – my own car – back. I didn’t mind the public transportation system in Australia for the first couple of months, but near the end, I grew annoyed with commuting via bus or train everywhere. Minutes turned to hours fairly quickly waiting in the subway. Third, I missed our holidays and how enthusiastic America is as a whole about them. Halloween in Australia was fun, but nothing compared to what I have seen in recent years here in Orlando. I’m also glad to have balance back in my life. Watching my bank account grow smaller and smaller was not the easiest thing for a kid who has had a job since he was 15. I’m happy to have my job back at Colorado Fondue Company and be on an organized time schedule. I loved the vacation, but, surprisingly, I missed being busy. Finally, I missed my friends and family here in Orlando and at Rollins. This first week helped me realize that I have a lot of good friends here; a lot of good friends I don’t want to leave. For this, and other reasons, I don’t think I would ever move abroad permanently, but I definitely want to keep traveling.
This is a picture taken in the middle of the Asian Food Festival; one of the last nights in Sydney.
So… as you can see I’m happy to be home (for the moment, I’ll probably get tired of these people and want to leave again – Ha!). I hope to share and spread the warmth that I experienced with others. I encourage Rollins students to apply to this program because it was, literally, the best time of my life. More importantly, I want to “sell” the experience. The plan to study abroad should have a place on the “to-do” list of every student. Having been born and raised in Orlando, I now realize that sometimes you have to go beyond your own backyard to appreciate all that you have. I will never forget the people I met and the remarkable experiences in Bondi Beach, Sydney, the Outback and New Zealand. The only problem is…I want to go again.
Here I'm grilling out with Rosemary, the Australian history teacher, at the end of the term barbecue. This was our final gathering as a group before returning home.
This photo is from the New Zealand trip. I'm overlooking the Bay of Islands with a new friend visiting from England.
