Return of the Blog

            It has now been over a year since my departure to the land down under. Through this blog I kept my friends and family updated on all the amazing things I experienced abroad. It has been on my mind recently and I realized that though I may not be thousands of miles away from my home or my school, I have adventures all the time. There have been so many amazing things I have been a part of since I’ve returned to New York an sharing them is the best way to reflect. Over the next few blog posts I will highlight just a few of the things I’ve done since the summer until I catch up to what is going on now. There is so much I will leave out because everyday is an adventure, at least in my mind, everyday is an opportunity to learn and push your personal boundaries.

My first story is being reunited with this little kitty. I missed him while being away and glad that he still likes to cuddle with me.

Until we meet again...

It is hard to believe after 5 months it it finally time to leave this country. I cannot begin to describe all of the experiences I have had here. It sounds like such a cliche but this has been a life changing experience. I have met students from around the world, seen things I never imagined and learned so much about myself, Australia and the world through all of these connections. 

These last couple of weeks have been filled with saying goodbye to heaps of amazing people. Last night was the hardest, saying goodbye to two of my favorite people, Yael and Emelie. We went out to a wonderful dinner with Yael's parents and got to spend a few hours snuggling, laughing and enjoying being together for the last time in Sydney. One upside of this was that it was unanimously agreed that this is a goodbye for now, we'll see each other again. 

Farewell for now to the city that has become by home and the friends who treat me like family.

Great Barrier Reef

So the main reason I went to Cairns was for a 5-day learn to dive course to get PADI open-water certified. I have been looking forward to this for as long as I can remember. I booked this trip in January and am so excited that it finally happened.

The course started with a day of classroom work and a day of pool work. The next three days were spent on the live-aboard boat! By the afternoon of the second day, our training dives were done and we became certified divers.

My class was a total of 9 people and by the end we had had so much fun together. We were people from all around the world, differing in age and position in life but somehow had so many things in common. They made everything extra fun.

The reef was unbelievable! First of all sitting on the sun deck watching sunset and sunrise made me never want to leave. The color of the water was so blue and clear that it was easy to see the top of the reef. 

The company had an on board photographer who took some wonderful pictures with his amazingly expensive camera.

I did get a little seasick being that I generally have motion sickness. The second night we drove all the way back into port so only had a few hours of smooth seas. I spent that night on the sun deck with the trashcan. The last day I was so tired from not sleeping, had some motion sickness medication and fell asleep at lunch. This is what happens when you leave your camera unattended.

This trip was worth it ten times over!