Day 9 in Sydney (Back dating this post so it appears before my "Hey, I arrived home!" post)
As soon as I left the internet cafe (at the end of my post on Day 8), I had about 5 minutes of clear skies til it started to rain -- of course! First I headed back to the "nice" souvenir shop, but I quickly realized that they truly had all the same things every other place had, for more money. With the rain, I decided to make only a couple of additional stops -- Coles for water and Tim Tams to bring home and some place for a salad O:-). You don't get a roll with your salad unless you buy a combo meal, but my first time at "you-know-where" a guy was working and offered me one. Every other trip after that (in Sydney or Brissie), a woman was working and I was never offered one. Today, my last day, a guy is working, and kindly asks if I'd like a roll with my salad. Once again, actions confirm what I learned the summer before senior year of high school -- guys serve better portions or better products to girls and vice versa :-)
As I walked around the city for the last time, I soaked in everything as I passed by, drinking in every detail and attempting to commit it to memory.
When I returned to the hostel Andrew was there, and we chatted while I ate my salad. He happily shared about an interview he had coming up, and a couple of hours later when he returned, he said it went PERFECTLY -- hoorah! While he went back into town, I started packing my bags for the next morning, finished reading Daniel Isn't Talking, and met Dane, the roomie who I heard was rarely around. Eventually I watched a bit of TV with Adrian before figuring out what to wear to the Opera House. I knew it would be black on black, but I had 2 pair of black pants (trousers ;-)) and a black skirt. Since it was freezing, I *finally* opted for the warmest pair of pants with the blue and white scarf I got for $6 during my first trip to Sydney -- I tried on all of the possible bottoms with 2 different scarves tied in every conceivable way :-)
When I came downstairs, I saw it was pouring -- naturally on my last night, as my travel friends agreed that I certainly do bring the rain with me wherever I go. Adrian came down and asked if I wouldn't mind going back up to the room for 10 minutes so the rain would stop and he could go out :-). Daren arrived a few minutes later in his car and drove us close to the Opera House so we could grab some dinner -- one of my few real meals out the whole 3 weeks I was there! We dashed to the Opera House with moments to spare, and we tried a glass of Australian Sparkling wine -- it was great!
As we took our seats, the whole 3-week experience started to flood my heart and mind again. There's not a bad seat in the entire place, and even though it was the mid-range price ticket, it was *perfect*. We sat there quietly listening to the symphony warm up and get in tune, and I thought about how blessed I am. How fortunate I was to be sitting in that place, how perfect it was to spend my last night in Sydney in the Opera House, how I'd met the most wonderful people during my trip and I'd miss them more than actually being overseas, and, how I wasn't ready to leave. I was slightly jealous that my friends would continue their adventures in OZ and in that moment I realized how much I'd grown personally in those 3 weeks -- how I wanted to keep experiencing and learning from this other culture and place I'd grown to love.
As the film started and the symphony played the opening score, I relaxed and let myself take everything in. Derek, I thought about you and how more than anyone I know, you would have loved being there that night. And when Judy Garland first appeared on screen, I thought of those famous words, "There's no place like home." I smiled, thinking about my return trip the next day...that I missed my family and friends, was looking forward to working with in my new position and with my colleagues, and how OZ was going to have a huge place in my heart and be another "home" for me. I had become quite comfortable in Australia, and being in Sydney felt natural.
After the show, Daren and I walked to The Rocks, where I attempted to take some photos of the Opera House at night. My EZShare doesn't like me -- I need to reread the manual O:-). I just can't take a decent photo at night, despite Rachel's helpful hints. Then we went into town for a bit and talked for an hour or so before turning to the hostel. Daren, you're my favorite Kiwi ;-).
Adrian was just about asleep when I returned, and Andrew was watching the World Cup. I sadly climbed into bed and thought about how I would be getting up in 6 hours to throw a few last minute things into a bag before catching my 7am shuttle. And I started to cry -- different tears than I'd ever experienced. I hadn't yet processed everything I'd seen and learned -- I'd truly learned to take each day as it came. And the inspiration, gratefulness, appreciation, joy, sadness, everything I'd experienced during the trip hit me at once. I know I'm talking a lot about my emotions here, but I tend to wear my heart on my sleeve, and I can't describe how I was truly feeling those last few hours.
After 4am I hardly slept. A few minutes before 6, I started to take the sheets off of my bed, hoping I wasn't waking Adrian below. His MOBILE alarm went off a few minutes later for me though, and I got up, took my bag of clothes to the bathroom to get ready quickly, and came back and stuffed those last minute things into my bag in the dark room. I was afraid I had woken everyone up, because they were all moving about in their beds, but later I learned I had been "too quiet" O:-)
I ate a few bites of food, put the rest in the communal food box or into Andrew's bag, and got into the shuttle when it arrived at 7am. I was sad I hadn't had the chance to say goodbye to Adrian or Andrew. While I sat on the shuttle, waiting for the last passenger and driver to get in (I was sandwiched in the middle), Adrian stepped out of the hostel door and looked around. I waved from the front seat and he saw me. We waved and smiled, and the shuttle took off. I thought I wouldn't get to see either of them that morning, so just being able to wave a goodbye to Adrian made me smile on the way to the airport -- which helped me to avoid the tears.
Airport adventures will come in my next post...
Cheers!
As soon as I left the internet cafe (at the end of my post on Day 8), I had about 5 minutes of clear skies til it started to rain -- of course! First I headed back to the "nice" souvenir shop, but I quickly realized that they truly had all the same things every other place had, for more money. With the rain, I decided to make only a couple of additional stops -- Coles for water and Tim Tams to bring home and some place for a salad O:-). You don't get a roll with your salad unless you buy a combo meal, but my first time at "you-know-where" a guy was working and offered me one. Every other trip after that (in Sydney or Brissie), a woman was working and I was never offered one. Today, my last day, a guy is working, and kindly asks if I'd like a roll with my salad. Once again, actions confirm what I learned the summer before senior year of high school -- guys serve better portions or better products to girls and vice versa :-)
As I walked around the city for the last time, I soaked in everything as I passed by, drinking in every detail and attempting to commit it to memory.
When I returned to the hostel Andrew was there, and we chatted while I ate my salad. He happily shared about an interview he had coming up, and a couple of hours later when he returned, he said it went PERFECTLY -- hoorah! While he went back into town, I started packing my bags for the next morning, finished reading Daniel Isn't Talking, and met Dane, the roomie who I heard was rarely around. Eventually I watched a bit of TV with Adrian before figuring out what to wear to the Opera House. I knew it would be black on black, but I had 2 pair of black pants (trousers ;-)) and a black skirt. Since it was freezing, I *finally* opted for the warmest pair of pants with the blue and white scarf I got for $6 during my first trip to Sydney -- I tried on all of the possible bottoms with 2 different scarves tied in every conceivable way :-)
When I came downstairs, I saw it was pouring -- naturally on my last night, as my travel friends agreed that I certainly do bring the rain with me wherever I go. Adrian came down and asked if I wouldn't mind going back up to the room for 10 minutes so the rain would stop and he could go out :-). Daren arrived a few minutes later in his car and drove us close to the Opera House so we could grab some dinner -- one of my few real meals out the whole 3 weeks I was there! We dashed to the Opera House with moments to spare, and we tried a glass of Australian Sparkling wine -- it was great!
As we took our seats, the whole 3-week experience started to flood my heart and mind again. There's not a bad seat in the entire place, and even though it was the mid-range price ticket, it was *perfect*. We sat there quietly listening to the symphony warm up and get in tune, and I thought about how blessed I am. How fortunate I was to be sitting in that place, how perfect it was to spend my last night in Sydney in the Opera House, how I'd met the most wonderful people during my trip and I'd miss them more than actually being overseas, and, how I wasn't ready to leave. I was slightly jealous that my friends would continue their adventures in OZ and in that moment I realized how much I'd grown personally in those 3 weeks -- how I wanted to keep experiencing and learning from this other culture and place I'd grown to love.
As the film started and the symphony played the opening score, I relaxed and let myself take everything in. Derek, I thought about you and how more than anyone I know, you would have loved being there that night. And when Judy Garland first appeared on screen, I thought of those famous words, "There's no place like home." I smiled, thinking about my return trip the next day...that I missed my family and friends, was looking forward to working with in my new position and with my colleagues, and how OZ was going to have a huge place in my heart and be another "home" for me. I had become quite comfortable in Australia, and being in Sydney felt natural.
After the show, Daren and I walked to The Rocks, where I attempted to take some photos of the Opera House at night. My EZShare doesn't like me -- I need to reread the manual O:-). I just can't take a decent photo at night, despite Rachel's helpful hints. Then we went into town for a bit and talked for an hour or so before turning to the hostel. Daren, you're my favorite Kiwi ;-).
Adrian was just about asleep when I returned, and Andrew was watching the World Cup. I sadly climbed into bed and thought about how I would be getting up in 6 hours to throw a few last minute things into a bag before catching my 7am shuttle. And I started to cry -- different tears than I'd ever experienced. I hadn't yet processed everything I'd seen and learned -- I'd truly learned to take each day as it came. And the inspiration, gratefulness, appreciation, joy, sadness, everything I'd experienced during the trip hit me at once. I know I'm talking a lot about my emotions here, but I tend to wear my heart on my sleeve, and I can't describe how I was truly feeling those last few hours.
After 4am I hardly slept. A few minutes before 6, I started to take the sheets off of my bed, hoping I wasn't waking Adrian below. His MOBILE alarm went off a few minutes later for me though, and I got up, took my bag of clothes to the bathroom to get ready quickly, and came back and stuffed those last minute things into my bag in the dark room. I was afraid I had woken everyone up, because they were all moving about in their beds, but later I learned I had been "too quiet" O:-)
I ate a few bites of food, put the rest in the communal food box or into Andrew's bag, and got into the shuttle when it arrived at 7am. I was sad I hadn't had the chance to say goodbye to Adrian or Andrew. While I sat on the shuttle, waiting for the last passenger and driver to get in (I was sandwiched in the middle), Adrian stepped out of the hostel door and looked around. I waved from the front seat and he saw me. We waved and smiled, and the shuttle took off. I thought I wouldn't get to see either of them that morning, so just being able to wave a goodbye to Adrian made me smile on the way to the airport -- which helped me to avoid the tears.
Airport adventures will come in my next post...
Cheers!
1 Comments:
Heather,
I am so proud of you and of course jealous. Jealous because I want to go so badly. Proud because I doubt I would have had such an amazingly rich experience had I gone and not you. I enjoyed reading your posts. Hopefully one day you can show me around Australia.
Derek
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Anonymous, at 9:25 PM
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