American Went Aussie

It took 18 hours, 3 airports, 2 airplanes, 6 movies, 4 hours of sleep, and thousands of miles to get me back to Minneapolis. One week ago today, I returned from the 3 greatest months I have ever had, and it has been a week of adjustments.


Changes of note include:

• The biggest thing was readjusting to Minnesota time, which took about 5 days. Being awake until 5 a.m. is never a great time, but it was reassuring to see all my Australia friends logged on to their Facebooks in the middle of the night too. 
• Driving on the right side of the road - I worried about this for nothing, piece of cake!
• Walking on the other side of the sidewalk. Still haven't quite gotten that out of my system - I am constantly that annoying person coming at you when you're walking who can't figure out why you're giving me a dirty look.
• The confusion when I say "Melbourne" or "Brisbane" [this one doesn't make sense unless you've actually heard me say it, but I will hopefully never say it the American way again]
• Adapting to the fact that there was a blizzard the day after I came home - thanks for the welcome, Minnesota!

And those are just a few things - I'm sure I could name many more. There are also plenty of moments where I long for Australia. I want to see the view from the Harbour Bridge, take the train, walk down the street to get gelato, or go exploring with all my friends. These moments are constantly hitting me - when I look at all the Australia gear scattered around my room, when I hear an Aussie accent on TV, when I look at my laptop background to see all of us in front of the Opera House, or when I read an article about Hell's Kitchen in Minneapolis serving kangaroo meat. As bittersweet at these moments are, I try and take them in stride. Having all these things to look back on just means I had the time of my life, and will never forget it.

On the flip side, there are so many things to love about being back home. Going to play tennis, eating Taco Bell, seeing the Minneapolis skyline when I drive to work every morning, being on campus, having a car, going back to the Daily, being somewhat less broke, and of course, the incredible reunions I have had in the past week.

Which brings me to the thank yous. 

Thank you to everyone who read this blog, even one time, because you cared about what I was doing 10,000 miles away.

Thank you to those of you who emailed me, sent me a Facebook message, commented on my pictures, Skyped me, or sent me a letter - your encouragement and stories from home always made my day and reminded me that I wasn't forgotten.

Thank you to the incredible friends I made during my adventure, and especially to those of you who I really believe will be my friends for the rest of forever. It wasn't Sydney that made those 3 months so memorable, it was the people I shared it with, and I'm so grateful for all the stories, memories, and relationships I now have.

Thank you to the equally incredible friends I had waiting for me back home [especially the three of you lovelies who surprised me at my house - so much love for you]. You're all the reason I would ever want to leave Australia at all, and seeing you again has made this week so perfect. A thank you in advance for your patience as I tell you far more about Australia than you ever want to know, and an even bigger thank you to those of you that have been genuinely interested in my trip and asked me a million questions. So happy I had such wonderful friends to come home to.

And finally, last but certainly not least, a giant thank you to my family. For financially supporting me, for sending me more emails and letters than I could keep up with, for listening to me talk about Australia constantly, for coming to visit me, for offering me encouragement and praise and love, and for never telling me that I wouldn't be able to chase my dreams. I have more love for you than you could ever imagine, and am so grateful for all the opportunities you have allowed me to pursue. A special shout-out to my grandparents, who probably get all the credit for giving me the travel bug at a very young age - hopefully there are many more unforgettable adventures to come.

And with that, I think it's time to bring this blog to a close. I have had a great time sharing all my adventures, and I hope this is something I can look back at and enjoy many times over. For now, my journey is done - but I am absolutely looking forward to my next opportunity to go Aussie.

Until next time,

Bailey