the end

Well, well, well. A lot has happened in the last few weeks, including a trip to Sydney and another trip to Noosa. Highlights of Sydney: the aquarium (dugongs are perhaps the cutest animals in the world); Opera House; shopping; home-cooked meals courtesy of our lovely host; quality time with J-Rod. Highlights of Noosa: beach; home-cooked meals courtesy of the more domestic of my friends; making new friends; watching the meteor shower on the beach; sleeping on the beach. Although of them were a lot of fun & I could say a lot more about them, I really am consumed with the next trip looming in my future: the trip home.

As I write this, I have less than 8 hours until I go to the airport, where a series of 4 flights will take me back to Kansas over a span of about 24 hours. Not only will it be stressful, boring, and exhausting, but I will be incredibly sad for the duration of the trip. Of course, I am SO excited to see my family, drive my car, watch New Moon with my friends, hang out with Eric, go to Sonic, etc. Thanksgiving is my favorite holiday and I would be devastated if I missed it. But at the same time, I have never felt so bummed about something ending.

The friends I've made here are seriously some of the most hilarious, loving, carefree people I've ever met. I could go on and on about why I love the team, but suffice it to say they are the sole reason I have been crying on and off for the past 24 hours. Don't get me wrong: I love the beach and the sun and the fact that I have been mainly directionless for the last 5 months. I will miss having the opportunity to go snorkeling and skydiving. But in the end, what really breaks my heart is saying goodbye to these people. The saddest part is that, with the exception of Treibs and Biagio, the friends I've made here go to WashU (if only we could convince them to transfer). I really shouldn't be complaining. I am so so thankful that I will have them around next semester. It's just that things will be different. We won't eat every meal together. We won't hang out every single night. It won't just be the 7 of us wandering around in Australia. We are all going back to our normal lives. This is really the end.

Ultimately I am happy that I am so sad. It means this experience has been meaningful. I've had so much fun, done so many cool things, and I like to think I've grown up a little bit. I am so much more carefree and spontaneous than I was before. Although I wouldn't go as far as saying I can take care of myself (let's be real, they cooked me every meal, took out my trash, and even did my laundry), I am definitely more independent.

I am so incredibly grateful to my family for not only allowing me to go halfway across the world, but for encouraging me to make the most of my time here. I have appreciated every card, every care package, every skype chat, and every email. It's so good to know that even though I am leaving people I love, I am coming home to people I love even more.

I'm a pathetic mess right now. I think I'm one of maybe two or three people left in my college, so it's eerily quiet. I have had to say too many emotional goodbyes. Those of you who know me well know that I DO NOT cry, so the fact that I have broken down at least 7 times since last night may come as quite a shock. But this has been the best semester of my life and it's just really, really, really hard to say goodbye to my friends, my lifestyle, my home for the past 5 months. Australia is so amazingly awesome and I cannot wait for our reunion here in 2011 (it's happening).