Homeward Bound

Saturday November 8^th, 2014

The day I lived twice… I was up at 4:30 am getting ready to go. I was not feeling well at all. I was anxious and sad about leaving. Josh noticed and asked if I was alright when I said I wasn’t he very happily asked if I wasn’t going to be able to fly home. That made me laugh. I have never heard anyone so happy to hear I was feeling sick. I started to feel better after getting the last few things together. Josh woke Beck up just as Ben and Bettina came to pick me up. We loaded my things in the car and then I said goodbye to Beck and Josh. We went to go pick up Alex at his house and then we were off to Melbourne. It was pretty quiet for the first half of the car ride and then we put on some music. We were in Bettina’s car so we made Ben suffer through Taylor Swift music. It was super funny! I was so happy to be laughing before leaving. 

We made great time getting to the airport. I wasn’t able to check in immediately so Ben, Bettina, and Alex waited with me until I could. So after more tearful goodbyes, I was checked in and going through security and customs. I found Hannah in customs and talked to her for a bit before we went our separate ways. I also found one of the other American’s parents.

After security, I was on the hunt to find my mama an Australian jumper. I found one then I eventually broke down and facetimed her on my computer. I looked pretty ridiculous walking around with my computer in one of the shops. It was very effective though! After all that was sorted, I talked to Eric before boarding the plane. There was a short delay but we were finally off at 12:15. I was seated next to a honeymoon couple. The husband was from Warrnambool. They were super nice. 

Last look at Melbourne

Going to miss the beauty of this country!

Last look at Sydney and Australia

I was so exhausted when I got on the plane I couldn’t keep my eyes open. I was in and out of sleep over a couple hours. It was a very smooth flight, just very long. 14 straight hours of flying is deceivingly exhausting. At the end of the flight I talked to the couple some more about their honeymoon plans in LA. They gave me Australian lollies to share with my family. I can’t get over how kind people are! Once I got through customs and security I called my family. I also changed and cleaned up a bit. I had 50 minutes before I boarded the plane for my next flight. I just relaxed on the floor near my gate. There was a cute little boy that would walk over to me and just smile. He also liked looking at my teddies that were on my bag. I talked to Tim’s parents a little bit before we boarded the plane. On the flight to Chicago, I sat next to a very nice woman from Mexico. I shared some of my stories and photos from Australia with her. Jet lag was hitting me hard. I just kept getting cups of tea to help me be functional.

When I landed in Chicago, I was excited because I only had one more hour of travel. Then I called my Dad. He informed me that my last plane was delayed by an hour. I walked to my gate and sat down. I talked to Eric briefly then I was bored. I started texting everyone in Australia to see if anyone was awake yet. Beck and Josh were just finishing brekkie so they rushed home so we could skype!

It filled the time and it made me feel so much better! When I finally got on my plane we were only in the air for 10 mins. My family and Eric were waiting for me beyond security. It was great to see them.  I was so tired though I didn't cry. Our first stop was Kopp's to get an America cheese burger and Wisconsin Frozen Custard! It was delicious!!

 "Hello from Wisconsin"

They rest of the evening I just rested. I was finally able to fall asleep around midnight. It was hard to believe I was back home. I really didn't want to leave Australia, but I know someday I will be back. Now begins a new chapter but a part of me will always call Australia home!! 

Last Days in Australia

Wednesday November 5^th, 2014

I slept in!!! It was great. I hadn’t slept that long for weeks. When I did get up I cleaned up the house for Beck. We were having a game night later in the evening.  By the time I had cleaned everything up and had eaten. I had to head into town to get ice cream with Annabel and Robyn. It was great to catch up with them but it was hard to say goodbye. 

Josh and I dropped some coffee off at Beck’s before going grocery shopping for the stuff I needed to make enchiladas. The funny part about the grocery trip was I was able to use all my change to pay for 80% of the bill. That is a lot of change. I went to uni and started to cook. Anthony and Jackie said they were already missing me. Josh cut up all the veggies before I kicked him out of the kitchen. I loved cooking with Anthony and Jackie for the last time. We do way more laughing than cooking every time. Beck and Minion arrived just in time  for the enchiladas. Everyone seemed to enjoy them. We had to wait for Josh to eat before we headed back to Beck’s for a Catch Phrase game night. We did guys vs girls. They won but I think we had more fun. We were all exhausted by the end and headed to bed.

Thursday November 6^th, 2014

I didn’t sleep in for as long because I went and played with Sonia's band. It was great to play with the high school band. I was very impressed with them.

I let Louie in to play while I was packing. He started getting worried as I was packing. He would play with his bottle, then run over to where I was and watch, come up and lick me, then stare some more before he started playing again. I finally finished around lunch time. It was finally really warm outside, so as soon as I finished lunch I was outside sun baking. Louie loved it minus the sun part. He stayed in a shady, dirt patch in the garden. I napped a little bit and talked to some people from home. When Josh got home from work and the gym he offered to take me on a motor bike ride to see Warrnambool for one of the last times. It was a really beautiful day. We rode around Lake Pertobe, the Breakwater and then we stopped at Logan’s Beach. We just watched the ocean for awhile. I started crying. I really couldn’t believe how beautiful of a place I had been living in for the past nine months. I am really going to miss Australia. We took an easy way back to Beck’s so I would have enough time to get ready for dinner at the Crofts.

Ben asked me what I would like for my last meal with his family. I chose to have carbonara. And there was wine and toblerone cheesecake too. I was so full I thought they were going to have to roll me home. It was a great meal and we shared a lot of laughs. It was very emotional saying goodbye to Ben’s parents.

By the time I got back to Beck’s I was emotionally and physically exhausted. I planted myself on the couch and we all watched tattoo shows. I was the first to head to bed.

Friday November 7^th, 2014

My very last day in Australia. Beck took the day off of work to spend time with me. I woke up in the morning when she was having her coffee. I couldn’t help but cry. She just hugged me and said I would be back. She had to run into work before we could do anything so that gave me enough time to talk to Eric and get ready for the beach later.  Beck and I ran some errands in town. It was great to just have some time together, just the two of us. My going away present/ bribe was a beach tent. Beck doesn’t like the sun or beach during the day. It was a 33 degree day and no one was going to stop me from going to the beach. I actually convinced her! We spent the afternoon at the beach. It was so hot, I actually had to keep getting in the water to cool off. The water was beautiful and crystal clear. We played with the dogs, American Football, and the Aussie footy. It was simply perfect! Especially with Beck being there!

Eventually we had to go because Anthony had to feed the fish and I had to get ready for dinner. I had dinner at the Ker’s. Pastor is known for his pizza. It was fantastic and we all had fun getting to know one another more. After dinner was my very last going away get together. Everyone met at uni to relax and talk. I also had everyone sign a flag. It was very tough to say good bye to everyone. It was pretty late by the time I got back to Beck’s and I just finished packing and went to bed.

Melbourne Cup

Tuesday November 4, 2014

I saw Beck and Josh before they headed to work in the morning. Andrew got up awhile later and took me out to uni. I was meeting with my lecturer to give him a Whitewater t-shirt. We had a good talk about the uni exchange program and graduate school. After my meeting, I helped Jackie move the final things over to the new house. Anthony, Jackie, and I were happy to sit and watch American football for a couple of hours. We had some lunch then Jackie and I headed over to NRAS for the Melbourne Cup. We put 2 dollars in to get a horse. We got number 14 The Ambivalent. During the presentation of the horses we got concerned when we didn’t see our horse, but it was already on the track. When the race began everyone was cheering and excited. Our horse was in the lead for 2:15 of the race, then it fell to the back. It was still fun. I hung around a bit longer to say more goodbyes. Then Jackie and I walked around campus to take a couple more photos before I left.

 For dinner, I was invited to Sonia’s family’s farm. It was a fantastic evening. I got to see all the animals for the last time and had great conversations with her family. It was very hard to say goodbye. I didn’t cry until I got in the car and at Beck’s. She had had a rough day too so we both just sat together and cried a bit before watching the Nightmare Before Christmas and going to bed.

Brekkie and Cliffs

Monday November 3, 2014

It was Azra’s last morning in Warrnambool before she was moving to Melbourne for the summer. The small group all met up for breakfast to see her off. She and I were up early, both of us stressed out but glad to be around good company. Brekkie was good and I even got to head to the Christmas store before I had to head back to uni to pack.

It was a scramble to pack. I didn’t have enough time to organise things so they just got put into bags. I cleaned out my room just in time for the cleaners to come around and turn the room over. Lianna and I turned our keys in together. Neither of us could believe how fast the time had passed. It felt like we had just arrived a couple days before. Beck picked me up and I “moved in.” I didn’t bother unpacking anything. I made lunch for Beck, her brother Andrew, and me. Then Beck and I just sat around and chatted.

When Josh got home from work he had the American crew along. We were going to go cliff diving in Peterborough. The catch was Anthony was driving his car, which is a manual. Josh rode his motor bike. I think we were all a little nervous but Anthony got the hang of it and we made it safely there. It was a great time! The temperature outside was chilly but with a wet suit on the water felt great!

We eventually had to make it back so I could make dinner with the small group. Not everyone was able to make it but we still had a good time. I got my last taste of Frostbite too. When I got back to Beck’s I gave Louie a bath so he could come inside. I also tried to get him to sleep with me but he just wanted to sleep with mum.