2013: The Year That Changed Everything

When the clock strikes 12 tonight it will mark the end of arguably the most influential year of my life, so far. A year of laughing, traveling, learning, crying, and growing. A year of hello's, new friends, snapchat addictions, and heartbreaking goodbyes. 2013 meant time zone changes and daily gratitude towards both the internet and mother nature. And it meant nearly 100 hours in airplanes. 

A year ago I was exploring Singapore, riding elephants in Thailand, zip-lining through the jungle, and petting baby tigers. 

On my 21st birthday, instead of the traditional bar crawl, I traveled from wat (temple) to wat with my family, received a blessing from a buddhist monk, and payed homage to the buddha of my birth day of the week, Parng Rumpueng, so I might have a year of good fortune and blessings. 

In February when I left for Sydney, taking one last look at my farewell flowers before I headed out the door, I had no idea that my life had just truly begun. In Cairns, I danced. I cried holding a Koala, I laughed feeding kangaroos, and I marveled at the vast and incredible ocean while snorkeling, but mostly, I danced. I broke free of the sadness I had not known was engulfing me. I shed the insecurities that had been closing in on me. I found a joy to overpower every fear that plagued me. I was free of all that could restrict me. I was free.

In 2013 I left a large chunk of my heart in Sydney. It's right there next to the sail boats and luna park, around the corner from Darling Harbour, somewhere between the Sydney Harbour Bridge and the Opera House.

 I came to know three incredible roommates, found a few amazing travel buddies, and laughed until I cried a the lighthouse theatre. 

I learned to surf, learned to truly travel, and I saw beauty I could not have even imagined. 

This was the year that I realized that I really and truly was a city girl. That I want to travel on my own. That I can. 

I jumped out of a plane. Jumped OUT of a PLANE. 

Everything changed. 

I threw the plan out the window. I considered going to Europe and working just enough to travel to every country I could. I found Social Work and became interested in the Peace Corps. I knew I had to do what I loved, but travel doing it. I felt a freedom in these imaginings that I never thought possible. I found bliss in this freedom that I never knew could exist without the white picket fence "American Dream." MY dream came charging into view, and it was the world.

I strutted my stuff on stage in my new Queendom, I climbed the Harbour bridge with my parents, and I watched the sunrise over the harbour with Dad. 

I pulled an all nighter in Sydney and walked out of the terminal in Cleveland to a bouquet of flowers from my parents that still brings tears to my eyes. I was home, but it would take weeks for the smile in my eyes to catch up with me. 

I watched my beautiful sister get married to the best brother in law I could ask for and watched them start their new lives together. 

I fully immersed myself back into life as a buckeye and started another unique and fulfilling year in Columbus, with an amazing roommate to look out for me.

 I took some of the best classes of my life, worked two jobs, had two officer positions, two volunteer positions, mentored, interned, and hardly slept. 

As I held my 2 week old nephew in November I realized that I had burned myself out and told myself to slow down. Not that I'd ever listen. 

I couch crashed a lot this year. Feeling the strong urge to be with the people I love as much as possible. Knowing that with graduation comes uncertainty, and thus cherishing every moment. 

And in December, as I finished final papers, earned a 4.0, and was accepted to the University of Michigan's School of Social Work, I realized that I've learned more in the past year then I could cram into 17 years of standardized education. Some of it did come from classrooms. Classrooms of professors who cared and wanted nothing more than for us to see this world in a different light. But so much came from the people who surround me, the places I've been, and the adventures I've pushed myself to take. 

I was reminded time and time again of the incredible people who surround my life with laughter and love, and for them I am so grateful. 

The most important lesson I've learned? Every day can be an adventure, all you have to do is open your eyes.
Here's to 2014
Happy New Year

 Time and Change Will Surely Show How Firm They Friendship OHIO

Coming Home

Whitsunday Islands

It has been 81 days, 17 hours, and 19 minutes since I last was on Australian soil.

I have lived as an American again for nearly three months. I spent three weeks adjusting to the jet lag (and general aggression about my experience being over). I spent several weeks traveling, a month at home reconnecting with my best friends, and hours helping my mom craft for my sisters wedding. I went to a concert at my favorite venue with my favorite people, I had three separate July 4th celebrations on three separate days, I returned to Columbus to move in to my new apartment before starting work and then school, and I watched my sister walk down the aisle in the most beautiful and picturesque wedding I could imagine. I am four weeks into classes, clubs, meetings, and strict schedules. I am doing as much as I possibly can this semester, and I love every single event on my google calendar and impromptu excursion with friends. I am a senior at the best damn university in the land and I have pride to be a buckeye oozing out my ears.

But there are things missing.

Circular Quay

I don't hear the symphony of obnoxious birds when I wake up every morning, or walk to class terrified of the ibis' and searching for the kookaburras. I don't spend my Saturday mornings strolling around the Harbour with my friends or my week nights comparing Australian and American chocolates at rehearsal. I don't spend all of my free time booking flights and planning weekends to different beaches and cities. I can't take the train over the bridge and see the Opera House, the ultimate highlight of every trip into downtown.

I am no longer in the "study abroad bubble," and the adjustment home, the "reverse culture shock," if you will, is now getting close to as long as my abroad experience itself. My mind often drifts to my time in Oz, and I get an eerie feeling that I imagined it all. I pick up my phone to snapchat my castmates for a familiar face, and Courtney and I have exchanged more than one Friday night reminiscing phone call right before going out. I am home, and often very happy, but it's different. I am different.

Study abroad was the best and most enriching experience I have had to date. There is no way to concisely answer the question "how was it?" except for the adjectives I've begun to rattle off whenever I know the real, full length answer is not wanted: amazing, incredible, life changing, fantastic, wonderful. How do I tell friends, classmates, and acquaintances the impact it had on me in a five minute conversation? I don't. The fact of the matter is most people simply want to hear "amazing." And then continue on with a topic that applies to the here and now. I am grateful for the few who have genuinely tried to understand how it impacted my life, and even more grateful for the friends I have all over the country who do understand, because they were there too. And now, if you're interested, I'm going to try to help you understand as well.

So, what did I learn?

• Adaptation and accommodation. There was never a day that went exactly as planned, so I was always having to smile and make the best of the cancelled flight, the missed train, or the faulty directions.

Sleeping in Sydney Airport during a 12 Hour Delay

• To check my negative emotions and thoughts at the door. Study abroad wasn't always sunshine and roses, but despite the countless tears, the multiple break downs, and the emotional sledgehammer that came down in the middle of it all, I was able to take a deep breath and go on with each day with a smile. I knew that my time was limited (you're welcome, Alice cast), and I kept telling myself that I had not worked hard my whole life for heartbreak to ruin my dream. 

• Be Prepared! But not too much. Absolutely anything could happen wherever I went and I always tried to have the tools necessary to get through the blip in my plans, but I also never wanted to overpack. It was interesting finding the balance between needs and wants when I had strict carry on limits.

• Doing things for myself. I had never been in a situation where I woke up every morning asking myself what I want to do that day, without regard for anyone else's plans. I learned to love doing what I wanted and not caring whether anyone else wanted to come or needing to fit around other peoples schedules.

  

  Alone on my way up a mountain, at my own pace.

• Independence isn't just something to achieve, but something to cherish. I never thought I would be so satisfied by my ability to navigate customs on my own, or the common sense my parents have ingrained in me while exploring a new city. I quickly understood that I had been blessed by an upbringing and personality that made it easy for me to get by on my own, and that many had not. I quickly stopped taking my tendency to be independent for granted and raved to my parents for hours about how glad I was that they had taught me all they had.

• Theater people are the same fantastic, weird, ridiculous, and loving group, no matter the nationality. Enough said.
  

  

• Going for what you want means opening yourself up to every possibility. This is probably the most important lesson I learned while abroad. Although it sounds like a great idea, to be open to every possibility, I quickly found out that it meant being open to the negative outcomes as well. Studying abroad, being in Sydney, trying new things, skydiving, traveling...they were all that I wanted. But being abroad meant missing out on the things and people I loved back home. Even traveling meant that I could have a cancelled flight or a horrible hostel. There were risks associated with every dream I followed, risks that I had to accept before I could truly pursue my dreams, and some consequences that I'm still battling with today. But with that, I also changed my life for the better in ways I could never imagine. By following my dream of skydiving I opened my eyes to an entire career path that I never before considered. I changed my outlook on life and many of my short term and long term goals. I was infused with the adrenaline of that jump and I'm propelling my future in incredible ways because of it. 

Study abroad was the best experience of my life to date. I highly recommend it to every college student (in fact, I'm an alumni ambassador for GlobaLinks this year if you want more information). But what most people don't tell you is that there are highs higher and lows lower than you've ever experienced. You will come back and have to carve a new place for yourself in a world that is not the same as when you left it, but the people expect you to fit the same mold. You will be better for it all, but it's up to you to acknowledge and honor the person you've become.

My final view of Sydney

And you will spend time every day, sometimes every hour, thinking about when you can go back, and where your next great adventure will take you. 

Cheers,

Bethany

Saying Goodbye: A Story of Denial

I returned from Melbourne ready to make the most of my last week in Australia. Monday was Alex's birthday, so the roommates had one last roommie dinner together and I made mexican eggs! Everyone had exams they were still studying for, so it was an early night, but it was still great to just sit in the village and hang out. For the first time in weeks I could catch my breath!

Tuesday was all about the logistics of leaving. I packed almost my entire room, closed my bank account, and started to really organize. I spent a lovely evening out with friends and had yet another round of goodbyes.

On Wednesday, Wayne, Courtney, and I went into the city. We started out at Patty's Market for souvenirs and shopping, and then made our way over the Darling Harbour where we went to the Wildlife Park. The Wildlife Park is like a small zoo in the middle of the city, filled with animals found in Australia. They have koalas, kangaroos, snakes, tasmanian devils, and massive bugs, to name a few. The koalas were actually awake and eating when we were there! Such great timing!

So CUTE

 There was hardly anyone else in the park and we had a great time seeing all the animals. One of the coolest was a massive crocodile which you could see through glass into the tank. It was certainly terrifying! Before I came my mom's one warning was that Australia wouldn't stop be from killing myself jumping out of plans are being eaten by crocs. I believed why when I saw this guy!

Afterwards I had a couple hours to kill before I met a group of ALICE friends at Pancakes (where else?). I decided to walk down to Circular Quay and sit in the starbucks there. Luckily, I'd brought my journal with me so I had a nice chunk of time to write.

As I was writing I realized how much of a city girl I've become since living here. I never in a million years wanted to live in a major city for an extended period of time, but now that I've been here I could see myself spending my whole life in a city. Who knows what will happen, but I'm glad I've opened myself up to so many more options.

Pancakes!

Pancakes was wonderful, as always. There were 12 or so of us and we sat there for hours catching up since the show and laughing over memories. I stuffed myself, as always, and soaked in the time before the goodbyes started again.

Even though there were so many people there who I've come to really adore, the goodbyes followed so closely behind all of the laughter that they didn't feel too sad, but celebratory of all the great moments we've had. And that's how the rest of my goodbyes continued for the rest of the week.

On Thursday the packing continued, as well as the first major catch up on blogs (4 this week!). I grabbed lunch on campus with the lovely Steph and Stevie and then Stevie and I ran to the mac center for some errands and a marvelous Max Brenner Chocolate Bar date!

Me and Stevie :)

Stevie has been one of my closest Australian friends. She's always quick to remind me that going home doesn't mean goodbye, and that I need to keep looking forward for the next great adventure. Her wonderful wisdom and the new hug mug I have from her will definitely help me get through my first few weeks back in Ohio. I'm so lucky to have met such a witty and fabulous friend. Hopefully her and Joshy will get Alice to Broadway in time for me to debut Queen of Hearts ;)

Well played, Macquarie.

That night Courtney and I hung out for ages, reminiscing about our semester together and reflecting on how far we've come. It was a sad night as I finished packing my bags. Even though we'll see each other so soon, it didn't feel right to be leaving without her, especially since she's been with me since the very first flight over. All great things come to an end, but thank goodness our friendship will continue.

Friday was quite the extensive day! Alex, Ella, Courtney and I went to the Pylon lookout on the Harbour Bridge for one last great view of the harbour.

Ella, Me and Alex 

I will never have enough pictures of this beauty

Courtney and I then took an epic run (okay, insanly fast power walk) across the city to grab Thai food (it is really unbelievable in Sydney) before running back to Town Hall for the 3 hour walking tour of Sydney. A few other villagers met us on the tour which was very interesting and gave a lot of the history. Connor, Courtney and I then went to the Sky Tower for a nighttime view and a 4-D video experience of Sydney. It was quite the tourist day, and the perfect last day in the city I fell so in love with.

I napped a bit on the train ride home, and again when I was back in the village, and then began the all nighter. Friends from the village stopped in every so often to say goodbye, while Wayne, Alex, Ella, Tina, Courtney, Caitlin and I all did our best to stay up until I left for the airport the next morning. We played "nouns" (a game sort of like charades) and water pong, went on an ice cream run, and talked for hours as I came in and out, slowly cleaning my room and organizing my things. Wayne Caitlin and I were the only three left and we watched HSM as the sky started to lighten. Everyone was back in the morning, however, for my last big round of goodbyes. It was hard leaving my roommates knowing I wouldn't be back on Monday like I normally am. I lucked out with my roommates and made amazing friendships with them. Hopefully it wasn't really a goodbye, and only a see you later.

Roomies <3

The brave 6am souls

Logan was kind enough to drive me to the airport so I wouldn't have to haul my luggage (my very heavy luggage) through the train station. My last car ride through the city was pleasant, and I was cheery as I walked into the airport. I got through to my gate without any issues, and I slept the first 10 hours of my flight (besides waking up for food). I got to LA, through customs, and to my gate with plenty of time to spare, and made it all the way home without a hitch. The thing about saying goodbye, is that it doesn't seem to register as it's happening. I wasn't upset about saying goodbye to Stevie until hours later, I wasn't upset about Alice ending until the next day. Who knows when it will really hit me that I've left the most incredible experience of my life so far.

A dreary Sydney, saying goodbye.

Until then, I've got a suitcase full of tim tams, and quite a few adventures awaiting me this summer.

All My Love,

Bethany

Playing Tourist

I was lucky enough to spend the next few nights in the city with my parents. Waking up in Circular Quay with the Opera House just outside your window is quite the experience. Tuesday was a spectacular day and we decided to do the bridge climb! The Sydney Harbour Bridge Climb takes you all the way to the top of the bridge on a three hour tour where you learn about the bridge itself as well as the city below. I've wanted to do the climb for ages, and it was a perfect activity to share with my parents. We had perfect weather and I learned so much!

Super Attractive Jump Suits!

After a bit of a rest and lunch in Circular Quay we walked through China Town, through the Chinese Friendship Gardens, and up to Surry Hills for dinner.

Chinese Friendship Gardens

With my parents I was half tourist, half local as I know the city well, but not entirely,  and I could explain a lot about culture and life in Oz, but still left many of their questions unanswered. It was fun to play tourist and explore a new side of Sydney, with nice restaurants included! We had amazing chinese food in Surry Hills--one of the best meals I'd had in Australia, and we were lucky enough to have Mary and Courtney join us! It was also my first american goodbye! Mary was leaving the next morning and I wouldn't be able to see her off. I can't wait to come visit her in Seattle!

Final Goodbyes!

Wednesday morning my dad and I woke up exceptionally early and found our way up to the harbour bridge to watch the sunrise. Although it started out a little cloudy, it was beautiful to see the light touch the Opera House for the first time as Sydneysiders walk, drove, and biked across the bridge for work.

After awhile we came back down and picked up mom on the way to Pancakes before heading to the Zoo! The Taronga Zoo is a short ferry ride through the harbour. Half the zoo is fairly normal, and the other half is Australian animals. We planned poorly and ended up being rained on almost the entire time we were there, but it was still cool to see all the Australian animals!

As the weather cleared we made our way back across the harbour to the Opera House for the hourly tour. I loved hearing the story behind the Opera House, and we even got a taste of a performance as the Sydney Orchestra was rehearsing when we walked through. We stopped at the Opera Bar after for wine and cheese, and I think my dad has finally converted me to loving red wine. For dinner we got amazing sea food at Fish at the Rocks. It was so wonderful spending so much time with my parents and really appreciating all Sydney has to offer from the moment I woke up every day.

On Thursday my parents flew back to the states as Courtney and I flew down to Melbourne for one last weekend of traveling together in Oz. Armed with a LONG list of what proved to be excellent recommendations from friends, I was thrilled for a fun weekend.

Waiting in another airport!

 When we got off the airport shuttle in the center of the city we realised we had absolutely no idea where we were going. We had a tiny map, and the name of our hostel, but not much else. Courtney and I are both fairly responsible, but between the semester ending, Alice, me being with my parents, and everything else going on, neither of us had gotten our itinerary nor looked anything up.

Lost Before We Began!

Luckily, we're used to flying by the seat of our pants and making things work, so after making a few calls and walking through the city in the rain, we finally found our hostel. My days are never boring when Court is there! We then walked around the city some more after dropping out stuff off before heading to bed.

The next day we woke up nice and early for the Great Ocean Road tour. We were picked up in a tiny bus for an all day trip on the coast of Victoria. We stopped several times, and on one of our stops we saw Koalas in the wild! Another bucket list item checked off :) We also went to the Twelve Apostles and several other gorgeous places along the ocean (hence, great ocean road). When we got back we went to China Town for dumplings and explored more of the city!

Great Ocean Road!

The Twelve Apostles

What a cutie!

Saturday morning we went over to the Queen Victoria Markets which happened to be right behind our hostel! We shopped around a bit for souvenirs and then bought some fruit (see mom! I didn't just live on peanut butter!). We then walked to Federation Square and went to the Hollywood Costumes exhibit at the Australian Center for the Moving Image. It was a fantastic exhibit with costumes ranging from Titanic to the most recent Batman as well as interviews with costume designers and directors, and explanations of famous costume pieces from designers and actors. ACMI is a wonderful place to visit in Melbourne and is surrounded by numerous art galleries, museums, and shops. After we walked over to the water and ate lunch on a bench, and had a nice black swan try to join in!

No food for you!

Train Station <3

In the afternoon we took a 3 hour walking tour of the city. Our guide was a bubbly University of Melbourne student and we learned so much about the fascinating city. We also found out they offer the tours in Sydney, so I think we might do one during my last week!

Street Art in Melbourne

Our tour guide even directed us to a shopping area so we could go boot shopping! I'd spent the previous couple of days wearing my Toms, which had lost all traction, were ripping considerably, and soaked through at the sight of water. It was time for a new pair of shoes. Luckily, I found a great pair of boots!

 Happy with my purchase we made our way to Lygon St for Italian. We split a pasta and pizza dish, which was a big deal because Courtney hates sharing food, and then we had a Nutella Pizza. Crust, Nutella, Strawberries, and ice cream. Amazing. We walked to Brunswick St after dinner and found a brewery which happened to have a 7 piece band playing so we sipped on ciders and enjoyed the rest of our evening.

Sunday we headed to St. Kilda's for a relaxed day by the beach. We happened upon a wonderful market when we first arrived and had a splendid time looking through all the new goodies! Now that we've seen enough markets in Sydney things start to repeat there, but this was a new city with new surprises at the markets. Even though it was a bit rainy (welcome to Melbourne!) we made the best of it and walked out along the pier to stop for some hot chocolate at the end.

We then went on a mission to find Acland St for the famous cake shops! However, we didn't quite know where we were going, so we walked in the wrong direction on Acland street for ...oh... 45 minutes before we realised we had a phone with internet access and could look up the address for one of the cake shops! 

Once we finally found the right part of Acland street we walked up and down it for hours, buying desserts, stopping for food, window shopping, and having a fantastic time.

Exhausted  we started back to the city and decided to go to one of the malls. The mall happened to have a movie theater and we gave in to our semester long protest against $20 movie tickets and saw The Great Gatsby. It was pretty good, but the strangest part was sitting in a theatre and having a moment where I genuinely thought I was back in the states at the theater near my house. It all seemed too American to be in another country. I think that was when I started to really think about coming home.

Struggling in the Rain

Melbourne was another incredible weekend well spent traveling. I am so lucky to have found my perfect travel buddy, and even luckier that when I go home, Courtney will only be a 20 minute drive down the road. She has been my best friend in this country, and I can't wait to see what adventures we get into when we're back in the states. There's just something about that Northeast Ohio blood...

One week left!
Bethany

Time and Change Will Surely Show How Firm Thy Friendship OHIO