Last Post in Australia

Hello Everyone!
Tomorrow (Tuesday the 7th) I am heading home to the states! I will be back in good ol' Minnesota on the 7th at 8pm or so. (Gotta love gaining a day going back home! lol). I had the most amazing time traveling the last 2 weeks. Being able to experience soo many things and be in a variety of places around Australia... i have been so lucky to be able to have this opportunity. I was in Brisbane for a few days and stayed with a family friend. I really enjoyed being in the city and Simon took great care of me, making sure that I made the most out of my trip with tours and explaining about the city and surrouding areas. Not to mention that I was able to go to a pub to watch the State of Origin games and witnessed Queensland beating New South Wales!! :) They have won twice and has made it a win for the state of origins cause there is only one game left. I bought a Queensland state of origins beanie and wore it around Sydney today --- which is pretty gutsy given the area that i was in but i wore it with pride. :) I went to the Sunshine and Gold Coast while I was in Brisbane and got to see the Australian Zoo, famous for Steve Irwin. It was all pretty amazing. Took a bus to Byron Bay, the most eastern point of Australia and is known for surfing. There I went skydiving.... totally amazing by the way!!!, tried out surfing (got owned by a few waves!), and climbed to mount warning to watch the sunrise (the first part of australia that the sun shines on). Then it was on to Sydney. I was able to see the Opera house and Harbour Bridge, go to the Taronga Zoo, visit the Botanical Gardens, walk across the harbour bridge (on the bottom), went to manly beach and just toured all over the city! Throughout the last week of my travels I was with my friend Annie from back at home and her brother. It was a lot of fun hanging out with them --- many memories. :)
It has been so amazing here. All of the things that I have learned and experienced. It is amazing to be able to live in a different place for a while and be able to compare it to life back at home. Things seem different and you get used to life in your new country -- make things back at home almost seem foreign. Stuff like driving on the left side of the road or the tone the phone makes when you call someone becomes something that you get used to. I remember when one of the rangers was taking me home from Billabong Sanctuary and had an automatic and it actually bothered me that it wasnt a manual and the car wasnt shifting. Its amazing that the things you get used to after 21 years and after spending 5 months in another country can totally change the way you view life and every day things.
I hope that you guys had a great fourth of july!! Take much care and talk to you soon!!