Unemployment and my first 2 weeks back in Aussie Land

As of today I have been firmly footed on the Aussie soil for two incredible weeks. The time has flown by, yet I already feel like I’ve been here for years. My trip so far has included a mini-road trip up the East Coast as well as a lot of time settling myself in my home, the Byron Shire. Until Thursday I was unemployed, which allowed me to fully embrace my new town and all that it comes with. To jump right into describing Byron Bay would do my last 2 weeks injustice, for the first few days helped to set my new life in Australia to a perfect tune. So let’s start there….

My time in Sydney was cut a day short by my delay in Washington D.C. but I was still able to make the best of the 24 hours or so that I did still have. The plane arrived 40 minutes ahead of schedule, putting me into Sydney at 7:00am, roughly 45 hours after departing Greensboro. Customs was a breeze (the customs agent didn’t even say one word to me…) and before I knew it I was in Joel’s van driving through the familiar streets of Sydney. We drove straight to the beach and I spent my first 2 hours in Australia watching the ocean and thanking my lucky stars to be back in this place that I love. The rest of the day was basically spent catching up with the few friends of mine who still remain in Sydney. My day ended with a group dinner in Newtown at my favorite Indian restaurant followed by a cityscape stargaze from a secret spot above the Broadway parking deck that Sam showed Me and Joel. I was surprisingly unaffected by jet lag, but the long days of travel had weakened my immune system and by the end of my first day in Sydney I had the beginnings of what became full-on nasal and chest congestion.

Not even in Australia for 10 hours and I died in the streets of Sydney.
Overwhelming happiness brought me to my end...

The next morning we drove half of our long trip up the coast towards Byron and landed in Seal Rocks for the rest of the day. 1 night, a quick visit with Joel’s old friends and a few surfing sessions (for Joel) later, we were back on the road for day 2 of the road trip. My head was still pounding from the cold that I picked up, so I attempted to sleep for most of our trip up the coast but I still managed to pop my head up for some great sights along the way… one of which being a stop at the Big Banana in Coffs Harbor. The last time I was in Australia with Joel he took me to the Big Prawn in Ballina by my request, so he planned to surprise me with the big banana so that I could tick off one more of my Big Things in Australia list. The day was full of driving and once we finally made it into Byron I was relieved to finally take my bags out of the van and call someplace home again.

A pit stop on the side of the road soley to enjoy the view.

The BIG Banana: #3 on my Big Things list!
Joel begged to be absent from the photo, but I insisted on his presence.

My amazing driver/tour guide.

Almost home to Byron.

Peace Love & Blueberry Express

Once we landed in Byron I was instantly in love with the town and this new life that I was to take part in. My house is incredible, with a pool, spa (hot-tub), Bali hut, coyfish pond, and heaps of space for me to make it my own. I'll be sure to post some pictures to show off my mini-mansion. But, other than spending time aquainting myself with the house/Byron, my new roommates Joel, and I made a point to see Byron beyond our beautiful Mansion. We made a few excursions to quarrys for cliff jumping and relaxing, to secluded beaches to spear ourselves some fresh fish for dinner, and to the Byron beaches for surf lessons. It took me about a week to stop pinching myself and to realize that this was all a reality. Here are a photos from my dream world in Byron Bay...

The Island Quarry is maintained by the Byron Shire Community as a public gathering space.

The boys checking out the small drop.
Richy, Joel, Ben, and Theo.

Ben's leap!

Local creatives also use the Quarry as an open art/expression space.

My Joely!

Joel and I at the top.

Tandem Jump!

The trusty Blueberry Express.

Joel's hair was getting a bit too unruly for the summer's heat.
A buzz seemed necessary.

An afternoon stroll at the beach and I found some pretty neat patterns.
This one was from a crab making a hole for himself. He very neatly rolled each ball and carried it to a specific spot. These were scattered all along the entire beach...

The wind made these lines in the sand...

Joel shredding in the surf!

A day trip out of town and to the Quarry near Ballina...

Jurone and Lehia's dog Tommy.
Since my childhood I've only had hamsters and cats as pets, so Tommy is my first dog!

Tommy has been learning new tricks.
His most recent have been shake and roll over.

Joel wasn't enjoying himself in the slightest...

This gives a bit of perspective for one of the jumps.
There were 2 higher jump options.

It's hard not to be happy in this place.

In almost no time at all I was able to find a job at a local hostel as a travel agent. The hostel is called Nomads Byron Bay and it was voted the best hostel in New South Wales.... Check it out! (If you go to this link, check out the middle-bottom photo. The Mad Travel Desk is where I work!)

"When you have time to spare, Go by air" -Frank Palmieri

Greetings from the City of Angels!

I am writing from my second free hotel room, 3 hours after the time that I was supposed to have arrived in Sydney. The trip started out easy in Raleigh with little to no hiccups, but it all went downhill in Washington. My itinerary was RDU-IAD-LAX-SYD, all neatly aligned with 2 hour layovers so that I should have adequate enough time to maneuver through the airports, but also not so much time that I would be stuck twiddling my thumbs in boredom. But, in this case nobody can plan for a canceled flight due to airplane maintenance. Because my flight from Dulles to LAX was the last with open seats, United was gracious enough to give me accommodation nearby, a meal voucher for $15, and a seat on the first morning flight out. My hotel was exquisite: a 5-star resort equipped with every amenity possible. It's just too bad that I had to wake up at 4:30am and get on a shuttle at 5am, otherwise I might have tried to enjoy my mini-vacation a little more. So travel day #1 did not end with me getting onto a 15 hour flight, but rather waiting in line, after line, after line just so I could wake up before the sun and do it all again today.

In the Raleigh Airport, bags checked and ready to go.

Last farewell with mum & pop.

Free hotel #1- Landsdowne Resort in Washington D.C.

Delayed in luxury.

The five hour flight put me into Los Angeles at 9:30 PST and instead of accepting my 13-hour LAX layover fate, I went to customer service and inquired about other flights that could be possible on other carriers. Unable to move me, being that my flight was the one and only flight to Sydney, they gave me another hotel and meal voucher so that I might spend my day in privacy and relaxation before the long flight. I graciously took their offer and now here I am surfing the web via free wifi, munching on a seared ahi-tuna salad, and watching the LA traffic from my seventh story hotel window. But I must say, this being my only visit to LA, I am not impressed with the suburban sprawl of this massive city. Sure, the 65 degree weather in November is a perk, but certainly not enough to make me want to move here. I think I've found a better place to spend Novembers in warmth...


Despite my travel woes, I've taken this opportunity to rise above and see the great in all of this!
• First, and most importantly, I am on my way to a new and exciting life... It is only fitting that my new life begins with the flight. Adventure is what I am searching for in Australia, so why not start now? It's trite but true: Life is not the destination, but the journey.
• Second- I've met some really interesting people that I otherwise would not have, but why is it that we only begin conversations with strangers when we are sharing in misery? Why can't we pause for a second, put down our ipods/computers/phones and have a conversation without needing a reason to? On my first flight I met a retired NCIS agent on his way to vacation in Italy, where he was once stationed while on duty. He and his wife will be on a cruise of the Mediterranean and along the way they plan to visit a number of archaeological digs with hopes of getting their hands dirty. Cool, huh?
I met a bloke who is in the air force and lives in LA but must fly into DC as regularly as twice a week to go to work in the Pentagon. I thought my 20 minute drive to work was a pain...
On the bus I met a young professional in the film business who is self-employed and successfully dodging the real-world by doing what he loves to do, minus the desk and big scary boss. His story was inspiring and made me look forward to finding that one thing that makes me insanely happy, and then making it my career. I'm certainly not ready for that career right now, but someday I will be. I know I'm doing what I need to do for me, for right now.
I also met this 19 year old who is a Professional gamer, sponsored and making thousands of dollars while traveling the country to compete in video games. I have to be honest, I had no idea that a major league of gamers existed, but I'm certainly not surprised. I can't identify with the video games or the lifestyle that he lives, but I can identify with his passion and his drive. I know I will never go pro at anything, but if I can live passionately doing the things I love then I don't need a title to validate my life.
• And third, United has treated me very very very well. The first 3/4 of my life was spent flying standby and at the mercy of an airline's available seating, so this experience has only strengthened my satisfaction in the purchase of my ticket. In such a circumstance as a standby passenger I would not only have been left to sleep in the airport, but probably would've never made it out of RDU in the first place. The purchase was well worth it, despite its hefty price tag.






But to take a step back, I must briefly recall my final months in the USA that have been filled with work, friends, goodbyes, music, and books. Of the four books that I am currently reading, Into The Wild has struck rather close to home. For you who have not read it or seen the movie, it is a true story about a boy my age who leaves his life entirely behind for an adventure on his own. He hitch-hiked to and around the Western United States and then finally to his ultimate destination: Alaska.

"The trip was to be an odyssey in the fullest sense of the word, an epic journey that would change everything. He had spent the previous four years, as he saw it, preparing to fulfill an absurd and onerous duty: to graduate from college. At long last he was unencumbered, emancipated from the stifling world of his parents and peers, a world of abstraction and security and material excess, a world in which he felt grievously cut off from the raw throb of existence. "
-Jon Krakaur on Christopher McCandless in Into The Wild

So here I am: on my own epic journey. Australia is my version of Christopher McCandless' Alaska. My West. My Wilderness. A journey into the unknown places of my heart and mind. Some days this 12 month adventure sounds like an eternity and other days it seems way too short. If it weren't for the amazing people that I have left behind in the US, I think I would leave forever. The goodbyes were definitely the hardest part of this process (although packing might tie for first), but I have to remind myself that there is no period in this story, just a comma. Life goes on and I will return sooner or later. I trust that my friends will be awaiting my arrival as much as I will be awaiting their welcoming hugs.


And now I leave you with a quote from Neal Cassidy to Jack Kerouac in one of my favorite books, On The Road.

"Now Jack we're leaving everything behind us and entering a new and unknown phase of things. All the years and troubles and kicks-- and now this! So that we can safely think of nothing else and just go on ahead with our faces stuck out like this, you see, and understand the world as, really and genuinely speaking, other Americans haven't done before us..."

June is cold in Australia, but our hearts were warm...

Today marks two months since my return to the country from which I was birthed, raised, and taught to call home. I’ve tossed around this idea of “home” a few times in previous entries, each relating to some place that I’ve lived. The definition of home has become rather ambiguous to me recently, for I don’t feel as though I belong anywhere. I spent the first 18 years of my life in one house and nothing could shake what I defined as my home, then my four years in Boone rocked the boat and made me question nearly every thing in my life that I could previously define without hesitation. Now after my third residence, it being in an entirely different country, I can safely say that I have homes everywhere, despite the lack of four physical walls that I may call my own. These homes are places that I have left pieces of my heart. It’s as though my heart has shed seeds in survival, the same way that a plant drops its seeds to reproduce. I am planting a root system for which I know I can always find refuge. To continue on in this metaphor, let’s just say that the Australian soil has provided nutrients for strong root growth and the plant will continue to blossom with time… I’ll get back to this later.

I suspect that my reluctance to write this final entry is based entirely on the idea that it is a period in the last sentence from this chapter of my life. This has been the most incredible 5 months of my life and to say goodbye to my new friends and new life is not only hard, but heart shattering. I left a lot of things behind in the USA when I crossed the ocean the first time, and my homecoming has not included the return of these things. For one, my existence in Boone is so distant that I have a hard time believing it was real. My living arrangement used to include my best friend where we would have daily philosophical and wholesome conversations. We now speak an average of bi-weekly if we’re lucky and have had only a handful of face to face conversations. Greensboro really isn’t a bad place to live, but when you have little to no friends to share it with it is a difficult town to enjoy. As a result I spent the first 2 months buried in work where my schedule hardly left any time to myself, let alone an evening out with friends. So instead of accepting my current fate, I will write in reverie of the 5^th (but not final) month that I spent down under.

May 28^th: The day that I put my best friends on a plane back to the USA was also the same day that I got on a plane and returned to the ground via parachute. After I bungee jumped the AJ Hackett tower in Cairns with hardly a hint of hesitation I knew immediately that skydiving was to be next on my to do list. I had been planning to look into skydiving in Australia ever since meeting Lauren on our flight across the Atlantic where in conversation we discovered our common love for chasing adrenaline.

So, a group of 13 other international friends and I met in central Sydney at 6am and got on a bus headed to Wollongong, about an hour South of Sydney. Within minutes of arriving, the group was split in two and the first half was headed out the door and on the way to their uncertain fate. 20 minutes later I watched 8 of my friends turn into mere specks against the big blue sky, and fall at an incredible speed towards the earth. Before I knew it their parachutes released one by one and each drifted to the ground along with the wind in what looked like a choreographed dance. Seeing them land safely and full of excitement only made me more eager to take my turn, but a large group of clouds was quickly approaching and along with it came the news of uncertain flying conditions. We were told to check back every 30 minutes for an update and before we knew it an entire 4 hours had passed with no luck. My half of the group was ready to give up and return to Sydney when the clouds parted and once again revealed to us the bright blue Australian sky. Worried that this was a temporary fix, we hustled to the plane and quickly climbed to the 14,000 ft drop zone. I was happy to be last to jump because it allowed me to get extra excited while witnessing my 6 friends get sucked out of the plane and into the cotton-ball clouds that surrounded us.

To try and describe the jump would do it no justice. The 60-second free fall was like nothing I’ve ever experienced; a minute that reawakened my mind body and soul. I wish I could prescribe skydiving to all of my friends and family, because I am now a firm believer that it should be on everyone’s bucket list. I simply cannot wait to jump again.

Excitement or Scared?

"Danger! Parachute systems sometimes fail to operate correctly, even when properly manufactured, assembled, packed and operated. You risk serious injury or even death each time you use this system...."

My half of the skydiving crew.

Nicolo, Lauren, Me, Massimo, Adam, Jan, & Paola

First half falling

Other half of the group after their jump

Pouting because of the giant clouds headed our way.

Anticipation!

The first second of the fall is the most incredible feeling in the world.

Still free falling and still loving life.

This is right when the chute came out.
I screamed "EPIC!!"

I made it!

So the next week was my final week in Uni. Most of my classes had wrapped up the week before, so I spent my time working on the final touches of a massive group project and my graphic design final project. It was nice to have a week to devote to my work, but it was also very hard to focus when I could see everything coming to its inevitable end. As a result, I accepted almost any offer to leave my house and spend my time with friends. Then with a study week coming up I knew that I needed to use the time off to its full potential. I had been trying to plan a low key (and cheap) trip up the east coast with a few friends, but for various reasons they all had to back out. I was super bummed and had almost conceded to the fact that my study week was going to be spent in Sydney, but then on Friday afternoon something in me told me that I would regret sitting on my bum during this vacation. So, I did some online research and within a few hours I had booked a flight to Ballina/Byron for Sunday morning, 2 hostels, and a flight home from Brisbane on Wednesday night. There was no itinerary besides needing to get to Brisbane sometime on Tuesday. I was excited to experience Australia alone and ready for whatever was thrown at me. My only companions were my pack & my camera and there was no way I could predict how influential a trip like this could be…

June 7^th: To make a long story short (although the long story is definitely worth hearing): within the first 30 minutes in Byron Bay I ran into Joel, my instructor from surf camp, and had a personal tour guide for the next 3 days. It was in those 3 days that we both found something in the other that neither of us could properly explain. I left for Brisbane on Tuesday and continued on in my solo adventure, but a part of me was left behind in Byron Bay. I couldn’t describe the feeling, but I had seen this really incredible person come into my life as quickly as he had to go, and to say goodbye to someone that wonderful seemed impossible yet inescapable…right? But our communication never ceased, and our story continued on.

At peace and on the beach with nothing but my camera and a book.
That didn't last long...

Tommy and Joel found me!

The Byron Market: A local favorite.
It only happens bi-weekly and people travel from all around to visit.

Joel and I hiked to the top of the headland where the lighthouse is and we watched the sun set across from the full moon while whales waved at us from the ocean.
Look closely and you can see a whale in this photo.

Byron Bay

The headland that we hiked is the Eastern-most point in Australia.

But my solo adventure was not only made great by Byron Bay, but also by my 24 hours of exploration in Brisbane. In my hostel I met a couple of really fantastic girls to share my time with. We explored Queensland’s capital city by night and by day. The crisp and cold blue sky provided an excellent backdrop for my photos. I flew home around 9pm and in less than 15 hours later I was off on my next adventure!

My two new friends,
Mara (Netherlands) & Marija (Canada)

These next few photos and video are from a bar called Cloudland that we stumbled across.
It's ornate design blew us away.

These next photos are all from the day of walking through the city. Don't let the beautiful weather fool you, it was a coooold day.

During our city exploration we made sure to find Brissy's gardens where we found this quaint tea cottage. We stopped for a cuppa and a chance to put our feet up.

The sun sets over the beautiful river city just before I go to the airport and fly home to Sydney.

June 11^th: Around 5pm I was picked up by Ian Lynch and rode to the Sydney airport where we picked up Lauren upon her return from Australia’s red center. The three of us then set our sights south-west and drove through horrific Sydney traffic and landed 4 hours later in the capital of Australia: Canberra. Canberra is a peculiar city, one that was made in a compromise between two quarrelling cities. Without messing up the facts, here’s a teeny bit of background info quoted from Wikipedia:

“The city is located at the northern end of the Australian Capital Territory, 280 km (170 mi) south-west of Sydney, and 660 km (410 mi) north-east of Melbourne. The site of Canberra was selected for the location of the nation's capital in 1908 as a compromise between rivals Sydney and Melbourne, Australia's two largest cities. It is unusual among Australian cities, being an entirely planned city. Following an international contest for the city's design, a design by the Chicago architects Walter Burley Griffin and Marion Mahony Griffin was selected and construction commenced in 1913. The city's design was heavily influenced by the garden city movement and incorporates significant areas of natural vegetation that have earned Canberra the title "bush capital".

“Bush capital” or “In the middle of nowhere capital,” it’s all the same to me. The amount of planning that went into this city is insane, as everything lies on 2 perpendicular axes that intersect in the center of the parliament house (which is covered by a grassy hill, an all too literal version of “Capital Hill”). The visual lines through the city are very defined and, honestly, a bit creepy. Maybe I just feel this way because I am so used to Sydney, the antithesis of a planned city.

Lauren and I were spoiled by Theresa’s parents and it made our return to the frigid Stanmore house harder than it already was. More Canberra highlights were: wandering around the National Australian Museum, Touring the Parliament House, Viewing Canberra atop the lookout at Mt Ainslie, stumbling across a massive field filled with kangaroos, and visiting the Australian war memorial/museum.

Yay America!


View from Mt. Ainsley

Australian War memorial

Tomb Of The Unknown Australian Soldier.

On our drive home from Canberra, Ian took us through the scenic route and showed us some of Australia's hidden treasures.

Rambo, The Big Merino

Berrima had an adorable local market that we stopped through to peruse and then bought some homemade bread. They had a small petting zoo for the kids and I couldn't resist the amazing photo opportunities...

Real Bunny!

So with only 2.5 weeks left and two of them devoted to exams, we had to take every opportunity to soak up this country and it's people. Lauren and I decided to take advantage of our massive amount of floor space, so we threw a birthday party for Massimo! We made sure it was alright with all of our roommates first and with their permission we asked everyone we knew. The turnout was incredible and it was unintentionally the last time I got to see many of them. I was pretty honored to have that many people come to a party that I threw. I had spent 4 years in Boone and could never throw a party with this many attendees... I had officially succeeded in making friends during my short 5 months!

Pre-party with the flatmates.
These are the 5 Malaysian girls and 1 Turkish girl (in yellow).

Happy Birthday Massimo!

The birthday brownie got gobbled up in no time.

View from Massimo's balcony at night. We went to his place to go swimming in one of the World Tower's pool. Such luxury!

The night before my last exam one of the internationals had a BBQ in her backyard so that we could all have our last goodbyes. It was here that I realized how bad I am at saying "bye." In most cases I would end up putting off the goodbye by assuming that I would see them the next day at Uni or right before I left to come back, but that was never reality. In my attempt to push off the inevitable I never got to properly say goodbye to most of my friends. I had to leave this BBQ early to go home and study, but my rush of emotions had taken over and when I got home I couldn't focus on the studying that had to be done. I ended up retreating to my bed and planning to wake up early to finish studying. HAH!

Phillip & Caroline

Massimo, Fabian & Nicolo

Josanne & Camilla

Christoph

Rita

So the exams finished and I came out barely breathing, but my friends were determined to celebrate our semester's end. I packed my apartment into the two bags that I came with, a bag for my last adventure out of Sydney, and headed out with a small group to let lose for what we figured would be our last time.




The next morning I checked out of my house and got on an hour flight up the coast to return to Byron Bay. I knew that if I had left the country without exploring my feelings a little further I would regret it forever and the next 5 days proved to be some of the best in the whole 5 months.

Joel picked me up in Ballina and we went straight to the Big Prawn.
Australia loves their big things- Look @ this.

One of our days together was spent on a day trip to Nimbin, about an hours drive from Byron. Joel took me to a number of incredible spots inbetween...

He went swimming and I opted out. It was winter, afterall...

We goofed off and had a grand time.

I got back into Sydney less than 12 hours before Lauren and I got on our flight back home, but because of a flu outbreak at the Lynch household we needed to find somewhere else to stay the night. Luckily our good friend Jane opened up her house to us and let us crash there for the night. There were only a hand-full of friends still in Sydney but we were not about to waste our final night in Sydney, so we got on a train and rode to Kings Cross to find something fun. We landed at World Bar and spent our night dancing and laughing. A perfect end to a perfect 5 months.

Miserably sad! We could never be ready to go...

Tears...

Last laughs. I sure miss this girl.

So that was it. Another incredible month ended as quickly as it began. During this final month I had been throwing around the idea of returning with a Working Holiday VISA and as my time came to an end I realized that there was really no other option. My connections in the US had all scattered after graduation and with no job, no group of friends, and no real future to bank on...this could not happen at a better time. So here I am, two months after returning and I have already acquired my VISA. This is all going to happen because I have never wanted anything more in my life! The land down under has not gotten rid of me just yet...