Stroble in Sydney - 2 Months in Review

57 days. 

I moved to a foreign country where I knew no one. Got lost more times than I care to admit on my first day at work. Went on a boat cruise around the Sydney Harbor. Went on the Bondi to Coogee walk and fell in love with the Pacific Ocean. Learned to surf. Fed a kangaroo. Pet a koala. Got a history lesson from an Aboriginal tour guide. Went on a hike through the Blue Mountains. I fell in love with my internship. Drank a ton of coffee. Saw a show at the Sydney Opera House. Went to the Toranga Zoo. Ate some fantastic pancakes at Pancakes on the Rocks. Went scuba diving at the Great Barrier Reef. Pet some sea turtles. Went bungy jumping. Went on a hike over Nelson's Bay. Went on a whale watching cruise and saw hunchback whales breaching. Road a camel. Went sand dune boarding. Got my nose pierced. Went to the Hunter Valley wine region. Saw some wild kangaroos. Went skydiving. Ate some (a lot of) delicious gelato. Saw another show at the Sydney Opera House. Went to the Aroma Festival (aka a festival dedicated to coffee!!!). Went to the club fair at Sydney Uni on their first day of classes. Took a ton of touristy pictures. Made some best friends. Had the time of my life. 

In 57 days I called a new city home and made some amazing new friends. 

In 57 days I learned to slum it in hostels, to get lost in foreign cities, to figure out the way to my destination when all I had was an address and to ask directions when I had no clue where to go. I learned to get used to an hour commute in the mornings, to watch countless Australian movies and picked up a few new phrases which I'll apologize for in advance.

In 57 day, Sydney became a place that will forever have a special place in my heart. The people I met, the places I traveled to, and the experiences I had have all helped me learn a little bit more about myself. And after jumping out of a plane and getting my nose pierced one night after work, I learned that I'm a lot more daring than I thought I was. In 57 days, I fell in love with life and I fell in love with Sydney.

In 57 days I learned that travel really is the only thing you can buy that makes you richer. I learned that it's not where you go, but who you're with. I learned that life should be a series of "why not's?" instead of "what if's?" I learned that crossing things off your bucket list is so much more satisfying when the things on it terrify you and that while living life on the edge is great, jumping off the edge feels even better. I learned how great living can be when you do the very stuff that scares you and I learned that if you're not living life on the edge, you're taking up too much space.

"The world is a book, and those who don't travel only read one page." - St. Augustine of Hippo

Sydney was only the beginning, and I can hardly wait for what the future (and the next page) has in store for me. 

Cheers 

Katie