Hello, Spring

As the days get longer and shorts get shorter, we beckon the season that makes Queensland the envy of our neighboring states and a hotspot for fanny-pack donning tourists alike.

That’s right sun-lovers, springtime is here!

Now, in case your parents are Eskimos or you have Thermophobia (read: an abnormally excessive fear of heat) - here are a few splendid things about spring to get you in the mood for the best time of year.

1.     Sunday session season

Day drinking, rooftops at sunset, $4 beers. Sunday sessions are a delightful reminder that the student lifestyle is one worth appreciating, because you can stay and play on a school night. Look out.

2.     Increased attendance

It’s amazing how those 8am starts don’t become so hard to drag yourself to once you don’t have to get up when the sun does, and how much easier it is to stay for that irritatingly necessary late night lecture when you don’t have to shiver all the way from campus to your bus stop.

3.     Improved general health

Instead of holing up in the library to kill time in between classes, you can get your daily dose of Vitamin D by stretching out in the Botanical Gardens… those rays of sunshine might just give you a stroke of genius.

4.     Clothing (pretty much) optional

Ditch the scarves, boots and beanies. Singlets, shorts and thongs are not only accepted – they’re encouraged.

5.     Home stretch

There are officially only 3 weeks left of classes until the end of the semester… This means only a couple of short months before what is quite possibly the best thing about being a student… the three-month summer break.

In my opinion, that’s enough to have all Thermophobics lining up for a sauna.

BRING ON SPRING!

Getting real

So we’ve been back in Brisvegas for a little over a month now, and I think the ol’ settling-back-in process is almost complete.

The first couple of weeks were a bit of a shock to the system, but we didn’t expect anything less. After six months of not working, constantly having another adventure to look forward to, being surrounded by amazing people and eating enough to feed half of America’s obese population (seriously) – reality seemed even further away than home.  

But that bitch really did slap us in the face… As soon as I walked through the arrival gate my charming father laughed as he mused at how “chubby” my cheeks had gotten (cheers big guy). Lucky all those waffle cones and ice-cream sandwiches were worth it!

And in all seriousness, the slap was very short-lived. Catching up with all the lovely people so excited for our return certainly made the transition a lot smoother. Seeing money go in to my bank account instead of only the opposite didn’t hurt, either.

So now it’s back to work, back to uni and back to the real world. Reality has checked us right back in but I’m happy to be home and excited for what’s ahead.

I’ll still be blogging about whatever gets me going so stay tuned, amigos. You can also expect the odd blast from the past; there are a few more cheeky chapters of American adventures to share before we can close that book…

Until then! X 

Homecoming

Question… Is it too early to be feeling nostalgic if I haven’t even boarded the flight home? Because I totally am.

Summing up this trip in one paragraph would be impossible… but here is my crack at it:

6 months, 3 countries, 11 cities, 7 towns, 19 flights, 5 road trips, 1 (unnecessary) bus haul, 1 skiing experience, 3 boat rides, 2 lost U.S phones, 1 smashed IPhone screen, 2 damaged cameras, 1 runaway suitcase, 1 wallet lost, 1 wallet found, a hefty debt, 2 spring breaks, 1 music festival, 17 hotels, 3 guest houses, 1 college dorm room, 1 super bowl, 4 live ball games, 5 rounds of beer pong, approximately 40 cheeseburgers, over 100 ice-creams, too many litres of alcohol, invaluable new friends, 10 000 photos, countless stories and one once-in-a-lifetime experience later, here I am… a very happy and extremely lucky camper.

A friend of mine shared this on facebook and I thought it very appropriate. Also kind of eases my dread about the debt I have accumulated, though I have never doubted that it’s all worth it…

  

Ran out of time to share all the stories about our travels in the last few weeks so I’m not done raving about it all just yet!

But for now, I’m coming home. See you soooonnn, Brisbane!

Back in the Big City

I considered composing a post for our time in Vegas, but wasn’t sure how much I could write about what is now a blur of bandage dresses, champagne and pool partying.

In other words, it was about as memorable as Memorial Day weekend in Sin City should be. Definitely something worth bucket-listing, however, if the aforementioned blur sounds appealing to you.

It was quite fitting, really, that we arrived in the city that never sleeps having not been to bed in 48 hours.

In attempt to save money, we decided to navigate the subway system to get from JFK to our hotel on the Lower East Side. To really paint the picture of the ungraceful events that followed, please note the following points:

1.     We were hung-over, and lugging 3 bags each which, when combined, weighed more than us,

2.     The humidity rivaled that of a sauna,

3.     There were no elevators or escalators in the various stations we had to change lines at – just a seemingly endless amount of stairs,

4.     It was peak hour, so we were sharing the narrow underground tunnels with the 1.5 million commuters on their way home from work. And yes, I googled it.

Put simply, our economical efforts resulted in us being two human-sized witches hats in the middle of a stampede.

But, our catastrophic entrance into the Big City didn’t deter us. We still managed to get a (well deserved) magnolia cupcake fix that night.

Having ticked off the tourist to-do’s during our first visit, we decided to devote this stay to experiencing New York as New Yorkers do.  

Apologies in advance for the envy the following sentence may invoke in some – gloating is not my intention (and if it helps, I have a big fat debt eagerly awaiting my return to the land of Oz). But, after brunching in Nolita, sipping martinis overlooking the Manhattan skyline at a rooftop bar, cycling across the Brooklyn Bridge into markets at Williamsburg, unknowingly walking into the middle of a fluro flash-mob in Times Square, and scoring free sangria at the Madison Square May Markets – I have to say, it’s all completely worth it.

Indeed, my second bite of the big apple was just as sweet as the first.

Now, to get that one-year working visa so I can temporarily call it home. 

On to the next...

Let's not deny it,

goodbyes suck. 

Packing our lives into tiny suitcases and farewelling our incredible college friends was an emotionally charged affair. I can honestly say that the decision to study abroad is one of the best i've ever made. 

But! There is a bit of 'sweet' in the bitterness of bidding farewell... as we gear up to start the next phase of our journey.  

Stop one: back to Vegas for Memorial Day weekend....

Watch this space. 

Feeling festive

It's official. I am suffering severe Ultra Music Festival withdrawals. 

Unfortunately, finals are fast approaching and the requirement to study up a storm isn't really agreeing with my cravings to dance in the sunshine. Go figure. 

It's funny to think that we didn't even intend to go to the 3-day extravaganza. We thought simply attending a side show at Miami's Masquerade Motel would satisfy our inner festival lovers.

However, after goosebump-invoking and eardrum-bursting sets by Alesso, Calvin Harris and Swedish House Mafia - we were proved very wrong indeed. 

Luckily, it was easy to get our hands on discounted one-day passes. Never underestimate the benefits of spontaneity, kids.

The weather was amazing, the sound unrivalled and the atmosphere indescribable. 

And as the sun set on Miami's picturesque high-rises, it was pretty much impossible not to be loving life.

In conclusion,

'

Wouldn't it be nice?