Just So You Know

This past weekend wasn't really out of the ordinary other than some going out and homework. I really got a slap in the face when it came to the homework assignments/final projects this week. I guess that's what I get for thinking I was really just on a vacation! I got it all done though and now I'M READY FOR NEW ZEALAND!!

I just wanted to write in here and tell everyone that I'll be away for a week without internet and so my texting app won't work. And now I'll be 19 hours ahead! I imagine it's going to fly by, and once I get home, I have a week left. I can't believe that yet. We have a day off there so maybe I'll find some wifi and check-in.

We'll talk soon.

Happy Friendsgiving

You know that feeling you have when the turkey is in the oven, Christmas music is playing, the house smells like food, your family is almost over and everything just feels right in the world? I had that feeling here despite being 9000 miles away from my whole family this Thanksgiving.

It's one of the hardest realities to face when you're abroad: your family gathers at the table for dinner every night, and on holidays and special days, your extended family is right there with them. I thought it was going to be a hard day, a hard week even; and although it started off that way, I would get simple reminders to be thankful for where I am at this time, and be grateful that I have something so amazing to come home to. I spent Thanksgiving day on the beach in 83 degree weather, surrounded by my Australian family.

It was the perfect amount of sunshine, wind and water conditions. The waves were vicious but it made the day that much more fun. And for the first time since I've been here I think, I didn't listen to my iPod as I laid in the sun. I just listened to the waves crashing and the birds chirping to create my own little sense of peaceful soundtrack.

And then I left, got all dressed up and spent the night feasting with my Australian friends, turned family. Since the majority of them live in the Meriton Service apartments, they were able to cook pretty much the whole feast. I guiltily supplied some instant gravy. As us campus people walked into one of their apartments, I got this overwhelming rush of nostalgia. Christmas music was playing, the smell of food permeated the room and laughter was heard around. It smelled as close to home as it could get. At that moment, I felt complete. A validation of friendship is when you can feast together on a holiday and be so comfortable where you are, even though you're not with your family. How lucky am I. 

Happy Thanksgiving. From our side of the world and family, to yours. 

After we ate way past our normal intake, we sat and chatted and then got ready to go out for some dancing and more celebrating. I really think it was a close-to-perfect night. 

I stayed out way past my bedtime and probably embarrassed myself with the excitement I showed when some songs came on. Whatever, I had a great time! It was the best feeling going to bed and then to wake up and Skype with my family on their Thanksgiving night. Although they were missed, I'm sure they don't mind that I had the great time over here without them! 

Today marks the three week countdown to my arrival back in the States. I'm aware of it but don't want to accept it just yet. It's the nights like this when I know I'll miss it almost too much to bear. It's these people that I know I'll want to see again. It's this place that I know I'll want to come back to. It's also the realization of the capacity to love these things so much that makes me want to explore this life so much deeper. Because without this experience, I wouldn't have known. 

I hope all of your Thanksgivings gave you that capacity. I'm thankful to that.  

Winning

I forgot to include in the last post about my feast! In Sydney, I talked about The Amazing Race. And the fact that my friends and I won the whole thing.

We finally redeemed our reward and feasted at a high class, $70 a plate buffet restaurant. I prepared all day by not eating. And as soon as we walked in, and saw just how much food there was, our stomachs started streaming.

There was the meat section, the steak section, crackers and cheese, salad, potatoes, seafood, asian wok and then the best section: a whole wall dedicated to desserts. If I didn't love it, I stopped eating it because it wasn't worth the space in my stomach. I tried a little bit of everything except for the seafood, I just don't have the interest in that food group. I'm not lying when I said I ate until I couldn't eat anymore. My friends and I played the silent game unintentionally during dinner. The food was so good that we rarely even talked unless it was, "Try this" or "We need more stomach room." I now understand how people can become foodies and this restaurant definitely made me appreciate the finer foods!

Some of the mini desserts!

Another little fun fact is that I was featured as Bond's Study Abroad Student of the Week. So, yeah, my face is huge on their Facebook page now. Here's the picture. I wonder how I can incorporate this into future job interviews...despite my picture not looking so great because the sun was in my eyes!

Moving Through Melbourne

This weekend I got a glimpse of what you all are feeling at home, cold. I'm not trying to be whinny but being in a city that didn't reach above 63 degrees was brutal. I don't have clothes for that kind of weather! This girl is used to 80+ degrees! It certainly reinforced my thought that I'm going to freeze once I step off the plane in Chicago next month.

Melbourne, Victoria is a two hour flight away but felt like a world of difference. Besides the cold, it was filled with cultural activities and buildings, as well as the second most photographed wonder of Australia (second to the Opera House)--The Twelve Apostles. I love the Gold Coast but I was yearning for some museums and natural wonders.

There isn't one picture that can get all twelve. And as you are reading this, more apostles are being created, and destroyed. It's the erosion of the rock by the sea. My friend Erica took a helicopter ride around and in them and was able to get a great aerial view of them. How many can you count?

We took an all day tour around Melbourne's natural wonders and even though it was just about twelve hours long, and we were surviving off about two hours sleep, I got so much out of it. The trip started off rough after arriving to our hostel and realizing the condition it was in. I'm not a princess. I don't need a mint on my pillow or someone to answer to my beck and call. I just want security and appropriate cleanliness. Our hostel had neither. I was in a random ten-person room because the room my friends were in was booked by the time I was able to book my trip. I hoped for the best but once I walked in my hostel room and it had the appearance of one of Intervention's crystal meth houses, I inconspicuously grabbed my pillow and blanket and headed back to my friend's room. Katie was oh so generous to share beds with me for the weekend, thank God. Otherwise I think I would have been on the next flight home, considering all hotel rooms were booked (thanks to Mrs. Hayes for looking into that for us). I can laugh about it now but I wasn't this weekend. I may or may not have cried after getting off the phone with my mom the first day. Australian phone credits well spent.

This tour was called The Great Ocean Road tour, which encompasses the Twelve Apostles. We were also able to see: a lookout of the ocean as well as more decaying rocks, half a rainforest, a cute little town in the middle of nowhere, wild koalas, and London Bridge.

The Great Ocean Road was built by the returned servicemen of World War I. They needed work and so the government projected this design for them. The sign is currently the fourth one since then, all the others having been burned and destroyed by bush fires or ruined by storms.

Thanks to this tour, I was able to sing, "London Bridge is falling down." Really. In 1990, the London Bridge collapsed into the ocean, leaving only a section of it. No one was injured but two people were actually trapped on the one part for hours until authorities could attain a helicopter. The best part of that story? The two people were married, just to separate people. Both had told their partners they were going away for the weekend, and had both called in sick to work. Their names and faces became top news and well, that fairytale didn't end so nicely. The man lost his job and it was never verified whether or not both were left by their partners.

The road is truly the most beautiful scenic route I've ever driven. If I wasn't looking at the ocean, I was looking at rolling meadows similar to what I imagine Ireland to be like. There were sheep, cows, llamas, echidnas, and wild parrots. Every time I looked up, a new thing was to be seen. The weather wasn't perfect but it was almost as if in between stops, it would rain and then when we would stop, the rain would stop. Except for towards the end, it didn't stop when we stopped and I got a little soaked. A little rain never hurt me.

Friday night we explored the nightlife and some grabbed dinner at a really fun Italian restaurant. The guy we presumed was the owner was playing practical jokes on everyone--including putting on clown masks and scaring passersby.

Saturday we took on the city ourselves and even though got turned around more than once, were so successful. They have a tram system that runs in the middle of the street on electrical wires and although you're suppose to pay for them by touching a prepaid card, we played our international advantage and just hopped on and hoped that we wouldn't get caught. We probably rode it about twenty times and never had to pay. Such luck!

The first stop was Chapel Street filled with different stores and cafes. After walking around for a bit, we hoped back on the tram and headed to the Shrine of Remembrance.

It was built as a memorial to the men and women of Victoria who served in WWI and is now a memorial to all Australians who have served in war. It has a wall of 4,000 metals that represents the over 400,000 past war veterans. 

The place gave me a sense of appreciation for not only just the Australians who have fought in war, but all military people in general, especially my grandpa for his service to WWII. Even though he won't see this--Thanks, Poppy. (They even have a whole field of Poppies dedicated to you!) 

Our next stop was the National Gallery of Victoria. I used to hate going to museums and art institutes because we had to do those kinds of things in grammar school and high school. But now when I can go voluntarily, I appreciate it more. Like this $300 million dollar painting that is in the NGV...

I said I appreciate it, not understand just why they're so expensive. Like, c'mon people, some of us need that $300 million. After that, we went and followed our tourist map to find the graffiti alleys. I have this weird fascination with graffiti because I think it can say so much of the person who created it. It isn't illegal in Melbourne, as long as it's in the designated 12 alleys, but if someone is caught with spray paint in hand, they're immediately fined $550. Talk about a catch-22. 

We're funny.

At this point, we had walked the equivalent of what felt like a marathon so we headed back to the hostel, held our breath, quickly showered, and headed out to dinner. A quaint Mexican restaurant at the bottom of some stairs appealed to us and it did not disappoint. Gracias, Taco Bill's! After a full stomach, it was on to the Eureka Skydeck. Now, I think it's a sin that I haven't even been to Chicago's Skydeck yet but I have told myself that I must go this Christmas break after experiencing this one. So, anyone who wants to go on a date with me there over break, I'm now taking offers.  

We got to see the whole city lit up and then experience the Edge, which is their version of the Skydeck except it moves. You begin in a dark, frosted window part and then the cliched sound effects start, and suddenly you feel it moving and the frosted windows are no longer. The whole thing is glass and you're stuck facing whatever fears you have of heights as you're suspended 935 feet in the air. No photos on the Edge experience because I'm not paying $20 for it! 

We roamed the city a little more, checked out the bar next to our hostel then called it a night. Sunday we decided to do the free city tour but quickly realized it was everything we had already figured out on our own the day before. I got to walk around the Polish festival a little bit though, those perogies and sausages sure seemed like home! We politely excused ourselves and headed to Queen Victoria Market. It's like flea market, meets farmers market, meets souvenir shops. I'm just about finished with all you people's gifts! I tell ya, I didn't realize how many great people I had until coming here! 

Since we're obviously college students on a budget, we go for the cheapest of everything: food, hostels, airfare. So, because of that, we chose the night flight. 8:40pm to be exact. That wouldn't have been an issue if we had stuff to do. But, we literally roamed the whole city, saw what we wanted and were too tired of walking all weekend to do more of it. I really questioned my athletic ability this weekend because I'm still sore from walking. Regardless, we just decided to go to the airport--5 hours early. There was wifi there so we just hung out and caught up on social media. 

Everything was fine until 8:15 came and we still hadn't lined up to board the plane. Cue PA announcement. Our flight was now delayed an hour. Which meant we were going to miss our bus home. We checked online and saw there was a later one still. We're on a budget, remember? We can't afford a cab! Long night short, we arrived back on the Gold Coast at 10:30 (Melbourne was an hour ahead) but came to find out that the website actually lied and there were no more busses. So, I had to dig in my wallet and painfully pay $10 for a cab split between four of us back to campus. At that point, it wasn't too bad because I just wanted to be in bed, after showering off the weekend exhaustion. 

I'm in the homestretch here. I have a little less than a month left and I have to use this blog to look back and see where the time went. I feel like it was just yesterday I was looking back at my mom after going through security at O'Hare. I'm going to miss this place, more than I'll ever miss another place, but I think it's the fact that it's Thanksgiving and I've been gone for three months, that I'm feeling ready to come home. My mom sent me a little piece of home, which was exactly what I needed at the time...

I also got a nice little surprise with paintings made by my little neighbors and some pictures of them. Although it made me miss them even more, I appreciated it so much. Everyone loves the new art in my room. 

I've got quite the workload ahead of me for the next few weeks but I just know it will keep me busy and before I know it, I'll be on my last trip of the semester--New Zealand! I'll without a doubt go out with a bang for this trip, there. I won't reveal the things I'm doing there because it's all so extreme and it will come as a surprise! 

Happy Thanksgiving to everyone at home! I'm definitely thankful for all of you, and for this opportunity. 

When It Rains, It Pours

I don't consider myself a sports enthusiast but I do consider myself one who knows what's going on most of the time in a particular sport. However, the game of cricket can take that consideration away from me because this weekend, I was utterly confused while attending. Not like, "Oh, I'll catch on after a little bit of time." It was more like (after an hour passes by), "Is there even two teams playing?", "Where's the ball?", "I think we need to cheer because everyone else around us is doing it." I dropped the ball when it came to preparing prior to the game. I don't know why I didn't read at least some of the rules of the game before going on Friday. But, we got a couple laughs out of the experience, don't regret going because when else would we be able to, and explored the city a little bit after leaving the game an hour and a half later.

I thought the day had provided me back with some good karma given my mishaps prior in the week. Earlier in the week, I went to turn on my dad's very nice camera to snap a couple pictures and was welcomed with a black screen. It turns on, goes to a black screen, makes a little funny noise and won't let me turn it off without taking the battery out. I didn't freak out at first because it did it once before but was fine after a minute. But after I let it rest for a day, fully charged the battery, and it was still in that state, I started to freak out. I asked anyone and everyone who I thought could tell me what's wrong with it and it was to no avail. I got the common answer of, "Take it to the camera store." Well, okay, so I called a camera store within walking distance of campus and after speaking to a customer service employee, I was told that by the explanation of my problem, it was going to be more expensive to fix than the actual camera. So, I asked about the warranty seeing as the camera isn't even a year old, and I was told no one in Australia would honor it because of the international purchase. A part of me cried inside. I began to question everything I did with the camera. Did I drop it? Did I get dirt/sand in it? Did I use it too much? It's all a part of my curse, I guess.

So, I stopped denying the inevitable and told my dad. Of course, he was fine with it (thanks, Dad!) but I still feel really bad about it (I can't help it!). I just hope nothing was my fault and it's able to get fixed without hassle when I'm home because he hasn't even used it!

Moving along, on the same day, when I was in between denial and acceptance stage of the broken camera, I tried to see if I could blow dry out any dirt/sand that maybe is causing the problem. I grabbed my roommate's blowdryer, that is American, and used an adapter to plug it in. I never saw her using this one, because she bought an Australian one, but I thought since it was out, I could use it. It was about two seconds from when I turned on the hairdryer to the spark that made my heart drop, and the hairdryer stop. I started to panic. I unplugged it, stepped out of the bathroom and went to where my computer was charging. It wasn't charging anymore. I franticly flipped the outlet on and off (here, you have to turn on/off each outlet with a switch). Nothing. I blew the electricity in our dorm room.

At this point, I couldn't even cry because I was just so flustered. A trip to the maintenance office was in order. I was worried about a fine. Or even, in my over-analytical mind, that I had really screwed up the electrical and they were going to have to re-wire the whole floor. Like, really Kaylie? They were going to send someone up since it was "an urgent situation." My roommate and I waited patiently as our computer batteries lowered. We laughed about it but deep down, I wasn't at that stage yet after everything that happened. I think about an hour passed and out of nowhere, I looked down to see my charger had lit up for my mac. It was back on without even a visit from maintenance! I guess they wouldn't have to re-wire the whole floor, after all.

Thursday night we went out and I was able to forget about the series of unfortunate events. Katie and I ventured alone to a bar called Melba's and honestly, we had the greatest time just her and I. We danced around and finally figured we should join the rest of our friends. Wasn't as fun, but alas, we stayed.

Friday was the cricket game and souvenir shopping. After we got back, my friends and I went to the Chocolate Bar and indulged in the most delicious foods. My mom would have been in Heaven!

Series of unfortunate events continue. I had purchased a really nice, handmade clay jar as a souvenir for someone that I waited for so long to find the perfect gift. This was it. As I was purchasing it, I said to myself, "I really need to be careful with this when I'm on the plane coming home." But my other ego spoke and said, "You're always careful." Ha. I think we all know where this story is going. I came back to campus just fine with the jar in tow. As soon as I got back, I put it in my suitcase that is full with all the other souvenirs I've bought. But, I needed to check in my suitcase for something a little bit later and so I reached to take the suitcase down from above my desk. I hadn't zipped it all close, and as my arms were lowering the suitcase, the clay jar was rolling out. There was never a point of return. I watched as the jar was air borne, then I heard the shattering. Into about ten pieces. Broken. Done. Unfixable.

Yeah...

It was one of those times you just can't believe is happening. And one of those times you wish you could just go back ten seconds before to alter the outcome. It was my fault but I didn't want it to be. I shuffled to Katie's room and wallowed in self pity. It really just wasn't my week. At one point, I closed my eyes and said to whoever was listening, "Whatever I did to deserve this bad karma, I'm sorry." Accidents happen, I know that, but I just didn't want them to happen to such good things. I'm better now, and hoping that I've reversed whatever karma that's from. That is, after I popped a button off my jeans yesterday. I'm not getting into that out of fear that I'll really breakdown.

But you know what I discovered that can really make you forget about things? Going to the casino. I've never been at home but now I want to go all the time. (Grandma Adams, can't wait to have dates with you there when I turn 21!) A couple friends and I went to Jupiter's Casino Saturday night and I think I've said once before in my life that I'll never gamble but I was open to the opportunity. I didn't lose much money, only $20, which is insignificant in the grand scheme of things I'd like to think, especially because we were there for four hours. And I didn't even get to play the slots so I think I'll have to go back. The whole night I played war, with a $10 minimum. I think a part of me just felt like playing that all night because it was the card game I used to play with my Grandma Benson before she passed away, nine years ago this week. She was rooting for me and helping me along for a lot of the night but I got a little swept away in the excitement of it all and kept going instead of cashing out with a $30 profit. I'm okay with it all though. I felt connected to my Grandma and still had such a fun night.

It rained the past two days here so maybe that adds to the "poor me" attitude I had but at the end of the day, I'm still in Australia, surrounded by a lot of great people, supported by a lot of great people at home, and having the time of my life. So, when it rains, it pours but I say we all need a little rain to appreciate the sunshine that much more.

Live Life Simply

One of the quotes I often think of is, "Live Life Simply." It all started with a backdoor rug my mom bought that bore those words and then it turned into her favorite quote, and then it turned into the words I think of often when I'm getting bogged down in detail or obsessive-compulsiveness. But I never really knew how elaborately I was still living until I came to Australia with two 40 lb. bags that were supposed to last me for four months, and have survived on just that. I wouldn't have guessed that I would be fine, nor would I have guessed that I could live even simpler. Until this weekend when I lived on an island for three days out of just a book bag.

Moreton Island is about an hour drive from campus and another hour and a half ferry ride. We left at 5:45am Friday morning with the idea that it was going to be somewhat of a Survivor weekend and we were going to have to hunt and gather for our livelihood. While it wasn't necessarily hunting and gathering, we had to do some major adaptations to the environment for the weekend. I've never been camping, let alone without electricity for more than a day but I was thrown onto this island with a tour guide (the same one from the rainforest tour I did a couple weeks ago) and fifteen other people and expected to have the time of my life. I'm happy to report that this weekend tops the charts.

The first day we took a tour around the Northern point of the island and experienced the first of many bumpy rides in our 4WD truck. The whole island is obviously all sand, including the tracks. Nev, our tour guide, told us that some people have too much air in their tires and it causes bumps and indents within the sand that is more than necessary; so that's why it was so jolty and hard to maneuver around. The video we took can give you probably only a minute sense of our adventure.

We reached the beach, had a swim, some lunch and then hiked up to Honeymoon Bay. Along the route, Nev would always point out specific edible plants and although I wasn't a participant, some of my friends were more than willing.

I saw these sights the whole weekend and it never got old. I took around 500 pictures and although more than half are of beaches, water, trees, I'm not going to delete any of them because I want to live this trip over and over again! We were onto our next adventure after Honeymoon Bay but experienced a little detour when we were driving down the road and Nev spotted an eagle on the side of the road. Once we drove past it, it didn't really move so we stopped, Nev got out and was able to catch it with a towel wrapped around it so that we could bring it to safety. The rangers were no where to be found so we brought it to the resort on the island and moved forward. Nev to the rescue!

Snorkeling was on the agenda but given the current and winds, it was too dangerous because the waves would have exceeded our snorkel height. Instead, Nev told us we could go kayaking and I was more than excited because I had never been. Why he thought that kayaking was safe in the conditions and not snorkeling, we'll never know. I was on the kayak for no more than two minutes and was capsized. I should have learned my lesson right then and there and swam back in. But I wanted to go more and so did everyone else. Before we knew it, the current had pulled us to what seemed like a mile away from our spot. I didn't start freaking out until it came time to try and get back into shore. I was paddling but I wasn't moving. And the longer I didn't move, the further I got away from shore and our camp spot. Then the longer I tried to paddle forward, the more energy I was losing. I was stuck out there with my friend Erica and both of us were in the same situation.  The guys moved right along and didn't even think twice about helping us. Even though there was nothing they really could have done, we're still bitter about it. When I didn't think it could get worse, my paddle fell out of my kayak and that's when I really started freaking out. I was literally up a creek without a paddle. My arms started flailing to the motion of fins to try and get my paddle, and it was with success. At that point I knew there was nothing more I could do except go full force. I paddled and paddled until my arms were jello and then I paddled some more. Finally, I made it to an acceptable distance to topple over and just dog-paddle my way to shore but let me tell you, that was not the best first impression of kayaking.

After that we headed in, changed into clothes and headed back out to watch the sunset. It was my first time really watching a sunset completely disappear into the distance and it was one of those times I'll never forget. A lot of us sat in reflection and amazement. I really just felt alive.

We were up bright and early again the next morning, after an almost sleepless night in the tent on my part due to the animal noises, Katie's snoring and my lack of a pillow. I'm really paying for the latter now with my neck pains. The current was weak and the wind wasn't much so we were able to snorkel through the ship wrecks on the island. They didn't really occur there, they were put there but it was still really neat to see and swim through the wrecks, as well as have the fish and coral below you. One of the most memorable things was a bird swimming right along side of us waiting to grab some fish for food since we had the bread in our hands. He or she danced around us and to our shock, scooped one fish right up and swallowed it! It was so gross watching the whole fish shape just move down the bird's mouth but it was interesting too.

Next on the agenda was the reason I signed up for this trip: sand boarding! I really didn't know what to expect, and I certainly didn't expect for it to feel like I was in the middle of the Sahara Desert. The name was all too suiting.

I'm still washing sand out of my clothes, and my body. But every grain of it was worth the absolute joy I had the whole time doing it. First was just laying on the board, then I upgraded to standing on the board, and mastered the two-person ride with Katie. At one point we were crying from the laugher and our cheeks hurt from smiling too much. No one needs therapy, just sand boarding.

I may have taken a couple tumbles but each one was worth it. Writing about all of it is making me want to go back right now!

After sweating our body weight off, we were refreshed to a trip to the Blue Lagoon of freshwater. It refreshed me both in cool water temperature and in replenishing my lack of water in my body because I was able to drink from it. When you first jump in, the water looks red but it is just like that because of the ti-tree oil that is infused within it. It leaves your skin and hair feeling so, so soft. It was nice to feel like that after not showering for two days.

We got back and since the current still wasn't strong, three of us decided to try kayaking one more time. It was so relaxing and peaceful to kayak through the ship wrecks and just have complete silence of the water. Kayaking has redeemed itself.

After another sunset, we cooked some dinner and all of us hung out by the fire, getting to know each other more and telling story after story.

After that, we prepared for the greatest night: sleeping right on the beach! We dragged our mattresses, sleeping bags and smiles and headed to the beach. We were lucky enough to have the clouds part way at some times and see all the stars. I've never seen so many stars in my life, nor ones so bright. I think star gazing is my new favorite thing to do. Almost all of us passed out within a half hour but two of my friends and I stayed up and talked to Nev until way into the night. We had no concept of time at any part of the weekend and I didn't want it any other way. Sometimes I felt like I was back on Kairos. Nev is declared the most interesting man ever and I wish I could see him again sometime. But, I appreciate those people the most, the ones who I only get to spend time with for a short time and then we each go our separate ways. I think we all have something to offer to each other.

We were pretending for the picture...

Good morning! And then there were six...

I fell asleep to the sound of the waves and woke up to them as well. The funniest part has to be the fact that it started raining really early in the morning and none of us left at first. We pulled our blankets over our heads and embraced it all. Then, we slowly started losing people to waking up early and it being too cold. Around 8am, there were six of us left and we smiled at what we had just done. Such happiness. 

Sunday was a tour of the highest vegetated sand dune in the world, Mt. Tempest. It gave us a view of the whole island to take our breath away. 

Lastly, we went to the best beach on the island, in my opinion. There we saw dolphins jumping, manatees swimming and sea turtles floating along their own way. We headed back to camp, packed up and got on the ferry to get back to campus. Probably the saddest I've ever been leaving a place but I know I'll make it back someday. 

This place made me appreciate the simplicity in life, and live off only what I need. I'll gladly trade anything for this weekend of: minimal sleep, no showering, no shoes, sand everywhere and limitless happiness. When I think of Australia, this weekend will be on the top of my mind. It sums it all up...