Feeling Infinite

I enjoy long walks on the beach and good company. My interests also include discovering hidden spectacular spots and learning new cultures.

New e-Harmony profile in case this whole study abroad thing doesn't find me my husband? I think so. Whether that is truth or sarcasm is up for your own judgment.

This past weekend brought me just those things (sans husband), exactly what I needed. I was apprehensive to look forward to the weekend because I had been in a funk--brought on by the lack of sleep I always experience, mixed with being 9,000 miles away and those huge school projects due dates ever present. I was stressed because I felt like I couldn't focus to get head starts on my assignments, or to pay attention in class. Then I was tired because I couldn't sleep because of my stress. Then I was upset because I didn't have a escape route like I do at school: going to my aunt and uncle's to bake cookies, hike the trails, appreciate deer and mushroom pictures on the camera (Uncle Ed you better not be slacking), do things that take my mind off the monotony of college. So, I utilized the technology I am so lucky to have and talked to my family. And the next day, I created my own escape route. Plus when I woke up I kicked myself for thinking I didn't have places around me where I could escape, I am in Australia after all...but realistically, I appreciate the company more than the actual place. Which I'm still dreaming of those homemade cookies you were making, Auntie Dawn and Mom. Sorry, digressing...

On Friday, a few of us hopped on the bus and headed for one of the coolest hiking places I've ever been: Burleigh Heads National Park. It's a littoral rainforest, meaning it's a dry rainforest that only forms by the sea, and secludes you from the intense heat of the day. The photo opportunities were greatly taken advantage of:

We hiked for a good couple hours and in the process, saw a movie being filmed in that above sand bar, as well as a wedding ceremony being set up. Efforts of getting into either or both of those events were unsuccessful.

We waited around a bit to see if we could whale watch but it was to no avail. Next time, hopefully. The hike consisted of a lot of appreciation to the vegetation as well as awe to the amount of rocks that looked to be just thrown together.

Another fascinating thing about this rainforest was that right at the beginning, on the connected beach, is just mounds upon mounds of seashells. You could spend hours sifting through to find the perfect one.

My friend Natalie took this picture. Picture perfect.

On Saturday, I had a lazy day by the pool and then decided to get some homework done. At night, a couple of my friends and I were indecisive when it came to plans for the night until one my friends got a text from an Australian she had befriended the week prior. He wasn't doing anything and was more than happy to give us an exclusive tour of the city! I experienced my first Australian car ride and was shown places that no tourists would ever be able to find by themselves. We drove up and down the coast and even experienced a little "off-roading" that was more than enough of a thrill for me.

Jake took us to the furthest point of Gold Coast that has a waterway (filled with sharks) you can paddle across to an unincorporated, uninhabited island. He surfs there often and says that sometimes he is even a little nervous knowing that there are sharks beneath him and there's nothing he can do if he slips off while paddling. Our next stop was a coffee shop that was pretty much a hole in the wall but had a Friends vibe with eclectic furniture and  friendships all around. I'll definitely be returning there. The best was saved for last when he drove us to the secret spot: a view of the whole entire city, lit up. We tried really hard to capture it, but no camera of ours has quite that capability. So, I Googled it and tried to find a similar view but even this doesn't include everything I was able to see.

It was another one of those "Wow, I'm in Australia" moments and it took my breath away. It wasn't a Chicago skyline but it was a skyline that I'll forever remember.

Australia is proving over and over again to me that it is nothing I even imagined--it's so much better. And I tell myself over and over again that I am just about the luckiest girl for being able to pursue dreams of this magnitude.

"I think the idea is that every person has to live for his or her own life and then make the choice to share it with other people. You can't just sit there and put everybody's lives ahead of yours and think that counts as love. You just can't. You have to do things. I'm going to do what I want to do. I'm going to be who I really am. And I'm going to figure out what that is. And we could all sit around and wonder and feel bad about each other and blame a lot of people for what they did or didn't do or what they didn't know. I don't know. I guess there could always be someone to blame. It's just different. Maybe it's good to put things in perspective, but sometimes, I think that the only perspective is to really be there. Because it's okay to feel things. I was really there. And that was enough to make me feel infinite. I feel infinite."