When I left India I knew it would only be a matter of time before I started to really appreciate where I was. I wouldn't by any means say that my trip to India was a vacation, but more of a life experience. By the end I was so exhausted and fed up with being hot ALL the time and having to barter for absolutely EVERYTHING that I started to forget where I was and didn't appreciate it. I now can look back at what I've accomplished and reflect on what an amazing experience it was! It was definitely difficult but well worth it!
As I approached the end of my time in India I started preparing for my next adventure. The land down under! I started reading the book Down Under by Bill Bryson. I have collected some facts that I learnt from my good friend Bill about the country I was about to embark on!
It is the world's sixth largest country and it's the largest island. It is the only island that is also a continent and the only continent that is also a country. It is the only nation that began as a prison. It has more things that will kill you then anywhere else, a country where the fluffiest of caterpillars can lay you out with a toxic nip, where seashells will not just sting you but actually sometimes GO after you! Of the World's ten most poisonous snakes, ALL are in Australia, five of its creatures are of the most lethal of their type in the world.! WOW doesn't this sound like a great place to move to! haha
Little did I know, but the poisonous creatures were actually the least of my worries when I first arrived here in Melbourne. Coming from 40 something degree weather to a freezing 15 degrees has been the biggest shock to the system. In comparison to Canada's winters it's not cold, but for me...I feel as though I am on top of Mount Everest with icicles forming on my finger tips and hanging from my hair and face! Ok maybe that is a bit of an exaggeration, but either way...IT IS COLD! The second shock to the system would be the PRICES! Coming from one of the cheapest places in the world to one of the most expensive is going to take a lot of getting used to! :S (If ever) Despite the few negatives I am absolutely loving Australia so far. It is so nice to be surrounded by people who speak the same language as me, eat the same foods as me, and wear the same clothes as me! Not to say that it wasn't a great experience and fun to do, but after a few months I really started to miss the little things. Those little things that you don't appreciate when you have them all the time, such as simply being able to SAFELY drink tap water. Using real toilets that come supplied with rolls of toilet paper, and eating MEAT safely without wondering if you will die or become seriously ill within the next 24 hours! I've actually been able to sleep soundly since being here, not having to worry if I will wake in the middle of the night attacked by bed bugs or have a friendly little mouse visit my bed while I'm sleeping. You know...the little things! :)
I must say, one of the most amazing things since being in Australia is being surrounded by family again! I am truly blessed to have such an amazing dispersed family! Almost everywhere in the world I go there is someone there with open arms! I have been around more family in the past 6 months then I have been in a very LONG time! It's probably one of my favourite parts about traveling. Being able to reconnect with people that live so far from where I've grown up most of my life!
For now my adventures will be restricted to the land of Oz where, as Bill says, if you are not stung or pronged to death in some unexpected manner, you may be fatally chomped by sharks or crocodiles, or carried helplessly out to sea by irresistible currents or left to stagger to an unhappy death in the baking outback. Sounds like this island will keep me entertained for quite a while, with many exciting adventures to come! :)
As I approached the end of my time in India I started preparing for my next adventure. The land down under! I started reading the book Down Under by Bill Bryson. I have collected some facts that I learnt from my good friend Bill about the country I was about to embark on!
It is the world's sixth largest country and it's the largest island. It is the only island that is also a continent and the only continent that is also a country. It is the only nation that began as a prison. It has more things that will kill you then anywhere else, a country where the fluffiest of caterpillars can lay you out with a toxic nip, where seashells will not just sting you but actually sometimes GO after you! Of the World's ten most poisonous snakes, ALL are in Australia, five of its creatures are of the most lethal of their type in the world.! WOW doesn't this sound like a great place to move to! haha
Little did I know, but the poisonous creatures were actually the least of my worries when I first arrived here in Melbourne. Coming from 40 something degree weather to a freezing 15 degrees has been the biggest shock to the system. In comparison to Canada's winters it's not cold, but for me...I feel as though I am on top of Mount Everest with icicles forming on my finger tips and hanging from my hair and face! Ok maybe that is a bit of an exaggeration, but either way...IT IS COLD! The second shock to the system would be the PRICES! Coming from one of the cheapest places in the world to one of the most expensive is going to take a lot of getting used to! :S (If ever) Despite the few negatives I am absolutely loving Australia so far. It is so nice to be surrounded by people who speak the same language as me, eat the same foods as me, and wear the same clothes as me! Not to say that it wasn't a great experience and fun to do, but after a few months I really started to miss the little things. Those little things that you don't appreciate when you have them all the time, such as simply being able to SAFELY drink tap water. Using real toilets that come supplied with rolls of toilet paper, and eating MEAT safely without wondering if you will die or become seriously ill within the next 24 hours! I've actually been able to sleep soundly since being here, not having to worry if I will wake in the middle of the night attacked by bed bugs or have a friendly little mouse visit my bed while I'm sleeping. You know...the little things! :)
I must say, one of the most amazing things since being in Australia is being surrounded by family again! I am truly blessed to have such an amazing dispersed family! Almost everywhere in the world I go there is someone there with open arms! I have been around more family in the past 6 months then I have been in a very LONG time! It's probably one of my favourite parts about traveling. Being able to reconnect with people that live so far from where I've grown up most of my life!
For now my adventures will be restricted to the land of Oz where, as Bill says, if you are not stung or pronged to death in some unexpected manner, you may be fatally chomped by sharks or crocodiles, or carried helplessly out to sea by irresistible currents or left to stagger to an unhappy death in the baking outback. Sounds like this island will keep me entertained for quite a while, with many exciting adventures to come! :)
