Here I am, across the world...

Hi all,

I’m almost there! I am currently sitting in the airport in Nadi, Fiji, and figured I would use the time from my four-hour layover here to do a little bloggin’. Earlier today (or yesterday rather, since I crossed the international date line) I flew from Seattle to LAX, had a three hour layover there (which ended up flying by due to multiple long lines), and then boarded a massive double decker plane that took me from LAX overseas to where I am right now... beautiful Fiji. Kind of bummed I don’t have an opportunity to stay and enjoy this place, but since I’ll be in Aus so long I am sure I’ll take some time to travel back here and enjoy the sun and warm Fijian surf. The flight from LAX here was surprisingly quick- 10 hours total, but unlike past flights I have taken overseas, I slept almost the entire time. Thank goodness for ear plugs (and yes, I know those of you who are making fun of me right now for my obsession with ear plugs)! There were even a few babies and young toddlers near me on the flight, and not one of them made a peep until breakfast was being served. Overall everyone around me was super quiet... the guy sitting in the window seat didn’t even get up to pee ONCE. I couldn’t believe it. Normally I am a window-seater, but this time I ended up in the aisle, and maybe there’s something to be said for those good old aisle seats. I’ve never slept so peacefully on a flight before. Anyway, that being said, I am feeling pretty good right now and ready to take on one more leg to Sydney. Once I arrive in Sydney, I’ll have the afternoon to explore (or sleep), one night at a hostel there, and then on up to Townsville tomorrow. My new roommate, who I know virtually nothing about, is planning on picking me up from the airport in Townsville tomorrow, which I am super grateful for. I met her (Pip) through a connection at Madison, of all places. My friend and amazing T.A. from limnology lab senior year, Matt Kornis, had recently met a woman who graduated from James Cook (JCU-where I’ll be studying) and had taken a job at the Center for Limnology in Madison, where Matt used to work. She happened to have a friend who was still in the Coral Reef Studies Ph.D program at JCU, and who needed a new roommate off campus. So, I was introduced via e-mail, exchanged a few messages, and was convinced by Pip’s friendliness and generosity that this would be an awesome place to move in, even if it only turned out to be temporary. It sounds like there is a nice bike path along the river to campus, the house is across from a supermarket, and it is also located relatively close to beaches and “The Strand”- the main area for bars, boardwalk, and all things beachy (and touristy, most likely). So hopefully it all works out, but I’ll definitely keep the housing updates coming.

Whew- I spoke too soon in Fiji. After about three hours of my layover there I started to feel beyond tired, to the point of being nauseous, and then was informed that the flight was delayed by an hour or so. Not exactly what I wanted to hear, but I ended up getting through the wait by reading more of my favorite shark book. Once we finally boarded, I got so nauseous on the flight that I ended up throwing up, which was totally weird considering I am usually completely fine when it comes to flying and pretty much all other means of travel. I’m thinking it could have just been a combination of gross plane food over two days and being so tired my body just couldn’t handle it. Who knows. But either way, I made it here to Sydney, grabbed a shuttle to my hostel, and luckily was able to snag a private room for myself. I usually enjoy a bit of mingling here and there when I stay at a hostel, but after that much travel I was just so ready to have my own space. I actually ended up exploring a good portion of Sydney today on foot- it was raining, so nice and cool for a long walk. I headed toward Darling Harbour from my hostel and stopped in Chinatown for some takeout and a pineapple pastry from this amazing little bakery I found. $1.80 for the best pastry I think I’ve ever had, plus some damn good chicken satay takeout to bring back to the hostel. Not bad, not bad at all. I walked through a bunch of different parks and gardens, eventually reaching the waters of Darling Harbour and Cockle Bay. A big portion of the city sprawls around this area, and although it’s obviously a huge touristy area (super nice restaurants, expensive shopping centers, etc.), the water provides a beautiful backdrop for the enormous buildings. I have to say, even though I am not a huge fan of really big cities, Sydney is one of my top five cities. Everything is just so green, clean, eco-friendly, diverse, and surrounded by water. Sounds a lot like Seattle, huh? I guess you could say I have a type.

Oh, almost forgot the most adorable couple I met on the shuttle to my hostel. They were both probably in their mid-seventies, white-haired and slightly hunched over, and both had been married for 45 years when their spouses passed away. The woman was from a small town in Wisconsin, and the man was from a southern state, but had spent a good portion of his life in the air force and teaching for the ROTC also in Wisconsin. They decided to try online dating a few years after their spouses had passed, and found one another’s profiles right away. This was eight years ago, and after realizing they both had dreams of traveling the world while their health was still good, they decided to get married. The woman went back to school for her business degree (just for the hell of it, she fully acknowledged that she probably won’t be able to do anything with it at this point) and spent the past four years pursuing it online, during which they drove over 60,000 miles in their RV, all around the continental U.S. They then decided to take a 20-week trip around the world, with each week spent in a different place. I came across them just after they had finished up Hawaii and Fiji, and were now spending a week in Australia followed by a week in New Zealand. They were the sweetest, most worldly couple I have ever met... their stories made me hope that everyone out there who never had the opportunity to travel abroad gets to do so, and learn a whole lot about themselves and their relationship to the world.

Alright, what next...oh yes, my last few days in Seattle were just what I needed... they involved a rainy run with Brian, Alyssa, and Worden through Lincoln Park, which of course is one of my all-time favorite places in Washington, some good quality time with P90X’s rockstar Tony in my room, just to say goodbye, wonderful dinners with my wonder-of-a-cook sister, goofy brother-in-law, and crazy little nephew, and a last meal of Bakery Nouveau’s signature pizza and an almond croissant (thanks to Brian for that one). It was a sad goodbye to Alyssa, Dave, Will, and Worden in Seattle, but luckily I have the most amazing sister in the world, and Alyssa made me a sweet little journal with pictures of me, Will and Worden on it so that I can write down my Aus adventures to be able to read them to Will when I am back in the States. She also gave me an amazing silver necklace with some sentimental sisterly words on it... made the departure a little easier, but of course added some extra tears. I was lucky enough to get one last ride to the airport in BP’s good ol’ Xterra, which is surprisingly still alive and kickin. The goodbye there was... well... lets just say it wasn’t a walk in the park.

Well, that’s pretty much all for now- love to all of you back in the States! I can’t believe this whole grad school thing is finally beginning.. it’s been a long time coming, so I’m doing my best to enjoy every single moment. BUT, that doesn’t mean I don’t miss all of you at home. Updates soon- and the next one will come with pictures, I promise.

Love, av