Good bye Aussie land….

                So here I am, 4 months older with longer hair sitting here in cold Minnesota.  I have learned more in the past 4 months than I ever thought imaginable.  I learned some things about myself that I never would have expected.  The world is a big place and there are so many great people and fun experiences that I never even thought about.  For example, I had never thought about what people are like in Norway, but I now know that Norwegians are some of my favorite people (elske du).  I also never knew what a true German acted like until I became good friends with Max and Thomas.  I have made some lifelong friendships and some memories that will never be forgotten.

               There are certain things that I would love to take away from Australian culture.  First off, I think all Americans need to take on more of the “no worries” attitude.  Another thing that I noticed after returning to America is that everyone seems to need to be constantly doing something.  For example, I love my parents, but I recently noticed that they almost always need to be doing something or getting something done.  I have noticed this with almost everyone since I have returned home.  People here love their laptops, I Pad, and phones.    This can be both a good thing and a bad thing and I am in no way insulting my parents.  I have noticed this for most of America.  On my way home I found that I was perfectly content just sitting on the plane and thinking the whole time.  In fact, I spent a total of around 24 hours actually on a plane and barely any of that time was spent doing anything.  I think I watched one movie, but other than that I was perfectly content just sitting there and reflecting on what I have been given in life.  I have actually really learned to enjoy my moments of silence. 

                I have also noticed that a lot of people are very serious and sometimes stresses about their job.  For example,  once I arrived in LAX airport, I encountered many overly serious workers.  One of the first people I saw in America was an extremely angry and loud security woman.  She started yelling at me while I was on crutches.  I wanted to yell at her, but I controlled myself.  It was just interesting because I did not experience that type of thing the whole time while I was in Australia. 

                I hope that this trip has permanently changed my attitude.  It is so easy in life to stress about things that do not really matter in the long run.  Life is short, spend it doing the things you love with those you love remembering who has given you the ability to love.  Unfortunately, I love surfing, but my parents have told me that moving is not an option. Haha No worries, I am going to keep working on it…

                In the end, I love you Australia and I am so grateful for all the friends and memories I have made.  “Cheers and G’day mate!”      

     

2 weeks of being an only child in OZ land…

                Stepping off the bus to see my parents may have been one of the most exciting moments of my life.  I have absolutely loved Australia and I was so grateful to have an opportunity to share the experience with the  two of the most important people in my life, my parents.  There was definitely a lot of “frothin” going on well they were here…  Let me provide some examples.

                Unfortunately the first day they arrived in “paradise,” I was busy spending my time in a classroom attempting two of the hardest finals of my life.  But after finishing those brutal exams (Econometrics and Portfolio analysis and management), it was time to start having some fun.  The next week on the Gold Coast involved some beautiful beaches, surfing, body boarding, pools, hottubbing, sauna, home cooking, movie nights, magic nights featuring good ole Scotty Flom (I think my friends changed their mind about who the coolest Flom was), and cliff jumping which unfortunately came with a trip to the hospital.

I was frothin off my chops the whole week because I had the opportunity to show my parents the amazing life I had built while living on the other side of the world.  For the first time in my life, I was not able to rely on anyone.  If I wanted food, I had to cook.  If I wanted to make friends, it was my job to start the friendships.  I was able to actually apply a lot of the knowledge my father has told me over the years.  I was able to be whoever I wanted to be.  It was an absolutely incredible feeling to see how proud my parents were of me.  I learned how to live alone.  Whether it was memorizing all of the buses and bus times or figuring out how to live in the Australian culture, I was the one who was able to inform my parents.  For the first time in my life, my father looked and sounded like the “clueless outsider.”  Lets just say this, when ordering food my father asked for a “chicken sandwich, a pop, and extra ketchup….”  Aimee, one of my good Australian friends, did not even understand what he just asked for.  Also, it took a while for Scotty to figure out that people in Australia do not say “no problems mate….”  He is still working on his Aussie accent, but it has definitely improved.  It all added to the fun of the trip.

Next, we decided to travel all around New Zealand for a week.  Heaps of hours were spent driving.  I was very proud of my dad for his ability to drive on the “wrong” side of the road.  We were lucky enough to see some of the most beautiful landscapes I have ever seen in my life.  A few of the highlights were: Milford sound, Queenstown, bungy jumping, jet boating, Arthur’s pass, and hiking the ice glaciers.  I think pop and I will always have a special bond considering the fact that we jumped 15 stories off a bridge together.  I was proud to call him my father.  I was also quite proud of my mom for her ability to adapt to every situation.  Most women would not hop in a jet boat and risk their life, but my mom was more than willing to “take one for the team.”  New Zealand was one of the most incredible and beautiful places I have ever seen in my life.  Pictures will never do it justice.  Just standing in the midst of some of the landscape made me so grateful for everything God has created and all the amazing opportunities that he has given me. 

In the end, the past two weeks have majorly “filled my cup.”  I will always remember what my parents did for me and I will always be grateful.  It may sound stupid, but those were definitely two of the most memorable weeks of my life. (ignoring my little injury)  To end this blog, I would be extremely grateful if you did me a favor, next time you see my father, ask him to say “no worries mate” in his incredible accent. THANKS!