Every time a person visits a new place in the world, lasting experiences are made. Personally, I have had the pleasure of visiting the wonderful world of Sydney, Australia twice now and have come away, especially from the second excursion, a new person. Flying half way across the world, immersing myself in the Australian culture, and exploring the area like a Sydney local has made me a stronger and more independent adult at heart.
When I arrived in Sydney, I expected my stay in "The Land Down Under" to mimic my first in many ways. I thought that I would be able to enjoy the luxury of sleeping in, touring the city, and having a few memorable moments. Oh how naive was I. The first weekend of my stay I had the amazing opportunity of visiting New Zealand and connecting with the world of one of my all time favorite books, The Lord of the Rings. The memories I made during this short four day adventure in NZ will never be erased. Times that I have described in my previous blog post, like holding the sword of Aragorn and climbing the hill of Edoras, impacted my life by bringing a fantasy life that I had only read about to reality.
As I landed back down in reality by returning to Sydney, I learned how it was to become a true adult. Small things, like buying my own train ticket and sticking to a set schedule, presented themselves to me during the past three weeks, and I am glad to say that I truly met and conquered every challenge of the past three weeks. I was able to come home everyday and be proud of my performance during the day. It was inspiring.
The environment that I had the pleasure of living in for the past three weeks, as well as during my last stay in Sydney, impacted and changed my perception of the world as a whole. Kirribilli is a suburb of New South Wales, a southern state of Australia. Kirribilli offers a picturesque view of the Sydney Opera House and the Sydney Bridge, a steel through arch bridge that offers transport for cars, buses, pedestrians, and trains. During my three week stay, I had the pleasure of walking across the Sydney Bridge numerous times for my morning exercise routine. The Sydney Bridge also offers bridge climbs the take tourists up to the top of the bridge for a panoramic view of the city. All in all, Kirribilli is a clam, quaint neighborhood perfect for small families, college graduates, and people trying to make a new life for themselves. It is close enough to the downtown area of Sydney that within two train stops anyone can find themselves surrounded by the metropolitan aura that Sydney has to offer.
Now that I get ready to return home to the States, I get a few days off to live the tourist life. Tonight I will experience an Australian basketball game, and tomorrow I will have the pleasure of eating an Australian brunch and visiting an Australian golf club. Hopefully, more memories will be made over the next two days and I will return to the States a wiser and more mature adult. We can only keep our fingers crossed.
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