My Geelong friends, Susan and Colleen, at Lotus Cafe; Me at 22 weeks on the porch in front of Corio Bay for the last time
The past three weeks have flown by, and I have not gotten a chance to think about or truly say goodbye to Australia. What a wonderful country to have the opportunity to explore for the past year and a half!
Any time one has the opportunity to spend a significant amount of time out of the country there is much to be learned and a lot of personal growth to be manifested. If I had to list a few things that stick out from the past year and half, the list would include:
1. I said it at the beginning of our time in Australia, and I will say it again: It is unbelievable to think about how far away Australia is from the U.S. but how similar its living conditions and people are to America. With today's technology of Vonage and Hotmail I never thought a lot about the distance between myself and the U.S. when living my life in Geelong. Then nine hours into a flight from Melbourne to L.A., with five more to go, it hits you how Australia truly sits in a remote corner of the world. Australians feel it to, and I think that is one of the reasons for their genuine friendliness. They relish interaction with others to alleviate some of their alienation.
2. I have always found pleasure in pouring over restaurant reviews and planning out my food choices online before an anticipated restaurant visit. While Mark and I really had some fantastic meals in Australian restaurants (Buon Riccordo, La Tavola, Grossi Florentino, Cafe e Cucina, The Flower Drum to name a few), it was nice to expand my love of cooking and enjoy a good bottle of Australian wine (pre-pregnancy - boo!) at home. We did this a lot, and I think my growth of food and wine knowledge can be attributed to this. Sure there were quite a few calamities in the kitchen, but that is how you learn.
3. Most importantly, in my time spent abroad, I have learned to an even greater extent that we here in America are only a small, but great, part of the world. It is easy to consume one's self in everyday life and not seek to learn about other cultures. And, while Australia is not exactly a culturally different country, it still presents an opportunity to observe antipodean perspective on the rest of the world and even on the U.S. It is my hope that my child will one day get to spend time out of the country (even though I will miss her) and grasp this concept also.
G'day Australia, and thank you for your wonderful hospitality, beautiful landscape, and for the chance to spend time with koalas and kangaroos!
