I find it quite appropriate that my last full day in Australia is Australia Day.
I don’t think you understand – if I wasn’t American, I’d want to be Australian. Hands down, no contest. I’ve fallen in love with the beaches, the water, the sun, the slang, the laid-back attitude, but mostly the people. I’ve made countless Australian friends in my 8 months across the continents, and they never cease to capture my heart.
Bottom line: I have unfinished business in Australia. I will be back. My toes need their ocean.
It’s crazy that I’ve been in Australia for 6 weeks, and their accent doesn’t faze me anymore. Ok, not true. One guy greeted me with a “How’s it go’in? Happy ‘straya day” and I couldn’t help but internally laugh. But for the most part, nothing seems out of the ordinary anymore. They even have me talking in slang now!
And there’s a lot of it.
So the plan for Australia Day wasn’t very elaborate. The plan was to have a simple BBQ get together out at Jo’s family’s house. They have a huge work shed, so we threw some chairs around a table/ping pong table and called it good.
Jo was at work for half the day, so I ventured into a room full of strangers and met her brother’s friends. In like 2.5 seconds I was at ease hanging out and chatting with them.
Honestly, this lasted for hours and hours. Eventually the BBQ came and we all feasted on yummy sausages and burgers. And slowly everyone headed out into downtown Geelong to continue the party. I made my way to a shower and bed. It was a travel day for me tomorrow. I would be leaving one of my favorite countries in the world.
I’m not very happy about it.
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