Canada

I am so close to home!! After a 14 hour flight from Sydney to Vancouver, Canada, I am so near Seattle I can smell it...mmm...the smell of coffee, Evergreen trees, and rain. Makes me smile. And can I say it is wonderful to see prices a tad bit more reasonable for a chai latte at Starbucks? (It was ghastly expensive in Austria, Korea, and Australia.)

The plane ride from Sydney was terrific. Air Canada did me well and I enjoyed 3 movies (Eat Love Pray, Zookeeper, No Strings Attached) + 3 episodes of Modern Family + 3 episodes of Flashpoint. Unlike the car and train, the plane doesn't lull me to sleep...despite my intake of a bottle of Merlot that the kind flight assistant offered me.

U.S. Customs was a pain in the rear as I imagined it would be. Actually...I don't know what was worse...standing in line for 2 hours at the Beijing airport in the International Transfers line (trying to get to Sydney) or having my baggage ransacked by a U.S. Customs official (who was just doing her job, but still). Either way, I'm glad those experiences are behind me.

My passport is looking pretty full. I realized after I departed from Sydney that having my passport stamped is one of the best feelings in the world. Not only do I like having something declare where I've been and where I'm going, but I like the way each country's stamp is different in shape and in writing...different colors too!

I don't know where I'm going next or at what specific time, but I am so thankful for the safe journey that I had while I was away from Seattle. Looking back, I don't think I had to endure many hardships (no credit card numbers stolen or other valuables...knock on wood). And no illnesses or physical ailments impeded my travels. And I do believe that it was the thoughts, prayers, and wishes of many family and friends that covered me while I was away. I thank our dear Father for such a wonderful support system and, of course, for His protection and guidance.

I'm really looking forward to reconnecting with family and friends and catching up on everything that happened while I was away. I'm also excited to share what I've learned and discovered about the places I've visited and what I learned about me.
I have a feeling that some great conversations are going to be had over some great food in the near future. (If you know me, you know that the two go hand in hand.)

Cheers to awesome family and friends!

Lower Mangrove and Australia Walkabout Wildlife Park

Here are some pictures of the surrounding area and Wildlife Park I went to yesterday. Koalas are so soft!!

Home

After several days of internal debate, I've decided to leave Australia and go home a week from Tuesday (Oct. 25th). Though I currently love my host family, I haven't loved Australia as much as I would have hoped and I made a promise to myself that if I've ever felt like my travels were getting too long I'd head home...and I am.

I am happy with my decision and I'm counting down the days till I board the plane in Sydney. I hope I can continue to travel throughout the next few months. Maybe inside the U.S., maybe to one or more of the neighboring countries...who knows.
I do know that I am looking forward to reacquainting myself to home life and reconnecting with family and friends. And oh to sleep in my own bed again and shower in my own bathroom! I can't wait! I also get a tingling sensation in my stomache when I think of the holidays being around the corner and being home during the winter. There is something very comforting about home.

I hope to continue my blog until I fly back home and when I leave to travel again within the next couple of months.

Farming/Gardening/WWOOFing

I now have a whole new appreciation for farmers, gardeners and WWOOFers. Before arriving in Australia I thought that I'd be cut out for hard, physical labor. And I welcomed the idea of tilling the earth and sweating profusely and going to bed sore and tired. But after less than a week of working in the garden...weeding and painting and mowing and picking vegetables/fruit, I've come to realize that it's not as easy or simple as I thought it would be. In fact, I found myself counting down the hours till I could stop. (Lunch breaks were sweet times.)

Since staying with two host families I've learned that there are some WWOOFers who WWOOF across Australia and stay as long as 2 months with a family. I cannot imagine how they do it! And though I respect them for being able to endure the hot sun and manual work, I don't think I'd last.

So, whether it be at a farmer's market or at the grocery store, I know I won't ever look at fruits or vegetables the same way again. Because I know that somewhere someone worked long and hard to plant and grow those crops and it's because of their toiling that I can happily consume some amazing food.

Shout out to all the farmers, gardeners, and WWOOFers who are making our agricultural world go round. Thank you!!

Lower Mangrove

I met my second host family a few days ago and am currently staying with them in Lower Mangrove. Nola and John are a lovely couple and I have a feeling that I am going to learn tons about cooking and gardening from them. Yesterday, Nola and I dug up some beets from her garden and canned pickled beets. The fresh smell and beautiful red color of the beets were so wonderful to experience. I truly do have a greater appreciation for gardening and am still fascinated at how things grow from the earth.

Here are some pictures of our beet canning process from garden to jars:

Manly

After a devastating day on Monday filled with homesickness and despair, I decided to take a trip to Manly yesterday which is about a 30 min. ferry trip from Sydney. I had to force myself to go after feeling down in the dumps, but the trip was worth it and the beauty of the beach lifted me out of my woeful state and back to my happy, hopeful self.

Here are some pictures of/from Manly:

Australia

Australia so far has been lovely, but a bit lonely. After leaving Korea and Austria where friends and family awaited me, it has been a different journey arriving in Sydney solo.
The beauty of the Opera House and Harbour Bridge is inspiring, but less radiant than I initially thought as there is no one to share it with.
On top of that my first WWOOF (World Wide Opportunities for Organic Farming) experience wasn't what I had anticipated and I ended up leaving my first host family's house earlier than expected. I am currently back in Sydney waiting to meet up with my second host family in a few days.

After dreaming about coming to Australia for so long I feel like it's been a bit of a downer so far. I hope that things will look up in the near future.
I am still excited to see how Australians function and view the world so I wait in anticipation to see who I will meet in the future.

This is the first time I've really felt homesick. Wish I could see family and friends again. Hope you are all well.

Sydney

First, some pictures:

Sydney Opera House

The man taking this picture of me said I needed to smile extra hard.

Sydney Harbour Bridge

There it is!

Brother Bear said it was good...

...and he was right.

Of COURSE I saw Mary Poppins at the Capitol Theater. It was amazing!!

I must see it again.

Leaving Korea

Tomorrow I am leaving Korea for Australia. Once again, I find myself torn to leave family and head to another country. On the other hand, I am so excited for the new adventure. I've learned so much from my stay in the two countries that I've had the privilege to visit that I wonder what Australia will be like. Will it be similar to my experiences in Austria? Korea? or completely different?

God is full of surprises and I'm looking forward to the next couple of months.

Here are some pictures from the last few days that I took with family.

Ewha University - for women only. Gorgeous campus.

In front of an awesome building at Ewha that we ended up going into and where we talked for 2 hours.

We made the big climb up the stairs and the view was spectacular. 

Hongdae

Hongik University

At a lovely coffee shop. I had the roobias honey milk tea and it was amazing!

Goguma pizza bites! So good!

First time bowler! Hyunsoo!!

Me and Hyunsoo