Schools Out for Summer

As of 10:30 this morning (6:30 pm on Sunday night for all you in the midwest), I finished my semester of Uni here in Australia. It is so strange to be done as it feels like I was just getting here and starting to figure things out yesterday. Reaching the end of the semester is bitter sweet: it is always nice to finish with the school part of things but this also means my time in Australia is quickly coming to an end and that I will have to (and already have had to) start saying goodbye to all of my new friends.

This past week has been pretty busy preparing for exams and doing things with my Australian friends. On Wednesday I joined my friend Pippa for a trip to Kangaroo Point on the Brisbane River. We took over one of the barbecues and had the quintessential Australian meal of snags (better known as sausages ). We had hoped to watch the sun set over the city; however, it was a cloudy day. Despite this it was still really gorgeous up on kangaroo point and the transition of the city lights from daylight to night was beautiful. Evening is usually the best time to be outside because it is a lot cooler so that was also enjoyable.

Last night I went to another Aussie Barbecue for the end of the semester break-out party of Uni-Impact, the campus ministry I’ve been involved in.It was great to have another chance to hang out with people and just enjoy being outside. It was my first real experience with Australian flies — they were everywhere, and I’d have to say I could do without them. I would have to equate them to mosquitos in a Minnesota summer, although the bite seems to be a lot worse. The barbecue was a lot of fun but it was a bit sad saying goodbye to everyone at the end of the night.

I am leaving tonight for one last traveling adventure around Australia before I leave on November 20th. I will be visiting Perth, Uluru (the rock in the middle) and Melbourne. These are all some of the places I have been most looking forward to seeing so I can’t wait! I hope the next two weeks goes well for everyone! Cheers.