Kasia D Australia 2011: Day 11-12

Our very last day in Australia!!! Time flies by when you're havin' fun, doesn't it?

It seems as if we just landed in New Zealand a couple days ago, not even talk about a week!
As time is nearing towards our flight back to Sydney, back to LAX, and back to O'hare, I truly want to say that this trip has definitely been the experience of a lifetime!

We woke up at 3:30 this morning (SO tired) and left the hotel at about 4... Ms.Titus was staying a couple more days in Australia for a trip, and so we all said our good-byes, and I hugged- real tight. Even though I met her just on this trip, I feel like we've known each other for the longest time... We always got so close when we started talking. It was sad. As we were pulling out of the parking lot, I was waving goodbye to her, but at the same time, I felt as if I was waving goodbye to Australia and New Zealand. I was really going to miss this place!

When we got to the airport, we got into our regular schedule of checking in our luggage and getting our boarding passes. Yes, it took a long time, but at this point in the trip, I didn't care HOW long it took... The plane rides home weren't that bad, the longest being 15 hours, except the heavy turbulence when we were passing through a storm on the way to LAX- it felt like a rollercoaster, jumping up and down in my seat. I have to admit, it was scary, but fun at the same time! Before we all knew it, we were on a bus going back to North. After some time, I looked out the window and I saw North up ahead. I blinked in amazement... Were we really back home? Already? It was just like yesterday that we were leaving North... Even though it was 12 days ago. Time can really fly by. To be honest, the whole idea of the International Date Line confuses me... The flights totalled in about 26 hours, yet we got home nearly 10 hours after we left Cairns. Hmmm.

It was hard to soak up the past 12 days in just a couple of thoughts. If I had the choice, I'd stay here a couple extra days, walk around, and feel the energy all around me. But that wasn't the real thing. Reality check: the trip was over! I remember getting ready for the trip and cramming in things at the last minute right before departure, and now here I am... 12 days later, thinking about all the fun times I had and realizing that I'm finally coming home. Australia felt like my second home, especially since I got so close to many new people (I could probably name everybody off the top of my head), got more outgoing (stepping out of my somewhat-shy personality), and opened up to the world! I can't thank everyone enough... My family, my friends, everyone who made this dream become a reality! I, never in a million years, would have thought that I'd visit Australia and New Zealand. But to be honest, I was kind of ready to go back home... I missed being familiar to everything around me, everything and everyone being so close.

I absolutely LOVE the idea of traveling, and always did, but because of this trip and the amazing people who made it possible, I want to travel all the time! Just at the spontaneous thought of it makes me want to jump out into the sky and land in another country or place... There's not one country I wouldn't want to visit. :) Travel is my new interest, something I want to continue for the rest of my life! Going on this trip, I've gone through both thick and thin... But crossing any obstacles that were in the way or even passing by the easy things, I feel like I've become a different person. One that has changed for the better. I've learned life lessons that I will always use, became friends with those I never would've have thought of being friends with, and saw things and places I never thought I would! I faced challenges and took risks. Memories were created, stories will be retold, pictures were taken, friends were made... A new family was made, a "travel family". But nothing compares to the fact that I had traveled to Australia and New Zealand! Hope another trip like this one is in my very near future... I couldn't ask for anything more!