Day 7

• What I did today

Today has been one of the many days that I've been looking forward to! Excursion day. Yes, just at the thought of seeing whales out in the open ocean, and doing the BridgeWalk a couple hundred feet in the air above water, just gives me the goose-bumps and the thrill of the day!

One thing though. Whale Watching was cancelled... Funny story. So I woke up this morning, all pumped up and ready to go, when I went down to breakfast with Katie and Bridget. We had a wonderful, delicious breakfast (scrambled eggs, sausages, fruit, toast with butter and honey), and once we finished, we got up to go wait outside in the lobby area. Halfway there, Katie reminds the both of us that we have to take Dramamine (something for motion sickness, you know, if we get a little sick out in the ocean with nowhere to run)... And so me, always being the one prepared (most of the time), take out the Dramamine tablets and give each other two of them and hold it out with our fingers, just staring at them. We pour ourselves a glass of water and take them, and probably in less than second (even less than that, if possible), Mr. Schagrin comes up behind us three and tells us not to take Dramamine because the Whale Watching excursion is cancelled due to the ugly weather conditions. And so we look at each other and burst out laughing! Too late. After a couple minutes of playing Apples-to-Apples and the Knives Game, it starts to hit us. Katie is pretty much half asleep, Bridget looks as if she's about to pass out again, and me, well I'm still holding in... somewhat. It wasn't until during the long walk to Paddy's Market that I was almost walking with my eyes almost closed. Talk about sleepy for the entire day!

I was sad that Whale Watching was cancelled last minute. I really wanted to see whales... But, my mood was a bit more high-spirited when we went to the market. When we got there, it was actually quite nice, a little packed though. But, a market is a market... We got a lot of cool, cheap stuff! And when we walked out, we walked straight into yet another long walk to the harbor area. We dropped by to the Rocks again for a quick lunch and a bit more shopping, but then as soon as we were done, we got another head start for another long walk to the BridgeWalk... There was a lot of preparation done for this! Getting on our jumpsuits, our safety equipment in place... I was the first one in line (right behind the tour guide... he knew my name, too)!

This was the moment I have been waiting for this whole day! It was really windy, and about halfway up, it started raining... For the third day in a row, wow. It wasn't that long of a walk up to the summit of the Bridge, maybe about 30 minutes or so... but with the stopping and taking of pictures (including the preparation stuff down) and walking back down to ground again, it took almost 3 hours! It was definitely worth it though! When I got to the summit of the Bridge, I felt a sense of accomplishment. I'm usually a person who isn't afraid of heights, but when I first looked at how high the Bridge actually was, I was very surprised! When I got up to the top, I saw the most magnificent view of the Opera House and the city itself! It was completely breathless! I've never seen anything like it, and seeing today as our last day in Sydney, it was the perfect way to end and leave this city... Being up there felt so good, and as we were heading back down, I personally didn't want to. Sometimes, I felt like I didn't have my harness attached and the wind would blow me over... That was the best feeling! I wanted to stay up there forever! But I knew that couldn't happen... Like my goal at the beginning of the trip, I made the most out of this moment, and will never forget it! It was so amazing, there's no words to describe it! After we came back down and got back to "ourselves" again and down on the ground, we met up with the other group that went to the Blue Mountains and went to the Sydney Harbor, once again, and in the dark, we enjoyed the city light show! It was beautiful! And like every other day, we finished off the night walking back to the hotel, through the city, this time "accidentally" walking through the "interesting, slightly inappropriate areas" of the city. Wayyy too many clubs, that's for sure. however, we enjoyed a great dinner and definitely slept well, that's for sure!

Our last day in Sydney and by far the BEST!!!

Who would have ever guessed that I climbed up to the peak of the 

Sydney Bridge?!

Day 6

• What I did today

Another magnificent day in the wonderful city of Sydney!

From the very morning, we have been touring the city by bus, starting from one side of the harbor (the one closest to our hotel), all the way to the other side (on the oppposite side of the city)... And I thought that this was a small city!

We got to see the Bridge and Opera House from a farther viewpoint on the harbor... It was kind of like a little cove! I took a lot of pictures here, since there were so many opportunities, and before I noticed, I was making my way down a rocky trail where we could see an opening to the harbor! It was such an amazing view! We had so much fun, running through the rain and wind, trying to see as much of the city as a human possibly can see in one day... I even saw this little cute parrot up in a tree! I never thought of the fact that parrots lived in trees in Australia! Though one thing I didn't enjoy much was that it was raining, rather pouring, like crazy! By the time we got out of the bus to look around, everyone came running back in cause it was so wet, windy, and cold. It would seem funny when people would hop onto the bus, fully out of breath. I guess walking through wind and rain CAN be tiring sometimes... And we were by the ocean, so the waves added a little more to this "experience", too... Though I did enjoy the listening to the waves go WOOOOSH! against the rocks and cliffs! It felt so free...
Continuing with our "lazy day" tour, we got dropped of at a beach. I'm pretty sure it was Bondi Beach... It was so nice... and calming... There were hardly any people there! Maybe a few joggers here and there, and possibly one surfer (I really wanted to go surfing!)... But that's it. We ran in the sand, followed the waves, and once we were out of breath, my friends and I went into this cafe by the beachside. We were so out of breath and freezing cold, and wet (let's not forget that), we got warm, freshly-baked muffins and a hot chocolate- Australian style. I don't know what they put into that hot cocoa, but it definitely topped the American one by a million! I wanted more, but unfortunately, we ran out of time.

But I guess that time was saved in order to enjoy our next and final bus tour stop, the Sydney Harbor! As a little group, we went all the way up to the top of the stairs... but to where? The Sydney Opera House! Finally... A dream come true... As soon as I took a picture, I ran up up to touch it. And surprisingly, it's not as white as it seems or looks on pictures! The color of the Opera House is more like a pale yellow. Hmm, interesting. Anyways, after a walk around the Opera House and down under it, too, we started heading towards the shore, where a line of small shops and little cafes were standing. After getting a lunch (another delicious Aussie burger), we walked allllll the way around until we reached our cruise ship port. This was so exciting! I got onto the humongous cruise ship, which led us in a slow-paced, wonderful tour of the Sydney Harbor itself. With wind blowing in my face, and my cheeks turning cold red, I was enjoying myself, despite the weather...

After about an hour, we finally made it to the other side, and we were dropped off at the Sydney Wildlife Center. I expected this "zoo" to be much larger, since it's Australia, so it didn't meet my expectations. But I definitely saw what I wanted to! All of the native animals of this country... A crocodile, a kangaroo, a wallaby, other animals that I don't remember the name of, and of course, my absolute favorite, the koala! I had the chance to pet a koala and take a picture with it, so I was all for it! It was so fuzzy and poofy, and curled up in a ball... Just like a realllllly fuzzy puppy in your hands! I've always wanted to see and pet a koala, and here I was...! After enjoying a great time at the Center, we had a prepared dinner for us. I had a traditional Aussie burger, and it was delicious!!! I could definitely have another one of those... The walk back home, otherwise known as our hotel, wasn't as bad as other days; however, it was still pretty long and my legs were sore after we finally made it inside. I always found it funny how someone would always say, "Is it around THIS corner?", and we would reply "We don't know yet, maybe...", getting lost in our thoughts and walk.

Another great, relaxing day in Sydney!!! And tomorrow are excursions, which means that we will get to go Whale Watching and climb the Sydney Bridge! You can probably guess how excited I am and see the smile on my face...

• Journal of the Day

Traveling experiences and emotions can often change for the better or the worse during a trip; but no matter what, traveling can give you such a great, new perspective on life and the world around you! Every part of the world is the same, yet different and unique, even if countries are on the opposite sides of the world! It's cool to thing about how small and big the world is at the same time!

So far, I've enjoyed every single second of this trip, making it the best that I can when it counts the most! Going to Australia and New Zealand helped me open up more to other people and things, help me come out of my comfort zone, take risks or overcome my fears, as well as help me see the beauty in things... I've been doing all of this more often now, as we are farther into the trip. I've become more familiar with the people and things around me, relying on them for advice or help when I need it the most, but also trying to put myself in the situation and find a way out. In other words, try it for myself! I haven't been using much technology on this trip either, which is a huge step-up, seeing that I'm always surrounded by it at home. I've tried to become even more outgoing than I am, trying to get to know everyone on the trip, or even talk to people I wouldn't usually think of talking to and make new life-long friends. These are the kinds of things I have noticed improvements in, and even things that can teach you life lessons worth-knowing... At this moment, I haven't really found anything that has been challenging, but maybe that moment is yet to come, who knows?

I feel like going on this trip has so far helped me realize things and places, and focus on them, that I've never seen before. The culture, the way of life, and even the cuisine, is all so different than what I'm used to. The towns look different, the cities' atmospheres are different... Everything about all these places is all so unique and interesting!

I feel like with trips like these, you have the chance to do things you've never done before, and see things you've never seen before... It's all just an unexpecting moment in life, a moment in life in which you're just watching for something to happen or jump out at you! These trips are thrills, pure adventures, and simply just the how the world is meant to be!
Instead of holding back and not stepping up to the challenges you are about to face, there's no point in traveling. Traveling is the time to give it your all and enjoy every minute, every second of it!
Just like that, I've enjoyed every part of the trip and completely fell in love with both countries!!!

Someday in the future, I will look back at these past and upcoming days and say "WOW". Stare, think, and remember all of the places I've been to and all that I've been through... Completely breathless, that's what it is... And put a great big smile on my facem because I finally know what traveling is!

Day 5

• What I did today

From the bright early hours of the day, until the late hours chilling at the hotel, this "travel day", as we all call it, has been relaxing and free of chaos...!

After a great, final night in New Zealand, we spent the rest of the night packing our bags. And first thing in the morning after we woke up and had breakfast, we headed to the airport for our 3rd flight of the trip... Here we come Sydney!!!

This flight wasn't as long as others, thank goodness, but it was still relaxing, just as I expected it to be... Talking with my friends, I got so lost in time that I didn't even notice that we were not too far off from Sydney! To be honest, ever since I was little, I've always wanted to see the Sydney Bridge and Sydney Opera House in person! Looking through the window of the airplane, here I was, staring at the two most famous Australian landmarks with amazement in my eyes! I couldn't believe it!

When we landed, and got through the airport, we took a coach bus to our hotel, where we were going to be staying for the next couple of days... We got settled in and once we got into our little groups, we left the hotel for a mini tour walk around the city. I have to say, the city of Sydney is definitely SOMETHING! It's not like any other city you might have seen in your lifetime... Even though it has some similarities in appearance to Chicago, the atmosphere of it is nothing close in comparison! The parks are so clean and green, well-kept in mind of nature, and the city side walks are full of friendly people, not trying to mess around with others, if you know what I mean... In other words, Sydney is a work of art! We walked pretty far from where we started, making it pretty much all the way to the other city. Or at least that's what it seemed like... We saw many monument-like sculptures, climbed/rode to the top of the Sydney Tower, and made it to the Sydney Harbor, where I saw some pretty sweeeeeet views of the Opera House and Bridge...

The view from the top of the Sydney Tower were simply magnificent! I've never seen anything like it, or maybe it was because I was in Sydney for he first time... It was kind of like looking through the windows on the top of the Sears Tower in Chicago, but here, you got a glimpse of the ENTIRE city! No words to describe it all... Completely breathless. I got some great mental snapshots of it all, as well as some postcards, of course... Did you know that the highest post box in the southern hemisphere is just up in the Sydney Tower! Pretty cool! We also went to the Rocks, which is a small part of the city near the Harbor where there are several markets and cafes where you can stop, rest, and buy some really cool things. I got a returning boomerang, which my friends and I bargained for a cheaper price (it was really hard, since they were kind of getting mad about it... But what could you do? I mean, the less the better, right?) and several original Aboriginal works of art... A couple necklaces and earrings here and there, too. And all for really cheap! It definitely was worth it. The Rocks was very relaxing and beautiful, which has a lot of history to it, too!

The day was so relaxing and full of leisure, and if it weren't for Alec, our tour guide, we probably wouldn't have a rest from our previous days of travel! The only bad part about today, was that it was raining, rather pouring, all throughout the day... That did not end well. Going back to the hotel, it was super cold outside, and half the group decided to take the train back to the hotel, while the other part of the group would walk back, sightseeing the city in brief moments. I, being a traveler and not taking the easy-way-out of problems, like rain, went with the walking group... Everything was fine, while quickly walking (we were trying to beat the others just for fun). Until, the whole group stopped. I was confused, I didn't know what we were doing, because as far as I knew, we were almost there... But I was wrong, oopsie. Apparently, Mr. Ewen, Mr. Schagrin, and Ms. Tomasello led us in the wrong direction, or took a wrong turn... More like the guy with the map (Mr. Ewen, ehmm... As much as I like him!). It was pretty funny! We had to ask some people which way to go, and once we figured everything out and we got back to the hotel, we were all soaked wet and cold. And guess what? We definitely didn't beat the other group... We took like an hour trying to get back! But an adventure is an adventure, only true travelers take risks like these! That's how I like to look at it. The rest of the night was laid-back... My friends and I ordered pizza to the hotel, played games, and watched Australian "Dancing with the Stars" (which was quite interesting, wink wink)... The day went by smoothly. And by the time it was lights out, we were all out of breath, tired, and ready for the upcoming day and what it had in store for us! Or at least I was!

• Journal of the Day

When we arrived in Sydney for the first time, I was actually quite surprised of how similar, yet, different, it was from Chicago! Sydney is a big city... Full of skyscrapers, both tall and small buildings, in which everything is outlined with many, many, many bright lights! It's also a very populated city, with people everywhere you look (very diverse), walking and driving down the streets, this way and that. However, it's not too busy or crowded, like Chicago is... And you may think of Sydney as a very big city, but you're wrong. Sydney is actually a really small city, a "cute little BIG town", nothing compared to what I thought it was like before coming here... It has cute little shops and cafes lining the streets from every side, reminding me of the one-way towns of New Zealand, but a bit bigger, as well as open areas in which people can have fun in and socialise! It also has street markets and outdoor malls, both of which we spent time in today! Both Chicago and Sydney are placed on water fronts, Sydney having the Ocean and Chicago having the Lake. Both cities look similar in some aspects of the appearance of it all. But for some reason, Chicago is bigger, packed, and windier, more than Sydney, and in the end, it seems more, simply, bland... Sydney is just a beautiful city, no matter what side you look at it from!

Yes, it has its "perks" and bad sides of town, just like any other city in the world, but it just seems like a friendlier and warmer sort of city...

Just like Chicago, Sydney has many tourist attractions, including aquariums, zoos, landmarks, and something that characterizes it for what it is, if you know what I mean. For example, Chicago is greatly known for the Sears Tower. On the other hand, Sydney can be characterized by either the Bridge or the Opera House. Whichever city, both can be recognized just by these famous attractions! Even tough Chicago and Sydney are on opposite ends of the world, the people in these two cities seem to have very similar cultures and lifestyles. Aside from being on the opposite sides of streets and roads, transportation in Sydney is the same, varying from buses, subways, cars, and trains. People walk around freely as well!

Seeing Sydney for the first time in my life was amazing!!! Not only was I excited, but also relieved, since I have finally made it here and everything is easy to comprehend and is self-explainable. Spending a little time in the city gave me a little insight on the city itself. The parks are much bigger and more clean and more green, which was one thing I was actually surprised about! Compared to Chicago, or any other cities I've been to, Sydney was probably one of the most clean-kept cities. There was no trash, not a lot of people, and the environment was quite relaxing and friendly... This city is completely beautiful and astonishing, and the atmosphere of it is completely unbelievable...

I fell in love with Sydney ever since the first second that I saw it 

and always will be!

Day 4

• What I did today & Journal of the Day 

Our 3rd day of the trip already! I can't believe it!

We had to wake up bright and early today, REALLY early! We ate breakfast and immediately started walking towards the nearest bus stop that would take us to the only Redwood Forest in New Zealand! It seemed like forever just to walk to that one bus stop! And when we did reach the bus stop, we stood there... for a really long time! Then, it turned out that our bus was a no-show, and had to walk another couple of blocks to get to another one, which ended up being closer to where we started in the first place! It was so frustrating! We ended up waiting for a long time too, and after almost an hour, and almost giving up, our bus finally showed up and we started heading towards the forest! We were going on a morning hike in the rain and wind... I was literally wet from head to toe, and if it weren't for my purple raincoat (thank you teachers), I probably would have not been in such a great mood. On the bright side, the sun was shining, and I was walking trails that took me to the deepest parts of the forest! It was so exciting! I saw ferns, with silver on the back, that I've never really seen in forests before, and big trees, bigger than me times 10, maybe even more! They were huge! It was so beautiful! I've never seen anything like it! At one moment, though, we thought we got lost and stood there for about 10 minutes, debating which way we should go back to get to the main road... As much as I love hiking, and love nature, and love rain, I was starting to get annoyed of the dampness and coldness... But, I still would have enjoyed getting lost! When we DID get back upon an agreed route, and a bunch of extra turns, twists, and trails, the other group wasn't back yet, which ended up in another lost hour or so... But we sang Disney songs A LOT which made us all high-spirited again! Yay! In the end, we all got back to the hotel, thank goodness, but soaked... It was STILL pouring outside.

Before I knew it, we were driving away from the Agrodome and heading towards Auckland, for LONGGG hours, where we were going to meet our Kiwi pen pals from Rangitoto College (which is a high school, actually). This has been one of the many big things I was looking forward to on the trip from the very beginning! Before the trip, I got in touch with my pen pal from New Zealand. Her name was Jess and about the same age as me, and ironically, she also liked to play tennis and take French! We were really good friends! And as we started to pull up closer and closer to the school, I couldn't help but feel a tinge of excitement, since I was finally going to meet her... It was drizzling outside so we quickly got out of the bus and ran to hide ourselves under a couple buildings before it began to pour, once AGAIN. But since some students were still in school and preparing for this event, we were sent to their library. When I got inside, I have to say it was a pretty cool library! Everything was so organised, and I noticed a lot of Maori culture books in the back, which was good since they have a lot of focus toward their backgrounds and where they've come from...

For the next couple of minutes, we were getting to know each other with Brigitte, learning about her school, herself, and the city in whole! Sooner or later, we started walking around the school, visiting the auditorium, some of the classrooms, as well as the hallways. Not too long after, the principal came to get us, inviting us to the building where we were going to have our ceremony. Right at the beginning, the kids from the other school greeted us with a Maori dance, their national song, and a welcoming speech... Right after them, we, prepared in the last minute, sang the Star Spangled Banner and Steven, being the "chief" of the group, thanked them for inviting us today for this day. Immediately, we all separated from our groups and began walking around, getting to know all of our Kiwi friends... They were so nice! At one point, Jess's best friends came up to me and told me that Jess was sick and wasn't able to come tonight. Right then and there, I got both sad and surprised... I was so looking forward to meeting her in person! But there wasn't anything I could do, except wish for her to get better as soon as possible. Unfortunately, everyone got to meet their pen pals except for me, but that's okay, because I know I will meet Jess again in person someday in the future, for sure! 

Eating specially-made Kiwi food, dancing to music, and getting to know each other, I became really good friends with a couple Kiwis, including Lisa, Charlotte, Brigitte, Jordan, Michael, and Nikita... We were friends as if we've known each other for a really long time! I got to know them really well, as well as their school, what they like to do for fun, sports, and many other things! I also learned the Haka, which is the traditional Maori dance (that the All Blacks rugby team does in order to scare their opponents before a match)... It was so hard, yet so interesting! Shortly after a great dance and face-off, Nikita, Michael, and Jordan took me for a tour around their campus outside, and since it was raining and there were so many trails, I didn't see where I was going and accidentally stuck my entire foot into mud. Everyone started laughing and it was definitely a moment that I, as well as my new friends, will remember this day for! To honestly say, these 3 hours, as short as they were, were probably one of the best 3 hours on this trip so far... I got to know so many new things, not only about one of the biggest high schools in the country, but also about some of the very unique and special people in it! It's definitely a day I will always remember, for million days to come! It was an experience that was not only incredible and an everlasting memory, but it was also an eye-opening experience that helped me view the world and its people in a different way... I hope to keep in touch with the Kiwi friends I made today, as well as Jess, for as long as I can... A friendship like these could last for decades! And I know I will see them all soon in the very near future, whether they will come to me, or I will come to them... Whichever it may  be, today was a thrill!
Today, as long, tiring, and exhausting as it has been, has turned out to be one of the greatest days of my life! 

As I get ready for tomorrow morning's flight to Sydney, I hope my amazing adventure will continue on at its absolute best!!!