After our year in NZ I had a last post serving as a retrospective of everything we gained in that year. New Zealand was amazing. Australia was . . . good. I can't necessarily sit here and pile on the praise the same way I could with NZ, but while it wasn't always sunshine and rainbows, it was still an experience that I could never regret and would never give up. Amongst all the stuff that we found frustrating or maddening or ridiculous, we are still taking away many good things as well. One of which being Australia dollars, the other thing being good friendships.
And even so, Australia had it's own version of beauty--it just wouldn't be found in cities which is where we spent so much time. So we did learn that about ourselves. I always fancied that I could see myself as this city girl, but after living in places that are so much more laid back I've found that my fancies have changed. Cities are just that--sure there are lots of people and entertainment and restaurants and the like, but we have found life to be much more enjoyable in the smaller places, the quieter places, the slower places. Where most everyone is kind and genuine. We encountered that in Port Douglas and in the small towns of Western Australia.
Being abroad this long has definitely opened our eyes to both the world and to ourselves. Once we eventually return home we will probably find ourselves much different than when we left, but that's sort of the point. And Australia had it's own hand in shaping our world views so we can't write it off completely the way we sometimes pretend to. It certainly wasn't all bad, and our last fews days showed us that it could actually be very nice.
So we will miss parts of Australia. We will miss the delicious wine, the beautiful beaches and reefs. We will miss the wage (but not the prices). We will miss the laid back atmosphere (but not the laziness). We will miss our friends (but not all Australians). We will miss the unique animals life (but not the snakes and spiders).
So for all the good and bad, I'll take Australia for what it's worth. And indeed, it definitely was worth something.
But our travels are nowhere complete! I actually hope and suspect that they will never be complete for the rest of our lives. Throughout all the frustrations and the heartaches and the minor disasters and the trepidation over the unknown--I love it. I don't think we could ever stop. . . so we won't!
I hope you will continue to follow us as we engage places (15 countries!) beyond this little southern corner of the world. We love it, but we are ready for more! We are ready for everything! (But we will start with Asia). So, follow us on the THIRD installment of our awesome travel blog:
John and Kristin's Asian Adventures!
