Holes to fill

I have holes in my life—holes regarding what I've been doing for the past 2 months in Australia, new holes in my adventure/outdoor-go-to jeans, and a hole inside me that got dug up and emptied quite some time ago. I have holes to fill.

I'm studying abroad at the University of Melbourne at the moment and have been here since mid-July. I already have so many stories that I don't know where to begin. This whole experience has been an accumulation of "firsts," (first time out of the U.S., first time abseiling, first time rock climbing [harnessed and outdoors], first time having to be self-sufficient, first legal drink, first time a random person has bought me a drink, etc.) and the list continues to grow. A quick recap of all the things I've done thus far are 3 zoo/wilderness park visits, a trip to Sydney involving a Sydney Bridge climb, abseiling in the Blue Mountains, sight seeing, going on pub crawls, attending footy and rugby league matches, meeting tons of new people, and rock climbing in the Grampians and Mt. Arapiles.


The Great Escape: First time out of the U.S.


First Legal Drink


me, Emily, and Sarah. Emily's one of the wittiest people I've ever met. She's also gender-conscious and knows what a diva cup is, which gives her 20 cool points. Sarah's fun-loving, sweet, and one of the funnest drunks to be around. She's also my workout buddy and loves to dance as much as I do!


Sarah, Epack, and Stacey. Epack's my roomie, and I'm so thankful for it. We get along well, have the same friend group, and she's quite the character. She's super chill, a 12-year-old boy at times, and someone who you do NOT want to piss off or mess with because she WILL carry out her threats. Definitely a good source for stories haha. Stacey's one of the sweetest people ever. She's also British, rides a motorbike, likes to do extreme sports, and studies maths (so weird how they refer to it in plural form). Basically, I think that she's a badass underneath her sweet, British exterior, and all the guys are after her.


An Adorable Joey!


Sydney Bridge Climb. It was FREEZING up there.


Abseiling in the Blue Mountains


A typical Aussie pre-night. Epack, Sarah, Whitney, and me. Whitney's the oldest in our group (a senior) and kind of acts like the "mawm" (she's from the midwest) of our group. She's down-to-earth, adventurous/outdoorsy, and I really enjoy talking to her.


Rock climbing at Mt. Arapiles (Bjorn up top and Ingrid to the left of me)

I'm definitely trying to make the most out of this once in a lifetime experience while it lasts. I want to do and see EVERYTHING. It's hard though because everything's so expensive here. So unfortunately for my stomach, that means an increased intake of ramen. Not to worry though. I am trying to still be health conscious as well by throwing in frozen mixed veggies and eggs (for protein) into the mix. Oh, and occasionally fish for those omega-3's. =P

Being in Melbourne is a big change from Claremont. It's so nice to be able to just walk into the city and get around without a car. The Vic (Victoria) Market's also a cool place. You can buy all sorts of things—cheap produce, souvenirs, clothes/shoes, and whatever else your heart desires. As for classes, mine aren't as big as I thought it would be for a school that has 40,000+ students. It's so crazy to see that the majority of people here all commute to school and will wake up at like 6:30am to catch a 9am class. Also, not having homework due multiple days a week is a pleasant change, but I can definitely see this "independent learning" coming back and kicking my ass. (I have more time to go out, but this is time that ought to be spent reading up on the material on my own. =/ But I'm in AUSTRALIA! Can you blame me?)

Rock climbing was just this past weekend, and I had an AMAZING time. There were a range of difficulties for various climbs, and while I was easily able to complete most of the climbs, I definitely struggled on others. The physical and mental struggles made reaching the final summit of the mountain all that much more rewarding. I definitely have scrapes and bruises along with bigger/new holes in my jeans, but it was all worth it. Working my way up to awesome and calming scenic views, especially on the arduous climbs, made me forget about everything else going on in my life.

With regards to stories of my Aussie adventures, I've got them, but don't want to go into much detail explaining them. If you want me to elaborate, then ask...but here's a taste of what a few stories include:

• my roomie, Epack, getting lost in our room
• me not knowing my own strength (must be because I play rugby =P)
• my friend Sarah and I having to literally run away from this crazy guy
• my terrible gaydar

Before I came to Australia, one of the reasons why I thought it would be good for me was because I'd have time to cope with the hole inside of me that was dug up a while ago. (Cliche, yes, I know. Feel free to skip over this paragraph.) I thought that time plus the lack of interaction with the one responsible would cause the hole to get smaller and hopefully disappear. I've realized now though that this hole will always be present in me. Australia hasn't made it smaller; it just covered up the opening—allowing it to sit there like a trap. Australia's just been a distraction, granted a very enjoyable distraction, but when I'm reminded of the current situation it's almost as if the hole gets deeper and darker. I think that the only way I'll ever get pass it is by finding someone who can help fill this hole just as well (if not better) than the last person who did.