Hello again!

It’s been quite a while since my last post. So much has happened I’m not really sure where to start! It’s amazing how time can fly by so quickly. The last couple of months have been some of the best of my life and completely dispelled all feelings of loneliness and homesickness that was lingering from the start of the semester. I’ve made some amazing friends and created what I know are going to be life-long bonds. Life in the village continues to exceed my expectations and has really started to feel like home to me, which makes the fact that I only have one month left here a bit of a scary thought.

Over the April mid-semester break I headed to New Zealand with seven of my friends from here in the village and road tripped around the north island! We rented a mini bus because it proved to be the most economical way for us to travel around. Staying in hostels and AirBnBs allowed us to cook our own meals and avoid eating out most of the time. The two weeks flew by! We saw beautiful beaches, went on hikes, went bungee jumping and black water rafting. It was definitely a once-in-a-lifetime experience and I’m so glad I got to spend it with such amazing people.

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Hot water beach at Coramandel!
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An amazing sunset at a beach outside of Wellington.

I was lucky enough to have my boyfriend from back home in Canada come to visit for a few weeks in May as well. We flew to Sydney for a weekend and did all of the necessary tourist activities: the Taronga zoo, an AFL game, the Sydney Opera House, the Harbour Bridge, and of course Bondi and Manly beach. When we got back to Adelaide we did some touristy things here as well, which was nice because I really got to experience the city I’ve been living in for the last few months a bit more. We headed off to the Botanic Gardens in the city and then to the central market to buy food for dinner – both of which I would definitely recommend. We also trekked up to the Barossa Valley and had a tour through Murray Street Vineyards where we got to walk through the vineyard itself and taste lots of wine, out of the barrel as well! The journey up to the Barossa is a bit long if you don’t have a car…taking busses and trains took us about three hours, but it was definitely worth it! Our day at Cleland Wildlife Park also proved to be one of my favourite days in Adelaide.

 

Sunset at Bondi Beach
Sunset at Bondi Beach

 

 

The tasting room at Murray Street Vineyards.
The tasting room at Murray Street Vineyards.
Walking through the vines at Murray Street Vineyards.
Walking through the vines at Murray Street Vineyards.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

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Fed kangaroos all day at Cleland Wildlife Park!

With the end of the semester coming up so fast I’m planning on squeezing in as many trips and activities as I can! Looking forward to driving the Great Ocean Road, heading over to Byron Bay, Cairns, and the Whitsundays. And then leaving Australia to start a new adventure backpacking around Southeast Asia.

 

-Rachel

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