a world away from the world away

it is 5:02 pm here in sydney. in a few short hours i will be in the air en route to china. somehow this day has arrived both incredibly suddenly and after painfully slow build-up. i am feeling the same feelings i felt in toronto right before i left in february: "what on earth am i doing? i know nothing about where i'm going or what i'm getting myself into!" but instead of a slightly gripping terror, these thoughts now inspire a gleeful excitement. i have no clue what the next ten weeks hold. and i can't wait to find out.

the only thing is that the beginning of my trip to asia also marks, more or less, the end of my time here in australia. i haven't quite managed to fit my head around that yet. my life in australia has become just that- my life. i walk right, stand left. i surf. i sometimes think about eating vegemite. i don't, but at least i think about it. much as henry higgins grew accustomed to eliza doolittle's face, i've grown accustomed to this place. and i've grown accustomed to my place in this world, this upside-down world where people go barefoot on city streets and places have silly names like nuriootla and banka banka. i've had a truly wonderful time here so far. it really is a beautiful country. and the sky- you must come see the sky here.

that's what i'll miss the most. not tim tams, not flip flops in winter, not 'home and away' the aussie soap that sheila's got me wrapped up in. i'll miss the sky more than anything.

sunset over the beach at byron bay.