Six Months On, Reminiscing and Looking to the Future ...

I can't believe it's been 6 months since I left Scotland. It feels like just yesterday, but at the same time it could have been a life time ago! Being back in Melbourne was really weird to begin with. Everything was the same, but a little bit different. It was as if my plane had accidentally gone through to a parallel universe. Maybe it did. There's a metro train to Sunbury now. There were other things that were different, but for some reason that was the one that stuck in my head.

Sometimes I miss Scotland. Mostly I miss all the amazing friends I made. It really sucks that the other side of the world is, well, on the other side of the world! It's so far away! Eventually I'll get back over there, though!!

I actually have a diary entry for a year ago today. It was my day off and I went to Glasgow for the first time. I'd mostly settled into work and Pitlochry. It's crazy to think about the person I was then. It was still the beginning of an amazing adventure. I was excited and ready for whatever challenges life wanted to throw at me. I had no idea where I'd be in a year and I loved not knowing. I certainly wouldn't have thought that I'd be a week away from finishing my first semester of university!

University. Everyone keeps asking how it's going. I never really know what to say. It's just a part of my life now, I plod along reading and writing things and turning up to classes and talking to people. I  procrastinate a lot (like right now), but everything gets done and I've passed all my assignments so far. It's basically everything I expected - hard work, really interesting and lots of nice people to get to know. I'm enjoying it and that's the main thing.

May is always a weird time for me. Important things seem to happen in May so I always spend the whole moth reflecting and reminiscing.

Three years ago I was almost finished the first semester of my last year of High School. I wasn't very happy, I was drifting apart from one of my best friends and I didn't feel like I had anyone to talk to about it. I don't think I wanted or was really able to talk about it. So I wrote really bad, cryptic poetry that is both heart-breaking and hilarious to read now.

Two years ago I had finally started getting over the previous year, I had just started dating my boyfriend at the time, I was working for my mum, but I still wasn't really happy. I guess I had no direction, no goals, no real plans other than vague "one day I want to ..."'s. University was definitely NOT on that list!

One year ago I was starting a crazy adventure on the other side of the world!

And now?

Now I am at uni. I'm still working for my mum (but fingers crossed I get a new job soon). I have an amazing group of friends who will hopefully stick around for a very long time! There's still some people it feels like I'm drifting away from, but everyone's really busy with Life and I still love them! I still get sad occasionally, but I'm finally learning to talk about it and I know there are people who will listen.

So the important thing that happened this May?

I realised that I am the happiest I can ever remember being.

Bye-bye Scotland!!!

Hi guys,
Just a quick one coz all the batteries are going to die and there's no free wifi! I'm At Glasgow Airport waiting for my plane!! I'm so, so sad to be leaving - I've had such an amazing time! But at the same time I'm really looking forward to seeing all you lovely people back in Australia!!
The past 7 months have gone so fast I can't believe it's almost Christmas and New Year and all that party stuff!! (Guys! What are we doing for NYE, by the way?! I'm thinking city, but then there's all those annoying drunk people ...)
It feels really surreal that I'm going home. I don't think I'll quite believe it until I'm curled up in my Marshmallow bed eating curly fries, and even then it might still feel like a dream!!
I got the email with all of my enrollment stuff yesterday. That's a whole other jar of crazy!!
I guess it feels particularly weird because when I came over here it was a whole lot of unknown - no job, no house, no friends. It was like starting a new book: no expectations and no idea what it will be like. Where as going home is like picking up the sequel to your favourite book in the world: You know the characters and the world inside out and you love them to bits, but you know everything will be a little bit different than how you remember, besides, you're different too. And this time you do have expectations and hopes and predictions about what will happen in this story, but really you have absolutely no idea.
Anyways, not long until boarding starts!!! And a little over 24 hours until MARSHMALLOW BED!!!!
Love you all and can't wait to see you!!!!
xo

On the train back to Scotland ...

I can't believe it's been a week since the Contiki tour finished. For that matter, I can't believe I've been away for over six months!! In five days I will be getting on a plane home!

I had an amazing time with Ruth in Paris! Here are a few pictures:

Me and Ruth in Paris

Repetto is a fancy Ballet shop. I bought new shoes and a gorgeous dancing bag!

Can't wait to try out my new shoes for reals! 

This Chocolate Eclair had chocolate cream in it!!

Pretty Paris just before sunset!

 After Paris I spent a few days in London shopping and seeing shows. I saw this musical called Looserville. I'd seen posters on the tube saying "If you like Greese/The IT Crowd/The Big Bang Theory/etc. you'll like this". It was fun, but not fantastic. The beginning was really great and funny. But then they kept telling the same jokes over and over and over and over again. I might do a review of it sometime ... but that might turn into a rant about how not all "Geeks" are obsessed with - or have even watched - Star Trek, especially the original series.
I also went to see The Perks of Being a Wallflower which was much better than I expected it to be. Still not fantastic, though.

Now I'm on the train back to Scotland. It's 5 hours of really boring so I made Monkey Moo a Facebook page. When I get back to Stirling I will add picks of all the new clothes I bought her. Check it out guys coz she's adorable!!

Til next time
xoxo

The Amazing Pasta Dinner in Venice and The Saga of the Apples!

One of our optional extras on tour was a dinner in Venice. I don't think any of us were fully prepared for the pasta epic we would be served ...

The first course was a plate of meat, a plate of veg and a plate of crispy, deep fried seafood.

First Course

 Then they turned of the lights and presented us with a plate of risotto with a shell that was on fire. There was a carbonara as well, but I didn't get a picture of it. It was the nicest dish of the whole meal.

Second Course

 At this point they realised that I really shouldn't have been eating any of the food because it all had wheat and milk so they started bringing me my own plates of pasta. When they brought the plate for the rest of the table the waiter would say to me, "Not for you, not for you."

Fourth Course

They brought me a plate of (I assume) gluten free pasta as well, but I'd been eating all the food anyway because it was so tasty.
A few days earlier, in the Rhine Valley, all the gluten and lactose free people had been given an apple for dessert instead of the cake or whatever everyone else had. I can't eat apples because they're high in fructose, so I'd felt a little bad. It had become a bit of a running joke with the group that they hadn't known what to give the special diet people, so they ran into the garden and pulled some apples off the tree (that's the story someone made up, anyway).
Back in Venice, after all our plates were cleared we were speculating on what might be for dessert. I made a comment that I hoped I didn't get an apple again because I'd feel bad not being able to eat it.
About a minute later the waiter brought this out ...

Dessert (for me, anyway!)

Us Special Diet people got apple desserts a couple more times on the trip. I was very excited in Florence to get an orange! It didn't taste great, but it wasn't an apple!!

Amazing Adventures in the Land of Europe!

Hello Everyone!!!

I had the most amazing time travelling around Europe with 50 other wonderful people, an amazing tour manager and an incredible driver!! We drove through 8 countries in 12 days from Amsterdam to Paris.

Day One
We left from London at 7.30 am on Tuesday 30th October. It was a pretty long drive through England, France and The Netherlands to Amsterdam with a little break from the bus to get a boat across the English Channel. After checking into our hotel we went on a canal cruise to see the City all lit up, drink wine and beer, listen to cheesey music and get to know our new tour buddies.

Houses and Boats on the canals in Amsterdam

Day Two
We had the morning to look around the city. We went to the Anne Frank museum and walked through the house they hid in. Then we wandered around the streets and got a little lost, but it was fun! We stopped off at Mcdonalds to use the wifi. 

A sign next to our seats at Mcdonalds in Amsterdam

We then got back on the bus to drive into Germany. We stayed in a town in the Rhine Valley. We went to wine tasting after dinner which was surprisingly nice considering I don't usually like sweet wines. We got to try their ice wine (which is wine made from grapes that have frozen while still on the vine). It can only be made in a few parts of the world and only in certain conditions. It's very, very sweet, so while nice, I wouldn't drink a lot.


Day Three
Munich!!
It was a public holiday in Munich the day we arrived.

Munich

All the shops were closed and there was no music or dancing allowed. There's this big clock thing with people that move at certain times during the day, but not when we were there. Also there was no live music in the beer halls.

Pork Knuckles in Munich

But Munich was still amazing. We had a guided tour with a hilarious Canadian guide. Then we went to a restaurant for dinner. They have these Pork Knuckles that are roasted on a spit. It's kind of looks like a lamb shank and tastes like roast pork. But so much tastier! The crackling was the nicest I've ever had (Sorry Dad, I don't think you'll be able to beat it!).
After an amazing dinner, we went to the really massive beer hall. They have massive 1 litre glasses of beer. It was so full of people and so huge!! Then we went back to the hotel for a "quite night" ...

Day Four
In the morning we spent a little more time in Munich because everything was open again. Then we drove to Innsbruck in Austria.
It's a beautiful little town surrounded by amazing snow capped mountains.

Austrian Moountains

I spent ages looking at all the shinies in the Swarovski store. I bought a ring that changes colour as light hits it at different angles. The night in Innsbruck was pretty quiet after Munich.

Day Five
Venice!! Venice is an amazing city. It was my favourite place we went to on the tour.

Our Gondola Driver

It was beautiful with all the canals and the buildings and the shops. We went on a gondola ride through the city while drinking Italian sparkling wine.
Then we wandered around looking at shops and the buildings. There were all these shops with beautiful leather notebooks and calligraphy sets - like that paper shop I love on Degraves Street in Melbourne. There were gorgeous Venetian masks everywhere, too.
After wandering, eating Italian pizza and gelati we decided to find a cafe to relax before dinner.

My Incredible Hot Chocolate in Venice

I had the most amazing hot chocolate. It came as a jug of chocolate and a jug of milk that you poured into a cup to make as rich and thick at you wanted. It was so nice!!!
After hot chocolate we went to dinner.
Dinner was a huge selection of pasta. I don't know how many plates they brought out. They just kept coming! It crazy crazy and really yummy!!

Day Six and Seven
We spent two days in Rome. We visited a few main sites on the night we arrived and had gelati. The lemon Gelati I had in Venice was the best lemon ever and the Chocolate Gelati in Rome was the best chocolate ever.

The Colosseum at Night

On the morning of the second day in Rome we went to the Sistine Chapel which was pretty amazing.
Rome is a crazy place. It is absolutely chaotic. There are so many people and even more cars. I didn't really like it that much.
I had a fun adventure trying to get back to the hotel, though. I managed to navigate the trains okay. When I got to the station I started walking in the direction that I thought the Hotel was in. Just to make sure, I asked in a little cafe. They told me to get on a bus but their English wasn't great so they couldn't really tell me where to get off. I followed the bus for a little bit, but they go faster than I can walk! After a while I wasn't sure that the hotel was as far as I had walked so I waited at a bus stop to ask a bus driver if they knew where is was. These two guys were waiting too. They spoke Italian and I think they spoke French, but they didn't speak any English. They knew the hotel, though. So we got on  the bus and they told me where to get off and what street to go down.

Day Eight

Florence

Florence is beautiful! We wandered around until we found a little market with gorgeous leather bags. I found a stall with more gorgeous leather note books.
That night we had a lovely dinner with live music, lovely food and 1.5 litre bottles of wine. After dinner we went to the Space Electronic Discoteque for dancing! It was so awesome to dance again after 6 months!! And I got to wear the gorgeous boots I bought in Scotland!

Day Nine
We drove to Lucerne in Switzerland. It was gorgeous. More huge snow capped mountains! We went to a shop that sold watches and Swiss Army Knives. They have ones for doing your nails. They're so cute!

Mountains in Switzerland

Our Hotel in Lucerne

We stayed in an old Jail. The rooms were made to look like cells with barred windows and simple beds with foam mattresses. They were thick and on a wooden frame, so it wasn't that uncomfortable. Some people weren't all that impressed, but I thought it was amazing!
You may have noticed that all my photos are of beautiful blue skies and sunshine. I swear they're not photoshopped!! We had amazing weather. It rained occasionally, but mostly it was absolutely beautiful.  Nothing like the last few weeks in Scotland!!

Day Ten
We had a very, very long drive to Paris. After driving for 10 days the last thing anyone wanted was to be on the bus for another whole day! But we made it!! Paris is just as beautiful as the last time I was here. We drove around after dinner to see everything all lit up and pretty.

Day Eleven
In the morning we went up to the very top of the Eiffel Tower. It was really foggy, so you couldn't see very far which was kinda sad. It was still fun!
I found a little cafe to have Crepes and then went to see if I could find a new outfit to wear out that night, but I didn't like anything.
For the last night of the tour we went to the Moulin Rouge. It was amazing! The costumes were incredible, the dancing was corny but really fun, there was amazing acrobatics and fun music. I think all the girls were a bit disappointed that there were only topless ladies and no topless guys, but it was still fun!
Afterwards we went to the bar/club next door to dance the night away.

Day Twelve
Woke up early to say good bye to everyone going on the bus back to the airport and London. It was so sad to say good bye to all my amazing new friends and I miss them all already!!! Hopefully I'll see some of them again at some point!! Being my Nan's granddaughter, I'm already planning the next few holidays in Australia and Overseas!!

I'm staying in Paris with Mum's step-sister until Wednesday. Then I'm going back to London for a few days, then back up to Scotland ... then home!!
Can't wait to see everyone again!! Partying will occur and cupcakes will be baked.

Love you all and miss you so much - new friends and old!!!

xoxoxo

If you're a little confused ...

... Why I've seemingly randomly decided to go to uni ... So am I!! So I will try and explain it as much as I can ...

"What?! I thought you said you didn't want to go to uni?!"

I don't think I ever said I didn't want to go to uni at all-ever, I just said that I hadn't found any courses that really sparked my interest. But now I have.

"Aren't you giving up a great opportunity to live overseas?"

Yes. I can only get this working visa once in my life, but it's still valid until 2014 so I can come back if I want to. That aside, I was never coming over here forever.

"What made you decide to go to uni?"

Way back a year ago when the idea of working in the UK manifested itself in my mind and grew into something that I HAD to do right now! I wasn't in a very good place. I felt like I was just wandering around, doing absolutely nothing of value. I had no goals, no purpose, no direction. So the idea of going overseas was an escape from that nothingness. It gave me something to look forward to, and aim towards. Basically it gave me something to DO. When I came over here it was a crazy-awesome-adventure of new stuff and new people and new adventures! I did miss home, though (and still do!), but when I left I had decided that I wasn't going to come home until I had a clear plan of what I was going to do with myself. So whenever I felt really homesick, I'd brainstorm all the things I could do if I went home right then and worked out if that was really what I wanted to do with my life. One of these things was studying. It's something that has fluttered around in my head since I finished school, but I never found a course that looked interesting. Eventually I stumbled onto a few subjects at Swinburne that looked pretty good. The more subjects I looked at the more interesting it got. So I spent MONTHS debating whether or not I really wanted to study for three years and if I really wanted to go back home.  I decided that I pretty much wanted to stay here and go home to study equally, so I might as well apply for uni and If I got in, I'd go home. If not, I'd stay here.

"Why does the idea of going to uni scare you more than the idea of moving to the other side of the world on your own with no job, no accommodation and barely any money? That's NUTS! Uni's really not that bad!"

Most of you know that I really did not like high school. I was really not very happy for the last few years (for various reasons that I won't go into), so I have formed an association between "unhappiness" and "studying". That said, I love learning things. I love researching things to find out everything you could possibly know about things. If I'm really passionate about something (Disney) I will stay up all night reading stuff about it and then tell everyone I know all the crazy and interesting stuff I have found.

But as much as I am excited to go to uni, there is still a nagging fear that some of the things that made me sad in high school will come back. They probably won't because I'm older a wiser and awesomer now, but at the moment, it feels like a huge gamble.

I'm not promising I'm going to stick at it for the whole three years (my dad hasn't set an excellent example on that front!), but I want to try it and see what all the fuss is about!!

xoxo

Birthdays, Europe and the Next Crazy-Awesome Adventure!!

Hey Crazy Kids!!

I'm off to Europe in about two weeks. First I'll spend a few days in London and then head off one this tour. It's 12 days and goes through Netherlands, Germany, Austria, Italy, Switzerland and France. I'm super excited!!
I bought a coat today to keep me warm and dry as it is getting very cold and wet. It's the middle of Autumn, but the weather is more like the middle of Melbourne's Winter ... with more rain! It's amazing seeing all the leaves changing colour. I know SOME trees at home lose their leaves for winter, but this is ALL of them. It's so pretty!!

Autumn in Stirling

I'm still working in the Careers Centre at Stirling University. I was supposed to finish last Friday, but they want me to keep doing a few hours this week while the lady I was covering for settles back in from being on sick leave. It's only two hours a day but it's something to do that's making money rather than spending it. YAY! Money!!

Last week was my 20th Birthday. It's kinda weird not being a teenager anymore, but I'll probably get used to it. I guess I'm supposed to act kinda grown-up now or something ... Naaaaaah!!
It was the first birthday that I can think of where I haven't had some kind of super-awesome party. That was really strange. It was kind of nice in some ways ... no obsessive planning for months, no rush to get ALL THE THINGS baked and pretty-fied, no searching every $2 shop for random decorations and costume-type things and then realising that Dad won't let them in the house because they have a tiny speck of glitter! All that is my second favourite part of birthdays (my favourite part being when all that crazy planning falls into place and  have an awesome day (or four) with my favourite people in the whole universe), but it was a nice change. (Don't worry guys, I'm already brainstorming ideas for my 21st! I don't know how yet, but it WILL top the Disney party ... wait how do I top that cake? That cake was a masterpiece in amateur cake decorating! Anyway ...)
It was a nice, quiet birthday. We went out to a restaurant a few nights before for Tapas (My parents used my birthday as an excuse to go out for Tapas, so we decided to do the same. Ours was nicer.) It was so tasty but there was so much food!! We managed to get through all of it, though!
Ralph was out on the actual day, so me and Mairead went to a little Italian place for dinner. It was a nice restaurant, but nothing too fancy. And that was basically my birthday.

Except for one tiny little detail that completely blew my mind.
But before I tell you about that. LOOK! It's Pinkie Pie singing the Nyan Cat song ... FOREVER!!

Okay, so now I've tortured/adorabubbled you to tears you are probably close to the emotional state I was in when I woke up on the morning of my 20th birthday, read all the lovely birthday messages everyone left for me on Facebook and, before rolling over and dozing for a little while longer, casually checked my emails.
And found that Swinburne had sent me an email offering me a place in the Arts degree I applied for a few weeks earlier.
On my birthday.
I got accepted to university. On my birthday.

So, yeah, I am going to university next year to do Arts at Swinburne. Which means I actually have to physically be in Melbourne. So I'll be home before Christmas (and there will be cupcakes).


I will write a post soon about what led me to this crazy decision to apply for uni, why the whole idea terrifies me a million times more than the idea of moving to the UK with no job, no accommodation and enough money to last about 4 days and why I'm still gonna do it anyway!!

Love you all!!!
xoxoxo