Last Weekend :(

So my first final was a couple days ago, I have two finals next week (Monday and Wednesday), and then I LEAVE on Thursday. I am kind of in shock right now that pretty much everything I am doing, I am doing it for the last time. I went to Paddy's and the Rocks markets yesterday for the last time, the Glebe markets today for the last time...this is my LAST WEEKEND here. I can not even believe it. Unfortunately, the weather has been COLD and rainy, but of course, today, the day when I have decided to buckle down and really study space engineering (as can be evidenced by the fact that I am writing this right now, haha), it has turned sunny and warm. I'm just going to try to concentrate really hard today (after I finish writing this, obviously), and then go to the beach tomorrow (for the last time...). I had fun yesterday not studying because I decided I deserved a break after my final on Thursday, which was obscenely hard. So I walked around an area of the city I hadn't seen yet and went to a really cool little Italian cafe, and then I went to Paddy's Markets and spent WAY too much money. You guys know me - I really have never had a spending problem before, but I think in my distraught state over leaving Sydney, I've decided that I need to actually BUY Sydney and bring it back with me. Problem. It's just hard to resist when my mindset is that I don't know when I'll be here again, so I might as well do everything and buy everything possible right now. (It is hard to comprehend the number of souvenirs I now have, not to mention the boxes of Tim Tams and candy that are going to be coming your way!) And you know, if I run out of room in my suitcase, I will just start throwing my clothes and shoes out, because obviously Australian souvenirs are more important. :)

Anyway, last night, I went to the Rocks Night Markets, an event happening every Friday in November, with a friend from class and Dana and Jess. There was an ENORMOUS cruise ship leaving the harbour and we ate dinner from a vantage point under the Harbour Bridge, where we had literally a PERFECT view of the Opera House and the cruise ship leaving. Now that would be a fun way to leave Australia. Cancel my plane flight, Mom, I'll take a cruise to the South Pacific instead, okay? Everything just seems more special when you are doing it for the last time...how lucky I am to be able to eat ethnic food from a cute stand with a perfect view of the gorgeous Opera House, and then browse stalls (that are now CHRISTMAS THEMED, by the way!), while listening to awesome live music? That is just the way shopping works here. (When you are not in a gorgeous mall like the Queen Victoria Building, which is also amazing.)

I'm starting to take pictures of the most random things - from the walls in my room to places on King Street to every tiny little thing that I want to never forget. But no pictures can capture the essence of what makes Sydney so completely unique and irreplaceable to me. I also have been trading pictures around with other people, so I found a bunch of great photos of me over the past few months that you all haven't seen yet. So here they are for your enjoyment/entertainment. :) The ones of my last week here or so probably won't end up going up till after I'm home. (It's so SOON???!!!???)

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