Not such a great start...

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Day 1
So my last day in the states was anything but good. First off it was like a blizzard outside. Negative wind chills and awful driving conditions. Steven and I got into a fight on Saturday so I ended up going home on Saturday night instead of Sunday morning. Luckily, though. The weather was awful. So the next morning I woke up and got ready and started out for church. Less then 1 minute from my house I was coming up to the intersection of 23 and main and I hit pure ice. I knew I wasn’t going to be able to stop and there were three people waiting at the intersection so I turned my wheel to the right. After three 360s I stopped on the side of the road. I only hit a small pole so there are only a couple of scratches so it was ok. I was able to get off the side of the road within minutes so then I went to church.
So, after having lunch with my grandma and mom and saying goodbye to my mom and sister I finished packing and loading the car. The Steven and I said goodbye and you can probably guess how much fun that was . So then my mom and I were on our way through the blizzard to Chicago Ohare for my flight. We left an hour earlier then what we originally said because the weather was so bad.
And then, it happened. Another accident! We were driving rather slowly then we came upon a suv across both lanes! It looked like it had hit on wall then slide to the other. We were on a bridge and we tried to stop but it was not going to happen. My mom was driving, luckily, so she thought quickly. She pumped the breaks so we slowed a little then we hit the guard rail for a long time and then stopped. We didn’t want to hit the suv because they would have been killed for sure. So we skidded along the guard rail for sometime. We were ok, her PT Crusier is not so ok though. My door (passanger front and rear) will not open and a giant scratch is all along the side. Luckily it was still drivable so we were off on our way to Chicago. On the way we saw a 6 car pile up and two more accidents. The weather was much better once we reached Lagrange though.
So once I got to the airport there were no real problems getting on the plane and through the airport. When I landed in San Francisco it was a little rough. I had to go back through security and try to find the international terminal. I finally realized where I was going and then the guy could not find my visa. After about ten minutes he found it and I went back through the gates to reach my next plane. I thought I had a long layover to call my family and Steven but because of the time change I was wrong. I waited about ten minutes until I was on my next long flight.
And I mean LONG! It was 13 hours 25 minutes. And I felt it! I met a really nice girl on the plane who had some great stories so that was nice. I fell asleep off and on for about 9 hours but I only got up twice throughout the flight because I was in the window seat. As a result my whole body swelled up bad. My feet got so puffy they would not fit into my shoes. Also the nice girl next to me was sick so after that much time together in a confined space I got sick. I also got a bloody nose on the flight. Quantas was a great airline because they have on demand movies and games on your own tv and serve really good food and hot towels but that flight was still close to unbearable. But, I survived. Then I got to the airport in Sydney.
Went through customs and that was easy and fast. Then, I was so tired it was hard to function. My time and days were so off and I had to figure out how to get where I was going. So, I first exchanged some money then went to vodaphone to hook up the minutes (thanks Mallory so much!). Then I finally found where the welcome desk for University of Sydney. The guy was really nice and called the place I am staying (the maze backpackers hostel) and they came and picked me up. I was so tired and smelled really bad because I hadn’t showered since that morning which was now over 24 hours ago. I was really thrown off because of the time difference and it was day ahead here (like right now it is Wednesday 5:05pm here in the afternoon and my laptop says it is 1:05 in the morning there).
Well I finally got to my hostel and that was an experience. They told me I could not check in until 2pm and it was 9:30 am their time. The first thing I wanted to do was sleep and relax and now I couldn’t. So they told me I could keep my luggage downstairs until my “room” was ready. So ok I thought, that’s good right. So I started lugging all of my stuff downstairs. That’s right 1 50 pound bag, 1 40 pound bag and my huge carry on and purse. So you can imagine that sucked. I was really nervous too because all of the luggage down there is just out in the open for anyone to take. So luckily none of it was taken. So I had some time to kill.
I decided to walk around the city because I really did not know what to do with myself. I was like a lost wandering puppy. So I just started walking. About 25 minutes later I ended up a Darling Harbour. It was beautiful and had a McDonalds so I was in. I ate there because I had not eaten in a while. Of course the McDonald’s here has a very different menu then the states and even more expensive. I did see the realy world house (Brittany be excited) so that was cool. It was very beautiful and the park near it was amazing with fountains and cool playground and wildlife. I was very very out of it though so I didn’t enjoy it very much. I plan to go back soon. I did get a MAJOR MAOR sunburn though which a day later is still as pink as it was then.
So finally it was check in time so I went downstairs and started to drag my baggage upstairs in different trips. Of course the people at the desk did not explain where my room was so I put my stuff in the wrong room. Then, there was no way I was going to lug that 50 pound one up so a maintence guy put it in a secret place that he is not supposed to and told me the floor I needed to go to, That was very helpful. So I finally got to my room. I took a shower right away and realized that I had no shampoo (which I later bought for $7.50 for a small bottle of herbal essences). I then laid in bed and met my roommates.
My hostel room consists of smell and intense heat. Oh, also three bunk beds. Four of my roommates know each other and are from England (or around there) the other from Germany. I have yet to talk to someone from the US. They are all very nice (2 girls and 3 boys). They all have traveled everywhere, it is quite amazing. One girl (who is absolutely beautiful) has been all over Europe, China, Taiwan, South America and Africa. I don’t really understand how people have money for this but all she talks about is selling her van. I don’t really understand, but they don’t really like a lot of questions here. It is pretty amazing. The guy from Germany really helped me because I asked him how he is ok traveling the world by himself and he said “by yourself? There are people everywhere you go silly!” I thought that was pretty inspirational and has helped me cope with the intense loneliness that I currently feel. Everyone is nice and will talk to you but I feel really alone still. Also, there are no plugs in the room so I am currently sitting in the game room on the floor. Also, my adaptor does not work for my hairdryer and straightner so I looked like a drowned rat.
The hostel is really odd because there are people from every age here. I guess people are world travelers at any age. There are 60 year old men and then families with 3 year olds. There are TONS of Asians though. Everywhere you go. I never thought going to a country I would not understand the language. Almost everyone I am around does not speak English or because we have such different lives it is hard to relate. I think it is just because I am in a hostel. Hopefully, it will get easier when I find an apartment.
Also, everyone in Australia is very skinny. People also are a lot nicer looking on average. I think because food is so expensive they just do not eat. I have eaten very little. I cannot afford it. I had an omlette for breakfast and it was $8 just for that. So I have been drinking instant breakfasts for almost every meal. Much cheaper. Everyone does seem happier and less stressed. The accents are very cool but it is hard to understand anything they say.
I cannot believe how utterly homesick I am though. I never thought I would desperately long to be back in awful northern Indiana but I do. I think once I have a permanent place to stay that will subside soon. I don’t think world traveling is my forte.

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