i got home and had a few weeks to recuperate before work started which was a huge blessing. while i'm not out on court coaching full-time, being the tennis director is heaps more stressful. i get to deal with the high maintenance edina parents (no, your 7 year old will NOT make varsity within the next year... and don't expect much from your 4 year old, as they can't even see over the net yet!), the late or ditching staff members, hiring new staff, the paperwork, etc. so having a little time to recover from traveling before throwing myself into work was really nice. that being said, not having to run around for 12 hours a day in 90+ degree weather is quite wonderful!
the first couple weeks back were especially hard. trying to remember how to live in a world filled with cell phones, shopping malls, celebrities, and roofs over my head took some serious adjusting to. it still is in fact. i used to be addicted to my cell phone. in fact, if i left the house without it, i felt completely naked. now i want to throw it out the window every time it rings and frequently just let voicemail pick it up. do you know how well you can get to know a person when there aren't any cell phones distracting you? now i find myself going out to meals with or hanging out with friends who spend the entire night texting other people and i can't help but want to throw their cell phones out the window as well. especially when we were on the island, we got to know each other SO well. we didn't fill our conversations with stupid celeb gossip or zone out from the conversation because we were busy texting. we were fully present and fully there. it was a beautiful thing that i find myself missing everyday. isn't it weird? all these technology things are supposed to make our relationships stronger... and yet, you can have an entire relationship without saying a single spoken word.
NINE days until i leave for australia! i've been busy busy busy getting ready to leave. i've shipped a few boxes with sheets, towels, dresses, shoes, sweatpants, etc ($540... RIDICULOUS! if i had known it was going to cost so much, i would've bought a friend a plane ticket and had them help me cart everything down there!!) and will *hopefully* begin packing any day now. of course, i say that now, but i probably won't pack until next week. i've also been busy trying to find out info about bank accounts and transportation from the airport and registering for classes and the list just keeps going on. and now it's time for a slightly pathetic, embarrassing confession: i'm not sure which i'm more excited about... the fact that i leave for australia in 9 days or the fact that the new harry potter movie comes out in 8! hahaha. but in all seriousness, i AM really excited for OZ. it's a new feeling for me. out of the past 4 schools i've been to, i haven't really been excited for a single one of them. hopefully this is the start of something wonderful :)
some of my avid blog-followers may recall that i met a guy in arusha whose daughter attends UQ. i've been facebooking with her a little bit and asked her what sort of stuff i should bring and what it's like there. her response? "well, bring heaps of dresses (cocktails and formals, especially for the races), trackies, and be prepared for your liver to hate you!"
obviously i needed a little translation. apparently girls there don't wear pants. ever. i've looked at her FB photos and have not seen a single girl in pants. no wait, that's a lie. there was one picture with about 40 girls in it and one was wearing pants. also, they attend horse races. yes, true story. they wear formal dresses and big hats, so that's something to be excited for? i had to ask alice (a family friend in adelaide) what the heck "trackies" are and apparently they're sweatpants. as for the liver hatred comment, apparently i'm living at the "fun" college. whoo! i really need to start learning my aussie slang so i don't give everyone a blank, wtf stare. tristan, one of the blue ventures staff members who happens to be from sydney, tried teaching me a few new words. when the lady from the bank called me, i had to ask her to repeat herself no less than 14 times.
while it's a tiny bit nerve-wracking to know i'm about to step off a plane across the world and not know a single person, it couldn't be any more exciting. i'm at a crossroads and my life can go any direction i please. it's time for a fresh start. when i first got home, i was jealous of all my graduating friends for about 9 seconds. then i realized i'm moving to aaauusstrraallliaa! AUSTRALIA. australia. AUSTRALIA!!!! man. i may be behind in school, but i've probably gotten to see way more the world has to offer than the some of those people. i'll most likely be updating come wednesday night when i'm panicking and still avoiding packing, but if not, i'll update once i'm down under :)
if she wanna rock, she rocks. if she wanna roll, she rolls. she can roll with the punches as long as she feels like she's in control. if she wanna stay, she stays. if she wanna go, she goes. she doesn't care how she gets there as long as she gets somewhere she knows. --eric hutchinson
she said, get outta my way cause i'm goin' somewhere. this is not where i wanna be. you can say what you want, you can tell me i'm wrong, la dee da, la dee dee. get off of my back, stop sayin' that 'cause i am not afraid of heights. i may never get where i'm goin, yeah, but then again i might. i'm standing on the edge, yeah. i know it's a long way down but you can't walk the wire for anybody else. i might hit the ground but at least i'll have a story to tell. --brie larson
it might be time for you to go. it might be time to change, to shine out. i want to repeat one word for you: LEAVE. roll the word around on your tongue for a bit. it is a beautiful word, isn't it? so strong and forceful, the way you have always wanted to be. and you will not be alone. you have never been alone. don't worry. everything will still be here when you get back. it is you who will have changed. --donald miller, through painted deserts
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