My Australian journey thus far

11 weeks down. 8 to go. I really can't believe it. I'll do a recap of this week, including the completion of some goals, but then I'm going to get down to some more thoughts about my life and journey so far here. This week has been very busy, with the focus being actual school work. I had a paper due on Friday for my developmental psychology class, which isa large portion of my grade, so I finished that, handing in an hour before the due date. I spent the better part of the week working on it, and I think it came out really well, which is good, since I haven't written a "paper" in a long time...probably since freshman year english. Friday evening I continued studying.
Since I leave for Melbourne on Wednesday, I have a lot of stuff I need to get done before, that is due for the next week when I get back, including several more papers.
Saturday I went to the Powerhouse museum in the morning (another one off my Top 25!) It is the design and science museum, and was really interesting. The whole museum was very well done, and had a lot of cool exhibits, including my favorite on space. After several hours there, I walked down to Darling Harbour, grabbed a smoothie and the newspaper, and spent a while just sitting by the water and reading. It was really great to just sit and enjoy myself, and it is one of the parts of Sydney I'll miss. That evening I relaxed, and was able to catch up with some people on skype.
This morning (Sunday) I woke up and walked to the Harbour, where I quickly realized was hosting Darling Harbours 21st birthday! There was a stage set up with a lot of little food booths in the park area, and then by the water there was an on-water stage with more great performances. I enjoyed starbucks and the Sunday newspaper while listening to music and performances there. I then decided to continue walking, and wandered down some main streets and back streets and then ended up at the Harbour bridge, which I walked over (another top 25!) It provided really spectacular views of the Opera House and city. At this point, after a solid 3.5 hours of walking, my legs were getting pretty tired, so I went back to Darling Harbour, watched a little more music, before returning to unilodge. For the first time since being here, I vacuumed our room. It was beyond necessary, and took nearly an hour. It looks like a new place now! I've now been relaxing and reading the newspaper, but need to get started on some studying soon, likely after I watched the 60 minutes I've been waiting for all week.

...and now for the second part of this post...

I've been doing a lot of thinking this week about ways that I've changed since I've been here. I've realized that since coming to Sydney, my life has really truly changed. So much has happened in general, and I've had to deal with a lot of tough things, while living in a country across the world. It's really hard to pinpoint exact ways in which I've changed, but I really think that when I get back, it will be very noticeable. I am absolutely more into living in the moment. I hate to waste any time or any opportunity, and I am really seeing life as purely an adventure. In one sense, I am even more driven towards my goals, but on the other side I've really learned to relax and not worry so much about life, not taking it so seriously. I've learned to truly live in the moment.
I think about the way people here know me as, and the way people at home know me as, and they are definitely very different from what I would imagine. I have never in my life been as independent as I've become here. To not worry about what anyone thinks, or what anyone thinks you should do, is something I've rarely experienced in my life until these past months. I've also realized how much I value and appreciate my great friends at home. At this point in my life, friendships are absolutely about quality over quantity. I have made a lot of good friends here, but I know when I go back home in two months, the lasting friendships will be with my friends at home. Which is another reason I have no problem being by myself so much. This is likely going to be the only time in my life where I am able to spend so much time with myself, that I want to make full use of it.
It is also a very strange feeling that no-one can really reach me immediately. For those at home, the only way to reach me is through e-mail, snail mail, or facebook. Since I don't have a phone, and rarely use my Australian phone, it is also very freeing, and something I'll likely never experience again for this length of time.
These are just bits and pieces of what I've been learning about myself. There are so many more things, they are just impossible to put into words or explain to anyone but myself. I must say though, I'm having one of the most important journeys of my life, and really want to continue making it the best I can before I go home in June.

Lastly, I'm finally feeling completely immersed in Australia. Today in my walking tour, I was stopped and asked for directions twice, and was able to tell them both exactly how to get where they were going. It was very exciting!

Also, there has been a high terrorist alert put on Indonesia, and especially Bali. So, I'm trying to figure out what to do about my trip there. I really want to go, but obviously it is not worth risking my life. I have to call the airline tomorrow and figure out if I can get a voucher or anything, or a change in destination...I'll keep everyone posted though.