Worldly Wednesday: Australia

Hello Internet Friends,

I've been MIA for almost a week - holy cow! I've been kept busy working, working, working with my little friend.

So about 6 years ago, I took a trip with my high school to Australia and Hawaii. It was quite the exciting trip for a 17 year old girl (full of lots of shopping!). I had begged, and begged, and begged my parents to let me attend the $4000 trip, and they told me that I was free to do so - if I paid for the trip myself. I figured this was more than fair, and so for a year and a half I worked every weekend babysitting and running a weekend daycare at a local gym. I paid every last penny of the trip myself.

So, off I went on this great adventure. I experienced my first plane ride, and then about another 6 after that by the time I got home. Our first stop was Los Angeles, for a days stop-over.

That evening we boarded our plane for beautiful Hawaii!

Here, we attended a Luau, visited Pearl Harbour, went on a tour of the city, spent lots of time on the beach (it was 2 blocks away from our hotel!), and of course had lots of shopping time.

The S.S. Arizona

Showing off the bracelets and headbands we made at the Luau.









After 4 days of beachy fun, we were finally on our way to Australia! We flew into Sydney, where we stayed for another 5 days.

Sydney Opera House

The view walking up from Bondi Beach

Sydney Harbour Boat Cruise

An opalized dinosaur skeleton at the Opal Museum








Next, we flew to Carins (pronounced 'Cans') and had a great time exploring the rainforest and snorkelling on the Great Barrier Reef.

Gondola ride over the Kuranda Rainforest canopy

Great Barrier Reef from inside the boat (it had windows in the bottom area)








And last but not least, my VERY favourite picture......

Me and Maya the baby Koala!

This trip was very special for me, and is one that I am not soon to forget. The thing that really makes me happy about this trip is that I paid for it myself. One day on trip we were waiting out a quick rain shower under a large tree and one of our teachers/supervisors began asking my fellow students who had paid or helped to pay for their trip. When it was my turn my teacher was shocked to hear that I had paid for my own trip (I felt really proud). I find it a bit sad that so many young people today expect these large and expensive things to be paid for for them. I always had to work for the things that I got (I even had to pay my own cell phone bill, which many young people don't do). Am I the only one who feels this way? I just wish that more youth could experience the feeling that I did when I was able to make my own great experience happen.

I hope you are all having a wonderful and worldly Wednesday!