Despite it being a good 3 weeks post-holidays, I figured my first holiday away from home deserved a blog - late or not. I went into this holiday season with mixed emotions...Sad to be away from family and our long list of traditions, happy and excited to being doing something completely new and different. Luckily, this trip did not disappoint in any way.
In Singapore, I met a great group of girls (non ICR teachers) and we started a great tradition of Wednesday night dinners. This lead to some life long friendships and, thanks to Sally, an amazing Australian adventure. Sally and Shaun not only offered us an amazing place to stay, with delicious food and a gorgeous beach all within walking distance, but also took it upon themselves to make sure that we saw and did everything we wanted and more while we were there. From holding baby koalas to hopping around with kangaroos, eating burritos almost daily to learning how to play the local sport of lawn bowling - we did it all. Spending Christmas eve in my "I believe in Santa" t-shirt on the Gold Coast beach was surreal to say the least. Christmas Day was made even more amazing when Shaun invited us to spend the day with his extended family. Their warmth and love towards us was amazing. Within minutes I felt like I was part of the family. If I couldn't be with my family on that day, this was definitely the next best thing. After exchanging presents, eating WAY too much, and playing ridiculous games, we partied the night away with an all out sing-a-long to old 45" records including Sonny and Cher, ACDC and everything in between.
As if the holiday couldn't get any better, it was time to leave Oz for yet another adventure in New Zealand. Everything I had ever heard about NZ boasted of gorgous landscapes and lots of adventure. These were understatements to say the least - we saw the most beautiful flowers, mountains, hills, lakes - you name it. After living in Singapore and not being behind the wheel for pretty much two years, renting a car for the week was the highlight of the trip! Julian was chosen as the one and only driver because a) it was manual and b) they drive on the left side - I would have definitely sent us flying over the edge or into oncoming traffic. This was fine by me, and I spent the hours of driving hanging out of the window taking a bazillion pictures. It was so fun to just jump in the car and go - not having to wait for a bus or train or taxi. While there were tons of adventure activities to choose from, they weren't cheap, and there was honestly enough to see and do without them. I had a fantastic massage and took a gondola ride to the top of a moutain while Julian went downhill mountain biking - that's my kind of adventure :) New Years was spent listening to live music during the day and a spectacular fireworks show by night. Not a bad way to start 2012.
As I'm writing this, I'm in an internet cafe in Chiang Mai, Thailand. My contract with the school in Singapore has ended (not without some extreme drama but that's another story), and for the first time I find myself without a job to rush back for. I must say - a girl could definitely get used to this (until the money runs out of course). Three days ago I started my 6 week Southeast Asia travel extravaganza and I am loving every second. Stay tuned for more ...
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