It's hard to study right after coming back from a place like Bali, but that's what I tried to do all weekend.
Testing at Wollongong was so insane, they were really strict and I felt like I was in the SATs again. But I think I did well on my first test.
On Tuesday (June 16) I went to Sydney one last time to see Daniel, who came from Melbourne. I'm really glad I went, even though I had my next finals at the back of my mind the whole time. It turned out to be a pretty amazing trip. I got to do all the things in Sydney that I hadn't done yet, like the Bondi to Coogee walk, which was beautiful despite the clouds and rain, see the Bondi graffiti wall, do the free walking tour, and go to Manly beach/ride the Manly ferry.
On Wednesday, after the Bondi walk, Daniel and I went out to Watson's point to see the sunset. We weren't expecting much because it was raining and cloudy. However, the clouds broke and we did see the sunset, and much more! It was still raining, so behind us a huge rainbow! It got incredibly bright and colorful and became a double rainbow! It was amazing. And we were the only ones there on the point to see it, I feel like all of Sydney should have been there with us to see how incredible it was.
On Thursday, Daniel and I did the free walking tour, ate a delicious kangaroo steak, and then Philipp and Volker came back from Bali. We avoided the rain by going to the barracks museum and going to the movies. The museum was pretty interesting, I learned that Australia is the only modern nation that began as a convict outpost. We saw Jurassic World 3D. I only ever remember being scared and not wanting to watch the old Jurassic Parks, but I liked this one. Then we saw Spy which was kind of funny but also really dumb.
I was planning on leaving on Friday (June 19), but after I had packed up my stuff, Daniel said he was going to go to the Blue Mountains, and I didn't want him to go alone, that's no fun. But after I decided to go, so did Philipp and Volker. So we took the train to Wentworth Falls, and a really nice lady drove us to where the hiking trails started. We walked down to the falls, then walked a trail back along the stream to town, which I really enjoyed. It had a few little waterfalls and bridges, it reminded me of when we used to go on hikes with my cousins as a kid. We then went to Katoomba and watched the sunset from the Three Sisters lookout. I was going to leave once we got back, but they convinced me to stay until tomorrow. I'm glad I did, because we had yummy noodles and dumplings for dinner then went out to Star Bar which I wish I would've discovered before. It was really cool and fun. The Germans are hilarious at dancing.
Saturday June 20, I once again packed up to leave but they convinced me to come to Manly beach because I hadn't been there before, nor had I been on a ferry, and I could either go home and study or enjoy one of my last few days in Australia with them. Miraculously, the weather was beautiful (it was supposed to rain this whole week). It was cool to be on the ferry and see Circular Quay (pronounced 'key' FYI) and other harbors from different angles. We went through all the sailboats racing! Manly was beautiful, there were lots of people enjoying the beach and lots of surfers. I wish I'd come here sooner. We got fish and chips for lunch then I said goodbye, and made my way back to Wollongong. Though I studied on all the trains this week, I had a panic attack because I really only have a day to study for Hydraulics on Monday, then half a day for Pollution.
Those two and a half days of intense studying were awful but due to the fact that I think I passed my tests, I am really glad I went to Sydney and really glad I stayed as long as I did. I hadn't been expecting much of this Sydney trip, just because I've been there before and my other visits weren't particularly spectacular. But everything seemed to work out perfectly for us on this trip, and that rainbow/sunset was pretty awesome, and maybe because it was my last time in Sydney and last time with the Germans, I just loved all of it.
Tuesday June 23 was Alana's last day, so after we finished our last finals, we went for a last run to the lighthouse together. We even ran through Puckey's (the sketchy area across the street that they tell us not to go in at night). Then we met Melissa at Fairy Meadow beach to go for one last swim. It was freezing! We reminisced about our wonderful days at the beach in March when it was 90 degrees. We hung out with all of our friends until the wee hours, and then Alana and I took a 30 min nap before she had to wake up at 5am to leave. It's hard to believe this semester is over.
Spent the next few days packing up and hanging out with my remaining friends, then left on Friday morning. Only after watching one last sunrise from the beach with Melissa and Eli.
After an exhausting and never-ending 37 hours, I finally made it home! I think I'm still in denial about leaving Australia. It was so long, it seemed like it would last forever. But man, what an amazing trip.
Thank you for reading! Cheers!