London

The flight to London was probably the easiest flight I have ever been on; I sat on the front row and stretched my legs out with open seats on either side of me. Jason Mraz hummed happy rap songs that always make me smile and I faded to sleep to John Mayer's chill vibe.Eight hours later, I saw my sister Janna in the bus station and hugged her with arms full of bags, talking as we walked across the damp cobblestone street to her London flat. I was so glad to visit her before heading to Australia, I knew we would have a blast and how much it means to have someone visit when you are in a significant place in your life.It was a fun few days of markets, pubs and bus rides through London… The first night my sister, her roommates and I ate pub food near Camden town then enjoyed a few drinks in the World's end pub, a great place with a young hip vibe. The next day we took in the panorama of London with views from the London eye then walked around Borough Market under the bridge where I had the best veggie burger with hummus and couscous ever.It was the first day I was able to play with my new camera (Cannon T1I) so I shot multiple pictures of everything to try out the settings before running to catch up with my speedwalking sister. It was Friday night and Janna reserved a booth at Zoo Bar, so all the girls excitedly dressed in our best London fashion and danced the night away.The booth we had was amazing, overlooking the dancefloor and excluding us from the cover charge. It was such a fun crazy night! The next day my thighs burned with every move thanks to four inch heals and five hours of dancing.The sun glowed behind the clouds giving off enough light to life the gray gloom as we meandered through Portobello Market, people watching and picking out fruit, cheese and vegetables for a homemade meal later that night. We stopped by a cool little Belgian Beer Bar and enjoyed a bubbly delicious beer then buzzed through the dimming streets on London in the front row of a double decker bus.That night we chatted about home, London and future trips while slicing pungent cheeses and freshly baked bread from the market, sampling delicious tomato relish and pesto sauce. I am so happy that my sister has such great roommates to share her experiences in London and I had a great time getting to know them.A riptide of realization hit me around 11pm, I was going to Australia the next day, I still couldn't quite grasp that fact.

I slept soundly and woke up Sunday morning still sore from Friday night dancing. I could feel the anxiousness in my stomach gripping at my insides as soon as I woke up, but I quickly repressed it with determination to enjoy every moment of my last day in London. Soon we headed out to Camden Market where I couldn't be anything but excited by the smells of fresh fried donuts, Thai chilies and Moroccan food, the sites of spiky blue Mohawks and fun fashion lining the street booths. Camden market was definitely my favorite thing about London, such a carefree crazy vibe with endless food options from around the world. The craziest place was the Cyber Dog store, after entering between two giant armored dog pillars the techno beat pumped through the glowing racks of neon clothing while workers covered in tattoos, piercings and explosive hair jammed to the thumping bass. A futuristic space age punk styled store…it was so amazing, I loved it! As we walked out of Camden Market to the bus stop, I knew London was over and I would be leaving in a few hours so I took in the last glimpses of the city from inside the warm bus and relaxed.

Back at the flat I carefully repacked my suitcase and backpack, feeling calm that I had said all my goodbyes and finished everything I needed to do before moving to the other side of the world. I saw the people I wanted to see, rid my life of excess possessions and was prepared with my new camera and blog to start sharing the world with as many people as possible. Janna was the last person I would have to say goodbye to and I could already feel the lump in my throat as she dragged my suitcase through the puddles in the broken cobblestones toward the bus stop. We talked about the great times we shared over the past few days, I was so glad I came to visit her. "A year is a long time" she said "but you are going to have the time of your life". Tears puddled in my eyes and splashed onto my cheeks as I wiped them away with my sweatshirt sleeve. I will miss my little sister, I can't wait to hear about her travels in Europe and see how travel will change her life as it has mine. I know we will stay in touch but distance does make it harder. I hugged her one last time before she walked back across the street and I climbed onto the bus trying to keep the tears from breaking loose.

It was already dark outside as the bus slid past traffic lights and smart cars. I smiled as I passed Astor Kensington hostel, the place I stayed when I was in London three years ago and spent the whole weekend hanging out with some pretty cool Aussies so its pretty fitting that I would spend my last few days in London before leaving for Australia. The whole bus ride I tried very hard to keep my sadness from overwhelming my excitement, but I just couldn'tfeel it right then. As I walked down the moving sidewalk in Heathrow a grin crept across my face as it hit me, I am going to Australia and that is absolutely amazing! I had no idea what the day of traveling would be like but the twelve hour flight went by quickly as I dozed in and out while watching the tiny tv on the seat in front of me.I was kind of nervous about making my connection in Singapore with only a little over an hour but I easily checked in and strolled through the humid lobby past the exotic flowers lining the moving sidewalk.I listed for Australian accents as I waited to board my flight, excited and nervous by the thought that I had no plans and no idea what to expect over the next few days.

I am so relieved that someone is picking me up from the airport but feel bad that it will be at 1am, yikes. I'm staying the night with friends my dad went to school with and who we happened to meet once a few months ago. Bernice and Steve offered to let me stay with them then promised to introduce me to some people my age, which I was hopping would be awesome.I don't really know what to expect of this week, next week or anything really and I kind of like that. No plans means nothing can't go the I want it, this forces me to totally relax, trust and just go with the flow of where life leads me. I picture Australia as a mix of Ireland and California…generous, happy people who love the sunshine, good food and good wine.So now after a comfortable four hour flight, I'm just waiting for the landing. I'll be in Australia in probably an hour or so and all the sadness of leaving people I love will be replaced with the excitement of new people and places. I'm not sure what will happen in Australia, anything could…I may decide to be a winemaker, go back to school for journalism and photography, maybe I'll go to Asia for awhile or back to Europe or even the US, but no matter what, right now I am minutes from living a dream that has hovered in my mind for the past few years. It feels like a huge step and very different than studying abroad in the past. Every other time that I have left, I knew that I would come back to the same school where my friends and I would go to the same bars, I would drive down the same interstate past the same cornfields to the house where my family lives where everyone would look a little older or taller but not much different. This time, I don't know when I'll be back, I don't know where my friends will be by then and I don't know what I will miss in my family's life. It's a risk I have to take however, its what I need to do for myself. Everything must change and suffering comes from trying to hold onto the good for too long instead of loving it and letting it go as Buddhism teaches, it's actually really calming to think about that. The pilot just turned on the fasten seatbelts sign…Australia is so close, I'm getting very excited so now I will enjoy the rest of the ride while listening to a little John Mayer.