So this is my last week in Melbourne! When I left England and was travelling through America I would have got on the next plane home if someone had offerec me a ticket because I was so homesick, and I was sure that I would not make it to Australia. So I am so proud that I have now been living in Australia for almost two months! I have loved living Melbourne for the past 1.5 months. I arrived in this city knowing no one and I will be leaving this city with a lovely group of friends and one best friend who I have spent almost everyday in Melbourne with! I have met and observed so many interesting people, seen some fabulous sights and learnt how to deal with some interesting situations! My time in Melbourne has not been all plain sailing, but that, as my Dad would say is character building!! I am excited to leave now as I have just started to miss family with it being christmas so I am now super excited to get to Sydney to spend Christmas with Dave, Sue and family! On Friday I will be jumping (jumping may be a bit optimistic seeing as I will have my huge backpack on my back....it may be more like stumbling) on a train to Torquay to visit Nan and Gramps friend Jean. Then on Saturday Lyndsey will be meeting me with the hire car and we will be driving the Great Ocean Road, then come Monday I will be flying to Sydney to meet Uncle David at the airport! I am so excited!!

During the last few weeks I have been for dinner with our lovely Korean friend Lina, who is just hilarious! She wanted to take us for traditional Korean food so we went to this lovely restaurant, the food was lovely! So then Lyndsey took us to an Irish bar where we drank Guiness. Lyndsey and I went to Melbourne Zoo with my friends James and Dan (who I met in New Zealand), and I went to the Botanical Gardens (Mum you would have loved it!) with James and Dan! We watched Nelson Mandelas funeral in Federation Square where they put on African dancing and music which was great fun, it felt like we were celebrating his life rather than being sad about his death. We have experienced our worst room mate who wakes up at 4am, 5am and 6am and seems to enoy shuffling paper, folding paper, packing and repacking her bags, banging doors and shuffling Lyndseys bed!! I will be glad of a break from hostel living at Uncle Davids!

Melbourne has put decorations up everywhere, including a Santa's village, the buskers are performing christmas songs and the shops are selling mince pies but it is very hard to feel festive when I am writing this blog in 28 degree heat!!

Writing a blog is a great way to reflect and I have certainly enjoyed reflecting on the past 4 months of travelling, and the past year. 2013 has been an incredible year, I completed the London Marathon, which is something I never thought I would be able to do, and in the process learnt a lot about my Dad and also learnt a lot about myself, finding out that your limit is way beyond where you ever think it is! I have graduated from Univeristy and secured a place on a great grad scheme to become a Primary School teacher for children from disadvantaged backgrounds, and I have begun my round the world adventure which is something that I have always wanted to do!

I am super excited to visit Claire and her family in Port Macquaire, and stoked to be spending New Years Eve in Sydney with friends from New Zealand and Lydnsey! Then in the New Year, Chelsey and I will be travelling the coast and working on farms. Roll on 2014......