It's Thursday the 4th of February and I'm on the train from Sydney to Penrith. In Australia.
I've dreamed of visiting Australia since middle school and have been planning this trip since last August, so this entire week has been spent pinching myself with each new experience - in awe and disbelief that this is actually happening. It's crazy to think that today marks the end of my first week on the continent - equal parts saddening as to how fast it's going, and exhilarating to realize how much I've done in such a short amount of time.
Since we touched down at Syndey Intl. Airport last Thursday, the excitement and adventure has been non-stop. I was swimming in the ocean within two hours of stepping off my plane, and my first morning I woke up in an apartment literally steps off Bondi Beach. The weekend was spent in the scenic Blue Mountains, and my week has been spent venturing through the various nooks and neighborhoods of Sydney.
I've seen more of this city in seven days than I thought I could see in two weeks, and have spent every minute surrounded by friendly faces both old and new. I've seen the most beautiful colored ocean water, explored national parks, taken rainwater showers, and drank on the steps of Sydney's Opera House. The city is vast but still feels small and comfortable - it's certainly not the intimidating metropolis I expected. The people are friendly and welcoming without question or reason. The views are scenic, the landscapes majestic, the food delicious, and the weather is summer at its finest.
this was two hours after i got off my flight. Incredible.
The word "rejuvenation" feels pretty fitting right now. It's meant to describe a process of making something younger, fresher, and more "lively" - this trip certainly has been that. Learning to let go and be okay with not checking emails all day long, not dying for cell service or social media interaction, not worrying about anything other than myself in the moment has been hard. It's scary to let go, but man is it beautiful when you do. This freedom I feel to simply live in the moment is a freedom I've not felt in quite some time. It feels like learning to live again. I'm not just working, and not just "functioning in society", but actually living. I'm making time for genuine conversation, spending time reading and growing knowledge, I'm asking questions I might otherwise neglect, and taking time to be present in the moment instead of living through captured memories.
As if this journey needed any more connection to the "Everything In Transit" album, the only words to be rolling through my head all week long are the words to my favorite Jacks Mannequin song from that era, a simple chorus of the words "it's good to be alive".
Check out a few more of my favorite shots thus far below:
