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Just a few days ago, I hopped on a plane and headed back to Texas from Australia. To say it was a rough day would be an understatement. I pushed through a tearful goodbye with one of my friends at the airport then cried off and on the entire 15-hour flight back to Dallas. All of this was contrasted by the joy I felt from seeing my family and dogs when I got home. I was so happy to be with the people I love, but so heartbroken after leaving Australia and my new wonderful friends. 

That's one of the biggest downsides to traveling. By meeting great people and falling in love with different places, pieces of your heart become scattered throughout the globe. After that, you can never feel fully at home because a part of you will forever be elsewhere. Now that I’m home I feel so lucky to have left such a big piece of my heart in Australia. The same way I left pieces of my heart in the restaurant in Bali where I did too many limoncello shots and on the rooftop in Dublin where I stayed up until sunrise. For the time being, I’m happy to reconnect with the pieces I left in Texas. The pieces that adore lake trips with my cousins, going to Target with my mom, and nature walks with my dogs. I look forward to my next adventure and the day I’m able to return to Sydney. A place where I learned how to surf, shot my first short film, fell in love, conquered my fear of heights, tried kangaroo meat, and made great new friends. So here’s to the piece of my heart forever in Sydney, as well as the next place I travel to. Let’s hope that I can be so lucky as to love it as fiercely as I do Australia.