An Eventful Week

Oh my gosh, this week was probably the best week I've had here so far. We survived the Outback! It was honestly, probably one of the coolest experiences of my life. I've never been camping before and I really got to go for it with this trip. I slept under probably billions of stars, I showered in an outdoor shower that had no door, the bathroom also had no door, cooked marshmallows in a campfire, collected firewood in the desert, hiked so many trails and mountains, and had the most amazing time with everyone in the group. We definitely had a lot of fun with James and Matt too. They were extremely awesome to get to know better and to just hang around a campfire with. The views were also some of the most incredible things I have ever seen. Uluru was stunning, Kata Tjuta was perfect, and King's Canyon, well, let's just say it was flawless. 

Oh! And it was the 4th of July on the day we left for the Outback, so naturally we were decked out in the flag. Pretty awesome to say the least.

(Katie, Addie and I were ready for the 4th)

(Alice Springs)

We landed in Alice Springs before heading into the desert. The hostel there was not the greatest, but we definitely appreciated it once we got back from the desert.

(Uluru)

(Uluru at Sunset)

(Kata Tjuta)

(Garden of Eden in King's Canyon)

(These are my kind of people)

(Ciarra jumped early)

I definitely got some absolutely amazing pictures in the Outback of all the landmarks and the experience of being able to see all of these amazingly spiritual sites was something I will never forget. However, I really think the true beauty from this trip was getting to spend more time with these amazing people pictured above. We're only here in Sydney for a short amount of time, and odds are I'll, unfortunately, never be able to see some of these people again so the time that I got to spend getting to know everyone a little better and being able to just talk or chill with them really made this trip special. I hope the next round of students gets to achieve the same amount of comfort and support that I get from all of the amazing people pictured above. 

But the week wasn't even over yet! We got back on a Wednesday night and then on Saturday, we got to go to the Royal National Park, which was an extremely cool trip. We canoed, hiked, cooked out, and Shannon got attacked by birds. All in all, an extremely entertaining outing.

(Canoeing at Royal National Park)

(Beach at Royal National Park)

There were some awesome cliffs and a really cool little hike that we did too, but I don't really want to overload on the pictures, so I'll just leave it at these...

This week probably had some of the most amazing views that I've seen yet, and Sydney is absolutely full of amazing views, so that is saying quite a lot. But it was the combination of the views and the people that I've met which have made this trip so special. With just a couple weeks left, I already know I'm going to cry when I say goodbye to this city, to this experience, and to the new friends that I've made. With just a couple weeks left, I know I have to pack in as many things, as many experiences, as many tears and laughs and walks and restaurants and beaches as possible. So here's to the last couple weeks, may they be as amazing as the ones leading up to them!