Friday 28 March 2014

Week 1 of Aussie Life

Phewwwwww! We have a lot to catch up on! Today I will have been in aussie for a week, and it seems like so much longer! The day I arrived, we explored a bit of the areas up and down the coastline, and I took this picture from a lookout. (I realize the picture doesn't really fit on this blog layout but I can't be bothered to figure out how to fix it and I also believe the pictures deserve to be full sized!)

Bonus points if you noticed the Aussie flag!

Most of the week was spent sleeping, settling in, picking up the kiddos from school, and other necessary tasks. On wednesday I started to feel really run down, because I felt like I hadn't had a single second to just sit and think to myself! When so much is going on around you, and you're trying to take everything in, it gets really overwhelming. Yesterday (friday) I had pretty much all day to myself and I feel wayy way better for it. 

Origami time with the little man <3
FINALLY did some shopping! If you didn't know, there's a Target here in Australia- it's got completely different brands and everything from American Target, but it's pretty comparable in how good it is (I'm a Target enthusiast). The mall I went to had some great clothing stores, it seems like the fashion here is pretty awesome, in my opinion! 
My kinda sign!
I also went to Lush and maybe sort of, kind of, went a little bit crazy. Who can blame me when everything is so amazing?! I plan on reviewing some of the things I got on here once I've used them for a while.


Yesterday I also went for my first run in aus to a ridiculously beautiful park with a lake. Let me tell you, the US needs to take notes on Australian parks and playgrounds! The park I went to today was not only beautiful, but it also had playground-style (think presidential fitness tests in elementary school) exercise equipment every 80 feet or so down the pathway.  It was so fun just walking down and trying all of them out! Talk about promoting fitness and a healthy lifestyle! 

I think it's cool that Aussie trees are different than American trees. I'm thrilling, I know.

Check out dat sky tho


Greeeeeeeeeeennnnnnn
That's a lot of pictures, but so much has happened! For now I'll leave this.
So far, Australia has proved to be an incredible place, but who really doubted that? It is really interesting seeing a completely different way of life, but it is also interesting to see similarities where I didn't expect to see them. If you get the chance to come here, do it. I'll say that about anywhere I go, because life really isn't meant to be lived in one place, but it's still valid!

Have an amazing weekend! Sending my love to everyone back home and all around the world
xx Kim

pssssssst; you can also follow my blog on bloglovin, which is a site that makes it a bit easier to see all the blogs you want to read, in my opinion. Follow my blog with Bloglovin here.

Friday 21 March 2014

Thoughts From LAX

I hopped off the plane at LAX...and paid 11 bucks for a cold sandwich. Hah! Okay, I was really hungry, and it wasn't that bad, so I don't mind. I do wish that I could explore LA while I'm here, but I'll just have to come back ;)

Leaving day was beyond hectic. On top of not wanting to wake up, there was final packing, the drive to the airport, the rush when you think you may be late-- all of those wonderful things. By the time I got on my flight, I was beyond frazzled and anxious for a reason I couldn't pinpoint. My mom cried at the airport, which for some reason I wasn't expecting and was not at all prepared for. I feel so bad leaving her alone at home, but I know that this will be a great adventure.

Kitty today, just before I left <3

Now, if you are like me and find yourself hanging on your last wire when you board a plane, or if you are just a nervous flyer (which I'm not) I do have some advice: meditate.
A lot of people say it's just too hard for them to meditate, but that's kind of a given. It's a practice. I use the  "Smiling Mind" app- a voice guides you through the entire thing and you advance to next levels as you get more comfortable, plus you can choose a session from just 5 minutes up to 45 minutes-anytime, anywhere! For example, On. That. Plane. As soon as my phone could be turned on again, I powered up and launched the app and meditated for 30 minutes. It's absolutely ridiculous how much better I felt afterwards. Now, 30 minutes is pretty long, even for someone who regularly meditates, and 5-10 minutes would definitely do you just as good.
Now for the long-haul flight. See you on the other side!
xx Kim

Friday 14 March 2014

On to the Other Side of the World...

I mentioned in my last post that I was moving "to the other side of the world"... and I wasn't even exaggerating a little bit!

Yup, I've been pretty restless for a over half a year now- after I decided I wasn't going back to university for my second year, I set out to find a new plan for the year ahead of me. Obviously, new plans that involve things you've never even thought about doing before take a bit of time to really come together, and mine (finally) has. I can tell you 100% honestly that there were many, many times when I felt hopeless and just plain stupid for exploring such seemingly unattainable territory.

Now, on to the good stuff:
A week from this coming thursday, on the 20th of March, I will get on an airplane (or two, or three). I will not arrive at my destination until the 22nd, due to the length of the journey(s) and time zone changes!
For the next six months, I will be living with a beautiful family in (/on? it's been said both ways, so I'm not entirely sure) Gold Coast, Australia. I will be their au pair, or in simpler terms, live-in nanny. Why did I suddenly decide to become an au pair? Well, when I was left with nothing to do this fall, one of my friends told me that her sister was looking into it, and that I should maybe do some research. I love kids, I love travelling, I want to help people; the au pair thing just seemed to fit. I searched for a really long time before I found my particular host family (which I tend to just call "my family"... that seems kind of weird, but I can't help it!) I'm not really sure how much information is too much to post onto a public blog, regardless of the fact that not many people will read this, but there are two children, one girl and one boy, aged 6 and 8. They are so so darling and I can't wait to meet them :) I'll post more information whenever it feels alright to do so.

Gold Coast is a very vacation-y town about an hour south of Brisbane. It's Australia's #1 retirement destination and averages 300 sunny days per year (poor me! NOT.) It is also known for it's gorgeous beaches. It will be fall when I arrive, and I will be there through the fall, winter, and early spring at least, but the lowest temperatures of the winter are said to be a mild 10 degrees Celsius, about 50 degrees Farenheit. Average temperatures around this time of year are still 80 (F), so even though it's not "summer" it's warm weather :)

Here's the video I made about my move, give it a watch if you'd like!



So, as of now, this is what my life is focused around. I'm still putting off packing, it's a big, big job, but I WILL get it done, obviously! I feel like a lot of people think I'm not excited enough about this, but in all honestly, I just don't think I'll believe it's really happening until I'm on the plane or actually THERE. I've dreamt about it for so long, it just seems like another part of the daydream!
Maybe the lesson here is that life can be a daydream if you make it. (CHEEEEESE, I know, I'm an expert at the extra cheese.)

So 'til there are more adventures/observations to be documented, have good days, weeks, months, lives... what's YOUR daydream?

xx Kim