the bittersweet end.

I actually had some work to do last weekend (and little motivation to spend it in the barren desert), so I decided to stay in Brisbane. I did take a day trip to the beach at Gold Coast with a few characters, which was awesome! Beautiful and relaxing.

Also, GUESS WHO WENT TO THE KOALA SANCTUARY AND SAW A MILLION KOALAS?!!?! that's right, this girl. I had been dreaming about the Lone Pine Koala Sanctuary, which has ~300 koalas, so as you can imagine, I had a blast! They had some exhibits of only babies, which were my favorite. We also saw a platypus & some wombats. I bonded with a sheep (perhaps with hay as a bribe), pet an emu, and fed some more kangaroos and wallabies.

I survived a final and a group paper & presentation, and I am [almost] officially done with GA Tech classes forever! What a great feeling that is.

Well, departure from the group was sentimental and slightly painful. The layover in New Zealand was such a tease. I watched the sunset through the airport windows, where a serene lake sat in front of mountain silhouettes stretching on for miles. It makes you want to live on a farm amidst the scenic rolling hills and never go back to the real world... Aerin and Jessie decided to take this route, for a month at least. They are WWOOFing, where you work on a farm for a few days while the hosts feed and house you. Oh, how I miss New Zealand already. That place is unparalleled.

All in all, it was an incredible trip that I feel so fortunate to have gotten to take. I cannot fathom a better study abroad; amazing scenery, awesome laid-back cultures, exhilarating side trips, and great new friends to experience it all with.