Obligatory Post-New Years thoughts: On reflection, I would have to say that 2011 was one of my better years. Minus the brief period of time right after the Goon Serpents left (during which I was jobless and having Northern-Southern Hemisphere seasonal depression issues) and the fact that I’ve missed Ronnie an indescribable amount, I was very content. I met a lot of awesome friends from all over the world, I went to a lot of amazing places, I got the chance to get to know my family better (and, more importantly, they were generous enough to take me in for so long), I had a couple of pretty great professors (and one completely useless one, but let’s just forget about her), I got to meet new family members (well, not really new…but new to me), and, thanks to modern technology, I was still able to talk to/drink with/plan trips to Narnia/gossip with everyone I love for free. 

I’m trying to prepare myself for leaving Australia, since I’m sure it’s going to race up on me. I can’t tell yet whether I’ll be happy to go back to America or if I’ll be upset to leave the life that I’ve grown into here…I guess probably both. I’ve really only had one bout of homesickness while I’ve been over here on the other side of the world (during which I was craving a solid road trip in my beetle, shows at First Ave, hangovers on Gram’s floor, synchro, trivia Mondays, and a typical day of chatting around the island in the Singer kitchen), but I’m pretty sure that once I get back I’ll be thinking about all of the Australian things I’m longing for. It’s quite a double edged sword…I’m always missing something from somewhere. 

I know it sounds strange, but the trailer parks in this country are top notch (and often set in primo locations), and I’ve been thinking about spending my future retirement in a camper driving around the coasts of Australia. We’ll see if I can pull it off.