life in the top end

i've been living in darwin for about 5 weeks now, and it isn't like any place i've ever visited in my life. it's known in Australia as the "top end" as it is in the northernmost part of the Northern Territory. you can't go in the ocean because deadly jellyfish and crocodiles inhabit the waters, so it is a littttle bit different than living in margaret river, where i was in the ocean pretty much every day. it's really weird for me and as i left indonesia, i realized that it would be my last time in the sea for a long time, which made me so sad! bry left about 2 weeks ago for a month in indonesia. it was sad saying bye to her since we've been together pretty much every day for the past 9 months, but i know she is having a wicked time there so i'm happy for her :) there isn't a whole heck of a lot to do in darwin, unless you like partying every night, which most backpackers do lol there isn't a night here that you go out and the main bar monsoons isn't full. it's crazy! i've been trying to get back into running, but it's about 35 degrees here and sunny every day. for the first 2 weeks we got here, it was still wet season so the humidity was 95% and it was 35 degrees. picture me running around town handing out 30 resumes and getting no where. it wasn't the best days of my life lol! now the humidity has dropped a TON, but its still scorching hot everyday. i'm going to remember the feeling for when i'm home this winter. ugh i don't want to think about it right now! there are also these really cool night markets twice a week which i went to on the opening night to see the fireworks. there is so much cool stuff to buy there which is why i've only been once haha trying to save money! i really want to buy a digeridoo, but there is no way i could bring that home in my backpack :P

i'm still working at the restaurant. i'm getting better at being a waitress and making way less mistakes then i was at the beginning haha. i moved into the ymca which is trying really hard to be a hostel, but it's basically low income housing which is fine with me because it is about $75 cheaper per week than the hostels in town so, i'll take it! i booked a glass blown bead making workshop at the local arts centre for the end of may, which i am extremely stoked about. i've been wanting to work with glass for a really long time and have never had the chance so i think this is going to be super cool. when bry was here and working at croc cove (a crocodile park in the middle of darwin city) i went there to check it out and it was amazing! i got to feed teenager crocodiles pieces of meat on a fishing rod and they jumped right out of the water! we also saw the adults getting fed, and the noise of their jaws clamping together is something i'll never forget. those are the 5-6m guys swimming in the waters around here... no swimming! 

i was pretty down here for a while because i'm not darwin's biggest fan, and i had nothing to work towards, i just had no idea what i was doing. i really wanted to go see uluru and all that, so one day i just walked into the adventure tours place to check out the 3-5 day tours. wellll... i ended up booking a 14 day tour through the centre of australia from darwin down to melbourne. it hits every major landmark, uluru, alice springs, devils marbles, adelaide, great ocean road etc etc. i leave on june 9th, and get into melbourne on the 22nd. i'm really looking forward to seeing melbourne as well. a lot of people have told me that they think i'll like it there, so it will be neat to do some exploring. i finished off the day by maxing out my credit card because i bought my flight home! i leave australia on june 25th. melbourne > manila philippines > san fransisco > TORONTO. i booked my flight to toronto as it was actually cheaper to fly there than right to ottawa. ill have a few days in TO with my college peeps (and massive amounts of sneaky dees nachos) and then take the train home. i have mixed feelings about leaving. i am so excited to leave darwin and do some more travelling but i'm sad about leaving australia. I have had the most amazing time here, met some awesome people, and learned so much about myself and this epic world we live in. i know that being home is going to be great for the first little while and i'm so excited to see my family and friends, but how do you go back to a place that has basically stayed the same when you have changed so much? all i know is that i'm not done travelling just yet, so hopefully it won't be long before i dust off the old backpack and whip out my visa card to start booking flights again. 

i still have a month in this beautiful country, which is plenty of time to drink lots of lemon lime bitters, check out the weird aussie fashions (furry sweaters and jelly sandals... so strange!) and hopefully see a few more precious kangies before i head back to canada. thank god it will be summer when i get home so i'll be able to slowly readjust to the canadian climate! although it's winter in the south of australia right now, so about 10ish degrees in melbourne....ICK! 

anyways mates, (aka mom) just wanted to post a quick update on what's new on my side of the globe! i'll be seeing you all in just over a month, can't wait! xx

if i were any more organized...

... i could probably run a travel agency. but seriously, i just spent 2 hours going through all of my crazy army supplies, dividing into a 'take' pile, a 'leave behind' pile, and a 'if i have room i'll take' pile. unfortunately, the six bags of glow sticks didn't make the cut. although i took three of each colour (blue and green) the rest i plan on using next weekend at my bbq :)

i organized two of my drawers into categories: toiletries and random other stuff. i put things in my carry-on bag already like my toothbrush and toothy tabs to brush my teeth since i'll be travelling for 24 hours. some kleenex, my travel pillow and blanket, my medication i'm bringing including photocopies of each prescription as well as the pharmacy receipts. i included my crank flashlight, emergency blanket, signal mirror and whistle in case of any emergency situations. as i wrote previously in another post i'm not nervous about flying, but this is the longest trip i've ever been on so i just want to make sure i'm super prepared for any situation that might come my way!  

it is getting a little bit crazy though... i mean, i put all of my documents (passport, international drivers permit, photocopies of prescriptions, confirmation pages printed out for flights and hostel etc.) into a friggin waterproof plastic zip bag in my carry on! i suppose it is all good to have everything together and organized, but i think i'm using this as a way to deal with my anxiety and nervousness a little bit lol if nothing else, this trip has definitely helped me realize my control freak-ish tendencies! i can't control everything that's going to happen to me in aus, but i can control my belongings, what i bring, and how it is all packed and organized. i know i sound like a nut, but it's really helping me to feel better about everything. i only have a few more things to do and then i'll be ready to go, so it's nice to not have to run around like a chicken without my head only a few days before i leave! i'll be able to relax and make the most of the last few days with my friends and family instead of doing last minute errands :)

i know that no one cares about all of this mundane stuff, but i enjoy documenting my process of getting all ready for this trip, and i think it helps me to take note of it and express my feelings into the world rather than just keep 'em all up in my head! so thanks for letting me rant!

on a more exciting note, i had a great conversation today with my pal bryanna, whom i will be meeting in perth (or rather, she will be meeting me, around the 18th). we talked about our plans and surfing and buying cars and working, and basically what the next 3 or 4 months of life are going to be like for us. i am beyond excited. honestly didn't think i could get more excited and then we had that conversation haha! so that was really nice to talk to her :) she is touring around europe right now (hard life!) and off to portugal tomorrow. safe travels B! 

anyways, just wanted to do a quick update and write some stuff down... i'm going to bed now! hope everyone had a fantastic weekend <3