It’s been an amazing five months and I can’t believe it’s already coming to an end. I am so glad I had the chance to come to Melbourne and I’ve enjoyed every minute of it. In three days I’ll be flying out of Australia and on to New Zealand for two weeks of hiking and backpacking across the North Island with a few of my mates I’ve met along the way in my time abroad. After that, it’s off to Thailand to meet my parents for a whirlwind 16 day tour through Southeast Asia before I head back to the states just in time for New Years. It’s very odd sitting here writing this as my family is in the midst of cooking Thanksgiving dinner, a tradition I’ve never missed sharing with them until today. But, I look back on the last few months and I am extremely grateful for the time I’ve had here and the memories I’ve made. I finished up my final assignments just last Friday and then headed to the Taste of Melbourne Festival with my mate Jocelyn on Saturday for delicious food and tons of cider samples, a staple of Australia. Then it was time to fly to Brisbane with my friend Sarah. We explored the city by foot on our first afternoon, checking out CBD and Chinatown, and enjoyed a relaxing early dinner by the water of delicious tacos and guac. We were caught in an insane hail storm on our way back to our hostel, the hail was huge! Luckily, we made it back in one piece and wound up hitting the town with our dorm mates from across the world. The next day we were up bright and early for a day trip to Moreton Island, the second largest sand island in the world. We hit the sand dunes for some sandboarding, enjoyed a quick lunch, and then headed to the beach to get geared up in wetsuits and hit the water to snorkel and explore the shipwrecks. That night we cooked up some delicious gourmet pasta in the hostel kitchen and watched tv in the common room before heading to bed exhausted from our day in the sun. The next morning we headed to southbank to chill by the lagoon and get a nice tan before heading home. We both got a bit sunburned but it was definitely worth it. We flew back in to Melbourne late on the 20th after a much needed break. Since then, I’ve been busy trying to figure out how to pack up my room in RMIT Village and say goodbye. The next time you hear from me I’ll probably be in another country!!!