I boarded on the way back, which I hadn’t realized was mostly downhill. Before I knew it, I was going too fast to be able to jump off, which was especially unfortunate since we were probably less than a third of the way down the hill. Knowing there was no turning back, I figured I’d make the most of it and finally felt the rush of barreling downhill and being in control of the board. Annabel rode ahead to make sure the coast was clear since we were about to reach an intersection and, luckily, it was. She yelled a warning about the bumpy road just before I reached it, and thank God she did because good grief was it bumpy. You know the feeling when the car veers over the line on the highway and you hit the rumble strip (or whatever it’s called…I think that’s it?) and everything vibrates? Going over this road on a longboard was like that, but all the vibrations are concentrated in your legs and then you start thinking about a pot hole or big rocks that could send you flying, at which point you force yourself to stop having a panic attack and just bend your knees and go with it. Which I did! And what a rush it was. I just might have to put a longboard on my Christmas list this year.
On Saturday, Mitchel, Kathleen, Ole, Mark, a few others, and I trekked up to Sydney for one last hurrah and souvenir stop. We ate lunch in Chinatown at the same place we went on my first visit to Sydney during O-Week, and I ordered the same dish Celli made for Jenn and I when we went to his place to cook, though I think Celli’s homemade laksa was still better! I did manage to get some good last photos of the Harbour Bridge and Opera House, which still take my breath away. I can’t believe I’ve really been to the Sydney Opera House and have gotten to walk around such an incredible city.
The souvenir shopping went really well, my favorite purchase being the hand-stitched photo album that I plan on filling with my 300 favorite pictures from my time here. I don’t know how I’ll pick so few (since I keep managing to take 150 a night when we go out), but it’ll be a great keepsake to hold on to. I had most everyone sign it over the last week like you would a yearbook. Turns out goodbyes make me tear up like nobody’s business and there have been plenty recently. I finally mustered up the strength to read everything people had written on the second day I came home, because what else are you going to do at 5am when you're battling jetlag, can't sleep, and miss your friends? I'm happy to say I laughed more than I cried (okay, at least as much!) and can't tell you how much all you I-House people have meant to me. More on that later.
We came back from Sydney with our pockets considerably lighter and our arms weighed down with more shopping bags than we could count. We ventured out to one of the few house parties I’ve been to for a twenty-first birthday celebration that night. It was a quiet Sunday on the beach, followed by a similar Monday and Tuesday of chilling, movies, and more beaching! Monday night was actually spent at the beach with a good thirty or so people from I-House spread out on blankets, sitting and talking or walking along the beach. It was a perfect way to continue relaxing and enjoy what I realized has been a month-long vacation in the best place imaginable with the greatest people I could have asked to meet.
Wednesday, however, was in no way calm. I had a leisurely breakfast and slowly packed my things up before meeting our group of six to walk to the beach for…SKYDIVING! The adrenaline was rushing as we walked to the little beach house where we would be suited up and scooped to go to the airport. We paid, received our harnesses, got the safety talk, and then – waited for over an hour. We’d already been postponed because of the weather that morning and were still anxiously waiting our turn when a group came in with gnarly-looking welts on their hands and faces – the only exposed parts of their bodies – from hitting the rain on the way down. We’d already been given the option to reschedule for a nicer day and after that, we gladly rearranged our plans. What a rollercoaster of emotions!
And it didn’t stop there, because just a few hours later, we were getting ready for our last Wednesday night out in Wollongong. It also happened to be the last night of exams, so everyone was out and keen to have a good time. We had a hectic bus ride out, complete with the I-House cheers that I finally managed to record (but due to content probably shouldn’t post here!) and the night was off to an amazing start and the first few hours were probably some of the best of any night I’ve had out in Wollongong.
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