Aussie McBlog

Sunday, November 6, 2005: Wollongong - Auckland

My clock radio was the last thing to be packed, and it sounded the alarm at something sick like 6 in the morning. My last final exam had been the previous day, so packing hadn’t begun until I returned to my room. Oh, and then I had to go see Hayley at the North Wollongong Hotel one more time before I took off. Needless to say, I was up until 4:30 am, packing my life into not-so-neat-and-tidy bags and boxes.



Adrenaline and sadness kicked in soon, however, and I was alert with anticipation as I did a final survey of my home for the last four-and-a-half months. I didn’t blow kisses, but I DID leave several large and unpleasant bags sitting on my bed, waiting to be tucked into storage by the manly men who work in maintenance for Campus East. Yay that.



Karana’s expression mirrored mine as I bustled past to place my alarm clock in a box of things for donation to the next round of exchange students. We said goodbye to remaining friends, and the ever-faithful Monique walked us to the end of the field. From there, we had only the flies to keep us company as we trudged towards the train station. Ha. Reminds me of that line from Aladdin: “AND ONLY YOUR FLEAS WILL MOURN YOU.” I was sad to be leaving, although sometimes I think I tend to over-dramatize (see below).



The train ride was uneventful. Karana let me snooze in between train changes, and we arrived at Sydney Kingsford with plenty of time to spare. And then it was time to board a place destined for Auckland, New Zealand! I must digress for a moment to say that Air New Zealand is the best ever. Personal TVs with movies and games and heaps of leg room. Woot!!!

When we arrived in Auckland, we grabbed our things and changed our money. The Aussie dollar has a slight advantage over the New Zealand dollar, so it appeared that we had more money than we had started with, which is always good when you’re a delusional student trying to pinch pennies like your wonderful and squeaky Scottish father has tried to teach you (and you’ve mostly ignored).

Auckland immediately reminded me of Vancouver. And what’s the best part about living in Vancouver? What’s that? The rain, you say? Why yes! Yes, it WAS raining, and I was delighted. We hailed a cab (Actually, we got into a shuttle, but doesn’t “hailed a cab” sound more dramatic? Yes, I thought so too.) and were on our way to Base Backpackers. The driver was piping Yanni through the speakers, and after a short ride, during which the rain stopped, I was ready for a nap.

Base is brilliant. Great location, nice rooms, plus, we opted to stay on a girls-only floor (prevents spread of cooties) called Sanctuary, and so we got Egyptian cotton bed linen and free shampoo. Sometimes being a girl has its advantages.

The rest of my evening--and in truth, Karana’s as well--was spent lying on giant throw-pillows watching TV in the common room. TV was such a rare treat at Campus East, and a novelty for the nomad, as I would soon discover.

Sweet dreams soon followed…

posted by Sara @ 9:16 PM