Where do I even begin? Well I've made it to 2016, so that's good! I've made a lot of big life changes this past year, and I can truthfully and honestly say that I am very proud of myself for doing them! Moving to Australia has proven to be such a wonderful experience. This past year I've gotten to meet some of my best friends that I know I will have for life. 2015 was a year that changed my life forever, but 2016 will be the best year yet! I truely believe that. 

     It's been 3 months and 16 days (but whose counting?) since making the plunge down under and the dreadful homesickness has hit me a couple of times. I won't lie. But homesickness is like most sicknesses, it'll be terrible to you and then it'll pass on to the next person. I also think home is a feeling. It is security and really being able to be yourself with the people you're with. It's a feeling that you know exactly where everything is. It's a combination of people and places that you get used to. No matter where you're going, whether it's inside your same country where you grew up in or overseas, it's very daunting. You don't really know what to expect. Technically you've got this "independence", but you are kind of so independent that you don't know what to do with yourself. And since being here for those 3 months and 16 days, I feel at peace with being here and making Australia my home. I really can't wait to see what these next 9 months have in store for me. So far I have some pretty amazing things planned! 

     Top 10 things that I've done since my last blog post:
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​1.) Carved pumpkins with my British girlfriends (shout out to my favs Hannah, Sereena, and Ali!!)
2.) Celebrated Halloween. Although no one came to the door....
3.) Went to the Melbourne Zoo
4.) Celebrated my 23rd Birthday! (At the Sanctuary) 
5.) Cooked my FIRST EVER Thanksgiving Dinner!
6.) Didn't kill anyone from cooking my first ever Thanksgiving dinner
7.) Took my bestie to the airport and watched her fly back home to America :(
8.) Celebrated Christmas on the Beach! 
9.) Got my first ever Christmas sunburn...
10.) Celebrated New Years at Yarra Park watching the fireworks go off to TSwifts "Bad Blood" 

I will always remember all the memories I made in 2015, but I am very excited to see where the future takes me in 2016. HAVE A GOOD YEAR EVERYBODY! I know that I will :) 

     About a week in a half into our stay in Melbourne we adventured out to our first Australian Sanctuary! I didn't know the difference between a Sanctuary and a Zoo but apparently a Sanctuary is a place where they have animals that are native to Australia...who knew?! Well I do now, and so do you! Once we arrived we immediately became annual pass holders because WHY NOT?! I want to be able to go back whenever I want to go cuddle those amazing little creatures. 

     We (thankfully) had an in to get us behind the scenes access (thanks to my amazing Aussie friend Michelle!) so we were able to go back where they kept the snakes and I got to hold my very first snake! They question at hand was, "Big or small snake?" And of course my response was "THE BIGGEST YOU HAVE!" If I was really going to do this, I was going to do it right! So might as well start with the big guy. My nerves were going crazy when she was getting it out of the cage. But once I actually got to hold it, IT WASN'T THAT BAD! I have always feared snakes, but if I have a fear of something (aka heights) I'll conquer them. Since I wasn't a huge fan of heights I decided to go skydiving and now I don't mind heights at all! So since snakes scared me, I thought I might as well hold one to get over my fear. I now don't fear snakes...unless they are out of a cage and could kill me....baby steps haha. I'll get there. 

     We then headed over to go meet our new friends! THE DINGOS! I know they can be very vicious, but these guys were so well trained that I feel like I could take them home with me and treat them like a dog. They made me miss my baby Mocha Jane that's forsure :( But we got to spend a good amount of time with the little guys and take tons of photos with them, and not a single scratch was left! After we left the dogs...oh I mean Dingos, we headed over to the Wombats! Man those guys were a LOT bigger than I thought they were haha. I had a stuffed animal of one of them and thought they were around that size, boy was I wrong! Those suckers are huge. But very nice. He payed absolutely no attention to us the whole time we were there because he had a huge plate of food in front of him, but who could blame him? I would've done the same thing...After taking tons of photos with the little (HUGE) guy, we went to my FAVOURITE animal!

     The whole day at the Sanctuary I had been waiting for this moment. We got to pet and feed Kangaroos! That's definitely not something you can do in America so I was over the moon. They were so soft and so sweet. Thank God none of them were the "boxing" kind, I wasn't looking to get a black eye that day. Thankfully I left (yet again) without a scratch on me! But those will be some of the BEST memories I will certainly never forget. I'm so happy to have this opportunity here, I defiantly won't waste it! Next on my list? HOLDING A KOALA! 

                More photos of my trip to the Sanctuary are in the "Photos Down Under" section!

      Since moving to Melbourne I've learned a lot about a variety of different things. First off, is how grateful I am to be able to live out all of my dreams that I've had for my whole life! The thought of Australia has been in my family for decades. My late Grammy loved Australia, therefore past along the love to my Mum and then me. And although my Mum hasn't had the chance to come to this amazing country, I know she will soon enough! (And I can't wait for that time to come) But I wanted to thank everyone who had a part in me getting here. I have the most supportive support system (family, and close friends) who have motivated me to follow my dreams no matter how big they are! 

     Since leaving Sydney and moving down to Melbourne, I've noticed ONE thing that's very different. SPIDERS ARE EVERYWHERE!

     The second we landed in Melbourne we went straight to dinner an then to the amazing Disney Orchestra. I have to admit that I did end up crying, for two reasons. The first because the show was amazing, and anyone who really knows me knows that I LOVE Disney anything! The second, because I just couldn't believe I was officially and FINALLY in Melbourne. The place for the rest of my time here I will be calling home! While I will be doing a lot of traveling, Melbs will be my home for the majority of my stay here. So It was kind of like a shock of emotions just hit me all at once. They were (of course) happy tears, and kind of like this new chapter in my life has just opened.New opportunities, and new adventures await! Now it's time to find a place to live and get a job. Now the urgency kicks in to get everything done. It was an emotional night forsure. But once we got back to my friends house, we encountered our first HUGE BLACK SPIDER! It could've killed me, but I killed it FIRST! Yes! Success haha. It's been a real culture shock coming from the city in Sydney to the suburbs of Melbourne...more insects! No thanks...

     Melbourne to me, has been such a great learning experience thus far. Cynthia and I have been staying in my friends neighbours house since we got to Melbourne. It's crazy! We have this huge house to ourselves! We have been cooking all of our own meals (my mom should be proud!) and cleaning and just keeping the house looking nice. We have had my little British kids over, and honestly it's been the best. I'm recently coming out of a realllllly bad sickness, so having this time to recuperate has been wonderful. I'm still not completely over it, my voice still sounds like a man haha. BUT everyday I'm getting better, so fingers crossed my voice will come back soon!    

     I feel like I haven't written anything in here in ages! I guess maybe because that's true...BUT NOW I'M BACK! And since I haven't logged my adventures in a while, I have so much to say! I guess I'll start right where I left off. 

     After we finally dried off from getting soaked at the Zoo, we decided to spend our next day doing some exploring around Darling Harbour. Thankfully it didn't rain on us, although it was a bit windy, and when I say a bit windy...it was VERY windy! haha. At Darling Harbour they have tons of restaurants and beautiful views of the city there as well. Once we finally agreed on a place to eat, I (of course) ordered off the kids menu and then to be somewhat sophisticated I ordered a glass of wine. Great pairing...not. My tummy didn't like the combo. BUT I ended up getting some gelato and all was good :)

​     We then headed to the QVB (Queen Victoria Building) to do some shopping. Such a pretty part of town, I felt more regal just being there while shopping at a place that's names after the Queen! ( I love the Queenie!) Since shopping was on our mind, we decided to head over to another shopping mall where we found out that there was a tower that has some amazing views of the city. And they have a tour that takes you outside and walks you around it! So we went up to give it a shot, but with the rain and wind and night approaching, we decided to save it for tomorrow. Before we started our journey home (aka back to the hotel) we went to The Museum of Contemporary Art- Australia! I ended up enjoying myself way more than I thought I would. I like museums, but some you just never know. So this proved me wrong! They have some really amazing pieces there. I've put some of my favourites in my "Photo's Down Under" section if you want to see them! But after we were done with the museum, we headed back "home". Got some good sleep because the next day was a BIG one for me!

      I was almost too excited to sleep that night because there were two big things that I was going to do that day. But first we ended up waking up late and running out of the hotel as fast as we could to get to our reservation on time to do our tour of the Sydney Tower. We ended up missing our reservation :( but rescheduled it after lunch. With full bellies we headed back up and got all geared up to go out and walk around the building for our Skywalk tour! The building stands at 309 meters high (roughly 1,015 ft) We had the opportunity to actually walk over glass flooring while we were outside, and I LOVED IT! Even though we were so high up, it didn't seem bad at all because we had spectacular views of the Harbour Bridge and the Opera House. The tour isn't just a tour that shoves you outside and only let's you stay out there for little while, oh no no, they had us out there for about 45 min. They tell you facts about the city and exactly what you're looking at which is nice since I really had no idea what anything was! It was amazing. 

      After walking around "The Rocks" which is a nicer part of town with cute little cafes, I HEADED TO MY BRIDGE CLIMB!!!! Words can't describe how I was feeling gearing up for this. Well I guess some of you can who follow me on Snapchat (Karsyn101) because I was posting all my excitement there! haha. The whole process from start to finish was about 3.5 hours. It sounds like a lot, but when you're climbing ON TOP of a bridge, there are certain things they need to teach you before they release you out into the wild. The teaching process plus all the gear they require you to wear takes about the same time it takes you to actually climb the dang bridge! I ended up doing the night climb (which my instructor says is the best one). I had the time of my life! And thankfully Cynthia and I had made friends with two girls while we were at the Zoo because they did the climb with me! (Hannah and Sereena) (Cynthia unfortunately didn't want to do the climb with me at night) But the girls are actually from England, but studying at Melbourne University. They were taking a holiday in Sydney and thank goodness they were or else we wouldn't have met at the Zoo. So I thankfully had some familiar faces to do the climb with and share the experience with. The views are breathtaking and I don't even feel like i can describe how beautiful it really was to see it in real life. No picture can really do it justice.It is definitely something I will be doing again but something that I can FINALLY check off my bucket list!

      The next and sadly last day in Sydney consisted of Cynthia and I packing up and leaving our hotel to head down to Melbourne. But before I left I was determined to go up close to the Opera House! And thankfully we knew the train system so well by then, that we just hopped on real quick and headed over that way so my wish could turn into a reality. So now I can actually say that I left Sydney doing everything that I set out and wanted to do. I know I will be going back up there before (if) I return back to America, but for now I am very content. Closing this chapter on Sydney, but now it's time to start a new one on Melbourne! Goodbye New South Wales, HELLO VICTORIA! 

I promise I will get a new blog update up tomorrow!

It will include how I spent my last days in Sydney, and my first days in
​ Melbourne! (and how spiders have already tried to kill me...)

     After traveling for about 18 hours in total (roughly) I was ready to finally see what Sydney, Australia had to offer. Thankfully my friend and I (Cynthia) had a mutual friend that is from Sydney and was more than happy to show us around some fun local touristy spots. We ended up driving to the famous Bondi Beach and walking around there for a couple hours, and then just walking around Kings Cross to see (and smell) all the amazing restaurants that this beautiful city has to offer. 
      Day 2, Cynthia and I decided it was our turn to try to figure out how to manoeuvre around the city without a native. After taking a train ride and a couple wrong turns, we managed to go into the city and get some banking issues taken care of and seeing what other cool things there are here. We ended up in the CBD (Central Business District) and oh my its amazing! We were there during lunch hour and everywhere you turned you saw people in business suits. It was quite a site to see. 
      Thankfully we got home safe and sound before it started to POUR down rain, so I would call that a win. (Even if I called it a night at 9:30pm haha) But I'm getting used to a different time zone so I think it's okay :) Well that's at least what I tell myself!
     Today was day 3, and we FINALLY made it to the Harbour Bridge and Opera House! (pictured above) Since it was raining (THE WHOLE DAY!) we tried to think of something that would still be fun, but also not get us drenched. So we decided on the Zoo. After taking a 15min Ferry ride (very fun I may add, and a perfect spot to take tons of photos) we got to the Taronga Zoo. Since the weather wasn't nice out, some of the animals decided to stay undercover. But for the most part we got to see all of the animals we wanted to see! Of course my favourite was the Giraffes :) We unfortunately weren't able to feed them today, but I WILL DO IT EVENTUALLY! Melbourne better let me do it at their Zoo, or I'll just go inside there myself and feed them! 
     After staying inside the Zoo after they had closed (oops), we missed our buss to catch our ferry ride back to the train. So after waiting about 45min, we finally got back to the train and headed home. Grabbed some Thai food (which I'm enjoying at this moment as I'm trying this) and called it a night. It's now WAY passed my bedtime and I definitely need all the rest I can to take on all that this city has to offer! Can't wait to see what I end up doing next. <3 

     

Goodbye is the hardest part

      Saying goodbye to your friends and family is hard, yes. But when you have to say goodbye to the person who has literally been by your side since you were born has to be the hardest thing I've done in my life to date. When I moved to California, she came with me. When I moved to Las Vegas...she came with me. So not having my Mom on this next part of my life is hard and something that will take some getting used to. I love you to the moon and back mama and I'm waiting for the day you call me to tell me you've booked your ticket to come see me! Take care of yourself, God Damn it! :) 

After getting the news that my Australian Visa had been approved I almost peed myself! It was the first thing that made everything sink in and feel real. AM I ABOUT TO PACK UP MY LIFE AND MOVE OVERSEAS?! The answer is yes, and I couldn't be more excited :) 

Let's be honest. Getting ready to pack up your life is a very daunting feeling. There are SO many things that need to be done before you decide to make the plunge to anther country. Mine happens to be Australia. In making this checklist, I hope to help people who are in my shoes and looking to travel the world. It is the most exhilarating feeling, so if you have the opportunity to do it, GO OUT THERE AND DO IT MY FRIEND!
 
This is my checklist (so far) of what I have needed to do thus far to prepare for my departure:

1.  Find a place that interests you, and make sure understand their language! If not, get a book and start to learn it, it will come in handy. For me, I (thankfully) don't need to learn a new language!
   
2. Get (or renew) your passport. If you already have one, than that's one less thing you need to worry about!
3. Get your Visa! Since I am traveling to Australia, there are many different types to apply for. I applied and JUST GOT my "Work/Holiday Visa" they offer. This allows me to travel around the country BUT also get a job and support myself. So do your research before you make up your mind. Here is a link that should help you.
4. I am thankful that I am traveling with one of my best friends, so it makes things easier to deal with like: HOW ARE WE GOING TO MAKE MONEY?! Like I said, neither of us have been to Australia so finding somewhere to work is very scary for me. We are using a company that is helping us get our visa and also helping us with job placements. The link for them is here.
5. Next important item to think about is where are you going to live? If you plan on just traveling around and taking trains around the country then www.airbnb.com is a good way to go. 
6. If you plan on driving in another country, I would look into getting an International Drivers License. Some countries don't require you to have one, but it doesn't hurt to look before you take the plunge to somewhere new. I am going through  http://www.idltravel.com/ to get mine. The service is so fast and inexpensive, it's perfect for people who are young and want to travel on a budget!
7. Next on the list is medical and dental records. It doesn't hurt to bring them just in case something happens to you while you're traveling. Especially if you have a pre-existing medical issue and need to find a doctor overseas.
8. Copies of all your documents. Since I am the only one who has my passport, social security card, and birth certificate, it is important to make copies for your family. God forbid something happens to you while you're gone, but just in case they are prepared to send information over if need be. I have provided copies with close family friends that they keep in a safety security box for safe keeping.
9. As your trip gets closer, make sure you have a schedule on where you're going first. There is so much to see, so try to have a plan for where you're going to stay and what city you're staying in.
10. THEN GO OUT AND HAVE FUN!!