Not so far from Iowa anymore

All right everybody, tonight is my very last night in Australia. Well, for now at least.

I can't believe this experience is over. It's always a funny time when a chapter of your life closes and another one begins. I don't know what I'm off to next, but I do know that I'll often think back on this experience as a very special time in my life. I'm so glad I did this.

So as I head home, I think a thank you to Australia is in order. I wrote a list a few weeks back about what I miss most about home. Below is what I'll miss most about Australia.

1. Living a short walk from the ocean

2. The Aussie way of shortening words (i.e. brekky, Chrissy time, arvo, sunnies, Brissy, Tassie)

3. Aussie slang (up the duff's my fave)

4. Australian TV (Denton, Border Security, Kath & Kim, Summer Heights High. Hell, I'll even miss Home and Away)

5. The supplements in the weekend papers

6. Crumpets

7. Cadbury Dairy Milk bars

8. Cheap domestic airfare

9. Being so close to New Zealand

10. All the beautiful travel spots (the Whitsundays, Airlie Beach, Cairns)

11. The Daintree rainforest

12. Whitehaven Beach in the Whitsundays

13. The weather!

14. Tea'se Me

15. Aussie breakfasts (especially poached eggs!)

16. Surry Hills

17. Cara at Barberia

18. Margaret River, WA

19. The Sydney Opera House

20. Taking ferries regularly

21. The widespread availability of kebabs

22. Australia's reception of backpackers

23. Australia's love of travel

24. Being able to see Hamish Blake on a regular basis

25. Everything made by Arnott's

26. Tim Tams Double Coat

27. Absolutely no security at the airport

28. Tea cafes

29. Sportsgirl

30. How everybody always dresses up

31. Aussie beer

32. Paddington in Sydney

33. Outdoor markets (esp. Salamanca in Hobart)

34. Australia Zoo

35. Seeing koalas and kangaroos in the wild

36. Kevin Rudd, P.M.

37. Lachlan Barry O'Leary

38. Watching Aussie journalists 'interpret' American news

39. Creamed honey

40. My friends from school

41. The Europeans from the Whitsundays

42. Perth

43. The Rocks pubs (Mercantile, Glenmore and Hero of Waterloo)

44. El Monde on Favreau

45. Skim flat whites

46. Kangaroo meat (it still doesn't feel right, but it tastes so good)

47. Stanwell Park

I'm sure there are thousands of things I'm forgetting, but that's just a quick list. My time in Australia helped me realize that I had lived a very sheltered life. Looking back on everything I've been through these past nine months, my mind just floods with memories. So many my head almost begins to hurt. But what I'm taking way most from this experience is a new understanding and respect for our differences.