Take My Breath Away- Berlin

And that is exactly what the picturesque Yarra Valley did for me. With rolling hills, unbelievably green foliage and vineyards for miles, the bus ride to and from the Healesville Sanctuary was absolutely breathtaking. But first, let me digress, for getting to the Sanctuary is a story in and of itself…

A company called “The Real Experience” came to the international orientation on Monday to tell us all about their exciting tours and opportunities they offer all around Victoria. The first of which was a trip to the Healesville Sanctuary, an up-close-and-personal zoo where you can interact with many of the animals. They encouraged all 150 international students to sign up and go, because no one would want to miss that experience. I was included in the many students excited to participate, but unfortunately I didn’t have money in my Australian bank account yet to pay for the excursion. The company never mentioned a cut off date for sign up, so I figured once my wire transfer went through I would have no problem signing up. I was wrong. It turns out the team had capped the number of people allowed to attend at a mere 103. So, those spots had obviously filled up very quickly and many of us were left without a spot. I found this out Wednesday night (the trip was on Friday). I was so upset that I would be missing this experience so I e-mailed the company, desperately asking for any sort of solution—I even offered to pay extra! But, to no avail. The Real Experience was not going to budge on their number.

Frustrated with our situation, my friend Laura and I sought our own solution. With a little research and elbow grease we discovered there was a way to reach the Sanctuary by public transportation (of which they have a great system here in Melbourne). A train and two buses would get us to the Yarra Valley location in a little under two hours! Granted, this was slightly longer than the one-hour bus ride our peers would be taking, but our trip would be about $30 cheaper—a fair trade if you ask me! So, with our collective group of 5—the people Laura and I knew who were in the same boat as us, headed off around 8 am Friday morning to hop on the train (and two buses) that would take us through the countryside and to the zoo.

Get ready for this: we saw… Emus, koalas, echidnas, a platypus, a goanna lizard, wallabies, bats, pelicans, wombats, Tasmanian devils, Australian birds, rodents, and reptiles, dingo puppies, adult dingoes, and… my favorite… we got to feed and pet kangaroos! It was an amazing opportunity. We fed the kangaroos corn and carrots and they would eat right out of your hand. We were told not to pet them on their head or chests, mostly because that is what they do if they want to spar with each other- and no one wants to get kicked or punched by a kangaroo thinking you want to fight!

So, on our way home, while the rest of my traveling companions slept, I watched the landscape go by, so grateful for all the experiences I have had so far. Sometimes I need to take a step back from reality and say to myself, “wow, I’m in Australia!” because it all just seems too surreal.

Other than this exciting trip to the sanctuary, most of my time has spent simply assimilating and making friends. I went shopping with my roommate Millie yesterday and classes start (for me) on Wednesday (I don’t have classes Mondays or Tuesdays). I am still extremely homesick, but I am doing my best and being an independent “big girl”… but it is a challenge.