Spring Fever...

You'd think that after 9 months I'd be used to the opposite seasons, but I'm not. Although it's definitely cooling down here, the fresh crisp air (and the fact that it's April) makes me think that spring is here and summer is coming. However, the reality is that fall is here and winter is coming. Aside from that small detail, I guess you could say it's been a typical spring (of course in the sense that anything is typical this year). First, I'm sick, of course, as always happens when the seasons change. And second, both Mark and I are anticipating the end of the school year (which isn't really the end of the school year in Australia), but for very different reasons. For me, it's hard to think that by the middle of June I'll have written a 10,000-word essay. It's even harder to think this in light of the fact that I've only written 1,000 of those words so far. For Mark, well, anybody that reads can figure out why Mark is anticipating the end of the school year.

I guess what's different though is that the end of the school year also means the end of this experience. I remember when Serena lived with us and would say, "I can't believe I only have 3 months left," to which I'd reply that 3 months is still a long time. Now I understand where she was coming from and I'm the one saying, "I can't believe we only have 3 months left!" On one hand, it feels like we've been here a long time. We're definitely settled in and comfortable (or as comfortable as we can be in 400 square feet with Ikea furnishings). We have a handful of pretty good friends and another handful of good people to hang out with. We walk around the city like it's our city. And last week, I recommended and gave directions for places to shop to a couple of tourists that stopped into the cafe. But, on the other hand, it feels like we just got here. There's so much to see in do in Melbourne alone, that we've just barely scratched the surface. And then there's the rest of Australia with all it has to offer. We've definitely been lucky to see as much of it as we have, but there's still so much more to see... which reminds me, we're off to Port Douglas and the Great Barrier Reef in a couple of weeks :) so be sure to check back for pictures!