incondite letters to self: Summer Time

Although the weather has not complied until the last minute, summer is here and I'm certainly not wasting my days away. I've done such a variety of things in the past couple of months, which has enabled me to fully appreciate how blessed I am to live where I am and have such a freedom of time.

My memory sometimes serves me well, but often tries to trick me into forgetting just how many awesome experiences I've had. I've seen many old friends and new friends and have met some amazing people over the summer who have contributed to my holiday adventure.

I was able to really explore Melbourne and meet some new and interesting people and I have a new found confidence and feeling of independence. Coming from the country, conquering the train system is a big feat! I spent some time in Yarrawonga with the family and crossed the border over to NSW to spice up our lives! With my friend from Vanuatu, I was able to recreate my feelings of gratitude for the beauty around me with trips to Tower Hill, Halls Gap, Port Cambell, the Great Ocean Road, Torquay, Geelong and the big smoke.

I also volunteered, along with my very good friend, on a camp for underprivileged teenage girls. Despite being an utterly challenging and equally exhausting experience, I learned a lot about myself in terms of tolerance, patience and was able to sacrifice time, comfort and sanity for the benefit of others who needed it. The camp brought my friend, someone I am privileged to know, and I closer together and I really cherish the time we had together going through the highs and lows of a difficult situation.

I've been surfing, fishing, MANUAL DRIVING, swimming, cooking, gaming, painting and most commonly laughing.

So now my summer draws to an end and I embark on a new teaching journey on placement and I hope for an equally exciting final uni year! I could not love life much more than I do right now.

Some of the highlights of the sunny season...