Ainsley in Australia!

What a week!

It's good to be back to blogging because, boy, do I have a lot to say. This week was a full one, and so I am going to break it up by day. 

Sunday: Waking up with a really good headache after Benja's birthday, I started my Australia Day off right with a walk to Bondi Beach. I watched an Indigenous ceremony on the sand, and grabbed an avocado smash bagel on my way home (buss). After that, it was time to take a trip to the airport! I picked up the lovely Ainsley Conroy who came to visit after her Jan-Plan of teaching in Taiwan. Yay! Reunited at last! We headed into the city where we got ready for dinner and Australia Day Live! It was such a fun night, and I was incredibly grateful to get to experience the celebration.

Monday: Today was a beach day which was much needed after a long weekend. However, the storms from the week prior brought in a gross amount of seaweed which ruined my typical ocean splashing. After some laying in the sun, it was time for another exciting evening! We trekked back into the city and started our night at the outdoor cinema with a yummy dinner. However, things quickly turned south when the gates of the sky opened up and released something fierce. Unfortunately, our movie was cancelled but at least it was a silly memory.

Tuesday: Bridge climb! Ainsley and I tackled the infamous activity together, and were led by a queen named Maria. She guided us up our climb in the grueling 103 degree heat! Despite the raging temperatures, the climb was amazing. After it ended, we treated ourselves to Yo-Chi! Thank god because that two week hiatus was the hardest thing I've ever done. 

                                           

Wednesday: This day was such a relaxing gift. It started with my first true açaí bowl (maybe ever?) and it was absolutely stunning. I'm not sure what was better--the taste or the aesthetic. After that, we sped on over to the spa! It was a funky place and after spending some time in saunas, ice-baths, and on massage tables, we left feeling like whole new women.

Thursday: This was our super chill day and it involved a lot of TV watching. However, things quickly turned for the worst when we discovered we had foreign invaders entering our space: maggots. Unfortunately, they infiltrated our trash can and didn't want to stop there. While this was one of the most skin-crawling moments of my life, it also turned out to be the funniest. Shout out to Benja and Owen for really braving the beasts.

Friday: Sadly, Ainsley's last full day had arrived. Unfortunately, so had my last day of summer class. I spent quite a few hours on campus watching the videos we had produced as our final project, and then headed home to take my final exam. Ainsley and I absolutely crushed it-- teamwork makes the dream work! Finally, Ainsley chose dinner and she picked a magical rotating restaurant, everyone say "thank you, Ainsley!"

Saturday: Another açaí bowl and a sad goodbye later, Ainsley was on her way back to Belmont (really well-suited building name in image below). Look out Colby, here she comes! Thank you for the best visit ever, Ains. Since then, I have been running around packing and figuring out logistics because there is a big trip incoming!! I am going to miss Sydney as I won't be back for the next 2 weeks, however, I will be up to some really exciting things. While I cannot promise a blog to split up the trip, I will try my absolute best!

Australian fact of the week: 4 people fell off the Sydney Harbor Bridge during its construction, however, one of them survived. As we all could have guessed, he was Irish🍀!