I've decided that I don't really like the layour of this journal...too many chapters and sections and subheadings that I have to think up names for! Anyway, apologies for the confusion, but I can't seem to figure out a straight-forward way to present all this information, especially not at a rate of $1AU per 20 minutes.

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Tonight is my last night in Sydney. I've had fun with the harbour cruises, walking around the botanical gardens and expoloring the beaches, which are just beautiful. Today I went to Bondi beach and then walked to Tamarana (sp?) and Bronte beaches. I'm not too sunburned, although I do want to return home with a tan! Tomorrow I'm leaving for Halliday Point, to stay at the Woodland nursery, an organic herb farm, for a few days. I'm excited to be leaving the urban area, and to experience more of the real Australian culture. Most of the folks I've met so far are travelers as well from countries other than Australia. I've met more people from Korea and Canada than any other countries!

I am missing home though. I talked to AJ tonight, and each time I talk to her it makes me realize even more just how much I miss her. I miss my friends and I miss being able to cook in my own kitchen, although I have been eating some very tasty food. It seems like I've been here longer than a week, everything seems very drawn out. The pace of life here is much slower, as if everyone is just kind of meandering along, without really caring much about where they are going. While that is freeing, in some respects, because it allows me to put aside some of the stresses of daily life, it's also a bit disorienting. I keep waiting for someone to come up to me and say "ok, vacation's over, time to go home." I suppose just when I finally get used to the fact that I don't have to be anywhere at a certian time, do anything that has deadlines, have responsibility for anything other then making sure I have eaten and slept, then it really will be time for me to go home.

Back to my hostel now, to pack. I probably won't have e-mail for the next week, until I get to Brisbane, so I'll check in then.