Visiting My Dream Country

I finally went to Australia. Most of you don't know this, but going to Australia has been my dream for as long as I can remember. Something about its beautiful nature and wild animals caught my attention. On top of that, the few reels I had encountered here and there always had continued to draw me towards it.

Sydney Opera House

One of the many reasons why I chose to volunteer in Fiji for the Peace Corps was because of its proximity to Australia. I figured, if I live in Fiji for 2 years, I will at least go to Australia twice. And boy, I finally went.

My trip to Australia was not planned- planned. Let me explain myself. I always knew I wanted to go, but I didn’t know where specifically. I knew I wanted to go to the countryside and explore the nice beaches. Aside from that, I didn't know much about the country. I knew that there were a few cities like Sydney and Melbourne. I knew that Travis, Kourtney’s husband, had rented out Luna Park for the kids while he was touring in Sydney. I knew that Australia was known for its wild Kangaroos and the crazy, humongous spiders that could eat me alive in seconds. You see where I am headed, I only knew some things here and there. When we talk about actual things to do, like an itinerary, I knew absolutely nothing. 

Starting this year, I have spoken with a few of my cousins about going to Australia. But something deep inside of me had told me that my first official solo trip should be Australia. I started to look for flights for the last week of April. While searching, I learned that a group of volunteers was planning to go to Australia to celebrate one of the boys' birthdays. I thought it would be cool if we could mix the trip. The plan was to spend a few days in Melbourne and then Sydney. I was like, sure, why not? 

Fast forward a few days, and nothing is being said in the Aussie chat. I, of course, started to worry because the closer we got to the departure date, the more expensive the flights were going to get. I did a lot of reflection and learned that I never really wanted to go to Melbourne, but that it was mainly Sydney. So I decided not to tag along and booked my flights. Later on, I learned that the boys had changed their minds and only wanted to go to Melbourne. I was like, "Phew, thank God I didn’t wait on that decision." The following day, I booked my hostel stay for my 11-day trip (keep reading to learn about that review lol).

Sydney Harbour Bridge

Australia, Australia, Australia. Where do I begin? One of the many things that attracted me to it was Hillsong. I knew that the church had started in Australia. For that reason, I had planned my trip around Good Friday and Easter Sunday because I needed a revival in my soul. I needed to go praise my God with all my might. This trip cemented His unconditional love towards me like no other. Praise Jesus.

Aside from the church aspect, I always had a strong feeling that I might meet my husband in Australia lol (don't ask me why, or how I know this), I just did. It is safe to say that in some way, I did meet my husband, Jesus. As for my worldly husband, not quite.

Before we get into the nitty, gritty of my trip, my learnings, views, opinions, and more, I have attached my itinerary, just in case someone wants to plan a trip to Sydney, Australia :)

Now let's get into some of the highlights from my trip:

Hillsong Waterloo Sydney

Church was absolutely electric!!! I loved every second of it. I met wonderful people who opened their hearts and homes to me and showed me the unconditional love of Jesus. Thank you, Gabby, Steve, Daiani, Sylviane, and Marcos, for making my Hillsong experience one of a kind.

The Guys and Dolls musical was a masterpiece. The signing, along with the dancing, was truly magical. The fireworks show filled my heart with so much joy. And let me not get started on the view of the harbour at night because no words can describe its beauty.

Walking around The Rocks took me back to my study abroad period in France. The cobblestone streets, along with the small, quaint boutiques, made me feel as if I were walking in a fairytale.

The number of times I ate froyo was too many to count hahahaha. My heart was beyond content.

My date with Jesus was one of my favorite dates ever. I got to learn more about His unconditional love towards everyone. He spoke to me in His beautiful manner and made me realize one very important thing. That He will help EVERYONE, even demons that are inhabiting His people’s bodies, just because He is that good of a man.

One of the mornings, I had one of my favorite jogs ever! The thought of not having to worry about tripping on a rock, or not needing to measure my speed because the hills weren't as steep as the ones from the village made the jog very smooth. Plus, the constant change of scenery and the interactions with the community of other joggers made the run more fun.

Trail by the Blue Mountains

The day trip to the Blue Mountains was one of my favorite days. Taking the train for 2 hours allowed me to look at the scenery and read a few chapters. Walking the different trails, smelling the fresh scent of the trees, and seeing the different waterfalls was very refreshing and peaceful. Apparently, the Blue Mountains park only holds 2% of the actual Blue Mountains, which, if you think about it, is crazy!

The list of highlights from this trip is humongous, however, I will end with this... my favorite highlight was learning that I truly enjoy my own company. Before, I needed to fill my space with people or noise to feel alive. I needed to be talking to someone most of the time; if not, I would have felt lonely. This trip changed that. I learned that I love spending time by myself because that meant prioritizing what I wanted at all times. Growing up as a people pleaser, I rarely ever put myself first. This trip showed me that I need to prioritize what I want, most specifically what I need.

Besides all the highlights, I had a few learnings too. 

I stayed at the hostel, Summer House Kings Cross, Sydney. I was in a mixed room of 4 people. The overall cleanliness of the hostel was pretty good. The kitchen had a good amount of space. The hostel provided us with fridge space so that we could keep our groceries cool. One thing that I realized on day 1 was that many people lived in the hostel. Like, that was their permanent home for a bit. For some reason, I thought that everyone was vacationing. Whenever anyone had asked me what I was doing there, and I said "I am on a holiday (lol)", they were like “Oh wao.”

First hostel impression: Am I back in high school? Everyone was in their little cliques, speaking their own language. You had different groups: French, Danish, British, etc. Because of the clique feeling, it was hard to interact with many people. For that reason, I often left the hostel early in the morning and would not return until very late at night. I didn’t want to force myself to make any connections that were eventually going to drain me.

If you were to ask me, how are Australians, and what do they look like, I am afraid I wouldn't have an answer for you. I probably met 5 Australians lol. There were many tourists, and a lot of the residents in Sydney are immigrants. They have moved to Australia in search of a better life. From my take, the diversity I encountered in Australia was very broad. I saw a lot of Brazilians, French, British, a few Latinos, and more. But then again, this is expected in a very populated city. 

The metro system in Australia is amazing. Everything was very clean, and there were maps and TV screens detailing trains and stations in every corner. Something that caught me by surprise was that you needed to tap in and out of the transit. If you were taking the bus somewhere, you tapped your card once you entered and before you got off the bus. If you forgot to tap, then you would be charged till the last stop, which sounds crazy!

As for the food, Australians don’t have a specific dish, besides kangaroo meat.. Like many cities, they have a little bit of everything. They had a lot of Indian, Thai, Vietnamese, and more. I found myself eating mostly Mexican (Zambrero is way better than Guzman Y Gomez) or Pizza Hut (which was one of the only food joints open past 12 am on a weekday). My favorite thing that I learned halfway through my trip; McDonald's has ice cream cones for 50 cents. Like WHATTTT. I ended up having about 6 of those lol. They also had the chicken wraps. I still get annoyed that America stopped serving these, like, huh.

To summarize my trip in a few words, Heavenly freeing. The full 10 days that I spent in Sydney were wonderful. It was a good amount of time to visit many places, but also to rest a bit. I found myself not needing to rush because I was there for so many days. 

Though my trip was fantastic, I was missing my home and my village. I craved the day to fly back to Nadi, not only to go back home, but after my Aussie trip, I was bound to spend a few days at the Coral Coast, where I met a few of my friends.

That trip was wonderful. Until I learned of some developments that changed my view on a couple of volunteers. Stay tuned for those.

Thank you for reading this blog. If you have any questions or suggestions, please don't be afraid to hit the chat or email me.

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Stay tuned for my next blog -> I'd Rather Not Fake It

XOXO Yerika