Saying Farewell to Perth

That time has come, the time to say goodbye and start on new adventures. Wrapped up Australian academics for good on Thursday when I had my last exam, the practical for zoology. It ended up being a bit harder than I thought it would (typical question: "here's the body cavoty of an animal. There are five pieces of string labeled A-E all attached at odd points that look like they could be any one of about five organs. Which organ do you think the instructor meant each string to be attached to and what is their function? You have four minutes, go"). Although, all in all, I think it did pretty well.

The past couple days have been a whirlwind of packing, farewells, and taking the last chance we have to hang out. Thursday evening my friend Cristina was kind enough to invite a group of us exchanges over to her parent's apartment for pool, barbecue, and drinks (and her parents must be loaded, because that was a nice freaking place). Last night, our friend Stevie returned the favor, hosting us for the last of several dinner parties she's been kind enough to throw (you might recall she also hosted us while in Geraldton) and surprising us at the end with beautiful, handdrawn, framed pictures of our little group. It was seriously one of the nicest presents I've ever been given and a huge shout out to Stevie for them.


(Back row L-R: Vanessa, Me, Sindre, Alyssa, Noam. Front Row L-R: Cindy, Stevie, Matt, Leslie)

Wrapping up such a long stay in such a great place makes one think quite a bit, and overall I am tremendously happy with my experience. UWA, Perth, and Western Australia were all ideal fits for me, in terms of people, experiences, and activities. The community was very inclusive and I never once felt unwanted or unwelcome. The landscapes, the wildlife, and especially the weather have all been incredible and an awesome change of pace from Seattle and the Northwest (not a knock in any way on my hometown). More than anything else though, I think the decision to stay at Currie Hall was what really made my time in Perth as good as it was. Currie was amazing at including exchanges, giving me an opportunity to meet and hang out every day with amazing people from all over the world - not to mention all the activities, events, etc that our res club organized for us. I don't think my experience at UWA would have been half as good had I not chosen to stay at Currie Hall.

One last note - thanks everyone who sent me stuff Down Under! My final count was three mega care packages plus 27 other cards, postcards, letters, etc. It was always awesome to hear from back home and I can't say enough how much I appreciate the support.


So long to Perth! See you next in Brisbane!