(pictures to come)
When I decided to pack up my ‘big girl job’ and my rather mature and responsible life and put it aside to see the world and get away from it all, I was excited. I was going to learn more about myself and sort out my life and really get somewhere and I fee like I have definitely started to do that! The funny thing about travelling and this experience however, is that I’ve chosen to do it much later than the average person. In fact to the majority of the people I’ve met, I’m ‘old’! Most of the people I’ve met over here are either still in Uni, or at least in their early twenties looking to do exactly what I’m doing. I noticed this almost immediately after I arrived and although it can be interesting at times I have learned to cope with it well (sometimes by flat out lying).
I would say that I have definitely become a version of my former younger self in a very short amount of time; so much so that I feel like I’ve regressed into a past life. It didn’t take long to go back to the life I formerly led in fact I’d say that my decision to come to Australia was based on a little bit of practice during my time at Sun Peaks. I spent a few weekends up there with the other mostly younger staff members and snow bums drinking and partying like a 20 year old but that was dispersed with my big girl job and the fact that I lived away from the mountain and the party bubble. It wasn’t my whole life. Here however the line is far more blurry! Even though I live ‘in the future’ I definitely feel like I’ve gone back in time!
This whole regression thing was most apparent the first week I arrived. As I said before, the first night was full of drunken shenanigans, drinking games and all out debauchery. Just like the young and foolish 18 year old I once was, I arrived at the University campus and went out meeting people. I gotta say it’s kind of nice to see that nothing changes too much in ten years. There are still crazy parties, bad food and great friends to get you through things! I was immediately accepted as one of the group and as though I’d been doing this for years managed to slide into uni life like I’d never left! Some of you might be saying “Well Kennie you’ve really only been out of uni for a couple of years”. This is true; however the lifestyle I led for the majority of my uni experience was quite subdued compared to the first couple of years which is what it’s like here. I spent majority of the first week eating noodles and cheesy vegemite toasties at all hours of the day. Drinking odd concoctions of cordial, and goon and maintaining ridiculous sleeping patterns. I was beginning to think the only difference between now and then is that I don’t have class to attend!! All that fun made me really miss my uni experience. The things you learn beyond the classroom are priceless artifacts to be treasured for years after! It’s the important things, like different ways to play drinking games, that ‘Paw Paw’ ointment looks like black light pen they use to tell if you’ve paid cover, who the nice RA’s are, where to find the best theme party costumes without breaking the bank, what the best mix is with cheap wine....the list goes on.
There are some big differences between myself and some besides age. I am really only looking to find out a bit more about myself. I mean it’s not like I’ve been under a rock this whole time I’ve lived a lot and experienced a lot and I think that gives me an advantage. For example I’m past that stage in my life where I need approval from others (namely males) to feel good about myself. Which is a plus because sleeping around in hostels can prove difficult! I certainly don’t have the urge to drop all my money on getting absolutely wasted every night to feel like I belong which is good because at an older age hangovers are far worse than they were when I was 20! I’m also past the point of trying to make friends with everyone I come across. I’ve learned over the years those that are going to be good friends and those who are possibly going to stab you in the back to get ahead. Many times in my journeys hostel life has gone further back than uni life and feels a lot more like high school! Girls stealing guys out from under each other (literally), relationships forming with hand holding and dates and promises to be together forever, and evil gossip spreading like wildfire when anything happens! The great thing about being ‘old’ is that I now have the skills to take it on the cheek, be comfortable with knowing that people talk and they’ll be on to the next person in a matter of hours and that I have already got a great group of people that love me and are true friends at home; that my time away may be unknown but that the time I spent not traveling was used to forge lifelong bonds in my actual past life. So this blog goes out to my friends and family at home and to my new friends I’ve made that I know through the experience of being ‘old’ that will still be my friends for years to come. And to all of you who are reading this (who are probably just my friends and family) go traveling! It can still be one of the best experiences you have at any age...hey maybe even wait til you’re ‘old’ you may actually appreciate it more!
