Flying Somewhere Over the Rainbow to find the Land Down Under

As Bill Bryson humourously writes," Each time you fly from North America to Australia, and without anyone asking how you feel about it, a day is taken away from you when you cross the international date line...Between America and Australia, you will experience something that would be, in any other circumstance, the starkest impossibilty..[And] In the circumstances, it is a pleasure to find yourself anywhere; that it is Australia is a positive bonus."

- In A Sunburned Country

As you may know, I am also about to embark on a journey that will bring me to the other side of the world-- and I am happy to trade one day of my life for it. For May 25, I technically will not exist in the States, or in Australia, but somehow, as I float over the Pacific to the Indian Ocean, I will arrive unscathed and ready to rumble. On 26 May, my exciting life as a Sydneysider will begin; and in late July, I'll let you know what I would have done with my long lost sun cycle.

Now, you may be thinking that this is quite an unexpected journey to Australia...especially for a girl who loves her cities old and her shoes clean. But, this adventure (which absolutely includes 12 days in the Outback--no joke), however unexpected, is about to light my world on fire, and present opportunities to me that I literally, could not have imagined for myself. To those of you who have seen my version of "roughin' it," I apologize in advance for what belly laughter may come as I trek through the land of EVERYTHING poisonous and deadly. I will keep you posted on my condition in these circumstances.

But, for those who have yet to know my survival skills, I ask that you only buckle up, cut a little slack, and join me on this big journey Down Under.

For a girl who dropped out of Girl Scouts even before the campfires had to be built, this should be very interesting.

But, in all seriousness, I have to express what utter joy,excitement and gratitude I feel for this trip of a lifetime, and the summer semester. In these next eight weeks, I will be participating in a Travel Writing program, for both Fiction, and Non-Fiction, and meet with various published authors, professors, editors, etc. to pick up tips, tricks, advice, and most of all, criticism. For the first time ever, I'll truly be able to put my work on the chopping block, and experience the pain and glory of what it means to be a writer--and the kind of writer I want to be, dream to be, and strive to find will come to light and into focus in these next weeks in the lands, sands, seas, and cities of the wonderous world of Oz.

After all, if Dorothy Gale can deal with lions and tigers and bears in glittering heels, so can I.

Just insert { snakes, crocks, and jellies, oh my! }

Happy Travels,

(And very happy to be back in the swing of things)

xx