Two Months and Counting...

Hard to believe that Natalie and I bought our one-way ticket (only $300 via studentuniverse.com, I might add...) to Australia only four months ago. Now it's the beginning of August, and although I'm up in Lake Tahoe and Nat is 3,000 miles away in DC, our plans are quickly coming to life. Crazy, huh? From procuring visas, finding places to stay, and convincing our respective families to come visit us in Sydney for Christmas/New Year's, everything is all of a sudden coming together.

For the last two months, however, I'll be spending the majority of my time here in Lake Tahoe area. After graduating from Stanford this past Spring, I decided to lengthen my Stanford experience and am now working as a "stapher" (yup, it's "stapher," not "staffer") at Stanford Sierra Camp. Called a "camp," SSC is actually more of a family resort run by 60-70 current Stanford undergrads and recent graduates. The camp is located at the end of Fallen Leaf Road on the edge of the beautiful Fallen Leaf Lake and is surrounded by Desolation Wilderness. Consequently, although I often find myself cleaning bathrooms and making beds, teaching a cappella and ZUMBA! (a latin dance workout class), or merely trying to anxiously please our guests--mostly Stanford alums--I take every spare moment I can to explore this unique area.

Anyway, SSC is great, but I can't wait for the travels to come. After a brief stint in the DC Area to visit home for a bit before I take off, Natalie and I will fly out of San Francisco on September 30...OZ, here we come!

First stop: Tasmania. We'll be staying with Brony and her Greek family who live on a farm about 45 minutes outside of Hobart. We've been asked to bring 4 litres of Frangelico (at cheaper prices, courtesy of Duty Free) so we can "have a party!" She's promised to teach Nat and I how to surf, horseback ride, etc. Can't wait...