Dreaming of Down Under

They say if you want to know where your heart is, look where your mind goes when it wanders. Yesterday marked the one year anniversary of my departure to the journey of a lifetime. I fell in love with a country, its people, its friendly and welcoming spirit, and its pure beauty. Not one single day of the past eight months has passed where I haven't missed Australia, and I know I have to return.


I've set a feasible goal for myself: go on a one-year working holiday journey. I'm writing this post now so when I become a post-grad, I can look back at how passionate I am in this moment, and despite how nervous I may be to leave for an entire year, I will still go through with my dream because if I choose not to go, I will regret it for the rest of my life. Heck, I can't even listen to "Land Down Under" without bursting instantaneously into tears. Okay, maybe that was a bit dramatic, but it gets my point across.

I want to go back to the lifestyle that left me so carefree I was able to discover a new Ashley. I want to go back and reunite with all the friends I made on TEDS. I want to make new friends, explore new cities, discover new secret spots that allow me to actually listen to my thoughts rather than rush them. I want to pull that new book back off the shelf and rediscover the adventures on each and every page, pages that were left unwritten for too long. I want to be tan!

So here it is. February 11, 2014 will be my deadline. Hopefully my adventure will commence sooner, but if not, I have my goal in mind. 363 days from today I will be living my dream.