March 15, 2005
G'Day Mates!
My journey has all of a
sudden become ten times more interesting. I decided, after much
contemplation and slight thoughts of giving up on this adventure and
coming home, that I needed to do SOMETHING to change the negative experiences
that I have been going through. I spoke with my parents about my tough
times and they both came up with the smartest suggestion I have heard yet,
something which in any normal state of thinking I could have figured out
myself. They told me to quit my job and start traveling again. After all,
that's what I came here to do, right?
I can remember back to the
beautiful days and nights in New
Zealand and how fun it was to explore new
places and things and meet new people. I feel that once I get moving
again and rediscover those feelings of absolute bliss I will be back on the
right track. Being stuck in one spot is obviously not for me. Since I
stepped foot into Sydney,
I got strapped into the tallest, fastest, and longest emotional
rollercoaster and have been going down the biggest hill you've ever seen
from dispatch. Hopefully, by deciding to move on and
start traveling again, I will going up, up, and
away. I just can't wait to get out there and start writing, sketching and
taking photos again. I can once again be doing the things that make
me happy. I can finally wake up in the morning excited about what's
to come.
Tonight, I am leaving
for Perth, which is
on the Southwest coast where I will meet my Dutch friend Ellen
(one of the girls I met here in Sydney
while I was staying in a hostel) and her good friend Louisa. It will
be so nice to see a familiar face and get a good hug. I will stay there
for a few days and then continue up North with her to Broome. I
have about two weeks to get there before I have to fly out to Darwin where I
will continue along the original path that I had planned down to Adelaide
and then over to Melbourne to meet my parents. I wasn't supposed to
get out to the West Coast but, because of the hardships here, I will
now be able to see the ENTIRE country and not just most of it.
Exciting! I guess everything really does happen for a reason.
Soon enough you'll be be getting another POSITIVE update from lands
previously unexplored and people that I have not yet
met. Strap yourself into your seat because this hill
is going to be a big one.
Ciao
Lauren P. Coker