At the moment, it is around 7:30pm, it has been pouring rain all day long, and I am extremely jet lagged, fighting to keep my eyes open for at least another hour. Despite all of this, I’ve already fallen in love. I arrived in Brisbane at the crack of dawn this morning, after much unneeded stress due to flight cancellations and delays. But all of that stress melted away as my host dad and I pulled up to the front of my new home this morning.

I am staying in a northern suburb of Brisbane called Bridgeman Downs, about a 25 minutes drive from the city. There are palm trees and eucalyptus plants everywhere I turn, and the town is filled with large pieces of land to house huge mansions. My home for the next three months is absolutely breathtaking. Acres beyond acres of land, swimming pool and tennis court in the back yard, my very own room that could be mistaken for a hotel, and my own jeep parked in the driveway. The house is very big, all one story, but very beautiful inside, with photographs taken by my host mum covering the walls of almost every room. And I get to share it with such an amazing family.

My host family has been wonderful so far. My host parents are such loving people and their children, Christian (10) and Tea (5), have already claimed me as their own. The moment I stepped inside, I was greeted by two puppies, Marley and Molly, licking my ankles, and bear hugs all around. To be honest, the day went by in a bit of a haze – immediately after my arrival, I accompanied my family to Tea’s swim lesson and then went to lunch where I ate kangaroo pie. Meat pies are a traditional Aussie meal, and I figured I’d jump right in with the kangaroo – it was surprisingly tasty! The rest of the day, I hung out at the house, relaxed in my room with occasional disruptions from the kids (like this note from Tea being slid under my door)

Christian asked his mum earlier today if she thought I’d be offended if he told me he loved me already, and she jokingly told him those were big words, maybe it was too soon. But I must say I’m in love with this family and this place already, too, and I could not feel more at home. There is no doubt I will be staying here awhile!