The past few days have been unexpectedly eventful and filled with pleasant surprises. A couple days ago, I got a message from a friend I had met in Cairns who has been living and working up in northern Queensland – he had spontaneously flown down to Brisbane that night. I could not have been more excited. I feel like I’ve met many people in my travels who I bond with instantly, but as much as we keep in touch and tell ourselves we’ll cross paths again, it doesn’t always happen. Travelers are constantly being blown in different directions. Jens was one of those people who I’d been hoping I’d meet again, but I had accepted the fact that it probably wouldn’t happen, as he’s returning back to Germany in several weeks. As soon as I heard he was in Brissy, I freed up my schedule and set off on some adventures with him.

We wandered around the city, went swimming in the lagoon overlooking Brisbane lit up at night, and the next morning we drove up to the Glass House Mountains and hiked Mount Ngungun – which was especially entertaining for me, watching Jens practically sprint up the mountain in nothing but some old boots, jorts and a Crocodile Dundee hat. We spent so much time just talking and catching up on what our lives have been like since Cairns, and Jens never ran out of crazy, entertaining stories to tell. We had such a great time. There’s just something about this guy that makes me so happy – his weird ridiculousness and enthusiasm for life – I don’t think it’s possible to be around him without a smile on my face. And because I’m so much fun to hang out with, he extended his stay in Brisbane an extra day, and he and his friends joined our Aussie Thanksgiving feast on Saturday night.

Happy Aussie Thanksgiving!

Thanksgiving has got to be one of my favorite holidays. It’s all about being surrounded by awesome people who you love, and stuffing your faces with all the most delicious foods. Even though it’s an American holiday, there was no way we Americans were going to miss out on Thanksgiving. An Australian friend agreed to host, wanting to know what all the hype was about, and what started out as a small gathering of Americans missing their turkey and stuffing turned into a house full of friends from all over the world – Australia, America, France, Denmark, Germany. Everyone cooked and we gathered around and ate and drank and talked and laughed, late into the night. I was so thankful for everyone there. For this experience. For being lucky enough to have so many awesome people in my life who are real and genuine and adventurous and inspiring. For having so many adventures to look forward to.

And I’m also thankful to have the opportunity to spend Aussie Thanksgiving with my mom. That’s right, my mom arrived in Brisbane early this morning, just in time for Part II of Thanksgiving with my host family. I am so looking forward to showing her around my world Down Under this week!