Speechless in Coogee

Australia, yet again, has proven to be a life-changing place. In these 2 weeks I have been here, I have experienced more emotions, more self-discovery, more deep-thoughts, and more surprises than I have since I have left. I have felt the most homesick I have felt since being away, and a few days later have felt the most inclined to call qantas and tell them to cancel my flight back home because I want to stay here forever.

I left Coolangatta pretty upset. Which fucking sucks, because I was in Coolangatta; the weather was perfect, we had surf, I was with Alex, I was in Australia...but I went into the Gold Coast airport in tears because I had a less-than great time there with my mates from back home. Long story. And I also saw Liam, and for those of you who know the story, that was a fucking emotionally draining/ridiculous experience. And it kind of went like this:

Kristi and Liam decide to go get smoothies.
While in line, a guy shouts, "Oi, Liam!"
Liam goes to speak with guy, who is obviously his mate
Kristi is left in line waiting for smoothies
Liam and mate have a chat and a laugh, and Liam returns with shit eating grin on his face
Liam: "Do you know my mate?"
Kristi: "No, I don't think so"
Liam: "Aparently you do with you lips from the pub last night."

Awesome. So I made out with my "ex-boyfriend's" mate at the pub the night before I saw him after 1.5 years of waiting, and we happen to run into him in line for smoothies. And I have been waiting 1.5 years to see this guy again to tell him with a fuck off he is for ripping my heart out, and how mature and responsible and independent I am now that I am no longer affected by him. And then I make out with his friend while drunk at the Coolie hotel, who we just happen to run into the next day, who both think this situation is hilarious. Good job, Kristi. Kellie Braam- you'll like that story.

So I was feeling rather low after the Gold Coast experience, and truly the only thing that made me feel better was hopping into the ocean and going for a sunset surf. It's really the only place that makes my mind focus soley on the present moment; look for the next set, pick the wave, paddle paddle paddle...but man, that next morning, I was quite happy to be leaving Coolangatta. It's definitely a symbolic place for me, for good and bad reasons.

But then, I was flying to Sydney. Sydney, my favorite city in the whole world. The pleace where I fell in love with this country, this lifestyle, made the most amazing memories and friends, have the most ridiculous and hilarious stories. And when the plane actually flew over the Eastern suburbs becahes and I could recognize Coogee from the Air, and then we flew over Sydney Harbor and there was an ariel view of the Opera House, well I just absolutely lost it. I balled my eyes out in sheer happiness to be returning the homeland, and I apologized profusely to the woman sitting next to me for losing my grip in a fit of emotional turmoil. But- I was home.

And the return was epic. I got into the Sydney airport and was greeted by my mate Chris, my South African, rugby playing friend who shared a few good laughs with me when I lived in Coogee. Seeing him was so wonderful- familair, friendly...it was as if I had never left. He graciously offered to give me a couch to crash on when I came back into Sydney, and I clearly accepted the offer due to my limited funds. Well. We grab a cab outside of the airport, and I'm chatting away about God knows what, not at all paying attention to my surroundings. When I finally look up, I realize we are headed towards Coogee, which is on the complete other side of the city as Chris now lives. As we pull up to Coogee Beach, Chris goes, "Well we might as well have a look at coogee, considering this is why you came back to sydney in the first p;ace". I'm like, sweet,sounds great; but don't notice that we're taking my bags out of the cab as we're pulled up to the Crown Plaza Hotel- the most posh hotel in Coogee beach. But to be fair, I was so overwhelmed with being back in coogee that you could have slepped me and I would not have noticed. So I'm getting out of the cab, relishing in the beauty that is Coogee, and Chris goes offhandedly, "Oh by the way, you're staying here tonight." BLAMMO. WHAT?! So my mate chris, hooks me up with a POSH hotel for 2 nights overlooking coogee beach, "Just because you're my mate and it's your birthday, and that's what we do for our mates." And then, I cried some more. And for the first time since I've been away, I was rendered speechless. And I am going to throw it out there that He is not Aussie, he is South African, and he has made sure to tell me that when I retell this story that I need to point out that he is South African, because he is "doing his country a favor" and hoping that I spread the word back to America that South Africans are AWESOME blokes. Well, I'm convinced. So I spent 2 nights of Luxury in a hotel that was far too fancy for me, in my favorite place in the world, and then spent my Birthday, which is Australia day, celebrating the Aussie lifestyle in the back of a pickup truck filled with hot water that we turned into a hot tub, eating lambchops on the Barbie and drinking Pure Blondes. Can this Coogee Experience get any better? I think not. Big risks= big rewards.