Somewhere I Want To Visit Or Move To

Hello world!

This is actually a cool topic that I actually forgot about for some reason...but no matter.

Travel is a really big interest of mine. I love languages and culture and being somewhere different. There's not anything wrong with Australia really, aside from the fact that we have six of the top ten deadliest snakes in the world here. But y'know, that's life.

Still, there's something thrilling about the prospect of going somewhere new and exciting; of seeing something other than your little corner of the world- for me, that's here in a pretty quiet little area where a party popper in a bin- thought, at the time, to be a bomb- was the most exciting thing to happen in pretty much forever.

After the exchange last year, I've got an itch to just get out of here and see more of the big blue ball we live on. There's so much to see- five other completely mysterious continents I've never even been to.

The world is a big place and I've barely seen my own country. I've been to all the Eastern Australian capital cities, and as far south in Tassie as you can possibly go without a lab coat, but there's still two states and a territory that I've never been to. Either way, I would love to go everywhere. I want to see the way other people live; learn other languages; immerse myself in another culture.

New Zealand was a great place to start- for a fourteen year old girl who'd never been away from home for more than a week on school camp, it was the best possible chance I could have to see something new. I loved it immediately- if you've never been, you should go. The scenery is just...well, wow. Three months was barely enough time for me to truly get a handle on just how breathtakingly beautiful that country really is. I also met some amazing people there, and for those reasons, I would want to go and move there for a bit- maybe work over there on a gap year after year twelve.

And then of course- of course- I want to go to Indonesia. Six years I've spent in a classroom learning about their culture and their language and just life on the islands in general- seeing photos of their traditional long houses (lamin) and hearing an abbreviated version of the Ramayana (it's an ancient Hindu epic which, in its full form, consists of 24000 verses in 7 books- so yes, I heard a very abridged version!) has made me long to be there and experience it for myself.

I suppose that much is obvious though, given that it is a big part of what I actually want to do with my life. I want to get involved in international law, particularly relations with Indonesia. I've seen so many media horror stories about all the drug smuggling cases- Schapelle Corby is pretty much a household name now- and the feature on the news about a 14 year old Indonesian boy being kept in a maximum security prison intended, clearly, for grown men. Add to that the fact that he was by no means given a fair trial- he spoke no English and the trial went ahead without a translator....ugh, they call this the justice system...

Well, that was a tangent and a half. I also really want to go to Italy- it may not be anything like the movies but to me it sounds like the most romantic place on earth. Plus lasagna is from there- and who doesn't love lasagna?!

Also on my list is China- I started reading a the Dark Heavens Trilogy by Kylie Chan last year and it got me really interested in the mythology. It's not made up- the author did her research and made up a fictional story based on the real Taoist beliefs- plus I researched it myself after. Yes I am that big a nerd. Don't judge me.

Japan- I still remember bits and pieces from the days of sitting in Kindergarten. All the kids would sit and moan about how much they hated Japanese, while I took to it with a fascination that no one else really understood. Well, it can't really be blamed given that we were between the ages of four and six back then. But I still remember little bits...I can still sing a little song we learnt in I think grade three. Plus, that's where the ninjas are from- you couldn't forget that, now could you?!

And Spain- the flamenco guitar sound is incredible; and the tiny bit of language I learned and forgot in New Zealand made me want to learn properly.

And of course Czech Republic- I would very much like to go there. I met and became friends with a girl from there while I was in New Zealand as she was on exchange at the school as well. She was lovely and even taught me how to say hello in their language- "ahoy!" I wondered what it was like their so I Googled- the pictures were just beautiful.

Anyhow, I'm just prattling on. Basically put, I want to travel the world.

Sayonara, fellow ninjas!! xoxo