So this is the end...
Well, it's now officially the 2nd December. It's hard for me to believe that I've spent a few days over eight months on this side of the Pacific Ocean, but, around 40 hours for now, I am going to be back in Brisbane-town. Between here and there, I have:
I can't believe it's all over already. I remember arriving in LAX (I'm gonna remember that horrid experience for the rest of my life >.>) with my years-old dream at my feet seems so short and yet so long a time ago. The dream has reached its culmination and now I'm mere hours away from leaving Orlando on a jet plane; like Peter Paul & Mary sang, I don't know when I'll be back again. And that's the part that is really getting to me. I really don't know when I'll be back, and for how long I can do it. I know that I won't be able to re-do this eight month-long vacation ever again, because I'm going to be getting a full-time job after I finish university next year (fingers crossed) and, with my current job, I'm not going to have the money to go to America for however long a time within the next twelve to eighteen months.
The next project, I am formally announcing, is Japan. I promised my mother that we would go to Japan, even if I had to wheel her around in a chair, after I went to America. I have no idea where to go, I have no idea what to do; the itinerary is going to be completely in my mother's hands. She teaches Japanese (thus she has a fair knowledge of the language), and has been to Japan a number of times now, and since she's wanted to take me to Japan for the longest time, this is the perfect opportunity to do so. So, Japan comes first.
The project after that...well, it's all up in the air. I am considering getting myself a fursuit (yes, I'm a furry, put up or shut up), and/or else I intend to come over again to America, either temporarily or permanently, especially taking care of the things I didn't get to see or explore fully this time around. I know for a fact that I am going to focus on the northeast of the US as Chase and I cut our roadtrip short before we would have headed east from Chicago. That would include things like Niagara Falls, Boston, perhaps various parts of New England, and of course, New York. On top of that, I intend that Chase and I make it to another con; not Otakon next time. As I look at it, I have to get over there from the west coast, and depending on wherever I land, I'd try to get to various parts of the Northwest (absolutely must go back someday) and/or British Columbia, the Grand Canyon, and the Mount Rushmore area. The last part would be easiest for me to get to as I intend to visit a friend of mine in southern Minnesota, though that depends on whether or not he's there as his location has a tendency to be fluid - I couldn't get to him this time because plans changed all over the place too late for me to modify my own. Perhaps the Northeast could be done as a roadtrip with Chase - next time, a much more successful one.
But here am I, rambling about the future, always looking ahead and up in the clouds, when it's the past eight months that's the most important here. I have had the time of my life, and I must thank everyone involved for helping me do that, for taking one or two moreorless strangers into your homes, and driving them around in your vehicles from time to time, based on the textual transactions of someone based on the other side of the planet. Thank you so much!
Most of all, thank you chaserocket. You have made me feel like home, so much so that I don't feel like I'm going home anymore, I'm now leaving it for the other one in Australia. I love you so much!
And yes, I'm outing myself publically. I have a boyfriend, I've had one for over two years, and his name is Chase. He is where my true home is. =)
So, I shall see you all on the other side of my trans-Pacific flight. Wish me luck! <3
- A Delta flight from Orlando to Atlanta from 12.30pm EST until 2.10pm EST (1h 40min)
- A wait in ATL for 2h 5min (3h 45min)
- A Delta flight from Atlanta to LAX from 4.15pm EST until 6.18pm PST taking 5h 3min (8h 48min)
- A wait in LAX for 4h 12min (13h 00min), including a terminal change, possibly including having to recheck-in my luggage with Qantas and definitely including formally leaving the US by handing in my I-94 cards
- A Qantas flight, that I've been put onto since they cancelled my direct LAX-Brisbane flight, that takes me to Sydney from 10.30pm PST until 8.25am AEDT Friday, thus only (perhaps) giving me an unspecified number of hours that could be called Thursday, for 14h 55min (27h 55min)
- A going through Australian customs, along with everyone else on my A380 (potentially 449 (!) other passengers), getting my passport stamped so I can prove to my health insurance I was overseas, declaring my potentially quarantine-unfriendly items, declaring this laptop, paying customs duties on this laptop estimated to be probably $300 (duty PLUS 10% TAX, fuck you Howard and your GST T_T) and providing all goes well, changing terminals ALL WITHIN 90 MINUTES (29h 25min) so I can have...
- A Qantas flight from Sydney to Brisbane from 10.05am AEDT to 10.35am AEST (fuck you Queensland for no daylight savings T_T) (30h 55min).
I can't believe it's all over already. I remember arriving in LAX (I'm gonna remember that horrid experience for the rest of my life >.>) with my years-old dream at my feet seems so short and yet so long a time ago. The dream has reached its culmination and now I'm mere hours away from leaving Orlando on a jet plane; like Peter Paul & Mary sang, I don't know when I'll be back again. And that's the part that is really getting to me. I really don't know when I'll be back, and for how long I can do it. I know that I won't be able to re-do this eight month-long vacation ever again, because I'm going to be getting a full-time job after I finish university next year (fingers crossed) and, with my current job, I'm not going to have the money to go to America for however long a time within the next twelve to eighteen months.
The next project, I am formally announcing, is Japan. I promised my mother that we would go to Japan, even if I had to wheel her around in a chair, after I went to America. I have no idea where to go, I have no idea what to do; the itinerary is going to be completely in my mother's hands. She teaches Japanese (thus she has a fair knowledge of the language), and has been to Japan a number of times now, and since she's wanted to take me to Japan for the longest time, this is the perfect opportunity to do so. So, Japan comes first.
The project after that...well, it's all up in the air. I am considering getting myself a fursuit (yes, I'm a furry, put up or shut up), and/or else I intend to come over again to America, either temporarily or permanently, especially taking care of the things I didn't get to see or explore fully this time around. I know for a fact that I am going to focus on the northeast of the US as Chase and I cut our roadtrip short before we would have headed east from Chicago. That would include things like Niagara Falls, Boston, perhaps various parts of New England, and of course, New York. On top of that, I intend that Chase and I make it to another con; not Otakon next time. As I look at it, I have to get over there from the west coast, and depending on wherever I land, I'd try to get to various parts of the Northwest (absolutely must go back someday) and/or British Columbia, the Grand Canyon, and the Mount Rushmore area. The last part would be easiest for me to get to as I intend to visit a friend of mine in southern Minnesota, though that depends on whether or not he's there as his location has a tendency to be fluid - I couldn't get to him this time because plans changed all over the place too late for me to modify my own. Perhaps the Northeast could be done as a roadtrip with Chase - next time, a much more successful one.
But here am I, rambling about the future, always looking ahead and up in the clouds, when it's the past eight months that's the most important here. I have had the time of my life, and I must thank everyone involved for helping me do that, for taking one or two moreorless strangers into your homes, and driving them around in your vehicles from time to time, based on the textual transactions of someone based on the other side of the planet. Thank you so much!
Most of all, thank you chaserocket. You have made me feel like home, so much so that I don't feel like I'm going home anymore, I'm now leaving it for the other one in Australia. I love you so much!
And yes, I'm outing myself publically. I have a boyfriend, I've had one for over two years, and his name is Chase. He is where my true home is. =)
So, I shall see you all on the other side of my trans-Pacific flight. Wish me luck! <3