For a reason...

I am definitly one of those people that believe things happen for a reason. I am not sure if EVERYTHING happens for a reason, but definitly certain things. When I was told I had to leave my Philadephia family, I was a mess of emotions - devastated, scared, confused, shocked. But that turn of event, sparked the beginning of literally one of the best times of my life. Some coincidences I can buy, but some are definitly and completely unbelievable. Honestly, what are the chances of stumbling upon an amazing group of not 1, not 2, but 5 awesome Australian girls and one german-come-aussie!! To click with 6 other girls, who are hilariously funny, sweet, fun and supportive, is something that doesn't come along everyday. Part of our connection is that yes, we are all aussies, but that part doesn't run as deep as the fact that they are all amazing people and have becoming amazing friends. And our timing runs so well, that only 1 girl is left "alone" and its only for a short time! We enjoy similar things, but its no big deal if someone isn't interested. We try to include everyone, but everyone is still open to compromise. We give each other headaches by laughing so hard. Whenever I need advice, or to vent, or support these girls are always here for me. I can not simply believe that this is a coincidence (especially considering they are all convinently located within ten minutesof me, and thirty minutes of my dream city)...I definitly think it all happened for a reason; and I am so lucky to be having such an utterly amazing year!

The Girls...

Alissa, hails from NSW near Lismore, and along with her best friend Alice, is one of the two girls I first met who without question came and picked me up, my first friday night here, and stuck by my side ever since! Alissa is hilarious (actually you'll find I say this about all the girls...its true!) and her laugh is contagious and hilarious in itself. She is such a strong woman and a brilliant leader and what I respect about her most is that she has high morals and religious integrity, but is never hypocritical or judgmental.

Alice, from Lismore (so glad these two girls will be so close to me when I go back home!) is one of those ridiculously nice and compassionate people, who is always looking out for others and trying to find the best in people; making sure no one gets left out or left behind! She is funny, sweet and generous.

Lou, from Sydney, although all the girls are hilarious, Lou is definitly the comedian! I am absolutely in love with this girls sense of style; and damn her she is always photogenic! Lou has so much respect and love for her host family, it really reflects the kind of person she is. She makes sure she has quality time with them everyweek, and she always makes time for herself, something I wish I remembered to do more often! I am so sad that Lou will be moving to Boston in a few weeks, for the rest of her time here, but thankful that it is only 4 hours away!

Frannie, our honourary Aussie, from Germany, is freaking awesome! She is just as crazy and wild as me (and the rest of the girls) and surprisingly she can keep up with my million-thoughts-and-words-per-minute brain (better then some people back home actually haha). She is effortlessly cool, and fun, and confident...one of those girls who everyone wants to be her best friend! She is intelligant and offers great advice, she deals with everything on her plate remarkably well.

Sarah, from central coast, has got the biggest and most constant smile I have ever seen! Its infectious and lovable, and she is always laughing or making me laugh - such a fun girl to be around! She stands up for herself and won't be walked on. She knows how to have fun and entertain others, but at the same time she is a great listener and so supportive.

Steph, also central coast girl, our latest member to arrive, it feels like she has been here all along. Shes sarcastic, shes strong, shes hilarious but most of all compassionate and understanding.She adds some fiestiness too the mix and a wholllle lot of fun!! I love that we are both hags, its great to have that in common, hehe, it means she always gets my jokes haha!!

So thats my lovely ladies, my home away from home, my little new york australia!
I wouldn't get through the weeks without them, and the weekends wouldn't be nearly as much fun if they weren't there!

While I'm on this sentimental turn (so rare for me, haa :P) I would have to say that I am overwhelmed sometimes but the amount of support from back home. One of my biggest reservations was that I would arrive here and people back home would get so tangled up in their lives that they wouldn't have much time for me, and then when I would return home I would find that I had missed out on so much!That is without a doubt NOT the case! While there have unfortunately been some people I haven't heard of (Jade & Beau, for various reasons), pretty much everybody has been amazing. Weeklyish emails from mum, dad, jessica and even jason! Skype chats with them every now and then, and plenty of photo comments from the lovely chut chut. Thanks to the marvels of facebook and email, I've been able to talk to Kristy and Toni, about as much as I did back home, which is great!! Frequent texts and not so frequent calls with Brock, long emails and short facebook comments with Krystle (and damn it one day a skype date haha). But of course (as back home) I would be cowering in the corner, rocking back and forward if it weren't for Renee :) The first few months, even though I couldn't talk to her online, and our phone calls were unfortunately few and far between, I still had her with me. When I needed help, advice, support or a laugh, instead of hearing my own inner voice, or concious I heard a little Renee saying, "Amanda...what would I say if i was there? No no not carnival...what else would I say? Yes, there you go, exactly!" and it always guided me through. Now, thank god she has internet, and I can hear (well not technically) her actual voice, and advice, and jokes, and sillyness, and seriousness, and wisdom. She is my rock (and my owl ;) ..) and my best friend, and I miss her dearly.
Love you all, time for this sentimental shmuck to shutup lol.xoxox