From Roos to Rues: Around the World in 185 Days: Well hello there...

Alright, so we admit to being a bit bad with the updates, but what's a few months between friends? So how do we begin to sum up the past three months of our lives... Well, it's been amazing to say the least.

We've done just about everything we could possibly have dreamed of. Starting off early with a helicopter extraction from the Grand Canyon in the Blue Mountains for a broken ankle, we knew Australia would be a wild ride. A weekend at surf camp, adventures downtown, the zoo, day trips to manly, going to AFL games (Aussie Rules Football) and nights out in Coogee were some of our favourite memories from Sydney.

Our trips outside of this great city were also remarkable. Chilly New Zealand over Easter break gave us the chance to see the beautiful mountains, the lush landscape and a fair share of sheep, as well. It was also adventure capital with horseback riding, glacier hiking/helicopter riding, lugeing, hang gliding and bungee jumping.

While our day trip to Canberra only gave us a few hours to explore the "city", we were glad we went and had a great time checking out the memorials and sitting in some important looking chairs at the parliament house.

The stu-vac (student vacation) was spent apart, although we both went on trips to the Whitsunday Islands up in Queensland. General consensus upon return to Sydney: we spent the semester in the wrong state. Beautifully sunny weather every day, perfectly clear waters and amazingly colourful life on the reef made for the ideal place to study for our exams.

Right, and a quick note to Mom and Dad... I never ACTUALLY promised you I wouldn't... well... you might want to scroll down to the bottom...

Alright, so many of you might ask what we're going to miss the most about living down unda. Below is a short list of things that will be hard to adjust to life without back home:
-Tim Tams. The greatest cookies ever made
-Weather forecasts that call for a high of 20 degrees. Every day (even if for only an hour around lunch)
-Footy (AFL) and the gorgeously toned players. Go Swans!
-Living within 20 minutes of 3 different beaches
-The Aussie accent
-Goon and Passion Pop
-Aussie slang
-The exchange mentality that if something goes horribly wrong on an assignment, there's nothing to worry about. After all, "we just have to pass."
-Looking right, then left before crossing the street
-Being asked where our accent is from and being seen as exotic when we answer "Canada"
-Finally, of course, our new friends!

These three months have been unreal, and we wouldn't trade them for anything. We've learned a lot here and had the times of our lives while doing so. Today we said goodbye to our personal effects and officially started living on a backpacker's wardrobe. We head out to Hong Kong early Sunday morning (Aussie time) for the official start of the after-exchange madness. Stay tuned, as we will be making use of tis blog primarily to keep in touch and provide updates on our position. If you're lucky, there may even be a picture or two. Below, we've written out our itinerary. Some small changes have been made since the initial plan, but all the stops are pretty much the same.

Hong Kong- Jun 28
Phnom Penh- Jul 1
Siem Reap- Jul 2
Koh Samui- Jul 5
Chiang Mai- Jul 10
Kuala Lumpur- Jul 13
Singapore- Jul 15
Athens- Jul 17
Santorini- Jul 18
Ios- Jul 20
Venice- Jul 23
Rome- Jul 25
Madrid- Jul 29
Paris- Aug 2
London- Aug 5
Edinburgh- Aug 9
Dublin- Aug 12
Toronto- Aug 15!

We miss you all so much and can't wait to see you in just under 2 short months! Please email us with your addresses if you expect a post card. Keep it real up North!