Stress.. and more Stress.. And Friends

When I was planning to come to Australia I didn't realize just how much work I was going to be doing for school.  I guess I had it in my mind that I was just going to school for a few hours a week with little work.  I only needed a pass for one class, so I figured I could study for a little bit while still enjoying and exploring Sydney.  I was completely wrong! I quickly realized that my weeks would be full of homework and late nights.  I have had around 100 pages of homework a night and it seems that I am never fully prepared for class.  It has been very emotionally draining, but the only thing that keeps me going is the friends that I have around me.  After a long day of school, I always come home to tons of laughter, fun, and some fun banter.  Most nights we plan on going out, but then we end up all staying home, watch Married at First Sight, and just have fun.  Emily and I talk about our love of food, Olana and I goof around and laugh, Shelby tells Emily and I that we are crazy about our love of food, Hunter and I get into sarcasm wars, which I win, and Adam puts up with all of us.   We have all grown so close together, that I would even call them my family.  Even though I sometimes wish that I was able to go out and explore more, I know that I am forming relationships that will last a lifetime.  To add on more stress, I had my first meeting with my internship right after my first exam.  Of course I was stressed out, but luckily I had a close friend who helped me get through the day.  I look forward to spending more days hanging out with my new work buddy!  As I am approaching the end of my first month here, I have definitely missed my friends at home.  But the community that I have here is almost just as great! I am surrounded by people who are all passionate about one thing, travel! We are all excited to be in a new country and we are all going through the same situations, which brings us together.  I'm so happy to be with 14 new friends and I can't wait to see how close we get by the end of our trip! Here's hoping that I have no more stress and just more fun times with friends!