Beaching in Adelaide

This was my first venture outside of the Northern Hemisphere. I went from Christmas day to Summer in a matter of a quick 26 hours of travel. Not only was there culture shock upon landing in Australia (hello, they drive on the wrong side of the road here? Who knew?) but there was temperature shock as well.

I was incredibly lucky to spend New Year’s Eve on the beach. And it was SO pleasant. Last year, I was in Upstate New York where you couldn’t be outside for more than 5 minutes before your hands went numb no matter how many layers you had on. This was a very welcomed change. It truly felt like the Fourth of July to me. Hoards of people were heading to the grocery store to get barbecue supplies. There were fireworks. I was at the beach. It couldn’t possibly be January?

The sunsets are something I miss the most right now. While at home in the eastern U.S. the sun was setting around 4:30, but here it didn’t get dark until 9. To be able to experience summer sunsets in the middle of January is a truly bizarre and wonderful and warm and confusing sensation.