Best Farewell Ever

Wow - just when you come to think you've grasped how amazing your friends are they end up doing something so surprising it leaves you honored to be even associated with them! That's how I feel about Bel and Rich! (And Mel, Dennis and Mark) :)

The day starts out with a raging rainstorm which pretty much just made me roll over and go back to bed but poor Bel was probably freaking out due to her surprise being outdoors! I made my way over to Warringah Mall for the first time after the rain stopped. This was good as I was able to take a bus I had never used before and see a little bit more of my surrounding area. I indulged in some serious retail therapy and checked in with Bel to see what plans she had cooked up. I got a few hints - dress warm, bring music and Mel, Dennis and Mark would be picking me up at 5p. I was so excited and had no idea what she was up to!

I rushed home to fix myself up - carefully straight-ironing my hair (later realized to be a huge waste of time) and got ready to go! When the gang picked me up I had no idea where we were going but we headed towards the Sydney Harbour Park I had just visited a few weekends before. Mel had the great idea to blindfold me with my scarf! We parked and they helped me walk to the surprise spot. And then the big reveal! Bel and Rich had set up this amazing spread of cheeses, olives, strawberries and chocolate, smoked salmon and cream cheese and lots of champagne all on the cliffs of North Head! We could see the city across the harbor and the sun was set low in the sky. It was amazing! I couldn't believe they had done all that for me! As decoration - they had the Aussie and American flags laid out on the table. The wind was amazingly strong - I just couldn't capture it in the pictures!

After the sun set, we packed up and went to Bel and Rich's favorite bar - The Skiff Club. This reminded me of the Changi Sailing Club where we used to belong in Singapore. It's a great bar with a deck overlooking the Manly Harbour and all the boats! We found a spot out on the deck and apparently had a three hour photo shoot after I looked back over the pictures! What a great night!




After way too many champagnes - Mel and I attempted to go see a band but completely missed it! Oops - so we basically just turned around and came home again. The end of the night is extremely hazy so even if we had made the show - I probably wouldn't have remembered! Ouch!




So this is now my favorite memory of this exchange! This has been such a fabulous experience and it's still not over. Mom, Dad and Becky get here in two days to explore Sydney and then continue on with me to New Zealand. How did I ever get so lucky? :)

Cheers,
Bridget