a minnesotan in melbourne.

When I was 17, I went on the trip that has since launched 1,000 trips. It was a summer tour of England, France, Germany, Switzerland, Belgium, and the Netherlands. As young student ambassadors, we had four teachers as our guides throughout our European summer. From meetings with members of Parliament to seeing Ellen Pompeo at Windsor castle, it is easy to say that this trip, and the people on it, changed my life. I am still in close contact with my best friends from that trip: Lauren, who attends St. Olaf, and Allison, who happens to attend DePauw. And every time we manage to get together, we reminisce about Marie, the youngest guide on the trip, from whom we learned so much about the kind of young adult we wanted to be in a future that, as it turns out, really wasn't so far off.

Marie, a native Minnesotan who now resides in San Francisco, got in touch with me (again, the wonders of Facebook prove invaluable at helping me make connections while abroad!) when she found out I was spending the semester in Melbourne. She told me that her brother Eben and his wife Daniella live here, and that we should meet up. Ironically enough, Eben met Daniella when he, too, was traveling in Australia on a People to People Student Ambassadors trip based out of the Twin Cities. Anyway, myriad messages were exchanged between the four of us, but no plans ever came to fruition due to crazy travel and school schedules on my end. With all my friends since gone from Oz, and with little plans on my agenda, I thought it'd be a good time to get in touch with them and finally make something happen during my last week down under.

On Sunday, June 20th, while my family was celebrating Father's Day in Eau Claire, Eben picked me up on Royal Parade and drove me to their house in Reservoir, a northern suburb in Melbourne. I entered their 1960s bungalow greeted by dogs Hank and Bowswer, and I met Daniella as she was pulling baked eggplant, ricotta pasta, and garlic pizza out of the oven. Safe to say, I knew I was really going to like these people. This was my first time in a real home since I left Eau Claire on February 2nd. I relished sitting around a full kitchen table, with dogs underfoot and a lit fireplace just around the corner. We spent dinner exchanging opinions on American cereals and midwestern weather, and telling tales of distant Spanish cities that we've all visited. Following dinner, we settled in to watch "Where The Wild Things Are" with a plate of Tim-Tams (classic, addictive Aussie cookies) and some glasses of wine. All in all, it was a relaxing and refreshing night. It served to remind me why a home truly is where the heart is. Essentially alone on this continent now that most of my friends have departed, it was nice to feel welcomed into a home by such a young, friendly couple. So, thank you to Marie for initiating the meeting (wish she could have been there!), and thank you to Eben and Daniella for stuffing me to the brim with homemade Italian. It's always marvelous to make another small world connection, especially one that is Minnesotan, in a far off land.