I’ve never experienced a week quite like this past one. I’m still pinching myself to make sure it’s all real.

There once was a little girl that lived in a small town. She was average to the eye, but her vision and imagination far surpassed her appearance. She’d flip through the pages not of fairy tales, but atlases and world encyclopedias, then at night fall asleep to the photos from her memory and the dream that only existed in her heart.

“I want to go there,” she said to her father at age four pointing to a photo of yellow sands and bright blue skies.

“I’m going to meet Prince Albert one day,” she said to her friends on the playground at age eight after catching the Monaco edition of “Where in the World is Matt Lauer?” on the Today Show.

“I’m going to live near Abbey Road,” she told people before moving out of her own country for the first time at age 20.

“There’s this thing called the 462-visa. I can live in Australia for a year and work,” she explained to her family and friends when her appetite for exploration still was not satisfied at age 23.

The dreams were easy and never went away. Reality was the hard part. Guided by vision and high expectations for the world, she stumbled and fell over and over, but never gave up. She listened and talked, talked and listened. She kept moving and working at the dream with little recognition of it actually approaching in real life. Then one day she stopped and saw so many of those dreams came true and all of them were reaching their climax in the present.

Everything came together this week. After years behind a computer screen and plenty of big talk, it happened.

31/3/2010-Bobbi-Jo, myself and a backpacker from our hostel promoting THE WORD Australia at Bedroom during Big Night Out, a massive backpackers pub crawl in Surfers Paradise.

From the moment I touched down in the Gold Coast last Saturday, I stopped day dreaming and started watching it all unfold. I started blogging for THE WORD Australia with fellow American, Bobbi-Jo O’Gilvie. Through the company, we’ve had opportunities that most backpackers never have.

In the midst of all this excitement, Heels and Wheels was listed as one of TravelPod’s top 100 bloggers and I received a wonderful write-up by Kristen Coppock in the Burlington County Times, my county paper in Southern NJ. The phrase of the week on my Facebook page was, “My mom saw you in the paper.”

But for some reason I didn’t recognize the dream I had been carrying for 23 years. The places were always different, but the theme remained the same-see the world and share it with other people in words.

I was in the middle of it and all I felt was overwhelmed.

So much so that I couldn’t sleep at night for three nights in a row. I thought my good friend Julia, a notorious insomniac, had left her lack of sleep with me when she left Sydney to return to NJ. I tossed in my sheets trying to tell myself the grand stories I had before-the tales of travel and adventure-but I just couldn’t do it. I was enjoying myself but exhausted and scared. Then all of a sudden it hit me-I couldn’t drift off to sleep and dream about far away lands because I was already there. The dream had become a reality, so there was no reason to sleep.

27/3/2010-Bobbi-Jo, Esikeli Tonga and I at the National Rugby League Titans vs. Raiders match. Tonga in currently injured.

I actually pinched myself to see if this was real. I feel so fortunate to be apart of something not many people get to experience. I know it’s not everyone’s dream and to some this actually may seem meaningless, but this is what I wanted. This is what I worked for. While there is still so much more to accomplish and I’ll form more dreams with every image I see and story I hear along the way, I want to appreciate this moment when I actually recognized myself “living the dream.”

It’s a little nerve-wrecking, because all those years I said, “When I make it to this point in my career/life, I’m going to live it to the fullest,” and I want to make sure I do. I want to make sure I take advantage of every opportunity this trip has to offer. I want to make sure the people that made it possible know how much I think of them and constantly carry them with me. I want to make sure I tell other people the dream the same way I did to myself, because for so long it kept me moving and kept me working to make it a reality.

My friend Mike, shared with me a a Ben Franklin quote last year that I repeat constantly in my head. Since Ben’s presence was known throughout the rest of the world, but was probably best known in Philadelphia, the city I grew up across the bridge from, I thought it be fitting here.

“If you would not be forgotten, as soon as you are dead and rotten, either write things worth the reading or do things worth the writing.”

I hope I can do both.

-While I vow to continue my producing Dispatches from Down Under-mainly because of how much I enjoy writing them-any readers can find my work at THE WORD Australia blogs for the next few weeks.-

Julia and I didn’t have much time to say goodbye when we parted ways at Sydney International Airport this morning. A good friend I made in college, Julia is the first person from home to visit me Down Under.

We both departed the city by plane, but since her flight was international and mine domestic, we only had a few seconds for a hug and thank for visiting/having me on the bus to the airport. It’s fine though, because we spent two weeks together doing some pretty amazing things.

Climbing, driving over and walking across the Sydney Harbour Bridge (now all we need to do is fly over it). Hanging out in Darling Harbour. Peeing up at manatees at Sydney Aquarium. Watching baby orangoutangs play at Taronga Zoo. Crashing an Ad Tech convention. Jumping out of an airplane (for Julia). EATING heaps tuna and PB&J sandwiches, ice cream, gelato, pizza and rice. Walking endlessly on George and Elizabeth Streets. Stuffing ourselves at Pancakes on the Rocks. Lounging at Manly Beach. Trying meat pies and ginger beer. Meeting local artisans at The Rocks Market. Celebrating St. Paddy’s Day at Fortune of War and The Ivy. Meeting random people on the street. Hiking in the Blue Mountains. Trying to figure out how to work the remote at Big Hostel. Sampling wines in Hunter Valley. Reading subtitles at the French Film Festival. Shopping at Paddington Market. Walking through and lounging in Hyde Park and the Royal Botanic Gardens. Walking along the Sydney Harbour. Catching ferries at Circular Quay. Discovering breathtaking views on the North Shore. Trying Indian and Malaysian food. Screaming at Luna Park. Having our minds blown at the biggest iMax screen in the world (Alice in Wonderland at the iMax theater in Darling Harbour). Getting caught up in different cultural celebrations around the city (Irish, Greek and I think Scottish). Figuring out how to get to Pittwater. Being rescued by Bob and Maureen at Sydney Central Station (more on this later). Kayaking amongst massive jellyfish. Hiding out on “Cast Away”-like beaches. Weeding. Talking politics. Slowly getting closer to a wallaby in the wild. Getting lost while hiking. Burning our bodies then cracking our sculls at Bondi Beach. Tasting kangaroo. Munching on nachos. Acting classy at Aria restaurant. Trekking up multiple hills to YHAs (why do all their locations require walking up some sort of incline?). Listening to classical music at the Opera House.

Julia and I sampling wines on the Hunter Valley Boutique Wine tour.

Obviously, we did quite a bit, more than I even planned on the itinerary I sent her weeks before her departure.

I kept asking Julia all week what was her favorite thing we did. It changed a lot, as did mine, but as I sit at the airport at the end of it all I know for sure my favorite thing during her trip was meeting Bob and Maureen.

I had experienced the Bush in Australia during my six weeks prior to Julia visiting and found it to be a much more special Aussie experience than the city can offer. I wanted Julia to see that side of the country, but with only two weeks to travel together, our options were limited. I learned about Pittwater YHA either traveling around or surfing the internet. Located no more than an hour and a half outside Sydney city center and boasting beautiful views, beaches and hiking trails, it seemed like the best option.

All I had to do was figure out how to get there.

First let me say that the directions on the YHA website are in no way clear. The site makes it seem as though backpackers can reach the hostel via bus, ferry or by walking.

Really what they mean is all of the above.

They suggest people take a bus from Central Railway Station, but the bus they suggest only ran hourly after 4 p.m. the day we were traveling. The bus stops near a ferry dock, where ferries only run every so often and cost a ridiculous $11 for a one way ride. Then people must hike 15-minutes up hill to reach the hostel. I never did the hike, but judging by how lost Julia and I were hiking with a map around there, I don’t think it would have been a pleasant experience while carrying three bags each.

Luckily, we didn’t have to do any of that and Julia got to see how friendly and helpful people in this country are. We arrived at our bus stop in Sydney about 30 minutes before the bus was scheduled to arrive. There was a long line so I asked a couple in the front what bus they were waiting for.

“Where are you going,” the gentleman asked.

“Pittwater,” I replied.

“Are you going to the YHA,” the lady asked.

“Yes,” I replied.

“Well they’re our neighbors,” the pair said almost in unison. “Just stick by us and we’ll get you there.”

“Don’t we need to take a ferry also,” I asked.

“No worries, we have a boat,” they said.

May I introduce Bob and Maureen.

A view of Pittwater from the top. Photo by Bobbi Lee Hitchon

The pair were visiting the city with friends for the day. However, they don’t come often. Moving to Pittwater in the 60s or 70s (I can’t remember), they prefer the beauty and stillness of this area of waterways and mountains to a busy city. In a book about the community, Bob was quoted saying, “I don’t know about this business of going to heaven. I think I’ll just stay home.”

They looked after us on the bus. Then when we got off. They grabbed some of our bags and Bob said to wait for a second with Maureen while he pulled up the car. He drove us to the dock where all the people in the community keep their boats. On the ride they told us a bit about themselves and asked us about our travels. Then they loaded us in their boat and gave a tiny tour of the waterways en route to our destination.

We got out and they helped us with our bags on the hike up to hostel.

Who does that for complete strangers?

Australians.

This wasn’t the first time I’ve experienced such extreme generosity in this country. I don’t know how people like this still exist in such a hectic and sometimes scary world, but they act like it’s only natural to do this kind of stuff.

I was really happy Julia got to see that side of the country for herself, because sometimes it’s lost in the major cities. I’ve found most of the people in this country to be so genuine and inviting. I know there are probably people like this in every country, but there are heaps of them in this part of the world.

I was also happy to experience such kindness with someone else. In fact, having Julia here made me realize how much I miss traveling with people. Traveling alone is thrilling and freeing, but sharing things with other people, especially good friends, will always be better in my opinion.

So I am sad to see her go, but once again, I won’t be alone for long.

I am joining Bobbi-Joe O’Gilvie for THE WORD Australia’s Best Backpacker Job in Australia.

Some of you may have watched my entry video to the contest on YouTube in late January. Some may even have it memorized by now as I begged everyone on Twitter and Facebook to view it over and over again since he person with the most views would win the competition. Thanks for that by the way.

Well I didn’t win. In fact, I didn’t even come close. The other Bobbi beat me by about 2,000 views/votes. Still I thought it was fun to go semi-viral, racking up around 2,000 of my own views/votes, and I thought it was really odd to find another female named Bobbi in a competition with so few people.

The defeat didn’t burn too bad, since I was leaving for Australia anyway five days after the competition commenced. Still I wanted to see if THE WORD had any other opportunities so I kept in touch. Then a few weeks into my trip, they came to me with the most amazing opportunity. They asked me to join Bobbi-Jo for the last two months of her three-month journey to backpack the east coast of Australia (from Brisbane, Queensland up) on them, while blogging for their website.

Without hesitation I replied, “Yes!” As I wrote this post I was on a Jet Star plane to meet Bobbi-Jo in the Gold Coast. It’s weird, but I kind of feel like a rock star, which brings me to my final bit of praise for Australia today.

Australia embodies the “a place where all your dreams come true” slogan that America in known for. I’m not saying all you’re dreams can’t come true in America (I wouldn’t be here if that was the case), but it seems heightened security in the past ten years makes dreams a lot more difficult to become reality for immigrants to the States, which is who the “dream” was always directed at.

But it’s still very much true and tangible in Australia. For instance, flying from and in America is not fun. I’m not complaining about it. It’s just the way things are and I’d rather be safe than have my bath bag on me in the plane anyway. But let’s just say the days of epic goodbyes at a gate in JFK airport or hip Pan-Am stewardesses are long gone in America. (In fact, now their called flight attendants.)

While airport security in Australia is probably a bit more intense than in the past, it’s still an exciting experience. I arrived at the airport around 11:45 this morning and was at my gate by noon. Not once was I frisked or stared at for wearing a hat. In fact, no one even asked me for identification, ANYWHERE! That boggles my mind.

Loading the plane was actually thrilling as they opened both doors, allowing me to walk around the runway and up stairs to my plane. The wind blew my scarf sideways and I held my fedora down as  I made my way to my plane. This was always my image of flying, which usually played out in reality to me sweating in the hallway for ten minutes then giving people in first class dirty looks for looking windswept.

That’s Australia! A place where all your dreams come true and I’m not the only one. I met up with Lauren, the first friend I made Down Under and a fellow Jersey girl, in Sydney a few days ago for the first time in about a month.

She asked, “What has Australia been like for you?”

“Like anything is possible,” I replied to which to responded, “Me too!”

I don’t know if it’s timing or this is just how things go here but for the first time in my life my expectations were actually dull compared to the reality of my travels.

I’m not sure what to expect in Queensland. I hear it’s pretty wild up hear. Bill Bryson used the quote, “Madder than snakes,” to describe the people in this territory of Australia. I’ll admit I’m a little nervous. Boarding the international flight to Jersey probably would have been much safer, but I’m glad I was the one flying domestic when Julia and I parted ways.

I’m not much on video competitions, but THE WORD Australia’s Best Backpacking Job in Australia was too good an opportunity to pass. As I mentioned before, I’ll be leaving for Australia soon, not just to travel but to live and work. This seemed like a great opportunity, plus it was lots of fun. By the way, I live in NJ and it’s January. Pretty sure it was at least 20 degrees Fahrenheit tonight and I was outside in a wet suit, which is now frozen. Seriously. That’s dedication.

All you have to do to vote for me is view the video. If you like it, view it as much as you can. Leave it on in the background while you are doing something else. Show your family and friends. Thanks for any support. Even if I don’t win, you can expect more videos on the site just like this. Happy viewing!

Just so you know. I don’t actually say maverick. It just fit so well in the sentence.

Photo of me in Naples gripping the massive Nutella jars the hostel had as condiments.