So instead, I decided to go somewhere a little closer to Asia--Australia! You've probably heard about Australia--home of koalas, kangaroos, and people who say "Crikey!" It's on the complete opposite side of the world from America, but it feels familiar enough to be home for a while. I stayed there for another year before moving over to New Zealand for yet another year. New Zealand is the last place on Earth humans ever settled, and it really shows by the landscape and animals. There were big birds living in New Zealand as recently as 500 years ago that were as tall as elephants!
After New Zealand, my magazine job took me to Europe, where I spent eight months writing stories about strange festivals that take place all over the continent. I went to the Cooper Hill Cheese Roll in England, where they roll a big wheel of cheese down a very steep hill and people compete to catch it first--don't try that at home! I went to the Running of the Bulls in Pamplona, where six bulls go charging through the tiny streets of a little Spanish town and brave men and women try to avoid being trampled by them--don't try that at home, either!
By then, I was almost 26 years old, and I hadn't been back to America in years. I decided it was time to come home. After seeing London, England, I decided that I wanted to try living in a big city for a change. And with that, I arrived in New York City, a place I'd never been, but which felt like home immediately. Soon, I was working for a travel company called Indagare, and that led me to you kids, following along as I prepare for my next adventure!
