Bonding with your Daughter Guide

Connecting Down Under

I was 18 and had been away on exchange down under for a year – no parents (at least not my own), no hometown high school friends, no Dairy Queen at the corner or real ketchup – instead, lots of tomato sauce, Vegemite and delicious little doughnut trucks on the side of the road. In one month, I was going home but not before the grand Australian tour.

The adventure, along with Ayers Rock and crocodile country, featured my mom, who was coming to join me to see the sights. And I was so excited. Throughout the year, there wasn't a day that went by when I didn't wish I could meet her for lunch or talk to her about my day or ask her what she thought of a beach I found or Australian licorice or boots or art. I wanted to show her the home that I had loved for a year. The place where I often felt contradicted, sometimes lonely and missing familiarity, but at the same time, energized by new experiences and friendships.

Allowing a couple of extra days to get my bearings, I took the overnight train from Melbourne, my Australian home, to Sydney , to meet mom at the airport. Backpack in tow, I toured the city—the Opera house, the harbor, a famous church. Despite the awesome sites, this time being alone didn't feel fun or free but instead reminded me that I was tired of not sharing things with my family, of being so far away.

The next day, I took the bus to the airport. Finally, I was going to be able to share my experiences with my best friend. She arrived and we couldn't stop talking all the way back to the suite. From how long the flight was, to what's the weather like, to who's doing what at home, we drank Australian-brand instant coffee and talked a mile a minute.

Time to explore, together. Eating soft black Australian licorice, we walked down the mile-long beaches. Then, headed up north to dive the Great Barrier Reef and learn about jelly fish and never-seen-again exotic tropical fruit. In the far center north, near Darwin , we watched the huge crocodiles lie perfectly still with mouths wide open on the banks of the marsh, little birds stopping by to pick their teeth. In the same territory were marsh birds featuring long skinny legs that bent at the knee as they stepped across the territory. On our tour boats, colorful little frogs whose vibrancy would outshine any fashion week collection, joined us, seemingly, just to say, “hi.”

In the south, there was wine country, which has made me a lifetime Aussie red drinker. And the opal mining town of Coober Pedy where the houses are built underground to stay cool - that's where I got my mom's black opal, a perfect rare keepsake for our once-in-a-lifetime tour. The trip wouldn't have been complete of course if it wasn't for the march of the penguins on an island south of Melbourne – those little birds really are as adorable and full of character as in the movies.

After three weeks, we flew home…side by side.