Student’s have been volunteering┬áto write reviews for a country they have visited, in order to give you readers a taste of the better life and provide tips and recommendations for the best places to go. The review for this week- Australia.

Considering that my life at the minute consists of work and writing assignments, itÔÇÖs nice to write a piece which is a retrospect of more fun and exciting times. During the summer of 2015, I spent a month in Australia with my family, alongside our very own pet possum who liked to join us for evenings in the garden.

While visiting the typical tourist attractions such as, DreamWorld, Australia Zoo, Surfers Paradise and more, the dread for going home got bigger day by day. Not only was the weather a dream, but the food was a piece of heaven. Whilst at Surfers Paradise, a massive Ben & Jerry’s sign caught my eye and sucked me into their ice-cream, milkshake, and sundae retreat. As determined as I was to finish one, I could never have done it. Although I’m always willing to give it plenty more attempts of course.

Due to Australians celebrating their Christmas in the summer, we decided to have a Christmas day while we were there too (although it wasnÔÇÖt on the usual day of celebration.) As weird as it was eating a roast dinner in the twenty degree heat with the sun shining, I wasnÔÇÖt one to complain: why would you with two Christmas days in a year?!

One of the highlights of the whole month was having the window seat on the plane home, I could have watched the orange utopian sky forever! However it only lasted a few hours before we began flying through a thunder and lightning storm, which couldnÔÇÖt have kept me any more awake.

Whenever I think back to Australia, I wonder why on earth I didnÔÇÖt take a gap year there. I think of the quote:

“Create a life you don’t need a vacation from.”

By Jess Keast-Towns