Tara in OZ

Dear Paige,

You’re leaving for France in a week!! I’m so excited for you. You’re going to see how incredible it is to explore a place that’s entirely new. It's an amazing, exhilarating experience.

This week I’ve gotten settled into my new apartment and have taken a few days to read, write, and rest—things I haven’t really done since I’ve been here. My apartment hunt was so frantic and frenzied that it’s been nice to relax. Especially since the weather seems to be getting even colder.

Here are a few shots from my apartment: the living room, my bedroom, the kitchen, and the view from my living room.

It’s cool to be a part of the city—I didn’t realize this until I moved here, but I’ve never really lived in the middle of a city. LA is so spread out and there’s not really a central area that’s most densely populated, so it has an entirely different feel.

Although it’s been freezing the past few days, on Sunday we had a gorgeous day. Luckily, that was the day I went sailing.

A friend of mine invited me to join a group of guys he had sailed with the week before who have been on a crew together for years. They're all in their 40s/50s, have been sailing in Sydney their entire lives, and have amazing stories. They all love this city so much.

I didn't know this going into it, but it turned out it was a race! They’re part of a league that races from Rushcutters Bay, around the harbor to Manly, and back every Sunday, and this was the next-to-last one in the winter series. They were a little short on crew, so although I’ve never sailed before, I got thrown into it and ran around doing whatever jobs they gave me. Like this one.

...ha, well maybe next time.

We took off at about 10:30 AM and got back at 5 PM. It was incredible—sailing around the entire harbor, I got the most insane views of the city. And the sun was out, the sky was clear—it was pretty close to perfect.

Afterward, everyone who had been on a boat in the race (hundreds of people—there were so many boats on the water) got together at the boat club and had food and drinks, and they announced the day’s winners and the overall rankings.

Something I’ve noticed is that although many people who live here were born and raised here, most of them traveled all over the world before returning. Travel is really a priority in their lives. One guy was telling me that he had the most wonderful childhood imaginable, roaming wherever he wanted with other kids on the coast and in the water as long as he was home when the sun went down. But he took it for granted, and when he set out to see the rest of the world, though he lived in several other countries for years at a time, he eventually realized that there was nowhere he wanted to be more than here. Meanwhile, I think Americans tend to assume the place they’re from is better than anywhere else in the world and are content to stay without checking out other places. That’s definitely the perception of Americans here—that we’re insulated and comfortable in our little corner of the globe. It’s not necessarily negative—I think we’re seen in a far more negative light in many other countries—but it is a distinct opinion here. Definitely something to think about.

All of which comes back to the point that I’m so excited for your trip. I want to hear all about it. But first, when is your test for your license?? Should San Diego be afraid?

Love you so so much!!

Megs