Betty Blog

I clocked almost 2,500 miles of quality time with Dodgeroo, my reliable rental car, without even coming close to seeing all of Western Australia. It was an amazing trip, and I left with a feeling of just how big this place really is. I was excited to get back to the bustle of Sydney. And, soon after my arrival, I was reminded of just how small the world can be.

It was a college weekend of sorts. I kicked it off Friday afternoon by joining the harbor cruise welcoming the new Boston University students to the Sydney internship program (the same one I did four years ago). It was the first time since I've been back that I've seen my teachers and advisors, so it was nice to catch up; and the free food and wine wasn't a bad pregame either.

Sunday's festivities were more of a surprise. The BU women's lacrosse team is on a team-building trip in Australia, fresh off a division-winning season. First on their agenda was a clinic and scrimmage with my New South Wales lacrosse team during our usual Sunday game. What a sight to see our muddy field covered in Terriers wearing matching red t-shirts.

Now, I wasn't what I would call a "joiner" in college; I didn't get involved in too many clubs or groups. And as much as I would have killed to be a college athlete, there was no way I could play D1 anything. (I did, however, have an all-star season on the broomball rink sophomore year.) But, as usual, being on the other side of the world adds a special element to everyday events, and I was psyched to meet the players and coaches and reminisce about Boston and school and find out what was new.

They were all nice, really excited to be here and interested in how I came to be playing on the NSW team. We had a great game and BBQ - or barbie, I should say - chatting and socializing. I offered to try and set something up with the other BU Sydneysiders and write a blog post for Inside Lacrosse about their visit.

The large group of beautiful girls on the field was a nice surprise for the men's team as well, who practice right after we do every week. The most charismatic of the guys was a new arrival from Ireland, here in much the same capacity as I am: trying to get a job so he can stay for a while. As I joined the conversation he was having with a few girls, he mentioned living in Hawaii for a few months. After a few questions and the name game, we quickly discovered we played Hawaii Lacrosse for an overlapping summer; although I didn't remember him specifically, I remember the Irish guys who were around for a little while. We chatted and laughed about our mutual friends on the island and promised to make plans to hang out down here.

These aren't even the most random small world experiences I've had. Top prize goes to the time when I was a student here and I ran into my high school government teacher in the Christchurch, New Zealand airport. But I like the feeling of the world being a small place, knowing there's always a chance of running into someone with whom you've lost touch.

However, for the next two weeks I'm hoping to make my world just a little bigger. My volunteering search has paid off: I'm working with the Sydney Film festival, part of a large team staging the festival and attending a number of events with even bigger crowds of new people. There's a great line-up of films and a few high profile red carpet appearances expected. Who knows, maybe I'll meet someone who will turn into a random run-in sometime down the road!