This is my third trip to Australia and my third time spending Christmas in Melbourne. Despite the last two trips, I realized I’d never had good aerial view of the city. I got it twice today, once at Vue de Monde with Chris and his parents, and the second time on the Melbourne Star, Melbourne’s equivalent of the London Eye. It moved far slower than I thought it would, and we probably spent about thirty minutes on it. We saw a gorgeous sunrise and great colors reflected off of the skyscrapers of Melbourne.

Being up on the Melbourne Star, I realized how much my perspective on this city has evolved since the first time. The first time I came, I was a wide-eyed American, finally in the Southern Hemisphere for the first time and seeing this great Down Under country. The second time, I was a bit jaded. I thought, well, I’ve already been here before, and I was saddened at knowing that this was the first Christmas when my brother would not be alive. I felt bits of misery on and off throughout the whole trip. This time, it’s like I am seeing it with a new eye from literally a new perspective. I’m noticing more and more the beauty of Melbourne and how livable it can be (despite the subpar public transit system). It really is like another home for me.