The (Barely Tolerable) Outback
Sunday, February 9th
Dear Diary,
Leoni is being ridiculous, as usual. Leaving New York is an adjustment. However, her dramatic outbursts are exhausting.
Leoni has been sulking and making lists of things she'll miss. I researched St. Augustine's, a well-regarded and elite girls' boarding school with superb sports and art. It might not be so bad after all.
The flight was twelve hours, with Leoni complaining. The only good thing was that her noise-canceling headphones were excellent.
Australia, so far, is sunny and green outside the airport. Greeted with stifling heat and the usual paparazzi. Obvs.
Our driver, Bruce, kept pointing out "local landmarks," which were mostly very large billboards and brown foliage. It wasn't very pleasant that he kept using Australian slang. My first impression of him was a drunk, uncultured peasant who never dreamt of wearing a luxury brand.
The house is a house with a backyard and a swimming pool. My room is a decent size, and at least my art supplies and trophies were carefully packed. Even my closet back in the US was way bigger
Decent shops are lacking, which is the biggest surprise. Leoni is having a meltdown because the nearest mall doesn't have a Gucci.
I'm looking forward to school starting for the new competitive landscape. New girls to size up, new teams to dominate, and hopefully, some new art challenges to conquer.
Now, if only I can find a decent cafe that serves real coffee, not whatever weak, milky concoction Bruce tried to serve them earlier, I might actually survive this.
Yours in pursuit of perfection (and possibly a decent latte),
Leonora Cortzel