Sarah Darmody

It seems never to late to be a lawyer, director, composer, designer, master chef or mother of six home-schooled geniuses

So so true, and I know exactly what she's feeling. Every time someone asks me what I want to be or do I have at least six answers and wonder whether it isn't way past time to know exactly what I want to do.

And I understand what she meant when her friends said she'd already seen America, my friends said the same after my last trip here. They don't realise that there's a lot more to a country than what you see in a quick three week holiday or in SD's case, a semester abroad and an internship.

Love how she gets the it's not perfect but it's home feeling. There's no country in the world that's perfect but each is home to someone which makes some of the faults less visible. I know NYC isn't perfect but it's home.

I was also surprised and not by her final decision. I understand the indecision. The not knowing which way to go. I was offered sponsorship back in Brisbane and turning it down took a lot of thought, but I don't regret it. I saw and did what I came to see and do and I'm happy with that. I can always come back for a holiday but NY and the US is home to me.… (plus d'informations)

After the first few pages, I wondered if I'd be able to get through this book. The opening paragraphs struck me as ditzy and disorganised - the writing of a young individual who thinks she's more interesting than she actually is.

Fortuantely - I was wrong. As the author settles in to her writing and her story the reader is drawn in.

Ticket to Ride is the true account of an Australian's travel around America. Having won a green card in the lottery, Darmody sets out to discover her new country by Greyhound bus.

This book is a light and fluffy travel story rather than an in depth examination of American culture, but it does contain some insights into the US that similar books on the subject don't.

Darmody never takes the well worn path of gently mocking the Americans for their excesses. She obviously loves the country and writes about it for what it is rather than comparing everything to its Australian equivalent.

It makes me want to return to America, visit Santa Fe, Denver, Savannah, and other places that are off the usual Australian tourist trail.

Of course - it also makes me want to leave that until I can afford to do it by air, and not by Greyhound bus!… (plus d'informations)