Canberra Trip and then some...

photos from the canberra trip...

parliament building

view from the top of parliament

design in the parliament pavement

kangaroo at one of the museums

the youth hostel we stayed in at canberra

the aboriginal tent embassy - it's been a protest sight for aboriginal rights since 1972

the war memorial

a little bit of fun at one of the museums

cow sculptures outside the new zealand high commission

steps leading up to the indonesia embassy

one of the parks in canberra

flower bed at another park in canberra

downtown sydney...

photos from observatory hill in downtown sydney...

the winning bingo card (plus the cash)...

maps are a lifesaver sometimes...

horray for trains...

on the bus with all the roomies...

playing games at an Aussie's house...

hanging out in the student center...

Politics and Kangaroos...

I was back on American soil this past weekend. Let me tell you how it happened…

All the ASC students took a fieldtrip to Canberra (the Washington, D.C. of Australia) for one of our classes about Australian culture and history. While the trip was interesting in itself, my favorite part was getting out of the city. From Sydney, it was about a three-hour bus ride through rural Australia – I saw pastures and trees and quite a few cows along the way :) I enjoyed every minute of it.

Even though Canberra is Australia’s national capitol, it is nothing like Washington, D.C. Canberra is a quiet, quaint town spread out over a wide area of land with an abundance of parks, memorials, museums, and embassies/high commissions (but it’s mostly just parks…). Ask almost anyone in Australia and they’ll tell you Canberra is a VERY boring place. Perhaps that’s why I enjoyed it so much :)

While we were there, we visited the embassies of the United States and Indonesia as well as the High Commission of New Zealand. Apparently when you’re at a country’s embassy/high commission, you’re actually standing on their soil. So in a matter of about 6 hours, I stood on the soil of the United States, Indonesia, New Zealand, and of course Australia. Pretty nifty, eh? Overall, the embassy visits were very interesting – each one talked about their foreign policy and current issues regarding Australia (the older I get, the more interested in politics/economics I am…weird). Both New Zealand and Indonesia gave us some refreshments/snacks from their native land. They were also VERY friendly and loved to talk with us. However, the United States was a bit of a different story…this was the only place where we went through any sort of security (go figure). Their presentation was very business-like, everything planned out and very efficient. Rather than giving us any food, they just took a picture of us in front of the embassy. How typical American. This was kind of interesting: they spent most of their time telling us how we could get into government jobs instead of foreign relations.

Overall, we spent two days in Canberra – the first talking politics and policies while the second was spent visiting museums and memorials. I’ve always been a fan of museums, so I really enjoyed seeing what Australia had to offer in this area. We visited a portrait gallery (a museum totally dedicated to portraits of important Australians), the National Gallery (pretty much like a Smithsonian only not as big), the National Museum (this was probably my favorite stop – it was an art museum with paintings by Monet, Bastille, Courbet, Cezanne, Picasso, Andy Warhol, and many others. What I found most fascinating here was their section dedicated to Australian art – I really enjoyed looking through the Australian Impressionists and comparing what I saw to what I’ve studied of the Impressionist in the past.), annnd our last stop was to the War Memorial. At this memorial, we took a guided tour through dioramas detailing Australia’s involvement in the wars, emphasis on their role in Gallipoli and WWI.

Now this is REALLY exciting…I’ve saved the best of the Canberra trip for last: I SAW MY FIRST WILD KANGAROO!! On our trip home from the capitol, we saw seven or eight mobs of kangas (yes, apparently kangaroos come in mobs). A couple of them were even boxing :) I can officially say I can leave Australia now a happy camper having seen a wild kangaroo. However, seeing as how I have three more months here, I’d like to see a shark fin (a little recreation of Jaws would be cool), a platypus or echidna, a box jellyfish (one of the most deadliest creatures on earth!), an emu, a koala, and a dingo. I’m sure there are more I could add to the list, but I’ll just leave it at that for now.

Since we’re kind of on the topic of wildlife, I’d like to note that Australia has some extremely annoying birds (actually, they’re not that bad anymore. I’ve gotten quite used to the weird sounds they make. I kind of really like it now). So far, I’ve nicknamed them the ‘crying baby’, the ‘dying sheep’, the ‘caterwauling cat’, the ‘barking puppy who’s lost his voice’, and the ‘laughing monkey’. My personal favorite is the ‘dying sheep’. They’re usually quite active around sunrise :) Despite their awkward squawks, many of the birds here are quite beautiful. This may be a little hard to imagine, but they have wild Cockatoos, Rainbow Lorikeets, Kookaburras, White Ibis (stork-like things), and Galahs just hanging around. It’s like a little pet store of birds hanging out on the telephone wire when you walk down the street. I’d like to say that since the local birds look so much like the ones we have in pet stores, I was a wee bit curious as to what types of birds they sell in the shops. Sooo I found a pet store nearby and discovered that the birds are pretty much the same as what we have in the States (minus the cockatoos). Nothing too exciting.

Do you know what IS exciting though? The possums. Yes, I said the possums. Rather than looking like oversized rats, the Australian version of these marsupials is cute and kitten-like (in fact, they have been mistaken to be cats every once and a while!). They look up at you with their big black eyes and oversized ears. They’re kind of adorable (and they have much more hair on their tails. That’s always a plus). Some of them will even let you pet them…

Change of subject, but did you know that I see a completely different set of stars than you do back in the States? Because I’m in the Southern Hemisphere, I see the southern set of gaseous spheres. No Big Dipper or North Star for me; it’s all about the Southern Cross and South Star down under (the Southern Cross is on the Australian flag by the way). Despite the fact we’re in different hemispheres, I’m pretty sure we still see the same moon…I could be wrong though.

Before I go, I just want to say one more thing. They have the BEST multi-grain Cheerios here. Seriously. They’re amazing. And the milk here is pretty darn good as well – it tastes less pasteurized/homogenized and more farm-fresh than what we have back home in the grocery stores. Really good Cheerios and really good milk makes for the best breakfast combination.

BINGO...

First and foremost, I’d like to wish an early happy birthday to both my dad and my brother – HAPPY BIRTHDAY!! Wish I could be there to share it with you…

Sooo I have another story for all of you….

This weekend Tricia (one of my roomies and service placement mates) and I spent some time with Filomena, our supervisor for our St. Mary’s Villa service placement (a Catholic nursing home just down the road from where we’re staying). Filomena was kind enough to invite us out for a Saturday afternoon of Bingo at a club called Wenty’s League in a nearby Sydney suburb. Bingo in Australia is much different from the Bingo I’m used to back in the States. There is no such thing as “B-9” or a “free-space” in the middle; rather, their cards are a 3x8 rectangle of columns and rows with numbers filling in only about half of the squares (numbers 1-9 can be found in the first column, 10-19 in the second, etc, etc, until you reach 81-90 in column 8). In order to get a Bingo, all of the squares with numbers in them must be called. Hopefully that quick explanation made a little sense, but even if it didn’t, it doesn’t really matter… All that matters is I WON $150 PLAYING BINGO!!! True Story. Much to my surprise, I had Bingo and yes I yelled “BINGO” really loud so the whole club could hear :) I must admit it was quite the adrenaline rush! As you’ve probably guessed, this was some serious Bingo playing if they pay out $150 for each winning card (throughout the afternoon we probably played about 35 games…that’s a lot of money). To be quite honest, I was a bit intimidated when I first walked in the Bingo playing auditorium – there were so many people, lots of little old ladies with their little old gents. They all had their own personal Bingo marker pens too! Talk about some hardcore Bingo players…

After all the Bingo excitement, Filomena invited us back to her house to relax a bit. Since she’s alone for the weekend (her husband is visiting family in Italy for a few weeks), we spent the night at her apartment and went along with her to a Catholic mass the following morning. Because I’m not too well acquainted with all of the Catholic traditions and meanings behind the customs, the service felt somewhat empty to me. However, the thing that stood out to me most was the reverence they hold for God and His Word. I often forget the sacredness behind my belief as well as the importance Christianity as a community plays in this world. It was a reminder of the rich and diverse history I have as being a living, breathing part of the Family of God.

Since we’re on the topic of churches, I’d like to mention that I’ve yet to find a church I want to settle down at for the remainder of the semester. Having said that, this next Sunday I plan to attend an evening service with a friend at a church not too far from where we both live. She’s been to this service before and has told me it’s a very nice but small congregation. The good thing about this is it will be much easier to get to know the people who attend this church because it is small – hopefully get plugged in with some of their activities and form some relationships with Aussies other than Wesley students. We’ll see what happens.

Well, since I mentioned Bingo and my service placement a little bit at the beginning of this blog, I might as well let you in on how things are going at the nursing home. So far I’ve been there four times (we go once per week, usually Thursday mornings). The first two times Filomena gave us jobs working more behind the scenes (they were in the process of moving over to a brand new facility which means there was LOTS of packing to be done). However, these past two weeks Tricia and I got to actually sit down with a few of the residents there. Last Wednesday we met an uppity, stern, forgetful woman named Alice, the soft-spoken gentle soul known as Murielle, and a more boisterous, comical woman who goes by the name Francis. Of course, then there’s always Joe who calls everyone “love” (how are you doing this morning, love?) and another older fella who actually uses the world “crikey” (now there’s a true Australian!). Since last week was their final week in the old building before moving to the new facility, they had a special mass followed by a special teatime, both of which we got to share with them. I went to St. Mary’s again this morning. This time I got to participate in morning exercises as well as mass and teatime again. While there, I met a comical ex-writer named Keith. For about a half hour, I helped him fill out some tickets for an upcoming raffle drawing (he’s had a stroke that left his right side somewhat paralyzed). As a gesture of thanks, he bought me a couple raffle tickets as well (the prizes are a couple bottles of wine…I’m not too sure I want my ticket to be drawn). I also met Keith’s buddy Allen (he’s quite hilarious himself) and a few other ladies milling around the floors. I’m really looking forward to getting to know the residents more as the semester progresses. I’m sure they all have some amazing stories to tell. As for the staff there, they are all extremely nice, upbeat and amusing. So far it’s been a real joy to go to St. Mary’s, and the time always seems to fly by while I’m there.

A bit of a change of subject, but here’s a little fun fact for you about this area:

Stores generally close about 5pm every night except on Thursdays. For some reason, Thursday night is known as the “late night shopping night” - all the stores stay open until about 9pm. I don’t exactly know what’s so special about a Thursday evening, but apparently that’s when all the excitement happens around here… It’s kind of a bummer though when it’s not Thursday because everything shuts down so early - it leaves for some very boring evenings (plus it gets dark about 6pm which means we all tend to stay inside anyway….and public transportation runs less frequently after rush hour…). I’m sad to admit this, but I definitely watch WAY more television here than I ever did back home because there’s not much else to do during the evenings. For about three or four hours after supper, we all gather around the TV to watch American knock-off shows such as Deal or No Deal (but with much more color and flashing lights), Australian Dancing with the Stars, Australia’s Got Talent, and MasterChef (like Top Chef). It’s definitely entertaining…

Another fun fact:

I live a few blocks down from a coffee and tea factory. From time to time, the aroma of roasting coffee beans permeates the air :)

One more thing I’d like to add before ending this blog….this week has turned out to be a bit of a rough one for me. We’re now in our fourth week here, and the luster of living in another country has definitely worn off. Likewise, the drain from the whirl of the past few weeks is definitely catching up to me. I’m exhausted, and all I can seem to focus on is the homework that is beginning to pile up on my doorstep (but I keep procrastinating on all of it because the reality of being back in the classroom still hasn’t sunk in yet…lame). I’m also finding it difficult to balance the time I need for school with the time I need to spend with friends and exploring the area. The days seem to fly by without me getting much accomplished on either account which is not a very good feeling. Don’t get me wrong, I love being here, but I’m also beginning to miss everything that being home has to offer. There’s nothing like living somewhere foreign to make you appreciate everything you have back home (such as your own car). Like all places, Sydney is just another area to live – it has its own quarks, its downfalls, its impressive accomplishments as well as its own little hidden treasures. This is not my home though, and I’m quickly finding out that I can’t stand living in a city for long. I NEED to see some countryside soon! A nice corn or bean field would be nice, but perhaps that’s a bit too much to ask for…

Hope all is well!!

Photos from this week...

Vegemite...

Photos from the AFL game...

Photos from "the Rocks" (the original settlement in Sydney and oldest district in NSW) - some of the views from the Rocks as well as a few photos from the Hyde Park Barracks (which is also in the Rocks)...

Aboriginal cruise we took this past week to the Sydney Harbour National Park...

Sydney Harbour National Park (the smallest national park I've ever seen)...

A few photos of the bay in our backyard (Canada Bay and the Parramatta River)...

Criminals, Thai Food, and Football...

Well, there’s not a whole lot to report from this past week – just class and a few excursions. Having said that, this blog will mostly be about the culture and history of Australia, at least from my perspective….

For one of our classes, we took a trip to the Hyde Park Barracks to see and experience the living conditions the convicts were in while serving their sentences in Australia. You may already know this, but I’ll give you a little history lesson anyway….After America won their independence from Great Britain, Britain had to find another place to ship all their criminals to (America was not merely started because of the want of religious freedom – it was a location for convict transportation as well!). Australia was the lucky winner. From 1788 until 1868, England transported many of its crooks to this mostly unexplored and very rugged country. This transportation of people was due to overflowing prisons back in the homeland (the poor economic conditions forced many people to resort to stealing to survive. Add in the addition of more police officers, which made it much easier to catch the criminals in the act, and you have a perfect recipe for crowded jail cells). In addition, Britain figured if they got rid of those committing the crimes, they’d eventually do away with crime itself. Long story short, Australia ended up with a bunch of “criminals” surveying the countryside, serving 7 yr., 14 yr., or life sentences for crimes ranging from stealing a slice of bread to murder.

This history still plays a role in how the Australians live and work today. Because they emphasize the convict side of their heritage, they tend to look at things as if they’re starting from the bottom of the barrel and working their way up. In the States, it’s much different. Even in our grading system everyone begins with a 100% and goes down according to how well (or not so well) you perform. It’s the exact opposite here - they all begin with zeros and work their way up. Americans stress success and independence while Australians are much more likely to take whatever comes with a laid-back and easy-going attitude. It’s the ‘American Dream’ and ‘pursuit of happiness’ versus the mindset of ‘Hey mate, I reckon I’ll do the best I can - maybe it’ll work and maybe it won’t. At least I can say I tried’. Another interesting cultural difference… Australians tend to resonate more with the villain or underdog of a story. Many of their movies end in tragedy. Contrast that with the States - we’re all about rising up out of despair, the heros, the victories, and the happy endings. If you really think about it, our different mindsets stem from how our nations were begun (at least the stories we choose to focus on anyway…) - The U.S. overcame extreme odds to win our independence. Likewise, we still strive for success and self-sufficiency in everything we do. This often leads to us having a sense of entitlement to everything we see. Australians, on the other hand, were just kind of given their independence in 1901 when they became a federation. Likewise, they carry a much more underdog attitude in what they do, and they're a much more humble population. The Aussies actually have a thing here called the “tall poppy syndrome” – that’s where society cuts down those that distinguish themselves above the rest (these “tall poppies” are usually full of arrogance as well). If you’re successful here, you most likely shrug it off and don’t advertise that you’ve made it big (what a switch from the States, eh?). They like to view everyone on a much more level playing field. This I find to be very refreshing! Oh, this is also kind of interesting – a lot of insults here are terms of endearments (I’ve been told compliments are hard for them to give – they’re more of a cynical/pessimistic/blunt sort of folk). Sooo the closer you are with someone, the more you probably insult one another :)

Overall, Australia really is just one huge melting pot of people. There is so much diversity here, and it definitely shows in the type of shops you see lining the streets. There are tons of Asian stores and restaurants with the occasional Italian restaurant along the way (there’s even an Italian festival going on this weekend that I just might have to attend…). Other common stores I see quite often include small vet clinics, hair/nail salons, chiropractors, pubs, and Thai massage places (almost all stores on the streets look like small locally owned shops. The bigger chain stores, such as Target and K-Mart, are usually found in the malls). As far as restaurants go, Thai food is HUGE here! I can’t seem to go anywhere without running into a Thai restaurant. I've never really had real Thai food until last week, but I’ve discovered that I definitely like it! Good thing I think it tastes good because it looks like I may be eating a lot of it these next few months :)

While we’re on the topic of food…I tried vegemite this week! Annnd I kind of liked it! In case you aren’t familiar, vegemite looks an awful lot like chocolate, but don’t be fooled! It tastes absolutely nothing like it – much more bitter and salty (I guess it’s really good for you too – chuck full of vitamins and such). Australians LOVE vegemite. I’ve yet to see a fridge that doesn’t have a jar on an easily accessible shelf. The way I had this staple food was on warm toast with a little butter. If your taste buds are curious, I recommend trying it this way. Whatever you do, do NOT put it straight on bread. That’s nasty (even Australians will tell you that’s the wrong way to try it!). And only use it sparingly (it’s one of those acquired taste things…). Anyway, now that I’ve had vegemite I can officially say I’m in Australia. Woohoo!

Australia is very much an outdoor/sports culture - they LOVE their sports, particularly rugby, AFL, and cricket (the popularity of each sport depends on which part of Australia you’re from). I went to my first ever AFL game this past weekend. Unlike in the States, AFL does not mean arena football; rather, it stands for Australian Football League. Don’t let the word football fool you though. This sport is NOTHING like any football I’ve ever seen. The best way I can describe it is by saying it's a combination of soccer, rugby, volleyball, and basketball….very strange. The game begins with a tip-off much like basketball with possession of the ball changing quite frequently, just like soccer/rugby/basketball. The only way to pass the ball to your mates is either by kicking it or hitting it like an underhand volleyball serve. Scores can only be made by kicking the ball (which looks a lot like a rugby ball by the way) through one of three goal posts….quite interesting, eh? Even though I didn’t understand a lot of what was going on, it proved to be quite entertaining to say the least. Annnd the home-team won – go Sydney Swans (seems like they tend to choose the least likely animals as their mascots…). Next on the agenda is to go to a rugby game. I think I’ll pass on the cricket though…watching highlights of it on the news is good enough for me!

Cheers!

Homework already...

After completing my first official week of classes at Wesley, this is what I’ve discovered…

Wesley Institute has a dramatically different feel compared to IWU. Even though both are Christian campuses, Wesley Institute is a commuter school with only about 400 students. Needless to say, the campus is definitely smaller than what I’m used to because of the fewer students and the lack of dorms (sadly, there’s no intramural sports either…). However, it definitely has its own charm, complete with librarians who remember you by name :)

Also, Wesley is predominately an arts school, focusing on dance, music, drama, and graphic design. They offer degrees in theology and counseling as well. This combination of theology with the arts gives this school a unique feel and allows them to offer classes that specifically center around the role religion plays in art (such as Faith and the Contemporary Artist). Throughout this semester, I’m really looking forward to taking a closer look at my responsibility to art in respect to theology.

Another thing I’ve noticed is how easy it is to distinguish the music students from the theology students, the graphic design students from the drama students, etc. Each major seems to have its own persona. It’s kind of comical to watch sometimes. The cool thing is, though, there always seems to be someone playing guitar, singing, or messing around with drumsticks in the student center.

In case you’re curious, here are the courses I’m taking this semester…

-The View from Australia: historical and current local and world issues which affect Australia as interpreted from an Australian perspective

-Indigenous Culture, History and Identity: study of the Aboriginal people of Australia

-Faith and the Contemporary Artist II: provides framework of evidence for Christian faith in contemporary context in the arts, for Christian thinking about Culture and the Arts, and for artistic renderings of faith

-Drawing IV: increasing visual awareness of light, tone and form through drawing the human form (life drawing)

-Advertising Design II: focusing on bringing critical analysis and an application of market research to the creative process through designing a single campaign using a range of media/merchandise

-Musical Instrument Study: Guitar Lessons

Classes are a bit different than they are back in the States. For one, each class is only once per week (3 hours per class). Most professors are very much involved in their chosen fields, teaching college courses on the side. Exams are rare - most classes have very few exams (if any at all). Generally, your grade is determined by a select number of projects/papers due toward the end of the semester. We’ve also been told that most Aussie students don’t care what their grade is as long as they pass (they have no GPA to maintain). The Australians think it’s funny when these uptight Americans come in and stress about receiving high marks in their courses.

Right now, I'm lacking all motivation to do homework. Apparently my mind doesn’t think I should be starting classes yet. However, I keep telling myself that the more work I do now, the more I can run around Australia once the weather gets nice :)

This has nothing to do with classes, but I thought I’d share it anyway….

Last Friday I went to the movie theater with a couple girls to watch Inception. We all went to separate registers to purchase our tickets (which ended up costing A$17.50 each!! and I thought movie tickets in the States were expensive…). Apparently, they have assigned seating in the theaters here, which we were completely oblivious to. They even had an usher inside each theater to direct you to your seat. Even though I went to the same movie as my friends, I didn’t actually get to sit by them…lol. In order to get seats together, we would have had to go to same register and tell them we’re in a group. It was a good movie though!!

That's all for now. Happy August!!