With the beginning of my second week in Sydney, my classes are in full swing and I have had to divert my attention to them instead of my gallivanting. My Australian Theatre and Film course continues to hold my interest as we have delved into the various themes often present within Australian works, such as the Outback, Bushrangers, Mateship, and Larrikinism. I have observed that several of these themes share parallels with quite a few of their American counterparts. For instance the setting of the Outback and the character of Bushrangers are similar, yet not identical, to the American cultural mythology surrounding the Wild West and Cowboys. I attended a second play for class, this one titled “Things I Know to Be True”, which depicted a year in the life of a middle-class Australian family and the struggles that they encountered. I found the acting from each performer in this play to be particularly enjoyable and the chemistry between actors felt quite authentic.
I’m more or less staying on top of things though. Travelling to Australia has certainly downshifted my pace of life and I don’t feel as constantly on the go as I do in the States which is nice. It being in the middle of Winter is still a strange thing to experience as the shift from bright and sunny Omaha to mostly rainy and dreary Sydney where the sun sets at 5 is a bit jarring. Especially after being used to the sun going down closer to 9 back home, so now I experience days where I feel ready for bed around 7:30. There have been a handful of bright sunny days here with word of more to come. During the Australian winter, if you’re not careful the rain can sneak up on you and catch you by surprise as it did to me today! My upper body was spared as I was wearing my rain coat, but my pants and shoes weren’t so lucky and they got soaked. Several of the streets were flowing with such water that they could have been mistaken for rivers!
On one of the sunnier days though, my friend Alex and I ventured to a nearby music store searching for some instruments. We are hoping to busk on some street corners, and if we’re lucky, possibly land a small gig or two at local open mic nights. At this store we met a truly delightful man who I instantly became ‘mates’ with on account of me recognizing his Meshuggah shirt (Swedish metal band, your parents would hate them). He and I then continued for several minutes about this band and that while perusing guitars. Unfortunately here they did not have any drums for sale, it was a small locally run store with a limited inventory but the gentleman was eager to order some in for me, he even invited Alex and I back to jam a backroom of the store sometime! Despite not having any drums, I was able to briefly play a Guzheng, a Chinese string instrument similar to a harp, except it lies horizontally instead of standing upright. Not the experience I thought I would get living in Australia but I’m not complaining.
On a day that I did not have any classes I was able to visit a small zoo tucked away in a small neighboring town of Sydney. Here I was able to see up close many of the animals that come to mind when one thinks of Australia: Kangaroos, Wallabies, Emus, and of course Koalas. The several of the wallabies I was even able to hand feed for a bit which was a pleasant and cathartic experience. There was a moment when one even grabbed my hand with its two little ones to get a good grip for eating which I found to be quite adorable. One thing I have felt though in my travels, and Australia is no exception, is that living in Omaha has spoiled me with respects to zoos. So while this place was a nice and relaxing experience, nothing compares to the Henry Doorly, and those are facts.
On returning from the zoo I had another experience I was not expecting to have here. During our bus ride back to the train station, we stopped outside of a legitimate Hindu temple. We were ahead of schedule and the bus driver told me and the other UNO students that we could go get a closer look of the temple if we were interested. So of course I took advantage of that. I couldn’t take any pictures of the inside of the temple so I cannot share what the inside looked like, but take my word, it was a truly beautiful site to behold. I have always been interested in Indian culture and religions so this was an especially welcome surprise for me.
Walking around Sydney I have taken a great liking to its general architecture and infrastructure. There are a number of unique buildings in the city that I have seen already, including one that is draped head to toe in foliage which has an ethereal atmosphere surrounding it. The public transport infrastructure is also quite efficient. Not having a private vehicle has not been a problem, I even prefer it now that I don’t have to worry about maintaining, fueling, and parking a car and can just walk, bus, or take the train everywhere for incredibly cheap.
I'm in Australia, Everything is Upside Down, and I'm Scared 