Tis the season for Procrastination!

My goodness its been a while since I've written anything on this thing. I should start by saying that my return to Edmonton has been wonderful. I've realized how much I appreciate being Canadian, and the friends that I have made in this arctic wasteland. While I wish I had more time to post something of substance, the video I posted earlier today will have to do for the time being. Enjoy Happnin' vocal jazz's performance of Peter Gabriel's The Book of Love as arranged by Laura Forster. Singing this type of music is definitely one of the reasons I missed Canada!

Book of Love

The Same, but different

After living in Australia for 3 months, I can definitely say with authority that there are things here which would boggle the mind of an average Canadian. I'm not talking about the fact that Platypuses lay eggs, or that mullets seem to be an extremely stylish haircut, but little things like coffee, music, and footy. These small everyday things are what have caused me some confusion, and I feel the need to pass my new knowledge back to you.

Coffee, as a good friend once called it, is the sweet nectar of darkness that keeps most students going whether it be exam time, or writing a 20 page paper in less than 2 days. Having worked in coffee shops over the last little while, I thought I knew something about the beverage I so enjoy. I was wrong. First of all, Australians don't drink typical North American drip coffee. When visiting friends, you may encounter plunger coffee. If you're going to a cafe, or out for dinner, one can expect to experience the delights of expresso coffees.  Australia seems to have an incredible cafe culture, with fancy expresso makers essential in the cafes found everywhere in Melbourne  (including back alleys!) and along all the trendy shopping streets. Starbucks is a rare find in most places, substituted by the Australian company, Gloria Jeans, or in Canberra by Coffee Guru. Instead of selling a name brand shop, it is the beans themselves that are the brand, with most cafes using a particular brand of coffee instead of a shop layout or name. 

The most mind boggling part of coffee in this city, however, is not the nature of the shops, oh no, but the drinks themselves! The lack of drip coffee, and the proliferation of expresso drinks has allowed for the aussification of coffee. When reading the menu board at any local coffee shop, one will find peculiar names for coffee drinks, such as flat white, long black, and short black alongside the more common cappuccino, and latte. Harry Connick Jr seemed very perplexed by the differences between a flat white and a latte at his concert here in Canberra last week, and let me tell you, I shared in his confusion for quite some time. I now know the difference. A Flat White, is essentially a foam-less latte. A short black is a shot of expresso, and a long black is what some call an Americano, or a shot of expresso with hot water. Since arriving in Australia, I have to say that my favourite drink has quickly become the flat white, usually made with skinny milk. 

Regardless of all the confusion, I have to say that the coffee here, like the wine, is usually quite incredible and should be enjoyed by anyone who comes to visit this country. If you get a chance, try a drink made from the Arabica coffee beans of plantations in East Timor to help support the businesses of a recovering country.

I think one of the most interesting differences for me has got to be what you hear on the radio in this country. Its like a greatest hits hour, every hour, every day! You hear new top 40 songs played to death, alongside Journey classics, and Queen. Maybe its just the crap radio stations I've been listening to to, but I've found it to be the norm on radio stations in several parts of the country. The most bizarre music thing that has happened while I've been here was when I ventured to one of the only bars in Seymour, Victoria. The last call song was the Gambler, and everyone in the bar knew the lyrics and sang along. Hearing aussie boys and girls sing along to a  song written probably before some of them were born was not only shocking, but extremely entertaining! Perhaps it was just a country thing. The queens of pop and the charts here are Delta and Kylie, and apparently everyone loves them. I'll keep you posted on the music front- I will do my best to find good aussie bands!

When visiting Australia, it is essential that the traveller know about footy. Sports are a religion to some, much like playoffs time in Canada can be cultish. Part of the reason I have decided to talk about footy is because I don't understand cricket and that season is over anyway. More importantly, the reason I have decided to talk about footy is because I have come across at least 4 variations of the sport, and it has become my mission to figure out the differences between them. From what I understand, footy can mean soccer, Australian Rules Football, Rugby League, or Rugby Union. Soccer, I understand. I have played soccer for years, and more often than not, Australians will refer to it as soccer and not footy to clear up any confusion. Aussie Rules Footy is something I'm beginning to understand, and will have to completely understand by Sunday, or I may never play in a game ever again! The differences between the Rugby League and Union are what I find most confusing. 

Rugby Union in Canberra is represented by the Brumbies in the super 14 game roster thing. Union is played between Australia, New Zealand, and South Africa, and is fairly entertaining to watch. I have yet to figure out what League is, except that the Canberran team is called the Raiders, and it tends to be a faster game?

Regardless of all of this, the important thing to know when engaging in a conversation about Footy is to listen to the names of the teams being discussed before jumping in and contributing to the conversation. For instance, the Hurricanes are a New Zealand Rugby Union team, and the Magpies are an Aussie Rules team. I would encourage any visitor to Australia to attempt to figure out who is who and what is what while staying in this country. Footy combined with a snag from the barbie will enrich your aussie cultural experience.

At this point I would imagine some of you are wondering why all of this matters. My best reply would be that for some it doesn't, but others it is essential to their existence as human beings. Coffee keeps me alive, music has been a huge part of my life up until this point, and I play footy, making all of these things essential to my experiences here in Australia. 

One heck of a month!

Bonjour!

So its been a month, and I haven't written anything! Sorry about that! Here's a brief overview of what I've been up to over the past month:

School: ANU is pretty awesome. I started classes on the 25th of February. I'm taking The Makings of British Modernity, World At War (WWII), Australian Foreign Policy, and Human Security. I think my favourite class has got to be Human Security, but there have been many public holidays thus making it impossible for me to go to class. I've really enjoyed ANU so far, but will write a more thorough entry on this in the near future when I've had some time to really think about what I'd like to say about it. 

ACTivities: I've been pretty busy all over the ACT (Australian Capital Territory), and am having a blast! I played croquet, and attended a gallery opening at Old Parliament house with a friend I met in my history courses. Apparently we play old ladies together and enjoy the occasional cup of tea! 

I've also been to two Brumbies games. The Brumbies are Canberra's Rugby Union team, and are quite fun to watch. They strut around the field like they own the place, and proceed to tackle anyone who has the ball. I think I've learned many of the rules of Rugby by watching their games, and a friend has since told me that if I ever decide to play Rugby that I'd make an excellent hooker. I think I'll keep that in mind for future sports adventures....

Speaking of sports adventures, I'm still playing Aussie Rules! Its really fun, and I've still got a lot of hard work to keep up with the rest of the players on my team. It is definitely something I'm enjoying, and I can't wait for our first game next weekend. I have a feeling this is a game you learn by doing, not necessarily by practicing drills over and over again. We'll see what happens. 

Tonight I went to the Harry Connick Jr concert, and fell in love with his band and the music they played. It was bizarre to hear a New Orleans accent here in Canberra, but did not take away from the amazing experience of the show itself. We were sitting so close to the stage that we could see every facial expression and the whites of his eyes. It was an incredible experience, and one that I won't soon forget. Perhaps the most memorable parts of the show were his interactions with audience members who explained to him the difference between a flat white coffee and a latte. He also found out the definitely of a Boggan (Spl?) or the Australian equivalent of white trash. It was an entertaining show.

I think those very short descriptions should be enough for the time being. Over the next few days I'll try to write something that resembles more of a reflection on what its like to be a Canadian student in Australia, as opposed to a "dear diary" version of what I've been up to. 

In the mean time, take care, and I'll write more soon!

Canberra Times

There is something quite exciting about getting to know a new city. My experiences here in Canberra have been slightly different from my other moves. Instead of relying on my parents and sibling, I have been trying to find things on my own. The skills I learned in girl guides all those years ago are finally being put to use, and have definitely come in handy. Maps for bike routes, transit routes, campus paths, and the various suburbs all have their own unique qualities, and trying to figure out how they all fit together in the circular mess that is Canberra has been challenging. Instead of traffic lights, one finds roundabout after roundabout. Suburbs are separated by green spaces and parks, and there is no such thing as a city grid. All of this leads to mass confusion for me, and after a month, my directionally challenged brain is beginning to create its own map of this city. 

  Biking seems to be a crucial part of life in Canberra, and bike trails and lanes can be found all over the city. I plan on biking to uni for most of the year. Maybe I'll become one of those crazy cyclists who bikes in snowy Edmonton when its -30...or...maybe not. From my suburb,  I can bike to one of the nicest fresh foods markets in the city. Belconnen Market has nearly everything you could want to please your stomach. There are several butcher shops, a bakery, fresh fruit and veg stands, a really neat fish market, asian grocers, delicatessens, and 2 liquor stores all within the same parking lot. Its pretty sweet, and I have to stop myself from taking home giant seedless watermelons each time I bike there. Its about 10 minutes away from where I live, which makes me a very happy girl.

My suburb is built around a hill, the top of which is actually park land. Running or biking up there has proved tough for a girl who has been living on the prairies most of her life, but the view is definitely worth the effort. Taking advantage of a beautiful summer's day, I took my camera up to the top to take some pictures of my surroundings. Suddenly I heard a rustling in the grass, which I was sure was going to be some horrible snake rushing over to bite me so I would die up on top of that hill (I guess I should mention that I'm terrified of getting bitten by snakes and spiders). Instead, I was really surprised to see a family of 4 roos hopping about 15 feet away from me. I couldn't believe that I was in the middle of a city and seeing kangaroos so close to my backyard. I thought that was only something that would happen in the country! I think the green spaces in between the suburbs have allowed for a really nice mix of wildlife and city life. As I walked down the hill, I found I was being watched by a big male kangaroo. When I first came to Australia, the kangaroos reminded me of Samuel L. Jackson because of their tendency to stare you down. They gave me the impression of saying, "What you lookin' at?" as they gathered in their mob. In fact they still do, which I find very intimidating. I left Samuel on the path and arrived back at my house to find a cockatoo eating something in the neighbour's tree. I love nature!

Today's adventure involved public transit and enrolling to ANU. I have to say that I was really quite proud of myself for not ending up in the other end of the city, lost and confused. I managed to get my timings right, got on the right bus, and made it to my uni within 20 minutes. I did, however, get off the bus in the completely wrong location. I managed to remember that the theme for o-week was born in the 80s, explaining the loud Madonna music playing in the distance that meant other students, and people who could tell me where to go. I was right! I then proceeded to stand in lines for 3 and a half hours to register for my classes. Standing in lines for hours makes a person want to make friends with those standing around them. I have never appreciated friendly strangers more than I did today. Not only did conversations keep me occupied, I learned that Syria is a good place to visit if you want to learn a culture through its people, and that nannying in France can be a really good experience. So there you have it, I met people, don't know their names, will likely never see them again,  but am truly grateful for their company.

The bits of Canberra that I've seen and experienced so far have left me quite happy with where I am right now, and how things are coming together. Hopefully I won't get too lost in the weeks to come, and that my lecturers will understand when the day comes where I'll walk into class soaking wet with some horrible story involving rain, the wrong bus, the wrong bus stop, and being the foolish Canadian who thought she knew where she was going. 

Aussie Commercials

I think this is funny. Its an Aussie commercial for an Xtrail. It involves a crocodile. I can't figure out how to actually post it to this blog, so I hope the link will suffice for now!

Cheers!

OH! And here's a commercial that describes AFL (Aussie Rules Football League). Its pretty epic. 

Adventures in Aussie Rules Football

So I found something worthy of writing about. I finally got up enough courage to go to a Women's Australian Rules Football practice for the ANU team. I was absolutely terrified. On the way there, I was trying to decide if the stomach ache and headache I'd had earlier in the day were bad enough for me not to go. When we pulled up to the oval and I looked around, I really didn't want to be there. But I got over my initial terrifiedness, and decided to sneak over and sit next to a girl who looked like she might know what to do.  It turns out I sat down next to the girl I'd been calling for the last week asking about the team! As I talked to her for a bit, I realized there were only 5 girls, and over 2o guys. I quickly understood why we were training with the guys as its really a numbers game. 

Another girl taught me how to kick the football properly. Apparently years of soccer proved to be good background, and kicking came semi-naturally. It felt pretty great. The ball handling is a bit tougher, but I think I'll be able to get it eventually. Its sort of like an under hand volleyball serve, but you're hitting a football, and you're holding your hands differently. Anyway, its hard, and I've got a lot to learn there.  Something else that contributes to my confusion is trying to get through the lingo of the game, and understand the Aussie accent. Its really not that difficult to do in normal conversation, but when listening to instruction in a game you're just learning makes things just that bit more difficult. The drills were tough, mostly because we were training with boys who run really hard and have been playing the game for years and years. One of the first drills I tried to do ended in disaster when I got a ball in the face, knocking my glasses off, and ended up spinning around in circles looking for the ball. I didn't fall over which might have made it the most embarrassing thing to happen to me, but still turned a very lovely tomato red. I took a quick break and watched how things were going from there. So we ran, did more drills, and as things got a bit harder, I watched, got taught some more things from one of the injured girls, and learned a lot. Its a weird game, but I think I'm already starting to really enjoy it. Now all I have to do is figure out the rules, and I'll be set! So I didn't die. There is really something about playing a sport, running around on a really green field (Its February! I love this country!) that makes me feel human. It was pretty sweet to sweat, and I'm looking forward to the next practice. 

That's all from me for now. I think I'll be complaining about pain and bruises next time I write, but whatever, I'm happy for the time being!