As part of my quest to learn as much as possible about Australian culture, I have begrudgingly embarked on a junkfood tour of oz. So far, I think golden gaytime has to be my favorite, both in terms of pleasing my palate and in the literary beauty of the name. Who can resist a golden gaytime? I can’t.
I have also tried madiera cake (known to us yanks as pound cake), cherry ripe (like a cherry flavored mounds bar), cheezles (ring shaped cheese puffs that fit around your finger), mini cheezles, and more that I can’t remember right now because I am preoccupied with golden gaytime.
And then there’s vegemite… I decided that in my almost three months here I need to leanr to like vegemite. This is partly because it is so quintessentially Australian and partly because it is full of B vitamins and good for me. I started with about two bites of toast and a tiny dot of the brown stuff spread around. I have now worked my way up to a full piece of toast and slightly larger (but not much) dallop of the dark brown goo spread very thinly on top of butter. I am starting to like, but certainly not craving it quite yet… There’s still time.
Tuesday, October 16, 2007
Thursday, October 04, 2007
Australia
Well, I am in Australia now! It still feels very surreal to be here, and yet normal, as if I have always belonged. The predominant style is casual--jeans and t-shirts, flip flops and bikinis, so I fit right in. People have even started asking me for directions. I just say "sorry, I'm an American" and everyone laughs and we continue along. Summer has arrived a bit early here and the weather tends to be in the mid-80's, low-90's during the hottest part of the day (which unlike America, occurs in the late morning and very early afternoon). Evenings and morning are refreshingly cool.
My days have been filled with long walks on the beach (well, actually on lovely paths around the coast), and quick swims in the refreshingly cold ocean. It's been a week now, my days are packed, and I haven't even been to the city yet...not that I'm complaining as that would mean leaving the beach. Of course, I have also been getting over jet lag and a post-flight cold that has knocked me out pretty early each night, but the beauty of such a long trip is that I don't have to worry about missing out on things when I want to just chill and enjoy the moment. Healthy lifestyles and environmental consciousness is part of the culture here--a breath of fresh air (literally) after two years in the developing world, but also a refreshing change from the hurried monotony of work at Meijer.
My first few days here were spent helping Joe sell jigsaw puzzles at a market during the local jazz festival. We will be doing this throughout my stay, mostly on weekends, at various markets throughout the area. It was a great way to talk to people, meet other artists and get an idea of the local culture from an observers perspective. I met a really great woman named Deb who was selling her artwork in the stall next to us--check it out: www.thelivingartist.com I have also met up with Jen, another A13 Peace Corps Volunteer, who is here working on her Masters in teaching English as a foreign language. Other PCV's will soon follow--we are thinking of relocating peace corps Armenia to Australia...I think it could work. :)
This weekend Joe and I attended an Armenian wedding--ironically, the first I have actually been to. It was a lot of fun and definitely like a more modern, developed-country version of what one would see in Armenia. (just think "My Big Fat Greek Wedding" an you've basically got it) I spent the evening entertaining the people I met with my ability to speak Armenian--most of them seemed to think it was a joke when Joe told them I was fluent. Inevitably they would say "say something," and then start giggling and shaking their heads when I did. The skills I have acquired in the Peace Corps will serve me well...
Finally, Sunday was spent as a day trip to the Blue Mountains, which are quite beautiful and certainly call to be climbed and hiked. As we were lacking in time and still wallowing in jet lag (we were with a few guys who just arrived from England), we mostly took in the views and ate great food. Don't get me wrong, I'm not complaining! But we will go back to the hiking and exploring at a later date. One the highlights of the trip was to see Kangaroos out hopping around in the fields. I even managed a few good pictures. We also ate kangaroo, which was quite delicious, but I am glad we did so before seeing the kangaroos. Kangaroo overpopulation is a problem here, sort of like deer in many parts of the US, and thus they are hunted and the meat is sold in the supermarkets.
I will try to keep regular updates on the blog again (and hopefully do a better job than I did towards the end of Armenia…). I have tons of pictures already, so instead of trying to post a few here and there on this site, I will be posting them on www.flickr.com My username is the same as my email prefix: jroverho, so you can search that way. I have a few up already and should be posting more soon. If time and websapce allow, i may also post armenia and other travel pics. Enjoy!
My days have been filled with long walks on the beach (well, actually on lovely paths around the coast), and quick swims in the refreshingly cold ocean. It's been a week now, my days are packed, and I haven't even been to the city yet...not that I'm complaining as that would mean leaving the beach. Of course, I have also been getting over jet lag and a post-flight cold that has knocked me out pretty early each night, but the beauty of such a long trip is that I don't have to worry about missing out on things when I want to just chill and enjoy the moment. Healthy lifestyles and environmental consciousness is part of the culture here--a breath of fresh air (literally) after two years in the developing world, but also a refreshing change from the hurried monotony of work at Meijer.
My first few days here were spent helping Joe sell jigsaw puzzles at a market during the local jazz festival. We will be doing this throughout my stay, mostly on weekends, at various markets throughout the area. It was a great way to talk to people, meet other artists and get an idea of the local culture from an observers perspective. I met a really great woman named Deb who was selling her artwork in the stall next to us--check it out: www.thelivingartist.com I have also met up with Jen, another A13 Peace Corps Volunteer, who is here working on her Masters in teaching English as a foreign language. Other PCV's will soon follow--we are thinking of relocating peace corps Armenia to Australia...I think it could work. :)
This weekend Joe and I attended an Armenian wedding--ironically, the first I have actually been to. It was a lot of fun and definitely like a more modern, developed-country version of what one would see in Armenia. (just think "My Big Fat Greek Wedding" an you've basically got it) I spent the evening entertaining the people I met with my ability to speak Armenian--most of them seemed to think it was a joke when Joe told them I was fluent. Inevitably they would say "say something," and then start giggling and shaking their heads when I did. The skills I have acquired in the Peace Corps will serve me well...
Finally, Sunday was spent as a day trip to the Blue Mountains, which are quite beautiful and certainly call to be climbed and hiked. As we were lacking in time and still wallowing in jet lag (we were with a few guys who just arrived from England), we mostly took in the views and ate great food. Don't get me wrong, I'm not complaining! But we will go back to the hiking and exploring at a later date. One the highlights of the trip was to see Kangaroos out hopping around in the fields. I even managed a few good pictures. We also ate kangaroo, which was quite delicious, but I am glad we did so before seeing the kangaroos. Kangaroo overpopulation is a problem here, sort of like deer in many parts of the US, and thus they are hunted and the meat is sold in the supermarkets.
I will try to keep regular updates on the blog again (and hopefully do a better job than I did towards the end of Armenia…). I have tons of pictures already, so instead of trying to post a few here and there on this site, I will be posting them on www.flickr.com My username is the same as my email prefix: jroverho, so you can search that way. I have a few up already and should be posting more soon. If time and websapce allow, i may also post armenia and other travel pics. Enjoy!
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