This isn't to say that I haven't gained new insights and perspectives from my classes, because I definitely have. What it does say is that I need to get serious about preparing for exams soon. This week is pretty much the first time I've had to hear/think about assignments and exams, which is kind of funny if you compare to back home, where everyone's constantly got homework and assignments to do. Here, I've just been completing the recommended reading every week with nothing to really hold me accountable except for my own honor (and my resulting capability to participate in class discussions).
Since I've been getting into the groove of things here, I thought it'd be a good idea to reflect on the time I've had so far. At first I was a bit lonely and lost, so it's interesting to take a step back and realize how much I've grown used to life here. I've found some friends whom I absolutely adore (if you're reading this, you know who you are) and I've gotten into a weekly routine which keeps me on top of things. I don't really struggle all that much anymore to understand Aussie accents and slang, and I've gotten used to being more relaxed (or at least I'm trying to relax). One thing I surprisingly got used to is the heat. You know how I know? Because now when it's less than 21 degrees C (that's 70 F) I get cold. That's right, COLD! I've had to break out my sweatshirts already and it's not even winter here yet. Never again will I make fun of people for being cold when it's not literally freezing out, because I'd be the biggest hypocrite.
Something I've recently thought a lot about is the culture of Aussies. I've mentioned before the Uncertainly Tolerance that Australians seem to have a high measure of. That means, very generally as a whole, they're fine with not knowing exactly what's happening or what's going to happen. Aussies are also okay, from my observations, with leaving things unsaid sometimes. At first when I got here I thought it was so nice that I never saw any racism or homophobia or anything of that sort. There are even ads I've seen often about mitigating the issue of domestic violence, and by extension, rape culture, while kids are still young, by teaching young boys to be kind and respectful to young girls. I still haven't personally seen any homophobia, thankfully, nor have I seen or heard of overt acts of racism. However, what I've noticed is that Aussies are sometimes uncomfortable with talking about issues of racism. There is a highly marginalized group here, and that's people of Aboriginal descent. Yet I barely ever see them represented anywhere, and the only place I've heard people talking about them is in my Australian Indigenous Studies class. Even then, I find some people are uncomfortable or unfamiliar with the notions of race affecting how certain people are treated. It's clear they haven't had to think about it, from the way people struggle to come up with words to the way the professor teachers us the material carefully and extra thoroughly, as if he knows people will be very confused. It's hard to describe. It's not that people here mean to be racist, but sometimes they just haven't had to think about the things I've thought about, and may not have a grasp of it. They're okay with not talking about it explicitly.
I find Americans tend to be bold, both in our actions and words at times. In the environments I'm used to, there have been more and more people willing to get out of their comfort zone to talk about issues that are important. Maybe that is a thing here too, and I just haven't found it yet.
What else have I been up to, other than studying (or trying to and getting distracted) and thinking deep thoughts that I have trouble articulating? ;)
Last Friday I went with my Nature-Based Tourism class to Penguin Island for the morning, which was pleasant. It's a little island where little penguins reside (no, I'm serious, they're really called "little penguins") and we got to see ten of them which live in the Penguin Discovery Centre. They're penguins which can't make it in the wild due to injuries or being raised by humans their whole lives, so visitors get to watch them get fed. They were really cute.
After seeing the penguins, we walked around the island on the boardwalk that lines it and saw some really neat fossilized roots.
Then we went on a short cruise in the marine reserve and followed some dolphins and saw some sea lions lounging on the beach. I was mostly intrigued by the pelicans because I don't think I've ever seen birds that big except at the zoo.
This past Saturday I hung out in Freo for a few hours with my friend Jerry who showed me some of his favorite parts of the area that he's found, and then we decided to be "spontaneous" and bought iced drinks. One of the things here that Aussies do with iced coffees, from what I've noticed, is they put a scoop of vanilla ice cream in it. Jerry, who hates coffee normally, decided to try it with a scoop of ice cream to see if he'd like it better. He didn't. To my amusement I got to watch him plug his nose as he finished his drink. Meanwhile, I got an iced chocolate, which was essentially hot cocoa but with ice and ice cream. So...chocolate milk. I honestly don't know what they put in it, but it was pretty good after I realized I had to stir it to get the chocolate flavor.
That same day, we CIEE peeps went to a footy game! Footy, of course, is the Aussie shortcut for Australian Rules Football. It's fast-paced and features constant passing of the ball between players, and players try to make a goal by getting the ball between posts; two side spaces and a middle space. One difference I noticed is that whenever players get tackled and there's a bit of a pileup, the game sort of just continues, whereas in American football there's some kind of pause before continuing gameplay. Also in footy the players don't wear armor like in American football. People get knocked unconscious in this too, because you can try to jump to prevent others from getting the ball. And if somebody gets knocked unconscious, the game keeps going around them on the field. It doesn't ever have timeouts or pauses, ever. The only time it stops is at the end of each quarter, and honestly, I'm not even sure if there's an exact time each quarter ends, because the timer just kept going and the buzzer went off vaguely after 28 minutes from what I noticed. That's Australians and their uncertainty tolerance for you. I must say I enjoyed the game and the commentary of some rabid fans around me, but halfway through I got cold and sleepy and hungry, so it was a struggle staying focused on what was happening. Yay sports, am I right?
That's all I have for now! As a side note, my friend Rori was inspired by my blog to make her own, and her posts have lots of insights on traveling as well. She's got some really interesting ideas and isn't shy about saying it like it is, so give her blog a read if you like by clicking here!
Until next time!
~ JP
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