Australia Day, Oi Oi Oi!

Australia Day or the Australian version of the American 4^th of July, celebrated on the 26^th of January, dating back to 1788 when the British sailed in and claimed sovereignty- If I didn’t know any better I would have said it was the 4^th of July here, the similarities were striking. Celebrating the founding of a country, fireworks, BBQs, beach parties, pool parties, patriotism, people decked out in all sorts of patriotic gear, almost one in the same.

Fireworks in the river city!

The one difference that stuck out to me is that the popular thing to do on Australia Day is to listen to the Triple J radio countdown of the hottest 100 songs of the past year, voted on by Australians. Surprisingly the list contained very few international songs, even Taylor Swift didn’t make it. Cue the drama. Most of the list was made up of purely Australian composed songs, which is a great way to raise awareness to Australian talent. The song that took number one was Chet Faker’s Talk is Cheap.

One song that did make it high on the list at number 3 that has been the only thing playing on the radio lately is Cosby Sweater by Hilltop Hoods, who doesn’t like some Aussie rap. (Supposedly was released before the whole Bill Cosby scandal.)

Being festive.

Another and almost fitting tradition on Australia Day are cockroach races. Yes. You read that right. The “fun” thing to do on Australia day is to enter a cockroach race and cheer on your roach. Weird right? But as weird as it sounds its fitting as the cockroach problem here is out of control (not to mention they can fly, terrifying really), so why not let the creepy crawly guys join in on the fun, they practically scream Australia anyways. Why you’d pay for a cockroach though when you can just cheer on the roaches in your own backyard seems a bit over the top, by hey why not?

Happy Australia Day!

A Cold Christmas, NYE on the Harbour and the Big Move

Lots to update on.

First, Christmas at home. While a hot Aussie Christmas definitely sounded appealing (not) I am so glad my dad decided to fly me home for Christmas. I had tried to convince the whole family to come out and visit, or at least meet half way-Hawaii would have been awesome- but it made more sense for me to brave the cold and live on an airplane for two days than for them to all fly out to me. While two weeks at home went by faster than I would have liked, it was great to be able to catch up with friends and family. After spending Thanksgiving away from home I don’t think I would have been able to do Christmas too. Coming back after Christmas was hard enough.

Christmas with Family!

But coming back meant I got to spend New Years Eve in Sydney while everyone in Ohio was still stuck 16 hours behind in 2014 (kind of weird to think about), and even better yet on a boat in the Sydney Harbour. Something I am really glad I had the opportunity to do. I can’t think of a better way to spend New Years than with a perfect view of the Sydney Harbour Bridge and Opera House, add in some fireworks, champagne and a nice sea breeze and its the perfect night.

One of the first things I got to cross off my bucket list in 2015 was to climb the Sydney Harbour Bridge. As afraid of heights as I am, I am still in shock that I did it. It only took 3.5 hours. Most of that time to be fair though was getting all the gear on and making sure we were prepped. The hardest part of the climb was the ladders to get to the bridge level. With cars and trains whizzing by beneath you it was a bit freighting. The actual arch was the easy part even though it was the highest. The arch is so wide that you can’t see beneath you only out, and the views are spectacular. At the top of the arch you are 134 meters above sea level, or in the terms that the guide told us, it would take you 7 seconds to free fall off the highest point of the bridge. Pretty cool. I am so thankful to my Sydney host family for giving me the opportunity to do it, otherwise I probably wouldn’t have on my own. I would definitely do it again though, as it was absolutely amazing.

Thursday marked my last day in Sydney and the big move up to Brisbane, 1.5 hours north by plane from Sydney, in the state of Queensland. Brisbane is very different from Sydney in that it is built along the river and further inland, where Sydney is centered around the harbour and known for its beaches. Brisbane also being further north can get even hotter than Sydney and the humidity is killer. I moved in with my new host family in a very up and coming part of Brisbane with lots of trendy restaurants and cafes and will be looking after much younger kids this time, 2 years old and 3 months!  I can already tell I am going to need a lot of energy. They have been very welcoming and we drove up to the Sunshine Coast yesterday to enjoy the weather. The Sunshine Coast is located an hour north of Brisbane by car and is known for its beautiful beaches. I also got to experience my first encounter with the Queensland sun. Much stronger than in New South Wales and even with SPF 50 on I still got a bit burnt.

Now to make friends again…