Sydney is the base from where people start. Most people fly directly to Sydney, groggy and light-headed, to start their Australian adventure. All the conversation in Sydney hostels goes something like this:
"Hi, where are you from?"
"I'm from [insert country here], what about you?"
"Sweet! I'm from [insert country here]. Did you just arrive?"
"Yea, yesterday. Have any idea what to do here?"
"Not sure, I arrived this morning. Want to go get drinks at the bar?"
"Yea, sounds good."
And, so they frolick off together to enjoy $3 beers in the hostel's bar. I may have improvised a bit on the conversation, but you catch my drift.
On the complete opposite of this are the people that are going home. Sydney comes full circle in this aspect, because usually from where you fly in, you fly out.
So, being back in a hostel in Sydney (after many, many months of calling this home in my own little comfy apartment), I find I run into people who are just coming or going. Obviously, I fit in neither of these categories, but I am the minority. Sydney is just the stop over for the moment, but soon I will be going home from Sydney and get to fall into the majority. Yay!
Anyways, I arrived in Sydney on Thursday to see Lizzo off back to America. We met up with Arron and his co worker Tobias and had delicious Roti (Malaysian). Then, the next morning we had proper Dim Sum... where I ate some tripe, dumplings, egg tart, and even a green bean for good measure. That night, a bunch of us went out to the Ivy for drinks. The Ivy is an open air club, complete with old men lurking in the corners and young, scantily clad women grinding on each other on the dance floor, drunk off over priced beers and Tequila shots ($8 for one beer. They don't lie when they say Sydney will suck your wallet dry).
There were three older gentlemen (50/60 perhaps) that we walked past and I heard one say "Here's to being too old for this shit," in which he proceeded to lift his full glass of beer, his two friends following in suit, and they all chugged their beers. I wanted to be their friends.
Saturday (ie. Today), I waved good bye to Lizzo. Ryan, Diego and I stood on the corner sending our (very hungover) friend off in a taxi to the airport. We will meet again in America, I am sure, but it's weird to know I have one less friend on this continent with me. First Annie, now Lizzo... oh well, it just gives me more excuses to travel in the future.
"But, Moooommmm, I have to borrow a thousand dollars to go to Ireland to visit my friend. Oh, we might go to Germany and Amsterdam as well. Possibly England. It's, like, required."
I joke... but, seriously. I need a job STAT to start paying for myself again. I'm still living off the CityMove funds, but they're draining quickly. Especially if I stay in Sydney much longer!
But, alas, I am flying to Melbourne on Tuesday to try and find another job. It will be cold and dreary (I imagine it as such, I have no idea if this is true).
I miss Maggie Island and the beach. The sun, the warm, sticky afternoons. I miss the food. I miss the people.
But, it's amazing to be back in Sydney, visiting my old haunts and getting up to no good in a town I once called home. Sometimes, I still do.
Alright, I'm off to catch some fireworks to celebrate Anzac Day, or some other holiday that produces an excuse to shoot fire into the sky and people to get Monday off and spend the day lazily on the beach, getting paid to do absolutely nothing. Wow, it sounds a bit American. :P
Love,
Michaela
Anzac day. Similar to Us Memorial Day and Veterans Day. It honors those who have served to defend Australia, the commonwealth and the world. It is also to remember both those who gave their lives in service and those who returned.
ReplyDeleteIronically Anzac day actually commemorates the greatest defeat in Australian military history. In World War 1 the Australian and New Zealand (ANZACS) army corps was under the direction of the British as part of the commonwealth. As part of a plan to capture Istanbul and to secure passage to the black sea, the ANZACS were sent to capture the Gallipoli peninsula in Turkey. They were placed in an unwinnable position by the British command, with the enemy holding higher ground and ultimately thousands of young Australians and New Zealanders died before the campaign was abandoned. As much as that tragic defeat cost many lives, it has served to define the Australian nation’s character and psyche and perhaps more than anything else what it means to be an Australian - to serve, to sacrifice, to do the right thing, to do what it takes.