Oh What A Weekend

This weekend was the Australian equivalent of the Super Bowl - the Grand Final of Australian Rules Football.  The whole country was glued to the TV when the game started early Saturday afternoon. It was odd to sit down to watch a championship game during the middle of a sunny Saturday, since the Super Bowl usually involves tucking in on a cold February night, dreading getting up for school or work the next morning.  But then again I was completely out of my element - AFL is neither football nor rugby, but a baffling scramble to run, kick and even bounce the ball down an oval field.  If you're interested, here's a clip:  

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=X_hqosNvv5E&feature=related

The game turned out to be the most unusual sporting result I'd ever heard of.  At the end of 80 minutes, the game was tied, which is normal enough when the two best teams face off.  However, there was no overtime.  There was no coin flip, or shootout.  Instead, everyone went home and the entire game will be replayed this Saturday.  All the hype, all the media, all the fans that flew to Melbourne for the game, and no champion.  The kicker is that last year, the Grand Final was very close to a draw, and the league discussed changing the rules, but never did.  Now, there are a lot of unhappy fans and footie players waiting to play the Grander Final during the first week of what was supposed to be their off season.

The footie debackal was a good companion for my weekend - the sort of ridiculous situation you just have to laugh at.  Mark and I are looking for an apartment, and facing all the issues I'm sure ever other person looking for an apartment has - keeping under budget, looking at what's out there and revising your budget to include livable housing conditions, and slugging through a lot of imperfect apartments before [hopefully] finding the right one.  

One thing the apartment must have is air conditioning, with a strong preferences for a pool (you see why this is getting difficult).  Sunday and Monday have been a quick crash course in Queensland humidity, and it's barely even spring yet.  Both days were between 70 and 80, which for New Englanders is perfect temperature.  Not here.  Both days were oppressive, and I learned that even 75 and breezy can be uncomfortable if it's humid enough.  Once I find the perfect apartment, I will be moving from the AC to the pool to the AC (or air con as the Aussies say) on days where it is 100 degrees and 95% humidity.

One Month Checkup

It's amazing how even in a country so similar to your own, it takes a few weeks to orient yourself.  Today I got a glimpse of the progress I've made since I got to Australia exactly one month ago.  At work I walked into the cafe and ordered a cappuccino in a mug, which, contrary to my beliefs a month ago, is not the same as a cup.  If it's large, it's a mug.  And after three weeks of trying to get a regular old cup of coffee, I've accepted that it will be cappuccinos for me for the next year.

After work I headed to the mall for "late" (read: 9:30) shopping night, a weekly Thursday event.  On normal shopping nights the mall closes at 5:30, leaving one to wonder how people with actual jobs get a chance to spend their money.  Mysteries aside, it turns out that the malls here aren't quite as intimidating as I thought the other week.  Turns out there are some reasonable prices if you hunt a bit, and there is a method to the madness of Australia sizing (for the record, a 10 in America is a 14 here, and they think we're the crazy ones for starting sizing at zero).

As I navigated onto the bus and pulled out the exact change without having to check the amount written on each coin, I smiled to myself thinking that I've done a pretty good job of getting a hold on a little piece of Australia this first month.  And as I walked home passing beneath a flying fox and looking with only a bit of anxiety at a spider as big as my hand (which, I might add, I could name), I was sure Australia has already had an effect on me.

How in the Hell.... ?

Now, I know some of you have bad eyesight. But I've squinted, crinkled my nose, and turned my head sideways, and I still don't understand how many early settlers to Australia mistook this animal for a mermaid.  Ariel?  I think not.

What you're looking at is a dugong, one of the few animals swimming through Australian waters that cannot maim or kill you.  Looking very similar to a manatee (even though it's nearest relative is the elephant), the dugong sent early explorers for quite a loop.  Apparently lady dugongs can get quite busty after giving birth, and the explorers grew convinced that mermaids were just another of the strange creatures on this continent.  I probably would have jumped to the conclusion of small whale, or rotund dolphin, but the little mermaid must have mean something entirely different 1770 when Captain Cook sailed in.

These are a few of the interesting Australian facts I've been learning writing for Totally Wild.  I love working for the show, but unfortunately it means I don't have too much time to explore during the week.  Combined with this weekend being cold and rainy (there's been something like 10 times the normal about of rain this September), it's been a slow blog week.

As I typed that, however, a Kookaburra laughed in the back yard... a pretty quick reminder that even on cold and rainy days I'm still thrilled to be in Australia.

Dog Days at the Beach

As Americans, we love our dogs, but the Aussies may have us beat.  Today Mark and I decided to take the dog to the beach, since we'd abandoned him for the rainforest yesterday.  When we got there there were dogs everywhere (granted, is was one of a few fur-friendly beaches)!  It was hilarious to see that every beach blanket  covered in sandy paw prints.  And let me tell you, if you find the beach a bit dull, there's nothing like the entertainment of seeing a show poodle tossed into the waves, or watching a full grown rottweiler mow over a chihuahua because he was only focused on his frisbee.  It was pure doggy heaven.

The ride to the beach at peak time on a Sunday was also a bit of heaven, thanks to the genius Aussie practice of free-flow tolling.  Think Fast Pass, but on a larger scale.  Cameras take picture of your car as you drive beneath an overpass.  If you have a pass, it is deducted automatically, and if you don't you make a call or go online within three days to pay the toll.  No waiting in line, and no digging through car cushions for a bit of lose change.  Leave it to the Australians to find a way to get to the beach faster.

A Walk in the Woods

Yesterday Mark and I packed up the car and headed into the bush.  Granted, everything outside the city in Australia can be considered the bush, so this in itself wasn't what was exciting.  The exciting part was our destination - the rainforest.

When I was a kid I thought going to the rain forest was like going to another world.  Looking at books about the Amazon was akin to looking at books about the moon - "Wow, how amazing it would be to go there.  But it's so completely utterly out of reach."  I assumed that the rainforest, like the moon, was somewhere that was near impossible to access.

So, when I was told - long before arriving in Brisbane - that the rainforest was a short two hour drive from where I'd be staying, I was skeptical.  The drive yesterday did nothing to convince me.  We quickly got out of Brisbane to the New Hampshire-like towns that surround it - somewhat remote, but not completely out of touch.  The scenery was beautiful - dramatic, arid mountains that reminded me of pictures of the Western US.  However, there are no rainforests in the Western US, and as we started to climb the final mountain and each hairpin curve brought another herd of cattle, I had accepted that whatever I would be seeing at the end of the drive, it would not be the rain forest.

Luckily, I was wrong.  At the top of the mountain, a switch flipped.  Between one side of the street and the other - a distance of a few yards at most - the sparse trees met a wall of green, and the car went from mountain-top sunlight into a dark tunnel or branches and vines.

I'd reached the moon.  We were in Lamington National Park, a World Heritage Sight that encompasses miles of sub-tropical rainforest in Queensland.  As soon as we left the parking lot we walked through a bird feeding area, where a flock of parrots were awaiting their lunch (one apparently mistook my head for lunch, which led me to duck and protect the vitals while Mark snapped pictures mercilessly).  We were able to do a treetop walk in the canopy, and climb one tree even higher to look over the forest and the surrounding mountains.  I even found a new favorite plant (probably the only favorite plant I've ever had, actually) - the strangler fig.  It begins it's life as bird poo deposited in the top of a giant rainforest free.  There it collects water and leaves, which it turns into a compost pile for nutrients, all while it sends its roots hundreds of feet down to the ground.  It's roots grow and harden until the host tree dies and decomposes, leaving the beautiful braided fig tree in it's place.

In the afternoon we went zip lining, and though the ride itself was a disappointment, it took us on a private tour of part of the park with two rangers to ourselves.  Rangers must need 20/20 vision, because we saw more wildlife with them than the rest of the day - including an echidna (a spiney ant eater) and a massive black snake that I'd prefer not to know the name of.  The highlight, however, came when dingos began teaching their pups how to howl in the hills around us.

We ended the day with a hike to a lookout, and a terrifying drive back down the mountain, albiet with the backdrop of a gorgeous sunset.  I won't complain though - I'm sure the ride back down to earth is a bit terrifying too. 

 

 

Dinner Options

Last night, I had kangaroo for dinner.  I'd like to say that it was because I love to try new things, or because it's the environmentally-friendly option.  After all, kangaroos are a lot friendlier to the Australian environment than sheep or cattle, since they're designed to live in a place where temperatures can reach well over 100 degrees and it just might decide that it doesn't want to rain for a few months. 

But, truth is, I just wanted to say I'd done it.  I've never eaten crocodile or caribou.  The most adventurous I'd been before this was an ostrich burger, with plenty of ketchup.  And even the Aussies don't eat much kangaroo. After a shocked look at my dinner options, one said to me, "Ew, don't eat kangaroos." Why? Dangerous diseases or tainted processing plants?? Nope.   "Because they're so cute."

Sadly, it wasn't exciting, and really, it wasn't even that good.  I cheated a bit and bought a marinated pack that just had to be thrown on the grill.  The meat looked just like a regular steak, but it was gamey and tough, with a bit of a distinctive taste, even under the garlic lemon marinade.  While I'd be willing to try kangaroo again, I think I can safely say that it won't be replacing Mom's fillets in my diet any time soon.  Of course, Mom's top-notch fillets could probably make any meat seem a bit tough.

Meet me at Macca's Sarvo?

... or, if you'd like a translation, me me at McDonald's this afternoon.  The Aussies abbreviate everything.  Australian becomes Aussie, and the continent becomes Oz.  Don't bother asking for an umbrella if it's raining when you can get by with "brolly", and why say "this afternoon" when "sarvo" will do the trick?  Tomorrow afternoon? Tomorrow arvo.  You'd think from their language that the Aussie's are the most time-crunched people on earth.  And it's not just in everyday conversation... Radio hosts talk about what's coming up savo, and a banner for the local McDonald's proudly refers to  Macca's.

If you want your Aussie abrevs to sound extra legit, make sure they end in "ie".  Grab your sunnies* if you're going out with the Surfies* on the Goldie*.  Don't bother with toast... we can grab some brekkie* on the way. 

And like the Eskimos have many words for snow, the Aussies have many words for the side dish that Americans commonly refer to as French Fries.  Want them cut in thick chunks? Wedges.  Somewhat thick? Chips.  And those skinny little things you get at McDonalds?  Fries.  Just don't confuse the chips you get with your burger with the [potato] chips you buy in the store.

Need to go to Walmart? Big W.  Burger King? Hungry Jacks - turns out by the time Burger King International decided to infiltrate the Australian market a Ma and Pa burger joint had the rights to their name.  No worries though - you can still get a Whopper.

What you can't get is black beans, Crystal Lite, or tampons with applicators.  Ask for any of these and you'll get a confused look, a polite smile, and a "Dunno mate... might have better luck at Woolie's down the road."

Glossary:
sunnies: sunglasses
surfies: surfers
Goldie: The Gold Coast
brekkie: breakfast.

Career Moves

I know this is a blog about a trip to Australia, not a blog about my career, but this week that topic has  dominated.  I finished my work experience (ie, internship) at Channel Ten today,  again writing for Totally Wild.  And the stars aligned.  The show's staff has recently undergone some restructuring and the producer was happy with the scripts I'd written (and to boot, he LOVES Boston, rightly enough).   Add it all together and here you have Australia's newest freelance TV script writer!   It would be a tad inappropriate to jump up and down and hug the boss when he asked me to come in for four paid days next week, and luckily I have good self-control, because  that's exactly what I felt like doing.  Being paid to write is literally a dream come true.

Before I go out and celebrate, here the link to the news story I produced earlier in the week.  Definitely a very neat thing, but I think script-writing has momentarily stolen my affection.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aGS_LsN9qa8

Hitting Hard

This week I furthered my take-over of world media and made my first attempt at TV Journalism.  Monday I started "work experience," as the Aussies call it, at Channel Ten.  I went out with a reporter and cameraman to do a story on a 100-year-old tree that was being cut down - not exactly hard-hitting news, but it ended up being a cute community-based story.  The reporter had me do my own point-to-camera shot, where you speak directly to the audience, so when we got back to the studio I was able to put my own voice-over on the piece and produce my first television news story.   I also got to sit in on the filming of the news, and learned to use the teleprompter  and other software used to produce the news.

Today I worked with the producers of Totally Wild (http://ten.com.au/totally-wild.htm), a popular Australian kid's show, and got to write two segments that will be aired next week.  The producer already has me coming in for an extra day, so I'm hoping things will continue to go well, since so far I like TV a lot more than I thought I would.

All in all, not a very exciting week as far as Australian Adventures, but potentially exciting as far as career advancement.