(Officially on Australia time, with a 15 hour difference)
Now,
just because we had landed didn’t mean our traveling was over. See, while we
flew into Sydney, the city is 3 hours from the Australian Capital of Canberra,
which is where we are staying. So, we hopped on a bus, which took us to a taxi,
which took us to our home for the next 5 weeks: the Alivio Tourist Park. The
park is what Americans would consider a campground. There are villas (aka
cabins), lots (aka places to park an RV or motor home), and sites (aka places
to pitch tents). We split ourselves into three villas, dropped our bags, and
were ready to explore.
So,
where’s the first place we went in Australia? The mall, of course. Can you say
Americans? We stocked up on groceries (yes, at the mall), phones (communication
is important), and money (the American dollar is currently worth more than the
Australian dollar, meaning $100 USA= $121 AU. But before you get too jealous,
everything is way more expensive here anyway).
With all the errands out of the
way, we were free to enjoy our first night in Australia. The city was holding a
firework display called Skyfire so we headed downtown. We ended up next to the
lake, watching fireworks on the hill. Afterwards, we started to make our way
more into the middle of the city, which is called the civic, and this is where
we met Glen and James. Glen, an Australian native, was out showing his friend
James from Liverpool, around the city and so graciously decided to let us tag
along. The first spot we hit was King O’Malley’s (named after an original
founder of Canberra), a gorgeous old town pub with the coolest “beer garden.”
Don’t let the name fool you though, it’s basically an outside patio where
people can eat and drink and just hang out, enjoying the warm air under the
stars. Our next stop was Shorty’s, where local DJ’s were battling for the best
beats.
Our final stop of the night was Moosehead’s, and this is
where we really met the locals. If you go inside and go all the way to the
back, there’s a little staircase on the left that leads down to an extra room
where the music is loud and the energy is high. We hit the dance floor and learned
that it doesn’t matter if you dance well or even if you know the person next to
you, all that matters is that you’re shakin’ it and being yourself. One of my
favorite things I discovered is just how unafraid people are to be themselves,
especially the men. Whether or not we realize it (or whether or not we are
willing to admit it) there is a stigma in America about men and the way they
act around each other. It’s the whole idea that men who are friends should not
be affection with each other. I mean everywhere you look you see women hugging,
kissing each other’s cheeks, dancing together, anything. But never the men,
expect for here. Everyone is so friendly and just happy to be together. It’s a
very welcoming and accepting environment that really makes you glad to be here.
