There's something serenely beautiful about Sydney City after dark. While it is a busy city and a bit fast-paced, I don't feel uneasy about Sydney. London, however, was an uncomfortable city---one you wouldn't necessarily want to live in (granted you'd love to go back for visits, but not truly live there). I think I could live in the heart of Sydney---in the very bowels of the Centrepoint Tower, even---and be perfectly content.

I write this entry at 10 p.m. on board the 423 bound for Undercliffe. It's Monday night and I've just come from a Rotary meeting in Balmain. I simply can't get over how great the Balmain Rotarians are! They're among the kindest lot of people you'd ever hope to meet!
As it stands, I'm trying to coordinate the Glebe/Camperdown/Darlington arm of what has traditionally been the Balmain Blanket Drive (sponsored by Balmain Rotary). At any rate, I'm sort of liasing between Balmain Rotary Club and the postgrad council of Sydney Uni. I'm very optimistic about this endeavor! The blankets donated will be supplied to Just Enough Faith, which many of you know has a very special place in my heart. I'm hoping to get the other Ambassadorial Scholars involved in a similar drive. More on that later.

I've put in my first morning at Undercliffe Public School. The kids there are adorable---they're so well behaved and extremely advanced for their ages. I worked with one kindergarten class today. Tomorrow I think I'm scheduled to work with the Reading Recovery teacher and I think year 1 on Wednesday. I have been scheduled to volunteer 4 days a week, but I think I'm going to have to limit it to three so I can attend council meetings on Thursdays and still get a bit of research done. Anyhow...I'm looking forward to tutoring the kids with literacy.

I picked up my ticket/name tag for tomorrow night's Lord Mayor's Welcome at Sydney City Town Hall. I hope I get to actually meet the Lord Mayor! I'll post photos from the event on my Photobucket site (to view them, follow the link titled MY PHOTOS to the right of my blog entries).

I've submitted my first article to Rotary Down Under Magazine. It was blogged last entry (regarding the night out on the food van). Judith---the complete star that she is---gave me constructive criticism. She's a journalist (in addition to other corporate hats she wears/wore). Anyhow, I've passed it on to the magazine editor and he has gotten back to me with some very positive feedback. I'll post the link to the online edition of the mag if the editor decides to use the article.

We're in Marrickville now---just on Illawara Road---so not too far from home for me! I'll wrap this up for now...but more tomorrow night or the following evening on more recent goings-on!

Until then...

A couple of items are to be included today!
First of all, a poem I've recently written. I have only shown it to my dear friend Lucy and to Mom, Kim and Toni. They're the folks who've traditionally been my poetry reviewers. This one isn't great, but it is another that is based on Sydney.

Observations on a Late-Summer Evening in Sydney

Written: March 20, 2007

The evening is warm fading summer

as the last of the jacaranda blossoms,

age-faded and drained of life,

twist slowly in the fountain’s pooling water –

a final moment of waning beauty.

The stone-faced statued lady

gazes blankly at their tired dance

while the sun slowly creeps

to bed,

her purple-tailed and pink-hued robes

glide across the Australian sky.

Now this is a descriptive piece on a recent experience I've had. It has been submitted to a Rotary magazine in Oz/NZ.

I have been very keen to become active in the community since my arrival in Australia---actually, even before my arrival! Fortunately for me, I've had the opportunity to become a volunteer with an amazing Rozelle-based charity known as Just Enough Faith (JEF). The following provides a glimpse into my first night assisting with a JEF project in the City of Sydney.

It's a muggy late-summer evening in Sydney. The back of the van is hot; a mixture of curry and rice scents linger in the stagnant air. Three other volunteers and I are quickly manoeuvring heavy pans of food onto the serving table as they brief me---the newbie---on protocol. With a collective nod of readiness, the serving windows are flung open...

I'm not sure what I expected to see beyond those windows. I do know that no amount of briefing could have prepared me for what I felt. Either way, there was no time for sentimentality when so many of Sydney's homeless stood queued-up, waiting for what could have been their only meal of the day.

I dished out the vegetable curry I had been assigned as diligently as possible, but I wouldn't be surprised is there were moments of discernible wavering on my part. I snapped in and out of reality with each few plates, at times holding back tears. Seeing those faces---many smiling and very kind, several joking with us, but all hungry---was such an emotive experience. To be certain, being in the back of that van was one of the most amazing experiences of my life.

I commend Jeff and Alina Gambin and their crew of workers and volunteers for the brilliant work they do under the flag of Just Enough Faith. I thank them for welcoming me aboard as a volunteer, and I look forward to helping them try to make the lives of Sydney 's homeless population a little less bleak.

I've had another lovely day! Of course, every single day thus far has been lovely!
Before I go on with today's happenings I'm going to back up just a bit...

Since my last entry I have had my first supervisory session with Fran (who is my research advisor and head of the social policy program). I'm really looking forward to the research, and I'm so glad she's my supervisor! She is extremely nice and I think she's going to be an absolutely brilliant supervisor.
We laid out my timeframe for my thesis during the first meeting. The thesis is 30,000 to 35,000 words (or about 50 t0 60+ pages in length). My thesis is tentatively on university-level educational attainment of first-generation Australian students (in Sydney University). I'll be using a largely qualitative methodology insofar as I'll be interviewing the students (which means I have to provide my proposal to the Human Ethics Research Committee in order to have clearance to interview the students), but I'll also be using Australian Bureau of Statistics data to determine if the stats actually are indicative of real-world experience. That is, I'll be inquiring of the students what boundaries and/or incentives they found when coming to university. For instance, did they find that there were more barriers than incentives? If so, why did they proceed? Was class an issue? etc...
My supervisor gave me a list of goals tailored specifically to my research and objectives which I found to be SO helpful! She also engaged me in discussion of my theoretical interests so she could gauge my theoretical strenghts/weaknesses and assess the direction in which my research may be going. I haven't had a supervisor do that before---it's such a great practice! Of course, I had a field day going on about how much I love these different theorists and who I feel would be most applicable to the research given their particular bent. I do love me some theory!
Oh! And she also encouraged me to prepare a paper for The Australian Sociological Association (TASA) conference, which will be held in New Zealand this year. By the way...I'm a member of TASA now! This is my first professional affiliation! Woo-hoo!!
Anyhow...I doubt I'll present anything at the New Zealand conference, but it's nice to receive the encouragement to do so and to be made to feel I could do so! :)

Yesterday was a pretty busy day...aside from the supervisory meeting. Toby (an Ambassadorial Scholar from Germany) and I got together for lunch at the Broadway Shopping Centre. We ended up eating at Tomodachi---one of those sushi train restaurants. It was such fun! We each took turns picking plates off the conveyor belt of sushi that was circulating around the bar. I kept getting the weird ones which wasn't too comfortint to Toby, but it made for an interesting experience! ha ha ha!

I went to the Just Enough Faith charity headquarters today. It was a bit of a trek from Earlwood, but definitely worth it. The folks were very nice. I look foward to getting to know them a bit better. I formally begin volunteering there next Friday---so more on that later!

It's a bit cool and rainy today. I do enjoy rain, but I think it's far prettier out here when it isn't pissing it down. Still, it is quite nice to look out of my open window and watch the sheets of rain move across Undercliffe.

I have an engagement this evening that I'm very excited about! I'm going to the New South Wales Parliament House at Macquarie Street near The Rocks. The Sydney City Rotaract-sponsored Rotary vs. Rotaract Great Debate is taking place there tonight. This is to be my first Sydney Rotaract event, and I'm really looking forward to it! (The URL for the event flyer is: http://www.sydneycityrotaract.org/debate.jpg .) I'm hoping I have the opportunity to become a formal member!
------

Last night marked my first Postgraduate Seminar. It was lovely having the chance to become acquainted with some of the other postgrads. A few of us got together afterward for coffee at one of the university cafes. It was really nice to have a chat with them. They're all doing a Ph.D., so they provided a lot of insight into how things are typically run in the department. I look forward to hanging out with them again soon!
Also, given a suggestion I had made to my supervisor (who is also the seminar convenor), I have become the "social secretary", which means I get to plan the Sociology/Social Policy Postgraduate Film Series and other such social events. This is right up my alley! I'm really looking forward to it, and I've already developed a potential viewing list. Woo-hoo!
-----

My nomination acceptance form has been turned in to the SUPRA office---now I just wait until March 22nd to see if I am going to stand as a postgraduate councilor.
-----

That's all that's going on up to this point. More later on the Rotary vs. Rotaract Great Debate!

On the 423 bound for the CBD, I caught myself smiling out the window at the sights and people I passed. The folks on the street were too busy attending to the details of their lives--ducking in and out of shops, chatting on mobiles and working their way toward some mysterious "point B"--to notice the crazy smiling girl on the bus. Equally, they were completely unaware of how, at that very moment, I found myself in a complete state of happiness. Isn't it strange how we can step beyond ourselves and look inwardly, as if a spectator to a life unfamiliar? We are so outwardly focused to the extent of introspection seeming so...foreign.

Considering my happiness and ease in moving through these Australian streets, it occurred to me that I may never be happy living a sedentary life in the USA. I could never be content to allow my suitcases to gather dust as memories become disjointed, aging images. And how sad to cling needily, greedily to friendships with internationals, hoping to exchange anecdotes and thoughts of places that no longer exist, aged locales and frames of mind that live only in memory.

No one ever died from lack of travel and experience, but I reckon many a concept of self has crumbled beneath the weight of such restriction.

---

I attended a women's rally in the CBD today. It was so empowering to hear the strong females speaking of the fight that lay ahead of us. While I believe that huge strides have been made in attaining women's rights the world over, I don't believe it's time for us to sit back and relax. We must march on in hopes that subsequent generations enjoy more and better rights and freedoms. We didn't come all this way to have folks like Paris Hilton and Brittany Spears being heralded as female icons.

---

Things are going very well at the flat! Desiree and I get on really well, but we rarely really see one another. By the looks of it our interactions will be even less frequent (particularly as both our social calendars fill up). She is super-nice and she's so easy to talk to. It's nice when we do get the chance to have dinner together and a chat.

---

Monday (March 12) is going to be interesting! In the morning I'll be going to Earlwood Public School to begin my bi-monthly volunteering. I'm hoping to tutor reading, but I'm not averse to helping just wherever I'm needed. It will be nice to meet the kids and work with them. I'm hoping also to help establish a penpal network between Pikeville Elementary and the Earlwood Public School. Desiree tells me not to be surprised if the kids tell me to get stuffed. I'm not worried---I'm going to remain optimistic.
Monday evening is going to be pretty neat, too. I have my first postgraduate seminar, which should be fun! I don't really know what to expect except that we all have to contribute a paper to the seminar at some point. I don't think anything needs to be prepared for Monday evening, but I intend to be super-prepared...just in case! ha ha ha...

---

I've got my two nominations to run for council of the Sydney University Postgraduate Representative Association. Two current councillors have greed to sign off on my nomination. Now all that's left is attending the next meeting, presenting a small speech as to why I should be elected, and waiting the outcome of the evening's vote! Keep your fingers crossed for me!

---

I'm looking forward to all the events and activities that lay ahead of me! More on their respective outcomes later...

The Sydney Poem
by Tara McKenzie
written March 3, 2007
(Based on City & Balmain/Birchgrove sights)

Sydney is light and warmth
and breezy summer;
striking as sun's rays
on busy bay waters.
Sydney is fresh, floral scented,
fruity undertones,
wafting cuisines
and cool winds stirring.
Sydney is sun-kissed skin
and children playing;
laughter, music
and the constant tap
of foot and paw on pavement.
Sydney is sipped wine
and good conversation;
closing your eyes as night falls
warm and dark 'round the palm trees
and terraced houses.
Sydney is opening your eyes to a dream.

--------------------------
Days 1 through 10.

My first day in town was lovely! Judith collected me from the airport shortly after 8 a.m. and thus began my exposure to Australia.
As soon as I stepped foot out side of the airport, I began to sweat. It was so warm and humid! These characteristics have come to define many a day in Sydney.

We drove to Birchgrove via the Anzac Bridge. The vast expanse of water below was a magnificent sight, and the view of the city flanking the harbour was absolutely awe-inspiring! This was to be my first view of the city.

Arriving at Judith's home we were greeted by Sally, her Cavoodle breed puppy. Sally is absolutely precious and such a bundle of energy! I was too amazed by the sights and sounds to take a nap once I arrived, so Sally and I played a bit in the courtyard garden. The garden is lovely, comprising a wide variety of tropical plants (many of which I've never before seen) and artifacts brought back from the Wards' travels abroad.

After having a bit of time to relax and refresh after the long flight, Judith and I walked from Birchgrove to Balmain village for lunch and a look around. I don't think one could ever tire of walking around Birchgrove and Balmain, as the architecture is so diverse and interesting! Ornate terraced homes stand alongside brightly colored blocky homes and ultra-modern irregularly-shaped homes.

The main street of Balmain is Darling Street, which is lined with all manner of bookstores, cafes, ethnic restaurants, fresh produce vendors, chic clothing stores, etc. Beyond the varied shops and restaurants, Darling Street also boasts a fantastic view of Sydney City. Nonetheless, a short walk from Darling Street to the bay that is only blocks from Judith's house yields far spectacular views of the Harbour Bridge, the city and the bay waters.

View of the Harbor Bridge from Birchgrove.

My second day in Sydney was fantastic! I slept very well the previous night and was ready for the big day that lay ahead of me! Judith and I caught the 441 bus to the City, where she had Rotary legislation meetings and I had a day of exploration.

I first made my way to Circular Quay. Stopping only briefly at a baker's to purchase a Cornish pasty and a water, I made my way to The Rocks, where I planted myself for lunch---in perfect view of the Sydney Opera House.

The Sydney Opera House.

Following lunch, I trekked back up George Street and made my way to Darling Harbour. I sat for some time in the sun, eating fresh fruit and watching the people, boats and birds moving around the harbour. I was completely, utterly and unabashedly complacent.

That night, I accompanied Judith to a gala final of a series of 10 minute plays at The Seymore Centre. Known as the Short & Sweet Festival, the series consisted of a diverse array of plays that had made it to the final round of the festival's competition. Being such a varied offering, the plays touched on a number of emotions and dealt with many provocative themes. Thus, all of the plays were very thought-provoking and enjoyable. In addition to seeing some brilliant plays, I also had the chance to meet some very interesting people. I had a great time!

The following day was something of a recuperative day for me. Having been mesmerized by the Sydney sights the day before, I got a bit of a blistering sunburn. The evidence had presented itself the previous night as the folks I met commented on how I should use sunblock due to the harsh nature of the Australian sun. I felt a bit silly that I would allow myself to get so burned, but I joked that at least I had established my base coat---the formal tanning process could now begin. ha ha ha...

Tired and sunburned, I slept in on Friday. When I did arrive just on the edge of morning/noon, I had a delicious glass of fresh-squeezed orange juice. After playing a bit with Sally and slathering on some sunblock, I headed out to wander around Balmain.

I stopped in to the Balmain Bakehouse for a cup of coffee before I made my way to Gladstone Park. There, I stumbled onto a bowling club. Four sets of all-male teams enjoyed pitchers of beer as they played several round of lawn bowling. I wonder why no women were playing...

The sky began to cloud up quite a bit as I sat watching the bowling game. While I had no clear destination in mind, I decided it best to make a move before the storm rolled in.

From Gladstone Park I went to the Balmain Market. Keeping in the tradition of the day, I continued to amble about directionless. By this time, the sky was becoming dark and the wind had picked up. Granted, it wasn't terribly foreboding weather, but I did find it best to cut short what would have become me standing around staring at the goods on offer in the market and chatting with artisans about their craft.

At this point, I had gotten myself completely turned around and I wasn't sure which direction Bay Street was! It began to rain very lightly, but I wasn't really troubled by it. I was, however, worried that I wouldn't make it back by 5 p.m. (the time at which we were to go to the grocery store for sandwich-making materials for an event the following day).

Ultimately, I asked a man on the street for directions. What a nice man! The first thing he said, in noticing my still very red sunburn, was, "Oh, stay out of the sun" in such a lovely Australian accent. After a little joking over my obviously bright red color, the gentleman broke out a map and pointed me in the correct direction. Now, it may not be scientifically proven, but as far as I'm concerned Australians are the nicest folks one could encounter!

Sunday proved to be a busy day, but an extremely delightful one! It began rather early with a Balmain Rotary function (namely a community bike ride). It was a great opportunity to meet some of the Balmain Rotarians and chat with them a bit. They're such a lovely group of folks!

After a few hours of chatting and assisting a bit with the event, I was delivered back to Bay Street to get ready for an outing in Manly. I had been looking forward to the Manly trip since the day I first was made aware of it! I had never been to a live opera performance, so the trip to Manly would certainly be a significant first.

The views in Manly were absolutely amazing! It was slightly overcast, but I was completely inspired by the beautiful shoreline and harbour views. But, perhaps more captivating, was the amazing operatic music we had the opportunity to hear. The performers were fantastic, and several of the performances actually gave me chills! Needless to say, I had an amazing time.

Following the afternoon at Many, we went to Judith's Aunt Roana's house. She had a most spectacular view of Manly from her balcony! It was absolutely breathtaking! We had tea at her flat and looked at family photos. It was lovely!

Shortly following our arrival back to Birchgrove, Judith, Gail (one of the loveliest people around; also the estate agent across the road) and I went to The William Wallace for dinner. It was my first exposure to an Aussie pub. What a great place!

Day 6 in Oz proved to be yet another interesting one! The day began very simply--I awoke at 9 a.m., showered and spent the afternoon playing with Sally while Judith went into the City. Sally was in a particularly playful mood and literally kept me on my toes the whole afternoon.

By 1 p.m. Sally and I both were knackered. She curled up on the floor of the family room and I dozed in a chair next to her. We slept a good hour and a half before being awakened by Judith's return.

As it happened, a lady I was in contact with regarding a flatshare had phoned while I was in the shower. She was ringing me to arrange a meeting for that evening. After a few rounds of phone tag, and and I finally nailed down a meeting time and place. We were to meet just outside her workplace: Sydney City Town Hall. Shortly after our conversation I was on the 441 to the city to meet Desiree.

Desiree and I caught the 423 bound for Kingsgrove and were off! We chatted en route about my scholarship,why I chose to come to Oz, our hobbies & interests, and our travels. She, too, had spent a bit of time in England.

Upon arriving at the flat (which she affectionately refers to as "The Penthouse"), I had the opportunity to meet her absolutely star of a neighbor, Lisa. She seemed like a real sweetheart!

Desiree then showed me around the flat and we had a bit of a chat before heading off for a walk on the edge of Cook River. The views from the flat were fantastic and the walking areas on ground level were extremely nice too. There were so many lovely green areas and little parks.

When we returned, Desiree and I indulged in a few glasses of sauv blanc and had a fantastic Thai-inspired tofu/veg/noodle dish she prepared. We carried on in conversation for a few more hours before I realized that it was 10:30 p.m. and I had to catch the 423 to the QVB and then catch the 442 from the QVB back to Birchgrove! Before leaving, we agreed that I would move in to the flat on the coming Sunday.

Needless to say, I made it to the QVB by midnight and ended up lurking around the bus stop until 12:45. It became obvious that the Birchgrove bus was not turning up. (It was made apparent to me later on that I was on the wrong side of the QVB for the Birchgrove bus---I needed to be on the opposite side of the building.) At any rate, I hailed a taxi and ended up rolling onto Bay Street shortly after 1 a.m.

The next day was equally--if not exceedingly--exhausting. I had my uni registration and needed to arrive before 12 p.m. This was to be my first time at Sydney Uni., and I was extremely excited! However, I first had to determine how to get there from Darling Street. With the help of a very attractive bus driver, I found that the 433 runs from Darling Street to Broadway/Glebe Point Road (both of which are adjacent to Sydney Uni.). Lucky day, lucky day!

Walking toward the university's main quadrangle for the first time was pretty spectacular. The ancient-looking stoneworks of the main quad are absolutely beautiful!

While I do feel as if I accomplished a lot, I did so begrudgingly. The day was a series of queues--hours long queues! I was so sore from standing, so sweaty from the humidity, and famished that I could not wait to leave the campus! ha ha ha...

Day 9
Judith and I went to the cinema to see The Last King of Scotland. What a great movie! Granted, it was very disturbing, but it was good. After the movie we had Thai on Darling Street and a great bottle of white wine. It was such a nice evening!

Day 10
It has been a very busy day indeed! I awoke rather late (9:50 a.m.) and set to the task of packing my suitcases. Today I moved from Bay Street to the flat on Undercliffe Road.

Sally and I played a bit in the garden as I washed my towels and had my lunch. She's so energetic! The morning consisted mostly of me collecting her from the plant beds. She had gnawed down a very interesting aloe-like plant and had wallowed the other plants down to make a bed of sorts. Each time I collected her from amid the plants she would grab a toy and head straight back to the plant bed. I felt awful that the plants' destruction was occurring on my watch!

Finally, however, Sally ran herself ragged and took a nap on the floor of the family room. She was so tired that she couldn't be bothered to try to rush out the doors to the foyer and parlor when I opened the doors to the family room. She was completely knackered!

Plotting the trip from Birchgrove to Undercliffe was interesting. Luckily, Judith had determined the streets we would need to take. Unfortunately, I had the job of navigator. I generally can't be bothered with maps or atlases---I usually chuck 'em into my bag and just go with instinct.
Of course, I told her to take a wrong turn (typical Tara) and we ended up way off track. I had a chance to redeem myself once we got back on track. I really wasn't too bad, actually! ha ha ha...

My first few days in Sydney have been absolutely fantastic. I've seen so many beautiful sights and I have met so many lovely people! I feel very privileged to be here and to have so many wonderful experiences. It truly feels surreal.