I've said this a million times, but it merits repeating: The view from my bedroom window is absolutely stunning! The vast stretch of sky, the greenery, the water, the cockatoos flying en mass, the quiet serenity of it all. I must be destined for suburbia, because I love a good visit to the city and to the country, but I like the best of both to be right on my doorstep. I don't like the dirty, impersonal feel of most big cities, and I don't like the confining isolation of a rural town. I guess that's why Earlwood is so lovely! I'm just a short bus ride to the city or a fairly short walk to the Marrickville shops and a few meters to the riverside walk.

Here are two views from my flat taken the day of this blog entry:

To back up a bit...

I went to the Anzac Day Dawn Service at Martin Place on Tuesday.
I got up at 2 a.m., caught the 3:15 a.m. bus and arrived at nearly a quarter to 4.
To my surprise there were loads of people there! I just assumed that since it was so early there wouldn't be many people in attendance. Apparently, the attendance was down a bit (it was also a rainy morning), but the numbers were quite impressive!
I learned quite a bit and had a nice time experiencing such a sombre aspect of Australian culture.

After the dawn service I got a coffee and a coconut bread and went to Circular Quay where it was completely quiet. The morning was misty grey. All I could hear were the sounds of raindrops, the tide beating against the wharf, and distant rumblings of the train. The water was so still and dark green, and the air was filled with the scent of sea water.

I'm not sure why I venture so much to Circular Quay or why it figures so largely in my Sydney chronicles. There really isn't a realized motive for my actions; it's all very subconscious, I think. It may be because I'm reminded of where I am each time I stare up at the Harbour Bridge or when I walk beneath the Opera House sails. For every bit of Australian culture that becomes more familiar and more commonplace, I feel less like I'm in a foreign country. But when I walk around Circular Quay I'm transported to a time when those iconic images were just pages in a magazine or flashed on the television screen, and I'm reminded of the time when coming here was a seemingly impossible dream.

I had known well in advance that the Rotary Club of Sydney would be having an Anzac Day BBQ in Hyde Park, but I wasn't sure where exactly in Hyde Park the BBQ would be set up. Walking from Circular Quay, I decided to go toward the end of Castlereagh Street to check my e-mail and putz around a bit before venturing out to find the Sydney RC folks. As I was walking up Castlereagh, I turned to look toward one of the Hyde Park monuments to find the Rotary folks set up there. Talk about luck! I decided to postpone the internet cafe trip and go instead to see if I could be of any assistance to the Rotarians. That was at close to 7 a.m. I finished helping out at around 4 p.m.

I had a nice time chatting with the Sydney RC folks. They were all very nice and very humorous! They invited me to visit with their club some Tuesday when I'm in the City during lunchtime. I think I'm going to take them up on it! While I may not be presenting, it will at least be nice to make more Rotary contacts.

Speaking of Rotary, I have three big Rotary presentations coming up. One of them will require a train ride and an overnight stay (which is graciously being arranged for me!). I'm really looking forward to the trip! I'm also going to be unleashing a newly revamped presentation, so hopefully it will be well received. My goal right now in rearranging the current presentation is to present material that isn't being/hasn't been presented by every other US-representing Ambassadorial Scholar. In other words, I'm trying to shy away from the basic population/import/export information and focus on the Appalachian cultural heritage a bit. Hopefully this will be a more provocative presentation!

This is going to be another busy week!
In addition to it being the week of my 27th birthday (which will not actually be celebrated), it is also a week of the usual literacy tutoring in the mornings, a few committee meetings, a supervisory meeting, research in the evenings, and an Ambassadorial Scholar BBQ at the home of one of the host counselors on Friday. Friday is going to be difficult, as I'm going to need to just go to the Just Enough Faith headquarters early in the morning and put in my volunteer time then. :(

Well, I do guess I've gone on for far long enough.
I think that is about it for now!

More later...

On the eve of ANZAC DAY...

Tomorrow (25 April) is a public holiday in Australia. Commemorating the service of the Australian & New Zealand Army Corps in Gallipoli during WWI, April 25th stands as a day of remembrance. I am still learning a bit about this holiday as well. There will a few different events on in the City in honor of Anzac Day. I am going to be a bit courageous and attempt to get to the City for the 4:30 sunrise service event. I don't know what this event entails, but I'm excited to find out!

I'm including below some bits and pieces about Anzac Day. Perhaps they'll help piece together the history that this public holiday draws upon.

Anzac Biscuits

Below excerpted from: http://www.abc.net.au/tasmania/stories/s1087121.htm

Anzac biscuits received their name during the First World War. Up until that time people had been baking “Soldier’s biscuits” for the troops, based on a recipe derived from the Scottish oat cake. The main feature was that no eggs were used otherwise the biscuits would spoil on the long journey to the front.

These were renamed as Anzac biscuits after the campaign at Gallipoli.

Serves thousands

Degree of difficulty: Low

You need:

There are literally thousands of variations of this recipe used throughout the country. We present two that are quite different. In both, however, we have listed the ‘dry ingredients’ which can be mixed together first and then the two processes involving heat and wet ingredients.

First, choose which version you want to make: Roger’s mother’s recipe or our New recipe

The first version is very close to the traditional ‘CWA’ recipe that was popularized by the enormously strong-selling CWA Cookbook. However, as we don’t like the use of coconut in these biscuits we have omitted this ingredient from our New recipe.

Traditional biscuits

'Wet ingredients' - 1
125 grams butter
2 tablespoons golden syrup

'Wet ingredients' - 2
1 tablespoon boiling water
1 teaspoon baking soda

Dry ingredients
1 cup rolled oats
1 cup coconut
1 teaspoon salt
1 cup flour
1/2 cup sugar

Method:

Mix all the dry ingredients together in a large bowl. In a saucepan gently melt the butter then add the golden syrup and heat, stirring until thoroughly combined. Put the baking soda in a cup or small bowl then pour in the boiling tablespoon of water.

Pour this foaming mixture into the warm butter/golden syrup mixture and stir to incorporate - it will foam up. Now gradually add the wet mixture to the dry ingredients, stirring well to incorporate.

Place walnut size pieces of the dough on a buttered oven tray and then press down with the back of a fork to flatten.

Bake at 175 degrees C for approx 17 mins.


Our ‘new’ recipe
As we don’t like the use of coconut in these biscuits we have omitted this ingredient from our recipe.

'Wet ingredients' - 1
90 grams butter
1 tablespoons golden syrup

'Wet ingredients' - 2
1 tablespoon boiling water
1 teaspoon baking soda

Dry ingredients
1 cup rolled oats
1 teaspoon salt
1/2 cup flour
1/2 cup sugar

Use exactly the same process as described above.


Copyright Sue Dyson and Roger McShane, 2004

Serving Suggestion: Billy tea, perhaps?

I am always amazed by the views that rise to greet me as the bus coasts over the Anzac Bridge at night. The city is a billion lights and cars and twisting roads and busy people. It's hugged by water that looks like a dancing rainbow of refracted light, or a colorful silken flag caught in the wind. Folks see different things in this bustle---some see pollution, others see profit---I see an infinite number of stories waiting to be told.

In a lot of ways, Sydney allows me to exhibit a childlike sense of wonder. The city is like a massive opened treasure trove or toy box, and each time I come into the city I crawl in amongst the novelties and curl myself around them as I daydream. They are my little bits of discovery and places of respite.

I'm standing beside Wharf 4 (services to North Sydney, Neutral Bay, Mosman & Cremorne, Watsons Bay, Rose Bay, Double Bay, Woolwich); my arms drapped over the cold and paint-chipped iron railing that separates dock from water. The Harbour Bridge towers close in the distance. On the opposite shore, in the shadow of the Harbour Bridge, is Luna Park. The brilliant, flashing carnival lights and glowing logos from the skyscraping corporate buildings are ribbons of pink, melon, blue and gold on the cove waters. Two meters more and I could touch these watery ribbons of light.

Just up the quay a guitarist's acoustic medley plays almost in sync with the undulating cove waters. Voices--mostly Australians, but also American, Asian dialects, etc.--move behind me like the whispers of ghostly procession. Their words and footfalls are in time with the water, the music, the night. This is the circadian rhythm of Circular Quay.

I'm at the bus stand now. The night air has grown thicker, grown fat on an oily mix of petrol and diesel. Taxis squeak past and the train rumbles loudly overhead. My view is now mostly concrete, taxis, buses and people.
Parramatta, Five Dock, Lilyfield, Rozelle---if I were going in any of those directions (in other words, via Parramatta Road) then I could be one of those faces staring anxiously out the bus windows at the bus stand queues, knowing that they'll soon be home.
The Dulwich Hill bus stops at my stand. I could take that bus and walk from Marrickville or catch the next 423 from Marrickville Road on to Earlwood. I opt to stay seated and await the 423 that will arrive soon to this stand. The warm exhaust wheezed from the Dulwich Hill bus envelops me and I hold my breath reflexively. I silently hope that the riders will quickly pay their fares or dip their prepaid cards quickly so that I can breath fresher air again!

Each time I hear a bus approach, I crane my neck from inside the bus stand. I feel like someone who is looking impatiently for a long-lost friend or family member to stride up the street at any moment. Perhaps I am a little impatient.

I prefer to catch the 423 from Circular Quay because I am always certain that I will be one of the first people aboard. This is where the service begins, so I'm not in a position of having to navigate through a crowd of passengers. I hate the feeling of nudging past strangers and the uncomfortable closeness of a fully loaded bus.

Abbotsford, East Ryde...
Finally! The Kingsgrove bus (the 423) arrives!
I'm the first one aboard. The bus is cold, brightly-lit and empty.
I'm jostled about as we make our way up Pitt Street, stopping only momentarily to allow traffic to cross Pitt from Bridge Street.
Pitt Street is like a mini Land-o-Banks. Westpac, HSBC, Macquarie, NAB, Bank of Queensland, tax agents---all manner of financial buildings. Hunter Street seems rather inconsequential to me. Castlereagh Street, however, is where all the high-end shops are---Gucci, Versace, Tiffany & Co., all the places the affluent consider staple shops. I personally like the Centrepoint building---there's a Thai place in the basement food court where you can get a $5 lunch on weekdays. I venture that way after I've been in the State Reference Library (or the Mitchell Wing) researching all morning. I trudge back up to Hyde Park with my $5 lunch and plant myself on a bench to watch the people walking by.

The bus is getting crowded now. Time to put the ole notebook away and watch the sights as I draw out of the city and into the green surrounds of Earlwood, where the city lights are distant ornaments tacked to the horizon.

Despite an early rise this morning, the day has been fantastic! I woke up at an inhumane hour today to travel to the University of New South Wales for the Incoming Rotary Ambassadorial Scholar Seminar. I was a bit pessimistic that the day would be nice, because I got to the bus stop to find that the 6:22 a.m. bus did not run. I had it all planned out---I would catch the 6:22 a.m. in time to get to the City for the 7:15 connection at Circular Quay. I had to take a taxi to Circular Quay where I lucky to catch a bus shortly after my arrival to the stand.

On a positive note, I got to meet many of the other scholars today. Quite a few folks weren't there---which is odd, considering seminar participation is mandatory. Either way, the folks I did meet were lovely. I also got to meet some really brilliant Rotarians! Judith showed up for a bit as well, which was nice. She and I have kept in contact via e-mail, but we haven't had a chance to get together in a little over a month. Hopefully we'll be able to plan a lunch or dinner meeting soon!

Anyhow, I assume she gave the other Rotarians a run-down on my projects and such during lunch break, because one of the guys came over and said "We've heard all about you!" and said that they were impressed with my energy. It really means a lot to me that she discussed my projects with the other Rotarians. :) It's nice to know that someone finds them interesting enough to mention! DISTRICT 9750 INCOMING AMBASSADORIAL SCHOLARS 2007
Back Row (L - R) Thomas; Galina (returning Ambassadorial Scholar); Miloney; Philip; Tobias; Me
Front Row (L - R) Jamie; Julie and Laurent.

While I love meeting the other scholars, I always walk away from these sessions wondering why on earth I was selected for the scholarship! We're addressed in the context of being strong leaders and initiators---and I just keep wondering how I could be considered either. Granted, I enjoy helping out where I can, but I really feel like I'm probably one of the weaker scholars. I just don't know if I have the amazing background that the others have. Still, I figure I'll do what I can with the resources I have. I may not be the best, but at least I'm doing what I can, right?

The big 2-7 is coming up soon! I'm really not planning any birthday celebration(s). I haven't told anyone that it's my birthday, so I really expect the day to go on as any other day. It's nice to say I turned 27 in Australia. Just like it's nice to say I turned 25 in England. Wow...I'm getting old. ha ha ha...

There isn't really a lot else to report on.

Oh, and to those of you who wanted to see my Hunstman visitor, see below.
The picture is on its side. Mentally rotate the pic to the right so that it is standing upright. The spider was on my ceiling, and I didn't zoom in. You're seeing one massive spider. It was bigger than my hand---no joke.

In response to the comment made by Carole Ward (aka My Other Mother): In addition to being huge and scary, these buggers jump AND they bite if provoked. Also, they have a "cling reflex" that allows them to attach to prey or potential dangers in order to better bite their prey or attackers. I wouldn't DREAM of knocking that thing off the wall and onto my level!

Another gorgeous day! Threatening rain clouds have been looming over Sydney the past few days. Today, however, is so nice and sunny! I'm considering taking my books out onto the lawn of the Great Hall to enjoy the weather for a bit.

I am stuck in Fisher Library for much of the day. I arrived on campus at about 8:15 this morning. I took the L23 rather than the 423, and I'm really not impressed with the amount of time it took to get here. The "L" buses are limited stops buses, but I guess morning traffic is the ultimate decider of the length of time the commute takes. I wasn't late for anything, so no need to whinge on about it!

My treat to myself for tomorrow is going to be a trip to The State Library of New South Wales. I have a reader's card for the collections, so I'm going to go through their education resources to see what sorts of stats or referential material they have on first-generation university students in NSW. As it stands now, I'll pack my lunch and have it in the Botanical Gardens just down Macquarie Street from the library. In the evening, before I catch the bus back to Undercliffe, I'll take a bit of a break by going to the Museum of Contemporary Art at Circular Quay. I've yet to make it through all the collections there!

I am going to take a little trip to Macquarie University soon to have a look at their archival material on university students from the 1980s. They have a repository of interviews that my supervisor and I reckon would make for some great comparative material. I can't wait to have a look at it!

I rang the president of the Five Dock Rotary Club this morning. He was a very nice guy (and another fan of Judith's/served as her secretary when she was DG) who put me in touch with another gentleman to schedule my speaking engagement. The second guy is planning to check the calendar and put me down to speak to their club soon. He asked if I could come on April 23rd, but I'm already scheduled to speak at the Marrickville club on that day. Either way, he was keen to get me on the list---which is VERY reassuring! I was worried that folks wouldn't want to hear my presentation, as there are two other American scholars in this same district. In fact, we all go to the same university! I didn't think I would be the only American scholar based in Sydney. It's just a bit odd that three of us are in the same city!
I also tried to ring a lady in the West Wollongong club, too. She wasn't in, but I plan to try to ring her again at 4 p.m. I was told that would be the best time to get hold of her. Hopefully I will be able to schedule a speaking engagement with them soon! We shall see...
Alina says she figures if I go to Wollongong for an evening meeting they would surely invite me to spend the night there, as it's an hour or two by train. I don't mind either way---I'm not going to expect anyone to put me up. In fact, I think it would be nice to have a night ride back on the train!

Oh! Scary story time... There was a huge huntsman spider on the ceiling of my room the other morning! It was the biggest spider I've actually seen in person. I didn't know what kind it was at first, and I wasn't about to try to coax it down without knowing what it was capable of. Besides, I HATE spiders, and I didn't want to get near it at all. I sat at my desk for almost two hours and just watched it. It was in no hurry to move, which is good. When Desiree woke up and came stumbling through the hall I yelled for her to come have a look. She said it was a huntsman and that they are very fast and can jump. That made me glad I hadn't poked at it with a broom!
She had her coffee before attempting to get it out of my room. Ultimately, she used my trash can to catch it. That spider was so fast! It scurried across the wall an she finally pinned it in the trash can, but when she tried to move it the spider got free and jumped onto my desk. It landed in my organizer tray. Luckily for us, the tray is right in front of my then open window. She got out on the balcony and lifted the tray out of the window and got the spider out and over the balcony.
I thought that was the day I would die---particularly of a heart attack!

Well...that's it for now! I have taken a long enough break, and there really isn't much else to go on about just yet.

Until next time...

It's a beautifully sunny morning. The only sounds filtering in through my open window are bird songs, lawn mowers and the occasional vehicle. The breeze is warm and smells of freshly trimmed grass. I could sit at this window for hours!

Just to back-track a bit before I go into more current happenings:
I went to my first Aussie Rules game last weekend! Attending an AFL game was on my list of cultural experiences. I was going to hold off on purchasing a ticket, as they are a bit pricey. I completely lucked into two FREE tickets last Saturday!
I was at Just Enough Faith chopping veg for the dinners that were to be taken out in the van to feed the homeless. I had been there for about 30 minutes when Alina, one of the charity's coordinators/the wife of the founder came in to the kitchen. She asked me if I would like to have their tickets to the Sydney Swans AFL season opener. She said that she and Jeff wouldn't be able to make it. I very happily accepted them! I stayed on another 30 minutes to finish the chopping job I had started and then set off to Central Station to catch the train to Sydney Olympic Park. En route I tried to think of who I could invite along, as I had two tickets and didn't want the other to go to waste. I called and sent texts to some of my friends I thought might be interested---one was in the mountains, one was at the zoo, one had an engagement party to attend, another was MIA, etc. So, I went alone and had such a fun time! (Desiree now thinks I'm going to be what she calls a "feral footy fan". ha ha ha!)

Oh! And I now have permission to work in Australia! Granted, I'm not supposed to work while I'm serving as an Ambassadorial Scholar, but I do intend to work once the scholarship period is over. I actually had to get the work permit in order to volunteer. Volunteerism and work in Oz are subject to the same restrictions/sanctions of immigration law, so I couldn't legally volunteer without clearance from the Australian government. All that's sorted now, of course!

Now on to some more recent things...

I started off this week with a Monday evening trip to Balmain for a Rotary meeting. Laurent, another of the Ambassadorial Scholars, presented to the Balmain club. I went to hear her presentation and to show her how to get to the meeting venue. (Turn right at the roundabout, that was my trick to remember when I first went.)
As always, I had a lovely time meeting with everyone and it was nice to visit with Laurent a bit. We had only hung out once before on the day of the Bridge Walk. She's such a lovely girl! And she has achieved despite what would be formidable barriers to some.

Tuesday was a relatively quiet day. I went to Undercliffe PS to do my literacy tutoring and spent the afternoon and evening at Sydney Uni in Fisher Library. I have quite a bit of reading to be doing right now, so I had to pack my bag full for a long week of study.

Wednesday was lovely. I was back at Undercliffe in the morning and chatted a bit with an integration teacher who comes in to assist with an autistic child in one of the classes I visit. This lady is a real gem. She asked me if I had been out of Sydney much and out into the country. I haven't yet, of course, so I told her I haven't but hope to do so soon. She said that she would ring me this next week and she'll take me down the south coast to show me some of the rural towns. I'm really looking forward to it!
I had a chat with the principal of the school just as I was leaving. I told her of the children's mural project I had helped coordinate with the Pikeville Rotaract Club last November, and I offered the suggestion of a similar project with an "importance of literacy" theme. She was very keen to implement the project, and she asked me to present the idea at the next staff meeting (April 23rd). I'm reworking my old project proposal from the Pikeville project and I'm going to be getting in touch with some Marrickville Rotarians to see if they are interested in endorsing the project, as Marrickville is the closest Rotary club to Undercliffe.
Speaking of the Marrickville RC...
I rang the president of Marrickville Rotary before I left for Undercliffe to see if I could schedule a visit with their club soon. I left a message at his business (thinking rather pessimistically that he wouldn't get back to me). To my surprise, he did return my call just before 5 p.m. He gave me the number of the Rotarian who manages the speakers list for the club. He told me to ring her quickly and I might still catch her in the office. I did so, and she was there. Needless to say, I'm speaking to the Marrickville club on April 23rd.! The woman with whom I spoke sounds like such a lovely person. I told her I am hosted by the Balmain Rotary Club and she said "Oh! Do you know Judith Ward?!" I had to laugh as I informed her that I do, in fact, know Judith. I told the woman that Judith is acting as my host counselor and she sounded delighted to hear that. She went on to say that they adore Judith and that she sometimes visits their club. She plans to ring Judith today to see if she wants to come along on April 23rd for my presentation.

I have a few more contacts to get in touch with to schedule two other presentations. One is in Five Dock, which would be accessible via bus. The other will be in Wollongong (which will be a day trip for me by train). I'm excited about both of the presentations, but I'm very chuffed to get to take a mini-trip to Wollongong. It will be nice to see some more scenery from the train en route.

That's all that is going on thus far! I have no plans for Easter and I'm research as usual for the next several months. The only things on the horizon (aside from speaking engagements) are: Sydney Rotaract meeting on April 11th, the Ambassadorial Scholar Seminar on April 14th, a BBQ in Gladesville with the Balmain Rotarians on April 16th, Postgraduate Seminar on April 23rd (which is a little scary, because I'm going to have to RUN to the bus and hope I make it with ample time to get to the Rotary meeting on Marrickville Road).