Living in Australia - Day 1

I lived in Australia two years ago for a month with a school trip through Elmira College. We had to keep a journal and although it was a required part of the course, I cherish it to this day and want to share it with anyone thinking about visiting Australia or just curious about their culture. I'm going to publish this journal in parts so keep watching for more entries.

4/29/05 AM

Right now we're about two hours away from landing in Sydney, Australia and I have both feelings of extreme excitement and also those of being nervous. Although the flight was long (23 hours) it wasn't as bad as I expected. The times I've flown before were on much smaller planes and you could feel all the turbulence but because this aircraft is so much larger it was a lot more comfortable.

Once we get to the airport we need to go through customs which is something I've never done before so it is a new experience for me, as much of this trip will be I'm sure.

I'm very excited to arrive and witness the new area and culture, to see the lifestyles of a group of people from a country I've never been to. I can't wait to settle into the hotel and be able to go out and about seeing new things, people, and places. I'm anxious to learn more about the topics and do it in person, learning from the natives of the country - obviously the best source of knowledge.

While in Sydney, besides the scheduled activities, I want to go see the Sydney Opera House, the Rocks, and the Botanical Gardens. Well we're landing soon and then it is off to the Bernly Hotel, Hyde Park, and then the Australian Museum!

4/29/05 PM

After checking into the Bernly Hotel we walked down to the Hyde Park Barracks. On the way we passed St. Mary's Cathedral which I thought was gorgeous. I've always been into my religion and love seeing churches and cathedrals from around the world, pictures are one thing but being feet away from the building is just amazing.

The Barracks were very interesting and I was astonished to learn that they were built in just two years. The clock on the front reminded me of the bell tower at Elmira College as the tour guide was telling us that when it chimes it can be heard from all over. When the convicts misbehaved there were different levels of punishment: lashings, iron rings on the ankles, or the treadmill. I found it interesting that there were convicts as young as 9 years old there, but the guards had enough sympathy to give them their lashings on their backside instead of their back; to me I don't see much difference - a lashing is a lashing. They worked six days a week and were forced to church on Sundays.

As we tried out the hammocks that the convicts would have slept in, the tour guide made a comment on how even after a long day, they were comfortable and after our long flight we all agreed.

After visiting the Hyde Park Barracks we got to walk through the park itself which was gorgeous. It's so different than city life back in NY - people were more leisurely and friendly. It was also a lot cleaner than what you would see at home too.

After the park we spent some time at the Australian Museum where we focused a lot on the history of the Aboriginal peoples. I wasn't too surprised to find out they are very strong spiritually since many ancient people were. We saw and read about ceremonial rituals such as the deris masks, lightning totem pole, tunga, and the Kundu masks.

I was interested in learning about the Freedom Riders, those who protested for social justice and got the Race Discrimination Act passed in 1975. I think this sounds like racial protests in the United States, even though there are laws, people still struggle with it. I also took some pride in knowing that women are considered "experts of bush medicine" in the US it is usually assumed that women are more of a caregiver than the men are.

I've only been in Australia for a day and already feel like I've learned so much. I can already tell that the next month of my life will be a time to create memories that I will keep with me for the rest of my life.