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Published: June 23rd 2008
If Australia is truly a paradise on Earth - as it has been described to me on numerous occasions - I can only assume that this is a seasonal assessment of the place. I arrived in what is nearly the dead of winter, and I can say without exaggeration that the place is almost bleak. The sky is gray everyday with only occasional bursts of sunshine and frequent showers. It’s cold (about 13 degrees) which is only exacerbated by the grayness of the sky. Some tropical paradise.
I apologize now to my readership for my lukewarm take on Melbourne so far. I’m sure you were looking for something much more exuberant. Honestly, so was I. I’m a little disappointed in myself for not taking to this city immediately, but the longest lasting love affairs are usually those that develop over long periods rather than immediate infatuation.
I think part of my disappointment (too harsh a word but I’m struggling to find another) is caused by the “sameness” of Melbourne to many other places I’ve been. To me, this place is just like any other major city in any other developed country I’ve visited. Perhaps the curse of traveling extensively is that it makes a person difficult to impress.
On a happier note, there certainly is plenty going on here and I've made a point of diving right in. The rugby club I'd been in contact with over e-mail through me onto the pitch for my first game on Saturday after exactly zero training sessions. They arranged for my registration and to have someone pick me up from the game and drop me off. Just the kind of rugby hospitality I've come to expect! Just the same, it was great to get out there and do something familiar after feeling rather lonely and isolated so far. Despite the many criticisms I've heard of Aussie women's rugby, these girls are no slouches. They have a very comparable level of ability and are on average about twice the size (lots of island girls here; Tongans, Samoans, Kiwis) but the just don't play a very sophisticated game. There's no system, no structure, so a lot of running around not knowing what to do. I think the main problem is the lack of effective coaching and a lack of commitment to training sessions; both problems we've encountered with women's rugby in Canada! It's hard for me not to want to step in and introduce a lot of what I've learned, but when you're the new kid it's better to act a little new. Maybe later on... Overall the girls are awesome and really good fun to play with. After our match, we stood on the sidelines drinking beer and watching the boys; just like a regular Saturday. Their season ends in about 5 weeks, but in October they head over to Byron Bay for a 7's tourney that sounds like an absolute riot.
In other news, Sunday I went to my first AFL (Aussie Rules) game with Harley, my buddy who has been putting me up since I got here. It is a really exciting game, lots of action and a good combination of muscle and skill. Those boys are fit, let me tell you. I seem to have caught on to the game pretty quick as it actually isn't that complicated and resembles a mish-mash of a few other sports. It's like basketball in that you're passing to your teammates who are trying to get open and there's no offside; it's like soccer in that you kick the ball to pass it (mainly, you can also punch the ball but I won't explain that part); it's like rugby in that there's tackling, it's played outside on a large pitch; and finally the goal posts remind me an awful lot of Quidditch! Really, it's a great game and not nearly as complicated as rugby, with a lot fewer rules and a lot less structure.
Finally, I have managed to find myself a place. I'm rather proud of how quickly I've been able to get set up here. In only 5 days I had a phone, a bank account, a bedroom and a rugby club. Not too shabby! I'm renting a room in a shared house with 5 other people, all of whom are foreign and new to Melbourne, like me. About half are French, one other is Canadian and I think there's and American. Anyway, the landlord is very particular about who lives here since he wants a good dynamic in the house, and so far I have to say his choices are spot on. Everyone I've met so far has been really nice and really friendly. I'm also living in a nice part of town, close to the bar district (like Elgin St, kind of) called Chapel St, and only one tram away from the rugby club. School is pretty far from here, but school is far from everything (further out of the way than Carleton!) so I just need to come to terms with that.
Anyway, I hope you're all doing well back home. I might try to send some pics soon, but the landscape at the moment is really not inspiring...
Cheers,
Brownie
xox
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Wanda
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Glad to hear you are settling in. I live on Chapel St. too. :)