Sorry?

Yesterday, Australian Prime Minister Kevin Rudd "said sorry" to the Aborigines. For those unfamiliar with the history, until shockingly recently (1969), Aboriginal children were torn from their homes (opponents use the term "abducted") and sent away to western-style schools, much like our own history of stealing Native American children to be sent away to boarding schools. These Aboriginal children are now called The Stolen Generations. (See the movie Rabbit-Proof Fence to get an idea.)

Anyway, for such a drop in the bucket, it sure was like pulling teeth. On TV, the newscasters interviewed people who said it meant a lot to them: those of the Stolen Generations, their families and friends. But what would real action mean to them? What would listening to what they want and learning to understand and treating them, if not with actual respect and reverence, at least as equals, mean? A four-page, formal, forced-sounding speech from a brand-new Prime Minister, while the jerk who held the office before him stubbornly stays absent from the scene - what does that accomplish? Rudd's predecessor, John Howard, made a big deal of refusing to apologize for the atrocities committed against the Aboriginal communities. For all my daydreams about how fantastic this magical world of Australia would be, their treatment of Aborigines has by far been the most crushing disillusionment. To me, native culture is to be celebrated and respected, not steamrolled and assimilated.

As I said to someone who described the Aborigines she saw portrayed on the US news shows as "sketchy-looking," that image is due mostly to rampant poverty and alcohol abuse, direct results of the racism and lack of respect from the ruling government who supposedly was educating the children to be able to fit in and compete in their world. We don't have to agree with, like, or even want to adopt Aboriginal ways of life, but we do have to not only tolerate but appreciate, respect and learn from them. They have so much wisdom about surviving on this land (which, I'm learning, was not even as harsh an environment until westerners introduced certain key plants and animals) that is simply disregarded when it could be life-saving, so much soul and uniqueness that would enhance everyone's life to know of.

Another northern-hemisphere friend and I agreed recently that the northern constellations were more interesting because they have much more history and mythology behind them. It's true that the stars I could see from the beach in Byron Bay were primarily in one band across the sky, and even of those I recognized many from the northern hemisphere. But I suddenly realized we were wrong - who knows how much mythology Aboriginal culture holds? No really - who knows?

Boosh Tukkey

(In honor of Mia's return from her trip to Japan...)

I had lived in the house for maybe a day or two when suddenly Mia turned to me and said (imagine Japanese accent), "Have you seen boosh tukkey?" I gave her the look of blankness, and she got up and gestured for me to follow her. She led me down the back stairs and into the yard, and pointed at the big mound in the corner, and its king, the bush turkey who has taken up seemingly permanent residence. Apparently the male of the species makes a mound in preparation for the eggs, buries them inside, and watches over them until they hatch. So far we haven't seen any eggs, but the mound just keeps getting bigger and bigger. I'm pretty sure one of my t-shirts is in there, and more than one sock, either nicked from the clothesline or snatched up when the wind blew them off. In any case, I definitely do not want them back! I did see him crossing the street one day on my way home, so I think he goes out to steal things from other people's yards too. He's been gone for a few days, who knows what he's up to. Bush turkeys are actually everywhere, on the University of Queensland campus, at our campsite a few weeks ago, in the park. Sort of like squirrels... who steal your stuff! Anyway, here are some photos of him and his pile:

A Very Aussie Sunday

Trivia: Rachel wins the prize again, it is indeed the super cool emu and kangaroo. (Deduct one point for use of "totes" ;))

New Trivia: Which of the following is NOT an Australian tourist attraction?
a) The Big Pineapple
b) The Big Penguin
c) The Big Mango
d) The Big Prawn
e) The Big Banana
f) The Big Buffalo
g) The Big Egg

So yesterday Dan and I met up with two of the book group girls at a movie at the Moonlight Cinema called Hunting and Gathering (with Audrey Tautou, aka Amelie). We took blankets and wine and a little dinner - and of course the Aerogard (bug spray)! It was a lovely evening.

Before that, Alex, Dan and I watched The Castle. It's worth mentioning that every person I've told that to has immediately grinned in recognition and nostalgia. It's the hilariously mocking story of a bogan (white trash) family who lives right next to the airport outside Melbourne and go to court to save their house from being bought and torn down by the airport. Brilliant. As I said, everyone I've mentioned it to knows it, even though it was only made about 10 years ago, and I feel very Aussie for having seen it.

Like a Drowned Rat

The most incredible thing just happened as I was leaving work. Being on the 29th floor of the office building, we can see pretty far. At happy hour, we can see to the south and west, also known as the direction of home. It was a beautiful day until about 6pm, and then I suddenly noticed a huge black cloud out over the sunset. "I don't like the looks of that cloud," I said to my coworkers, and grabbed my bag and fleece. It was getting a bit chilly and as I left the bridge and stood on the street corner, the first fat drops hit my face. By the time the light changed, I was huddled gratefully under another girl's umbrella. By the time we made it to the other side and the shelter of an overpass, my pants were soaked and the street had turned into a river. Rain was coming down in sheets and at an angle so the fifteen of us who were stranded were huddled together in the middle. Eventually it let up just a little and I decided that I just wanted to get home so I just kept walking through it. It had stopped raining by the time I got to my house and I could even see stars. I peeled my clothes off and hopped straight into my pjs!

Moving on... last night we were watching tv and happened across "Out of the Question," a tv show very similar to NPR's radio show "Wait Wait Don't Tell Me" - a panel of comedians answers questions about the day's or week's news. The tv show made me a little homesick for Wait Wait which my sister and I used to listen to while lazing around on Saturday mornings, so I logged on to npr.org to see what I could see, and was able to listen to about half of last week's broadcast online (before bedtime). It was absolutely hilarious, just as good as I remember. Alex, meanwhile, had moved on to Lost and I was sitting on the other end of the couch, just shaking with silent laughter as Paula Poundstone and Peter Sagal buzzed through my earphones. I'm going to have to make those kids listen to Wait Wait with me some day!

I was getting a ribbing in vocabulary from our receptionist the other day - she likes to tease me about American things such as sweaters, jelly, sloppy joes, and other nonsense (jumpers, jam, and, uh, nonexistent, respectively). It absolutely floors me that even though we speak the same language, we sometimes don't even have a word for a concept that the other culture has. I have come across this in Spanish, of course, but that is usually explained away by the language barrier - though it has nothing to do with the language at all, really, it's all cultural! Amazing.

Little Sister Syndrome

I have gotten so used to the Australian accent that I am startled when people do a double-take when I open my mouth, or when they ask me if I'm Canadian. Which brings me to another point: Little Sister Syndrome. Also known as "They're Onto Us". The relationship that Australia has with New Zealand is very much like our relationship with our lovable neighbors to the frozen north. They are our little sisters, and I say that with all the respect that comes with being a little sister oneself. They are self-righteously indignant at constantly being compared with their big sister and scoff at anyone who tries to do so, while the big sister looks on in amusement, pushing away the little one's head at arm's length while she flails her too-short arms in frustration.

Anyway, the point is that Aussies have learned how not to offend our little sisters, the Canadians: when one detects a North American accent, it is safest to guess they are Canadian. If you're right, the Canadian will be pleased as punch. If you're wrong, the American will be amused but certainly not offended. Take note if you ever come across an accent you're not sure is New Zealand or Australian: guess New Zealand!

New Stuff!

Trivia
Well, old trivia first: Congratulations to Rachel, the seventh (eight-pointed) star on the Australian flag stands for the number of states and territories. (And even though she didn't name them correctly, extra credit for creativity, and for making me laugh out loud at work!)

Ok, new trivia: Which two Australian animals appear on the country's national coat of arms?

Photos
Photos from last weekend's camping trip to Byron Bay are up! Check the Picasa link on the right.

The Unfamiliar

Travel plans are finalized! (Or should I say, finalised ;)) A week in Melbourne, then a tour up the "Red Centre" (where Ayers Rock is, among just a couple of other things - it is the outback, after all!), then a couple of days in Sydney before heading to a tour on the south island of New Zealand, then a few days in LA and then home! Phew - makes me tired just thinking about it!

I had borrowed a travel guide to New Zealand from a coworker at "Place B," because, well, he offered, and also because I thought I was going back there. He eventually needed it back and realized I wasn't coming back, which coincided with a meeting he had at our office today. So reluctantly, because my plans were just finalized and I had been waiting to see how much time I would have and where before I looked through it, I finally opened it and skimmed through as much as I could before I had to give it back to him today! It was nice to see him again though and we got a chance to catch up a little.

As the substitute receptionist / mail handler in an international patent law firm, I recently had the occasion to come across mail from the US. For those of you who have limited experience with other countries, it seems to me that almost every one has its own paper size. Australia's is called A4, and it's maybe half an inch longer and just slightly smaller width-wise. For the first time, 8.5x11 looked really bizarre - short and fat, where A4 paper is tall and skinny! It's just such a slight difference both directions, but it's amazing how quickly your eye gets used to it!

US phone numbers are also starting to look a tad short, though that's mostly to do with the fact that they're divided differently, they're the same amount of numbers (12-3456-7890 or 1234-567-890 vs the US's 123-456-7890). The fact that they have different formats for different kinds of numbers threw me at first, too. The first one above is for a regular landline, and the second one is for a mobile (cell phone), which all start with 04 (it's like an area code - it's actually a really good idea to have a way to tell if a number is a cell phone or not - one of many Australian things I wish we would adopt!). If your number fits a pattern another way, you can also read it that way, for example: 07-463-66-88-22. Then there are toll-free numbers, which are only 6 digits! Don't ask me how that works. They're all 13-xxxx (13-56-44 for example).