A Clean Break

The second intra-semester break of the year has finally arrived, and not a moment too soon. In order to match the university break with the regular school break, this break takes place 10 weeks into the 13 week semester. It's been a long time coming and everyone is very happy to finally have a rest. I'll be using my break productively, visiting my brother in Christchurch, New Zealand. We're planning on heading down to Dunedin and Invercargill, two cities I didn't get to the last time I was that way. I leave next Saturday, so I'll probably update my blog on Friday.

On Sunday, there was another instance of wild weather, with a particularly harsh rainstorm. The Bureau of Meteorology even called it a gale. The winds howled and the rain beat down with relentless force. I had a great time walking to university through the rain. For some reason, whenever it rains like that, I think of Canada's East Coast.

On Monday, the Ukrainian Scouts went to an indoor rock-climbing facility in Canberra, and I went with them. The last time I tried this was 8 years ago and it didn't turn out so well. Luckily, this time I had more success. I made it all the way to the ceiling and there are pictures to prove it, but none on my camera. You'll have to take it on faith.

I also had my first day officially working at ACTTAB when I was sent to the outlet in Civic Centre, an area called Garema (gah-REE-ma) Place. It's not a big outlet and not a busy one either. It services mostly civil servants so it only gets busy at lunch and after business hours. I actually had a fun time and I'm looking forward to more hours at the TAB. I think this is one of the most interesting jobs I've ever had, not to mention one of the most financially rewarding.

On Friday I went to the production of the Three Penny Opera that Fenner Hall put on, and it was fantastic. For those who don't know, the Three Penny Opera is an adaptation of the older Beggar's Opera and is based around the escapades of Macheath (Mac the Knife) a criminal who runs amok in London because he was in the army with Tiger Brown, the Commissioner of Police. The actors are all residents of Fenner Hall who volunteered exorbitant amounts of time in order to put on this production. In any event, it went off very well and was quite funny. Next year, I'm suggesting they put on the Mikado.

Today I had a doubly good time as I went bowling and watched part of the AFL Grand Final. Bowling was floor event organized by Lisa, our Senior Resident (the head of the floor). It was 10 pin, which felt unusual since I'm used to 5 pin but I did alright. The Grand Final was very intense as the underdog Hawthorn Hawks played the Geelong Cats, a team that lost only 1 game in the regular season. I didn't get to see then end as I had to work at Cafe Pronto, but I was told that the Hawks pulled through and won in the end. A lot of people were cheering for Hawthorn because Geelong had won it last year and now it was seen as someone else's turn. This idea of giving everyone a "fair go" is an Australian characteristic.

Finally, I'll leave you with photos of some early morning fog in Canberra. Apparently, Canberra is known for its for though I have seldom seen it. It comes in the morning and you have to get up pretty early to witness the wonderful mists that encompass the city in the early hours of the day.

A Very Rewarding Week

Spring has officially arrived in Australia and it is very apparent from the weather. Beautiful sunny blue skies and temperatures into the mid 20s. It's shorts and t-shirts for me but if this is the only the end of winter, I don't know how I'll survive the summer.

On that note, I should mention that it looks like I'll be Down Under for the summer. I have 2 pretty good jobs going, ACTTAB and Cafe Pronto, and unless something drastic happens in Canada, I'll just stick around here. On the one hand, it would be nice to go home for the winter but on the other hand, it will be quite an experience to see an Australian summer. I just have to get used to thinking of December, January and February as summer months. Christmas, New Year's and my birthday in the summer will be interesting.

Over the week, there have been several events which I think are worthy of mention. I've taken to writing a list so that come post time, I shan't forget them. The first of these was a storm on Saturday night with fresh winds. I went to the roof of Fenner Hall and watched the lightning as it made its way across from the west. It was quite the show and I was greatly pleased since it has been some time since I've seen a proper thunderstorm.

Sunday I went to Grand Final Day being held at Manuka Oval. The Under-18s, Division 2 and Division 1 Grand Finals were being played that day. I stopped by for the last one as the Umpires' Association had struck a deal that we would get free food and drink and I took advantage of the offer. The game was exciting with scores close and in the last few minutes the score remained tied 69-69. In the dying seconds, a player from Sydney (it was Sydney v Belconnen) took a mark about 30 meters from goal and then the siren blew to end the game. However, in aussie rules, if you have taken a mark before the siren, you are entitled to take a shot. The player lined up and the ball sailed through for a 1-point behind, giving Sydney the win.

On Tuesday, the last training session for the umpires happened in Queanbeyan (KWEEN-byen), a small city in New South Wales just outside Canberra. It was the annual Fieldies-Goalies v Boundaries game and I managed to play for both teams. In the first quarter, I played with the Boundaries as they required a few players to even out the numbers. For the last 3 quarters, though, I played with the Fieldies-Goalies as other boundary umpires came to fill up their ranks. The Boundaries ended up winning by 7 points but a good time was had by all. Some people even mentioned that I played very well.

On Wednesday, I was supposed to have training at Canberra Racecourse for ACTTAB. Unfortunately, the powers that be had forgotten that there was a training session. To be fair, there were only 3 of us there and the week before it had only been myself and one other guy. After getting in touch with HQ, we were sent to various branches across the city and I went to the one in Dickson, a suburb about 15 minutes walk from Fenner Hall. It is perhaps the busiest TAB in the ACT and I learned quite a lot while working there. It gave me a sense of the pace at which things move on a busy day. In the end, I balanced my cash to the cent and walked away ready to take on anything.

On Friday, I went to the Racecourse again for training. The races were on and we had the opportunity to observe the real deal at work. It was kind of exciting and I had a bit of fun picking horses, without actually betting of course. In the first race, which was a maiden (none of the horses had ever raced before), I actually managed to pick the winner which would have paid 5.10 to 1. I then picked another horse in the next race but it cam dead last after a bad start. I guess that's why they call it "gambling". It's kind of fun to try and pick winners without the pressure of having money riding on it.

That night, I went to the end of year function for the Umpires' Association at the Canberra Club. There were many people there and the night consisted of awards and roasts, a free 3 course meal and free drinks. I managed to collect 3 awards that night though one of them was for officiating in a women's grand final. The others were "Least Outstanding Performance" and "Best First Year Goal Umpire". The first award isn't as bad as it may sound and refers to a single bonehead call or play made throughout the year. I was given the award for passing out The Record magazine at AFL games in Canberra and heckling the goal umpire. The presenters took a lot of poetic licence when describing what I'd done. I am pretty proud of winning the "Best First Year Goal Umpire" which means that I'm doing something right. I didn't win, unfortunately, the Bachelor of the Year award. I'll try again next year.

Yesterday, I also had a busy day officiating the last game of the season, an Under-12s Grand Final at Kingston Oval. It was actually quite exciting and with this, the season really does come to a close (I asked). I don't know what I'll do in the off-season, but I'll try to stay fit. After that I went to a BBQ at a friend's place in Duffy, a southwestern suburb. I arrived at 13:00 but had to leave a few hours later for Cafe Pronto to work, which turned into a disaster. The restaurant was so busy, orders piled up and I was overwhelmed. In the end, I was happy to leave and it's a day I care not to repeat. I returned to the BBQ later that night and finished off a very busy day.

Finally, I'll mention a few new things I've learned about Australia: "goog" means egg, Tic-Tac-Toe is called "naughts and crosses" and the football in aussie rules is called by one commentator (Rex Hunt) the "aerial conveyance". I'll never get used to this country.

A Little Escape

Everyone needs to escape for a little while, if even only mentally. People just weren't meant to sit in one place constantly; we are meant to move. The nomadic instinct, the push to explore, the drive to discover, is very powerful and has been a part of our history since the first of our ancestors realized they could walk and that there was a whole new world just beyond the horizon. In that vein, I felt the need to leave Canberra, if only for a few hours; more on that shortly.

Firstly, the last umpires' training session for the season happened on Tuesday, followed by a reception at the Canberra RSL afterwards. I think it's rather ironic that training finishes just as the days are getting longer and warmer. However, aussie rules is a winter sport and that is how it must be. The Canberra RSL, which is just beside Manuka Oval, hosted the umpires as we reflected on the events of the past year. We'll have another event this Friday to officially conclude the season, which I'm looking forward to. I hope to be mentioned in at least one or two stories.

I hear you asking, what is an RSL? RSL stands for Returned and Services League, which refers to former and current members of the armed forces. In this case, an RSL is something like a legion hall except more like a pub. Usually, there's good food, very reasonably priced. They are common in Australia and can be very large indeed.

I've continued my training at the TAB and it's very enjoyable. I can now tell you, more or less, what a quinella, trifecta, boxed trifecta, exacta and an all-up are, among others. They are all different types of bets and I'll be happy to explain them to anyone who asks. I also learned that the first computers in Australia were used at TABs; this truly is a country which knows its priorities. I will note one difference for the avid gamblers in North America and that is that there is no "show" bet. In Canada, you can back a horse to win (1st), place (1st or 2nd) or show (1st, 2nd or 3rd) but in Australia, there are only the win and place bets, but the place bet covers 1st to 3rd.

On Saturday, an important 3-week festival opened up in Canberra --- Floriade. This is essentially a celebration of spring with flowers everywhere. If this sounds familiar, I have a feeling that the idea was taken from Ottawa's Tulipfest, but I await confirmation. I haven't been down myself yet, but I hope to go. This is the 21st year that it has been put on, which is very important in Australia. Borrowing from the USA, Australians make a big deal of 21st birthdays even though that milestone is meaningless in Australia.

Now to my little escape. I went down to Sydney overnight with some friends and stayed in what seemed like a palatial estate near Coogee Beach. This house is roughly 140 years old and was one of the original homes in the area. I even went onto the roof and had a spectacular view of the ocean. That night, there was a party across the street that the police raided, for what reason, I can't say because it wasn't overly loud. However, it did provide some excitement. The next day, we went for a walk around the base of the cliffs near Coogee before lunch and the return home. Sydney was so warm, and spring hasn't even sprung yet; I'm talking about temperatures approaching 30C. I feel reinvigorated by that trip and I think it provided just the mental escape that I needed in order to better concentrate on my studies. Like I said, we all need a break every now and then.

And now for the weather. It has warmed considerably in the last few days and temperatures are beginning to approach the mid 20s. By the time the equinox comes around, I expect temperatures around 25C. I don't know how I'll survive the summer but I guess I'll have to learn to manage. I do love this weather, though I am more comfortable in the cold, and I can't wait for the summer to get started.

And finally tonight, something about which I've been meaning to write for a while which relates to the differences in mentality between Canada and the US. There is a monument to the Australian people given by the US which stands at the Ministry of Defence. This is a stone column about 30 meters high at the end of a major road and topped with a stylized American eagle in stone. Canada's donation to Australia consists of a 10 meter high flagpole. I though to myself, how typically Canadian such a gift is --- unassuming, cheap and practical. Can there be any better kind of gift?

215

215 - That's the number of days I've been away from Canada; the longest such stretch ever. On Tuesday, with the advent of my 211th day, I officially broke my previous record. There's no way to tell how long this current record will hold. Depending on various factors, it may only last until November or it may be many years before I see Canada again. The only certainty is that this record will continue to grow.

This week has gotten rather hectic with work and school commitments both requiring my attention. On Wednesday evening, I had my first training session with ACTTAB, having been confirmed an employee for the coming months. I have 2 more weeks of training, though only 3 hours per day 3 days a week, and it fits my schedule. It seems like it'll be an interesting place to work, though I do have to brush up on the slang used by punters/tippers (gamblers). One difference from Canada is that in horse racing, there is no "show". When you bet in North America, you can bet that a horse to win (1st), place (1st or 2nd) or show (1st, 2nd or 3rd). Here, however, the show placing is encompassed by "place". I'm anxious to see how I'll do in the coming weeks.

The story of how I got the ACTTAB job is quite amusing. I applied online but didn't hear anything from them for 2 weeks. I then wrote them and they wrote back telling me that the paper I got in the interview explained that it would take 2 weeks to finalize appointments, which at the time, was only just coming up. I, quite surprised, responded that I had never received an interview. It turned out that my application had been lumped in with another person's, named Raman and, at first, ACTTAB hadn't realized that we were 2 separate people. I was granted an interview and as it concluded, I was told that I got the job. I hope I will do well.

To my astonishment, my goal umpiring season was not over last week. This week, today in fact, I umpired a Women's Representative Game at Manuka Oval. This is akin to an all-star game and it pitted members of the city's northern and southern clubs against each other. The South won quite convincingly. I don't think I'll be granted any more games to officiate as there are only a few left and I think they'll go to more experienced umpires.

In other footy news, the International Cup has just concluded in Melbourne where 16 national teams competed for top prize. Canada was among them and did very well this year, finishing 5th overall. This is 2 spots better than 2005 when they finished 7th. I have a feeling Canada will find itself on the podium before over-long. The championship was won by Papua New Guinea over New Zealand in a rematch of the 2005 International Cup Final. This time, the Mosquitoes (Papua New Guinea) avenged their loss and took home the championship.

I don't think I mentioned my previous contributions to Canberra footy by selling The Record at the 2 Sydney Swans games held at Manuka Oval this year. The Record is a the AFL's magazine and it is sold at games. They needed people to volunteer and help sell them at the games in Canberra, both of which I did. This granted me free admission and I was eager to do my part. I had a great time at the games and I look forward to doing this again next year. I even received congratulatory certificates thanking me for each of the games.

Working at Cafe Pronto has taken some interesting turns. Today, I had a small audience of 3 kids who watched me as I rolled pizza dough and I had an interesting discussion yesterday with a woman regarding grammar. One of our specials involved potatoes and the woman, after she had finished her meal said that I had misspelled potatoes because the "oes" ending was the American way of pluralizing. She insisted that in Australia, the correct spelling is "potato's". I was a little confused and told her that the "'s" ending is purely possessive and never a plural. She remained adamant and even I became unsure of my position. I went home and checked my Macquarie Dictionary (the Australian national dictionary) and it said that the correct spelling is: potatoes. Even on such a useless and trivial point, I feel glad to be vindicated.

Australia has had 2 important appointments recently: a new Governor-General (GG) and a new Chief Justice of the High Court of Australia (CJ). The new GG is Australia's first woman GG but with the unlikely first name of Quentin. She has been pretty prominent in Australian public life. The new CJ is Robert French and the first Western Australian nominated to the post. He was sworn in on September 1st at the High Court and the entire legal community is anxious to see how he takes to the job and how his verdicts will go.

On Friday, I went down to the Legislative Assembly building to be a student leader for a group of high school students who were taking part in a mock constitutional convention. This is held every year and schools around Canberra select students to attend. Here, they were divided into groups representing the states and territories and were tasked with discussing should Australia become a republic. There was a second question of what particular model should be followed: a directly elected President, or one who is elected by MPs and Senators. I was put in charge of the group representing Western Australia. I expected that support for a republic would be widespread among the groups but it turned out to be much more divided, almost along east-west lines. Western Australia, South Australia, the Northern Territory and Victoria supported a republic, while Queensland, New South Wales, the Australian Capital Territory and Tasmania opposed such a move. If presented at referendum, in order to pass, this constitutional amendment would need to get a majority nationally and a majority in a majority of states (4). If this were to be indicative of how Australia would vote, then Australia would remain as she is. I couldn't stay around for the thoughts on the particular model nor the referendum that the students would hold, but I am anxious to know the results. I know someone who was there so I'll ask them on Tuesday.

While at this "convention", I met a Member of the Legislative Assembly (MLA) who had grown up in Canberra. He told me that he remembered a time, just after World War 2, when Canberra's population was only 35 000; now it is 10 times that. He reminisced how his father thought that certain suburbs, which would now be thought of as central, were considered quite distant at the time. Even Lake Burley Griffin didn't exist as it wasn't filled until 1963. Until that time, it was just a river with a flood plain. Canberra continues to grow but in my discussions with the MLA, this growth is slowing though new suburbs are being developped in the near future.

I should perhaps mention how Canberra is laid out. The basic unit of any city is the suburb, though this term has a slightly different context in Australia. In Canada, suburb is a somewhat informal, but nonetheless official, designation of a neighbourhood. In Australia, though, the suburb is also the unit by which the post office assigns postal codes, so it is a very important division. In Australia, it is important to ask someone which suburb they live in since there may be many streets with the same name in many different suburbs; this is especially true in the larger cities. Canberra has a further division called a "division" or "town". Several suburbs are grouped together in a division, and they themselves are divided by unused land; they're pretty conspicuous. The main divisions of Canberra are: Central/Civic/City Centre, Gungahlin (guhn-GAH-lin), Belconnen (bel-KAWH-nen), Woden (WOHW-den)/Woden Valley, Weston/Weston Creek and Tuggeranong (TUH-gur-ah-NONG). All of these, except Weston Creek, have a Town Centre, sort of large shopping areas and the express buses between them are called "Intertown" buses.

One final note, it appear that next weekend I will be going to Sydney with the Solomko family, so my update will likely be later than usual.

Pleasant dreams.