I apologize for not posting yesterday, but I was quite busy with school, work and guests --- actually a guest. This has been a great week filled with both dread and excitement as the school year drew to a close. I can now look forward to the blistering summer in this sunburned country.
As I indicated, this week, I had 3 of my 4 exams, with one the previous week. Although that sounds hectic, they were all spaced apart by one day, which gave plenty of time to study. Also, the difficult subjects were placed at the the ends of the exam period, meaning more time could be devoted to them. With the last of my exams done, I'm now looking forward to a long and productive summer break. I'm hoping for a hot one this year, and we'll see if I get it.
Canberra is called the Bush Capital for good reason --- it is surrounded by farmland and parkland. Every so often, wildlife makes its way into the city. On several occasions I've seen possums in trees and night. The other night, however, as I was walking back to Fenner, I spied a Kangaroo in Haig Park. This is a strip of greenery running perpendicular to Northbourne Avenue and it's a pretty busy area. I was surprised to see a roo this far into the city, but that was nothing. Last night, I saw some Kangaroos hopping along the park next to Lake Burley Griffin, almost the exact center of the city. Unfortunately, as sometimes happens, kangaroos get hit by fast vehicles so you must always drive with caution at night.
Being in such a green environment does have its advantages. With trees, shrubs and flowers now in full bloom, sometimes when I open my window, a sweet floral smell wafts through the room. It can really brighten up your day to swell flowers when you're studying like mad for an exam.
Speaking of flowers, in Canada, Remembrance Day passed recently. In Australia, this is not really celebrated with the main equivalent being ANZAC Day in April. The Australians call November 11th either Poppy Day or Armistice Day. I did see a few people wearing poppies on their lapels, but they were more like real poppies than the ones we use on Remembrance Day. Even though it was the 90th anniversary of the end of World War One, there were no public ceremonies as far as I could tell.
Finally, I had a wonderful time entertaining, albeit briefly, a friend who came down from Sydney. Alex, also known as "Juiceman", is a stunt person in movies and arrived for some training courses. I was working at Cafe Pronto but we later met up at the nearby Civic Pub and had some orange juice; it was 2-for-1 hour. When I was in Australia last, Alex was kind enough to give a place to stay in my final few days in Sydney. He's a great all-round guy at it's always so interesting to talk to him. After the pub, we just walked around various parts of the city and I showed him the casino and the Canadian flagpole. We then returned to Fenner and Alex stayed the night in my room. I figure it's only fair to repay the courtesy he showed me. He was only staying 1 night and early today he left to finish off his course and then head back to Sydney. It's nice to have friends over, especially after exams. It gives you a chance to enjoy your new-found liberty.
No comments:
Post a Comment