Week Two – July 26th to August 1st

I walked into my first linguistics lecture this past week, and the first question that was posed to us was, “what is culture?” Well, firstly and most importantly, they’re shared between a group of people. They can be the parts of life we don’t necessarily see – ideas, principles, goals, attitudes, ways of thinking; but they can also be the overt parts of life that we experience every day, like food, music, art and literature. Having thought about just what culture is in class made me realize that these past two weeks were indeed a cultural experience of monstrous proportions.

Upon arrival in Sydney, I quickly found out that coffee is in and of itself a religion in Australia. You can’t walk down a city block without finding at least three cafes or shops that sell coffee. And it’s GOOD stuff – the amount of pride and care that goes into each cup of coffee is outstanding. Coffee has quickly become a staple in my daily routine; though not for the caffeine as it is for many other sleep-deprived university students, but for the aromatic, creamy experience that comes from drinking a cup of the stuff. I must say, I don’t know if I’ll ever be able to drink Canadian coffee again (sorry Tim Hortons… </3)

The food scene is just as vibrant around the city, with endless options of different types of food at different price ranges to choose for a night out. It’s almost overwhelming at times, as eating out becomes a dilemma of where to pick from out of the THOUSANDS of option possible. In Newtown, the suburb 5 minutes away from our student accommodations, the street is lined with seven dollar lunch deals at the numerous Thai restaurants lining the main street through the area, King Street. This past Friday afternoon, a group of us wandered up to a place called Newtown Thai, ordered take-out and ate lunch in the chilly (wink wink), 20 degree Celsius weather in nearby Camperdown park. Pumpkin, egg, tofu, veggie stir fry with peanut sauce was definitely a winner, with the other half of the meal sitting in my fridge still waiting to be consumed. Oh man. I’ve got myself drooling just thinking about it.

But then again, just like with any city, you end up hearing about places you JUST CAN’T MISS. With five months left in my trip, I know I have lots of time to make my way through them…but the last few weeks of going out for treats have allowed me to accomplish a few of them. While on a day trip to the historic Rocks, approximately 5 minutes away from the famous Circular Quay (we’re talking Sydney Opera House), we popped into a restaurant called “Pancakes on the Rocks”. Words can’t do it justice. Four thick pancakes, ice cream, cream, syrup and covered in macadamia nuts, it was a meal and a half all unto itself. I would highly recommend it, and will definitely be going back for another helping soon.

Pancakes in the Rocks, Macadamia Nut Pancakes – oooohhh man

Another place we heard about through the grapevine was an ice cream shop called N2. But this was not your regular, run-of-the-mill ice cream shop – oh no, this was frozen with nitrogen, injected with melted chocolate, filled with chunks of fudge ice cream. Located waaaaay too conveniently to our dorm, a group of us trekked up to it one night after dinner for an ice cream treat to remember. Although the picture may not do it justice, think Marble Slab, but about 5X better. Oh yeah. THAT good.

And of course, I couldn’t be in Australia without trying out the infamous Vegemite. Made from a mix of who knows what, it’s basically a black, salty spread that all Aussie children grow up with on their toast for breakfast. Despite the groans from my other international friends, I’ve come to like it – especially in the form of “Tiger Toast”. Bread, vegemite and cheese in the oven, it makes for a pretty great breakfast treat.

Cheesy, cheesy Tiger Toast (thanks Matt <3)

But alas, I swear I’ve not only been eating food while here. This week allowed me to listen to, see, and experience some of Sydney and Australia’s music, street art and literature – rather rapidly in fact.

Friday evening, one of my new friends Matt took Emi and I to a lounge session at another local uni’s pub for an up and coming Australian band called “Gang of Youths”. 40 minutes of experiencing this indie band has got me hooked, as they have an intensely, chill sound – if that even makes sense. If you don’t believe me, check this out. They’re seriously good.

As for art, living next to hipster-esque Newtown has introduced me to the street art of Sydney. This isn’t your run of the mill tag graffiti though – these are works of art. An hour of wandering around Newtown before our Thai-food adventure this past week allowed us to find numerous masterpieces, most commonly tucked away down alley ways or on the backs of people’s car garages.

And finally, literature. Well, when one takes a class titled “Australian Literature: International Contexts”, you’re going to end up with some cultural reads. The first book I’ve been making my way through, “Five Bells” by Gail Jones is not what I would call my favourite. However, following the stories of four people in Sydney, it has been interesting that already I’m recognizing places, events, and even bus numbers mentioned in the novel.

The weather was definitely more enjoyable than the reading material…

So to say the least, this week – indeed a cultural experience. Maybe it’s because we discussed it in class; maybe it’s because it’s finally hitting me that I’m here for five entire months. Either way, I’m excited to see what Australian culture throws at me along the rest of the way!

Much love,

Steph