Must mean final papers are due here at UWA
I think it says something about my current lifestyle when this 8 year-old’s to do list is quite similar to mine.
When cats take over Skype, world domination is sure to follow.
“Everything I’m not made me everything I am”
[Flash 9 is required to listen to audio.]
—Kendrick Lamar ft Dr Dre - The Recipe
So, I feel at this time in the semester its only fair to get a little nostalgic for your home stomping grounds, especially when anywhere you go, people rep your home state as if it were their own. It’s an odd feeling to be half way across the globe and still see random strangers with Yosemite hoodies, Huntington Beach tank tops, and Golden Gate Bridge tee shirts. Nothing like being the only Californian around to put things in a global perspective.
Perth is still by all means paradise, but I cant help feeling a bit reverent for a case of “Downtown Brown”, a little home grown, and a few tater-tot tacos. Also, missing three months of Giants home games is never easy. I guess I should feel truly lucky to be able to live in a place as picturesque and stunning as Australia and still have people be jealous of my home town. Not a bad feeling at all.
So I guess for now I get to keep living the dream and know that friends, family and another gorgeous Cali summer will be waiting patiently for my return.
Experiments in exposure- Downtown Sydney, Australia
4/13/12
Sydney, Australia
[Flash 9 is required to listen to audio.]
—ScHoolboy Q - Blessed (Ft. Kendrick Lamar)
I am feeling especially blessed as of late.
2 months ago I was in the Sacramento airport, terrified, weighed down with suitcases and questions, saying goodbye to my parents for what felt like a lifetime. Now, I am in my new home, showing my mom and dad around Perth, UWA and Trinity College, introducing them to all the friends I have had the privilege of making. If thats not a strange 2 months, I dont really know what is.
My parents loved Australia and I was so happy to finally show them everything I was trying in vain to describe to them over the past months. Now they can put faces to names, experiences to places, and memories to events.
After a strangely busy few days in class, we headed to Melbourne for the first family vacation in what seemed like ages. After being an independent, adventurous young adult, it felt strange to once again be a son, wondering around a metropolitan city, relying totally and completely on the folks. Although I am happy to be back in Perth, once again, I feel so blessed to be able to show the two most important people in my life, what my new world consists of.
Quokka Flocka Flame
Rottnest is a small island about 20 kilometers of the coast of perth and is home to small, fluffy marsupials, bicycles and unrealistically picturesque scenery. The morning after a pirate themed booze cruise, me and the fellow international adventure seekers stumbled out of bed and boarded the hangover-inducing Rottnest Express. No cars are allowed on the island and bicycles are the primary form of transportation, making the island a paradise for sporty family tourists and rowdy exchange students alike.
Our humble abode for the night was a barrack style cabin located in what appeared to be a gypsy camp site. After settling in to our summer-camp bunks, we had our exhilarating first quokka sighting. The strange miniature kangaroos/ giant rats nonchalantly rule the island, and are strangely comfortable around humans. After getting our photos in, we began our bike trek to the far side of the island where we found one pristine beach after another. After a short sun bathing session we decided to return to the only civilization present on the island- a small town center with overpriced cider and a hand full of restaurants. With the sun setting and certain herbal remedies present, the island took on a remote and unworldly quality. The bike paths lazily follow the coastline across the petite island, giving you the feeling you are in a kind of “mario cart” world. After riding for what felt like days (it was probably a half hour ride) we made it back to the gypsy village we call home and, were greeted with subway and the second boat-load of internationals.
The night started off with music, good company and a couple pints of pear cider and somehow ended with Chris hunting Quokkas in his underwear, Jen getting utterly lost 50 yards from the camp sight and most people loosing some article of clothing in the Indian Ocean. I will leave out the details but feel free to fill in the rest for yourself.
The morning consisted of chocolate croissants, lattes and more snorkeling and biking before, sadly retuning to the “real world”.
I feel like in the modern, mechanized world we live in today, very few places like Rottnest still exist. Without cars, streets, buildings or a real sense of “locals”, the island takes on a quint, utopian air of unaltered purity. Something about good food, good friends and an arrangement of exotic, yet lazy marsupials makes you feel as if you have stumbled through a wardrobe, or finally found platform nine and three-quarters.
So, a mere 20 kilometers away from the bustling, overpriced expanse of Perth is a lazy little paradise complete with a lighthouse, confusingly adorable creatures and untouched beaches. I dont know about you, but this gives me a little more faith in this world we live in.
