[10:00pm, Seattle, Tuesday, August 8, 2006 - And all things come to an end…]
Sydney. I remember when I was walking around, all used to the city, toward the end of the trip. I was feeling that it is a fabulous location for me to actually live in for a few months at a time. I am appealed by the ease of the train and ferry access, the delicious kindness of the people around, and the diversity of foods.
Jill did not quite like the city, but that is her prerogative. I can see myself immersed in this, which provide a unique twist to the way of life I have always known. One day, I actually got in the car with Jill, and drove around. Jill was busy screaming her head off at my efforts to learn that left is right. It was a thrilling experience to know that I could at least drive on the wrong side of the road, and live to tell the tale.
There is a deep pride for the country of Australia by the citizens themselves. It is the same as here in the United States; despite the surface denial of such by many here (we are just being prissy at our current government and several glorified idiots, that is all.) The rugby match between Australia and New Zealand was fiercely competed, and was riddled with ridiculous scandals (such as the Wallabys doing warm-ups after New Zealand do their mantra dance, which was quite scandalous within the press there.) Due to the smaller size, Australia is much more inclusive of the outside world than the States. While the US media were apparently focused on the whole Israel question, Australia was noticing a lot more from the world around us, and delivering in a sharply done media.
The deaf culture there is uniquely different, and yet very inclusive in many ways. The sign languages are very different in many respects — due to the heritage difference between that country and our country — ASL derived from French Sign Language, while Auslan is derived mostly from British Sign Language. Yet, they are very receptive of my presence, and very willing to show off several of the bests of the city and its communities. They are progressing as fast as they could, just as we are here in the United States, to be seen as equals to the hearing world, and I applaud them for the efforts they have taken.
Air New Zealand have been a fabulous experience and their lay-flat bed is an absolute minimum for me now that I have the taste for it for long range travel (10+ hours). The meals were delicious, yet unique. The in-flight entertainment was decent, although I do hope they would consider subtitling some of their films. Their service is very good, and the attendants were very nice, literally. They have obviously been around the business for very long, and are deeply appreciative of a kind passenger, instead of a grumpy one making their job harder than it should be.
I discovered yesterday that Google Maps, despite what I saw before the trip, now illustrates the map of Sydney perfectly. It was so wonderful to see by satellite where I have been to, what I saw, and how things look from a hundred kilometers up. Now, I can see if Google could route a driving trip from Phoenix, AZ to Sydney, NSW.
Just this afternoon as I type this, I was walking back from lunch, and I found myself walking to the left of the groups, and looking right first before I cross the street. It will be a habit that will eventually fade, yet gives me a nice reminder of where I just came from.
It is a wonderful experience, and I am glad I was able to go. There are many things I would love to do, such as exploring out to the rest of the country. But as I am standing there outside in Sydney, I suddenly realized that I am indeed ten thousand kilometers away from home. Such a long way, and yet I felt at peace in Australia, just as I did in Netherlands, Costa Rica, and more.
So what is this entire world of our?
It is home.
* * * FIN.
