Sunday, June 6th
Had my final few hours in Sydney today. I had a great time in Sydney, but it was time to move on, to see more of this wonderful country and to learn more about Aboriginal health. I packed up my case and had some brekky, as they call it here, before walking down to the train station below the apartments. I bid farewell to the flatmates who were both awake and present, which was two of the six, and left. Downstairs I took advantage of a promotion in one of the local papers which offered a A$2 Socceroos scarf with the purchase of the Sunday paper. Since I needed something to read on my trip to Canberra, it was a win-win situation.
Weighted down by all of my possessions, I made my way to Central station via the subway from Bondi Junction station. There I walked down a seemingly endless corridor before having to walk up a large staircase to find myself on the platform from which my train to Canberra would leave. I had lunch at the station, which was fairly cavernous and had about 25 platforms, with trains bound for destinations both near and far. The train itself was fairly normal, with seats a little bigger than those one would find on a standard airliner. I was lucky enough to have a window seat, so I settled in, got out the paper, and reclined for the journey.
The train ride was 4.5 hours long, which is actually longer than it would take to drive between the two cities. As such, there weren't many people on the train and I could sleep a little bit, as well as catch up on the news. the trip was pretty boring, except for the scenery, which was refreshingly unique, with farmland, bush, patches of eucalyptus forests, and lots of red soil. It all seemed, for whatever reason, very Australian. As we meandered out way through New South Wales to the Australian Capital Territory I was entertained by the view.
Having arrived in Oz's capital city I was struck by the temperature. It was legitimately cold in Canberra, since this "Bush Capital" has no nearby ocean to temper the forces of winter, as Sydney does. Unsure of how best to reach my hostel, I called, and they advised me to take bus 980. I did, but it took me nowhere near the address I knew my hostel to be at, so I got off and took a cab to the proper place. Once there, I was alone in the dark in the very outskirts of Canberra. I was safe, but a little creeped out, especially since the building where I was supposed to be staying had no lights on. When I walked up to the front door I understood why. Right there, taped on, was a sign stating that the YHA had moved, and was now located much closer to the heart of the city. Thus annoyed and unable to hail a cab, I had to call for assistance. I received it, and was soon on my way to 7 Akuna Street. Once there I checked in, did some work, soaked my feet in the hot tub, and went to bed.
Monday, June 7th
Today was my 1st full day in Canberra, and the sky was free of clouds, so I followed a trip tradition and spent my first day walking around and seeing some sights. It was a brisk day, with the temperature in the low 50's, but the sun was shining, which helped. I was attempting to walk to the National War Memorial, which would not have been too much of a task had I known which way was the best manner to get there. I did not know, however, so I took the long way, which took me down to the lake in the middle of town, which separates the Civic/ACT side of the town from the Federal side of the town. The path may have been longer, but it was nonetheless very scenic, and provided an enjoyable walk. The lake was similar to the river in D.C., in that one could see the buildings of the government from a cherry blossom bordered body of water. After walking through some parks, I eventually found myself on the very edge of ANZAC Parade, which forms the main axis of the city and has at one end the National War Memorial, the lake in the middle, and the Australian Parliaments on the other end. I say Parliaments because there is an old, provisional building, which was used for about 60 years, and a new building, constructed in the 80's.
The parade itself features a large mall at its center, and along the sides leading to the War Memorial are monuments to various wars or branches of the military, such as the Vietnam War or the Australian Royal Navy. Some of the more inspirational of these monuments included the Australia-New Zealand Monument, which portrayed the relationship these two countries used to share at the very edges of the British Empire. There is a reason the ANZACs (or Australia New Zealand Army Corp) are so important to the consciousness of both countries. Another very inspirational monument was the one dedicated to Gallipoli, the formative battle of both countries young independence, which had been designed and donated by the Turkish government as a sign of good will.
The War Memorial itself is an imposing building at the base of a small mountain, built in a hybrid classical/1930's style. It has a large bronze dome, which has long since turned the same green as Lady Liberty in New York Harbor. The main building consists of an outdoor corridor, at the center of which is an eternal flame, and on the sides of which are the names of every known soldier who died fighting in a war for Australia, from the Boer War on until the War in Iraq. They are listed with last name and first initial only, because we are all equal in death, much like the military cemeteries I have visited in Arlington and Jerusalem. The names are all surrounded by red poppies, which is a tradition found in many places with British influence, used to honor the military dead, as the red is a reminder of blood. Up some stairs past the flame is a the domed room in which the Tomb of the Australian Unknown Soldier rests, surrounded by giant tile mosaics of a seaman, and airman, an army soldier, and a nurse, as well as stained glass examples of the traits Australian soldiers all have: patriotism, loyalty, courage, etc.
Below the Memorial sits a more modern museum which conserved war artifacts and educates the public about the battles in which Australians have fought. There were all kinds of artifacts, including a landing boat from Galipoli, as well as figures wearing period correct uniforms, and more dioramas than I could count. In a back wing of the museum was an exhibit featuring many planes used in both World Wars One and Two, including the centerpiece, a Lancaster bomber christened "G for George." There was also an exhibit on all the wars in which Australian had served before Australia became a country, including the Boer War and the Maori War, fought in South Africa and New Zealand, respectively.
Following my experience in the sobering War Memorial, I decided to go see how the country is run and travel to the other end of the axis, the Parliament of Australia. The building is located within Capitol Hill, much in the same way that the Scottish National Parliament is built into the environment upon which it rests. The new building was constructed during the 80's, and the designers were adamant that their building would coexist with, rather than dominate, its habitat. Thus, the roof of the building is formed by the natural slope of the hill, with grassy areas covering the top of the building. The only mark that rises above the natural shape of the hill is the structure holding the Australian flag, which is as big as a double decker bus.
There must be something in the water of the Tasman Strait, because both NZ and Australia have strove to have distinctive and striking Parliament buildings. By the way, yet another similarity I noticed between DC and Canberra, which is easily explained as the result of being synthetic cities which were chosen for their role as capital, is that the street layout is unorthodox, to say the least. The city is laid out in a circular pattern, rather than in a grid, which makes walking between two points needlessly longer and tedious, although it does make it easier to plan large green spaces, which add to the beauty of the city.
I wandered inside the building, picked up a map, and started to give myself a tour of the place. It was as simple as that. Aside from a few metal detectors at the front entrance, there was no visible security in the place, in stark contrast to our own Capitol. The first room you come into is the foyer, which is filled with green and white columns and featured woodcut art along the walls portraying Australian flora. Up the stairs on either side lead to the main floor. On this floor was an exhibit on artwork found in the building, as well as one of the largest tapestries in the world, portraying a forest scene in New South Wales. I got to go into the viewing galleries of both houses of Parliament, which differed only slightly. The Senate had slightly less seating, due to a smaller number of members, and was furnished in red, while the House of Representatives had more chairs and was furnished in green. Both chambers are constructed in the Westminster style, with opposition and government forces sitting opposing one another and a presiding member sitting on an elevated chair in the center to lead debate. I completed my time on the floor by viewing something I was very surprised to find in the Parliament, or even in Australia for that matter, an original 1297 copy of the Magna Carta, preserved and sitting behind some serious security glass. It is one of only 4 surviving copies in the world, and for someone like me, with an interest in political science, it was very neat to see. It sent a shiver down my spine to be honest.
After all the excitement for the day, and some sunset views from the rooftop of the Parliament, I took a bus back to Civic center and the YHA. Back in town I had some cheap Indian food for dinner and walked around City Walk, which is a main shopping area in Canberra's downtown. Stopping in a bookshop I picked up The Language Instinct and Empire: How Britain Made the Modern World because they sounded interesting and were on sale. To finish off the night I went and saw Robin Hood and then came back and did some work at the hostel.
Tuesday, June 8th
This morning I got up early, had some brekky, and got ready for the day. I sat down in the kitchen and did a lot of work on setting up meetings for Melbourne and working some kinks out of some meetings here in Canberra. I was tipped off by a woman I am meeting tomorrow to the possibility of attending a lecture given on Friday at the Australian National Library about Aboriginal Communities in relation to federal law. It should be very interesting, especially in comparison to the special conditions which apply to American Indian reservations in the US legal system. Around noon I finished up my phone conversations and set out for the day.
I had a quick falafel for lunch and then got on Bus Route #2 headed toward Capitol Hill. After some twists, turns, and lots of roundabouts, I got off the bus in front of the Australian Royal Mint. It's a large, modern building with absolutely no character or imagination, quite in contrast with the other buildings I have seen in Canberra.It's the kind of dull, bureaucratic building one would expect from the U.S. Department of the Interior.
Inside, though, it was very modern in a good way, with lots of glass and sunlight. There was a machine on the ground floor which let you mint your own coins, for a small fee of course, and, being the numismatist that I am, I took advantage of it. I also perused the shop, where all manner of coins were on sale, even ones from New Zealand, the United Kingdom, and Singapore, besides the Australian offerings. There were also all manner of commemorative coins and tools to help collectors like myself, such as albums, scales, magnifying glasses, etc. I thought, however, that the shop and the cafe right next to it really missed a golden opportunity by selling neither mints nor chocolate coins, both of which seem to me to be no brainers for a National Mint.
Up some stairs I saw some cool exhibits about pre-decimal currency in Australia, which modeled that of the United Kingdom, about mistruck coins, and especially about new advances in coin making technology, which have allowed mints to produce:
- holographic coins
- colored coins
- bi and tri metal coins
- my favorite, triangular coins
Next I went to the U.S. Embassy, with the hope of having a look around how our diplomats treat themselves on the job, especially since I have some aspirations of joining the Foreign Service some day. Alas, security was tight and I wasn't going to be allowed onto sovereign American territory without an appointment, which was understandable I suppose. The embassy was built to resemble New England brick buildings, but it was immense. Our embassy is easily 4 times the size of the embassy of any other nation, and much bigger than some others. All the embassies were built in recreation of their own national architectural styles, which gave the neighborhood a very international flavor, along with the fact that large swaths of the land in the area wasn't part of Australia. The South African Embassy had a countdown board with the number of days until the start of the World Cup, which got me excited since it is so close.
Getting back into town, I had a walk, ate some cheap Indian food again, and settled in for the night, or so I thought. An hour or so after I got back to the hostel I had a brain flash of something Sean Hearn had told me back in Miami. He had said that in certain parts of Australia there was a drink which outsold Coca-Cola. This is something that only a few drinks in the world can claim, so I set out to get some of this beverage. It is called Farmers' Union Iced Coffee and it comes in a big, light blue and brown milk box. It is delicious, I will say, and I was told, a point of pride to South Australians. I have decided now to make a pledge to taste the other 2 drinks in the world that also outsell Coke, those being Irn-Bru in Scotland (I will find some in my day in London with Mike) and Inca Cola in Peru.
Wednesday, June 9th
This morning saw me make more attempts at procuring a meeting with a member of the Australian Parliament. Unlike their kiwi peers, they are not nearly as willing to give their time. I have also run into the difficulty that Parliament isn't in session while I am in Canberra, so the majority of them have gone to their home districts for the next two weeks. Sitting at my work station, I did some more research into the situation here in Australia, which will help when it comes time to write my findings at the end of the summer.
For lunch I had some chorizo pasta here at the cafe attached to the hostel, which was both filling and sizeable, as well as tasty, which were three things I had not expected from such an establishment. The dish helped to ward off the effects of today's weather, which has been extremely cold. Today has been in the high 30's/low 40's and was below freezing during the night. It has been a struggle to today to stay properly warm with the clothes I brought along, which were only suitable for mild winters, which I expect everywhere except Canberra. No matter, the forecast calls for warmer days the rest of my stay here. After lunch I got dressed up and shaved, which revealed the effects that cold had been having on my skin, which was a but drier and redder than usual.
I then proceeded to the Australian National University, which is the site of CAEPR, or the Centre for Aboriginal Economic Policy Research. I went there to meet with a Dr. Maggie Brady, who Dr. Torzillo had recommended quite highly. The campus was pretty much a ghost town, as it was a cold day and the students are in finals period. I found her office alright, and introduced myself in person. She seemed very impressed that I had been able to meet with Dr. Torzillo, who she assured me is a busy man and one who is held in very high regard by those who study Aboriginal health.
Dr. Brady was very helpful, and provided me with my best meeting in this country to date. We spoke for about 1.5 hours, and the topics ranged over a host of subjects. She stressed to me the cultural impediments to "closing the gap" as she is anthropologist. It is a point of view I often encountered in New Zealand, and it was interesting to note the differences in the perception in Australia. Among the challenges are the traditional housing dynamic of remote Aboriginal communities. Even once they are given modern housing, it is often of shoddy construction, and the traditional dictates that many people live in one house. Any family member who needs a place to stay immediately turns to his family, leading to more people living in one place than is the norm in white culture. This, in turn, leads many children to be host to much more bacteria than their white counterparts, and the rates of ear, eye, and respiratory diseases is much higher in remote Aboriginal communities. There is also a prevalence of trachoma and chlamydia.
We also discussed the individual autonomy that Aborigines have, and how this stops parents from helping children eat properly. Often children are given money and go to the store to choose their own diet, which can obviously have some disastrous impacts. There is also very little accommodation made for those who need special diets, such as the massive number of Aborigines who have pre-diabetes. Often the drink of choice, sweet tea, is made communally, and so those who have much lower tolerances for sugar are forced to drink the same tea as everyone else. It has been noted that in some communities the average daily sugar intake is higher than 70 teaspoons. Dr. Brady finished the meeting by recommending some authors whose work she thought could be beneficial to my project, as well as giving me a ton of documents and books. I thanked her for her time, and went on my way. I went back to the hostel and did some blogging, work, and drank some more FUIC.
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