Australia/Survival Day

Australia Day was amazing! It was pretty hot- up to about 31 degrees (92/3 F) and 100% humidity! Other than sweating like crazy I had a blast! For those of you that don't know, Australia Day is kind of like the fourth of July in America, with a bit of Columbus day thrown in. It commemorates the day that the First Fleet, or the first group of convicts who were sent to Australia, landed in Botany Bay in Sydney and began the first settlement. This caused a bit of turmoil, however, with the indigenous Aboriginal group that lived here, because that meant the beginning of the day that their home began to be invaded by outsiders. So that's why many people of Aboriginal descent protest "Australia Day" and call it "Survival Day"- the day that their ancestors had to begin to fight to survive in their homeland.

So there's your history lesson for today, and now more for what I actually did during Australia day... around the city there were festivals and markets and concerts going on. I walked through the Rocks, which is the historical/old section of the city. The markets were interesting, but not as interesting as the people, who were all dressed in Red, White, and Blue (which are also Australian colors :D ) My roommates and I had found "I Heart Aus" shirts and also dressed for the occasion. Through a beer garden overlooking the Sydney Harbor, to a mile long car show, to fiddling Australians on stage, we finally found our way to Darling Harbor for the fireworks show. We sat at Cargo Bar and shared a bottle of red wine and a small bbq pizza while watching fireworks explode over the harbor and off of the rooftops of nearby skyscrapers. It was simply amazing- we were all in awe.

That was wednesday- yesterday, everyone was tired from a long day of walking, however we did have to meet for a class field trip. We met on the other side of the city in groups to tour "Old Sydney". The first place we visited was definitely the most interesting and worth mentioning was the Hyde Park Barracks, which were the original "home" of the first group of male convicts. They showed us orginal artifacts that the convicts had carved from bone, including chess pieces that they used to rid themselves of boredom. We also saw places where convicts had signed the wall, and their sleeping barracks- where we were able (forced) to get into the hammocks that they used to sleep in. 200 or more men sleep in the room which had no air ventilation, and where there were only about 100 hammocks for them to sleep in. They said the rest- usually the new or younger convicts- found a corner or shared a hammock with another person. It was a great, historical week- I learned loads and aced my quiz yesterday! Next weekend is my trip to the Hunter Valley wine region- which I am particularly excited for!! Love you all!