Two days to go before I leave for Australia. What are my goals? What are my expectations?
Goals:
To take great photos. To look for those excellent, beautiful, telling things that will illuminate the experience for me, and for you.
To be like a sponge, wide open and without judgment, and absorb absolutely everything for sorting later. Observe, observe, observe. Soak it up.
To solicit and listen carefully to the stories people tell me.
Expectations
Things I am pretty sure of:
–that I will like the Australian sensibility. I am expecting it to be somewhere between the US and Britain, with a hefty helping of its ownself, which remains to be discovered.
–that I will be able to find a variation of Good British Style Tea, which I love more than nearly any beverage on the planet. I already know, via friends, that there is good coffee.
–that I will not feel like the Valkyrie from some opera, as I do sometimes in France and Italy, where I am sometimes bigger than the guys, never mind the women.
What I am not sure about:
–Where the line between British and US sensibilities will lie. Is this a more private culture? More embracing? Some of my Australian acquaintances seem very British, some feel very American. Where is the Austrailian sensibility in that? What makes an *Australian* vs the other two cultures? (And of course, there is no one sweeping single answer, no one single idea.)
–What do I think I know about the country now, and what will I discover as we travel? Ah, that’s the great joy of travel: I have no idea.
Oh, I am so ready to go. My suitcase is sitting there with bits and pieces. The dogs are looking at me dolefully. Can I really get away with everything I need in one medium suitcase and one backpack? We shall see.
Is there anything you want me to be on the lookout for? What are your expectations when you travel?
Have a beautiful, wonderful, awesome time. I heard earrings were a nice gift for friends birthdays, from the places you visit 🙂
Is the Australian sensibility really on a line between US and British? I think it’s likely on the same plane but might not be along a direct line, maybe, if you see what I’m getting at?
Barbara, Have a great trip!
As a follow-up to your “what AU-based books should I buy” on RTB, as recommended by a reader, I bought BEDDED FOR DIAMONDS by Kelly Hunter. It was simply wonderful, & I found the characters & story charming, written with a dry sense of humor. I have never read the “Presents” line, but, if this is an example, I’m buying. I noticed that this was lst published in the U.K. under the title, PRICELESS, so, with both titles, perhaps, you can locate one as UA reading material. Along with the other reader, I highly recommend it.
Patricia
Sorry, should be “AU reading material”….
Barbara, you’ll probably find that we take the best from both worlds, mix it with our own quirky energy and humour, and add a dash of down-to-earth independence 🙂
I hope you’ll be able to experience getting out into the bush during your stay; our cities are great, but there’s far more to the country than them. Plus, you enjoy the outdoors!
I’ll be arriving in Melbourne on Wednesday afternoon, so if you and Jo are getting in early and need a friendly face, let me know.
And I second Patricia’s recommendation of Kelly Hunter’s books 🙂 ‘Priceless’ (aka Bedded for Diamonds) is one of my favourite category romances of all time. (Kelly is a friend of mine – but I don’t rave about books unless they are truly wonderful, which I think ‘Priceless’ is!)
Totally agree about Kelly’s writing, but Kelly in person is even better 😀
Barbara, not sure a medium sized suitcase is really going to do it for you but, hey, you can always buy a small or medium size one to add to what you’ve come down with for the return trip, right?
Three more sleeps till I’m in Melbourne, too! Can’t wait! 😀
Obviously, I really need to find the Kelly Hunter book, under whichever title I can find it. Will it be available in Oz, do you think?
Val, I don’t know…will it be the same plane? The line between? Something else entirely? That’s the whole thing about expectations–maybe they’ll be right and maybe wrong. Maybe sort of right. The joy is in the discovery, in finding OUT.
Bronwyn, happily I am going to the bush! Hiking in the mountains near Melbourne, then into the wild in Tasmania. SO cannot wait! I’ll be arriving Weds early, so yes, maybe we can find each other.
Yvonne, you know what? I think I’m going to make that medium suitcase work. If I must, I’ll send things home via mail. See you there!
I’m leaving at noon tomorrow. Whee!
Have a wonderful, wonderful trip, and remember: Tony at The Quarter (27 Degraves St) = best coffee in the known universe. Give him my love!