Exchange on Exchange: A Tale of Bromance Pt. 2

Hi guys,

the last little while has been hectic as the end of term looms. With exams to study for, a World Cup to watch, bags to pack, goodbye's to be said, I found little time to recount the second half of my Tale of Bromance with James Elgin Craig. I will do my best to fill you in on the details but will keep it brief to get back to the books.

James flew in to Melbourne and I went to pick him up at the airport with my friend Liz who graciously agreed after I guilt tripped her into it. After settling in and showing him around campus, we set out on the 86 tram and met up with all the Canadians plus and minus a few. We hung out and frontloaded before heading to the Rochester Hotel (the Rochie), doing goon slaps and high-fiving all the way. James and I had the fantastic idea of pretending we were Irish for the night figuring it would be much easier to meet people if we were Irish. I was Declan O'Hoolahan and James was Sean Shawn O'Shaughnessy. We carried this on to the best of our abilities, often throwing in some Irish jigs on the d-floor to give credibility to our charade. At one point, while chatting to some girls, I must have got frustrated by the fact that James was getting more attention than me so I totally sold him out and told them it was all an act on his part and I was the only true Irishman. James recovered well by conceding that he was from Newfoundland and Labrador in a voice resembling Samwise Gamgee. It was this night that proved once and for all that one's ability to put on an accent has an inverse relationship to the amount of beer you consume. fact.

The next day we ventured into the city to show James around. Melbourne's got a really nice downtown core with loads of great architecture and green space so James was just taking it all in. Much to our chagrin, the Titanic exhibit was sold out at the Melbourne Museum but it worked out in the end because we headed instead to the Australian Centre for the Moving Image in Federation Square. We spent hours checking out this really cool exhibit about all things to do with the development of interface technology ( ie film, tv, video games, augmented reality and the history behind them all) that allowed us to try video games from throughout the ages on their oringial consoles as well some other really cool interactive exhibits. Later on, we found out that there was a documentary on that was made by the famous street artist Banksy. He is a really interesting character who's art often challenges social norms and is always really symbolic yet he hides his identity from the world. No one knows who he is, where he is from, what he looks like as all of his art is done on the street in the wee hours of the morning all over the world. The documentary he made was about a guy that tried to make a documentary about him. It was really cheeky and really well done.

The next day was rather uneventful as we decided to have a lie in. The Titanic exhibit was again sold out so our plans were up the air once again. We headed back into the city, enjoying our usual conversations and musings of becoming street artists. We took the free tram around the city that showed you all of the historic spots before heading to Rooftop Bar. This place was so awesome and an idea I want to take back to Canada with me. The bar is completely open-plan on the roof of a tall building so you sit by the heat lamps amongst sky scrapers in the open air. In the summer they play movies on a big projector screen which would be really cool to see. James was leaving that night so after our quiet pints we took the tram back out to Bundoora to get his stuff. We plan to spend my last week together up in Brisbane and Fraser Island but right now my focus is on my exam....at least it should be. I am finding it really hard to juggle everything at the moment to say the least and it's depressing and exciting at the same time to be living out of a suitcase once again. My rooms all packed up and I write my last exam on Wednesday. But the adventure is just beginning, so stay tuned folks.

Much Love,
D

Exchange on Exchange: A Tale of Bromance Pt. 1

Hey folks,

so classes finished up and I decided to pack my bags and head to Sydney for the weekend to stay with Jimmy Craig at Macquarie University. I felt a need to get away from college and the flights were reasonably priced so I scrambled to get my assignment done so that I could fly out on Thursday night. James met me at the airport and we took the train to his college, heading over the bridge with a view of the harbour and the glowing Sydney Opera House. The first night was a quiet one with a few beers at his campus bar and meeting all of his new Australian friends. I was focused on using this time to relax, see Sydney, and trying not to think about the last few weeks. The next day James had an essay due so in typical fashion he put in two hours of sleep before getting up at a ridiculous hour and poring over his notes and pumping out a few thousand words. This gave me a chance to have a great sleep in and wait for him to be finished. In the afternoon after some lunch we trekked into the city centre to see the sights and meet up with a few of my Canadian friends from La Trobe who were also there for the weekend. James and I wandered through the streets of King's Cross, taking in the sights of umpteen massage parlours that definitely offered happy endings and turning down flyers for all of the strip bars in the area. Although Porky's did seem intriguing... Not the kind of area to raise a family but we are students and it's the only way to do it! At their hostel we met a small Indian man named Rohan who claimed to be from New Zealand and sported a strange hybrid accent. Little did we know, he was going to play a big part of our weekend as a source of conversation and hilarity. The first thing he did when we walked into the room was offer us all a bottle of cognac to take shots out of the lid. We humbly refused for more reasons than one. After the girls took their sweet time to get ready, we decided to head to the waterfront to see the Opera House at night and go for a beer in an area called the Rocks. Sydney was hosting a light and sound show all over the city so all of the monuments and heritage buildings were lit up with projectors beaming kaleidoscopic colours and famous quotations. Even the Sydney Opera House was a part of the show. We wandered around, taking it all in, and solving the mystery of whether P. Shermann, 42 Wallaby Way, Sydney from Finding Nemo actually existed as each one of us had Googled it at some point to find out.

With Jimmy as our guide, he took us to one of the 4 bars in the area that claimed to be Syndey's oldest. It was very typically Australian with an older crowd but provided the starting line for our crawl of the city. After an Irish pub and dancing to a cover band, we decided to head to a pancake house that was supposedly open late. En route. we couldn't resist the salsa music booming out of one place's windows. We furtively crept in, not knowing what to expect but within 30 seconds we were on the dance floor surrounded by people that actually knew how to salsa dance, pulling all of the moves. We were there, giving it our best shot, making fools of ourselves, and a mockery of the art form. I rocked the air maracas a lot. Legend.

After our late night pancake supper we decided to head back to the hostel. James and I had noticed that there were two spare beds in the girls' rooms and we were keen on seeing if we could scam some free lodging for the night instead of making the trip all the way back home. We crept in and passed out in the bunks and slept blissfully until Rohan's alarm clock started going off at around 6 am. This wouldn't have bothered me, if only he had gotten up when it started ringing and didn't let it go on and on before shutting itself off only to start again 15 minutes later. This happened a fair few times as well. The worst thing was the ringtone for the alarm was a Good Charlotte song.... Why? Of all the bands in the world to wake up to... why Good Charlotte, Rohan?

The next day James and I wandered around the city, checked out Darling Harbour, ate kangaroo burgers and went to the Maritime Museum. We saw Captain James Cook's Endeavour and got to go on a ship called the James Craig. Australia has a rich history especially to do with the early settlers/explorers and their relationship with the Aboriginals. Some of the stories are really interesting, but often full of bloodshed as well. After that, another quiet night listening to music and playing video games with James' friends. It's amazing what you can learn about a person by the way they play Halo 3.

The next day after another sleep in(Looking back, I might have seen a lot more of Sydney if I hadn't slept so much, but I obviously needed it), James and I went to a Rugby League game at the Olympic Stadium which was really cool to see. It was then that I decided that before I die I want to go to the Olympics. Just being in that stadium gave me that feeling of excitement in my stomach that can only be achieved from watching an exciting competition. We saw the South Sydney Rabbitohs beat the Penrith Panthers in front of a home crowd. Rugby is a really fun sport to watch and I am slowly adjusting to the rules of Rugby League as opposed to Union that I am used to. Fun fact of the day: The Rabbitoh's are owned by Russell Crowe and they got their name because back in the day the players used to earn a few extra bucks by selling rabbits outside the game, calling out Rabbit-oh! in the streets. They would skin the rabbits on the spot, getting blood and fur on their jerseys that they later wore in the games. The opposition wouldn't appreciate this and would mock them by echoing the Rabbit-oh! call on the field. I think the South Sydney Fluffy Bunnies would sound better.

After the game we went back into the city to explore some more and grab some dinner. We mutually agreed that we would not be satisfied until we had eaten a rack of ribs each so we set off in search of a place that served them. Harder than you might think in Australia. But we found a place right on the Darling Harbour and chowed down. After meeting up with the Canadian girls, grabbing a spontaneous pint at another one of the oldest bars in Sydney, we went back to James' place. We went to see a movie called Harry Brown with a few of Jimmy's friends. The movie stars Michael Caine and was nothing short of amazing. It was like Gran Torino meets Taken but set on the commissioned housing estates in England. Gritty, and really well shot, I highly recommend it. After that we just hung out and talked about movies and listened to music. James and I also like to do this thing where we put on a song and then describe what we think would be a cool music video for the song. It may sound lame but we get really into it and have come up with some really cool ideas, or so we think.

The next day James had class and I was leaving in the evening so we said our goodbyes and parted ways. It wasn't as heartbreaking as it sounds since we both knew James would be in Melbourne the next weekend to continue our adventures. I spent the day wandering around the city by myself which is actually one of my favourite things to do. I went to the Lululemon outlet that recently opened to see my friend Desiree from Carleton. A fellow marketing student on exchange, it was good to see her (as brief as it was) and catch up. While doing a crossword on the waterfront in plain view of the Opera House, a boat pulled up that offered free rides to Cockatoo Island for an art show. With hours to kill before my flight, I hopped on, more interested in the free boat ride in the famous Sydney Harbour than the art show. Just as I got on it started to rain but I wasn't deterred and stayed on the deck, taking it all in as we sailed under the bridge past Luna Park. The art show was more freaky than interesting as it was set up in abandoned factories and industrial buildings on this deserted island. Wandering into one room alone, I found an exhibit of life-size wax figures of all the socialist leaders of the world in glass coffins except Fidel Castro was asleep on a bed, with his chest moving up and down and the sound of breathing coming out of his mouth. I didn't stick around for long.

After that, I went to a restaurant and had a rather depressing dinner for one although I did convince my waitress I was a small-business owner visiting Sydney because I was interested in expanding my t-shirt company and opening a store there. My motive? no idea. But I love how you can be anybody you want to be when you are in a new city.

I flew back to Melbourne with my final week of classes on the mind and wondering what Jimmy and I would get up to next weekend. That's all for now folks. I hope everyone is well back home. I do have some other great news that my sister Mairead got engaged the other day. Her and her fiancee Andrew will be getting married on New Year's Eve this year which is really exciting. Party on!

Love,
D

Learning Curve

Hey folks,

a long time has passed since my last post and it has been a tumultuous few weeks to say the least. I hate to start off on a sad note, but before I get into it, I want to let everyone know that the Fegan family suffered a great loss last week when our family dog, Shay, passed away. She had been suffering from liver cancer and her health deteriorated rather quickly in her last few weeks. Anyone that met Shay instantly fell in love as she was unlike any other dog. She was a huge part of our family and a giant hole has been left in our lives. We will always remember her for being loyal, loving, and sometimes a bit daft. It was really hard being so far away from home on this one...so if anyone wants to comment below or a memory they have of Shay it would mean a lot.

To lighten the mood, let me tell you the story of Groovin' the Moo, a music festival at the start of May. A few of the Canadian girls and I rented a car and drove to Bendigo for the weekend, intent upon attending the festival featuring such stalwarts as Vampire Weekend, Tegan and Sara, Spoon, Empire of the Sun, Bagraiders and countless other cool DJs and bands. The only problem was, only two of us had tickets. Krista and I were keen to try our luck and get in without paying (tickets were over $100). So, we arrived at the showgrounds to find the longest line-up we had ever seen (Dom 0 - 1 The Man). It appeared that everyone had arrived at the same time, all dressed up in festival attire (panda costumes, body paint, and the entire cast of the flintstones...etc.) It was going to be a challenge to get in there. We scouted around the perimeter under the watchful eyes of luminous security guards and decided that the main gate was our only option of scamming our way in. Joining the throngs at the front of the line and making no friends in the process, we got past the first gate to the area where they were taking tickets (Dom 1 - 1 The Man). At this point we split up, and pretended to be on our phones so we didn't look suspicious. All the while, we were surveying the system for any cracks through which we could slip. Brooke and Dale were already inside awaiting our arrival. I, still in the midst of an "important phonecall", ambled over to the right side of the ticket-takers, next to the VIP line. At this point, a group of people around my age joined the VIP line and just walked past the security guard. I swiftly side-stepped the barrier and tagged on the end of their group. When they stopped to get wrist bands, I just kept walking, on the phone, head down, heart racing. It happened in a flash but all of a sudden I was inside the show, having not paid a penny (Dom 2 -1 The Man). Krista followed soon after, pulling the same move that worked for me. I went back later on with a sob story that my wrist band had been ripped off in the crowd under the DJ tent and got myself a wristband for the beer garden. Game, set, match. (Dom 3 - 1 The Man).

The show was amazing with highlights being when we were under the DJ tent listening to Bag Raiders and Shooting Star came on, or playing Yolanda B Cool's We No Speak Americano. But the best part of the night was by far seeing Vampire Weekend. Probably one of my favourite bands right now, they blew me away. They were so crisp and their set was so entertaining.

It wasn't until we decided to leave the showgrounds late at night and head to our campsite that it all came crashing down and the Man made a late comeback to bite us in the ass. First off, Silverchair, supposedly some great Australian band, played a set that was nothing compared to Vampire Weekend's which was disappointing. But, we left in high spirits, almost skipping back to the car....only to find our rear right window smashed and our bags stolen. It was a crappy end to the night mostly due to the fact that I lost my backpack, my favourite posession in the world. (Dom 3 - 3 The Man) Tie Game. We decided upon driving back to Bundoora for the night, not keen on partying or sleeping in tents after this reality check.

I think this backpack of mine deserves a tangent all of its own. I bought the backpack, a black, plain-looking, Dakine model back in Grade 10, coming up on 6 years. I used to go through a backpack a year but not any more. This one stuck with me through thick and thin. Every high school party we would trek to, I always had my backpack with me usually filled with beer and the beer of a few others. Every day of classes, every camping trip, every frosh week, every road trip, every pub crawl, every vacation, every day of work, I always had my backpack with me. It came to be very near and dear to me so it will be sorely missed, and tough to replace.

But I am getting by. Last week I was able to get tickets to see the Australia Socceroos play New Zealand in Melbourne. Both teams are in the World Cup so it was cool to see. There were 55,000 fans at the game and we jumped at the chance to get decked out in Australian colours and sing the national anthem. While the atmosphere wasn't what I had hoped for, the game provided a rare treat in seeing Australia claw their way back from being 1-0 to win 2-1 socring in the 93rd minute. The team flew out to South Africa the next day, ready for the big tournament.

I am, unfortunately, almost at the end of my semester here in Melbourne. I am currently in my last week of classes before the exam period starts. My exam schedule isn't that great. One on the 17th, one on the 18th and one on the 30th (the last possible day). Brutal! I am yet undecided on how I am going to spend those interim days but hopefully I will get to see some more of this beautiful country. I also received my Beijing Lonely Planet book so I have started planning for my week in Asia in July. It's going to be action packed and I can't wait to go. China has such a rich history, full of tradition and culture that I can't wait to learn more about.

My next post will cover my trip up to Sydney to visit James but for now I will leave it at that. I hope everyone is well and that you are enjoying the Canadian Summer. I am gearing up for a lot of late nights in the next few weeks, mostly due to the World Cup being shown at 9pm, midnight, and 2am here in Australia. Come on Aussie!

Love,
D