Its the ending of my
second month in Australia's second largest city. I have realised
that I am far from home but not really that far at all. I am finding
people in Melbourne not rude, but arrogant. The foreman’s that I
have worked for are what I may call ”colonial” in their
attitudes. People here are very proud of their city and culture and
are not afraid to flaunt it. So many guys wear scarves even though I
think they are entirely not practical at all. Scarves look pleasant
on women, but c'mon guys its just too metro. On the weekends every
man woman and child wears striped scarves in the colours of the
football team they are supporting. That's Aussie rules football,
which rules the sporting roost in Victoria. Everyone asks me If I
have been to a game yet, which I have, and asks me if I like being
apart of the crowd. I have to tell them that its nothing like
football Saturdays in Nebraska.
Melbourne is full of weird
people dressed up and down all over the place. Super skinny jeans, pointed shoes. A common hipster
haircut I see is the half shaved head/other half bleached. Other people
are begging for change everywhere I seem to go, including most
internet hotspots. Two people came up to me when I was ordering at
McDonald's to ask for my change so they could eat! Why these hobos
were not evicted out of the restaurant is beyond me. The reason I
have to use public networks is because my house is apparently too old
for DSL. I have been living in Fitzroy, one of the oldest Melbourne
inner city suburbs, and my new flatmates tell me that we cannot get
cable TV or internet because there are not enough spots on some sort
of junction board or something along those lines. Without internet
we do enjoy the view of the Telstra Communications skyscraper from
our front door.
Fitzroy is a very old
neighbourhood with most houses dating from the 1870's. Our house was once
most likely two rooms with a stable in the rear. The stable now is a
bedroom and a lounge room. Every morning I have to walk outside the
stable to the back of the house to access the kitchen, shower and
bathroom. Its has not been warm in the mornings with lows hovering
just above freezing, a fantastic way to start the mornings. The
neighbourhood is known for its cafes and bars but every place looks
super grungy. Graffiti is all over Melbourne and Fitzroy is no
exception. The bars have nice clientele, but the expatiation is that
customers are paying for the grimy feel of the place by charging $8
and $9 for a pint of the cheapest beer. The only night I go out is
Wednesday when my flatmate and I go to pub quiz down the street in
some establishment called Sentido Funf.(bad misspelled mutual fund
names included in the price of drinks.) Part of the enjoyment of
this night is the $10 Parma specials. Parma is apparently a
Melbourne staple which I can only describe as a chicken fried steak
covered in parmesan cheese. This fried delight fills me up like the
all you can eat at Sapp Brothers truck stop. My flatmate tries to
tell me that its an Australian variation of German schnitzel, but I'm
not buying it, its totally trucker food.
Melbourne people really
think that the city's coffee, cafe, restaurant and bar culture is the
real deal. I don't drink coffee very often and rarely eat out so the
jury is still out on that one. I'm a bit disappointed by the
cityscape, its vary flat, a stark contrast to Auckland's steep hills
surrounding the harbour dotted with sail boats. I think the city
reminds me of Chicago because of the old buildings and the extreme
urban sprawl that permeates every direction from the CBD. The inner
city suburbs look eerily similar with bars on every corner. I
recently struck up a conversation with a guy on a train who is a
Dutch actor. He said he has toured the entire US and has even done
shows in Omaha. He said Melbourne reminds him of Portland or
Minneapolis, not Chicago. I still think its like Chicago.
Its very crowded in the
city and hard to get on the trams during rush hour. I would rather
walk 45 minuted home from the train station instead of spend $3.30 to
let someone smell my armpits in a cramped space for 20 minutes as I
try not to sway into old ladies as the tram shakes and jerks around
corners. My flatmate said she saw some guy covered in blood in the
tram last week, the same night someone trued to break into the back
of our house. Such is life in a so called big city.
I'm slowly getting into
things here. It helps getting to know a few people, but I'm not truly
feeling the vibe. I'm told that things will get better because its
the middle of winter and there are not as many festivals and
activities, so I will have to be patient. I am only subleasing my
place for 2 more weeks and I need to move again. This may be a good
time to look at other cities, such as Sydney or Adelaide. Sydney is
huge, but Adelaide is rated as Australia's most liveable city. I
have been living in the so called “world's most liveable city”
but its still a struggle to get my clothes dry with no dryer.
Melbourne does have very
good public transport and is a very diverse city. I do miss doing
stuff outside and would like to get into sailing again. The city feels more "American" than New Zealand with the fast pace of life and more commercial feel of everything. NZ was just quirky. I have not
given up yet, and I'm sure with more time any city I establish myself
in will be come the most liveable city for me.
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