From Sydney to the 'Sippi

About a year ago I left my hometown Sydney, Australia behind and moved to America, as part of the Robertson Scholars Leadership Program at Duke University. Forsaking kangaroos for raccoons, beachside December for snow, the “barbie” for BBQ and Vegemite for peanut butter and jelly, moving was a big change. In my year in the United States I have travelled from North Carolina to New York to California to Florida. Embracing different atmospheres, people and attitudes has always fascinated me. I was therefore really looking forward to my eight weeks in Cleveland as part of the Robertson Program, interning at Coopwood Communications. I knew it would be a culture and an experience unlike anything back home, or what I have experienced in the U.S so far.

Unfortunately, I was one of a rare few people excited for my summer in Mississippi. Quite honestly when I told people where I was going I would always get the same response, “Cleveland, Mississippi? Why would you go there?” People took on my excitement as a personal challenge and would do their utmost to squash my enthusiasm. They would begin by lamenting about how boring Mississippi was, then complain about the people “I mean, they are all rednecks” and finally tell me I would “die” from the heat and mosquitos. I really resented these comments, and the bigoted mindset they displayed, the very mindset that these people were attributing to Mississippians.  

They couldn’t have been more wrong.

From the moment I landed at Memphis airport where Rachel Bush, a graphic designer at Coopwood was generously waiting for me, every single person went out of his or her way to be friendly, informative and welcoming. I was a little startled at first by being so enthusiastically greeted on the street. In a city you’re lucky if you get a head nod or smile. This southern hospitality made Cleveland feel like “home” very quickly. Just the other evening I had the privilege, thanks to gallery owner Will Jacks, of being welcomed to join dinner with him and his photographer friends. They shared with me their rich family history while I admired hundreds of beautiful photos.

I’ve only been here two weeks but in that time I have encountered people from all walks of life: farmers, photographers, students, bar tenders, lawyers and editors. Many of these people were born in Cleveland and either never left, or came back here to raise a family. I can see why, there is a charm to knowing everyone around town, sharing stories at the local coffee shop and, having your children play with your friend’s sons and daughters. Cleveland is also just so beautiful with its flat expanse stretching out to fuchsia sunsets, blue skies and majestic rains.

I am not denying that education and race relations are large problems in Mississippi, like in many other places of the world. However, the people I have met here are aware of the problems and are actively seeking to engage in dialogue about these issues so that they can be remedied.

I haven’t even been in Cleveland for three weeks but I’ve sampled local food (finding out the hard way that the “pastry” tamales are encased with is in fact paper), been to Hey Joe’s, got caught in a huge storm, eaten by mosquitos and met incredible, interesting people who lead diverse and fulfilling lives.

I already am very charmed by, and protective of you Cleveland so I can only imagine how much more attached I will be in five weeks…

Can I be an honorary Delta girl?

**This was published as a guest column in "The Cleveland Current"the newspaper I am working for in Cleveland for 8 weeks.

California Girl

I have a new love affair…and its California. New York I’m sorry, you and I have had some great times together but California is offering me so much more: the ocean and sunshine. NY you can be a little cold sometimes…

Don’t worry I’ll keep you as a casual weekend fun kind of thing.

A cross between Sydney and Europe California is warm, beautiful, fun and full of beautiful people. I was lucky enough to stay Shelby’s step-mother’s house, forever now known as “Resort Renee”. When we weren’t spending our days lazing by the pool, drinking smoothies, exploring secret beaches, having picnics or shopping, Shelby was showing me her home city – San Diego. An eclectic, friendly and summer-loving place, San Diego offered me everything from Acai bowls, hikes, surf and brilliant sunsets.

Shelby – tour guide, friend and driver extraordinaire also lead a weekend road trip. From San Diego, to UCLA, to UCSB we had an amazing time! We met up with friends, ate like the locals, checked out the nightlife at different colleges, went to a paint party and soaked up some much needed sun. Back in San Diego we even managed to sneak in prom!

 After two weeks with my college bestie, I was so excited to see my long-standing bffls…aka Mum and Dad. Just as I had sufficiently drove Shelby’s family insane counting down the hours until they arrived…the evening had come! And they were trapped in San Fran…having missed their connecting flight (thanks Air New Zealand). The Wailes family leapt to attention and distracted me (whilst Mum and Dad got rejected from standby). The next morning they arrived and a new set of fun began!

We caught up on lots of tid bits of information that slip through the cracks with Skype and whatsapp and enjoyed 5 days exploring San Diego with Shelby’s family.Though we hit a bit of a cold snap we walked around, ate at delicious restaurants, went out on an old friend’s boat for the day and enjoyed cooking for Shelby’s family. Then the Maray’s were off on the Highway 1 trip from San Diego to San Fran.

We left a little late one day (having too much fun eating at the Country Club) and so skipped Santa Monica and LA on our way to Santa Barbara. (Don’t worry I had been earlier with Shelby and have to say it was one of my favourite places in America). We stayed in a gorgeous B&B for two nights in Santa Barbara, tried out local Mexican and seafood, went down to the pier, admired gorgeous chalk art and explored the area. We then drove through wine country, checked out some sights and the next day began the Big Sur drive. With sheer cliffs, blue seas, an abundance of seals and even a beach waterfall it was a gorgeous drive and we had lunch on a cliffside terrace overlooking the water.

Settling into our wood cabin for the night we played memory (I won), hangman (mum won) and spot the squirrel (dad won) and headed out a bit too late for dinner. The next door “restaurant” was a comedy of errors, didn’t get seated despite multiple free seats, forgot a dish, forgot cutlery, put cutlery down on dirty table…
After Dad quite loudly called our bearded waiter “Caveman” we thought it well time to leave…and after navigating in the dark made it to our fire pit for some Aussie s’mores aka just Tim Tams and fireside songs. 

The next morning, after some blueberry pancakes, we were on the road again. Stopping to investigate the somewhat exclusive beach side Carmel we headed to Monterey. Though our hotel room overlooked a petrol (gas) station and Dad’s bad parking, Monterey was incredibly beautiful. The pastel beachside houses, cute piers and nighttime market really made the town. We had a lovely dinner all together on the water, looking at seals frolicking as Mum fell in love with a crab and avocado tower.

The last leg of our journey had come far too quickly…San Francisco. With Mum determinately singing “San Francisco open your golden gates” we crawled through traffic into San Fran at about 8pm. Dinner that night was just down the road at Pacific Catch where fish tacos, Korean sticky ribs, Hawaiian Poke and sweet Thai iced tea all blended together in a sleep inducing mix. Our next few days in San Fran were spent on cable cars, admiring the architecture, spying the Golden Gate bridge, heading over to Berkley, sampling more seafood and Ghirardelli sundaes. All too soon we were rushing out of Walmart (we have way too much fun there) and heading for their airport.

Saying goodbye was a little harder than I expected, even though I was seeing them in eight weeks. These extra two weeks, which we had never intended upon, were so fantastic.I am awaiting impatiently my next trip to California and my trip to France with Mum and Dad in August, but in the meantime I will have to enjoy my next adventure: the Mississippi Delta!

Things I learnt Freshman Year

·      Failure hides in unlikely places but is ok. Seeing as I found my philosophy class very difficult and loved Spanish (even at 8:45am every day) I fully expected low grades in “What would you do in this situation that will never really happen like decide whether to push a fat man over a bridge in front of a train to save a family of five or not?” In an unexpected turn of events, I did well in philosophy but FAILED a Spanish exam. There were tears, great fear and confusion because yes it was hard, and yes I didn’t know all the grammar but really??? A fail??? Ultimately it wasn’t the end of the world. It gave me a massive shock and I studied super hard for the rest of the semester to make my grade up.
·      Friends are indeed very precious. I have been so lucky to make as wonderful, supportive, dynamic friends at Duke as I still have back home.
·      Decisions and difficult decisions can ultimately be very rewarding. I moved rooms this semester and gained a new roommate. Julia and I had lots of fun and through her I made brand new friends that really enhanced my freshman year.
·      Durham is way too cold. I do not appreciate shivering for months on end, wearing the same four outfits, slipping on frost or getting attacked by ice rain. That said NC’s total inability to deal with snow lead to some nice days off, and a snowman or two!
·      Theatre will always have my heart. Having not been in a polished production since St Clare’s College and Waverley College’s “Jesus Christ Super Star” I was keen to be a part of a show again. Having auditioned for Duke Theatre Studies Mainstage Show “Machinal” last August, rehearsals in January seemed a long time coming! Being a part of “Machinal” was an incredible experience, busy, tiring but I learnt so much, met fabulous people and felt I really grew throughout the show. Oh and I can do an alright American accent now too.
·      Time differences suck. It makes it super hard to keep in touch with people because as much as I love you I am not getting up at 5am to Skype. Will need to get a better handle on that next semester.
·      Sororities are so much fun. The girls of Zeta are very entertaining, genuine, ambitious and extremely caring. Rushing was probably one of the best decisions I have made since moving. 
·      Professors can have an impact in just one semester. I had an absolutely fantastic Cultural Anthropology professor that really opened my eyes to how the world works, how society is constructed and why we think the way we do. I have a new passion, hopefully a new mentor and possibly a new major as a result.
·      Independence creeps up on you. I was always pretty independent but moving to college took it to a new level. Looking back I was suddenly making all the decisions in my life, when and what I would eat, when I would exercise, go out, sleep, do homework, do my laundry (there were one or two sheetless nights). I am so much the better for it, and have a freedom and an experience that no matter how liberal my parents are I wouldn’t have had at home.
·      Time really does fly when you are having fun. I have already completed one year at Duke! I cannot wait to see what sophomore year brings, with major choices, new housing, a new campus when I do my semester switch to UNC, new classes and new friends.