Melbourne & I

Someone recently asked me, What is the one thing you would ask for if you had one day to live?  My answer…forgiveness.  You can figure out for yourself how this ties in with the rest of my story.

As a child of about seven or eight years of age, I can remember disappearing to the neighboring street for hours in hopes of catching grasshoppers.  More than one vacant lot existed back in those days and most were overgrown, which attracted both the hoppers and the flyers-nicknames I assigned to both.  Their very names are a dead giveaway in terms of the obvious differences, but the flyers also happened to be quite a bit larger.  Clearly the flyers were much more difficult to catch since they could leap into the air and fly several feet before landing.  I will never forget their black and white wings and their grayish bodies.  Catching a flyer was like finding a pot of gold!

My preteen and teen years shared the same tone as my childhood.  Some of my fondest memories include traversing a ridge of wooded hills that wrapped around a large portion of our neighborhood and eventually gave way to homes.   The house I grew up in was about eight doors down from one side of that ridge.  I can’t count the number of times that I wandered those wooded hills.  Mostly I explored alone, but to be honest, until this very moment it never even occurred to me that I was nearly always solo.  Each time I hiked through those woods I discovered something new and fascinating.  I stumbled upon countless small water holes and each held an endless number of frogs and tadpoles!  Fascinated, I sat along the steep banks and just watched them go about their frog business.  Even on family vacations, it was just a given that I would be absent for several hours each day as I explored the natural beauty of our destination.  Alone, but by choice, and not requiring any person to share the experience.

Somewhere along the way childhood slipped away and I grew into a young adult.  Almost simultaneously, I forgot how fulfilling it was to just aimlessly meander about and still be comfortable with myself and my surroundings.  The fascination with nature and animals that I remember were replaced with a need to fit in, or even to standout.  Hanging out with the right people and spending a night out on the town took the place of catching grasshoppers and watching frogs in the middle of the woods.  It became more important to be seen, appear attractive, and earn as much money as possible, in order to be seen and appear more attractive.  (Yes, I meant to say it that way)  Miracles of nature still occur and the serenity I once knew and enjoyed in those woods is still available, but I joined the ranks of the shallow and I soon found myself unable to see the magic around me.  

This trip to OZ reopened my eyes and rekindled a feeling buried deep beneath a pile of adult nonsense.  Although I will never get over missing the people in my life who matter most, I am relearning the magnificence of nature and actually looking forward to my long walks alone each weekend, which I spend exploring my new location.  I literally head out for hours on end and just aimlessly walk through parks and nature trails.  Along the way I catch glimpses of my childhood that bring a tear to my eye, but most of all I rediscovered a piece of me that has long been in hiding.  I no longer feel the need to belong to anything, since I realize that I inherently belong just by virtue of being born into this world.  Fitting in doesn't matter much to me either.  I would much rather fit in more time.  That is, time to take in all of the beauty thats surrounds me, which I somehow stopped doing many years ago.  To that end, my remaining free time in OZ is earmarked for living again.   

Lots of people ask me, What is it like in Melbourne?  Well, there aren't enough hours in the day to write about how great this area is, but I will do my best to give a description as seen through my eyes.

The city is clean, and I mean super clean!  Even with a population that hovers just over four-million people, the streets are safe and the litter is minimal.  The city’s downtown, or Central Business District (CBD) as it is known, is easy to navigate and teeming with action.  It would seem that each turn brings something new to offer in terms of cuisine, coffee houses, or craft beers.  The CBD is famous for the many alleyways, and each offers its own uniqueness that keeps this guy wondering what to expect next.  I am constantly amazed by the lack of police presence on the streets.  Coming from America, it is just natural to see police patrolling neighborhoods as a deterrent to crime.  Patrols aren't the norm here.  In fact, unless you are at a train station or a major interchange, you will be hard-pressed to find the police.  If you need them, you call them.  Even still, there is a relatively low crime rate and a real sense of safety no matter where I have ventured.  

Almost a quarter of Victoria’s population was born overseas, and Melbourne has a significant number of Asians, Greeks, Lebanese, and Italians.  It is definitely a multi-cultural city and a great place to people watch.  Speaking of which, my favorite place to people watch is on a tram.  Melbourne has the world’s largest tram system and it connects virtually every piece of the city.  If you cant find a tram to get you somewhere, there are trains, buses, and nearly as many cabs as New York City.  Let’s just say that public transportation is easy and plentiful.  If you enjoy the performing arts you will love Melbourne.  The city is referred to as Australia’s cultural capital and there is plenty to see and to experience in the way of art, theater, etc.  The cost of living here is high, ranking fourth highest in the world, but the city will satisfy even the most finicky of taste.  Whether you are a city dweller or a nature lover, Melbourne has you covered.  It is no wonder that Melbourne has been voted the most livable city in the world every years since 2011!

There are a few oddities associated with Australia though.  English is the official language, but sometimes I struggle to understand the Ozzie version.  I put together a short list of words (or phrases) that I have grown accustom to hearing since I arrived.  There is no doubt that I missed a few, but you might get a chuckle out of my list and their accompanied meanings.

Each day spent in this country finds me reconnecting with another piece of myself that I somehow lost along the way.  This journey has been one filled with emotions of every type, and I am glad to have traveled this road.  I am blessed with this opportunity (THANK YOU ELECTRONIC ARTS!), and I am equally blessed to have shared it with the people who take time out of their days to read my ramblings.  

HERE (requires passcode 2011) is the original version of my video that will take you along as I explore Melbourne.  You will need a passcode, which is 2011.  The song reminds me of someone that I hold close to my heart.  Even though this person isn't with me, they are still present during all my journeys.  If the link doesn't work, the secondary video is HERE.  More than once I have written that I enjoy exploring alone, but what good is life’s experiences if you can’t share them with those that you love!    

You will find a few recent pictures just below my list of funny words & meanings.  

Until next time…

THE LIST

Arvo: afternoon

Bikkie: cookie

Bikie: a motorcyclist

Bities: insects that bite

Bogan: white trash/hillbilly

Bonzer: awesome

Bottle Shop: liquor Store

Brekkie: breakfast

Bush: a place without concrete/wooded area

Fair go: give a chance

Footie: an annoying, but hugely popular Australian sport.  It is a cross between rugby, basketball and American football

Garbo: garbage collector

Good Onya: well done

Hotel: normally just a bar

Icey: popsicle

Keen: interested (used way too often here)

Lollie: candy

Maccas: McDonalds

Mate: friend

Milk Bar: small shop selling food/corner store

Mozzie: mosquito

Mug: someone gullible

No Worries!: no problem

Nuddy: naked

Nut out: come to agreement

Piss: beer

Pissed: Drunk

Pokies: slot machine

Polly: politician

Postie: mailman

Pot: glass of beer, smaller than a pint

Prezzy: gift

Ripper: great

Reckon: I guess, assume (used all the time here)

Scratchy: instant lottery ticket

Seppo: an American

Shout: your turn to buy (drinks usually)

Sickie: day off from work

Spunk: good looking

Stuffed: tired

Sunnies: sunglasses

Toey: horny

Trackie: running pants

Tradie: plumber, electrician, etc

Tucker: food

Uni: university

Wog: person from the Mediterranean region

The Final Stretch

Spring has finally arrived in OZ, I think.  At least it feels like spring lately, and it couldn't come at a better time.  The arrival of warm weather makes being away from home a whole lot easier!  I mean, there is a really good reason that I live in South Florida!  Spring's arrival also means that my trip to OZ will be ending soon, so I guess it is time to get down to business.

A lot more of this beautiful country requires my exploring before I get back on a plane headed home.  Seriously, I have only scratched the surface when it comes to Melbourne, and it is so spectacular that I can only imagine what the rest of Australia offers.  The original goal was to visit Sydney, Perth, Queensland, and even New Zealand (different country-I know) during my six-month stay.  Unfortunately, I never factored in one little detail…COST!  Yes, leave it to me to overlook the obvious.  If I visit one more city it would be nice, but if not, I will still leave happy with Melbourne being the only city I know in OZ.

This journey has been one huge adventure after another since the beginning.  It involved not only discovering a new country, but also pealing back that notorious onion and learning a lot about myself.  Don't worry, I am not stepping up on my soapbox again to deliver another rant.  Nope, I will save that rant for another day.  What I will say is that every time I began to feel defeated during this adventure, God answered with a new blessing.  Sometimes those blessings came in the form of a person, and at other times they were disguised as phone calls, texts, and even nature.  Call it what you will, but the timing was always impeccable.

A few weeks back I was feeling a bit lonely, and out of nowhere I met Jonno Jones who was in OZ and visiting from outside of London.  We only spent a few hours together, hitting a few spots downtown, but it was exactly the sort of lift that I required at that time.  It was kind of cool to learn that he and his partner were moving to Melbourne in the upcoming months.  In fact, I think they are arriving just about the same time that I will be leaving.  

Yesterday I met two more people, and quite literally by accident.  It was such a great day on Saturday that I made myself stay outside as much as possible-day & night.  As part of my nighttime plan, I purchased a Walking Ghost Tour of Melbourne.  I arrived fully thinking that it would be a small group, but to my shock and horror the crowd was closer to 40+ people!  Well, in typical Tonka fashion, halfway through the walking tour I slipped on the curb and nearly took out a few of the participants.  The immediate recipient of my fall was a guy named Damian.  Thankfully he was pleasant about the whole experience, and as a result of my near miss I was able to meet two new people-Damian and his friend Belinda.  The two of them were in town visiting from Perth.  After the ghost tour the three of us had a chance to hang out for a bit and enjoy a few laughs before going our separate ways.  

I have roughly one month left in OZ (maybe), which really only amounts to 16 or so days outside of work.  Melbourne was voted the most livable city in the world, and the longer I am here, the more I understand why that is the case.  In the scheme of things, I don't have that much time left to create more memories and meet new people.  

Since it has been a while, I decided to post another video.  This video chronicles one of the best weekends that I have had since Chris left town.  I don't envy that guy… He has two full-time jobs.  The first job was planned, and it is stressful enough, but the second is more challenging and comes with little praise or recognition.  What job is that?  Well, managing me of course!

So Chris, this video is dedicated to you!  You see, pinky promises work every time!

The video link is HERE.

A few pictures since the last time:

Meet the Author

A bit more than four months ago, while onboard a plane and somewhere over the pacific, this blog began.  I sat in my seat wondering what life had in store for me when my plane landed in Australia.  Countless emotions occupied my head on that flight, and all at the same time.  Excitement was one of them, of course, but nervousness and fear were never too far behind.  When Electronic Arts offered me this once in a lifetime opportunity I knew that I had to accept.  There was something inside of me that refused to even consider any answer other than “yes”.  It probably sounds strange, but its true.  I am sure that others have felt this same feeling.  Saying yes to this assignment in Australia with Firemonkeys also meant saying no to all of my fears and insecurities.  It was a big step for this guy.

The flight to OZ was an opportunity to reflect back on a lot of things.  If nothing else, reflecting back kept my fears of the unknown at bay.  Then again, was it the unknown or the known that scared me the most?  I am the type of person that requires familiarity for security.  When I don't have familiarity I resort to humor, which is my primary coping mechanism.  If all else fails, I just climb back into my shell and I hide. My strength and security comes mostly from knowing that family, friends, and Chris are always close by if needed.  Knowing all of this about myself made traveling more than nine thousand miles to live in a foreign country an extremely frightening proposition.  Something within told me that this trip to Australia was important for reasons beyond work.  I felt like there was a lesson to learn on this trip.  A lesson about myself and maybe even others.  

It didn't take long before I started to meet people that would change my life forever.  Tanja, Cynthia, and Frank who experienced tragic loss of love and life, yet they all still managed to carry on with such strength.  People from work who took me into their lives and did their best to ensure that I felt their friendship and support while in a new country.  Even those people who work in this hotel, The Blackman, who in some strange way have become like family in a lot of ways.  Each person impacted my life in a special way, and mostly without even knowing. I might say that the first lesson I learned is that everyone has the power to impact another’s life in a very powerful way.  Sometimes it occurs by choice and  other times it occurs without even knowing.  Either way, it happens, and it is something to remember as I go about my daily life.  A bit of kindness to a stranger might be exactly what they required to help them overcome their own personal struggle.  If nothing else, it certainly makes for a better world for us all to share.  This first lesson was a powerful one, but I still couldn't help but feel that there was more to come.  

After some time passed, and aside from missing Chris, life in OZ started to feel normal and almost routine.  I fell into a rhythm that consisted of life’s typical struggles and triumphs.  Work offered me the challenges necessary to keep life interesting and some friends to share it with on occasion.  I looked forward to Chris’ visit, and almost as quickly as he arrived I was seeing him away.  It almost felt like I was starting all over from day one after Chris left.  My friends here in OZ did their best to ensure that I felt their love and support, but it was still difficult.  I closed myself off to the possibility of any new life lessons, or did I?

A call with my mother brought the answers that I was looking for all along.  She told me about a book filled with adventure, love, loss, riches, sadness, and happiness.  One that is riveting yet whose last chapter has yet been written.  That book is my life, and I am the author.  As the author I get to choose what is written and how my life is goes.  There are situations that happen and things that are out of my control, but I get to choose how I react in each scenario. I can choose bitterness, anger, happiness, love, or whatever I want, but it is my book.  Sometimes it feels as though I am just a character in this book, and that is when its most important to remember the true author.  Life is finite, and we don't have the luxury of a “do over” or a rewind, which makes it even more important to pen each page carefully.  My mother never ceases to amaze me, but I never expected her to be the courier of my next lesson.

Mom's lesson came at a great time.  I was struggling with a few things and I needed the reminder of how precious life truly is and how it is up to me to find my own happiness before it ends.  There is an ending after all, and for the most part, that is the one part of my story that I don't get to write.  In the mean time, I am gluing a pen to my hand!

The book I am authoring comes with pictures, so here are a few of my recent ones…