Day 13: Australia Day

Australia is a loving country, one that accepts all walks of life, one that shows deep remorse and appreciation towards the aboriginal natives, and seems to be bursting at the seams with happiness and wide smiles. Experiencing Australia Day in Sydney - where the best festivities in the nation occur, is something I absolutely loved. We witnessed aboriginal tribe leaders burn Eucalyptus leaves, which create a thick smoke that wards off bad spirits. We walked through the botanical garden to the Opera House, with festivals and families picnicking all the while. The festivities captured the amount of national pride for this beautiful country, and I loved just how much Australians gave credit to the indigenous population. Every song contained Didgeridoo horns, tribal chants, and the incorporation of beautifully composed symphonies. Crowds cheered, jets screamed over, cannons burst 21 gun salutes, and thousands were packed in to see it. Several groups of Australian women spotted us and cheered with waving hands and high-fives, some of which took several attempts due to their level of inebriation...

Jack and I broke off and walked all of Darling Harbor, and happened across a bar called Palisade Hotel, a hotel with a street-level bar and a rooftop bar. It was packed and not ideal for an entire day of drinking, so we vowed to return sooner than later. We returned to St. Andrews, relaxed, worked on thesis, drank wine (because it's so much cheaper than beer here), then headed out for fireworks at Cockle Bay. The fireworks were spectacular. We returned to our area and visited a couple of bars before finding Miss Peaches, a honky-tonk bar playing 50's jazz. The crowd was full of swing-dancing enthusiasts, and really felt like I had time traveled to 1953. Experiencing Australia Day was something that very few visitors get to experience, and I know I will cherish experiencing what Australians truly value and appreciate. One thing I found from this day was how Native Americans in the US are seldom celebrated or appreciated. Australia Day, also known as Survival Day and Invasion Day, truly revolves around appreciating Aborigines, apologizing to them for previous atrocities, and working towards becoming one people. I hate that this doesn't happen in America. There is no celebrating our country's heritage. It's mentioned, but the 4th of July is merely a drunken appreciation of independence from Britain.

FIREWORKS VIDEO TO COME