The purpose of this particular blog entry is to satisfy the requirements
of the blog that I feel have not been fulfilled in previous entries. For Melbourne, previous blog entries have provided pictures and commentary on
portions of the built and natural environment. For this blog, I would
like to take some time to further reflect on the city of Melbourne, particularly the predominant culture of the area and also provide some details of a conversation I had with a local person. This post will also provide a chronologically correct posting where I can
upload a reflections video of Melbourne.
As I stated in the blog on the first day of Melbourne, I was particularly keen and excited to visit this city. After visiting for a week, I am happy to report that I really enjoyed my stay! The Victoria Market on the first day set a wonderful tone for the local culture and although the city seemed a bit dirty in places (not as well-kept as Brisbane), Melbourne definitely grows on you and has an attractive charm. Perhaps the charm is due to the Yarra River winding its way elegantly through the central business districts, providing spectacular vistas of the setting sun. Maybe its the sports center that attracts thousands of people (both local and international) for various sports at the same time - tennis (The Australian Open!), cricket (MCG), soccer, and Australian Rules Football (among many others). At any rate, practically everyone I came into contact with was friendly, continuing the cordiality I have experienced on my journey so far.
Like most places in Australia, there is a huge presence of the Asian cultures here in Melbourne, but overall there seems to be a diverse representation of nationalities. It's a bit overwhelming and inspiring at the same time to possibly hear English, Mandarin, Korean, French, Spanish and even a good "War Eagle!" from a stranger - all within a single city block. Melbourne is definitely a diverse city, but still manages to maintain an air of openness and freedom for guests to come and stay as long as they like.
One thing I noticed (more in retrospect) is the general absence of Aborigines. Other places in Australia we have visited up to this point seem to have had a small presence of Aborigines. Many times they are found playing didgeridoos in the street or posing for pictures somewhere, but here in Melbourne I really only noticed the representation of the Aboriginal culture at the Art Museum. Souvenir shops had Aboriginal artwork for sale, but I don't believe I saw a single Aboriginal person during my stay in Melbourne. Perhaps the Aborigines did not populate the Victoria state as much, or maybe they have decided to move further into the bush or to other large cities. Or, perhaps they are undercover in the city and I missed them altogether.
I had an interesting conversation one evening with a local of the place (I can't recall his name at the moment). Our conversation didn't start out normally, say, with a nice introduction and explanation of why I'm in Australia, etc. After learning I was from America, he immediately started asking me detailed questions about the political parties and my opinion of specific people involved in U.S. politics. I did my best to carry on the conversation, but honestly I don't pay politics a great deal of attention until it nears election time (no time!). This guy seemed to keep up with every breaking news story in U.S. politics and has been doing so since the mid-90's when Bill Clinton was President. Reflecting on the conversation, I find it curious that he follows politics in the states so closely. Then again, when you turn on the television here and quickly find a station covering U.S. politics by accident, its not such a mystery anymore why the folks here know so much about our presidential and congressional races. Heck, Australians are probably more informed on the candidates than a majority of the people in the U.S. who actually cast a ballot.
Overall, I think Melbourne is a spectacular city with plenty of local flare and excellent entertainment venues . Buildings here are running confidently with the sustainable torch and the area appears to be in a wonderful boom-time. If I ever get the chance, I would definitely pay Melbourne another visit! However, my time here is waning and it is time to be off to the next big city - Auckland, New Zealand!
For a reflections video that contains a full recap of adventures in Melbourne, please click on the following link:
(Video coming soon!)
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