Sydney, New South Wales

I am not native to the city I love. To get here took two consecutive ten hour flights and a stopover in Tokyo. It was both my first solo flight and my first overseas voyage, and I had no idea what to expect. Nevertheless, I put on my brave face and left my dear Canada for the Australian sunshine in Sydney.

What a change it was! So lovely and warm. And different! I was treated to worldwide cuisine, harbour cruises, art galleries and blazing beaches. There are just so many things to do! Understandably, I had plenty to pack my schedule with during my first few weeks, but as I had entered Australia on a Working Holiday Visa, I was entitled to a job and all the responsibilities that come with it.

Thus it was, that I started on a long chain of varying careers- advertising delivery, Santa's Elf, fruitpicker, waitress, telemarketer... you name it, I'll bet I've done it! All these jobs led me closer to the heart of the city, where I took up residence in a quaint little studio apartment just a flight of steps away from Wooloomoolloo Wharf. And this, my friends, was when the true love began.

Underneath the palm trees and various hopping creatures, Sydney is not very different from where I came from. A city at the summit of a proud young country, struggling between the pulls of Americanism and the British Crown.

It is this ongoing battle to establish identity that so draws Sydney near my heart. Our struggles are one and the same - as I proceed through life, stumbling along the way, triumphing at times, I can see myself mirrored by this beautiful city. I look around and can see how hard Sydney is working to fulfill its goals, and at the same time, my goals as well. And bit by bit, we expose our true selves to the world.

Throughout the course of my year long life here, I have come to love everything I have seen and been a part of. I know now that Sydney is not just a place I decided to vacation in for a year, it is a home that I hope to keep forever. I want to stay near the ocean, watch the wildlife at night in Hyde Park when it's all lit up, sit amongst the colorful parrots while they dig up worms in the Royal Botanic Gardens. This is ME here, and thanks to the great bosses I have at my latest Cafe career, I am being sponsored and can stay as long as I like! It just goes to show that whatever I need, my lovely city will provide.

That's what Sydney is to me, a nurturer. No matter how lost, poor or confused I am, this city will never cast me into the gutter. There will always be the beautiful gardens to relax in, the calming sea, the tropical flora and fauna...even the jellyfish bobbing up and down in the water. I am safe and secure, and I will never want for more.

So Cheers to you, Sydney! I won't ever let you down.

Mandy G

Submitted: Wednesday 11th February 2004, 8:59 PM

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