“(Down) Under the Weather!”

Joy Ingram

I wish I could say this has been a GOOD week, but I can’t remember the last time I was this sick without throwing up (would that be “throwing down” here?)!  I mentioned it last week, but had no idea I’d be WORSE this week!  Whatever it was turned into bronchitis and required antibiotics and still isn’t gone.  I still feel as if I can’t breathe, and I think my lungs are close to dislodging from coughing so hard.  On top of that, it has been cold and particularly rainy in Sydney this week.  I’ve been unable to do much sight-seeing (although further down you’ll read my feeble – and I do mean “feeble” – attempt to take back the weekend) and I am somewhat behind on my project, but that just means that I will have to work “harder and smarter next week”….Did I really just write that?  Oh, dear, I AM sick…..

So, no doubt you’re thinking, “Oh, good, Joy had to get antibiotics so she probably had to use that student insurance card and see a doctor, so she can tell us how well the CISI card works in a foreign country!”  Thanks so much for your concern for my personal well-being…here’s what you really want to know:  The CISI card might as well be a video rental card (which I could have used this week).  I tried two different clinics and both of them were less than impressed with my card.  They smiled patronizingly and tried to soothe me with several refrains of “you can probably file a claim and get reimbursed”.  The smiles were much more genuine as I pulled out the MasterCard.  The response was the same at the pharmacy.  By the way, I’ve revised my application of the “U” word (“ubiquitous”) to include two more entities along with coffee shops, so NOW it’s coffee shops, pharmacies, and Thai restaurants (I know there’s a joke in there somewhere, but I’m still too sick to think of it…please leave it for me in a comment if you think of it).

When in Australia….

What blog about being sick in Australia would be complete without discussing what every good little Australian boy and girl learns to eat when they’re healthy OR sick….of course I’m talking about VEGEMITE, that appetizing-sounding yeast extract spread that has been forced on Australian children through an unexplained but insidious form of mind control that started way before the advent of color television.  If you have a minute, check out this classic black & white Australian commercial on YouTube and see if the very thought of it doesn’t put “a rose in your cheek”:  http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0yA98MujNeM&feature=related

The obvious question is whether or not I tried Vegemite and the answer is YES, I did try it, as I like to think that I am open-minded, at least in the culinary sense.  So, I tried it in the privacy of my room, just in case I could not contain my reaction.  If I hadn’t already been sick, I would surely blame this malady on that small but memorable “yeast ingestion”.  Oh, you simply MUST try it!  I wish I could describe it, but it is unlike ANYTHING else I have ever tasted, and I mean that in the most unpleasant way!  Even the Australians admit that it is an acquired taste, and in respect of their fine culture, let me just say that there are times in the culinary arena when “open-minded” is better replaced by “tight-lipped”!

Location, Location, Location!

Room with a View

I have moved from the Manly Lodge to a studio apartment, which is a good thing, except that I was sick and felt like I was being uprooted from my Manly Lodge home of 9 days.  On top of the physical sickness, moving day was my most impressive bout of homesickness since I arrived.  After 9 days I did not expect it, but I really just wanted to jump on a plane and go home.  My Southern Cross idealism from last week suddenly seemed like psychological drivel.  Fortunately this passed and I began to appreciate my new “home”.  There is plenty of early morning light through the large windows (except when Sydney weather refuses to cooperate – which is often enough for me to have rewritten the American Express jingle to the following:  “Umbrella – Don’t Leave Home without It!”).  I haven’t gotten the perfect photo of the great view yet, because I never seem to be in the room at the right time of the day for the proper light, but you’ll get the idea from this photo.  What’s missing is that you really can’t see my view of the Tasman Sea.

P.C. is NOT “Politically Correct” Although it Might Be at Times

In Australia, P.C. is the common way to refer to The Productivity Commission.  This is a very interesting government-created entity whose main reason for existence is to advise the national government on microeconomic reforms of all kinds.  Although they do not have direct policy-making or enforcement powers, they carry great influence with Parliament and the country in general.  One of the issues they are currently focusing on is urban water, having recently (in April, 2011) published a draft report on “Australia’s Urban Water Sector”, looking for inefficiencies in the water industry and potential solutions.  This focus is first and foremost from a business perspective, but does acknowledge, at least to some degree, the social and environmental implications.  As part of the process of their reporting, they have scheduled public hearings to allow for comment and feedback on their draft report (after also calling for written submissions).  The major Australian cities have been chosen as locations for these hearings, and as luck would have it (probably the ONLY lucky thing that happened to me this week), the one for Sydney was on Tuesday, June 5^th. Although sick, I was able to attend a portion of it with my AWA sponsor and the CEO, who were both speaking before the Commission.  I am hoping to also visit the offices of the P.C. (field trip!!!) and get some individual perspectives on some of their water recommendations.  I’ll let you know what happens with that….

This Week’s Water Story

I’ve concluded that tap water and attitudes toward it make for an interesting story no matter where you go.  Shannee is in the premier spot for tap water stories, I think, and MaryHelen and Maria B. have shown us pictures that will probably lead to many more stories, but what about Sydney, an urbane center in a country well-versed in water technology?  Well, the tap water is of good quality according to the reports and I don’t find that it tastes too bad (although I’m used to drinking non-fluoridated well water that has been run through a home R.O. system), but that’s not the interesting part.  Of course there is bottled water here, but it does not seem quite as pervasive as in the U.S.  In Manly, where I’m staying, the local Council encourages the use of the main water supply and discourages the use of single-use plastic bottles.  One important way they do this is by providing bottle refill stations in public places with signs encouraging their use.  These are pretty-much glorified water fountains that claim to offer “filtered” water (which I have not yet heard defined).  Do we even still have water fountains in the U.S.??  We certainly don’t have them anywhere there might be an opportunity to SELL water!  But in all fairness, I do realize that water fountains are a “drain” (pun intended) on a municipal maintenance budget, especially when most Americans would be more apt to buy a bottle of water if it was available right next to a water fountain….does that mean we “drank the Kool-Aid”?…it is just flavored water after all….

The Manly Food, Wine, and Sustainability Festival

Yes, that is really the official name of the festival.  How cool is that!?!!  Actually, until 2 years ago, it was just the “Manly Food and Wine Festival”, but the local Council is pretty environmentally minded!  The festival lasted 2 days (Saturday and Sunday) and hosted about 30,000 people at Manly Beach and on the Corso (shop and restaurant area in the center of the tourist district).  I drug myself out (and drugged myself up with ibuprophen and cough medicine) and walked around for a while – although I think I got sicker as a result.  Anyway, I walked through the “Sustainability Hub” where there were various vendors and environmental groups, including the Manly Environmental Centre.  I met the founder and plan to go visit her when I get to feeling better, as she is a very “active” local activist when it comes to water issues.

You might also find it interesting that there were volunteers collecting signatures for an Australian carbon tax.  This is an ongoing, “heated” debate (and that was really an UNINTENDED pun) that has been championed by the current Prime Minister, Julia Gillard, since her election in 2010.  At the moment it seems that this is not very close to becoming a reality.

Okay, so here’s the best thing about the Festival.  Take a look at the pictures of the recycling centers (which were set up in plenty of locations), especially noting the containers for COMPOSTING.  All of the plates and utensils used by food vendors at the Festival were completely biodegradable, and people were encouraged to use these special bins for their food, plate, and utensil waste.  I wonder if we do this at sustainability events in the U.S.?  I have not had the opportunity to attend very many such events, so it may be that I just have not seen this.  Are we doing this at USF events yet?  How about it, Patel Center for Global Solutions?

One of Many Recycling Stations at the Festival

Compost Bin at the Festival

The more-than-casual observers (you!) have probably noticed that I did not mention the glasses used by the Wineries for their wine tastings.  These were definitely plastic, but were marketed as “souvenir” glasses and had to be purchased for $10.  The souvenir-toting imbibers were then able to purchase tastings in the glass for $5 each.  This effectively cut down on waste, and at least the glasses were recyclable….

Yes, I did try 2 wines and I still have the souvenir plastic glass, for now (it might get recycled if my luggage gets too heavy)….

This Week’s Instance of “Going to Australia to Learn about America”….

I had to go all the way to Australia to read a quote by an American comic I’ve never heard of:  Irwin Corey.  If you don’t know about him either (and you probably have almost NO chance of knowing about him if you are too young to remember the Smothers Brothers or other variety shows in the 1950s and 1960s), take an ogle at Google and check him out.  He was born in 1914, is still alive and kicking, and has done many interesting things, some very controversial in his day.  He has one quote in particular that is very memorable (which I read in an environmental article this week), and it should be cited LOUDLY and FREQUENTLY in discussions about sustainability:  “If we don’t change directions soon, we will end up where we are going.”

How could I possibly leave you with anything more appropriate than that?  Till next post, which I hope will find me in better health….Joy