This is my third full day in Ballarat and I must say... I love it.
The accents here are amazing. That is the superficial thing.
The non-superficial thing: everybody seems to be so relaxed here. Two of my new students picked me up at St. Kilda on Friday and showed me around town. The trip to Melbourne via train will take about an hour and ten minutes while to drive to take a little longer. Beautiful countryside on the way in. I will likely get in the wrong side of the car an infinite amount of times before it becomes instinctual.
If Australia had a Northampton it would be Ballarat. Everything you could ever need is in walking distance and all compounded in the Central Business District (CBD). A decent sized outdoor mall, lots of cafes, independent stores [more prominent here than in the US], several theatres, colleges, drunks and beggars, upscale restaurants and pubs, a grand hotel with a mega dance space, several familiar US-chain stores like Target, and two McDonalds, or Macca's as it's called here. Many of the buildings which host these stores still stand from the 1850s gold rush. This is why there is a "wild-west" resemblance here. Some of the store-front facades look like San Francisco in pictures from a century + ago. While fourteen hours away it is neat to at least have some taste of something that seems like home.
Sensibilities are similar to the US here but of course there are minor differences that remind you that you are not in America anymore. Most major businesses in Ballarat do not open until 9:00 or 9:30 AM. On Sunday, church reigns and Ballarat is mostly ghost-town. The drunk crowd in the evenings are much more aggressive and confrontational. Australia Rules Football, AFL, or "footy" is the sport of choice at the current moment. Did I mention the accents (the looks I get for my own accent are so delightful, especially from insanely attractive Australian women who almost sold me a new iPhone...hit the breaks, ecp).
My new colleagues on faculty are wonderful and a weekend of cabaret performances confirms that there is very little I need to teach these kids. They are so great! Energetic, versatile, creative...ready to take it on. The snack plates and shiraz was also a delectable touch. The faculty were all so helpful with my move-in and I received a great tour of the facilities thanks to them. A cup of tea with some of the graduating students after the first cabaret also gave me great perspective on what the students need from the vocal perspective. So resourceful! I also at my first Tim Tam and Anzac Biscuit. I am staying on a rooftop apartment above the University office building; converted from an old law/judicial building. The bed is comfortable, the weather is cold but the view from the rooftop is absolutely unforgettable. My studio, which will be ready soon [I can't believe I get my own studio...with a piano!], sits on the second floor and looks the town over. It is the old "male witnesses" room. Go ahead, get a prepubescent chuckle if you wish! I did.
The University on Camp Street is only about four or five buildings and is separate from the main campus at Mt. Helen- 8k or so out of town. This happens to be in the centre of everything, which is really convenient for walking purposes.
View from the rooftop- BallaratWhile the idea of having a car is novel I will go without one for a while. There be infinitely less pressure to sell mine back in the States and more money to save for things that I need.
Food is expensive if going out to cafes and the like. Once I get things settled here I will look forward to grocery shopping, making my own coffee and tea, and doing things without having people do it for me. I fully intend on having a coffee machine in my studio, because, as we all know, can't go without! But I have tasted some very fine things here! Some great meat pies/pasties, pumpkin soup and chocolate with roasted cashews and sultana in it! I may be in trouble.
Australia Fare Quality Pies611 Sturt Street Ballarat VIC 3350
03 5333 3021
This was a pumpkin and zucchini filled pie with nutmeg, sage and other spices.
Fantastic for the fall/winter weather (you bet I'll be learn how to make these for Thanksgiving in US)
Ballarat Chocolate Shoppe16 Doveton St. North Ballarat VIC 3350
03 5331 2945
http://www.ballaratchocolateshoppe.com.au
Roasted cashews are roasted cashews.
Chocolate is chocolate.
A sultana is a Turkish white grape that Commonwealths like Australia use in cooking and cereals like muesli.
This was one tasty treat.
What am I missing...
It is winter here! Did I mention? Most days around 40 F. Nights super cold. My first two days here were rainy but Sunday was sunny most of the day. Very similar to New England fall...and I absolutely love it. Pumpkin EVERYTHING here- so much pumpkin decor and epicure. Overcoats. Sight of breath. People complaining about how cold it is. More pumpkins.
No apple cider. No "A Prairie Home Companion." None of my friends or family were here, either.
I've not been out of the country long but it certainly hinted at me to look forward to my sister's wedding in October. Where it will legitimately still be fall. And there will be apple cider and candy corn and cheddar cheese at every given corner.
A trend of mine in recent years. I always seem to be the new guy more often than I am the resident guy.
I did meet a bartender by the name of Waddy while looking inside the buildings. I stopped in the massive George Hotel to take a peek around and he was keen on answering any question I had (these fine folks of Ballarat are quite obliging!) He poured me a free beer, asked my opinion of Coyote Ugly, and gave me an insight on Ballarat rental. Before I left he told me to "do my absolute best at everything I could ever do. Even if it's showing someone around and pouring them a free round." There won't be much pouring on my end but I will take heed to his message, surely.
I was mealing on one of these delicious pies while reading the Courrier about real estate here. I could easily see myself living here for a long time...or at least always dreamed of living in a place and having a job that this all resembles, even if it in a different Hemisphere. There is still so much to explore, so much to discover...and so much work to be done.
The pastor at the Anglican Church I attended yesterday morning encouraged us in the congregation to work toward being less of "I want" people and to become more "I want to help" people. Yesterday also marked day one of research and lesson-drafting. Plans for the upcoming semester, an interest-campaign and a list of conductors to start reaching out to. I don't want, but I hope, that whatever information I can share to my new students will be helpful to them in some way.
This could be the most mind-engaging three years of my entire life.
And thank you all for your continued encouragement and enthusiasm back home. It has been nice to hear from/Skype with many of you. Once I get a strong Internet connection I will be sure to upload many many more photos!
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