The Race That Stops The Nation

Well, hello there, fancy seeing you here. As you may have noticed, yes I have been absent in putting up new posts. This is not because I have nothing to say, I always have plenty to say. However, I have been pouring my brains onto paper the last week and a half in order to finish my first semester. Needless to say, after many late nights, lots of coffee, writers block, and finally getting somewhere I have finished and turned in all of my assignments. So let me get back to this post that I started composing a week ago, but did not have the brain space to finish composing it, so here we go.

Every first Tuesday of November is a very big deal in Australia. It is the Melbourne Cup. America has the Kentucky Derby, but the mania that ensues here is incomparable. The parties the festivities, the whole nation. Think about in the U.S. Superbowl day but the Superbowl parties on steroids with fancy outfits. The call it "the race that stops the nation," because, quite literally, everyone in the nation stops what they are doing and for those few minutes watches the big horse race. It does not matter whether or not people like horse racing, or gambling, I think the percentage of people not watching is under 10%. It is absolute insanity. I had work and class the day of the race, and I had to leave work right before the race started for my class. Everyone from work was sitting in the conference room watching the pre-race TV coverage on the projector, drinking beers, and eating snack food. I left and made it to class a few minutes before. My professor came in and said, "Help me get the race up on the screen." So even my whole class watched it before the lecture would start.

I was quite excited, it was one of the first cultural things I have experienced here. It was extremely hot that day about 100 degrees and 100% humidity, and my place is on the second floor with no air conditioning so about the same heat in my room as well. I still had a ton of papers to do and did not feel like suffering heat stroke, (OK, maybe I am being a bit over dramatic, but regardless I did not want to sit in my sauna of a room while I tried to focus on my paper.) So I went to James' apartment, it is always cool in there, plus he was gone and so it was nice and quiet. I was not looking forward to the hour commute into the city and then over the bridge on the bus. However, that bus ride regardless of heat was one of the neatest commutes I have ever had. I just stared out the window in amazement at all the beautiful outfits I saw on the ride. Everyone was dressed to the nines. Guys in suits, girls in beautiful dresses with hats or feathers in their hair. The whole time I was wishing that I did not have papers to write, because I wanted to be dressed up, or maybe I just wanted a feather in my hair. I walked around the city for a bit with a smile on my face and a look of amazement. I probably stood out like a sore thumb me, my yoga pants, and big back pack and everyone else in fancy dress. I might as well have had "amused American" written on my forehead.

Well maybe someday when I am no longer studying I will be able to actually make it to the races and put a big feather in my hair...until then I will just have to get one and run around my house with it on. Well have a pleasant today, while I have a pleasant tomorrow worry free from school.