As I mentioned in a previous post, Bondi Beach is swarming
with tourists (or as I put it earlier, shoobies)
from all over the world. In the
peak of the summer holiday months, one can hear four different languages being
spoken in their personal hearing radius while mindlessly lounging on the beach. From Brazilians to Germans, to Russians
and South Africans, Bondi Beach is the most diverse and touristy beach I have
ever been to. When I am in
relaxation mode on the beach, I enjoy the mishmash of languages around me, most
of which I can’t even make an educated guess of where they are from (although I
try).
But there is one language that is so distinct, so very
familiar and loud that anyone on the
beach would be able to pinpoint the origin. These tourists tend to travel in big groups, usually being
lead around by one or two individuals that claim they “like so totally know
where they are going” – these boisterous travelers are The Americans.
As I soak up the Australian sunrays, I can’t help but
eavesdrop on the American tourists, not only because I love eavesdropping and
it is undoubtedly one of my favorite beach activities, but also because it is
almost impossible to drown them out.
I have overheard Americans on the beach many times this summer, but the
most enlightening eavesdropping experience was when I tuned into a very large
group of students obviously in Sydney for their study abroad. As they boasted
about how jealous their friends back home were of them because they were
enjoying summer in Australia while their homies were left fighting the bitterly
cold winter, I learned a few things about this group of Americans:
- They
use “guy in the black Speedo” and “chick wearing the fedora” as prominent
landmarks to define their location on the beach
- The
South Park insult, “You’re a towel”, is still a very amusing and
crowd-pleasing comeback
- "Literally” does not actually mean “literally”. But they literally said
“literally” twenty two times during one conversation
- They
miss Chipotle (and REAL Mexican food) as much as I do
- They
also have an obsession with Hungry Jacks – more specifically, they are
huge fans of Hungry Jack’s limited time summer offer of $1 large frozen Cokes
(in which, they reminded me to swing by HJ on the way home…)
- They
love Kings Cross. Of course they do - it’s three blocks of filthy
nightclubs and cheesy bars, and I bet $100 that majority of these ‘Mericans
were under 21 years old and that they are fully embracing the 18+ drinking age
- And, they needed just one more person
to commit to climbing the Sydney Harbour Bridge to get the bulk discount. I was
about to volunteer except 1) I’ve already climbed the Bridge with my parents
last time I was in Sydney in 2012, 2) it is a very expensive activity (but
totally worth doing if you can make room for it in your budget), and 3) the
group would think I was super creepy for wanting to join, while at the same
time I would have blown my cover and would have to admit that I was eavesdropping
– which would be super awkward...
This group of Americans were loving life on the beach, and I couldn’t
help but smile because they reminded me so much of myself when I first lived in
Australia back in 2012. Oh the
glory days… Being able to go to the beach (or in my case, the Southbank lagoon
in Brisbane) in between classes, talking about how holding a koala was a
life-changing experience, and developing lifelong friendships with other
adventurous students like you. Although
the group of Americans made me miss the fun times I had when I studied abroad,
it also made me realize how much I have grown and how I have successfully immersed
myself in the Australian culture.
Obviously I still think holding koalas and lounging with kangaroos is
freaking awesome, but I have also learned that there is so much more to life in
Australia than Hungry Jacks and overpriced beer.
