Bikes, Magpies, and Consumerist Cultures

It's been a really hectic week full of rough starts, frustrating work, and unexpected tasks. I had a solo presentation on Tuesday (I did fairly well, considering grading here is less forgiving than in the US) and I have an exam tomorrow morning. I've been feeling frayed and honestly would like to be able to curl up into a ball in my bedroom and hide for a week or so.

But! Today I rode a bike for real. I have been working on the stationary bike over the last week, trying to balance out my hips, and I have been doing leg muscle exercises in the mornings. Will all of this, my confidence with bikes has still been low, especially after last week's misadventures and tumbles (I've got a leg of bruises). Today after class, however, Yoga Pascale put me and a bike on a running track for a while and I went around perhaps six times without stopping! And then we went off to a little secluded road and I kept going!!! No falls, no dumps into a ditch, and (almost entirely) no running into obstacles unintentionally! That has put a bit of a bounce in my step.

As I have been emotionally/mentally/physically preparing myself for riding bikes, I have been observing bikers in Brisbane wearing strange dagger-like sticks in their helmets. I've seen grass and cable ties sticking out here and there, and I've wondered if they're in some kind of peculiar biking club. I read something yesterday, though, that makes so much more sense.

The magpies.

Magpies are these birds that are everywhere around here...and they're territorial bastards. There are public signs that warn pedestrians of "swooping birds". If you're anywhere remotely close to a nest, you're eligible for a violent bird swooping at your head and clawing the hell out of your face/scalp. I've actually had some of them swoop into my hair a bit on outside benches before class. I've been lucky that they've just swooped.

But when you're on a bike, they'll come at you and make a mess of your face. These pointy helmet protrusions are a solution to this, apparently. Though this definitely makes me more fearful about trying to ride around town with what little bike skills I have, I am working to get over the fear of potential hazards. I've made a mental note to put some ties on my helmet.

I celebrated my successful bicycle adventures with a beloved Bundaberg soda. Bundaberg soda is something I cannot describe to others, other than angels singing joyfully in your mouth. It's a great experience, I swear.

Another note is the labels used to identify lovers here - it's pretty gender neutral. I've heard a lot of people talk about their "partners" (as opposed to boyfriend/girlfriend) in conversations, and it often catches me off guard. In the US (I believe), that word is often associated with LGBT relationships. Here, it's to identify the difference between a juvenile relationship and an adult, mature, long-term relationship. I think I like it and should do the same.

Last bit: We have to do something for class on Monday where we have to dress up and showcase our native country's culture. Some of the regions, like Latin America and South Asian, have figured out their food/performance/dress rather quickly. Us North Americans have been stumped for about two weeks on what we're going to do. To get ideas, I've asked some of the others what the perception on American culture is. So far, I've gotten: junk food, pizza, hot dogs, Coca-Cola, and country songs. Oh, and money. Mexican Yanet mentioned that she always thinks of American women in power suits and tennis shoes, since in cities she's seen a lot of women running around to board meetings like that. It's kind of true, I guess - we do like to run around in mis-matched shoes and outfit get-ups, I just never had thought of that! Someone mentioned that we should reenact some big TV show for the class, which is kind of impractical.

It is funny to think about how American culture is fragmented and disengaged in some ways. I have always been a bit envious of friend's with a cultural heritage that is deep and rich and provides them with something to which they can point and say, "Ahha, that is my culture!" Americans, we kind of borrow culture from others here and there...but we've a culture of consumerism, or maybe just a culture-less culture, to an extent. I can't put my finger on it exactly. Even rodeo and cowboy culture is Spanish, and our signature dishes are really regional and not national.

For food, Denver Meg is baking an apple pie (that's pretty American, right?), I might bake chocolate chip cookies, Yoga Pascale is bringing chips, and Cali Michael is bringing a couple liters of Coke. Other than that, we're still at a loss, and need to figure something out by Monday. Any ideas??