Today is Australia Day, the national day of Australia. I was born in Sydney to parents who grew up in the suburbs of Melbourne. They never thought they would find themselves living in America for going on thirty-five years but here we are. Uniquely American and Australian at the same time.
I grew up with parents who had funny accents. They used so many slang words that oftentimes I would have to translate for my friends. Grab your bathers and thongs meant to put your swimsuit and flip flops on. Instead of a peanut butter and jelly sandwich, I brought Vegemite. Instead of cupcakes for your classroom birthday, I brought fairy bread. Most often kids are embarrassed by their differences but I wore them like a badge of honor. An Australian club that I was lucky enough to be a member of.
We traveled ‘back home’ during summer break only to enjoy the winter when we were kids. You’d think that was a tough deal but with footy season (Australian football) at its peak, and cousins to play with, it was the best of times. It wasn’t until I spent a Christmas in Australia as a teenager that I realized we had been doing it all wrong!
Sometimes it takes a holiday to remind you of your culture. I wish I was better at sharing this part of me with my girls. I’ve done a little by introducing Vegemite, which they prefer on crackers vs. bread, their favorite treat of honey joys and pavlova, which they don’t really love and that’s fine with me, less to share! I find myself smiling when my oldest asks for ‘rice bubbles’ instead of ‘rice crispies’ because the Aussie slang gene runs deep. But by far the best way to share my Australian culture with the girls is by reading my favorite children’s books. A few of them are below.
We were able to take the two older kids to Australia but they were so young and their memories are from pictures. I hope one day my parents, my brother’s family and mine can travel ‘back home’ and enjoy the sunburnt country together.
I love a sunburnt country,
A land of sweeping plains,
Of ragged mountain ranges,
Of droughts and flooding rains.
I love her far horizons,
I love her jewel-sea,
Her beauty and her terror
The wide brown land for me!
Dorothea Mackella
