Learning A New Language

When asked why I am going to Australia for a year, I jokingly respond: "in order to learn a new language." And of course I try to say this with as good an Australian accent as possible (I have been practicing very hard). But now, as I begin preparing myself for a year in Sydney, I wonder whether there is more to my joke ... what new language will I learn in this apparently familiar, but also significantly different context?

Over the Christmas holiday 2007-2008, I traveled to Australia for the first time. Though most of my one-month stay was spent in Sydney, I was also lucky enough to travel up the eastern seacoast, from Sydney all the way to the Woodford Folk Festival, near Brisbane. En route we stopped in some of the most beautiful places I've been: Bellingen, with its rain forests, and Byron Bay, the eastern-most point of Australia and the most magnificent beach I've seen. Along the way, I also witnessed Australian country towns, not unlike places I've been before, with large, bland malls and coffee served in plastic cups.

But this time, I will be in Australia for a year -- thirteen months to be precise -- spending most of my time in Sydney, with some vague plans for travel. For example, I'd really like to go to Uluru, the rock at the center of Australia and a sacred place for the natives of Australia. I would like to see the stars from the Australian desert, which has the best visibility on earth. And, I would like to return to the Woodford Folk Festival, for another five days of celebration, laughter and really amazing coffee (Australians are known for being picky about their coffee). But mostly, I would like to see what it is like to live in Australia (Sydney, really) and relate my adventures, routine or extraordinary, and tell the stories of the people I meet on this journey.