On my first day of work at UNSW, I went into the post office on campus to mail a letter from my son to his classmates back in America. I saw a little tube for sale with "The Great Assie Coin Hunt" written on it. I thought it would be a fun way to explore Australian culture, so I bought a set for each of the kids. When I got home that evening, we poured through each coin, googling for more than half of the coins about things we'd never heard of, and writing a shopping list of things we wanted to try the next time we went to the store.

Topics featured on both versions of the Great Aussie Coin Hunt - A through M:
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• A = Australia Post (the mail service provider here)
• A= Akubra (wide-brimmed hat, an Aussie version of a cowboy hat)

 

• B = Boomerang (a flat tool, traditionally an Aboriginal hunting weapon)
• B = BBQ ("barbie" - pronounced "baaabie"; cooking with fire / smoke)

 

• C = Cricket (a very popular game I don't understand but will learn)
• C = Cherry Ripe (cherry and coconut bar coated in dark chocolate)

 

• D = Didgeridoo (cylindrical or conical wind instrument, traditionally Aboriginal)
• D = Dingo (a type of ancient dog [or wolf] in most parts of Australia) 

 

• E = Esky (popular brand of portable coolers, now generically means any cooler) 
• E = Emu (second-largest bird on Earth, big deal in Aus and appears in iconography)

 

• F = Footy (Australian Rules Football - it's whole own intense thing with short shorts).
• F = flies (a big enough problem that the "Aussie Salute" is a whole thing)

 

• G = G'Day (good day in Australian English, common way of saying "hello")
• G = Great Barrier Reef (largest living structure on Earth, visible from space, ancient)

 

• H = Hills Hoist (height-adjustable clothesline - they're everywhere, our bldg has 3)
• H = Home and Away (Aus soap opera that made Chris Hemsworth famous)

 

• I = Iced Vovo (cookie with raspberry jam and coconut, tastes kind of like poptarts)
• I = Ironbark (dark-colored, resilient species of Eucalyptus tree)

 

• J = Jackaroo & Jillaroo (boots seen on basically everyone in Australia!)
• J = Jolly Swagman (transient laborer, occupies a culturally significant role)

 

• K = Kangaroo (marsupial from macropod or "large foot" family; our experience)
• K = Koala (marsupial animal - not a bear!)

 

• L = Lamington (small square-shaped sponge cake dipped in chocolate & coconut)
• L = Lyrebird (medium-large birds notable for their aural mimicry & tail feathers)

 

• M = Meat Pie (savory pie, filled w different meats, often served with tomato sauce)
• M = Milo (chocolate-flavored malted power, typically mixed in a drink)

Coins N through Z:

• N = Neighbours (Aussie soap opera, cancelled this year after 37 seasons)
• N = Nobby's Nuts (brand of nuts with tagline, "nibble nobby's nuts")

 

• O = Outback (remote, sparsely populated, vast area of Australia)
• O = [Sydney] Opera House (a world-famous, distinctive building for performing arts)

 

• P = Platypus (semi-aquatic egg-laying mammal, endemic to Aus)
• P = Pavlova (crunchy exterior and soft interior meringue-based dessert)

 

• Q = Quokka (small animal the size of a cat; in the macropod/marsupail family)
• Q = Queen Victoria Market (largest open-air market in Southern Hemisphere)

 

• R = Royal Flying Doctor Service (non-profit air medical service for rural/remote Aus)
• R = Redback Spider (highly venomous Aus spider, related to black widows) 

 

• S = Surf Life Saving ("clubbies" - volunteer coastal lifeguards & competitive surfers)
• S = Sydney Harbour Bridge (iconic, heritage-listed steel arch bridge)

 

• T = Thongs (Australian for "flip-flops")
• T = Tim Tam (chocolate biscuit [cookie]: creme center w 2 wafers dipped in chocolate)

 

• U = Ute (utility vehicle - a popular ugly car-truck that my husband wants to buy).
• U = Ulysses Butterfly (large blue butterfly)

 

• V = Vegemite (thick, dark brown yeasty paste eaten on toast)
• V = Victa lawnmower (Aus brand...feels like a strech...maybe not many "V" options!)

 

• W = Weet-Bix (popular whole-grain breakfast cereal)
• W = Witchetty Grub (large, white moth larvae; staple of traditional diets)

 

• X = Xantippe (rural place in Western Aus, only place in Aus that starts with X)
• X = Xanthorrhoea (ancient, hardy and resilient, slow-growing grass trees)

 

• Y = Yowie (bigfoot-like creature of Aboriginal myth)
• Y = Yabby (blue Australian crustacean, similar to lobster or crawfish)

 

• Z = Zooper Dooper (Aus brand of freezer pops)
• Z = Zinc (sun protectant that is safer than other chemicals for ocean life / coral)

The Commonwealth Coat of Arms is the formal symbol of Australia, comprised of a shield held up by a kangaroo and an emu. These animals were chosen as they are native to Australia and to symbolise the nation moving forward, as neither animal can move backward easily. 

The shield has six panels representing the six states of the country, with the border representing federation. The seven-point star above the shield represents the six Australian states with the seventh representing the territories. The floral elements framing the shield and animals are Golden Wattles, Australia's national flower.

These symbols appear again and again and again across official (and unofficial) things. For instance, a giant coat of arms adorns the rooftop of the Parliament House in the capital city of Canberra, some monetary bills and coins, inside and outside the High Court of Australia (i.e., their Supreme Court). A longstanding landmark called the Australian Heritage Hotel even serves a "coat of arms" pizza with kangaroo and emu on it.

The crosses in the upper-left side of the flag reflect the head of state, which to date remains the Queen of England (a whole other interesting piece of Australian history, culture, and contemporary debate worth learning about). The three crosses overlaid in that part of the flag represent the principles and ideals of parliamentary democracy, the rule of law, the rights and responsibilities of citizens, and freedom of speech. 

The Aboriginal Flag, designed by Indigenous Elder Harold Thomas, symbolizes the sun (yellow), the red earth (relationship to land), and the Aboriginal people (represented by the black area of the flag). There is also an official Torres Strait Islander Flag, but I don't think I can reproduce it here due to copyright. Each state and territory also has its own flag and symbolism.

The Australian National Anthem, "Advance Australia Fair," was written in the late 1800s and was a popuar patriotic song, but didn't become the anthem until about a hundred years later. In 1984, by popular vote, it replaced "God Save the Queen" as the national anthem.

The red poppies were everywhere at the memorial, which was beautiful and moving. From my ROTC days visiting various WWI and WWII sites in Europe, I remember the significance of the red poppies from Flanders fields on the Western Front in WWI (see the famous John McCrae poem below). Although the symbol of the red poppy to honor veterans originated from an American woman (inspired after reading Canadian McCrae's poem), the symbolism has spread across the world as a general remembrance for people who have died in wars.  

ANZAC day (stands for the Australia and New Zealand Army Corps) in Australia is observed on April 25. It is a general memorial day (similar in many ways to our in America), but honors particularly the ANZAC troops who served in the landmark Gallipoli Campaign, their disatrous first engagement with the Allied Forces in WWI. 

The Australian War Memorial holds a Last Post Ceremony every day at 4:45 pm, which we observed. Each night the ceremony shared the story of one person listed on the Roll of Honor (i.e., the story of the veteran and his/her "last post"). Family members / descendants of the person of honor are invited to be part of the ceremony, as are other representatives and dignitaries.

There Australian national anthem opens the ceremony, followed by bagpipes ("the piper's lament"). Invited visitors lay wreaths and floral tributes beside the Pool of Reflection. After the person's story is told, Australian Defence Force personnel recites the Ode and the ceremony ends with the sounding of the Last Post. On the day of our trip, Trooper Reginald Wallace Richardson was honored.

The day we went, the Memorial invited the director of the Australian-American Fulbright Commission to lay a wreath during the ceremony (an Australian), which he did with alongside an American veteran who is also here on a Fulbright Scholarship - they're the second wreath-layers. A video of this Last Post Ceremony is below. The day we were there was also the National Day for War Animals, which was difficult to learn about. 

From our hotel in Canberra, we took an uber up to the lookout at the top of Mount Ainslie, which is where several people told us to go hike if we wanted to see wild kangaroos. Dawn and dusk are the best times to see them, we were told, so we went fairly early. We spent some time on the various trails, aweing at the songs of the huge and colorful birds (more on this later), the vistas, the trees and plants we'd never seen before (more on this to come too), the dank heavy smell of animals we could tell were close at times, and trying to keep the kids as quiet as we could so we could attempt to see wild kangaroos. ​

We changed directions and headed back down the other side of the mountain. On our way down, we found another kangaroo - this one much bigger and easier to see with the camera. We stopped and watched it - and it stopped rustling around in the grass, stood up, and watched us in return. It was about 100 feet or so away - and it never moved closer or away from us.  We watched it for awhile: it eventually tired of and stopped watching us, going back to rustling around with its head/face in the grass and wiping its ears with its paws. ​

Later that day, we boarded our train back to Sydney - an early evening train. While waiting for the train to leave the station, we saw a whole group ("mob?") of 6 kangaroos just over the fence outside the train - way more than we saw on our hours-long hike in the wild lol..There was a little one jumping around and following a bigger one (maybe its mother), two just hanging out in the grass with their paws down by their feet, and two others - the biggest ones - bounding around (using their thick muscular tail) - and then they suddently started fighting. It shocked us to see it, even though we know they can be aggressive and they box. We didn't get good photo or video - because we were so interested in just watching...but here is an excellent 4-minute video from David Attenborough of BBC Earth showing kangaroos, joeys in pouches, and how males fight. This is exactly what the fight we saw looked like!

During my Fulbright orientation in Canberra, at a session designed to teach us tips and tricks for navigating a new culture, I asked about the boots everyone at the orientation seemed to be wearing. People laughed, one man took off his boot and held it in the air, and several people described the roots of these boots in Australian culture and the different brands. Apparently they last a long time, are easier to waterproof than other types of boots/shoes because there is no tongue/laces, and the sole can be replaced. Instead of calling them "boots" or something, Aussie's call them "RMs," "Blundstones," or "Rossis."

They are truly ubiquitous.

Blundstone
Rossi
RM Williams (holy expensive!)

Friends stateside schooled me: these are common in other countries too, including in the United Kingdom, Canada, Israel, and even the US. Commonly called Chelsea boots. In the US, makers include Frye, Uggs, Clarks, Allen Edmonds, and more.

I might end up coming home with some new boots. ​😅

Postscript:

Reader, I have new boots and will be bringing them home to the U.S. with me. I love them!  They're extremely comfortable and also I went camping for three days in the winter in the Blue Mountains here in Aus with them and they were p.e.r.f.e.c.t.

Upon arrival, we had to make our way through customs (on the first official day that the borders were back open - there were a lot of people). As we gathered our baggage, a local newspaper photographer took our photograph and asked us how it felt to be coming into the country now that the borders were open again. We said we were thrilled!  

That day there was a major train strike in New South Wales, so transportation options were limited. We took a taxi - the first our kids had ever been in - and our youngest son immediately made friends with our driver, Parminder (for real - he's incredibly friendly and genuine, makes friends everywhere he goes). On the way to our place in Randwick (a trip that cost $116 Australian from the airport!), we were in a minor car accident that involved 4 vehicles on the highway when there was a sudden stop. Thankfully no one was injured, and the damage to vehicles wasn't too bad. 

After blissful showers, we gratefully poured ourselves into bed at about 7pm and slept hard through the night, with all of us sleeping 12+ hours.

In February 2020, I put in my application for tenure and promotion at Arizona State University, and soon thereafter (in the deep of early Covid-19 pandemic), started trying to plan for a potential sabbatical. I did not know how long the pandemic would last, but wanted to try to plan for the future and look forward to something to hope for as a way to cope with the stresses and uncertainties of the world.
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For years, I'd been saving in an e-folder potential sabbatical funding opportunities to refer back to when it was time. I applied for every opportunity I could as I looked for sabbatical possibilities, including a possible stint as a program officer for the National Science Foundation, science and technology fellowships with the AAAS, an executive branch fellowship by the American Psychological Association, a few specialized institutes and centers at Ivy League schools, and my dream goal of a Fulbright scholarship. I ended up applying for 11 different positions/fellowships in summer and fall of 2020 for a potential 2021/2022 sabbatical (if my tenure bid was successful, and if pandemic allowed for it). I was rejected outright from 8 of these applications, with finalist selection interviews for 3: one with Fulbright to go to Australia for 4 months, one to work in the executive branch in Washington DC for a year, and one to serve as a program officer for the National Science Foundation in Washington DC for a year (or maybe two). While one of these didn't work out, another was awarded, and I withdrew from the third once I knew about the Fulbright award.

The Fulbright timeline / application process:

• In 2018, I attended an excellent training session put on by ASU about Fulbright and how to apply. I learned at that training that the U.S. Scholar Program funds  teaching and/or research for 3-12 months in another country, with programs active in 125+ countries. I also learned you apply for a specific award (and in a specific country, with a specific award package), with a proposed project and host institution secured. I decided during that training that I wanted to try for it when I was eligible.
• In spring/summer 2020, I went "award shopping" on the CIES website to figure out where to apply. I whittled it down to four countries: Australia, Estonia, Iceland, and Romania. Ultimately, I decided to apply for Australia. Although the awards packages were more generous in the other countries, I had an established connection already with some colleagues in Sydney, and wanted to try to build on that foundation.
• I submitted my application on September 15, 2020. 
• I received a letter with an initial decision on December 21, 2020 (partial image of decision letter shown below). I was shocked and so excited to learn I passed the first hurdle! There is a multi-step selection process, including both an internal US step and then secondarily an external country step. 
• I recived the final decision letter on April 5, 2021, with the wonderful news that I had been awarded the Fulbright scholarship (partial image of decision letter shown below). I had tried not to get too excited about it, knowing it was unlikely...it was such amazing news to receive.

What is Fulbright all about?

• The program, sponsored by the U.S. Department of State, was established shortly after WWII to strengthen relationships between the peoples of the U.S. and the rest of the world, toward enduring understanding of one another to sustain world peace.
• Fulbrighters are selected both for merit but also for their intentions for and capacities to contribute significantly to democratic society.
• Families of Fulbrighters are encouraged to participate in the cultural exchanges, toward building additional relationships between more people with the ultimate goal of understanding one another across countries toward world peace. 

Trying to align timelines....in a pandemic.

• I received news of my successful tenure bid on May 12, 2021 (whew!), and thus was able to apply for a sabbatical through ASU. That application was successful - my institution granted my request for leave in academic year 2021-2022. I opted to take a full year of sabbatical leave (i.e., relief from teaching and administrative duties), even though it comes with a 2/5 pay cut. I felt I needed the rejuvenation opportunity.
• Pandemic and border closures, etc. were not easy to manage regarding timelines. Though the dates of the Fulbright Award changed several times, creating a lot of headaches for a lot of reasons, we ultimately were very lucky to be able to secure our visas and make our way to Australia in Spring 2022.