Now we live in Sydney as you can see in the map above. This map should also serve to educate those in Australia who think that The Philippines is in Europe. The Philippines is not in Europe or anywhere near the Panama Canal. It is a group of 7,107 islands above Australia on the other half of the equator. And no, I will not explain what an “equator” is. Google it.

The desert in Australia is in the middle of the continent. Here’s a climate map of Australia:

As you can see in the above map, Australia has quite a large portion of desert area as emphasized by the big red circle. Again, we live in SYDNEY as shown in the smaller red circle. Big circle – desert. Small circle – NOT desert.

Sydney actually has what they call a “Humid Subtropical” climate. Which means NO DESERT. If you can imagine how far Manila is from Davao, triple that and you will have an idea how far we are from the desert here in Sydney.

2. In our nearly two years here in Sydney I have only seen about a dozen kangaroos and maybe 5 koalas. And all of them are in the zoo. If I look out our window at home, I will NOT find a kangaroo there chewing on my tomato seedlings. Why is this, you might ask? BECAUSE WE DO NOT LIVE IN THE OUTBACK.

We actually live in a suburb a few minutes away from the central business district which if you compare that to Makati, we would be living in Ortigas.

3. And it was just one case of dingo eating the baby and that was never really confirmed. And guess what, this dingo-eating-baby incident happened in 1980 while they were camping near Ayer’s Rock which is located in the DESERT. SYDNEY NOT IN DESERT!

Refer to this article for more information on the Azaria Chamberlain Disappearance (Azaria being the baby taken by the dingo).

4. And while you’re reading that article in Wikipedia, might as well look up the population of Sydney. It’s 4 million. By my standards, that would be enough people to keep me happy. Here’s a chart comparing Metro Manila and Sydney. You figure it out.

Metro Manila: AREA: 166 sq. km. POPULATION: 11,289,368

Metro Sydney: AREA: 12,144 sq. km. POPULATION: 4,119,190

5. Now here’s the issue I have tried not to touch, not even with a 10-foot stick for the past few months: discrimination. I will not talk about Malu Fernandez, Teri Hatcher, or Jon Stewart because frankly, there’s probably nothing left for me to say after what has been said by the 11 million people in Metro Manila.

I will instead assure everyone that in the nearly 2 years that we’ve been here, we have not yet experienced any form of discrimination; not me, not my family, not our friends. Metro Sydney is a pretty multi-cultural place according to Wikipedia, "Sydney has the seventh largest percentage of a foreign born population in the world, ahead of cities such as the highly multicultural London and Paris."

It is not uncommon for people of different cultures to clash or be wary of one another, but to actually hold out certain rights and privileges based on someone’s cultural background has been outlawed long ago. Sometime during the era when the computer was invented, maybe.

Personally, there are certain cultures here with which I have stereotypes. I know for a fact that people coming from “a certain country” would push and elbow other passengers when getting on the bus. This would include cutting in front of old people and mothers with prams. And the ridiculous fact that there are only two of you getting on the bus does not deter this behaviour from them.

I have been witnessed by some to have pushed back and scream bloody murder into the faces of such people.

I, for a fact, do not hold this opinion by my lonesome. The lady I chatted with on the bus last week has the exact same opinion of “them” as I do. And I was fairly sure she was a normal, sensible being. Until she started talking about ukuleles. I might blog about that incident some other time.

So to answer the question, “Is there blatant discrimination in Sydney?” my answer is, “No, there is no such discrimination in Sydney.” Aside from the discrimination coming from me, of course. And this I will keep to myself for fears of being Malu Fernandez-ed.

So in conclusion,
· we do not live in the desert,
· there are no kangaroos or koalas in our backyard,
· the dingo incident may or may not have happened,
· we do not live alone in our suburb,
· and the only resident of Sydney guilty of discriminating against others is me.

Labels: Living In Sydney, Pinas