ooc week: day two
What country are you from?
Australia!! i’ve gotten used to being the only australian to ever roleplay in the entire world because coming across another one is literally impossible. just me all alone on this god forsaken spit of rock. anyway i live on the east coast, south of sydney, which is the best place to live bc the rest of the country is a verified desert.
What is your first language? Do you speak any other languages?
only english :/
What language would you like to learn?
i’m learning korean at the moment which is nice but hard!! i’ve learned the alphabet and i can read/write a handful of words. i can understand more than i can read/write thanks to listening to kpop and watching kdramas. i’ve accepted that it’s going to take me a long time but that’s okay.
What’s one movie from your country that you like (or recommend others see)?
there are a few #iconic australian movies that i grew up with that i feel like no one knows about. and they’re very australian.. very tongue in cheek, don’t take themselves too seriously, and i’m not sure if that translates to other countries but!!
Priscilla Queen of the Desert:
It’s about three drag queens travelling into the middle of australia on a bus and i don’t remember why they did it, but it’s very camp and i love it so much. this video is when they’re broken down in the desert and perform for Aboriginal people who help fix their bus :} i think growing up with these kinds of LGBTQ positive films helped me from an early age to understand acceptance, which is really not that prevalent in australia i don’t think.
Pick a song from your country (or in your language) and talk about why you like it.
INXS - Never Tear Us Apart
This is just a beautiful song?? Michael Hutchence had such a beautiful unique voice. This song also reminds me of the 90s and the parties my family would have and mum dancing after a few drinks lol
Pick a classic song from your country - aka one that everyone knows, one that’s representative of your country, etc.
John Farnham - You’re the Voice
He’s the classic Australian singer and i feel like australian’s lose their shit when this song comes on? it’s literally the most iconic thing it’s beautiful to see.
What’s a book from your country (or in your language) that you’d recommend?
“Follow the Rabbit Proof Fence,” by Doris Pilkington. This was also made into a movie called “Rabbit Proof Fence” and if you can’t read the book, def see the movie!! it’s so important that more people understand the way aboriginal australians were treated by white australians, and this story talks about the stolen generation, which is when mixed-raced aboriginal children were taken from their (usually aboriginal) mothers and put into homes, institutions, etc. it’s so important and so touching and def worth checking out.
What’s your favourite childhood story from your country or culture?
tbh my childhood wasn’t particularly australian in any way that’s unique i don’t think, but fun fact: i wasn’t raised on kid’s programs like disney and those tv shows for kids. in my house we watched movies like men, so i grew up watching Grease, Rocky Horror Picture Show, Terminator. it explains a lot tbh.
Talk about a tradition from your country or culture that you love celebrating.
there are a few traditions that are specifically australian, but i think the one i like most is melbourne cup day. it takes place in november and it’s a horse race that takes place in melbourne. i don’t know how to explain it but basically, even if you don’t care about horse races or gambling or anything of the sort, you still watch it. it’s dubbed “the race that stops the nation” and for good reason - at 3pm on race day, australia stands still for 5 minutes to watch this one race. we used to get let out of school early to go watch it?? and anyway, each year we bet on a horse (i usually go for my lucky number) and even if you don’t win, it’s still fun.
Fave food from your country/culture:
i’m a piece of white bread so i have no culture but australia has some good food!! i think my fave thing is lamingtons, which is a kind of sponge cake coated in chocolate and covered in coconut.
Best season of the year in your country?
WINTER. it’s the middle of summer and i’m actually deceased. it’s get so hot here in summer, it’s actually disgusting, and it becomes impossible to do anything of merit during the day. winter is good (for me) because i love the cold weather, rain, and storms.
What’s one thing that you wish you could change about your country? Why?
more culture??? we have no film industry, no television industry, no flourishing writing industry... and on top of it, the industry that we do have is looked down upon by australians because we tend to see our own creations as bad/cringey/cheap. we really need more creation and support, and i wish we had that for artists of all kinds. it’s really disheartening as a writer to live here and know that if i ever did get published, a lot of people wouldn’t read my work because of the fact that i’m australian. we just hate our own work by default. i wish that would change so that people have a chance!
What’s one thing that you’re proud of about your country?
uhhhhhhhhhhh. there’s not a lot. i guess i’m proud that we have government-funded education and healthcare. i think that the support given by the australian government to its students and people is great, because anyone can study at university, and anyone can get treated at a hospital, and i think they’re both super important.
Name a country you’d like to visit.
england!!!!
Top three cities you’d like to visit:
seoul, london, new york.
What’s the best place in your country that you’ve ever visited?
tbh i love sydney the most, even if it’s sometimes hell. i love being in the city, and i think sydney can/will be a great place in a few years time. i’ve also been to melbourne and i loved it there - very cultural, very pretty. sydney will probably always be top though.
Have you ever been abroad (out of your country)? If so, where did you go?
i’ve never left the country :( save me.
What are some myths or stereotypes about your country or culture that are either true or are false?
hm. it’s true that we have a bad accent, it’s true that we’re laid back, it’s true that australia tends to be behind on most things. it’s true that everything here is out to kill you, but tbh you don’t notice after a while. not all australians are tan and blonde (i’m transparent and pink-haired), we don’t have kangaroos or koalas everywhere (you need to travel to see them), and tbh thongs are for feet, not for you to feel sexy in.















