I went to my Australian Studies class. We finally got to watch the tail end of Ned Kelly. Turns out the police came and burned the entire building where the Kelly Gang was hiding. The police captured Ned Kelly. The rest of the gang shot themselves in the head so the police could not capture them. Despite 35,000 signatures on a petition to release Ned Kelly, he was hanged in October of 1880. He was 25 years old.
We then watch an Australian cult classic called The Castle. If you have never heard of or seen this movie before PLEASE do NOT do it!!!! This was such a terrible movie. Terrible plot, terrible acting, terrible everything!! The teacher started the movie and then left. So did 3/4 of the class. I was one of the few who suffered through it. I was hoping the teacher would come back and give as extra credit or something for making it all the way through that movie. But she never did. The movie ended and what was left of the class got up and left.
I came back home and worked on my econ assignment a bunch more. I watched the premiere of Australia's Got Talent with my roommates Nickey and Suzie. It was pretty entertaining. For some reason during the commercial break we were talking and an add for The Pacific (a movie about Americans coming to Australia during WWII) came on. Suzie looked at me and sternly informed me that the Aussies did not want the Americans over here. It was a big deal that the American boys came over and stole the Aussies' girlfriends. She said that 250 women became wartime brides to the Americans. Yes that is correct 250. I kind of chuckled to myself because that is really a small number to get pissed off about. She proceeded to tell me that the Aussies had a saying about the American soldiers "over paid, over sexed, and over here" and that the Australians did not need the Americans. I sat very quietly and patiently while waiting for her to finish her lecture/rant. I am a little bit of a history buff and know for a fact that the Australian army was called upon by England to serve and defend Great Britain. The Japanese started attacking Australia and the Aussie boys were all over in Europe. So the Americans who happened to be close by came to the rescue. I'm not sure if she was trying to start a heated discussion, reveal hatred towards America, or just wanted attention. But I just calmly listened to everything she had to say and then replied "Suzie, you would be speaking Japanese if it were not for the Americans."
I'm learning that even though Suzie is Australian she is very wrong about a lot of Australian ways, cultures, and traditions. I know this because I compare what she tells me to what other Aussies tell me and what I have learned from my Australian Studies class. I'm not offended by the comment Suzie said to me about what happened during WWII only because I'm used to her pulling that sort of crap. I just ignore it. I have a million more stories of the crazy things that come our of her mouth. But I won't post them because it is not nice. I posted the WWII discussion because I was most shocked at her audacity to even say that sort of thing.
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