The final piece of Into The Looking Glass… (Click here for Part One), Brings us finally to the moments that I live in now and where I live in New South Wales, Australia. I hope you’ve enjoyed a look into my past as much as I have enjoyed reflecting upon it and I hope that you have more understanding of who I am as a writer and where I come from.

So after making the jump to Australia, we settled into New South Wales where my girlfriend’s parents live and where she grew up. She is now a teacher and I’m an aspiring writer, hoping to find my wings while I work at K-Mart. Retail is easy and fun, so it will keep my mind on the writing tasks at hand. However, despite engulfing myself in words and work, I am still a visitor to this country. So needless to say I’ve begun looking around the nearby areas and doing all those things that tourists do. Although I am still learning the language (need to go to Canberra? It’s actually called Can-bra. Melbourne? Mel-bin.) it’s still an awesome time. From the first day I arrived I began to see the sights, and I must say Australia is more beautiful than I could have imagined.

First off, I saw the Harbour Bridge and Opera House, they are as magnificent as they appear in the movies and I would definitely suggest heading across the harbour to Taronga Zoo. Not only is the zoo amazing, but the pictures you can get from the water of the bridge and Opera House together make for some fantastic shots. Although be careful, on our way up to the zoo, I saw a spider that was probably three inches in length with a huge web on a lamppost. Absolutely terrifying, if you bring children, keep them close!

The zoo was a lot of fun, but it was actually Symbio Wildlife Park where my mind was blown. Not only did I get to see kangaroos, koalas, echidnas, and a plethora of other crazy animals, but I got to feed kangaroos and pet a koala! Although the kangaroo I was feeding had a joey and if there is anything cuter than a kangaroo, it’s a joey. As I made my tour of all the kangaroos some held onto my hand while feeding them making it a definite memorable experience. Also, on the topic of wildlife, I have seen a platypus as well. Normally I wouldn’t expect them to be so well suited for the water, but those little guys just look so happy and playful that you can’t help but smile. That and it just looks plain weird, but in a cute way.

My spider count here is climbing as I have finally seen a Redback, one of the most poisonous spiders in Australia. Knowing that something that tiny can make you really ill or even potentially kill you is terrifying to the point that you will do whatever it takes to end that tiny beast. I’ve killed two now, they call me TJ “Spider’s Bane” Edwards now in my small town. Yeah, soon it’ll be known everywhere! Also white tails are in abundance around our neighbourhood, but they are actually a hunting spider. They don’t have a web, they simply prowl your house looking for bugs, which is really handy and I wouldn’t care except their bites can cause long-term skin and muscle damage.

Aside from that I’ve been laughed at, told I have a great accent (which is weird when everyone around me has an accent) and told to speak english so all in all, I think I’m fitting in just fine. Some of the place names though are hilarious. There is a place called Blackbutt, a street nearby called Wooleybutt and Kanahooka. Kanahooka? Yes they can! If you don’t get the joke, say it aloud and then if you still don’t get it… well sadly you won’t fit in.

Also for anyone living in Canada, remember the robins and blue jays we used to see and those were really exciting come spring? Well you know those cockatoos at the pet shop for a pretty penny? They fly free here in flocks of twenty to a hundred or more! There are also beautiful birds called Rainbow Lorikeets that are literally a rainbow of colours. There are just so many gorgeous birds here that I could spend all day just naming off amazing birds. Although pelicans are much stranger to look at in person than on cartoons and television shows. I saw one using it’s neck to scratch it’s chin, it did this by leaning it’s head back and pushing its neck up into its floppy neck. Such a weird sight to see!

However I am still trying to get my bearings while driving, I have only driven on the wrong side of the road once and I am terrified of roundabouts. These circular free-for-alls are pretty much the most terrifying thing in Australia, seeing as how people blow through them at eighty km/hr. Getting to and from work would make me bald, if I wasn’t already! But for now that brings you up to speed on this canuck’s adventures amuck. Feel free to leave your comments below or email me! Thanks for reading and thuc concludes Into the Looking Glass!