Finding Routine

Tuesday was great.. I had Adaptation seminar in the morning from 11am-1pm and my Aussie anthro lecture from 2-3. The seminar went well… one student did a presentation on the movie Memento and the short story Memento Mori, which the movie was based on. The story involves a man whose wife is killed and he gets short-term memory loss and is determined to find the murderer and seek his revenge. Afterwards we had class discussion activities on it… mostly about memories and how they shape our identity.

I guess I don’t really understand that word… identity. Is it simply the idea of the person we are? How we “identify” ourselves? Is it simply a label, like ‘daughter’, ‘friend’, ‘student’, ‘American citizen’, or is it more personality descriptions like ‘spontaneous’, ‘short-tempered’, or ‘compassionate’? Dictionary.com had a few definitions of ‘Identity’:

1.     1. the condition of being oneself or itself, and not another: He doubted his own identity.

2.     2. condition or character as to who a person or what a thing is: a case of mistaken identity.

3.     3. the state of having unique identifying characteristics held by no other person or thing.

So my identity is simply being who I am. Specifically. Physically and mentally. I suppose then my answer to the question, do memories shape our identity, is yes, because who would we be without our unique memories and experiences that take part in shaping the person we are? ‘Nicky’, is not just a name… but an entire person… Simply the name of my identity. And that identity consists of everything I define myself by… everything that makes up who I am.

After class I met up with Oliver to go, once again, to the Mayo Café to get my wrap for lunch. I got up to the counter and the lady said “Wrap with salami, tomatoes, lettuce, and cream cheese with a little bit of caesar?” She had remembered what I ordered! I was thrilled to pieces, said “yes please!”, and didn’t stop smiling for the next hour. It was the first time that has happened to me here.

Back home I live such a routine during school… most places around campus recognize me and several know exactly what I plan to order. Every morning I get my Starbucks on campus where they know my name and drink… for lunch I go to get my salad from Wild Greens… and often for dinner I get my Number 4, no sprouts, easy-mayo from Jimmy Johns. They even know my drink at some of the bars we regular. It’s the sense of recognition and belonging that comes from these experiences that makes a place start to feel like home. It also shows me how much I rely on routine… whether that be a good or bad thing.  I suppose, in a way, it holds me back from trying new things and stepping out of my comfort zone… but it also gives me a great sense of safety and comfort. Being here in a new city on the other side of the world, I am forced to try ONLY new things, until I find that routine of which I’m guaranteed to fall into.

Oliver and I went down to the river to eat lunch and chat before our classes. In my Australia anthropology lecture I sat with Jeff, Doris, and Jenny. It was good, but uneventful. Afterwards met up with Nina for a bit then headed back to the Village to drop off my school stuff. It was a gorgeous afternoon… sunny and over 70 degrees. How can they call this winter?? This afternoon I bought my first pack of cigarettes here for $15… the tax on tobacco here is huge! I’m going to have to cut back significantly or maybe even quit. Australia seems to greatly discourage smoking as a habit, as I understand from the disgusting pictures they place on each pack of heart disease, black lungs, and dead fetuses… all caused by smoking.

They are also MUCH more environmentally conscious here than back home. Every trash can has a place to put your cigarette butts, there are recycling bins everywhere, and most bathrooms don’t even offer paper towels.. only hand dryers. Even in the grocery stores, you have to pay 15 cents for each grocery bag you use, and they have signs encouraging you to bring your own! Australia, as opposed to the U.S., seems to want a clean planet and good health for all… instead of just happily using up every resource and making money off those with addictive habits. The more I hear other international students’ perspectives on the United States, the more I realize about the country I call home.

Now I find myself back at my coffee shop on Gouger Street.. drinking iced tea instead of coffee to avoid having trouble sleeping tonight. I have had a lot of trouble sleeping well here thus far.. usually taking forever to fall asleep and waking up multiple times during the night. I suppose its caused by sleeping in a strange place that’s not home… I hope this goes away soon. Tomorrow is my big day… 2 lectures and a workshop, 11am-5pm. It will be a busy day.