ANZAC Day

It is currently ANZAC Day in Australia: one of the most important remembrance days of the year. I don't usually do much on/for ANZAC Day. Guiltily, I've never been to a dawn procession or anything. But I do feel that it's a time for Aussies to reflect on the lucky country they live in, and give thanks to those who fought for the privileges they live with now. It's one day of the year where I don't think we should forget our history. In many cases, I think people should let the past go: I know what it's like to live without doing such, and the past actions of ourselves or others can eat away at us like a physical disease slowly gnawing away at our flesh. It's so much better, I feel, to let it go and get on with life without blaming others and their actions in the past.

But in the case of ANZAC Day, I think the opposite: people gave up their lives for our generations and (hopefully) future generations to live the way we do now. Our generation has never had to experience things that the ANZACs did, and we have them to thank for it.

Australia is a lucky country. Living in the US now is the only time I've lived elsewhere (unless you count the first few months of my life), yet it's been clear to me that my life in Australia was very fortunate, as it is for many others. San Francisco life (I wouldn't know about other areas in the US) is wonderful. If you're rich. Or at least well-off. My little family isn't what I'd consider to be "rich", but we're comfortable. And I'm lucky to be able to say that from a city like this. For the rich, the US indeed seems to be the land of opportunity. If you have means to access that opportunity. If not, you're pretty screwed. And it's scary to see the result of being on the poorer end of society: homelessness is just one major issue for this city, and it's so very visible. It feels like there is more risk to living here as the gap between rich and poor is so much more apparent. This country doesn't have some of the means of support that Australia does, and without getting too deeply political, I'm only thankful for the privileged life I've had. It's scary how easy it would be for any of us to end up on the streets like so many people are here: without support or help. It's too easy here to live in squalor.

Of course Australia isn't perfect; no country is. But there are many things I miss about it, and many things about it that can be seen as being more fortunate than the life I lead here.

As usual, I am pretty tired. I'm also sick again.

But I'm planning to make some ANZAC cookies in the next couple of days. Better late than never, right? I could really use a taste of home. (I haven't baked anything in a long time, though, so who knows how they'll turn out!) I also realised that our toddler has never had ANZAC cookie before! So I thought we should get him started!

Of course, as usual, I could write a lot more; get a lot deeper and more political, but I don't have the brain power for it. I just want to say lest we forget. Thank you for the life I've had in Australia, which has lead to the life I have here and the life I have in the future. Wherever that may be. Life could be a hell of a lot worse for all of us. And it's sad that I have only to look out my window to see that. Thank you to those who came before us.

xoxo