The number 64 tram rattles its way along the tracks into Melbourne City centre as people onboard adopt familiar public transport postures. It’s my first full day in Australia and I’m heading into central Melbourne to run a few errands and to re-introduce myself to the city.
Passengers hide in the pages of their books or in the solitude of their iPods, while others avoid actual human contact in favor of more sanitized digital connections made through devices that occasionally squawk like a pet demanding attention.
This could be the London Underground, the Portland Max, the Tokyo Metro, or indeed any other public transport you care to mention. We’re just people going somewhere alone together.
There’s a fairly standard mix of people on the tram from a few pencil pushing office types making a late start, to tourists talking in foreign languages clutching maps and cameras. I look around for someone reading something odd like the woman I saw on the London Tube reading Even God is Single: (So Stop Giving ME a Hard Time), but there’s nothing that noteworthy this morning.
A woman sits across from me dressed in a black top with a polka dot skirt that fans out across the seat like it was designed for just that purpose. She sits motionless wearing big black glasses behind which she could be staring into space, sleeping, or looking at me as I look at her. I move my eyes quickly to the window where sometimes you can furtively use the reflections to spy on fellow passengers, but not today, it’s too bright outside as we pass the National Gallery. I make a note to go there — see some art — get some culture.
Federation Square; my stop. I jump off and cross the road to Flinders Street station to buy a MyKi card, a smart card ticket that allows me to use the trams, trains and buses with just one rechargeable ticket. As silly as it seems I feel rather pleased with myself as I slide it into my wallet. Something about having this makes me feel more like a resident of Melbourne and not just another fumbling tourist who stands in front of the ticket machines looking somewhat confused. Of course, the MyKi doesn’t grant me immediate intimate knowledge of the city and its public transport network, but I’m going to fake it ’till I make it.
I’m on my way to an appointment at a local bank to finalize my new account here. The streets are busy, filled with Christmas shoppers wearing summer clothes which is something of a head trip for me. Shop windows have decorated Christmas trees, Santa’s, and summer holiday special offers. A group of young musicians are playing carols on the sidewalk collecting money for the Salvation Army just a few steps away from two pretty blonde girls with clip boards who are trying to stop pedestrians with their bright smiles.
At the bank an Asian woman called Xu helps me finalize my account. “How do you pronounce that?” I ask her. “Zoo.” She says. “Oh like with the animals?” I reply. “No, Zoooo.” She says prolonging the word in a way that makes it no less clear how this isn’t the same as zoo with the animals. “Ah right, I see.” But really I don’t.
She explains to me the limitations with my new account. I can’t use it here, and there, and at this place and that, or even over the counter at the banks gazzilion branches all over Australia. “Is there anywhere I can use this card?” I inquire with a little humor in my voice. “Oh yes.” She says with a very endearing smile. I wait for the rest of the answer, but quickly realize that was it.
“Right. Well good then.” I say, deciding that perhaps this is something I’ll be able to learn from the literature. Xu smiles at me again and continues to tap her keyboard while clicking the mouse and moving complicated windows around the screen in front of her. Eventually she hands me my new bank card and some paperwork, the account is set up. “Thank you and I hope you will be having a good time here.” She says as she stands to her feet. “I plan to.” I tell her as we shake hands, and that’s it, I now have a bank account.
I leave the bank through its huge glass doors and stand at the top of its wide stairs. “I live here.” I say to myself as I watch people going about their business on the busy tree-lined street before me. My bank account and ‘MyKi’ card seem to somehow validate this truth.
Walking into the flow of foot traffic I blend into this city that I’ll be calling home for a while. I’m not really going anywhere now, just allowing myself to be carried along in a current of people that swirl around lamp posts, trees, and trash cans like flood water.
Turning a corner there’s a busker playing guitar and singing to her moving audience. It’s a pleasant afternoon, the sun is shining and I’m on no hurry to be anywhere so I sit on the steps of a large building to listen to her.
She introduces herself to the people sitting around. Her name is Jenny Biddle. “Like piddle only with a B.” She says with a smile. I like her, she looks like someone who is enjoying life, like she’s doing something she truly loves to do.
Singing into a microphone, she smiles a lot and is good at engaging the crowd. I have no idea how lucrative busking is, but a few people toss money into the open guitar case next to her and she nods to thank them for their contribution. Between songs she tells stories while returning her guitar. “My CD’s are on sale today folks. Just twenty dollars.” She says pointing to a small stack on CD’s upon the speaker next to her.
Twenty bucks isn’t much, and I liked her music so I waited for a gap between songs to buy one from her. I thought about asking her to sign it, after all she might be famous one day and I could then say “I met Jenny Biddle. You know like piddle only with a B.” I didn’t though, maybe if we meet again I will.
I step back into the current of people and get carried off down the road as her singing fades behind me into the sound of the city. On a street corner a grey haired man is preaching to everyone and nobody. Above his head he’s waving a big black Bible with gold-edged pages while speaking in a loud voice about “the Holy name of Jesus” and the real meaning of Christmas.
Ah yes, it’s Christmas, I forgot about that. Back in the UK it’s snowing and cold. But hey, I’m on the other side of the world in Melbourne, and I live here now.
—
Jenny Biddle
The Melbourne Identity
Melbourne Graffiti Art
Even God Is Single, So Stop Giving Me A Hard Time
Wrote the following comment on Jan 17, 2011 at 3:43 pm
Hi Simon. Greetings from a rainy Seattle! I’m hanging out at Bauhaus books and coffee as usual (ever been here?) and laughing at your comments on Matt’s blog. I can assure you that not everyone from Seattle is like that, believe me!
Wrote the following comment on Jan 17, 2011 at 8:32 pm
Jenny is a bit famous already
her web site https://www.jennybiddle.com/
on you tube https://www.youtube.com/results?search_query=Jenny%20Biddle
she got two albums on iTunes https://itunes.apple.com/gb/artist/jenny-biddle/id332030341
Wrote the following comment on Jan 17, 2011 at 8:54 pm
Sounds great mate.
Just getting quotes for coming over for the GP in March :-)
Wrote the following comment on Jan 18, 2011 at 2:52 am
Simon Jones! stop making fun of Chinese names :P
Wrote the following comment on Jan 18, 2011 at 10:06 am
I know that I’d rather be in Australia than sitting on the tube here!
Wrote the following comment on Jan 18, 2011 at 10:22 am
The Chinese are a very smart people, they have over 500 letters in their alphabet, can you imagine how many numbers they have?
Wrote the following comment on Jan 19, 2011 at 4:50 am
It’s a crying shame that the UK saw fit to get rid of out tram system which thrived in most cities many moons ago. In fact Simon, in your old stomping ground of Liverpool there used to be an overhead tram system. But we demolished them all so we could all have the privalage of sitting in our solitary tin boxes in stationary traffic.
Wrote the following comment on Jan 19, 2011 at 12:27 pm
I like your writing Simon.
Wrote the following comment on Jan 19, 2011 at 6:56 pm
Hey Simon. I enjoyed reading this post and a few others. It’s fun reading how you see my hometown.
Thanks again for all your help this afternoon at Little Creatures. I feel like I was on a Apple Mac course and a little guilty for hijacking your time like that too. If I see you there again I’ll leave you alone to work I promise :)
Wrote the following comment on Jan 20, 2011 at 1:08 am
@Anne Droid: I know that not everyone in Seattle is like that. I’ve met a few normal people there, but only a very few ;-)
@Yolande: I’m not really making fun of them. I wonder though, Chinese people often choose a western name so I think I need to choose a Chinese name.
@wilvo: Good artist copy, great artists steal right mate ;-)
@Ron: I agree with you Ron. It wasn’t very forward thinking to do away with trams, but its easy to see the errors of out ways when we look back I guess. I do like trams so much better than subways though.
@Jessica: Thank you very much for writing that. I’ll take that compliment and thank you for taking the time to tell me that.
And finally…
@Andrea M: As I said in my email to you Andrea, I was happy to help. That MacBook Air is really a sweet little laptop. Makes me very tempted to upgrade.
Wrote the following comment on Jan 21, 2011 at 10:06 am
I ended up buying Even God Is Single, So Stop Giving Me A Hard Time’ after reading this post :-)
Wrote the following comment on Jan 21, 2011 at 8:57 pm
Awesome description! Very engaging.
I like the part about public transport,
“This could be the London Underground, the Portland Max, the Tokyo Metro, or indeed any other public transport you care to mention. We’re just people going somewhere alone together.”
The idea that the same types of human behaviour occur universally across the globe.
Keep it up.
Wrote the following comment on Jan 23, 2011 at 11:21 am
Hi there Simon, glad you made it to your new home safe and sound, love reading your blog.
Never mind the bank account that you can’t use :-p have you joined freecycle yet? Lol
Regards
Gary
Wrote the following comment on Jan 24, 2011 at 12:39 pm
Simon – I had your birthday in my calendar to alert me so that I could wish you a timely birthday. I saw the alarm, hit snooze, and then put it on the back burner until this untimely time. So, happy belated birthday!
I am very happy you could be in such a cool place as you negotiate this 4th decade of your existence. Nay, more than existence, as in merely having being, but rather your 4th year of living, as in being alive, as in awake and engaged, and not succumbing to the soul numbing entropic routines that so easily plague the bulk of humanity. You, my friend, have taken the road less traveled. May you be rewarded with new experiences, new challenges, and a soul that grows larger along the way.
Forgive my tardiness,
Anthony
Wrote the following comment on Jan 24, 2011 at 12:49 pm
@Anthony: No worries Anthony. It’s all cool. I have a post coming up about my birthday. All this new stuff here for me in Aus has seriously put a dent in my posting schedule. I have SO MANY half finished posts. Ah well, I appreciate your good wishes mate, and as I always say, it’s my birthday till the end of the month so you’re right on time ;-)
@Gary: I haven’t joined freecycle here yet Gary. I’m still crashed at my mates place. Truth is I’ve been such a socialite since I’ve been here I haven’t had a chance to get my own place, but I’ll change that soon then hit freecycle for some stuff if needed. It’s a great service and heck, it’s not like I didn’t put some good karma into it when I was clearing out my stuff back in the UK!
Wrote the following comment on Jan 29, 2011 at 9:08 pm
****Simon****
Chinese characters : ??
Pinyin : X? m?ng
;D
Wrote the following comment on Jan 29, 2011 at 9:10 pm
ah sad, can’t show Chinese characters, this is the link with jpeg of your Chinese name ;)
https://www.chinese-tools.com/names/calligraphy/code_455_simon.html
Wrote the following comment on Feb 10, 2011 at 11:50 pm
I love the photo of Jenny Biddle; I hope for her sake you gave her a copy – it’s great! I can imagine it as her next CD cover!
Your writing is charming as ever…I love “we’re all alone together”.
Wrote the following comment on Feb 21, 2011 at 10:19 am
@Susan: Funny, while researching some stuff about facebook and how social networks might be making us sad, I found a book called Alone Together.
As for the picture. Jenny hasn’t asked for a copy of that picture, but I have spoken with her and told her she is welcome to use it wherever she likes.