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Canberra

By arosema93

Canberra has a reputation throughout Australia as being boring, dull, and otherwise not worth visiting let alone living in. Internationally it would have a similar reputation, that is, if anyone knew it even existed. Its small. At only 300,000 residents, it is no large city, but it is very unique in that it is a planned city. Therefore, the city tends to at times be very spread out, but at other times feel almost like a real city. Unlike the grid system of most American cities which is taken to an extreme level in Washington D.C., Canberra is built with triangles and roundabouts and circles and squares and somehow it is all supposed to make sense. Granted though, while D.C. is functional and built to make sense, Canberra’s low population makes the city feel like it was built for a population four times the size. There is almost too much infrastructure in places. It never feels dirty, cramped, or unsafe.
An interesting article I read the other day attempts to explain away part of the negative feelings towards Canberra. The point it made is that the only thing really here that it is known for is the government and the capital. Ninety percent of when Australians hear the word Canberra, it isn’t referring to the city so much as the government. For example, Canberra passed this law today, or Canberra is making us pay more taxes this year. Much the same thing happens with Washington D.C. However, Washington has a lot more going for it outside of politics. As a result, people end up with a more negative view of Canberra; the majority of Australians have never even visited.
Another interesting fact about our small city is that despite the tiny population, it is the 8th largest city in the country. That gives a little bit of perspective to how small of a country this is, yet it still occupies the same land area as the continental United States. The entire population of Australia would be capable of fitting into New York City! Canberra does have its upsides however. There is still quite a bit to do here. It isn’t devoid of life as some make it out to seem. For example, last weekend I was given a fantastic opportunity through one of my courses to have a one-on-one interview with the ambassador from Brazil! He was a great guy and talked to me a lot about the diplomat life and what it is like to be an ambassador in a foreign country. Sounds like lots of positives and negatives. His biggest one is that he has a fear of flying. I don’t know how well that goes with the job haha. We talked for about 20 minutes after which two other men walked in and they conversed momentarily in a Spanish/Portuguese mix before he turned to me to introduce me to his best friend, the ambassador from Argentina! It was a great surprise and turned out to be a well worthwhile experience. Good opportunities are everywhere if you are lucky, know where to look, or are willing to get out there are find them.