It’s just over one year since I
came to Adelaide and I still remember vividly some of the goals I had in my
list to pull off as soon as I settled in. One of those was to perfect my
swimming skills (or frankly, learn to swim...
no kidding). My friends and I back in Nigeria always pictured Australia as the
perfect place to enjoy water activities like surfing, Kayaking and others; of
which swimming is a must.
Pre-planned Target: water activities
Fine, it was freezing cold in
July when I arrived, however it’s inexplicable that the hot summer months that
followed after spring came and went without any significant time devoted
towards ticking “swimming” on my list. Or maybe there’s a good reason. I got
caught unawares in the festivities of the “Festival State”; which happens to be
South Australia’s slogan. As soon as the flowers and trees blossomed with life
Adelaide sparked up with events upon events all through till the end of summer.
The Royal Adelaide show, OzAsia festival, Adelaide Fringe festival and the Adelaide
Cabaret festival are some of the much anticipated annual celebrations in
Adelaide. With its pedigree for incorporating students in such activities, Adelaide
has ensured that these events are easily accessible and I enjoyed every one of
them.
Distractions: couldn’t be left out of the Festivals :)
Now at the start of my second spring
season here, the buzzes of these festivals are very much in the air. The royal
Adelaide show is already in full swing and I’m looking forward to participating
in one of its funniest activity thanks to StudyAdelaide. With the lure of partaking
in the ‘Milking the Cow’ competition with local T.V celebrities too strong to
resist, I can only hope it’s not going to be a case of ‘here we go again’ by
the time the summer is over. Hopefully, the next time Enya’s famous album (titled
“And Winter Came”) plays in my mind again I would be smiling to myself (saying
yes mate! wasn’t beaten twice), knowing that I eventually learned to swim amidst
the many ‘distractions’. But then, if wishes were horses...only time will tell.
Cheers