Photos taken: December 29, 2022 (12/29/2022, 1:08:09 PM)
Published: January 5, 2023
It has been quite hot and humid here in Sydney for last few days and it was predicted that the temperature would reach some forty-seven (47) degrees in some parts. Well, if that scares 😱 you 😳 then all I can say you’re not alone. Last time the temperature rose to that high it had a devastating impact on the people and other animals living nearby. The bush fire 🔥caused an enormous damage and the memories are still fresh. Although I didn’t live close to the affected areas, the smokes however, had swallowed a vast swath of land here in New South Walsh. I remember waking up in the morning with the smell of ashes. It was smoky everywhere – the footpath, streets, shops – wherever you go, you smell the burn. Today however, the weather is not as hot as it had been just a day before. It’s been cloudy ⛅️ during the early hours. And since no one wanted repetition of the same nightmare, this change in the weather was rather very much needed although I would say rain 🌧 is a much-preferred alternative.
To my delight as I stepped out, I felt slight rains on my bare skin. Checking the weather updates of no impending downpour and relying on it blindly, I went out to have fun with my strangers and do some photoshoot. And this time I choose one of my all-time favorites Hyde Park which never disappoints me when it comes to having some outdoor fun. With its excellent greenery and numerous picturesque locations, it stands as one of the best places for nature lovers.
Today however I had to walk a lot. First, I went to Circular Quay then I came to Townhall and from there I made my way towards Hyde Park. And along the way I chatted with many people who happens to be rather busy on this day. I was in fact about to wrap up and like it happened several times in the past, I decided to make one last approach before calling it quits and lo and behold this very last person whom I approached today said yes and that makes the next episode of my strangers’ project.
I was leaning against the barrier walls in front of the museum station 🚉 next to the traffic light while she was passing by, and it needed very little prompting as “this is the last one and I am done after this” flashed into my mind for a second. Walking up to her while she was checking her phone and waving my hand to get her attention with my welcome message I went on: “Hey, can I take a photo of yours? It’s for a project.”
Confused and perplexed, she paused. “Can I show you? Five seconds. Come. Come over here! I show you quickly.” – I went on with my persistent “sales pitch” to which she apparently succumbed.
Taking her up to the barrier walls where I have been just a minute earlier and making her sit and then myself sitting right next to her when I explained the idea and showed some photos, she had no choice but to say yes in her broken English after a few follow up questions. And as such my departure from Hyde Park towards my sweet home 🏡 was swiftly delayed. Since I was feeling the weight of my gears rather badly by that time, I wanted to make it short and consequently the whole episode lasted for about half-an-hour or so, although I had a lot of fun during.
So, here is Suyeon Kim hailed from Korea who came to Australia to study English and travel around.
“…Study English and travel Australia”
“Travel Australia… where you wanna go? You are in Sydney now. Where else you wanna go?”
“Sydney and Brisbane and Gold Coast” – she went on. (See the video below)
Although I find it rather ironic on my behalf that I myself have never been to either of the cities as yet living here in Australia for more than eight (8) years now, I was nonetheless, amused. Since I am doing a project now, it would surely be a wonderful adventure should I be able to manage something similar in the very near future. The blog, photo taking, article writing, image editing, cooking my food, doing my household chores, and also working my day job to pay my bills is what is keeping me super busy all the time as it turns out. And as such making an additional plan to visit some other cities in this beautiful country is although very fascinating as an idea but remains unfulfilled when it comes to bringing the idea into fruition.
The day we met, New Year celebration is just around the corner and every year thousands of people gather around Sydney CBD to mark this occasion and this year would definitely be no exception. For my photographic journey 2022 has been an outstanding year and I hope to make many awesome memories in the upcoming years as well. Once upon a time, language barrier was a real challenge when it comes to communicating with people from diverse background but it’s no longer an issue at least at this moment. Despite our language difficulties we had a wonderful session which made this encounter yet another unforgettable occurrence in the collection of my sweet memories.
