As an Australian living in Milan, today was strangely surreal. Watching moment by moment from my desk as Cyclone Yasi edged closer to the Queensland coast, surrounded by winter temperatures and a clear sunny day I couldn't imagine how completely devastating and scary the scene was in towns such as Mission Beach, Innisfail and Townsville. Yet here I was glued to the ABC News website hearing people being interviewed live and watching their home videos instantly uploaded onto You Tube. Once again, I was left with goosebumps as the Aussie spirit came through loud and clear, everyone talked about how tough people are in the region and that no matter how bad the damage is to their homes, crops and livelihoods that they'd be fine, like they were last time or the time before that. This is something that Australians are known around the world for, that incredible spirit or "she'll be right" nature.
My poor sunburnt country is having such a rough summer; whilst Queenslanders were battening down for Cyclone Yasi, bushfires were burning in Victoria and Sydney is sweltering!
From the Poem "My Country" by Dorothea Mackellar:
"I love a sunburnt country,
A land of sweeping plains,
Of ragged mountain ranges,
Of droughts and flooding rains.
I love her far horizons,
I love her jewel-sea,
Her beauty and her terror -
The wide brown land for me!"
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