Life just gives you time & space; it's up to you to fill it.

Wednesday, April 27, 2005

Mangrove Trail @ St.Kilda

St. Kilda is a place not very far from Adelaide (about 20 minutes drive from Gepps Cross towards Pt. Wakefield). I had heard about it from my husband's friend. The speciality about this place is that it has an unusual trail which is about 2 kilometres long on a swamp land filled with an uncommon tree called Mangrove.



The trail is actually a boardwalk that meanders through a forest formed by these Mangrove trees on backwaters and salt marshes. Mangrove as the name may suggest has nothing in common to our sweet Mangoes. These plants in fact produce a fruit similar to berries and although we were not able to taste it, found out that it was salty. What is so unusual about these plants is that since they thrive in swamp areas, their roots are anaerobic and cannot get enough oxygen required for photosynthesis. In order to inhale oxygen the roots tend to grow above the ground and they look like little fingers growing all over near the parent tree. When the tree grows older, apparently the roots even grow on the trunk and branches in order to fetch enough oxygen to keep it surviving. It is so surprising to see how nature takes care of itself.

The leaves of the Mangrove trees are small and green. They have crystals of white salt on their surface resembling morning dew. Our group was bold enough to taste the crystalline formation and we were amazed that the taste was the same as cooking salt. Some of us were even considering plucking a few leaves in order to save salt expense (El-cheapos)! According to the information guide given to us before we started the boardwalk, the concentration of salt in the backwaters is so much that it seeps through the trunk to the leaves of the tree. That also explains why the fruit is salty.

The flowers born by the tree have a beautiful fragrance that lingers in some part of the trail. These flowers then become fruits containing seeds. These fruits fall close to the parent tree and the seedlings give birth to daughters growing under the parents’ wings. If we thought only fauna had attachment towards their young ones, looks like we were mistaken!



These trees are home to various types of creatures both under water and above. The underwater creatures consist of various types of fishes, dolphins, crabs and tadpoles. Other creatures taking shelter in the Mangroves include spiders, mosquitoes and different types of birds.

The spiders are interesting species with respect to their habitat. In the Mangroves, the spiders form intricate webs (which would be intriguing to the best of architects) and the most astonishing thing was how each of the million webs had a single curled up dry leaf suspended at the centre. The logic behind this was that they could hide in the curl of the leaf from falling victims to birds. The web played an active role in catching prey for the spiders. I never realised until then the importance of the spider web. We noticed a few insects trapped in some of the webs and thought that those spiders were going to have a gala feast that night!

Coexisting with the Mangroves in this forest are Samphires. Samphires are smaller plants in green and red colours. They taste like a common vegetable with a salty tinge. In fact, these Samphires literally fight for space with the Mangroves. A combination of these two plants gives the dense forest a very pleasant feel. The 2 kilometre walk went like a breeze since we were beneath the canopy of the Mangroves and the atmosphere was moist, even though the sun was blazing outside.

After the Mangrove trail, we went to this huge playground meant for kids at St. Kilda. There were about a 1000 kids of various ages playing in the giant slides, swings, see-saws etc. Even we adults felt like kids once we were there and began to play in some of those big toys. It was a beautiful experience remembering how carefree we were while we were young. The playground was very colourful and was a perfect end to a wonderful day.

Saturday, April 23, 2005

My Adelaide Experience

Adelaide was unknown to me for the better part of my life which would be about 21 years. After that when I started following up Australian Cricket, I got to know that there were other cricket grounds in Australia besides MCG and SCG. The Adelaide Oval was where our Indian tigers blasted the great Aussie players in a historic win at their own soil. That event etched Adelaide in my heart because of the fact that it was a lucky stadium for India and we Indians get all sentimental about our country not so much when it is at war but more when it is playing Cricket!

Adelaide was still a city in a distant continent to me at that time. I had been to Europe and America apart from being born in Asia, but never thought of Australia as a place I would be going to in the near future. But, as luck would have it, my Prince Charming hailed from this lovely place in the heavenly continent known for its citrus apart from the Cricketing Champions.The day I knew Adelaide was where I would be heading next, I started learning about the commonly used jargons here and believe it or not people say “no dramas” here for “no worries” (which is also used). Initially as any common man would think I used to think where am I staging a drama to not be playing it and then it struck me that I was mistaking the meaning. But, the people here are very soft and helpful.

I was surprised and shocked to know that the visa period to enter this land of dreams would take about 6-7 months, but was willing to wait that period considering the better times ahead. And, the wait was well worth it once I entered this beautiful country. The Adelaide airport was smaller than our Chennai Anna International airport, but definitely a 1000 times cleaner. What caught my attention was that there were cute little dogs running around to smell and detect suspicious goods carried by people entering into this city. It wasn’t just the dogs that astonished me, but the suspicious goods they were searching – fruits and other edible items. I had never heard of any Airport searching for this kind of stuff in passengers, bombs and other destructive stuff were understandable. I learnt only after sometime that these people here were containing a particular type of fly called “fruit fly” from entering this state and hence quarantine on fruits!

All the ordeal of flying a 9-hour flight over 24 hours, losing some of my favourite snacks carried all the way from our sweetmeat shops in Chennai and the long wait for visa, came to an end when I saw my Husband walking towards me wearing my favourite combination of red and black. That was not all, he had booked a limousine to show me around Adelaide and take us back home. The house was decorated with balloons and party papers that nearly brought tears to my eyes, when I entered our “home sweet home”. I had never dreamt of something more romantic on the day of our coming together.

Full Bloom


From then on, Adelaide brought me to meet so many different people at different walks of life. Getting to know each of them was a cherish-able experience. The various welcoming parties held for me and that we held for others brought me lot of joy and made me feel important. I have become a better cook now than I used to be as a graduate student surviving self-cooked meals to save on money spent in fast-food joints. I was surprised to know the number of Indians living in this small city. When an Indian Mela was held there were about 1000-1500 Indians in all and some had not attended, so presumably there could be about 2000 of our countrymen here.

Natural Beauty


If there is one country more laidback than Australia, I would love to know about it. Most months in the year seem to have a long weekend here and people love partying during these holidays. Mother Nature has been kind enough to bring sunshine to Adelaide all these days of my being here. We have been to most of the beautiful parks, vineyards and surrounding areas that make this place heavenly. Each time I keep wondering how they are able to maintain this vast land with so less people. Even if each person in India were given a square kilometre of land and asked to keep it and maintain it for the rest of his life, I am sure it won’t be as clean as it is here.

For more information about Adelaide, please visit - http://www.touradelaide.com/

Sunset at Silver Sands

Friday, April 22, 2005

Marriages are Made in Heaven... Contd

Once the young lady got the visa after the 7-month wait, she thought that now with her love she was able to conquer the Australian High Commission. Alas! How mistaken she was...
The first few days of getting the visa were of course fast and filled with excitement with the anxiety in meeting her better half after such a long period. But, little did she know that her visa problems were far from being over.

She landed in Australia with all the dreams of a new bride beaming in her eyes and it just doubled on seeing her lover. The days that followed were painted with red roses and incessant candles. The couple was on the verge of forgetting the tough time they had gone through with the Dimia (remember our beautiful lady?) and life was becoming picture perfect. But, how long can anyone live in dreams, reality does strike with a bang and brings us back to what we must do to survive according to Charles Darwin's Evolution Theory - Survival of the Fittest!

Our lady now realised that she couldn't stay home all day with stars filled in her eyes, but had to put her education to use and earn some bread to make life better for both. So, she starts looking out for jobs and realises her American qualification hardly carries much importance in this country. Not giving up hope she keeps trying only to find that jobs that she is qualified to do require Security Clearance which is only given to the Citizens of the Commonwealth of Australia who have a 10-year trackable history, which means that she should have been from either America, UK or obviously Australia! To become a citizen with her visa would take a minimum of 4 years forget about having a 10-year history. The government thinks that after this long period people become patriotic to Australia and have no bad intentions toward this country. Is that true?

Anyway, back to our lady in the story, she decides the best option she has is to enrol in University so that she can continue doing what she likes doing. She tries and enrols for a PhD with one of the best Universities closest to her location. Officials are impressed with her credentials and are ready to get her an admission and use her talent. Sounds like something good finally was destined to happen to her. But, as luck would have it, the administrative clerks in the University decide that her VISA is not enough to grant her admission. After all the promises and wait for the Aussie visa it was back to square one. Nothing could be done in this country until you are an Australian Permanent Resident or an Australian Citizen!

Our Dimia still claims that the status of our story's heroine is the same as that of a Permanent Resident just that the word "Permanent" would be omitted from all legal documents until the completion of a 2-year wait period. The wait-period being defined as a test to the genuity of her relationship with her spouse. Ridiculous is what comes to mind! What relation does getting an admission into a University have with her love for her husband. This would sound funny in most countries but is very much true in this country. Are marriages really made in heaven? Because, if they are then they need no tests even after 200 years...

Marriages are Made in Heaven, but Finalised at the Australian High Commission

A young man and woman living continents apart met each other and fell in love so deeply that they didn’t find distance a barrier and were prepared for the 4-month long wait to be together to start their lives as man and wife, although being wedded ahead. That is how began a love story that is still continuing as an intercontinental affair after 7 long months of desperation and agitation. What transpired in between is a saga and differs very little from couple to couple, but the fact of the matter is that this story is true for every Foreigner marrying an Australian Permanent Resident.

Poets describe their pain in living separated from their lovers for brief periods. But, here are cases that are separated indefinitely for the simple reason that the Australian High Commission has not decided their fate. And, it is not that these unfortunate people are not worthy of entering a developed country and serving the same. These are not terrorists seeking revenge, these are not spies seeking inside information, these are not refugees seeking permanent asylum, but these are innocent people in love seeking to be with their beloved, these are professionals highly qualified and willing to make a change, these are youth with all the energy and passion towards Life, and more importantly law-abiding citizens who have paid a huge sum to join their better half. So, what is it that’s stopping them?

The Australian Immigration Department known by the name Dimia (Department of Immigration and Multicultural and Indigenous Affairs), which could otherwise be mistaken for the name of a bewitching lady, promises a Partner Migration or Spouse Visa to be granted in 4-6 months time provided all the documents are submitted. Makes us wonder why it takes 4-6 months in the first place because the documents that are demanded are quite strong evidences to prove the authenticity of the candidate and his past. Taking into account that they have an important decision to make viz. whether they want this candidate to be a future citizen of Australia, 5 months seems plausible enough. But, what happens in these 5 months and beyond is not evident to the common people who are awaiting their visa approval any day by mail after the end of the promised period. They are prohibited from contacting the Embassy with the threat that their applications could be rejected or delayed if they are curious to know as to what is happening to their fates in these 5 longest months of their lives.

After that gruesome wait, if they take a simple and harmless route of contacting Dimia by email there is no response whatsoever, which takes a nail-biting month to realize. After the month, they get a little more confident as to give Dimia a phone call, to hear our lovely lady’s voice, since its past the processing period and its high time they find out what really is going on at the embassy. The typical responses are “No decision made yet” or “Your file is being processed” or worse still “We have posted it to you” whereas there is no mail from the gorgeous name and we end up cursing our postal system. Even that can get only so far since it can’t take more than a couple of weeks to deliver a registered mail or we think it shouldn’t take more than a couple of weeks to make a final scrutiny of our worthy applications beyond the allotted time, and keep wondering what is it that is delaying our uniting with the lifetime mates.

It is bad enough to bear the separation and the anticipation without the interferences from the rest of the world who think they are being supportive of our situation, but hardly do they realize how much tougher it makes it for the unfortunate couple. Onlookers have the freedom to make suggestions at their own will and offer sympathies just when not needed, and this makes life worse. They make it seem as though we are at fault for not obtaining the four-lettered V-word (VISA) in the time we first said. This brings us into something called the “withdrawal syndrome” where we feel like avoiding people just so that we don’t have to answer all their embarrassing queries. One of the usual comparisons that are made with respect to the Australian visa is with that of the American Dependent Visa (H4). Thanks to the dotcom bubble, many people now know the procedure of how the American visa works, and also that the duration for spouse visa takes within a week to process and the married couple can be together from the day of their wedding. Isn’t that the significance of a marriage?

This period of separation certainly helps in understanding each other well, but also leads to doubts, uncertainty, craving and beyond all detachment to a certain extent because obviously the couple is bonded by the sacred knot, but find it difficult to understand the meaning of it. Some even begin to think if they made the right decision, leading to more heartbreak because things done cannot be undone. Since they cannot go back on their decisions and also cannot go forward, they complain and forget the happiness that matrimony usually brings. So, does this process tend to make people schizophrenic? The more the delay, the more pain it causes and hence affects people that much since they indulge in self pity – one of the worst enemies of mankind.

Who can help? We have to depend on our charming lady Dimia to assist us if she wills. The officials up there can really help make lives better for thousands of such married yet separated couple by avoiding backlogs, making faster decisions when they have all the necessary documents and speed the process on the whole. It definitely is annoying when they cannot respond to our queries in a more pleasant way than to shout back or give a rather unsatisfactory response. After all we have paid our dues and expect to be respected in return at the least. It is incomprehensible why the dependent visa to this country alone should take such an indefinite period and worse still why we cannot apply for other visa forms to be with our beloved when the dependent visa is being processed.

This is just the cry of one such spouse who is separated from her husband for 8 months into their marriage, knowing well that others have gone through similar fate. I am sure each individual had different experiences, but it all boiled down to one thing namely SEPARATION. Thus ends the love story of the young man and woman who fell in love thinking that love was enough to conquer the world, but didn’t realize that love alone was not sufficient to conquer the Australian High Commission!