If you have followed 70’s Big you’ll know that there is typically a post on every week day. Currently I’m in Australia hanging with some fantastic people, doing neat things, and eating good food. The frequency of posts will dip slightly as I’m gone, but I have some good content for you.

With that being said, I suggest that Americans from the U.S. make an effort to visit another country. Sydney is still has a similar culture and lifestyle, yet it has many unique traits. In countries like the U.S., Canada, the UK, and Australia, the governments function in a way that results in a free citizen. None of the governments are perfect, of course, and we can point to policy that limits our removes freedom, but generally speaking we are free to live how we want and are able to partake in luxury. Part of that luxury is that we are free of the worry of how to obtain or maintain freedom. We don’t have to care about the functioning of our government, foreign policy, or what else is going on the world because our respective governments won’t mess things up too much to force me to pay attention. Some of you may disagree, but the end result is that people only have to worry about themselves. This egotism is especially prevalent in American culture since it’s not as common to travel to other countries (I know people who have never left their own state, much less the border of the U.S.).

In the two trips I’ve been here, I’ve grown to have an appreciation of humanity. Sydney is interesting because the people that populate it are different. The proximity of Australia to Asia, the pacific Islands, and even the Middle East creates a different melting pot. However, it also seems that there are more Europeans that visit or live here, and a lot of folks here eventually travel abroad. My experience is that they seem a bit more “worldly” than people in the U.S., and I think that’s pretty cool.

I will say this: Australians are great fucking people. They have a good sense of humor, they’re not sensitive, and they are extremely generous. Hanging out with Australians in any setting is always a good time, and if you visit, make sure to try and make some friends (the other night, a bloke who doesn’t train that I was with was offered a cigarette, and he looked at me before saying defiantly, “No, we’re elite athletes.”). I’d like to thank and commend Tom Vale, Shannon Green, and Peter Upham for entertaining this unworthy American.

And fuck me drunk, son, the food is good here. That aforementioned melting pot with a large population means there are a plethora of places to eat. Yesterday I had octopus tentacles right before having lamb skewers (yes, it was a grilled version of this). They don’t have smoked meat and chili, but there’s some damn fine food here to make a trip worth it.

I would recommend that you make it to another country. I haven’t been to many, but I know I enjoy Australia quite a bit. Immersing yourself in another culture will make you appreciate the diversity in humanity, but it lets you appreciate the freedom you have in being able to safely experience it all. GLHF.