I had the pleasure of spending most of last weekend on a cattle farm in southern Australia. I can see that you're a bit puzzled, wondering how in the world I made a trek from the US to Australia and back in a weekend..<g>. Well, I never left home, but my journey was courtesy of a little Australian television series called McLeod's Daughters. My future mom-in-law got me hooked on this series when she sent a DVD set of Season 1 of the show to Eric last year for a birthday gift. Eric didn't really care for it, but I was hooked.
It revolves around the lives of 5 women, two of whom are sisters, who single-handedly run a sheep and cattle ranch in rural southern Australia. I love it because the women are real -- they deal with everyday problems that affect us all -- money, love, relationships, finding meaning, etc. My favorite part of the series is that the producers don't try and "pretty" everything up. The show is shot on location at a run-down farm in Australia, with the paint peeling and boards creaking. The cast is often filmed getting really dirty and grimy when they're shearing the sheep or running a cattle muster. Apparently flies are pretty commonplace there, as you often see the cast batting flies away from their faces during a scene. Some Americans compare the series to the 80s US television series, Dallas, but it's so much better than Dallas ever thought of being.
The show does have its soap opera moments, however, and has gotten more soap operaesque in succeeding seasons. I just finished Season 6, and it looks like I'll be waiting awhile for Seasons 7, as I don't think that season has made it to DVD yet in Australia, and the show is completing its final season, Season 8, this year.
It's amazing at how quickly you'll pick up language phrases after immersing yourself in a culture for a large part of a weekend. I'm apt to say that I "stuffed" something up (messed up) or make reference to my good "mate" (friend) or tell you "no worries" instead of saying "you're welcome."
So, g'day, mate!
To your online success!
Donna Gunter, Online Business Resource Queen (TM) and Online Business Coach/Manager
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