Twenty years ago, I moved to Sydney from Mumbai.
Before arriving, most of what I knew of Sydney was derived from the cricket commentary and watching the 2000 Olympics on TV. And, like most first-generation immigrants, my first few years here were spent pining for Mumbai, the city I grew up in, while trying to find my feet in Sydney, the city I chose to live in.
Don’t get me wrong, I loved her sunny disposition and sparkling beauty outright, but everything from the slang to the seasons confused me. Ever so slowly, this sunny, salt-kissed city seeped into my psyche, changing me along the way.
Here’s what I’ve learnt about living in Sydney over the last two decades.
Food
- A Bunnings sausage sizzle on a Saturday makes those home improvement projects 100 per cent more bearable
- When someone says "bring a plate" to a celebration, they mean food, not your dinnerware. I’m still not entirely on board with this concept
- If it’s a kid’s birthday, there needs to be a home-baked cake from The Women’s Weekly Children's Birthday Cake Book – the choo-choo train, the duck, the swimming pool cake. Iconic. And you must say "hip-hip-hooray!"
- Sydney’s food scene is a multicultural melting pot. Yes, there’s Indian and Chinese, but there’s also Ethiopian, Ukrainian, Lebanese, Afghani and Nepali fare on offer
- ANZAC biscuits are never called "cookies". Side note: don’t mess with the recipe
- You’ll be hard-pressed to find a café open after 3pm. Sydneysiders love their flat whites early
- Dosas and hot samosas at Little India in Harris Park. Lakemba Nights during Ramadan. Dumplings in Ashfield, Korean barbecue in Eastwood, pho in Cabramatta and Portuguese tarts in Petersham. Sydney’s suburbs are your culinary passports – take a trip soon
- Nobody “throws a shrimp on the barbie”. They’re prawns – and they’re bloody delicious at Christmas
- Speaking of Chrissy, pavlova for dessert is essential. It may have come from across the ditch but, just like most Kiwis, it’s found a home here
- Chicken salt on hot chips = bliss
The city
- An emergency on the Harbour Bridge will bring the entire city to a grinding halt
- ‘“Replacement bus services” due to track work are your weekend travelling companions. Sigh
- One feature of our public transport that tourists dig? Train seats that can be swivelled to face the direction you’re travelling
- Hop on board a Sydney ferry and take a trip to Manly, the zoo or Barangaroo – it's pure (green-and-) gold! Love their names, too: Fred Hollows, May Gibbs, Pemulwuy, Betty Cuthbert
- Tourists may flock to Bondi and Manly, but I urge you to find a local beach for a slice of paradise (hello, Balmoral, Freshie and Cronulla!)
- Sydney hosts the world’s best New Year’s Eve fireworks. Join the crowds – it’s worth the wait
- When it comes to Sydney house prices, the only way is up. Be proud of the matchbox you own or rent
- Street art brightens our days, from the I Have a Dream mural in Newtown to the Jenny Munro portrait at Darling Square, the bin chickens in Chippendale, and the new bronze statue outside the MCA
- A coastal bush walk with mates followed by a dip in an ocean pool is a day well spent
People and language
- Unless you are Aboriginal or Torres Strait Islander, you’re an immigrant, or descended from one. Give newcomers a fair go
- “Howyougoing, mate?” has nothing to do with directions or modes of transport
- Everything sounds better when there’s an ‘O’ added to it: arvo, bottle-O, Stevo, defo, rego… you get the drift
- A few decades back, Aussies learned to say names like Sergio, Stavros and Siobhan. Bravo. Now it’s time to learn Chetan, Natsuki, Mustafa, Yee-Lin and Oine. Don’t anglicise names. Learn to say them properly. It matters
- “Yeah, nah” means no; “Nah, yeah” means yes. Tip: pay attention to the second word, not the first
- Aussie humour is drier than the Outback and twice as sharp
- Taking the piss. Piss off. Piss weak. Piss up. It helps to know the difference
- Small talk is a social lubricant. Chat with your local butcher, baker and barista about the weather, traffic or a recent sporting event – keep it light
The weather
- Check the BOM app before going to bed – it makes all the difference between carrying a brolly or wearing board shorts tomorrow
- Try to acclimatise to the topsy-turvy seasons Down Under. 40 degrees on Christmas day? Yep. Then again, there's always 'Christmas in July'
- A Sydney thunderstorm will send the night sky into a million pieces
- A mere one-hour change due to daylight saving will make you feel like you have a hangover
- The summer sun in Sydney doesn’t kiss you – it roasts you like a Woolies chook. Pay attention to the sun-safety mantra kids learn at school: “No hat, no play, no fun today”
- Winter sunsets over the city? Pure magic. My tip? Walk across the Harbour Bridge from Kirribilli into the city at dusk
Nature
- The giraffes at Taronga Zoo have the best views of Sydney
- Cackling kookaburras at 5am. Warbling magpies (beware, swooping season). Resilient brush turkeys. Bin chickens (okay, ibises) foraging for food scraps. Cocky cockatoos. A blaze of rainbow lorikeets flying past. The birds in Sydney are bold, beautiful and brash
- Gum trees shed their bark, not their leaves
- Possums may beguile you with their big, beautiful eyes – but their territorial battles waged on your rooftop will keep you awake at night
- Those scary-looking huntsman spiders are your friend. But if one gives birth to a gazillion baby huntsmans in your living room, burn the house down
- Magnolia magic in August; golden wattles in September; the heady scent of star jasmine in October; a purple haze of jacarandas in November; flowering gums in December. Sydney is always in bloom
- Beware of drop bears
Way of life
- You must raise your hand from the steering wheel in thanks when another driver lets you through first
- Tall Poppy syndrome is a thing. Brag too much and you’ll be cut down to size
- Say yes to Thursday drinks with your workmates at 3pm. It's all about work-life balance. If you break a glass, everyone in the pub will shout "taxi!"
- Backyard cricket rules: wheelie bin = wickets. Hit a six? You’re out
After two decades of living here, Sydney is definitely home. Chaotic at times (thanks, rush-hour traffic), charming at others, she’s taught me to savour the little things, laugh more, eat well – and to always wear sunscreen.
Bring on the next twenty.
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