Happy Australia Day!

Sure, it's a national holiday commemorating the day in 1788 when the First Fleet arrived on Australian turf and commenced bloody annihilation of the indigenous populations. Sure, it's known by many whoever wrote the Wikipedia page as Invasion Day. Sure, I do not consider our equivalent, Columbus Day, a holiday for the sole reason that as a college student I was never given the day off from classes. But let's face it: We humans are a conquering people. We think highly of our accomplishments, particularly when such accomplishments include founding a country and using it as a playground prison for British convicts. 

We were shown this image numerous times throughout the course of my Australia Now class, the homework for which I would frequently put off  by stating, "Australia not now! Australia later!"

And so, in honor of Australia Day (which is celebrated on January 26 and it just so happens to be January 26 in Australia right this very second!), I have compiled a list of 15 Australian things for which I'm eternally thankful:

1. Tim Tams
2. Chai from Shanti Bhagvan Chai Temple at Melbourne Uni
3. Missy Higgins and every song she has ever written, particularly "Steer"
4. Jesse Spencer
5. McCleod's Daughters, most notably the stupendous opening credits
6. Hang Up, Don't Hang Up and basically every single thing Rove McManus could ever do or say
7. The 14-meter bronze and steel koala statue in Dadswells Bridge
8. Kangaroos
9. Dr. Michael Cathcart, my tutor for Australia Now
10. MAHONI'S FROZEN YOGHURT (I mean, come on: They have their own theme song with the lyrics, "Good for my tummy, good for my body, frozen yooooghurt, yummy yummy yummy yummy!" Clearly this is the best franchise that ever could exist.)
11. The ACCENT
12. The middle-aged man in the tea room in Hamelin, Western Australia who told us that we couldn't park our campervan where we 'd parked it because "sure as shit" a paying customer was going to want that spot.
13. Little Cupcakes
14. Starburst Babies, particularly Starburst Squirts Crazy Babies--gummy Buddha-looking babies with fruity liquid entrails. It's hard not to think of it as amniotic fluid, but it's delicious amniotic fluid. (Thank you to my dear friend Jessica for reminding me about these!)
15. The entire country in general 

And that's a wrap. From President Obama and everyone on this side of the equator, happy Australia Day!