(英語)Gavin講師からの投稿：PCE講師ゆかりの地紹介とお勧めの観光スポット
<日本語訳の投稿はこちらから>
Head over the Westgate Bridge from Melbourne CBD and you will arrive in the ‘3011’, one of the few remaining multicultural non-gentrified areas left in Victoria. Originally a hub for southern European migrants, these days Footscray is home to Chinese, Vietnamese, and increasingly, African immigrants. The migrant communities that have come to call Footscray home have in-turn given back to the suburb with touches of their home countries, which means you can scoop up a goat curry, slurp on pho and track down the best cannoli in town all in the same street.
The first thing you notice dotting the skyline is the Footscray Market, an indoor complex complete with fishmongers and fishwives selling raw fish and seafood, greengrocers with an abundance of fresh produce and the butchers with their meat cuts and carcasses on display. Every Thursday my nan makes the trip from her home to FM, pushing her shopping jeep to pick up her weekly supplies.
Close by is Hien Vuong Vietnamese restaurant, it’s the place where my dad first introduced me to Vietnamese food - sucking down huge bowls of pho and dipping rice paper rolls. Vietnamese culture is very strong in Footscray, every year the town holds a Lunar Festival and there was even a large space called ‘Little Saigon’ until it burned down in 2018.
Nearby is the Footscray outdoor mall which contains a number of interesting shops selling traditional African clothing, art and haircuts. One summer during highschool I decided to visit one of these shops and get a tradition African braided haircut. (If you ever need a reason why skinny pale ginger boys shouldn’t EVER get cornrows just look at my Year 12 school photo) Also near the mall is a copious quantity of over-stocked $2 style shops, packed with weird Chinese imports, bootleg Pokemon toys and household goods.
Hop onto the single track green and yellow tramcar near the train station and you will head towards the Maribyrnong River a twisting river that services many runners, cyclists, fishermen and bird-watchers. On the banks of the Maribyrnong River stands Heavenly Queen Temple with its looming gold statue of the Chinese sea-goddess Mazu.
Above is all the things you can see and do in Footscray but for me it runs much deeper than that. My grandparents raised a family here, my parents were married here, the first house I lived in was here. Although we moved away to the countryside I still spent every single school holiday here in Footscray. Later in life when the decision came to attend university I chose Victoria University in Footscray, it was an easy decision for me to return to this familiar place with which I felt such a deep connection.
It was also great visiting my nan every Wednesday for dinner and some quality time together because it’s just her now in the family home since my pop passed. You talk to most other people from Melbourne and they will all say that people from Footscray share the same sense of pride and self-identity when it comes to their city and I truly believe that.
As a PCE Teacher I have learned a lot about the lives of my students and I have gained a deeper understanding of their culture and lifestyles.
Join my lessons at PCE and we can discuss a wide range of topics from current events, sports, history, geography and everything else in between.
Kind regards,
Gavin
Head over the Westgate Bridge from Melbourne CBD and you will arrive in the ‘3011’, one of the few remaining multicultural non-gentrified areas left in Victoria. Originally a hub for southern European migrants, these days Footscray is home to Chinese, Vietnamese, and increasingly, African immigrants. The migrant communities that have come to call Footscray home have in-turn given back to the suburb with touches of their home countries, which means you can scoop up a goat curry, slurp on pho and track down the best cannoli in town all in the same street.
The first thing you notice dotting the skyline is the Footscray Market, an indoor complex complete with fishmongers and fishwives selling raw fish and seafood, greengrocers with an abundance of fresh produce and the butchers with their meat cuts and carcasses on display. Every Thursday my nan makes the trip from her home to FM, pushing her shopping jeep to pick up her weekly supplies.
Close by is Hien Vuong Vietnamese restaurant, it’s the place where my dad first introduced me to Vietnamese food - sucking down huge bowls of pho and dipping rice paper rolls. Vietnamese culture is very strong in Footscray, every year the town holds a Lunar Festival and there was even a large space called ‘Little Saigon’ until it burned down in 2018.
Nearby is the Footscray outdoor mall which contains a number of interesting shops selling traditional African clothing, art and haircuts. One summer during highschool I decided to visit one of these shops and get a tradition African braided haircut. (If you ever need a reason why skinny pale ginger boys shouldn’t EVER get cornrows just look at my Year 12 school photo) Also near the mall is a copious quantity of over-stocked $2 style shops, packed with weird Chinese imports, bootleg Pokemon toys and household goods.
Hop onto the single track green and yellow tramcar near the train station and you will head towards the Maribyrnong River a twisting river that services many runners, cyclists, fishermen and bird-watchers. On the banks of the Maribyrnong River stands Heavenly Queen Temple with its looming gold statue of the Chinese sea-goddess Mazu.
Above is all the things you can see and do in Footscray but for me it runs much deeper than that. My grandparents raised a family here, my parents were married here, the first house I lived in was here. Although we moved away to the countryside I still spent every single school holiday here in Footscray. Later in life when the decision came to attend university I chose Victoria University in Footscray, it was an easy decision for me to return to this familiar place with which I felt such a deep connection.
It was also great visiting my nan every Wednesday for dinner and some quality time together because it’s just her now in the family home since my pop passed. You talk to most other people from Melbourne and they will all say that people from Footscray share the same sense of pride and self-identity when it comes to their city and I truly believe that.
As a PCE Teacher I have learned a lot about the lives of my students and I have gained a deeper understanding of their culture and lifestyles.
Join my lessons at PCE and we can discuss a wide range of topics from current events, sports, history, geography and everything else in between.
Kind regards,
Gavin