This was a line in the Daily Advertiser article about the first Wagga multicultural festival, that took place last Saturday.  We heard about it a few weeks ago, and were thrilled at the thought of food and entertainment from around the world. So, after the farmers market, we zipped home, went for a long bike ride before it got too hot, then donned our sunscreen and hats for an afternoon of ethnic diversity…

And wow, were we disappointed! It was a disaster. There was a stage with bad entertainment (one we saw was just white Australian kids dancing), a jumpy castle, and a few of the normal booths we see everywhere. There was one booth doing African hair braiding, but otherwise, nothing we would call multicultural. And food? A booth selling cupcakes and one selling sausage sangas. We ended up going to Mates Gully, a restaurant we had been wanting to try, for lunch. It was very good.

Given how much we loved the Heritage Days in Edmonton, we had high hopes for this. Granted, it was the first, and the funding just came through recently so it was done on a small budget and short timeline. Hopefully it will be better next year. First real disappointment in Wagga.

On the upside, while at the market that morning, we took part in a research study about wine. One of the cool things about having a wine research institute in town is that there is research happening, and we are always happy to help! This was the second one we did this month.

Anyway, just a short post today, as it was supposed to be about the multicultural festival and that isn’t worth writing any more about.

And also, it has to be short because we have to run out right now for chest x-rays as part of our application for permanent residency. Yes, the paperwork begins again…stay tuned for details.