She Moves Her Body Like a Cyclone

This past week has been my introduction to the wonderful city of Brisbane. I was welcomed with open arms by my host mother, her boyfriend, and cyclone Marcia. Arriving on Friday and leaving on Sunday, she made her mark on the city of Brisbane and surrounding cities in the state of Queensland. Growing up in Southern California did not do me any favors as far as growing accustomed to detrimental weather events, so needless to say this was my first time meeting a class five tropical cyclone, and I wondered how extreme she would be.

Are cyclones really that big of a deal, or are they just dramatized in the media?

As Marcia reared her ugly head Friday morning, I would come to realize that she and other cyclones before her are taken quite seriously, at least by my host mom. As Becca and I watched her run out frantically into the rain to save her table and chairs from water and/or wind damage, I realized that this was no joke — cyclones are just one of the many relatively frequent weather events that the city of Brisbane and Australia at large experiences.

This far South, Marcia came and went with little disturbance, leaving us only with soaked sidewalks and drunk foliage.

By Sunday, I had completely forgotten about the cyclone, until that afternoon. My host family and I were taking a walk in South Bank.

My host mom was excitedly pointing out sights to us along the walk, but what I now find curious is the way in which she described them. The bridge, the glamorous waterfront restaurants, the parks — all lovely now in relation to the 2010-2011 flooding of the Brisbane river that happened a few years ago. It reminded me of back home and how I think of scenic beauty — do I think areas of Los Angeles are more beautiful based on whether or not there was a fire in that area? Or an earthquake? Or if there is a lot of pollution on that day?

I think to some extent I do, and that we all think of beauty as a product of what could be or what once was ugly, unfortunate, or tragic. This to me was a good reminder that often the most perceived natural beauty is often the most at risk of becoming its opposite. In the grand scheme of Australia as a whole, it’s interesting to compare this notion to Australia’s fragility in the wake of current and future global warming, for many unique and beautiful creatures and plants unique to Australia will experience habitat loss and extinction.

So although cyclone Marcia was extremely destructive, I have to say I appreciate her coming through and allowing me to experience my first ever cyclone. I am thankful for both my safety through it and the insight about beauty it gave me.