Xanadu

A million lights are dancing and there you are, a shooting star.

Olivia Newton-John. Xanadu

I grew up in an age without internet and mobile phones, music apps, or playlists. I grew up in a time when culture was passed along through objects: tapes, records, comic books, and books. They were interesting because we could live among them. We could pick them up and hold them. Collect them. And remember them…even decades later.

One of the first music tapes I owned was the soundtrack to the movie Grease. Olivia Newton-John and John Travolta. I can close my eyes and see myself in Grade 4, the quiet school hallway, my old tape recorder sitting on the grey linoleum floor. And I can still recall every damn word of each song on that soundtrack. 

We go together

Like rama lama lama ka dinga da dinga dong

Remembered forever

As shoo-bop sha wadda wadda yippity boom de boom

Chang chang changitty chang sha-bop

That’s the way it should be

Wah-oooh, yeah!

We go together. Grease Soundtrack.

I was such a big fan of these two that I had written their names in black permanent marker on my yellow bedroom wall: Olivia & John.

I watched Xanadu in the movie theatre in Grade 5 and had to get myself a pair of rollerblades to look like Olivia at the roller disco. Sadly, I never made it there. I tried rollerblading to school the next day in my brand new, very tight jeans – tripped, fell, and tore the knees of my pants, which was the end of my rollerblading career. 

Once a month, my dad would take us to the record store in the city. Five dollars for a vinyl single record, and there she was: Olivia with her terry headband, stretching in the soft ocean surf (I never questioned why she would be sitting in the water in her aerobic outfit).

The first time I danced with my soon-to-be husband was at a uni party to the tunes of “You’re the one that I want” (until I went to the washroom only to find him dancing with another girl when I returned). The song became our wedding song two years later.

We watched Grease at a campground’s open-air movie theatre with our kids. And while we were busy covering our young children’s ears and eyes, as this movie was definitely not age-appropriate, a tree limb came crashing down on our campsite and destroyed our van. I like to think that it was Olivia who watched out for us.

And then Olivia Newton-John suddenly died. And with her, a part of the memories and emotions that I connected with her and her music, died as well. I learned that she had been a great Australian icon, which I thought was interesting because here I was, sitting in Canada, waiting for my visa to Australia.

Two days after her passing, my work permit arrived, and I could finally start the process of moving to Sydney, Australia. I booked a flight, said my goodbyes for the hundredth time, and got on the plane. I have to admit, it felt a bit like Olivia was sending me a sign. 

Suddenly the wheels are in motion

And I, I’m ready to sail any ocean

Suddenly I don’t need the answers

‘Cause I, I’m ready to take all my chances with you

Suddenly. Olivia Newton-John

It’s already been a week since I arrived, and what a week it has been! 

I started teaching on Monday, and I am trying hard to remember all the names, timetables, procedures, and resources at school. Some of it is still familiar, but a lot is very new to me. The fuzzy brain from being jet-lagged doesn’t help. To make things worse, my teeth decided to act up, so I had to see the dentist twice since my arrival to have a root canal done and a large filling replaced. Needless to say, my travel insurance does not cover the expenses. A trip to the dentist instead of the Sunshine Coast.

But then there is the familiar, the beauty, the magic of this place that I remember so well: my bench at the beach, the kookaburra calling in the early morning hours, the sunrise over the ocean. My friends at the pub on a Friday night, my colleagues at school welcoming me back, and even the people on the bus to school are still the same. 

The strange thing about being back here in Australia is that it isn’t strange at all. It feels almost like I never left – familiar but still fun. Of course, some things have changed: I no longer live in my little blue house but in a colleague’s empty apartment, Covid has left its mark with some people wearing masks on the bus or at school, and the weather seems much, much colder than I remember (I even have considered wearing gloves in the morning, but I refuse to do so. This is Australia, after all!)

But no matter how familiar everything seems, this place is still very magical to me. And while I’m sitting on my green bench at the beach, sipping my weird long black, I think I can see Olivia stretching in the far distance in the soft ocean surf, gently singing to me.

Building your dream has to start now

There’s no other road to take

You won’t make a mistake

I’ll be guiding you

You have to believe we are magic

Nothin’ can stand in our way

You have to believe we are magic

Don’t let your aim ever stray

And if all your hopes survive

Destiny will arrive

I’ll bring all your dreams alive

For you.

Magic. Olivia Newton-John