Grounding

Since I haven't had time to write, thought I'd post an excerpt from an email I sent a bit ago, so you get a little story a long with the pics. After June 14th I'll post more. Smooches!

"I spent most of the morning catching up on my studies, sitting at home, sipping chai, my flatmate across the table doing the same. Triple R played in the background until the talking became distracting. She eventually wandered off to her room with a bag of clay, some paper, and various other things, to work on a creative arts therapy project. I was distracted for a moment by thoughts of playing with paint, sounded much more fun that playing with biostatistics and epidemiology. It was time for a break, so I wandered off outside. At the train station someone shouted across the tracks. "What's the date?" I answered, "the 2nd maybe". He giggled, "you don't know?". "No, I actually don't even know what time it is really, didn't the clocks change over today?" I laughed. I love days like that when time doesn't really matter, although I guess the date did, since I looked around to suddenly see winter coats, and people with odd assortments of clothing, like short-sleeves with scarves and beanies, unsure what to wear maybe. A few stops up the train I found Joe's organic food shop. He's a smiley, one-armed, middle-aged Lebanese man with a thick accent and personality much grander than his stature, and a generous nature to match. He talked of how we are all connected with the earth and each other and said this is why we must respect the earth and love others as ourselves. While I was shopping I watched him give a snack to a child, and some avocados to a regular customer, who said he's pay the next time he was in. I bought a bag of groceries and as I was heading out the door, he added several pieces of fruit. I wondered how he could make any money like that, but it must be true that generousity breeds generosity. Good to see. "

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Originally uploaded by reneenoelle.

Reedy

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Originally uploaded by reneenoelle.

Dreaded Oz

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Originally uploaded by reneenoelle.

So it's been over a month since I've posted up here, and sometime in there my rose colored glasses started to fade. I began to see ugliness here in Melbourne. Afterall, the differences between Oz and the US are far more subtle than i thought at first(what did I say about consumer culture not being prolific?? Just frequent the wrong areas to see it's fervor), and many of the differences I see are perhaps differences between Melbourne and Seattle rather than the US and Oz. However, it was good to recognize that there are things I love about the US, efficiency for one, and less passivity, there is some good that comes from our hard work and overzealousness, and then there's also how progressive the US is on gender roles(I just about lost it during the Commonwealth Games Closing Ceremonies when they decided to showcase Melbourne's love for art and sport by having ballerina's in footie club colored tutus prance from footie player to footie player who awkwardly lifted them into the air...so much for dispelling the ocker stereotype of blokey men and girlie women!). Nevertheless, I'm back to loving it here, just needed to find my footing. I didn't realize I had lost it until the other day I noticed that I felt like myself again. Not sure where I went, but I'm back. Unfortunately I have two assignments and three papers to write in the next couple weeks so you might have to wait a bit longer to get much of substance from me, but I'll try to post some more pics and write more soon. I spent this morning at St. Andrews markets, a market out in the bush where vendors sell a span of goods from organic veggies to new and used clothes, handmade soap to jewelry and crystals. We chatted in the chai tent and caught a beat in the drum circle where I took this photo and some others I'll post soon. A good day to end the week-long Easter break. Now back to work.