Lire la traduction française
Woaaaaaaaaa! There is soooo much to say! The process of letting go is so powerful and applies to ALL areas of our lives! Anyway, you are probably seeking some adventurous stories and not a lecture on emotional and spiritual well-being…
Life being perfect the way it is, not being able to write everything last week gave me opportunities to learn more about the subject I cherish: Aboriginal Culture. For the ones who hung out with me during the months prior to my departure know that I read many books about Australian Aborigines and their past and current situation (thanks again Jodi for that marvelous book!). In the last few years, I worked hard on my letting go concerning the possibilities of getting closer to ancient wisdom. Many indigenous cultures have been so mistreated that they have a hard time accepting passionate foreigners in their circle. So I prepared myself for anger and hatred. Those feelings are certainly present, but instead of being directed to any Caucasian, I feel so far that it is directed towards the government and the people that actually are, and have been, doing some big damage. There are some projects I might be able to participate in, and the culture seems to regain its power slowly but surely. Of course for the past month, I have been just passing through and asking random wonderful strangers about what the situation is, but still, I already have a CD to learn one of the thousand aboriginal languages (given for free!!!) and a Yidaki that Marc and I made ourselves, with the help of aboriginal artist Kristian Benton (yaaay! We made a documentary about our experience, check it out!). In Sydney and elsewhere, you can see posters, statues, parks, banners in honor of Aboriginal culture. It is very present. I know that what most of us would reckon first is that this is just to attract tourists and to put a nice duvet blanket over the atrocities committed. I believe it is absolutely true (http://www.ourgeneration.org.au/). However, in my life-long quest to positivity, I always seek the good in everything, and that led me to realize that, thanks to that blanket, so many travelers of all kinds, and probably Australians too, are learning about the most ancient culture of the World without even noticing it. They become familiar with spiritual symbols, with the importance of nature and the vital importance of respecting the land’s first inhabitants. I am happy. I can’t wait to share more of what I learn about this broken but healing (I hope) culture. It is spectacular how life surprises you, you expect something that isn’t there and what you think will be absent rises brighter on your horizon every morning.
I haven’t been happy and relaxed like I am now for years. I find again this unconditional love for Life that I had touched in South America. I have no watch, I go to sleep when the sun goes down, I wake up with it, I am ALWAYS outside, I meet beautiful people, I teach myself Yoga and I breathe deep breaths. I know we can’t always live like that, and that’s what makes it so special. But really, walls are weird, go outside when you have the chance!
See HIS view
See His and Hers Pictures
See His and Hers Videos
Links:
http://www.kanyini.com/
http://www.wardamanwomensbusiness.com/wwbtnotes.html
Saturday, November 28, 2009
Saturday, November 21, 2009
The Small Tale of “Letting Go” (!)
Lire l’original en français
I like the expression “letting go”. In every sphere of our life, it’s always the hardest lesson to assimilate; however, it’s undoubtedly the most beneficial. Letting go always catches us in less frequented places, especially when travelling…
A few months ago, comfortably perched on the London Manor second floor, I was trying to get rid of all the expectations I could have about Australia. I thought I was able to clear my mind, I felt ready, fresh for a new country. Ahhh, overestimation…
Ronald
I believed, well hidden around my cortex, I would find myriads of hip and politicised, recycled and fair trade Internet cafés Down Under. Well, I was wrong! We seek, we seek, and it’s complicated. And then, we heard, or rather we tried not to hear our Spanish hostel friends’ advice: (read as if in a dream, voice coming from far away, almost a whisper) mmmm, yadayadayada, McDonald’s, free internet, very good coffee. No, I didn’t hear, sorry no compute like Dédé would say. But, after days on the dryness of the information highway, the big yellow M was shining too intensely under the South coast sun. We thought to ourselves: We can try, as long as we head for the darkest corner and don’t buy anything. That’s it, we made our first step: we parked the car among the hustle and bustle of young families so happy to get their Big Mac. But, what’s going on? Every employee is wearing a clown costume with angel wings. It’s quite a comeback to fast food territory for us, today is November 14 and it’s the one and only McHappy Day, when you can win fabulous prizes if you make a donation to sick children’s charities. We try to thread our way incognito to the back of the restaurant, and suddenly, a celestial voice trumpets from outside: “G’day mates! ” … It’s him in the flesh, Ronald McDonald… we blush. For Marc and me, it’s our first encounter with the mythical character. He’s coming to our small table, the nicest red smile on a white face. We realize that under the costume, there is a 27 year-old or so sexy surfer. He sits down with us as we get a brighter shade of red in the face. He starts to write on the keyboard saying he wants to skype with somebody, everyone around laughing, managers taking pictures. Ronald McDo is the coolest guy in the world. Honestly, I’m not lying when I say I’d like this guy to be my friend. He promises I’ll be back soon. We take a breather, pleased with our adventures at the king of fast food! Well, finally, Ronald came back to talk to us about Quebec politics, yep! Get this, a discussion about Quebec’s independence, in a beach McDo, with no one else than Ronald!
There was more to my ‘’letting go’’ story, but, I let myself wander! I’ll end this by saying that today I was on the MOST BEAUTIFUL BEACH OF THE WORLD, full of boulders with almost nobody around! Furthermore, today was my first day behind the wheel on the left side of the road… ah!
See HIS view
See His and Hers Pictures
I like the expression “letting go”. In every sphere of our life, it’s always the hardest lesson to assimilate; however, it’s undoubtedly the most beneficial. Letting go always catches us in less frequented places, especially when travelling…
A few months ago, comfortably perched on the London Manor second floor, I was trying to get rid of all the expectations I could have about Australia. I thought I was able to clear my mind, I felt ready, fresh for a new country. Ahhh, overestimation…
Ronald
I believed, well hidden around my cortex, I would find myriads of hip and politicised, recycled and fair trade Internet cafés Down Under. Well, I was wrong! We seek, we seek, and it’s complicated. And then, we heard, or rather we tried not to hear our Spanish hostel friends’ advice: (read as if in a dream, voice coming from far away, almost a whisper) mmmm, yadayadayada, McDonald’s, free internet, very good coffee. No, I didn’t hear, sorry no compute like Dédé would say. But, after days on the dryness of the information highway, the big yellow M was shining too intensely under the South coast sun. We thought to ourselves: We can try, as long as we head for the darkest corner and don’t buy anything. That’s it, we made our first step: we parked the car among the hustle and bustle of young families so happy to get their Big Mac. But, what’s going on? Every employee is wearing a clown costume with angel wings. It’s quite a comeback to fast food territory for us, today is November 14 and it’s the one and only McHappy Day, when you can win fabulous prizes if you make a donation to sick children’s charities. We try to thread our way incognito to the back of the restaurant, and suddenly, a celestial voice trumpets from outside: “G’day mates! ” … It’s him in the flesh, Ronald McDonald… we blush. For Marc and me, it’s our first encounter with the mythical character. He’s coming to our small table, the nicest red smile on a white face. We realize that under the costume, there is a 27 year-old or so sexy surfer. He sits down with us as we get a brighter shade of red in the face. He starts to write on the keyboard saying he wants to skype with somebody, everyone around laughing, managers taking pictures. Ronald McDo is the coolest guy in the world. Honestly, I’m not lying when I say I’d like this guy to be my friend. He promises I’ll be back soon. We take a breather, pleased with our adventures at the king of fast food! Well, finally, Ronald came back to talk to us about Quebec politics, yep! Get this, a discussion about Quebec’s independence, in a beach McDo, with no one else than Ronald!
There was more to my ‘’letting go’’ story, but, I let myself wander! I’ll end this by saying that today I was on the MOST BEAUTIFUL BEACH OF THE WORLD, full of boulders with almost nobody around! Furthermore, today was my first day behind the wheel on the left side of the road… ah!
See HIS view
See His and Hers Pictures
Monday, November 16, 2009
The Blue Mountains
Lire la traduction française
“Mosaic of Australian wonders”
(This is my attempt to share bits of our trip in a new, visionary, “Beaudoin” Haiku style…(!?!??))
Gypsies; fearing where they’d sleep
But in awe of their surroundings,
Awake from the wagon’s bed every morning.
(Our house is a station wagon)
Gipsies; now the girl
Locked out in her layers of dirt
Has to be a ninja in men’s shower.
(What an adventure sneaking in a youth hostel! I never spent so long with my mouth shut!)
Endless varieties of colorful parrots
Big, small, sounds like heaven and/or electronics
R2D2 riding along with the Castafiore. >
(So far this IS what makes Australia different, please check the out the “whip bird”, it’s fantastic!)
Recycled containers brought in by community
Fill in your soul; pour in your soaps and oils
Organic and local wonders in “Bulkland”
(The Blue Mountain Food Coop brought me a lot of responsible consumer joy. )
Ahhh! Head on collision!
Not yet. Put on your blinkers! Not the wipers!
Everything is on the OTHERside.
(Marc is getting really good at driving on the left side of the road)
Tree ferns, huge!
Three-four-five hour hike in a dream Marvel!
Eucalyptus sings along with life in Daruk’s sacred land.
(Daruk are the aboriginal people of the Blue Mountains)
Oh oh Bruno, open mike show
I’ve never seen a cowboy rocking like you,
Tourists alone, in Katoomba’s local’s den.
(Traveler’s tip: always be on the lookout for local events. You’ll meet great and unique people and learn about the land)
Slithering bush snake
Today is the first
Marc’s weird dance to avoid stepping on it.
(I never thought that Marc was so good at Irish dancing!)
See HIS view
His and Hers Pictures
“Mosaic of Australian wonders”
(This is my attempt to share bits of our trip in a new, visionary, “Beaudoin” Haiku style…(!?!??))
Gypsies; fearing where they’d sleep
But in awe of their surroundings,
Awake from the wagon’s bed every morning.
(Our house is a station wagon)
Gipsies; now the girl
Locked out in her layers of dirt
Has to be a ninja in men’s shower.
(What an adventure sneaking in a youth hostel! I never spent so long with my mouth shut!)
Endless varieties of colorful parrots
Big, small, sounds like heaven and/or electronics
R2D2 riding along with the Castafiore. >
(So far this IS what makes Australia different, please check the out the “whip bird”, it’s fantastic!)
Recycled containers brought in by community
Fill in your soul; pour in your soaps and oils
Organic and local wonders in “Bulkland”
(The Blue Mountain Food Coop brought me a lot of responsible consumer joy. )
Ahhh! Head on collision!
Not yet. Put on your blinkers! Not the wipers!
Everything is on the OTHERside.
(Marc is getting really good at driving on the left side of the road)
Tree ferns, huge!
Three-four-five hour hike in a dream Marvel!
Eucalyptus sings along with life in Daruk’s sacred land.
(Daruk are the aboriginal people of the Blue Mountains)
Oh oh Bruno, open mike show
I’ve never seen a cowboy rocking like you,
Tourists alone, in Katoomba’s local’s den.
(Traveler’s tip: always be on the lookout for local events. You’ll meet great and unique people and learn about the land)
Slithering bush snake
Today is the first
Marc’s weird dance to avoid stepping on it.
(I never thought that Marc was so good at Irish dancing!)
See HIS view
His and Hers Pictures
Manly
Lire l'original en français
What a name! Manly as in “virile”, Manly as in “Stéphanie must get used to muscles and high heels shining all day on the beaches”… Joke aside, for my first web chronicle, I had promised myself to only talk about nice and unusual findings…Don’t worry! I did make unusual findings. However … I can’t help but talk about what keeps me alive, what dazzle me, and that is people. Up till now, people are very helpful and smiling, they have a charming accent, but their smiles are generally very different from the magical smiles of my usual surroundings. Let me place you into context: We are in Sydney, very dense city and suburbs, where people pay $600 per WEEK for a flat (mas o menos…). So I’m under the impression that people feel obligated to have the look and attitude often associated with money and beaches. Ahhhhhhhhhhhhh, I don’t want to judge, I know people all around have souls full of secret gardens, but I realize how lucky we are to value well-being, to choose to be happy according to simple and healthy standards. Congratulations everyone. Anyway, all this unfinished sociological mumbo jumbo to tell you that the first 4 days, I didn’t meet one energy, one smile, one pair of eyes that touched me. Except of course, the Spanish hostel community where we have spent the last 8 days, or the friends we made through them. It was however, a most educational fashion lesson! You cannot, but really cannot imagine all these dresses, perched shoes, tiny feathered hats I passed by downtown and on the Northern Beaches! Since there is positive in everything, I can tell you I found all this very inspiring! But I still believe one should take a class before taking venturing out on 30 cm heels!!! To get back to the beauty of the heart, here is a guide for the Spanish hostel where we have stayed and its surroundings adventurers:
Place: Wonderful apartment, overlooking Cabbage Tree Bay Aquatic Reserve, with a view of the ocean and smell of jasmine.
Inhabitants :Julie Plasse (Québec, Magog!!!): (Finally, I meet her!!!) magnificent young woman, completely full of drive and pretty for 3, generous for 10, having travelled and hiked for 12 and who magically fell in love with:
Martin Anderson (Denmark): Research scientist, reflecting calm, humour and generosity.
Stephan (Swiss-German): Rather reserved, very funny, sailor and biker.
Nicole (Germany): Almost doctor in biology, studying effects of climate changes on allergies (and who wants Marc’s blood!!!!).
André (Portugal): Super kind, undisturbed, always eager to help (like everyone else, as a matter of fact), almost doctor in marine biology.
Beautiful friends:
Cherise: One of the mossssst beautiful girls in the world (see the picture) studying Ayurveda and who is simply magical.
Nick: One of the mossssst handsome guys in the world, in love with Cherise, who is super misssster permaculture! Yay!
There, can’t wait to write about our friends the critters, but don’t want to saturate you! Hugs and kisses “mates”!
See HIS view
His and Hers Videos
His and Hers Pictures
What a name! Manly as in “virile”, Manly as in “Stéphanie must get used to muscles and high heels shining all day on the beaches”… Joke aside, for my first web chronicle, I had promised myself to only talk about nice and unusual findings…Don’t worry! I did make unusual findings. However … I can’t help but talk about what keeps me alive, what dazzle me, and that is people. Up till now, people are very helpful and smiling, they have a charming accent, but their smiles are generally very different from the magical smiles of my usual surroundings. Let me place you into context: We are in Sydney, very dense city and suburbs, where people pay $600 per WEEK for a flat (mas o menos…). So I’m under the impression that people feel obligated to have the look and attitude often associated with money and beaches. Ahhhhhhhhhhhhh, I don’t want to judge, I know people all around have souls full of secret gardens, but I realize how lucky we are to value well-being, to choose to be happy according to simple and healthy standards. Congratulations everyone. Anyway, all this unfinished sociological mumbo jumbo to tell you that the first 4 days, I didn’t meet one energy, one smile, one pair of eyes that touched me. Except of course, the Spanish hostel community where we have spent the last 8 days, or the friends we made through them. It was however, a most educational fashion lesson! You cannot, but really cannot imagine all these dresses, perched shoes, tiny feathered hats I passed by downtown and on the Northern Beaches! Since there is positive in everything, I can tell you I found all this very inspiring! But I still believe one should take a class before taking venturing out on 30 cm heels!!! To get back to the beauty of the heart, here is a guide for the Spanish hostel where we have stayed and its surroundings adventurers:
Place: Wonderful apartment, overlooking Cabbage Tree Bay Aquatic Reserve, with a view of the ocean and smell of jasmine.
Inhabitants :Julie Plasse (Québec, Magog!!!): (Finally, I meet her!!!) magnificent young woman, completely full of drive and pretty for 3, generous for 10, having travelled and hiked for 12 and who magically fell in love with:
Martin Anderson (Denmark): Research scientist, reflecting calm, humour and generosity.
Stephan (Swiss-German): Rather reserved, very funny, sailor and biker.
Nicole (Germany): Almost doctor in biology, studying effects of climate changes on allergies (and who wants Marc’s blood!!!!).
André (Portugal): Super kind, undisturbed, always eager to help (like everyone else, as a matter of fact), almost doctor in marine biology.
Beautiful friends:
Cherise: One of the mossssst beautiful girls in the world (see the picture) studying Ayurveda and who is simply magical.
Nick: One of the mossssst handsome guys in the world, in love with Cherise, who is super misssster permaculture! Yay!
There, can’t wait to write about our friends the critters, but don’t want to saturate you! Hugs and kisses “mates”!
See HIS view
His and Hers Videos
His and Hers Pictures
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