Lire l'original en Français
Dunes moving in front of our eyes, covered by strange green tussocks hiding under melaleucas’ contorted branches. Year after year, these huge medicinal trees survive big storms by twisting their crown toward the ground, creating a canopy with ever changing forms. My eyes waltz from the green filtering in the window, to the road ahead, crossed by an emu or a wallaby, and then, they stick to the rear view mirror. In it, I look at the crow’s feet wonderfully adorning the driver’s sea-blue eyes. Witnesses of the Australian Sun, of the smiles given to his five children and of many perfect waves lifting up his surf board, the crow’s feet bring me reassurance for the second time. I relax, even if I have to hang on for dear life to avoid crashing on my neighbours during this off road rambling.
Mick is a real Australian, like you would imagine after having watched Crocodile Dundee. His flaxen hair enhancing the permanent sun tan hiding his huge constellation of freckles. In the sunlight, it looks like he’s beaming, with his casual smile and passionate eyes. I cross his path almost every day and it always seem to me I’m in front of a 10-years old elder kid. He pinches my belly or tells me a joke I understand every other time, since I’m still in the process of learning the Australian accent. I believe he owns the key to happiness and maybe, the secret for eternal youth.
Every day, Mick brings young backpacker groups to discover the beauties of Deepwater National Park. He must repeat the same old stories every week, but still, both times I accompanied him, his interest and physical alertness seemed renewed. Since I’m passionate about Mother Nature and its wonders, I drilled him with questions…
My new best friends are none other than… sea cucumbers! They emit a substance to blanket their small water plan protecting them from UV rays. Natural sunscreen! When assaulted, they squirt a whitish substance, which glues their predators’ mouths. This substance becomes a very hard thread resembling sinew. As a matter of fact, Mick has used it to repair his harpoon, probably like the First People of Australia did. If you stab a sea cucumber numerous times (?!?), it renews itself after only a few hours. Personally, I think it’s completely magic!
After our visits to the sea cucumbers, it’s time to regenerate. We swim in a river without anybody else, except, once again, the grandiose presence of the melaleucas. Here, they are in the water, making it antiseptic and really good for your skin. This water also tastes like eucalyptus tea. I look at Mick, he splashes me in the face with red water, we laugh and I’m just content to be in Australia.
See HIS view
See His and Hers Pictures
See His and Hers Video
Thursday, January 21, 2010
Wednesday, January 6, 2010
Akin!
Lire la traduction française
It is such a challenge to write about our lives in less than 500 words once a week. Many people we meet could have pages and pages dedicated to their marvelous beings and many incidents could be the source of inspiring stories. Anyway, here I am, a little sunburned after my first day out surfing, trying to share with you bits and pieces of my recent reality. By the way here, at the hostel, there is always a very loud movie playing, which makes my task even more difficult…Tonight is Tropic Thunder, and judging by Marc’s absorbed gaze and loud laughter, it looks like a good enough movie to celebrate the relaxing power of the screen after a day in the Aussie sun.
Let me introduce you more intimately to The Flat Screen. Our days and nights are lulled by its omnipresence, its sounds and images hypnotizing us for seconds when, drawn by its power, we walk by it on our way to our exciting everyday business. The Flat Screen sees lazy travelers’ faces everyday that, after many hours in uncomfortable buses, are seeking the well deserved mushy cushions of a couch. What makes this Flat Screen really special are the Masters of Ceremony that seem to inhabit its electronic space. Indeed, almost every time a movie is introduced in the DVD player, the audience has the joy of seeing two familiar faces: two men, both dressed in beige suits, wearing infomercial smiles. They occupy both ends of the screen, proudly announcing that the movie that will soon be showing is happily pirated somewhere in an overpopulated city of Thailand. All the movies also come with lovely looking Thai subtitles and all look like they were shot in the middle of an English foggy night. Or, even better, like if they would have been filmed by your aunt with her crappy camera last Christmas. We are so used to movie images having a certain cinema texture that we don’t even realized they look so different than real life. I never thought I would find it disturbing to look at Clint Eastwood in a “home video” type of filming. He just looked naked.
The best part is when these two Thai gentlemen, never leaving their legendary smiles behind, help you find “English subtitles” in the brightly colored Asian DVD menu. Have you guys seen the movie Stardust? It is quite a good movie, but for our Dutch friend, it just seemed completely absurd. Subtitles would come and go and, even more interesting, would tell a complete different story, seemingly taken right from a very bad imitation of a Samuel Becket play. I laughed so much. During the whole movie I dreamed of having a notepad to write down all the atrocities committed by the translator. But I could not leave the couch, too addicted at this stage to the next horrible line the bottom of the screen would dictate. There was this part where beautiful Claire Danes confesses her love and says it is so powerful that it is unbearable. For unbearable, we read “bury vessels”. And this other part where a prince was finally getting what he wanted and shouting: I’m King! The little white writings then said “Akin”. Can you imagine a whole movie like that? My story might not seem as profound as the others, but scientists say that for 5 minutes of great laughter, you get about 45 minutes of deep relaxation that will help you rejuvenate and live longer. I must have gained a whole year just watching that movie. Thanks pirated movie for this free quality entertainment!
See HIS view
See His and Hers Pictures
See His and Hers Video
It is such a challenge to write about our lives in less than 500 words once a week. Many people we meet could have pages and pages dedicated to their marvelous beings and many incidents could be the source of inspiring stories. Anyway, here I am, a little sunburned after my first day out surfing, trying to share with you bits and pieces of my recent reality. By the way here, at the hostel, there is always a very loud movie playing, which makes my task even more difficult…Tonight is Tropic Thunder, and judging by Marc’s absorbed gaze and loud laughter, it looks like a good enough movie to celebrate the relaxing power of the screen after a day in the Aussie sun.
Let me introduce you more intimately to The Flat Screen. Our days and nights are lulled by its omnipresence, its sounds and images hypnotizing us for seconds when, drawn by its power, we walk by it on our way to our exciting everyday business. The Flat Screen sees lazy travelers’ faces everyday that, after many hours in uncomfortable buses, are seeking the well deserved mushy cushions of a couch. What makes this Flat Screen really special are the Masters of Ceremony that seem to inhabit its electronic space. Indeed, almost every time a movie is introduced in the DVD player, the audience has the joy of seeing two familiar faces: two men, both dressed in beige suits, wearing infomercial smiles. They occupy both ends of the screen, proudly announcing that the movie that will soon be showing is happily pirated somewhere in an overpopulated city of Thailand. All the movies also come with lovely looking Thai subtitles and all look like they were shot in the middle of an English foggy night. Or, even better, like if they would have been filmed by your aunt with her crappy camera last Christmas. We are so used to movie images having a certain cinema texture that we don’t even realized they look so different than real life. I never thought I would find it disturbing to look at Clint Eastwood in a “home video” type of filming. He just looked naked.
The best part is when these two Thai gentlemen, never leaving their legendary smiles behind, help you find “English subtitles” in the brightly colored Asian DVD menu. Have you guys seen the movie Stardust? It is quite a good movie, but for our Dutch friend, it just seemed completely absurd. Subtitles would come and go and, even more interesting, would tell a complete different story, seemingly taken right from a very bad imitation of a Samuel Becket play. I laughed so much. During the whole movie I dreamed of having a notepad to write down all the atrocities committed by the translator. But I could not leave the couch, too addicted at this stage to the next horrible line the bottom of the screen would dictate. There was this part where beautiful Claire Danes confesses her love and says it is so powerful that it is unbearable. For unbearable, we read “bury vessels”. And this other part where a prince was finally getting what he wanted and shouting: I’m King! The little white writings then said “Akin”. Can you imagine a whole movie like that? My story might not seem as profound as the others, but scientists say that for 5 minutes of great laughter, you get about 45 minutes of deep relaxation that will help you rejuvenate and live longer. I must have gained a whole year just watching that movie. Thanks pirated movie for this free quality entertainment!
See HIS view
See His and Hers Pictures
See His and Hers Video
Monday, December 28, 2009
Beauty
Lire l’original en français
Beauty
Beauty everywhere
Beauty, and you, who are in the midst of it.
For sure, sometimes a cloud passes over and for a moment, I lose the magnificence. But, it comes back with a vengeance, perfuming my entire life, reminding me of my luck and duty to be filled with wonder! I just love it when our eyes are bewitched by new beauties. Sometimes, we meet people whose eyes light up more and more every day. We learn to know them, their uniqueness is revealed to us and they suddenly are a source of inspiration.
When we first started our journey on the “Bruce Highway”, I didn’t have enough eyes to record every meander of the eucalyptus branches and every warm nuance of the melaleucas’ bark… Then, I lacked water in this almost completely dry continent. The grizzly and squirrel in me were yearning for the coolness of a fern edged stream. Suddenly, Magic... Just like the larva metamorphoses into a dragonfly, the landscape mutates into this food for soul, fascinating and bringing me a smile every day. When I go to work or come back from it, huge gum trees, with scattered foliage seem to take advantage of the little wind there is to choreograph the most beautiful dance of the moment. Their tall silhouettes emerge from the thin tall grass, so much liked by kangaroos and shatter on a shiny blue sky sprinkled with immaculate white mounds. I’m sweating beads of happiness from being addicted to this feeling of discovery, adaptation and fascination. From always being more than satisfied with my surroundings of the moment.
This feeling of constant happiness however, requires constant efforts, which I just love doing, of course! For example, to me, the expression “Our daily bread” is one with all the loaves I have to throw away every day. I was feeling so good in my bubble, far from the painful realities of the food industry … For sure, I bring some to selected close friends, but this town is so small, if I start giving even a small part of what we throw away, there won’t be any more clients! Every time, it breaks my heart. And there is the paper, which, for hygiene reasons, we must use to clean and dry everything, and the stinking smell of chlorine on my hands, even at night, and the non-existing recycling... Just like at the hostel, by the way. Being the good citizen that I am, I called on the council to enquire about the operation of waste collection. Reassured, I now ask my colleagues for their empty bottles and bring them to the bins on the beach. Seeing their reactions, I hope, one day, they’ll recycle by themselves… But, as mentioned before, it’s not enough to lose my enthusiasm for every new day life brings me!
See HIS view
See His and Hers Pictures
Beauty
Beauty everywhere
Beauty, and you, who are in the midst of it.
For sure, sometimes a cloud passes over and for a moment, I lose the magnificence. But, it comes back with a vengeance, perfuming my entire life, reminding me of my luck and duty to be filled with wonder! I just love it when our eyes are bewitched by new beauties. Sometimes, we meet people whose eyes light up more and more every day. We learn to know them, their uniqueness is revealed to us and they suddenly are a source of inspiration.
When we first started our journey on the “Bruce Highway”, I didn’t have enough eyes to record every meander of the eucalyptus branches and every warm nuance of the melaleucas’ bark… Then, I lacked water in this almost completely dry continent. The grizzly and squirrel in me were yearning for the coolness of a fern edged stream. Suddenly, Magic... Just like the larva metamorphoses into a dragonfly, the landscape mutates into this food for soul, fascinating and bringing me a smile every day. When I go to work or come back from it, huge gum trees, with scattered foliage seem to take advantage of the little wind there is to choreograph the most beautiful dance of the moment. Their tall silhouettes emerge from the thin tall grass, so much liked by kangaroos and shatter on a shiny blue sky sprinkled with immaculate white mounds. I’m sweating beads of happiness from being addicted to this feeling of discovery, adaptation and fascination. From always being more than satisfied with my surroundings of the moment.
This feeling of constant happiness however, requires constant efforts, which I just love doing, of course! For example, to me, the expression “Our daily bread” is one with all the loaves I have to throw away every day. I was feeling so good in my bubble, far from the painful realities of the food industry … For sure, I bring some to selected close friends, but this town is so small, if I start giving even a small part of what we throw away, there won’t be any more clients! Every time, it breaks my heart. And there is the paper, which, for hygiene reasons, we must use to clean and dry everything, and the stinking smell of chlorine on my hands, even at night, and the non-existing recycling... Just like at the hostel, by the way. Being the good citizen that I am, I called on the council to enquire about the operation of waste collection. Reassured, I now ask my colleagues for their empty bottles and bring them to the bins on the beach. Seeing their reactions, I hope, one day, they’ll recycle by themselves… But, as mentioned before, it’s not enough to lose my enthusiasm for every new day life brings me!
See HIS view
See His and Hers Pictures
Saturday, December 19, 2009
Stars and frogs
Read the French translation
Have you ever wondered about the bounty of secrets a cleaning lady knows about her clients? What intimate moments she witnesses when she works in hotels, what little treasures she finds and what bizarre objects she has to throw away? How she perceives the human race according to how messy the customers leave a room? For a couple of days, I was part of a jolly group: the “Swedish Girls and Stef’s Cleaning Service”. We knocked on backpacker’s dorm doors at 9 am…right on time to see and smell the joy of hangover and/or to feel that we did not necessarily belong in the vicinity…
There is a blissful breeze caressing my skin; I can hear the TV playing a movie and from here I catch a glimpse of the many foreigners all bundled up on a couch eyes riveted to the screen. Marc plays ping pong with our friend from the Netherlands, Marjan, and the Swedish girls, Anna, Louise and Johanna, are petting the dogs (who are fond of eating ping pong balls…). Birds, frogs, crickets and cicadas compete to be the loudest as night falls down on the bush. Soon I will go back to my home, 17 steps away from the buzzing of the little international village of cabins, and from the screen of my tent I will maybe see an owl on a Eucalyptus’ branch, with behind it a tapestry of bright stars.
We finally “settled down”. We fell in love with Agnes Water and Town of 1770 about 2 weeks ago. It happened when we saw how beautiful and friendly these villages were. And maybe I should add the welcoming of the dolphins, which swam two meters away from our picnic table on our first day. Then we met Rodney, Marcy and Breck, we kayaked with rays in a mangrove tunnel and we found a small restaurant where they serve…well, believe it or not, they serve poutine! I looked everywhere to find a job related to the community and through that I met other amazing people, like Phil the principal of the unique small school of the area. They would have had some work for me except that, we are summer… and like back home in summer, kids are off!
Sooo, 4 days a week I serve local favourites at a bakery, one day a week I work at the reception of Southern Cross Backpackers (where we camp) and I will teach Spanish to 2 friends 2 days a week! I will take my first surf and stand up paddle lessons and I will try to accompany Marc on the reef as often as possible! To compensate for not finding a job where I can better the world at every moment, I give all the smiles I have to the nice locals that come and buy bread! It is really fulfilling, and witnessing my accent changing is quite pleasant! I also make the French customers quite happy when I teach them how things are called around here…
See HIS view
See His and Hers Pictures
Have you ever wondered about the bounty of secrets a cleaning lady knows about her clients? What intimate moments she witnesses when she works in hotels, what little treasures she finds and what bizarre objects she has to throw away? How she perceives the human race according to how messy the customers leave a room? For a couple of days, I was part of a jolly group: the “Swedish Girls and Stef’s Cleaning Service”. We knocked on backpacker’s dorm doors at 9 am…right on time to see and smell the joy of hangover and/or to feel that we did not necessarily belong in the vicinity…
There is a blissful breeze caressing my skin; I can hear the TV playing a movie and from here I catch a glimpse of the many foreigners all bundled up on a couch eyes riveted to the screen. Marc plays ping pong with our friend from the Netherlands, Marjan, and the Swedish girls, Anna, Louise and Johanna, are petting the dogs (who are fond of eating ping pong balls…). Birds, frogs, crickets and cicadas compete to be the loudest as night falls down on the bush. Soon I will go back to my home, 17 steps away from the buzzing of the little international village of cabins, and from the screen of my tent I will maybe see an owl on a Eucalyptus’ branch, with behind it a tapestry of bright stars.
We finally “settled down”. We fell in love with Agnes Water and Town of 1770 about 2 weeks ago. It happened when we saw how beautiful and friendly these villages were. And maybe I should add the welcoming of the dolphins, which swam two meters away from our picnic table on our first day. Then we met Rodney, Marcy and Breck, we kayaked with rays in a mangrove tunnel and we found a small restaurant where they serve…well, believe it or not, they serve poutine! I looked everywhere to find a job related to the community and through that I met other amazing people, like Phil the principal of the unique small school of the area. They would have had some work for me except that, we are summer… and like back home in summer, kids are off!
Sooo, 4 days a week I serve local favourites at a bakery, one day a week I work at the reception of Southern Cross Backpackers (where we camp) and I will teach Spanish to 2 friends 2 days a week! I will take my first surf and stand up paddle lessons and I will try to accompany Marc on the reef as often as possible! To compensate for not finding a job where I can better the world at every moment, I give all the smiles I have to the nice locals that come and buy bread! It is really fulfilling, and witnessing my accent changing is quite pleasant! I also make the French customers quite happy when I teach them how things are called around here…
See HIS view
See His and Hers Pictures
Tuesday, December 8, 2009
Bits and pieces of escape
Lire l’original en français
Breathe in, ocean fragrance. Breathe out to clear out the screen of a moth. Breathe in, feces fragrance. Breathe out, happy to see that here, composting toilets are Queens. Here, away from “civilisation”, they’re trying to preserve environment and it smells good in the soul even if the foul-smelling prevails. I’m in Agnes Water, in the woods, near the ocean and wild turkeys. Here’s a “scoop” (Marc wrote his blog yesterday, and here things change so fast!): we’re trying to settle here… Tomorrow, I’ll take a stroll down THE street (it’s so small) to try and find a job. But I’ll spare details of this place for next week; I want to share “bits” of my last adventures with you.
A few days ago, it rained, and we saw tons of smiles light up on our way. It was funny to hear the opposite from home: “Oh Thanks! You brought rain with you.” We realize a little more that we are on the driest continent of the world (Marc tells me to correct: the 2nd, after Antarctica).
Yet another huuuuuge letting-go: the entire Australian north coast is riddled with deadly jellyfishes. OH yeah, mate. And from November to May, none the less. We’ll have to put sexy aside and go to swim in a wet suit. There’re worst things than that, so we learn to be grateful for all the rest!
Here, everybody plays bowling green, all dressed up in white. Every time, I can’t help myself but shout the French equivalent “Boulingrin!” It’s such a funny word!
Every day of my life, I often think about the ones who suffer all over the world. It’s like a craving. A need to remember how lucky I am and the duty I have to share love, richness of the heart and happiness I’ve been carrying with me forever (by the way, thanks everyone for being instrumental to my joy!). And then, I really think a lot about immigrants. Here I am and I chose to go through all the hustle and bustle of finding a new nest, making new friends and finding a job. It was my choice. So, it makes me ponder…
There’re so many bugs on the screen!
Last chip of Australian reality. Come with me. Imagine yourself under the most beautiful full moon, round, just like my pregnant friends and orange like Uluru. She paints a widening silver path to the ocean. The steady sound of the waves urges us to lose ourselves on that path, to delve into our memory to find age-old times familiar to all, hidden in the meander of a dream. A procession of silent humans strolling towards the dunes, strangers reconciled by the power of the Earth. These ignored druids coming from all over the world to witness an event finding back its posterity: a Jurassic era creature giving birth to 150 young ones from which only a few percentage will survive. A huge turtle and 30 astounded humans. Dear friends, there’s hope.
Love you!
See HIS view
See His and Hers Pictures
Breathe in, ocean fragrance. Breathe out to clear out the screen of a moth. Breathe in, feces fragrance. Breathe out, happy to see that here, composting toilets are Queens. Here, away from “civilisation”, they’re trying to preserve environment and it smells good in the soul even if the foul-smelling prevails. I’m in Agnes Water, in the woods, near the ocean and wild turkeys. Here’s a “scoop” (Marc wrote his blog yesterday, and here things change so fast!): we’re trying to settle here… Tomorrow, I’ll take a stroll down THE street (it’s so small) to try and find a job. But I’ll spare details of this place for next week; I want to share “bits” of my last adventures with you.
A few days ago, it rained, and we saw tons of smiles light up on our way. It was funny to hear the opposite from home: “Oh Thanks! You brought rain with you.” We realize a little more that we are on the driest continent of the world (Marc tells me to correct: the 2nd, after Antarctica).
Yet another huuuuuge letting-go: the entire Australian north coast is riddled with deadly jellyfishes. OH yeah, mate. And from November to May, none the less. We’ll have to put sexy aside and go to swim in a wet suit. There’re worst things than that, so we learn to be grateful for all the rest!
Here, everybody plays bowling green, all dressed up in white. Every time, I can’t help myself but shout the French equivalent “Boulingrin!” It’s such a funny word!
Every day of my life, I often think about the ones who suffer all over the world. It’s like a craving. A need to remember how lucky I am and the duty I have to share love, richness of the heart and happiness I’ve been carrying with me forever (by the way, thanks everyone for being instrumental to my joy!). And then, I really think a lot about immigrants. Here I am and I chose to go through all the hustle and bustle of finding a new nest, making new friends and finding a job. It was my choice. So, it makes me ponder…
There’re so many bugs on the screen!
Last chip of Australian reality. Come with me. Imagine yourself under the most beautiful full moon, round, just like my pregnant friends and orange like Uluru. She paints a widening silver path to the ocean. The steady sound of the waves urges us to lose ourselves on that path, to delve into our memory to find age-old times familiar to all, hidden in the meander of a dream. A procession of silent humans strolling towards the dunes, strangers reconciled by the power of the Earth. These ignored druids coming from all over the world to witness an event finding back its posterity: a Jurassic era creature giving birth to 150 young ones from which only a few percentage will survive. A huge turtle and 30 astounded humans. Dear friends, there’s hope.
Love you!
See HIS view
See His and Hers Pictures
Saturday, November 28, 2009
The Short Story of “Letting Go”…Part 2
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
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 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
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