HoHoHo! (stop right there) On the road again

It's gotten so that I feel more normal when I'm moving around with a suitcase than in one place! I've been in San Diego for about 4 days now, and being at an airport again feels just right. I am heading to Pittsburgh for Christmas, filled with joy, our house stuffed with wonderful people, a warm fire, amazing food, lively cousins, people ripping on each other in good fun, diving into wine bottles, re-gifting from last year... oh wait, that's someone else's family.

The past couple days have been a big ol' fog-a-licious jetlaggy haze. Moving through the day the atmosphere felt almost mercury-viscous. I went to bed at about 12:30 am, and got up after a "nap" at 4:30 and really don't feel any weirder than I have the last few days. Maybe I'm getting used to it. I have no room to complain as I have three good friends with newborns, which defines sleep deprivation, really. Maybe new parents always feel somewhat jetlaggy. All I know is that in public, I have noticed myself laughing out loud at what seem to be the most usual things, and consider that sleep-deprived delirium. Coming back to Cardiff has been lovely. People ask good questions, such as, "Are you ready to be back?" and "How does it feel to be back?" and I think am not sure yet. When I think back on it, it seems a dream, packaged in a different memory section of my brain. It wasn't long enough for re-entry culture shock, and it wasn't short enough to be a quickly-forgotten little journey. For the majority, I feel really complete with the trip, as I realized something huge, albeit obvious: you don't have to go away to go on an adventure inside yourself...although it's helpful to have the dramatic backdrop of foreign countries with all of their inherent richness, challenge, and gifts. A security line on Phuket, Thailand is quite different from one in Sydney, or Beijing, or San Diego. (Out of the six countries I've been in recently, the US is the only one asking for us to take our shoes off.) The trip has been amazing. It's not over yet.

Merry, merry Christmas!! May this week and early 2010 and beyond be filled for you with joy, fun, prosperity, good health, healthy family spats, awesome presents, and some Bailey's and hot cocoa.

I can tell this entry is going off in all sorts of non-sequitur directions so I'm going to hang it up for now

Homeward Bound (but just until the next trip)

This is Koh Phi Phi...what a dream!

Hard to believe it but I'm boarding right now in Hong Kong...to LA...have so much more to write. My boarding group number was already called and I find myself stuck in my seat. Just like I found myself wandering from Terminal 1 to 2 and back again...I think I'm trying to stay longer!  Jen is picking me up (Sunday night) in LA, what a dear...then off to Pittsburgh for Christmas! Merry Xmas, everyone, and thank you for reading thus far! Stay tuned for more posts in the next couple days.....oh, I am not done yet.

Catching up a bit...the Three T's! (Tokyo, Taipei, Thailand)

Tokyo


When I arrived in Tokyo I could not stop gleaming. It absolutely dazzled me. The streets in Minato-ku had a sort of European hush. They were windy, clean, efficient, breezy, attractive. Everything has been taken care of in Japan. Your hands in a Mitsubishi dryer with blue lighting. Please, no, don’t tip us; we are not a tipping culture (while taking my bag to my room, helping me decide where to put it, showing me the wireless, asking if I needed anything else). I said, so if I offer you some money right now you will not accept it? And he said, no, but thank you very much. I LOVE YOU.

Everything was that easy. The taxi drivers all wore uniforms. Little suits. Every single taxi had a white doily-like cover on every single seat surface. The floors were immaculately vacuumed. Nothing ever smelled. The cars were quiet, the traffic orderly, considerate even. All of this comes at a price, though, it seems (if you want to quantify it that way) – Tokyo was expensive, although I think that people overblow this a bit. Of course, I was on work travel and am not a shopper, so it didn’t bite me very hard.

The full moon was Dec 2. I will never forget this night. More on that (non)coincidence soon!

Taipei
SUCH a fascinating place, Taiwan. It’s China, and it’s not. It’s Japan, and it’s not. It’s Western, and it’s not. It’s flexible, and not. Careful about its identity. Joking, friendly, lilting language. There is something refined and familiar about Taiwanese. The people I encountered seemed to have a good balance of working hard and enjoying their lives. They teased each other, and even me, making me feel like one of the team right away.

Mr. Tao from Vietnam showed up at the airport (I had been delayed for one hour and waited for my bag for almost an hour, then had 45 minutes to the hotel) in a brand-new black Mercedes with tinted window. I could get used to THIS, I told him, and he proceeded to speak Vietnamese-accented Taiyu to me all the way there (we were trying so hard to communicate, and finally I just said “ting bu dong” and took a little nap). Mr. Tao took me to Hsinchu on Tuesday, and then back to the airport on Wednesday. I was always happy to see him.

Teaching/Coaching/Delivering Workhops

I realize, as I consider past blog postings, that the majority of what I have posted reflects my travel and people experiences, and not so much my teaching (which really is the reason I am making this circle to begin with; or is it?) This entire trip began because I decided to visit my cousin Claire in Fremantle, and then I asked Qualcomm if they had any need in the APAC region…and without hesitation, my wonderful colleagues there said YES.

By the time I delivered my workshop in Taipei, I had gathered a really clear picture/poignant observation about what people working in their second or third language really, truly need: to ask “Is it true?” Byron Katie style. And “am I taking this personally, and/or making assumptions” Don Miguel Ruiz-style. Asking these questions to an intercultural communication workshop participants proved to be thought-provoking.

How Do Americans Look?

We look big. Not just weight-wise. We are theater actors: the space is huge, the shot wide. They are TV actors: the space contained, the shot tight. Our facial expressions (and features) are big, enthusiastic, and can often seem insincere. “How ARE you?” at the Gap. “I LOVE your SHOOOOOES!” on the subway. “Where did you GET THEM??” Oh, did they laugh at that. My favorite experiment in my pronunciation workshop is asking a participant to say something in Chinese and then having me repeat it. “Watch my face,” I say. So they teach me “Wo shi ying wen lao shi” which means “I am an English teacher.” I say it, and then I say it in English, asking them to watch my facial muscles. Then they do it. My point is to get them to use their face and lips more in English, because the sounds aren’t being projected as loudly or clearly if they don’t. They get it right away.

What I am grateful for most is that I can share with them a tiny bit of what I imagine they think and experience (I get this confirmed, of course, by asking Is That True?) I can show them that someone does exist who is sensitive to their feelings, who may have anticipated what they needed, as they do so well for us. I collect their impressions like stamps.

Bangkok


At times I am not sure what I am doing (but then, who is?) Going to Thailand by myself, for example, not having a plan (at least on this day I didn’t). So I decided to read a familiar friend’s words. Dave Macek’s words were so helpful (whereintheworldisdavefromsandiego.blogspot.com) as I flew to Bangkok. He had just been in China for his brother’s wedding, and talked about relying on his intuition, and acceptance, and trust, and love. Very helpful to be reminded of these simple things, and so far, so good! Not that 10 days is such a big deal for not knowing what you’re doing. Today, I am going to a rad, gorgeous island, and am staying at an arty, mellow hostel called Bodega, a short walk from Patang beach, and hopefully close to a ferry that will take me to Phi Phi.

I landed in Bangkok at around 5 and didn’t get out of the airport til 6:15. It was one of those Office Space Murphy’s Law lines…except that as soon as I got out of my line, the new line flew. My immigration guy was doing three people to the original guy’s one. The first guy never once looked up at any one person in line, and got on the phone about three times. I was wondering about his intention and then just decided to do mountain pose. 35 minutes later I switched lines. Got my bag easily, and took a cab into the city. I had chosen a Hotel Ibis but neglected to confirm that it was the one Tricia had recommended (Nana, right on Sukhimvit) and instead chose Sathorn.

I had an excellent glass of French wine after running into a man from LA who was friendly and glad to hear English, was planning on moving there, and had dinner plans (I hadn’t asked his plans). So he had to run, after teaching me to say “Nit noy” for not too spicy. I went back to my hotel after walking down a little street market where they sold all kinds of delectable (and some gross)-looking street food and fruit and little stuff. Love how the new air of each new place hits you. It’s very warm and slightly humid in Bangkok right now, and you could almost take a piece of the air and mold it into a little spongey, taro- or lychee-like square and put it in your purse.

I like to digress and wax on. Sigh. So back at the hotel deck (a very nice, twinkly, Xmas-lighted place) I decide to people-watch, which, in my opinion, is never a bad decision. Immediately I see the LA man outside the hotel across the street with his arm around a tall, thin Thai man. He found his dinner plans!

Wanted to go to Silom or see the floating markets or to Patpang, but just didn’t feel all that comfortable going on my own (I took the wussy safe way out, oh well!) Oh, the hostel world is the best one. Which is why I am staying at the Bodega in Phuket! It looks RAD and the owners, Robin and his wife, Amy, are awesome!

Beijing, Nov 25-Dec 1 (from the future)

Of course the day I left I start to hear Chinese more easily again. It became slightly familiar but no less startling at times (Americans and Chinese may well be as loud as the other). This experience made me aware that Chinese arranges itself differently inside one’s head, that language and culture are indeed inextricable, that the order/chaos the sounds of Chinese distribute into the ether mimic accurately the way people interact on the streets, walking, in cabs, in cars, on subways: there is a space to fill and someone will fill it, but will not bump into his neighbor. It’s the space between the notes in music as well, where we understand what we are hearing. Listening to French now has become like listening to English, defining “all is relative” in a linguistic way. I love language so much. Just watched a sitcom in French (as I’ve been doing every night; so amazing how French sounds almost like my language compared to Chinese. I almost don’t think about the meaning, which is so cool right now for me). I love French. On this particular sitcom, I heard “besoin” and thought it was from Canada. Sounded like “be zoin.” True nuff. What a funny dialect. Different expressions, even.

Teaching and coaching in Beijing were awesome experiences.

On the flip side, I found it hard to know where to break in socially. As I don't speak Chinese, and didn't know many people in Beijing, I ended up spending a lot of time on my own. This is not different or bad, just a realization, and after several days made me understand wanting to go down to the hotel lobby just because I saw a few Westerners. What would that lead to? I wondered. Would I talk to them at a cafe or bar in San Francisco, San Diego, Pittsburgh? Nope. A dinner I don’t really want, conversation that is perhaps forced, an awkward entry into a group I don’t know OR: the most fun I’ve had since in Beijing, a nice surprise in some way (as Hong Kong was, talking to the flight crew from BA), a new business opportunity. (I ordered in and watched BBC and wrote instead.)

The night before I left, I had a Chinese massage (Tui Na, I think) and to be honest, ended up wondering what else really happens down there in that spa basement, although it was (because it was?) a five-star hotel. Was very sore the next day. The day after that, not sore at all. I am convinced that sleeping well, doing yoga every day, getting massage, and eating well are keeping my healthy in the midst of a coughing nation. There were two chairs in one room, and an ashtray; a bathtub, a TV, a changing room. In another room, there was a big bed with flowers on it and pillows and two rolled up towels. Hm. “Julie”, no. 66, at one point, got on the table, all 42 kg of her, and stuck her piledriver-like thumbs all down my spine (not a bad thing) but after a time I wished to be done soon, as I was sure “Julie” was trying to a-kill me.

Over the weekend I went to the Great Wall, Summer Palace, Tianan'men and Forbidden City today. I climbed the Great Wall for two hours and found myself wanting to go farther. Thinking of Bill Bryson and his Appalachian Trail experience, I turned back, figuring that no food, water, sleeping bag, or Chinese language skills would serve me badly. I went the steep way because everyone and their mother and cousin went the other way. Glad I did that. I met a bunch of people on the way, two of whom (teenaged Chinese guys) asked to take a picture with me. There still remains a sort of "ooooh, she's a foreigner" here. Despite the occasional German group, I have been the only laowei around. My favorite game is to laugh out loud (which is what I often do, anyhow, at least at home) and then furtively look around and see the reactions. I find that people react the same way I do to the clearing the throat, hawking, and inevitable spitting (often right at my heels it'snotaboutme) thing. Like this WHAAAA?!$%^&$#? Is she craaaazy?


I am practicing Chinese a tiny bit and need to try better to understand Chinese carrots! (That's what my tour guide called Chinese "characters".) She also called the basketball arena the bicycle arena and I was confused for an hour or so. Oh, and "Take 9-1 and then 9-4 to get to For beed en Ceet" which means "Take LINE 1 and then LINE 9 to get to Forbidden City." Some southern dialects of Chinese have no difference between the l and n sounds. (Yes, I am nerd.)

Tokyo comes next...what a 180-degree turn.

Happy Thanksgiving!

You are preparing cranberry sauce, and I am -- no joke -- eating a "Holiday Sandwich" from Starbucks (where I never go in the States, btw) on the 26th (yes) Floor of the Kerry Center in Beijing, where you can barely see the next building for the smog. I thought I was getting sick in Shanghai until I realized it was the pollution clogging my sinuses. Reiki has been amazing while here. Walking around big cities in China is almost like continuously smoking a cigarette all day long. I don't want to even imagine what the lung cancer stats are here, but maybe they're not accurate since there really is no pollution here, or swine flu, either :-). Actually the stats may not be accurate simply because there has been so much development in the last 5 years, even, that the pollution has gotten more out of control. I mean, I wish I could show you what I am seeing. I have pictures, and they look like I used too much flash. Well, imagine Pittsburgh again in the 60s, I s'pose, or a very foggy San Francisco day (except in SF the fog is white, not hazy pink/orange). I haven't seen the sun in a long time, although I know it is there.

 

Okay. Enough on that. I'm really writing to tell you all how very thankful I am to have you in my life. Sitting in a conference room at Qualcomm is far from sad or lonely (so don't think that; I will be digging up some expats later) -- it gives me the space in between meetings and coachings to finally sit down and breathe, now that the most hectic part of my work trip has begun. I think it was only hectic in my *mind, and now that I have two coaching sessions down, and two workshops (after today I'll have done 3 of the 11), that notion has disappeared. I am really enjoying connecting with people and even giving them one tiny bit of advice on their pronunciation or communication skills. What it all comes down to is confidence. They do not, and most do not, tell themselves how GOOD they are in English. It's only criticism and "I could be better" or "I don't understand that guy." Sitting one--on-one with these brilliant Chinese engineers is enough to create a bit more peace in the world. They are helping me understand their culture, and how I can teach them better, while at the same time I am helping them navigate in their English-speaking world with just a bit more skill. And if even a millimeter more of their chest is puffed out, and their smile is a bit bigger, and they tell me "I learned at least one thing," I have done my job.

 

I am honored to be here, and thankful that I have the family and friends I do, my health, my zest for travel, a heart bursting.

*Our minds are so amazing, crazy-making, fun-having, judgment-making, entertainment-seeking little beasts and beauties, aren't they? I find myself really doing a lot of work with judgment. Value judgments. Behavioral assessments. Re-framing everything a different way is the best experiment I can imagine doing. I say experiment because it really is practice, not toward a theory necessarily, but toward a way of being, a way of thinking, a way of holding oneself in the world, with love and the ability to see every single other human being as just exactly the same as we are, despite the (these are the silly goose little things I was working on):

 

-loogey-hawking (gross to hear during breakfast? Maybe...but that person really needed to get it out).

-people pushing and going as fast as possible (if I lived in a city of 25 million, I would try my best to fill any free space, too, and amazing how rarely people bump into each other)

-ignoring my request for a taxi (Was that true? I asked myself after 10 minutes and two questions at 7 this morning. My answer? Nope. I had not made my request clear, and he thought I was waiting for a ride.)

 

My point? All of this doesn't exist for just us, little Trumans, and nobody is right, or better...it's all just different, and just as interesting and comfortable. And what a great laboratory in the great world of practicing acceptance. It's fun to write and say the word "loogey" again, anyhow.

Fortune Telling, British Airways, and Sinuses

In no particular order, I have a lot of topic ground to cover! I have been too busy actually experiencing and working to sit down and write (which is not a bad thing 't all).

 

I'm now at the Shanghai Pudong Airport on my way to Beijing. On the way here I realized I had a big question: I'm not sure whether or not to fear H1N1 or the pollution here more. (I actually "fear" neither, but if I had to choose, I think I'd say the pollution is more grave. A vaccine doesn't seem to exist, either).

 

I think I exclaimed aloud at one point "Goooosssssh" in between breathing through my teeth. (I have been using my teeth as a filter for the particulate.) If I knew more Chinese I"d ask people if they wore masks for a. pollution; b. to prevent getting sick; c. to prevent making other people sick; or d. because they can. I'm thinking Prada might invent a sparkly one in aubergine for nighttime occasions (and it wouldn't be a copy).

 

Ironic: The movies the nicer hotels show are classics (Mel Gibson or Eddie Murphy are usually in one of them) from the 80s, yet on the street just below one can purchase a copy of "2012," which seems to still be in the cinema (I am using British English where I can just for fun and cause I can; I might throw a mask on, too).

I got to spend some wonderful quality time with dear Jerry Koontz, one of my favorite people in the world, while in Shanghai. He was kind enough to put me up for the weekend. I love his observations: one of them was always awe-filled and "How is it POSSIBLE???" referring to the speed and skill with which elevated highways and buildings are built. It does seem as though invisible elves are erecting these massive structures in a fourth dimension. Much of it is for the Expo, which will last for several months here in Shanghai.

 

Boarding for Bejing soon and a man just sat down at my table...the restaurant's way of telling me zai gian, I think! More later...

China, here I come! I will miss you, the city-that-doesn't-sleep, Hong Kong!

Excelsior!!

Qualcomm booked me at the Excelsior Hotel in Hong Kong...are you kidding me with this sweet coincidence? It's lovely.
Chatting with my brother now, work call in a bit, going running soon, and hope to catch some tai ch'i in the park before reviewing my workshop for tomorrow, finding my next bowl of noodles (I can see that eating could become a hobby here) and exploring SoHo.

Alchemy

(This photo is from last week and is dedicated to Jen Witeck: I brought the Side Kick to Australia and the diveboat.) :-)

I'm in Hong Kong!

Have you ever felt that 6 days were actually like 12, the same way you might feel a week has only lasted a day or two at times when you’re really busy? I am baffled by how time gets defined by our internal attitude, external responsibilities, how late or early we sleep…in any case, I’m now on Week 4 of this trip (of 8), and it seems as if I’ve been gone either no time, several weeks, or a few months.
I need to write Australia a thank-you note….I love her.

My last week there was one magical moment after another. Some stats:

Walks and runs through the Botanic Gardens: four
Trips to Bondi: two
Drinking games played: three (who says you have to be in college?)

Family sightings: this is possibly the best part of the week. Aunt Liz flew into Sydney on Friday. I ran to meet her at her hotel, and found her on her floor going down in the elevator across from mine the moment I arrived. [A really cool side-note: She is reading The Alchemist, which is a book that Claire searched for in four bookshops in Fremantle. It popped off an airport bookstore shelf for me last night and I am now reading it too. In college, I had a copy that got passed around and signed by everyone who read it for years. I actually got it back years later – what a treasure. I am thankful to Claire and Aunt Liz for bringing it back to me again!]

I digress (of course. It’s a blog. Who could possibly be interested in all this detail? You'll skim as you need :-)).

So Aunt Liz and I, delightfully reunited, start to stroll down the street. About five minutes later I feel a big hand tap me on the shoulder. Startled, I turn to my left, and there is Uncle Brady!! I don’t know many other cooler people than the Cotters. Wow! We strolled and had beers that afternoon, and spent a lovely day together the next day at the Botanic Gardens, Opera House and Darling Harbour. The surprise they cooked up to surprise Claire with her dad that next evening was so clever and thoughtful. Claire was still shaking when I met them all at the restaurant after the Big Reveal at the Fortune of War. She was having a hard enough time processing that her mom was there and her semester abroad was ending, much less that her dad had flown all the way to Oz for five days to surprise her! What an awesome memory. The four of us went to a couple more bars for more schooners, chats, story-telling and bursts of emotion.

Heartstrings pulled: all week

Weeks more needed in Oz: 52. Next time – Blue Mountains and high tea; wineries; more of Western Australia; Northern Territory; Catherine; Cape York; Noosa. New Zealand, too!

English dialects heard: too many to count (ever-fascinating to me). I learned that I can understand about 12% of a Newcastle accent, and delight more than ever in an Irish one.

What you are looking for: right in front of you. Today can be as bleak or brilliant as we choose it to be. We are only what our last thought was. My last thought was “wise up, silly rabbit” and an admonishment: “Remember that change is the only constant. Remember that you chose this. Remember that your whole 'personal legend' is happening, that all is meant, that this moment is perfect. It’s okay that to feel alone, to feel sad for a moment, to recognize this (big) transition not only from a 3-week working vacation to now a 3-week work trip but a whole new culture, language, set of challenges=adventures=growth opportunities." This is true for all of us.  I looked up at the Hong Kong sky this morning and burst into tears. I know that I am a good mimic, accent-wise, but didn’t know I could also be a fall raincloud in China. The sun just peeped through; my squall has also ended.

What I love is that a nine-hour flight is now kind of no big deal. It was exciting last night to realize, more than once, that I was flying from Australia to Hong Kong. The massive south land to Hong Kong! How craaaazy is that, that we can fly? And watch movies in the sky? And eat mango popsicles and chicken noodles and sip on a really good French wine?

I remember Hong Kong to be a vast and colorful and exciting web of marketplaces, sky rises, beautiful views of the Causeway, better exchange rates/prices, and a different, quiet, kind of friendliness. While in Australia at the airport someone would actually come up to and say, “G’day! Could I help you get sorted? You look a little lost!” and chuckle and “take the piss” out of you without even knowing you and then you feel as if you could sit down with that person and have a cup of tea and hear about the kids’ marks in school. Here I landed at 9:30 (but 12:30am in my body) and in my fog realized how large the HK airport is and how of the 30 bays for shuttle buses I had no idea which one might take me to Kowloon. All of this was with no “oh, god” or fear…it was just time for bed. So, re-framed it and made it the most recent adventure. I guess my point is that I felt very much on my own when I landed; everyone going purposefully her own way and getting on shuttle buses. I figured it out, no big whoop, and slept in a luscious bed in Kowloon overlooking a long street market. Breakfast was huge and $6 (a nice change from $12 for an egg and toast.) I am going to make some work calls and go off to explore. I teach in Shenzhen on Wednesday! Time to move the bottom of my suitcase (work clothes) to the top. See ya in Thailand, tank tops and flip flops!

I have many photos to post and will do so soon. Have fun today!

Oh, Syd can you Ney...

Lovely to be in Sydney for realz this time. (On Oct 28 I was here for 13 hours, and then headed straight to Perth after a bit of delusional sight seeing). I landed yesterday afternoon and was delighted to talk to the Information people at the airport…so very helpful. By the end I was “Miss San Diego” awaiting her coach to the hostel. Joel told me that the Jolly Swagman was not a good choice, but I must admit that although I believed him I stayed there anyhow as they had a free shuttle and a good price. A safe and relatively comfy place to lay my head (sans bedbugs) is all I’m after, plus friendly fellow/sister travelers and good tour ideas. Voila! I can practice my French (and have) and Italian (very slightly) and once I reveal myself as an English teacher, it’s all over. Oh! They say. My English is so bad! No, it’s not, I say. My French is so bad! No, they say, it eez no! C'est pas vrai! And so we have a fan club for one another and work on expressions and accents. I taught an Italian pilot to say “howzitgoin” and five minutes later, processes firing, he comes back with “You use the present continuous, no?” A+, Cap’n!

Upon my escape I head to bed and the tales of the youngins in my room: Ashley from Vancouver-ish, Jesse from Seattle, Christina, also Vancouver, a flight attendant. I can hear my 25 year-old self in their voices and comments and surefire way of speaking and pronouncing “Bondi Beach” Bondee Beach, although it is Bond “eye.” I keep silent because there is really no need to be right; and who is right, anyhow, but these happy Aussies around us? I have been having fun saying “Cairns” though—I ‘ve heard it several different ways: “Canes” with a hint of an r…”Cans” with no r…and Care-nnnz (mostly from my fellow countrypeople). I just say Czzzz.

Speaking of, I love it up there, and until this morning still felt like I was on the dive boat.

I am at Roy’s Famous (what’s the Famous part, I wonder?) in delightful Potts Point, Sydney, where I’ve been for the last couple hours. Today has been great. I woke up at 7, went running, ended up in the Botanic Gardens for hours, walking, reading about the Cadigal people (aboriginals who were here first), found my eyes leaking heavily with each sentence about suppression, devastation of culture, smallpox, and on and on, but hopeful about gaps getting bridged and peace being made, doing yoga (this was one my favorite spots to do it…this time, in downward dog, I could see the Opera House through my legs! After that I made my way back, did laundry, got sorted, and headed to Roy’s. I chatted on the phone to my new local friend, Shane; had a glass of red wine and some amazing pasta; a cappuccino; and now I’m uploading pictures, writing, and polishing my lesson plans. I'm down to protein in the morning, lots of water, some fruit, and a big meal around 3. Works like a charm for my wallet and my Hudson jeans. ;-)

I’m off to Hong Kong on Sunday, and until then I have a full plate of fun ahead. Tomorrow I’ll do the Bondi Beach to Coogee walk with Shane the restless sailor (this is a great story, how I know him; I met his good friends Tim and Michaelle at LAX on the way here, and they told me he’d be a great contact to know. Turns out they were very right, and he and his friend and brother were kind enough to share their potatoes, pumpkins, carrots and wine with me last night. An autumn feast! Perhaps it was early Turkey Day, since I'll be in Beijing on the real one. We had great discussions about cross-cultural observations and travelling); Thursday I’m off to the Blue Mountains (and a lovely Victorian hostel that smells much less like shoes than does the Jolly Swagman, with a purple bedspread and almost my own bathroom, lots of trees, and older people); Friday I have a conference call/lesson with one of my favorite clients from Qualcomm; and then I meet up with Aunt Liz for a walk and dinner! She arrives Friday and we are so excited to meet up. Saturday we’ll go to Hunter Valley winetasting, and Sunday I am off to HK, where begins my teaching and a succession of amazing hotels.

I find Sydney to be such a neat mixture of cultures, streetscapes, bohemian to bankers. I see a little of DC here, a bit of San Fran there, a tad NYC, splash of Seattle, and a whole lot of mellow, happy Aussies.

Still have to share about adventures in the Daintree Rainforest, Cape Tribulation, Wujal Wujal, Cooktown, and bush pubs...I saw a frolicking wallaby and kangaroo!!
Consistent things exist in every state, despite vast differences: toilets are the same everywhere (half- and full-button flush options); light switches, too; love of beer is everywhere; “G’day, mate” and “How ya goin?” and “No problem at all” – wonderful things to rely on no matter where I tread next.

Wish you were here!

Great Barrier Reef

I'm "knackered" at the moment so won't write much...but being in the Coral Sea on a really nice vessel with amazing staff, people from all over the world (I made good friends with a South African couple, Ivan and Shann, whom I know I'll keep in touch with), a good book, tons of exercise, yummy food, one (tall) glass of Cabernet Merlot, 100s of fish...(sometimes it was like watching a cartoon! I saw Nemo. For REALZ. He says hi to Aidan, Violet and Stella!) was an experience I'll never forget, and also one I'll definitely repeat. The weather was not great today (which is why I have to go back!) === very surge-y and windy. But yesterday...wow. I really feel like I'm on holiday now. There is not an inch of room for complaint. For those of you looking for a great experience, try Reef Encounter in Cairns.

Heading to Sydney tomorrow morning where I'll link up with friends of friends, and then Aunt Liz and Claire at the end of the week! A blessed and lucky girl am I.

The Esplanade

I am sitting on the patio -- yes, the patio-- of a McDonald's (only free wifi in town, or "wee fee" as my French hostel-mate calls it), overlooking the Coral Sea and listening to a blues guitarist play the Beatles (really well). He has two British flags behind him. He just said, "Kon ban wa" to two Japanese travellers (Good evening, I think).

Looking out at the water I am buzzing with excitement for diving this weekend. Going on the Reef Encounter for two days. It's getting toward the rainy season, so conditions aren't great, but I cannot be here and not go diving on the Great Barrier Reef!

Tomorrow is a tour to Cooktown -- 7 am til 9:30 pm. Really looking forward to it. I could stay here for a bit longer....so so chill.

Just a bit after 4:19 am....

So I said goodbye to Claire and her wonderful friends, who went down to Margaret River for the week, hung out with Rachel from the hostel for a bit, and left Fremantle for Perth Airport. I did have the chance to get one more stare-down for the road from Kath. [And oh yeah. Okay. Many of you have asked, "So...did you see him ('him' being a great guy I met in San Diego last year who is from Perth)?' and the end of the story is a happy one. The answer is no. Although I didn't get to see him, I was given a bigger gift, which was for him to tell me that he's now engaged and that he couldn't see me. I am so impressed with that kind of respect and love, and hearing that confirmed my feelings about him all along -- that he is a solid and lovely guy. Of course it was a bit of a bummer, but I don't want to live in Australia, anyhow! Next love story, please!] Landed in Cairns, Australia, at 4 this morning. It was the earliest (or latest?) I'd ever landed in an airport. Must not be curfews here. The flight attendant had the best way of expressing things. She said, "We're due to land just after 4:19 am, or very near to it." I got a kick out of how precise she was. And she was right on the money. It was probably 4:19:23.

In any case, a very odd feeling to go to bed at 5 and I hadn't even been partying! I'm staying at the Girls' Hostel, which I can already recommend to anyone going to Cairns (if you're a girl, that is). The rooms are clean, the building has character, it's right in the heart of the matter, and the best part is Dawn, the manager, who will book you as many tours and give you as much advice as you need. She set me up for the day by suggesting Kuranda, a rainforest village, which is where I am now. You can take the skyrail to it, or a bus or train; I chose the bus and will train it back (for reasons of vertigo that most people don't know I possess) and was thrilled I did because a.) beautiful ride and b.) a nice older gentleman sat behind me and gave me 17 minutes straight on Thailand, where I'll be in December. If I was sure 10 days there wouldn't be enough before, now I'm really sure!

I can already see that this entire trip is like a beer sampler...you try the smoky bacon-flavored one, and the pear-flavored fruity one, and know which one you want to order a pint of (or not). Rachel (who's from near Sydney and has been traveling for six months; just back from Egypt) taught me that last night at a tapas bar that was also a microbrewery in Fremantle...she always orders a half-pint of the "funny beer" so she's not committed just in case she's not into it. So I know that I'll be back to each of these places again, and do them differently -- much longer in each state.

Sunday I'll do a live-aboard dive trip to the outer Great Barrier Reef. I cannot wait. There is an option of two days and one night + two more days and a night if you are a "hostie." You can live on the boat and dive and snorkel for free the second two nights! Thursday-Saturday I hope to go to the tablelands or maybe all the way to Darwin and back...see...not enough time! I already know I'm changing my flight to stay here in Cairns longer.

All that and I'm cranking out my workshop handouts, too...so nice to have to much space in which to be creative. I LOVEWHATIDO...to the point of grinning and cackling out loud last night at the airport (I was writing a lesson on brushing up verb tenses; what a nerd, but I did have a lovely glass of cabernet next to me). I am really getting excited for the Asia portion of the trip -- teaching in China, Japan and Taiwan will be amazing.

Off to see the koalas!

Fremantle, Day 5

So, I changed rooms. I left a note for Kath: Thank you for sharing your space with me. Be well. The guys at the front put me in an 8-bed room that was entirely empty. I frolicked about for a while, deciding on which mattress was best, and did a cartwheel in my new palace. Amazing how expanding a shoebox by a power of 10 could give me such glee. It's the little things. For whatever reason I felt guilty leaving Kath and wanted her to be sure it wasn't because of the knife in the kitchen story, or the odd stare-downs she gives. Odd that anyone would put two people in a room that tiny, anyhow. I saw her this morning, and she stared me down some, and so I went over to her table to see if she'd gotten my note. She said she had, and that she appreciated having the room to herself once again, and turned up her radio. Resolved.

After one night in the palace on my own, I got two new roommates: Evelyn from Taiwan and Rachel from near Sydney. Evelyn works on a grape farm in Australia, and has a broadband wireless card on her tiny computer. Rachel has been traveling for six months. She just got to Fremantle from Egypt and is on her way to New Zealand. She is annoyed that Internet is so pricey here ("the scabs!") and likes her men with tadoos and a good beer-guzzling ability. In the courtyard I met Phil and Kath from the NW of England, traveling around Australia for four months. She was an ESOL teacher, and he, a graphic designer. Their biggest concern is whether to buy a car or not. It's all being put into perspective for me, life...seeing how busy we all get, how busy I make myself, how unavailable and occupied I "seem" to be...all of that disappears when you are traveling. It is almost uncomfortable, this feeling of "well, what should I do next?" and the answer is always "whatever you want," which for whatever reason is creating guilt today (you're saying "WHAAAT? I would give anything to be able to say that right now! Wine tasting or snorkeling??! What's wrong with you?!$*!") and a feeling of needing to be busy and maybe going to volunteer somewhere and finish up a lesson plan and go running and...and...and

It's a good lesson in knowing It Is All Good Enough. Being here right now, no matter what we are doing, or have to do, or "should" do, is more than enough, and a 1000 blessings. Be gone, Shoulds!

That brings me to needing to mention that the best thing about this trip is Claire. Claire is my bright-eyed, naturally leading, spirit-filled, beautiful, cool, strong and wise 20 year-old cousin, who is much more like a sister than a cousin. We are more alike than we really knew before this trip. I am sitting at Moore and Moore Coffee House again, adjacent to her. We are both doing work today: she has a paper to write, and I have several workshops to polish up before going to Asia. She just giggled to me: "I love days sometimes that you have so much to do that you can't think, especially if you have something fun to do later on." This from a girl who has a 10-page paper due to herself by 4. She just finished a big application to do an internship in Africa this summer, and I got to edit it for her this morning. "Did you ever procrastinate in college?" she asked. "Um, yes. I feel like I'm watching myself right now..." which led to a fantastic hour-long conversation that made me love her even more. These are the times we'll remember, not the A- or B+ , or the "perfect" handout (although those are important, too).

Although we could be anywhere having this conversation, we're not, and I am just now really wrapping my mind around the fact that I'm in Australia. Each day I realize how months are needed, years, really, to be able to experience this country. I have to stop myself from reading more about Western Australia and what I haven't seen yet, and instead make a good list of what to do next time I'm here (cause I'll be back!): Margaret River, drive down south and back again, up to Broome and the outback, Uluru. When I leave tomorrow night for Cairns it will be with excitement to see the Great Barrier Reef, Cape Tribulation, and to take a trip over the tableland.

As for today, I'll do some more writing, find a good yoga class (so far I've done yoga in LAX, on Cottesloe Beach, and on Bathers' Beach --doing downward dog looking at the Indian Ocean upside down was by far my favorite so far (and then to look up and see Claire just sitting there on the beach coincidentally with her awesome friends -- no joke! -- a pretty amazing day, yesterday), maybe go for a run, re-pack my bag, confirm my flight, and head to community dinner at Claire's dorm.

Or should I...

Fremantle

Moore and Moore Coffee House, Freo
So amazing to see my cousin Claire round the corner a couple nights ago...we sprinted toward each other and haven't stopped giggling "I can't believe you're/I'm here!!!" She is the best "surrogate sister" ever. Her friends at Notre Dame are so warm and welcoming, fun and livin' the dream. Yesterday we went to Stress-Free Fair (it's almost finals week) and I got a massage, did a little yoga, and recharged the batteries! So much fun to be a college student again.

In Fremantle, I’m staying at the YHA Backpackers. I'm rarely there; enough said. My roommate is Kath. She’s about 78 years old. When I arrived at midnight on Wednesday (or Thursday? I’ve lost track) she had the door locked and chained. She wasn’t expecting someone so late, she said, as she answered the door in her baggy white skivvies. I was so out of it that I wondered why Magda from "Something About Mary" was in my room. Oh, my. She is very kind and was well moved in, and I had about 2 inches for my suitcase (she eventually moved her things into her locker, very kind.)
So far, we’ve had two conversations:
1.
Kath: “You’re much better than my last roommate. She was an alcoholic. In a really bad way. A pity, really. Where are you from?”
Anne: [in a jetlaggy way] The States. Oh. Well, that’s good. I mean, that’s not good, but…um…happy to be here. [Kath climbs up on the top bunk – spry as a 20 year-old – and crawls into bed with her Walkman on.] Where are you from?
No answer. At 10 in the morning:
Kath: “Here. I'm from here."

The next night, she’s not back at 9:30 when my body finally shouted at me “GO TO BED! ALL OF US CELLS HAVE NO IDEA WHAT TIME IT IS! WHAT ARE YOU DOING TO US?? WE HURT!” She comes in a bit later, and:
2.
Anne: “How was your day?”

Kath: “Really weird, really weird. So many strange things happened today! I can’t even begin to say. [beat] I am just going to listen to this program. I listen to it every night.”
Back on with the Walkman. And on. And on. All night she sleeps with the radio on, but really low, so it sounds like a cricket. It was actually calming, to have her jaunty spirit above me for the last couple nights. She is as quiet as a mouse, as am I, so it’s working out well.
When I woke up at 4:17 am I was convinced that she is a schizophrenic, and wears the walkman to drown out voices. Then I considered that the radio is her traveling companion, her husband, her mate for now. The woman proves you don’t need much to live. A hoodie would be nice today, though (didn’t pack that).
This morning was one of those on which you can’t wait to get out of bed for the restless fever dreams. Luckily mine were just foggy "where am I" dreams mixed with very sharp and real stories with people from my past; nonetheless, I was actually pumped for the conference call I had scheduled at 8 am.

Reminded I’m on “holiday” I am going to Cottsloe Beach now, and it’s 7:13 pm in San Diego! What fun.
The hum in the hostel bathroom is a G, and just outside, in the common room, it’s an F, so I walk through the common room and back again accompanied by a second all the time. (The common room, by the by, is about 3000% bigger than Kath’s room, and it begs to be built out. I will suggest it to Uncle Erich, the night manager, when I can next stomach his shaky pre-bourbon stature, and perma-yellow Halloween teef. Or not.)

Quick Stats

Jetstar: The Southwest of Australia...almost exactly the same, minus the dumb jokes.
Hey?: For “pardon me? I didn’t hear you, dummy?”

Inflection: upward and delightful

Friendly: redefined

Sydney Airport: Santiago Airport

Australian prices: almost laugh-aloud-able. Bottled water: $2 Coca-cola: $3.50 Terrible sandwich: $7.50 Train from airport to CBD return: $25 (TRAIN!?!) Bowl of soup: $10.50

Paperback books (no matter if they are Malcolm Gladwell, Jodi Picoult, Obama, or Jennifer Werner): ~$25.

Guidebooks: a la Lonely Planet $35

Sydney

So far Australia is the friendliest bunch of people outside Pittsburgh or Montana that I've experienced! Smiles everywhere. Very helpful people. I had an awesome flight (ended up with two seats to myself -- what a rare treat!) and slept about 9 hours of the 14. I couldn't even get through "The Proposal" (but even if I hadn't been so tired I would probably have turned it off).

Out and about to explore now...then back to the airport to catch my plane to Perth and see my cousin Claire!

Today's the Day!

Off I go -- to LAX, Sydney, Perth and Freo -- can't wait to see my cousin Claire. What a gorgeous life, this one.

Spinning

Odd, but I'm looking around for Stress and can't seem to locate it.


I'm fine with that, somehow....cause it seems to have been replaced by Extreme Excitement!!

Packing

I just zipped my bag...packing for two months and about three climates, and a combo of fun, diving, and work clothes is a challenge! However, I'm going to shopping meccas, so have stayed light. First stop: Sydney. I land October 28 and will skip Oct 27 altogether (always a trip!)


Life is to be lived...the past couple days have felt like coming up is a birthday, the holidays, a new car; everything shiny and bright...and open to the unknown!

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