Sydneysiders

Sydneysider: anyone who's from or lives in Sydney. I don't count as one, but I'm living with two, and I just wanted to show off some of my new vocabulary. New words and phrases have definitely been creeping in over the last few months. So here's a fair warning to my friends and family when I get home: don't be surprised if a loo, lift, I reckon, hey?, bully, d'ya reckon?, no worries, she'll be right, capsicum, biscuit, chips, aye, sunnies, togs or jandals jump out at you in the course of conversation. It may take some time to fade.

The Petersons have been keeping me really busy here in Sydney. They live in Kareela, a small suburb near Sutherland, which is about 20 minutes south of the city. They live in a three story home of which they used to rent out the second floor. The tenets happened to move out the weekend before I arrived, so I've got a whole floor to myself. Three bedrooms, kitchen, lounge, bathroom....I'm pretty spoiled. Albie and Bernice live just up the stairs, in a smallish space that allows everything to go on in one basic area so you never get lonely. They've got a pool outside, though its been a bit too cold to tempt me.

A word about Albie and Bernie - they are nearly 80 and are two of the livliest people I've met. They are so active, running around doing things all day, enjoying life to the fullest, laughing, ready for anything, and affectionate with each other. What an amazing couple. They love to dance, which is how they met. They've been married for 18 years now. They love to introduce people to Sydney, they love music, and they love spoiling people rotten. When I arrived they were waiting at the baggage claim patiently for my hour-late flight, and couldn't wait to take a photo of me right away. They brought me home via public trans (their preferred method of travel, and they are EXPERTS) and the whirlwind began. So far we have been to Manly Beach and the Corso, the Blue Mountains, Katoomba and the Three Sisters, Watson's Bay, and the Taronga Zoo. They call it the Zoo with a View, its located on the harbor just across from the opera house. I had a great time there with Bernie (apparently, Ablie's 7 children never wanted to do anything but go to the zoo, the very thought of one makes him cringe, and he refuses to ever go to a zoo again, ha ha!) I spent one day being driven around Wollongong and Kiama with another couple I met (a pair of trombonists) who are the founders of several bands in their area and own a little rehearsal hall. They took me to see all the sights near their area, and are wonderful people. I've been to hear a great big band run by a lady named Judy Bailey, and evenings with Albie and Bernie often include watching amazing concert DVD's of jazz legends. I really can't complain, the week is rushing by so quickly.

BUT!!! I. can. not. wait. to. go. HOME!!! 4 days and I'll be on my way!! FINALLY!! Really getting excited and impatient now. :-) Lake Arrowhead, I'll be back soon!!

Forgetting your shoes

I decided on taking a tour after all, and chose one that cruised around the Whitsunday islands and stopped for snorkeling on the fringe of the reef and at the beautiful Whitehaven beach.

My boat was the "Camira", a type of catamaran that only had about 25 other guests on it. The front of the boat had a section where canvas had been stretched across from one side to the other, like a non-bouncy trampoline, and you could lounge around on it, or lay down and listen to the sound of the water passing beneath you. It was a really beautiful sailboat with two tall sails, and it was such a relaxing, intimate way to travel. Whitehaven beach truly was spectacular, with miles of pure white silica sand and blue seas. I met two other girls traveling on their own, one from Germany and one from England, and the three of us befriended each other and banded together against the three perils of traveling alone: no one to talk to, no one to take your picture, and no one to put sunscreen on that one part of your back that you just can't reach.

When you board Camira, the first thing you must do is lose your shoes. One of the crew holds a big canvas bag, and everyone must drop his or her shoes into it as she passes. At first you are surprised, thinking, "Surely I must need my shoes at some point today..." but then you quickly forget all about them. Roaming the boat, sitting near the front, relaxing or eating in the inner lounge, swimming in the ocean, exploring the sands of Whitehaven beach.....all are accomplished without the slightest recollection that you once had shoes and thought you needed them. You feel free and relaxed all day long, and hang your feet over the side of the sailboat as you watch the green islands slide by. You breath fresh air and watch as the sunset changes the sky. You feel loved and protected by God just for being, and feel like a child again. And as the crew of the Camira had warned us (and I had laughed at the idea), many nearly forgot to retrieve their shoes as they left the boat. You forgot you ever had shoes, and it was only as you left that you suddenly remembered to find them. You reluctantly pull yours out of the pile, wishing you didn't have to put them and all the cares and worries you also had left behind for the day, back on again. I want to forget my shoes way more often.