Halloween

This weekend I celebrated my first Halloween. Halloween is a huge tradition in America and often quoted by my friends as their favorite holiday of the year. Hence, my household decided to throw a party. A big one. We carved jack-o-lanterns, baked pumpkin bread, decorated the house with spiders and glow-in-the-dark cobwebs and transformed our gorgeous old Berkleyan Hills manor into a monster mansion with a DJ, dance-floor and copious amounts of food and drink.  Everyone came in costume; from giant bananas to mermaids to Vikings to Chilean miners subsequent to their rescue from the Copiapo. Diogenes and I went as two American classics, Elvis Presley and Marilyn Monroe. There were in excess of 100 people at the party at one time – it surely made for a ‘sweaty sardine’ environment, as one guest was heard saying. The party raged on until the sun came up in the morning and only the stragglers were left keep the dance floor alive. It was one of the biggest and best parties I’ve been to (not to toot my own horn) and everyone had an exceptionally amazing time! Cleaning up the next day wasn’t too painful given there were 7 other housemates to help, and by lunchtime you couldn’t even tell there was a party the night before. Hundreds and thousands of little kids and young teenagers raged the streets in costumes knocking on doors for candy. Unfortunately, we didn’t have any kids come to our house (we even bought candy for them!). I think it was because we are so far up the hill that no one could be bothered walking up here for candy… ha, need I make social commentary on that last sentence? The history and the development of the Halloween holiday is an interesting one but I will leave Wikipedia to fill you in on that one. There wasn’t a single house without a pumpkin out the front for weeks prior to Halloween and the holiday is surely one I’ll never forget! 

11/11

11:11 is a number that I have a strong connection with. I often see it on the clock when I glance at the time for no apparent reason. Spiritual folk have described witnessing 11:11 on the clock as a moment when one’s conscious and subconscious mind are at one; a moment where you are in an extraordinary state of awareness. Seeing 11:11 on the clock gives me great peace in knowing that I am exactly where I am meant to be; where I am is 100% the right time and place. 11/11 is also my birthday.

My birthday has become somewhat of a spiritual moment for me. I always feel significant changes in my life start around my birthday and which often are concreted into place around New Years Eve. I am finally ending a 7 year cycle of change (my 21^st year), and am excited for what the New Year will bring. My birthday comes at a time before all the hustle and bustle of Christmas, at the change of the seasons – be it spring to summer in the Southern Hemisphere or fall to winter in the Northern, and at the end of a journey and the beginning of a new one.

I always become very reflective and sentimental around this time of year, and I like to look back and reflect on my growth. I recently crafted a ‘photo wall’ comprised of a collection of photos from over the past year. Every night since erecting it I stare at it for at least half an hour. It is a form of meditation; a way for me to feel grateful for my life and all the people in it.

MY YEAR:

The photo wall starts with photos from my 21^st birthday last year; a very significant day for anyone. I remember feeling at peace come my 21^st. Despite it being organized last minute because I didn’t know whether I’d be in Canberra or Perth, my closest friends in Canberra made my day really special. It was a good way to say thanks for the previous 4 years of university together as well. My birthday was around the time my boyfriend officially asked me out and we started our life together. Just a week or two later, I graduated from university with First Class Honors and felt a tremendous sense of achievement and closure of that part of my life. My mum was there to celebrate it with me and I remember feeling really appreciative of all her support over my whole life. I said goodbye to Canberra and university life, and Diógenes and I travelled to Sydney to enjoy the surf and the sun before venturing on a long journey by car from east to west Australia. We camped in the desert, never ran out of conversation and cemented our relationship in stone. We arrived in Perth just in time for Christmas with my whole family, and went sailing to Rottnest Island and enjoyed the beautiful Australian Summer. My grandmother from Germany was visiting Australia for the first time and it was also the first time we celebrated Christmas together. One of my favorite pictures is with me and all the important women in my life; my mother, step-mum, and two grandmothers. New Years Eve was a very special time when some of my oldest and closest friends whom I grew up with ventured down on a camping road trip to the Margaret River Surf & Wine region of Western Australia. We spent almost a week touring, having fun and enjoying the peace of the Australian bush & ocean and catching up on old times. I realized that I was lucky to have made such amazing friends in this life; friends I will love and cherish forever. Settling back into life in Perth, I celebrated Australia Day with my cousin, one of my best friends, and felt appreciative of my home country and all that was Australian. At this stage I knew that I would be leaving Australia for a while and this day was important for me to recognize and connect to my heritage. Over the following months I worked to save money for my overseas adventure, and in the meantime made friends with a beautiful bunch of people from all over the world. One of my greatest memories with these folk was travelling to Lancelin and running amok in the sand dunes overlooking the ocean; being completely free and uninhibited, laughing and loving life.  In the mix of it all, I flew to Bali for Easter and met my half-sister for the first time since she was a baby and I was a young girl. This was an incredible moment to connect with a part of me I had longed to reunite with for a long time. We formed an amazing bond and I am proud to say I have a sister (a fantastic one, at that)! As time approached for me to leave Australia I felt at peace with my family, particularly my Dad who I had really deepened my relationship with. A few weeks before I left Australia, my step-mum finally went into remission from a chronic and rare form of Leukemia after battling the cancer with chemotherapy and the like over roughly 6 years. To see her recover was an amazing goodbye present. She really helped me grow into myself and discover my spirituality over the few months I was back in Perth. Speaking of spirituality, I met some amazing beauties and was taken in to their family on my path to connect with God/the Divine who really inspired me by not only talking the talk, but walking the walk, of loving and giving peace to the present moment and everything in this universe. My mother and maternal grandmother were incredibly supportive to me and I tried to spend as much time with them as possible, doing humble things but nevertheless appreciating every moment. There are no words to explain how much I love them. My mum in particular was (and always has been and always will be) my best friend. I spent many an afternoon walking along Cottesloe beach with my best friend Emy philosophizing about life and recognizing how important our friendship is to each other. My dogs aged rapidly before my eyes; one becoming completely blind and the other completely deaf. Without much longer to live, I enjoyed the simple pleasures of walking them every day and sitting with them in the park cuddling and playing, knowing that it would be the last time I would see them once I left Australian shores. I particularly had difficulty parting with my dog Chloe, my companion since I was a young girl, who has always been there for me through the good and the bad. My cat as well. Saying goodbye to my animals really felt like a chapter in my life had ended, and I had to let go and go forward. I celebrated my last few weeks in Australia spending as much time as possible with the people I loved the most, and celebrated with a farewell party (or three), who I can primarily thank my mum for arranging. And that was that, goodbye Australia. I headed overseas to Norway and fell in love with the Nordic life once again. I went to Lene and Sven’s beautiful white-tie gala wedding and danced a Polynesian waltz for the first time. I learnt a lot about the World and my passion for travel and learning about other cultures was ignited strongly once again. I landed in Germany a week later and had an incredibly meaningful time with my grandparents, cousins, aunts and uncles. For the first time in my life, I felt really a deep connection with my German family and I will never forget my time there.  This was a very important and special week for me. Shortly after, I arrived in Brazil in an attempt to build a life there with my boyfriend. We spent a couple of months touring the south of Brazil; learning and participating in Brazilian life and culture; enjoying the good and bad of life in Brazil together. I made some amazing friends and have memories for a lifetime. I’ve written extensively about my journey since leaving Australian shores in this blog. So another year is coming to an end and Diógenes I are now living in the United States. Both of us have jobs and are quickly moving up the ranks. We are starting to build new friendships, new lives and new memories that in a year I will be able to reflect upon as just the beginning of a much longer journey.

Sometimes a year can pass us by so quickly, and we are not really sure what we have done or achieved; we all know what it feels like to have life speed past us. So that is why my birthday is an important day for me. It is a moment for me to really appreciate all that has been since 11/11 the year prior. I can honestly say that this has been one of the best years of my life. The love I feel for my family and friends is overwhelming. Despite being on the other side of the world, I feel closer and more connected to those I love than ever before. I feel like I have matured a lot emotionally. I have found my feet and I am proud to be who I am. I am proud of my family, I am proud of my home, I am proud of my friends, and I am proud of what I have achieved in this life and I am proud of the woman I have become.

In many ways, this blog post is to say thanks to all the special people in my life and who have made this one of the most special and monumental years of my life; helping me really establish my roots & my identity as I transitioned into my own person... and helping me find a deep appreciation for the people that make my life important. There will never been enough words to suffice how important each and every one of you are to me… Your love and support is the greatest birthday present I could have ever asked for this 11/11. Thank you. 

Life in the Bay

My first two weeks in the US have been… well, I have no idea how to sum it up in an opening sentence. Firstly, I am really happy here. Perhaps I’ll start this blog entry at the center (see, I am starting to use US English; note the –er not –re ending) of daily life. Home. I love my house. 

I have incredible housemates; they are an eclectic mix of people who all feel completely comfortable to be themselves, and whose personalities and outlooks on life I greatly enjoy and respect respectively. I also feel really comfortable to be completely myself, and I feel there is a great sense of understanding and acceptance in the house, including a willingness to be a ‘house family’. We garden together, go to music festivals together, cook together, drink wine (and scotch) together, have bonfires in the garden, talk with, yoga with, shop with, exercise with each other… of course not all 8 of us together at once necessarily (actually that rarely happens), but there is an awesome community vibe to the house. The surrounding neighborhood is one of the nicest in the area, and a short stroll up the street finds you immersed in nature. Speaking of such, I saw my first Raccoon come investigating on our balcony, little Bambis on the street at dusk, squirrels everywhere and apparently there are mountain lions that venture down from the Hills every now and then. I have a feeling, though, it is pretty rare for a mountain lion to be found in Berkeley and my housemates might have been playing on my naivety a little. American humor, I’m still working on it. The town itself, Berkeley, is a really interesting place. It is an incredibly progressive town with a significantly socially and politically liberal and relatively wealthy population. Neighboring areas, such as Oakland, a heavily industrialized area, do not predominately portray the same characteristics and hence there is a mix and flux of different demographics in Berkeley at times (particularly at the borders). Homelessness and theft are major issues in the Bay area generally. Honestly, I feel more threatened here by security issues than I did in Brazil. Probably because I am usually alone, the men in particular are usually significantly bigger than me (I was quite tall compared to most of the Brazilian population), and there seems to be more resentment as opposed to sorrow and despair from the homeless here; they often carry a really aggressive and threatening attitude. Of course, I speak only of my experience with panhandlers on street corners, and I do not intend to generalize all people subject to homelessness. Nevertheless, one of my housemates attributes the 'attitude' to the US's generally liberal politics and therefore many homeless feel like the system is at fault and carry an attitude 'well, what are you gonna do about it?'.

Given the many political chats I’ve had with my fellow Berkeleyans I am starting to understand the US political system and the less tangible, but actual ‘system’ that governs US culture(s). The US is definitely stereotyped by the majority of the ‘rest of the world’, and people often ask me about my perception of the US before and after being here. The longer I am here and the more I learn about the US, I am really starting to see the ignorance inherent in the stereotype. This country is way too diverse to be categoriZed. Perhaps stereotypes, generally, are based on a certain level on ignorance through generaliZation (note the Z, not S – US spelling). The state of California is a particularly interesting state to live in – hey, it has Arnold Schwarzenegger as Governor, how can it not be? I am really looking forward to learning more about the politics here. Marijuana is a topical issue here right now as Arnie just passed a law to make smoking pot as criminal as getting a parking fine. Given there aren’t any ‘pot-smoking inspectors’ that walk around neighborhoods and cities in a cool uniform and hat like parking inspectors, I can’t imagine anyone being fined for smoking unless you blew smoke into a police officer’s face and they had a particular personal aversion to the green stuff. Hence it is effectively legal. There is an election coming up for the people of CA to decide whether to completely legalize it or not. On the back of the East Bay Chronicle, there are adds for doctors where all of which have little hemp logos indicating “medicinal marijuana available here”. I am really intrigued to see what the outcome will be.

Speaking of politics, I am starting work this week at an influential political non-profit, the Californian League of Conservation Voters. I had my interview today and I really, really liked the staff, the values and goals of the organization and the pay/working conditions seem pretty reasonable! Not to mention, I'm working in a really topical and challenging field that I am really passionate about. Can't ask for much more? The US economy is still going down, with the AU dollar 99c to the US dollar. Not bad if I hadn’t already transferred my savings into my US bank account… dang. Come on dollar, go back up! Research positions and a possible fellowship are also on the cards, but more to come on that later. Career prospective are nevertheless not bad, and I feel this is a fantastic place for my career to blossom in time. I am also going to enjoy having some sort of financial freedom again. I am definitely still interested in post-graduate academia, be it a PhD, Masters or Grad Program. I am going to enjoy my time to work (for money) and gain some practical experience nevertheless over the coming year(s).

What else? I feel I owe it to you, my friends and family, to fill you in on everything as I am becoming increasingly distracted with ‘life’. I saw Diogenes for the first time since he departed this weekend. We enjoyed some touristic activities in San Fran (Golden Gate Bridge – a must do), and generally enjoyed what being in our 20’s is all about. Life is just grand, what can I say? I am really happy and really comfortable here, and am really enjoying building a life here. I went to an incredible music festival, Hardly Strictly Bluegrass, in the Golden Gate Park the other weekend and chillaxed with a picnic and friends (and 300,000 other people) to some awesome music. There is always something happening in SF (downtown San Francisco) or the East Bay (Berkeley and surrounds), every night, it’s just a matter of choosing what/when/where I want to be. So…. This is, so far, my life in the Bay. I’m loving it.