The only constant in life in change
Trip Start
Feb 16, 2008
1
15
33
Trip End
Jul 22, 2008
Coogee,
Australia
Thursday, March 13, 2008
Also, I would like to say hello to the NGA. I have definitely not forgotten about you. I can't believe my last day was 6 weeks ago. I don't know how I've gotten along without you, but then again, I am dreaming about you. Literally. At least three nights a week I have a dream about work. You are all in my thoughts and I miss you very much. You were my family and my home, that little desk, my routine, for 8 years. My feet do not miss the marble floors. I wear flip flops everyday, and I don't miss wearing suits. I have not used a hair dryer for a month, and I won't have to wear a dress for a dinner until my friend's wedding on October 4th -- bridesmaid dress #10 -- which sadly, I cannot reuse for sitting at the podium managing seating, the plates and the pinks and blues! I have not met one VIP since I've been here. I did see an Alexander Calder sculpture in downtown Sydney and it made me feel at home. My calendar only goes through March 30th right now, and I'm becoming a pretty good photographer with my little digital camera. I still crave chocolate around 3pm, but have replaced "Vitamin M" with something Cadbury, but it's not the same as that big white bowl.
Fun with the boys
I miss you still. Thank you for preparing me for my future. My plans have changed, again. I am signed up for surf camp which is a four day trip beginning in Sydney, ending in Byron Bay. I went to book accommodation in Byron and had absolutely no luck. Easter weekend is apparently HUGE there. 100,000 people descend upon this coastal haven of 10,000 for their last summer hoorah - Easter must be their Labor Day. So, no beds to speak of. This search and my worries consumed my Wednesday. I finally threw in the towel for the day and to let it go until Thursday. Plus, Yuka and I had plans to hit a few gay bars on Oxford Street with Josh that night, so I would just have fun and let it go. We met up with Josh around 8:30 at his flat and I lamented about my day. They, part of my "Sydney Family," both convinced me to stay in Sydney another week. I still have a few people I want to meet up with anyways, and figured it would be a good idea. I'll be in Coogee for at least a few days next week, maybe longer. I really like it here - staying by the beach, making my lunch and dinner and watching the news, and my peaceful evening runs along the ocean. Plus, it's really easy to get into the city from Coogee. Josh also gave me an old phone of his to use. So, with all that settled, we enjoyed a crazy night out on Oxford Street. The gay men love to dance!
Thursday, I was feeling emotional and exhausted and on the verge of tears for most of the morning, then something amazing happened, as it seems to, for me here in Australia...things fell into place. I pushed surf camp back a week, confirmed accommodation in Byron Bay, picked up the sim card for the phone and was immediately in business (even found out I can easily text the states, which is dangerous), and found out two friends, one of whom I haven't seen in years, will be up the North Coast around the same time as me. It's all coming together.
After lunch, I donned my "maternity shirt" and bikini bottoms and decided to go for a swim. There is this "pool" on the left side of the beach -- basically huge rocks that form an area where you can swim and jump into this natural pool. You see a lot of kids climbing in and jumping among the rocks and I've been wanting to head down there all week to play. Trouble is, I normally have my book, my IPod, all my stuff, on the beach, and I'm often by myself. So, I took just my key and my sunnies and walked barefoot to the beach and made my way down to the pool. After scoping it out, I decided it was time to jump. I left my key and sunnies with this nice woman laying on the rocks with her daughter, and went for it. The initial jump was cold and the salt water stings the eyes pretty badly, but it felt really good. I have been reading up on PADI scuba certification and one place says you need to be able to swim 200 meters and tread water for 10 mintues. I haven't been timed treading water since I was about 8 at the Parkwood Pool in Elgin, Illinois, where I learned to swim, dive, and where we spent most of our summer days as kids until we moved when I was 11. In order to go to the pool without parental supervision, you had to take a swimming test and tread water for a minute (which when you're 8, seems like a lifetime). Yesterday, I had no doubt I could tread water for10 mintues.
Josh, Yuka, and Anne
I think I'm pretty fit, I've run two marathons and play some "ironwoman" flag football afterall, but thought it would be fun to give it a go. Besides treading water being incredibly boring, I was fine. Sadly though, my watch went caput shortly after the timing was over. That time in the water, thinking about surfing and scuba diving, reminded me of why I'm here. I'd spent the last day or so beating myself up because my plans weren't working out, thinking that I'm a bad traveler and a bad planner, and that I should just give up and go home (PMS and a slight hangover was definitely playing into these feeling, btw). As I swam around in the saltwater and climbed the rocks, I began to think about all of this, how it is challenging me and how I am going to be challenged by surfing and scuba diving, especially. I grew up around pools, lakes, and rivers. I've done lots of swimming and playing around in the water, have water skied, jet skied, gone swimming off a pontoon boat, ridden wave runners, though not spent much time has actually been spent in the ocean besides a running in and out of the waves. It's, in many ways, a different environment -- the sting of the salt water alone! I got excited again, scared, but excited! This is "Anne Adventure" after all!
I sat on the rocks for awhile and watched the waves come in. Saw two little crabs climbing around. I jumped in the water and made my way to the other side where there is a sort of table where you can stand and water comes up to just above your ankles. As I stood there looking down I saw some fish swimming. I just watched them for awhile, an observer in their world. They were little, terra cotta colored fish with black spots, and they kept coming to the surface to eat some kelp or seaweed that had floated to the top, just like the fish in the little aquarium we had growing up. It really was no different, but then again, it was. It's the ocean and I'm in Australia. I've been here for almost a month now. I've made friends, have seen and done some amazing things. This is only the beginning. So much adventure is in front of me...
Comments
SURFING!
Yea! Can't wait to hear how it goes. I loved surfing when we were in Hawaii (although we weren't there for the good surf season - waves weren't huge) - but your clumsy little sister got up on the board on her first attempt, so I hope you have the same success.
Still need to figure out if I get charged for Int'l Texting...
LFY!