Flowers are abundant in “OZ!” Here are a few I have found in the back yard.
I wake up to birds chirping at 5:30 am. Sometimes it is raining or like today a beautiful sunny morning, coffee on the deck, and Bob, the Butcher Bird appears on the rail for a visit. He is a “young’un” with no fear of humans and very curious. What a delight to have a bird just within reach to chat with. His mom shows up with a worm and he is off to have breakfast. A set of rainbow colored birds fly hurriedly by, chipping loudly, it is a family of Lorikeets. They are the most beautiful parrots I have ever seen. I want one for a pet, plus a kangaroo and a koala. Truly Australia is the land of unusually wonderful creatures.
Last Thursday was Australia Day, a celebration day for patriotism and similar to our July 4th, Independence Day. Innes Park was the site of festivities including live music, food, arts and crafts. A very rainy day we sloshed from tent to tent checking out the activities. I was able to pet a blue tongued lizard a young boy was carrying. His dad, the ‘snake man’ gave me a fright with the huge python snake he was letting others hold. Australia has the largest number of venomous snakes in the world, leaving me to think the only good snake is not near me! Time to move on. We walk down the beach, sighting a hawk with a fish in his mouth. The rain is drifting away to reveal a bright sunshiny day.
Critters are abundant here and each day is another wonderful retired day of “being” in OZ.
Warm rain water dripped off my floppy Aussie hat as I watched a thirty year old mother Loggerhead turtle drop her fifth clutch of ping pong size turtle eggs into a freshly dug egg chamber on the beach at Mon Repos. Quietly in the darkness, lite by a single flash-lite I saw over a hundred eggs pile up by one by one. The ninety kilo turtle had lumbered onto the beach about thirty minutes before, dug her nesting chamber and as we arrived she started to lay. Not long after she covered the eggs by paddling sand with her flippers. Once it was all flat and tight she meandered back to the ocean.
The wonderful park rangers carefully dug the eggs out by hand to relocate them to a higher spot above the sand dunes. Each person was given two sandy eggs to transport to the new egg chamber. In total one hundred and eleven eggs were moved to the new location.
My first week in “OZ” and I am moving turtles around. I love it.
When you start a new relationship everything is fresh and wonderful, you are all “gaga.” As the novelty wears off you have to face the real you, your inner personality and the issues or demons that you hide. I think not only with new romantic relationships but with with all people you meet, you set boundaries and begin dialogue.
In each relationship we can revert back to old stereotypical roles we may have played in childhood, with boyfriends, girlfriends, or with past husbands or wives. I am breaking out of these old roles with toxic dialogues into a healthy role of an adult with a nice calm dialogue. I recall my attractions were to troubled, distant, moody men, usually emotionally unavailable and addicted to alcohol. Roles we played were rescuer “trying to help”; or persecutor “trying to blame”; or role of victim “the one who is helpless and blameless.” This becomes a game and you can act out any of these roles at any time you please. To step away from this and work in a healthy role is challenging for some one who has had a dysfunctional life.
Working on a healthy relationship is what I call “different, virgin territory and sometimes boring.” You would wonder why boring, because there is no drama or chaos. I have loved that “high” in my relationships but no more. I am finding when there is no action, I honestly don’t know what to do with myself. I am not sure how to act, how to cultivate a continually nice relationship, where someone actually cares about me, and my welfare. Having found someone who loves me, just the way I am and is there for me is so amazingly different. Finding mutual interests is more fun than commiserating endlessly over obsessed and unhealthy conversation.
As I walk a path to a new way of living I am hoping to be joined by new friends in a more peaceful world. I sometimes catch myself looking for or about to step into a toxic dilemma. I have a fear that the calm life is not working. I am curious has anyone else noticed once you have changed into a healthy lifestyle what do you do with yourself when you seem to want to fall back into the stimulation of chaotic drama instead of enjoying the “boring” life? Any helpful ideas would be appreciated.
I met my western colleagues, an American, Brit and Aussie! We all have such accents. I answered someone in Spanish and that was funny, they thought it was a dialect of English. My Chinese is just 2 words at this point. Have much to learn and it is mind boggling. I am going for latte with the western teachers today and looking forward to chatting.
My back is really sore, could use my inversion table or a good massage! (Where is Susan Cline when you need her?) Casey said to buy an egg crate, hope they have those here.
My space bags worked great but now that I am opening them, everything is so wrinkled, need to buy an iron next. And I need about 100 hangers, I have 6 in my closet.
For those of you interested in my bathroom findings…. The high school facilities are a lovely Prussian blue tiled hole in the floor, at least each hole has a door. I inquired about faculty restrooms and a regular toilet, and since I am the only female western teacher they may accommodate me with something. Maybe a five gallon bucket with a lid! Culture Update #1: Always carry toilet paper on you, as there is none in any of the bathrooms!
Need to take some pictures today. The university has historical architecture and some being renovated. They are using scaffolding made of bamboo that goes up maybe ten stories. It looks like an accident waiting to happen. I was told there is a Buddhist Temple behind the campus, that might be my first photo excursion.