beaches of WA (western australia)

i am genuine when i say i'm hesitant to fully report how beautiful and amazing it is to be here. but, my own "survivor guilt" is my issue, and so i will share unabashadly, and i hope you dont feel i'm trying to rub it in. and in fact, you'd probably want to punch me or shake me straight to know what's really going on in my mind. yesterday i was at the beach and it was the most beautiful surroundings i can ever remember being in, yet my fulfillment wasnt quite to satisfaction. i keep repeating this phrase, but it rings so true. "happiness is meant to be shared". i guess this is my way of sharing. although impersonal, the need to connect and experience this together is important to me.

to recap the last couple of days.. its been all about the beaches. using simon as my travel guide will prove to be useful and integrating moreso than a generic written guide explaining "you are here". the first beach was wonderfully remote and just what i needed, some time to reflect and get some bearings. i quickly have realized, though, that alone time is not healthy for my overactive "monkey mind". however, at the same time i'm right where i need/want to be. i had an idea this trip would be a sort of retreat for me, to take much needed time (i was unable to find in my comfort zone at home) to put into practice the ability to control my thoughts and reign in the unneccesary activity. i've been studying eckhart tolle's book THE POWER OF NOW and here is my chance to put it into play. just like another great book, LETTERS TO A YOUNG POET, i can now "live the questions themselves". one more point about my practicum, eckhart suggests his teachings can "show you how to free yourself from enslavement to the mind, enter into this enlightened state of consciousness and sustain it in everyday life." i dont know about you, but i'm excited to learn that valuable technique! anywho, i digress. back to the diary portion..

the notion to get off the train station and walk west seemed a bit daunting before and during, but afterwards makes total sense. we forget to just have faith in trust in things. we are such a society of information, knowing too much and adventuring too little. i was scared i admit. i feel so awkward even walking the streets, looking both ways to be sure i not only cover laws at home but laws here. i can see how travellers easily get run over. its opposite from what i'm used to, and i feel like i stick out like a sore thumb. i've never seen so many beautiful people. honestly. pure beauty. of course, it must have to do with all the exposed (tanned) skin. but men and women alike are just so nice to look at! their dress is casual, no makeup or prada, yet a wholesome and relaxed aura about them. its hard to pick out tourists from locals, since in perth there are so many foreigners who have come to live. they are somehow in the know that this is a great place to be. and i realize, as i sit in the perth train station waiting for my connection, that most people here are living out thier daily lives, much like we do at home. yet, from my onlooker perspective, i picture them to be content and satisfied. i mean, just look at them! of course there are many business people who put in a lineup wouldnt stand out more than anyone we work with, yet i imagine them to be happier. i realize thats a bit ridiculous to assume. their heads are probably filled with the same (excuse my language) crap that fills our own. we are ALL the same, no matter if we are in vanuatu, england, japan, australia, maine. we wake up, go to work, do soemthing we think is meaningful (or often obligated), go to sleep, and do the same thing day after day.

its strange to me that outside the city, just a 20 minute train ride can take you to the most gorgeous beaches! white sand, crisp, blue water. i definitely wanted to get back to the indian ocean and soak up the warm weather (it was over a 100 degrees yesterday) but of course dont want to repeat location. so i made my way to another beach, closer to the city. cottesloe beach. definitely more popular, maybe even a bit touristy, but i was glad for the company. i've never been on a tropical vacation, so i was happy to be part of the social climate. i've been diligent about protecting my skin, but it was hot and i was ready for a swim. and there were som beach volleyballers playing two on two. you could tell they were not just amateurs. thier hand sets were perfect! i wanted to get into the ocean so i could tread water while watching ball. i was in heaven! but then, the helicopter that had been circling the area was centered around the beach and people were gathering on the jetty. i asked someone if someone had drowned or if there were shark danger, and she replied that if it were a shark they'd blow the siren. not five minutes later that siren blew and i tell ya i moved so fast out of that water i left a wake! actually, thats what happened in my mind, but when in rome... so i sauntered out cooly and collectedly like the locals. the siren blew for quite awhile and when it ended i assumed it was okay to go back in, but no one else was. so i asked an "elderly" gentleman what the scoop was. he gave me the run-down about how the ski-doo was out there trying to chase it away and another helicopter came in to help get a view of it. i asked if tax dollars paid for the hellies and actually they only used to do it on weekends, but the public outcry said it was needed during the week that sharks dont know the difference, so the government pays some, and tv/media sponsors the rest. it took about 45 minutes to get the okay to go back in, apparently they'd lost track of it and wanted to be sure it wasnt near. just earlier that morning a shark attacked someone in sydney, and weeks before at that same beach a guy was standing in hip-deep water and was attacked. just what my worry-wart mind needs! it made for a good story (dont you think)

simon is a great host and has been sharing his life with me. tuesday evening he took me by some friends i've been hearing about for years. that was great fun to story-on with them. and then last night simon's brother came by and we had a nice chat. everyone i meet wants to talk about obamaa and questions what the country is like now. i'm not much into politics, but the conversations always take an interesting direction off that topic. i realize i'm a representation of our country (scary, isnt it) but i'm surprised many (not only australians) have taken a sincere interest in obama's election. you hear on the news how it affects the world, but its another to actually talk to people from other countries and hear that first hand.

also, last night simon took me to another adventure! we were lounging around after he got home and all of a sudden he says "we're going to leave now. put on some sneakers and socks and be prepared to sweat". and so we get in the car and i make some comment about what i'm wearing and he says "dont worry, its moot" (actually he has some other lingo for everything but to make it flow...) and he says "its gay badmitton". it was in a small gym and there were about 35 people there (one other woman) and it was such a blast. i immediately inquired how hard it would be to set up at home, but they have special holes in the gym floor to set up nets. it was so much fun!
when i was in peace corps i always said when i came home i'd start a local activity club (not necessarily singles) and it was reiterated last night how i havent gotten around to it.

this is quite novelesque. oops.

stay tuned....