Eating a tangerine

Thursday, October 4, 2012

Notes on traveling alone (Australia)

Restaurant leftovers are your new best friend. Leftovers and bloggers. Go into the church. For the price of a Starbucks drink that comes with 30 minutes of wireless access, you can buy 75 minutes at the Malaysian cafe three blocks away. When you walk alone at night, walk like you're on your way to kicking someone's ass. Trust the young woman with the big dress and big headphones and sharp eyes.

Buy cut flowers or fresh bread. The key is under a green can in the empty planter on the west side of the house. It's okay to feel like you're not okay. Write a letter. You will be.

Practice your accent to the cashier when you eat alone. You have a good sense of direction in any hemisphere. There are lots of jobs that pay cash. Put on lipstick when you are terrified. Tell everyone back home you are having a wonderful time; it's true. Keep your feet off the tram seats. A tablespoon of honey will not be missed. You are not worse off than you were at seventeen. The bartender who tries to insult you doesn't have anything you need. Carry tea bags and a thermos — ask for hot water and you shall receive.

Wednesday, October 3, 2012

Sydney Saturday

Tuesday, October 2, 2012

Gratitudes + things that are making me happy

• houses with electric kettles

• the word estuary

• big trampolines

• quiet and spaciousness and warmth

• the sound of the wind in the gum trees

• living near the ocean

• a bicycle to borrow

• Skype

• Australian clouds

• unfamiliar stars

• that I learned during college how to live in smaller towns/suburbs

• "You seem older."

• the company of an enjoyable book lent to me by a good friend

• my friends and my mom, who give me support and listening ears when I need them

• sound sleep under a particularly cozy duvet

• oat milk

• asparagus

• and fond Sydney memories to return to.

Monday, October 1, 2012

Update on Jeanima

From her sponsorship organization:

Because you sponsor a child in Haiti, I’m writing to share an important update with you and ask for your prayers.

As you may know from recent news reports, Tropical Storm Isaac caused flash floods and landslides in Haiti.

Compassion church partners are working to assess the status of sponsored children in affected areas. There have been no reports of lives lost among Compassion children, and the majority of our children in Haiti are not greatly affected. Still, many of our sponsored children and their families have partially or totally lost their belongings, and hundreds of homes have been damaged or destroyed. If your child was directly affected by the storm’s damage, we will contact you as soon as possible.

The potential for cholera has also increased because of the flooding. For Compassion church partners and child development centers in affected regions, the situation is critical. Compassion is providing immediate relief to hundreds of registered children and their families by distributing food, clothing, and hygiene and household items to give help and hope in spite of loss and displacement.

Thank you so much for your support of Jeanima. Please continue to pray for the people of Haiti, already in need, who are struggling even more because of these events.