so I have a few things that have happened in my life since we last spoke. important things, such as flying back to winter, and getting very ill, and getting a job. this post is mostly going to be about the very last thing. and maybe a little about the first. and preferably not at all about the one in the middle. cause that one is over. and I'm trying to keep the memory out of my consciousness.
I have a new job. it's quite different from the jobs I've done before. most of the people I'm dealing with through the course of the day are under three and a half feet. I'm an "educational assistant" in a kindergarten classroom. and there are fourteen children. fourteen. fourteen. it's.... an adventure. it really is. and they really say the funniest things. such as.....
-"Miss Chochrane, Miss Cochrane.... she said "duh" and duh is a swear word!"
-"(name inserted here) just said the O word! they said, "oh my gosh!""
-"are you a mom?" "no" "then what are you?"
-(taking off her glasses) "this is how I looked when I was young"
-"I'm in love with Justin Beaver"
-"I was here a looonnnnggg time ago. like when I was four!"
and a plethora of others. I'm sure you'll be hearing more and more about them. they have astounding personalities. but they haven't all caught that I'm a Miss.... not a Mrs. but I've begun to correct them in earnest as of today.
also, it's winter. and I'm ready.... no, I am SO ready for it not to be. but. things are looking promising. spring MUST be just around the corner. and I can't really go traipsing off to a hot place every time I get tired of the cold, now can I? ... can I? hm.
... well, I don't really want to leave, anyway.
so I suppose I'll just have to wait for the diamond dust to melt and convince the spring grass to grow the brightest green it's ever thought of growing.....
I hate mini eggs. and that hate grows with each egg that goes into my mouth.
also, I tried making falafels last night for a potluck I had with friends. they were nicknamed "awful falafels". you can tell the depth of their success by that nickname.
I'ma gunna go craft now. or something along those lines....
someday I'll share another photo with you. honest.
Monday, March 7, 2011
Thursday, February 3, 2011
did you know?
spiders can grow to be quite large? they can. and they can jump on your back, and begin building a web... but you won't even notice until you look in the mirror. and see something on your back. oh... weird... is that your hair? and just while you're wondering at what that is, it'll fly through the air, like Peter Pan. and land with a thud on the counter top in the bathroom. and before your mind has fully realized what that is or even made the connection that it was on you, your mouth has opened and sound flies out. a sound that is something akin to a scream. but not a scream. your brain catches up. and you clutch your heart so it doesn't race right out of your chest. you step back... slowly.... and go find some boy to handle this situation. and you feel like less of a silly girl when you realize that they don't really like big spiders either. but they help you anyway. and the spider goes for a swim down the toilet. and now, you can shower in peace.
also... did you know?
you can ruin your iPod by having your water bottle barely open in your bag. and it can hold incredible amounts of water. and then, those same boys will help you be knowledgeable enough to totally take apart your iPod. and put it in a container of rice. and then you can hope that you'll be able to get all the rice out... and hope that you'll be able to put it back together. and then you can hope that it will work for you again.
and HERE is a little break for you... from all that learning.
also... did you know?
you can ruin your iPod by having your water bottle barely open in your bag. and it can hold incredible amounts of water. and then, those same boys will help you be knowledgeable enough to totally take apart your iPod. and put it in a container of rice. and then you can hope that you'll be able to get all the rice out... and hope that you'll be able to put it back together. and then you can hope that it will work for you again.
and HERE is a little break for you... from all that learning.
Monday, January 31, 2011
I'm from Canada. I'm not a nurse.
I have an interesting thing that happened to me last week. so interesting even.
it was a Monday. a fairly normal sort of Monday. and I was sitting... quite normally... at the bus stop. waiting for... you guessed it... a bus! I happened to be in the midst of writing a letter to a friend of mine, and minding my own business. suddenly, I hear a man saying, "hello, ma'am... I need you to help me! can you help me?" or something along those lines. it almost felt like I was in slow motion... I'm sure it's because I'd been so deeply engrossed in the letter writing. I looked up.. first to his face... and then down, down.. down.... (all in slow motion) to the bloody hand he was cradling in front of him. there was a lot of blood. and it was dripping. dripping down, down... down (all in slow motion) to land *splat* on the cement. but it didn't stop there. oh no. from the *splat*, it continued to a splatter. a splatter the decorated itself on my toes... and feet.... and ankles. as all these slow motion things were happening in my world, his seemed to continue on at a normal speed... and when our speeds matched up again, I found that he'd never really stopped taking about what was happening and telling me that I had to do something. I finally opened my mouth and asked him what had happened. he explained how he'd taken the bandage off and then blood started squirting everywhere. yes, he used the word squirting. I looked at him, then back to his hand... then back to his.... and out came the words...... "well what do you want me to do?". (helpful and productive, I know.) he told me that I just had to help him (he even threw in a foul word... for dramatic effect I suppose) and that I had to do something.... go to my parents and get bandages or stitch it up or do something! I explained in a mildly exasperated tone that I was not from around there... I am Canadian. and I most definitely am not a nurse. I told him that there was a hospital nearby. that was not good enough I suppose.... he continued his dramatic, flustered begging and continued dripping blood that had to first *splat*, then splatter. onto my feet. I was becoming a little annoyed with his lack of listening or understanding. and by his insistence that I must DO something! finally, I could take it no longer. nor could I refuse him. the story of the good samaritan keep nagging in the back of my brains. sigh. so I jumped up and said, "okay! come-on!" we walked about 30 feet down the sidewalk to a restaurant... him still going on about it all. I tapped him on his arm and said, "wait here." and I waltzed into that restaurant, and right up to the bar, and asked for some napkins. one man ignored me as he thought I was just a person interrupting the flow of his day. (actually, I don't know what he thought. he may not have thought that at all) so I was a bit more demanding with the next man. I asked for some napkins and he said, "just a moment please." and I said, "there is a man bleeding outside. may I have some napkins?" that caught his attention, and he gave me a pile of them. then he picked up his plates of food and followed me out. his manager didn't much care to have the employee standing with the customers food and watching the excitement rather than doing his job. so now, I have the manager handy. I plopped the napkins on desperate-bleeding-man's hand and he tells me that he thinks the bleeding has stopped. I looked at this tiny little pinprick on the back of his hand (it must have gone to the vein to create that much blood... maybe an I.V....? I really have no idea..) and agreed. the manager told him how to get to the hospital and DBM (desperate-bleeding-man) says he's not going back to that hospital. ohh-kayyy then. I see how it is. the manager felt that he had done his duty, and waltzed off back to his job. and these ladies told me about a medical center down the street. I told the man how to get there, and told him that he really just needed to clean all that blood up, and maybe run it under cold water a bit and keep some pressure on it and he would be fine. he seemed grateful. and then, he went his way. and I went mine. back to my letter writing at my bus stop. the only change being the puddle of blood in front of me.
and, of course, the splatters.
who could forget the splatters.
it was a Monday. a fairly normal sort of Monday. and I was sitting... quite normally... at the bus stop. waiting for... you guessed it... a bus! I happened to be in the midst of writing a letter to a friend of mine, and minding my own business. suddenly, I hear a man saying, "hello, ma'am... I need you to help me! can you help me?" or something along those lines. it almost felt like I was in slow motion... I'm sure it's because I'd been so deeply engrossed in the letter writing. I looked up.. first to his face... and then down, down.. down.... (all in slow motion) to the bloody hand he was cradling in front of him. there was a lot of blood. and it was dripping. dripping down, down... down (all in slow motion) to land *splat* on the cement. but it didn't stop there. oh no. from the *splat*, it continued to a splatter. a splatter the decorated itself on my toes... and feet.... and ankles. as all these slow motion things were happening in my world, his seemed to continue on at a normal speed... and when our speeds matched up again, I found that he'd never really stopped taking about what was happening and telling me that I had to do something. I finally opened my mouth and asked him what had happened. he explained how he'd taken the bandage off and then blood started squirting everywhere. yes, he used the word squirting. I looked at him, then back to his hand... then back to his.... and out came the words...... "well what do you want me to do?". (helpful and productive, I know.) he told me that I just had to help him (he even threw in a foul word... for dramatic effect I suppose) and that I had to do something.... go to my parents and get bandages or stitch it up or do something! I explained in a mildly exasperated tone that I was not from around there... I am Canadian. and I most definitely am not a nurse. I told him that there was a hospital nearby. that was not good enough I suppose.... he continued his dramatic, flustered begging and continued dripping blood that had to first *splat*, then splatter. onto my feet. I was becoming a little annoyed with his lack of listening or understanding. and by his insistence that I must DO something! finally, I could take it no longer. nor could I refuse him. the story of the good samaritan keep nagging in the back of my brains. sigh. so I jumped up and said, "okay! come-on!" we walked about 30 feet down the sidewalk to a restaurant... him still going on about it all. I tapped him on his arm and said, "wait here." and I waltzed into that restaurant, and right up to the bar, and asked for some napkins. one man ignored me as he thought I was just a person interrupting the flow of his day. (actually, I don't know what he thought. he may not have thought that at all) so I was a bit more demanding with the next man. I asked for some napkins and he said, "just a moment please." and I said, "there is a man bleeding outside. may I have some napkins?" that caught his attention, and he gave me a pile of them. then he picked up his plates of food and followed me out. his manager didn't much care to have the employee standing with the customers food and watching the excitement rather than doing his job. so now, I have the manager handy. I plopped the napkins on desperate-bleeding-man's hand and he tells me that he thinks the bleeding has stopped. I looked at this tiny little pinprick on the back of his hand (it must have gone to the vein to create that much blood... maybe an I.V....? I really have no idea..) and agreed. the manager told him how to get to the hospital and DBM (desperate-bleeding-man) says he's not going back to that hospital. ohh-kayyy then. I see how it is. the manager felt that he had done his duty, and waltzed off back to his job. and these ladies told me about a medical center down the street. I told the man how to get there, and told him that he really just needed to clean all that blood up, and maybe run it under cold water a bit and keep some pressure on it and he would be fine. he seemed grateful. and then, he went his way. and I went mine. back to my letter writing at my bus stop. the only change being the puddle of blood in front of me.
and, of course, the splatters.
Saturday, January 29, 2011
a change in plans.
warning: this is ferociously long. I give you permission to skim.
there has been a slight change in plans. and when I say slight, I mean slightly drastic. I feel as though you may be disappointed in me, and then I feel as though I care maybe too much what others think of me. so let me expand, and maybe even give you my perspective, and if you don't understand, or you are still disappointed, I'm sorry for that.
you see, once upon a time, I decided to go to Australia. people asked me why, and my common response was, "to work and hang out and explore".... but let us be honest here. that wasn't really all. I may not dive overly deep here, but I do want you to have a better picture of this all as a whole. when I decided to come to Australia, I needed to have some space. for a few different reasons. a couple of those reasons changed along the way, but some remained too. I wanted to take a break... a break from life as I knew it. I had/have a really wonderful life back home, don't get me wrong. but like many North Americans, I struggle with juggling those flaming torches called busy. I really enjoy being busy. I do. usually I love the things I'm busy with. but busy needs to be kept within reason. and I think it's so easy to lose a proper perspective on life and how it's meant to be lived when our life begins to speed by on fast forward. things become overwhelming and I become irritable and then I know things have gone wrong when you don't stop to smell the flowers.
I don't really know why I'm going on about this. when I planned on leaving, it had little to nothing to do with busyness. I wasn't out of control. but the quiet, and having this TIME, has been an added bonus. but that's somewhat besides the point at the moment. oh. I feel that this post may not have a very proper flow at all.
alright. I always thought it would be fun to go "live" somewhere else. somewhere that I'm not used to and where things are new and different. I looked at my life and realized that I was/am at an ideal place in my life to be able to do that. I don't have a mortgage to pay off, nor a family to care for. no school or career that I've committed to and no debt tying me down. what more perfect time would there be to do something like this? why not? so I dreamt and prayed and planned to go. as I planned, I began to think of all the purposes I had for this trip. and as I now look at my list (and even then) I see that these are things that can be done anywhere.. you don't have to go to the other side of the world to do them. although... if it's January, the other side of the world has summer, which is a big advantage. so... my plans and "purposes" looked something like this.... more than anything, I really wanted take some time getting to know my God in a deeper way. this is, I suppose, an area where the busyness of life wiggles in and messes with things. it seems that when I get busy, the first thing to go is my time with Christ. but for me to starve myself of the source of my life is a sort of slow suicide. and I dislike the sort of person I become when that happens. anyway. I tend to lean towards the artsy/thinky/explory side of things. so I also wanted to make time to take photos and journal and read those books I don't make time to read. I wanted to wander and see things I hadn't seen before. I wanted sit in cafes and ponder life and drink good coffee. I wanted to shop and skip out on winter and lay on a beach and swim in the ocean and wiggle my toes in the sand. I had planned to work in a cool cafe to support the cost of all these lovely little things. I had also planned to be here for four months.
but the moral of the story is this: plans sometimes change. and that is very alright.
the big news flash is that I'm coming home in a week and a half. so one month, instead of four.
I've decided to simply call it a holiday and recognize how swell it's been and come home and dig into life there. this trip has been everything I've expected and totally not what I'd expected... all at the same time. it's been.. like living a dream. that sounds sickeningly cliche (and I'm not even at the cliche part yet), but it is entirely true. every morning I have my quiet time on "my" veranda. I smell the summer air and hear the symphony of birds and insects celebrating that summer. I see the most beautiful fig tree I've ever seen in my life and a grand old church next door. sometimes the wind-chimes dance... along with the vine that's been creeping towrds me.... closer and closer, every day. I watch a tiny lizard scurry to find a warm brick to be still on, and I watch the clouds race across the hard blue sky. and as I sit, quiet and still, I am refreshed. and what I've just described to you is only the twenty minutes or so I spend on "my" veranda.... think of all the other moments in a day that I could go on about. it's been so, so, SO much of a gift to be able to be here.
but I'm ready. I'm ready to go home. I feel that this trip has turned out differently than I'd originally planned, but I don't mind that at all. it's been a much needed break from life and I feel refreshed and re-focused. (that makes it sound like I now have life figured out. if that's what you got, you got it wrong. fix it quick... to this: "Danielle still doesn't have life figured out, and she's okay with that.") the biggest intended purpose for this trip has been abundantly fulfilled.
and I've learned a few things along the way that I hadn't expected to. I will even make a list for you. because I'm one of "those" people. (now, please bear in mind that this next bit is going to be the cliche sounding bit and that I knew some of these things before, but they were re-instilled into my brain recently.) and actually... this isn't a list I'm making for you. that was a lie. sorry. it's actually a list I wrote in my journal. so a lot of it is simply the sort of thing I would like to look back and remind myself of....
-life is going to mostly be what you make of it. it doesn't have too much to do with location.
-the things you think are important sometimes aren't. and the things you've maybe not thought much of, are more important than you'd once realized.
-I can get freckles.
-life can be lovely and fulfilling anywhere, anytime.... if you're finding your purpose in Christ and clinging to Him. living and loving in Him.
-God doesn't always make things crystal clear.
-they know how to do coffee in Australia.
-there is beauty to be found everywhere... one only needs to look. and the opposite is also true.
-exploring and adventuring are beautiful gifts that we should be more intentional about.
-foreheads can swell if seriously sunburned.
-it's okay to make mistakes.... just make sure to make the most of them. and learn from them.
-don't be afraid to show kindness to a stranger.
-allow yourself to feel. deeply.
-bats in Australia are terrifying and incredible.
-never lose you're ability to wonder and marvel.
-always be willing to learn.
-money doesn't grow on trees. but I believe that God will always provide me with enough. you don't have to be rich to live a rich life.
-try new things.
-everyday. be still. and know that He is God.
-I must create.
-laugh too much and love too deeply. I think God delights in that.
-don't ever live in regret.
-be who He's made you to be.
-delight in His love.
-trust Him.
-never let worry eat away at your days, and eat up your life.
-relationships are important and worth the effort it may take to grow them.
-hold your dreams and plans with open hands.
-read the Bible. period.
whew.
I have a few interesting stories for you, but this post is already far, far, far too long and tends to get even longer when I use the word "far" three times instead of just one, and then continue on to talk about that.
so I'll just end it.... here.
there has been a slight change in plans. and when I say slight, I mean slightly drastic. I feel as though you may be disappointed in me, and then I feel as though I care maybe too much what others think of me. so let me expand, and maybe even give you my perspective, and if you don't understand, or you are still disappointed, I'm sorry for that.
you see, once upon a time, I decided to go to Australia. people asked me why, and my common response was, "to work and hang out and explore".... but let us be honest here. that wasn't really all. I may not dive overly deep here, but I do want you to have a better picture of this all as a whole. when I decided to come to Australia, I needed to have some space. for a few different reasons. a couple of those reasons changed along the way, but some remained too. I wanted to take a break... a break from life as I knew it. I had/have a really wonderful life back home, don't get me wrong. but like many North Americans, I struggle with juggling those flaming torches called busy. I really enjoy being busy. I do. usually I love the things I'm busy with. but busy needs to be kept within reason. and I think it's so easy to lose a proper perspective on life and how it's meant to be lived when our life begins to speed by on fast forward. things become overwhelming and I become irritable and then I know things have gone wrong when you don't stop to smell the flowers.
I don't really know why I'm going on about this. when I planned on leaving, it had little to nothing to do with busyness. I wasn't out of control. but the quiet, and having this TIME, has been an added bonus. but that's somewhat besides the point at the moment. oh. I feel that this post may not have a very proper flow at all.
alright. I always thought it would be fun to go "live" somewhere else. somewhere that I'm not used to and where things are new and different. I looked at my life and realized that I was/am at an ideal place in my life to be able to do that. I don't have a mortgage to pay off, nor a family to care for. no school or career that I've committed to and no debt tying me down. what more perfect time would there be to do something like this? why not? so I dreamt and prayed and planned to go. as I planned, I began to think of all the purposes I had for this trip. and as I now look at my list (and even then) I see that these are things that can be done anywhere.. you don't have to go to the other side of the world to do them. although... if it's January, the other side of the world has summer, which is a big advantage. so... my plans and "purposes" looked something like this.... more than anything, I really wanted take some time getting to know my God in a deeper way. this is, I suppose, an area where the busyness of life wiggles in and messes with things. it seems that when I get busy, the first thing to go is my time with Christ. but for me to starve myself of the source of my life is a sort of slow suicide. and I dislike the sort of person I become when that happens. anyway. I tend to lean towards the artsy/thinky/explory side of things. so I also wanted to make time to take photos and journal and read those books I don't make time to read. I wanted to wander and see things I hadn't seen before. I wanted sit in cafes and ponder life and drink good coffee. I wanted to shop and skip out on winter and lay on a beach and swim in the ocean and wiggle my toes in the sand. I had planned to work in a cool cafe to support the cost of all these lovely little things. I had also planned to be here for four months.
but the moral of the story is this: plans sometimes change. and that is very alright.
the big news flash is that I'm coming home in a week and a half. so one month, instead of four.
I've decided to simply call it a holiday and recognize how swell it's been and come home and dig into life there. this trip has been everything I've expected and totally not what I'd expected... all at the same time. it's been.. like living a dream. that sounds sickeningly cliche (and I'm not even at the cliche part yet), but it is entirely true. every morning I have my quiet time on "my" veranda. I smell the summer air and hear the symphony of birds and insects celebrating that summer. I see the most beautiful fig tree I've ever seen in my life and a grand old church next door. sometimes the wind-chimes dance... along with the vine that's been creeping towrds me.... closer and closer, every day. I watch a tiny lizard scurry to find a warm brick to be still on, and I watch the clouds race across the hard blue sky. and as I sit, quiet and still, I am refreshed. and what I've just described to you is only the twenty minutes or so I spend on "my" veranda.... think of all the other moments in a day that I could go on about. it's been so, so, SO much of a gift to be able to be here.
but I'm ready. I'm ready to go home. I feel that this trip has turned out differently than I'd originally planned, but I don't mind that at all. it's been a much needed break from life and I feel refreshed and re-focused. (that makes it sound like I now have life figured out. if that's what you got, you got it wrong. fix it quick... to this: "Danielle still doesn't have life figured out, and she's okay with that.") the biggest intended purpose for this trip has been abundantly fulfilled.
and I've learned a few things along the way that I hadn't expected to. I will even make a list for you. because I'm one of "those" people. (now, please bear in mind that this next bit is going to be the cliche sounding bit and that I knew some of these things before, but they were re-instilled into my brain recently.) and actually... this isn't a list I'm making for you. that was a lie. sorry. it's actually a list I wrote in my journal. so a lot of it is simply the sort of thing I would like to look back and remind myself of....
-life is going to mostly be what you make of it. it doesn't have too much to do with location.
-the things you think are important sometimes aren't. and the things you've maybe not thought much of, are more important than you'd once realized.
-I can get freckles.
-life can be lovely and fulfilling anywhere, anytime.... if you're finding your purpose in Christ and clinging to Him. living and loving in Him.
-God doesn't always make things crystal clear.
-they know how to do coffee in Australia.
-there is beauty to be found everywhere... one only needs to look. and the opposite is also true.
-exploring and adventuring are beautiful gifts that we should be more intentional about.
-foreheads can swell if seriously sunburned.
-it's okay to make mistakes.... just make sure to make the most of them. and learn from them.
-don't be afraid to show kindness to a stranger.
-allow yourself to feel. deeply.
-bats in Australia are terrifying and incredible.
-never lose you're ability to wonder and marvel.
-always be willing to learn.
-money doesn't grow on trees. but I believe that God will always provide me with enough. you don't have to be rich to live a rich life.
-try new things.
-everyday. be still. and know that He is God.
-I must create.
-laugh too much and love too deeply. I think God delights in that.
-don't ever live in regret.
-be who He's made you to be.
-delight in His love.
-trust Him.
-never let worry eat away at your days, and eat up your life.
-relationships are important and worth the effort it may take to grow them.
-hold your dreams and plans with open hands.
-read the Bible. period.
whew.
I have a few interesting stories for you, but this post is already far, far, far too long and tends to get even longer when I use the word "far" three times instead of just one, and then continue on to talk about that.
Saturday, January 22, 2011
boomboomboom.
I had to ask myself if I had it in me to make this post. my head has a rhythm that it insists upon pounding out. but... we'll just have to take it one small word at a time. it's been a nice couple of days. it is absolutely summer here, in case I ever had any doubts. complete with barbecues and ice cream. yesterday I did some laundry and then went to the beach for a short bit of time. it was very busy. then I got home just in time to go to a farewell barbecue. it was such good hang-out-in-the-park weather. later that night we got a movie and visited. it maybe doesn't sound thrilling to you.... perhaps I'm doing a poor job of describing it with this aching head. aching heads do indeed hamper ones creative genius. anyway. it was perfectly lovely. I'm afraid that's all for now. and not even a photo. I'm sorry. I guess there were a few last time... maybe that will make up for it...
Wednesday, January 19, 2011
my today.
today I went for coffee, and wrote a long letter as I sipped on that coffee. then I went walking. and took a couple photos. along the way I managed to buy a red dress. it's so nice and summery. this whole not working thing could become expensive in two ways. not only and I not making money, but I'm also spending it... hey, I suppose it was only $20. (I'm just not sure how much the alterations I want will cost...)
and then I got lost. on purpose. you have to be sort of good at emptying your head on purpose to get lost if it's not something that comes naturally to you. getting lost, that it. along the way though, this man said "g'day!" to me. and it was natural and real to him. and I felt so... amazed. I actually didn't even reply because it all happened so quick! I did smile though... and that's kind of like a reply....
anyway. I got quite lost. (side note: is it wise to trust the directions of a woman who apparently doesn't speak English? ... and even more importantly... is it wise to trust yourself when you think you understand what she means? today I say to you, "no." the answer to both of those questions should always be no.) so. I got lost.... and then asked for directions (a couple times) back to where I wanted to be, and found the grocery store I wanted to find. there, I bought almonds and ice cream. the last two ingredients I needed in order to make my smoothie/shake.
lets talk about that for a moment, shall we? I had it on my second day here in a little cafe-like place. it was so super tasty and I thought I'd give it a whirl. Alanna said she tried making it and it worked out for her. so I figured it would work for me. and it did! well, once I got help with the stubborn blender. so let me tell you how you can make this super tasty smoothie/shake in your own home. I'll warn you though.. it's rather filling.
lets call it "super tasty banana smoothie shake"...
all you need is one banana, vanilla ice cream, milk, almonds, and a few ice cubes. oh! and honey! place the banana in the blender and maybe a half cup of milk, maybe a cup of ice cream, 4ish ice cubes... and I did 20 almonds... and about a Tbsp. of honey.... and then blend away! it made a couple servings. all of the measurements and amounts are just guesstimation. I'll probably modify it a bit next time around, and you can feel free to play with it too. the almonds would probably be better if they were sliced and slightly toasted.
these photos are from my day. the t.v. was in between a couple buildings. I've seen a few other of these these things around... it's just a cemented thing... like a t.v. or a gun or a cellphone by a street light. they're cemented to the ground. I'm not sure what the purpose is, but I kind of like it. it's so random, yet interesting. it's sort of like vandalism but it doesn't seem so bad. I hadn't noticed anything written on the other things. I'll have to look closer next time.
speaking of vandalism. I watched a group of boys leave a friend behind as he sprayed bright blue paint on a wall. and I didn't know what to do. I felt like I should do something... but .... what? I kind of shot a "you know better" look in their direction, but maybe they don't.
I love the stormy sea.
that was a bit of my day. how was yours?
Monday, January 17, 2011
slang?
so they supposedly speak English here in Australia. but it's not the same English that I'm familiar with. they have an accent, but that's not all. they have the most... interesting phrases. so often I have to ask for clarification, and all the other times I just feign understanding. it's been a... growing experience, to say the least. so, upon special request, here are a few uniquely un-Canadian ways of speaking....
-they "have a go" at something, or give it a go...
-they do indeed call prefect strangers "mate"...
-french fries are called chips and chips are called crisps.
-they use the word "bizarre" more often than I realized was possible.
-it's perfectly fine to ask where the toilet is in a shopping centre. I haven't yet been able to bring myself to do that. it seems too... abrupt.
-"fairdinkum".... I believe it's a term like, "I couldn't believe it!" or "seriously?" I don't think I'll be picking up on that one.
-they "suss" out things. I asked for clarification on this one as well... Alanna said it maybe comes from the word suspect. so... to suss out a job, is to search for one. or to to suess something out is to look into it. I think.
-"heaps and heaps". I've had heaps of coffee since coming here! it's just so tasty.
-"quick sticks" is something that your grandma would say to you to hurry you along..... (my mom always said "quick like a bunny"...)
-OH! this one confused me a few times and I'd just mumble through an answer. "how you going?" it's like... a combo of our "how are you doing?" and "how's it going?". fairly simple I guess. But I usually just reply... ".. good. how are you?" and it continually seems mildly awkward.
-they say "cheers" instead of thank-you and good-bye. it's nice but I'd feel like a pretender if I said that one.
-"ta": see "cheers"
-"whinging" is the equivalent of our "whining"
-"cozzies" are swimmers. I have no idea why.
-to "stuff up" something is to mess it all up.
-"sunnies" are sunglasses.... that seems like a fun one, wouldn't you say?
-and garbage is actually also referred to as "rubbish". actually. like, in all seriousness.
there's another phrase or two that isn't supposed to be bad sounding. but they are. and I'm not going to share them. you can thank me later.
it rained today. maybe now that the weathers gotten that out of it's system, I can walk to the store. I'm going to try out a new smoothie/shake recipe. if it works out, I'll be sure to share it with you.
ta!
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