ROOS!
I know it's hard to see, but this is an emu. We drove into a field to get this picture.

Fiona and me
Fire twirlers at the festival

Festival folk

Excited artists of Eclectic Kitchen

What's in the dome? If I told you, I'd have to kill you.

To the birthday kids Missy, Chris, and Evan!

An amazingly warm and sparkling tide pool... if you're in the area, stop by for a swim.

The "washing machine" an area where the waves come together in the craziest ways. (AKA-the beach that stole my sunnies)

The path to the beach

That pink sunset I mentioned last week

One heck of a weekend!

Hello again folks... I'm realizing I'm not very good at keeping this blog updated weekly... will work on that. This past weekend I went home with Sven to the Cobargo Folk Festival near the coast.... Spent some time at the beach (where I inevitably lost my Rine-stoned sunnies to the hungry ocean). It was really hard to leave that beautiful spot.

The folk festival was really really good... had a blast with Sven's friend Fiona. We were the "roadies" for the Hellands (Sven's family act). We would carry a few instruments around go backstage for a minute or two. Saw some AMAZING performances... this girl Penny has a voice similar to Jewel's and sung the sweetest songs, this choir performing sacred church music, an orchestra who invited us to get up and dance to their music, the Fagans who sung the most perfect 4 part harmonies.... and of course the Hellands who played a lot of instruments and took requests from Fiona and I.

One of the craziest things at the festival happened on Saturday night... We were standing around outside of a tent talking when I thought I actually recognized someone about 50 feet away. I thought "come on Meg, you're on a whole different continent, you're 6 hours away from your uni in Australia at some small folk festival, you really don't know anyone"... but Sven and Fiona insisted that I go see if this person really was who I thought... indeed it was Jonas Friddle from Berea who is traveling around for his Watson fellowship studying folk music in Scotland, Australia, and Canada... how crazy is that? It really is a small world.

Classes are starting to pick up... I found myself today trying to overly multi-task to the point of craziness... and I'm wondering, how am I so cramped for time when I don't work and only have 15 hours of classes a week? I don't know how it happens other than the fact that I live on res and someone is always going to the river or into town... it's ridiculous! It's so interesting to me, the way I tend to get sucked into the fast-paced living.

When I was e-mailing the Paiger I recognized that I have the need for a few places no matter where I am:
-a tree or some spot outside that I can feel is my secret hideout and a place to recharge myself
-a course to run when I don't want to think about which way to go
-a place to study outside of my room whenever I want to

Currently, I have a course to run... it's great it's just off campus and down this dirt road shaded by eucalyptus trees. The tree thing is a bit harder to come by here, because there aren't woods like what I'm used to... To some extent I feel naked in this landscape without much canopy. I'm looking for a place to study... this is a challenge because kids are always watching tv in the living room and the library closes at 5pm.

Perhaps I should get back to studying before I hit the sack... goodnight everyone.
love,
mn

ps... things that I'm thankful for (and that made me smile today) are:
-feeling comfortable in my group for REC 167
-knowing the answer "herpetology" during trivia night at Kinross (a restaurant near campus)
-birthdays all over the place
-clean laundry
-cous cous and tofu with peanut sauce
-my first pair of Australian board shorts (found 'em for $5 in the red cross op shop)
-finding $20 in my pocket
-finding toilet paper in my pocket (from the camp out)
-People and Places lecture (Our prof Catherine reminds me of Pat Adams)
-my inter-library loaned copy of The Art of Happiness by the Dalai Lama arriving
-peanut butter and jelly sandwiches
-listening to my cd from Penny (who sung at the festival)
-getting an e-mail that Kristen made it to China

Week one on the "res"

So... I've been here for a week, on what is called the res (residences). I've noticed that the kids sure are addicted to TV, but also that it's amazingly beautiful weather and there are heaps of other things to do. This past week was orientation week and it was quite different than in the states. Every night there was a dance with a cheesy theme. I went to most of them, and by the time the weekend rolled around I was ready for some down time. Spent a good portion of the week dancing and laughing... good stuff.

I'm really glad classes start tomorrow, I've been waiting for this for months!

I'm feeling more and more comfortable here... it's interesting, I spend at least 30 minutes a day talking to people astonished with my accent. I think they'll eventually get over it. I'm starting to feel more settled in because I feel like I'm getting to know people and am growing more confident that I know what's going on here. Also, because I've found a few of my favorite plants and know where they're located around town.

Caught a beautiful sunset tonight.

I didn't give this address to many folks in this country and I figure I'll just make it easy on those of you who are looking for cheap flight tickets to come visit me... my address is:

Megan Naseman
Rothwells Residences- CSU
Locked Bag 2003
ALBURY, NSW 2640

and my phone is:
(the international phone code) 0011-(Aussie country code) +61-02-605-19517

I'm not really sure what they mean by the plus, but that's what it is.

Things that I'm thankful for today:
-yarns (stories)
-soy yogurt
-lotion for sunburns
-water
-pink sunsets
-tofu and cous cous
-breezes
-this community (the Rothwells)
-gum trees

A visit to the Albury botanical garden was much appreciated :)

Sven joined the ladies in wearing ugly dresses for the op-shop formal!

Nicky and I in our 70's night outfits for o-week... I spent a good portion of the day making that little wrap around mini. Now, it's no sewing job that Peg would be proud of, but I did it all by hand and it's fitted with darts :)

Op-shop formal night during o-week. (Op shops are thrift shops). The place was hopping with 80s gear :)

Beach night during O-week... (l-r) Evan, me, and Jess. Leave me a note if you think Evan looks like Benjamin Lee.

Alas... the golden rain tree... another favorite I was happy to see.

I felt at home when I saw this beautiful Campsus radicans ... nice stuff

The weir... I earned quite a sunburn here... but it was a lovely day.

My view from the top of Albury at the memorial... I had a bit of a hike to get there, and it was well worth it.

One of those famous gum trees

The Golden Gate Bridge

The Records' cottage (shack... :> ...)

goodmorning Australia :)

One more thing...

The song "The kookoborow sits in the old gum tree, merry, merry king of the bushes he, laugh kookoborow, laugh, kookoborow save some gum for me"... it's all true. I heard a kookoborow laugh from a gum tree, it's wonderful :)

Aussie Camp Out!

Hello everyone...
Down under has been a hoot thus far... Just got back form a mandatory camp for all environmental studies students. Wonderful... Archery (ha!), canoeing, swimming, bushwalking (and learning about the local flora), challenge courses, high ropes courses, lots of good stuff... I'm living on a campus with 40 people, quite the little community. We have become known as the "res-ies" (we live in the residence halls). Everyone has offered to take me home on the weekends to different parts of the country. In a few weeks I'm going to a folk festival on the eastern coast... woot! Oh yeah, and it's been in the 90-100 degree range since I've been here. I still don't have my own laptop online, so no pictures yet... hopefully soon though. I now have an address and a phone number as well... e-mail me if you want them (it seems a bit strange to just put them on the web). People seem pretty excited about my "accent". I only have class for 12 hours a week, and I can't work on my student visa! For the most part I'm over the jet lag and just excited to be in this new, interesting place. Glad I chose this "uni" there aren't very many international students so I get to spend a lot of time with real locals. Lot os fun stuff planned for our orientation week. I'll catch up more once I get my laptop online.
Love,
mn

day two... so far

Finally got some rest last night. I didn't go to bed until 9:45 yahoo! I'm going to the river for a swim today and going to explore and read for a while. I think I need some personal time outside after the dorm style hostel. I've shared this quote and think I'm going to adopt it as my temporary mantra (I know it's long for that, but good).

-"The second gift of wisdom is the gift of tracking, of discerning the true course of things... the journey embeds us in the cycle of life, in the fire that burns forever. In it, we find our place. In it, we live. A tent is not our shelter. Rather, the journey is our shelter... The journey is the song we make of our lives... We are seekers of holy places...Wherever life moves, the hand of god is under it, so no step can be off the path. When you stumble on the mountainside, that is part of your path... Remember too that the person standing in your track is you...the tracks you make are your own. Stand in them bravely."

That's from Daniel Quinn's new book Tales of Adam. I'm trying to stand in my tracks bravely today, or rather just trying to stand (after that jet lag, it is a challenge).

Thanks to everyone who has kept me in their thoughts over this journey :)

love,

mn

i made it... Woot!

Hey everyone...
It's official, I am now down under. I have many stories to tell about my journey here (all good) but I need to shower before we (the folks at the backpackers hostel I'm at) go to dinner. Haven't had any luck using the phone here at the hostel, so whoever sees this first please call my mama at 937-394-4914 and tell her I made it. I have no idea what time it is there, but I am sure she's worrying. More to come.
Love,
mn

It's all in a day's travels (countdown 48 hours till departure)

Am about to take a nap in a �hut� Martha Stewart would envy. After meeting
Rosie�s parents, I can see where she gets her charm, sweetness, blue eyes,
good hugs, and style. The former playhouse that I am staying in has tiny
white curtains and is lined in Christmas lights� the bed is clad in a
beautifully worn quilt. I also appreciate the hand painted nature
silhouette border that surrounds the space�. I could go on and on. It�s
great to stay in a place and really feel the love seeping out of it.

Onto the quite amusing story of my day today� well perhaps I should start
last night because I haven�t written in a while. My last night in Arcata
was very d�j� vu� same red skirt and CCAT had a potluck. At the potluck we
enjoyed such games as the notorious �Big booty� (not what it sounds like at
all, it�s a camp style game appropriate for children), and the ever popular
�avoid the guitar kid�. I sported the intern sash just because. Again, I
found myself saying farewell to wonderful people I didn�t get to spend
enough time with�Then the evening drew to a close with a light rain and
glorious winds. Just like the last time I left Arcata (okay, so not
*exactly* like the last time� but reminiscent of) it was suggested that we
take a small group night hike. Under the dripping redwoods we quietly hiked
listening to our feet on the trail. This time we actually found my favorite
tree (which made me very happy). So we left the trail to huddle into the
hallowed out stump for some silence, chatting, laughing, raindrop catching,
and singing (all of which were most appreciated). Feeling much better
having said farewell to my tree we left the woods and walked back to CCAT.
Inevitably getting to bed a little later than planned I finally hit the sack
around 1 am.

� only to get up at 6:45 to meet Valentina in Eureka to go down to Rosie�s
parents house. This is when the day�s adventures began� Noelle and I take
Liz�s car and shortly after departure realize the gas is below �E�. Dang.
So we stop to get gas� except, wait-for-it, she drives an old thunderbird
which is only a problem if you have to put gas in it� because the gas tank
doesn�t have a groove to pop it open with your finger, leading us to believe
it�s among the breed of car that require enough forethought before exiting
the car to hit the �open gas tank� button. Minor hold up, so we look for a
button�. But wait, it�s not in any of the usual locations (to the left of
the driver, on the floor, in the glove box). So after much deliberation and
having no other option, we just decide not to put gas in the car because we
can�t get the tank cover open. (Sidenote-we later discover that the
illusive button lives in the console.) We make it to the Eureka CO-OP just
before 8. Valentina apparently lost power last night and subsequently track
of the time� but she assured us she was on her way. Indeed she was. After
a tiny goodbye to Noelli, I got in the car with Valentina and we hit the
road. No big deal. The rain stopped, and it was just the sun shining
brightly through the tall, tall trees. It was turning out to be a good day
after all.

Valentina mentioned her car occasionally overheats. Not a minute later I
noticed that the little gauge read over the H. Rats� so we�ll turn on the
heat and add coolant. Except it turned out we actually had windshield
fluid, not coolant. Not a problem, we�ll just add water� and we did and on
we went� not another minute passed and it was up over the H again. So we
stopped at the next gas station and added coolant to what I now know is the
wrong spot. Woopsy doodle� Valentina asked a random customer if he knew
anything about cars. He responded that he knew a little. So she asked him
what he thought was wrong because her car was overheating and shaking. He
said not to worry too much about the overheating, because we just added
coolant, but he recommended we stop by a tire place down the street about
the shaking. Reluctantly we went to the place he suggested and an eager
employee came out and asked what problems we were having with our car. Wait
a sec. if our fan isn�t actually working, perhaps it�s just a switch that
needs to be replaced. He sent us to a parts store just down the street a
bit. There a grandmotherly woman came out from behind the counter to look
at the car and then regretfully told us that she doesn�t carry the part we
might need, but we should go across the street because they have a staffed
mechanic. We arrive at the prototype of all garages: with burly, bearded
men smoking cigarettes or cigars, covered with grease, listening to eminem
in the background. One guy comes over to our car and asks what the problem
is. We tell him it�s overheating and the fan doesn�t work. He adds coolant
to the radiator (apparently this is where you�re supposed to put it� huh�.)
and then has Valentina start the car. I guess it�s not a good thing at that
point for the coolant to shoot out the top of the radiator because Mike
definitely grimaced when it happened. Then he told us that this means the
head gasket is blown and that takes a week and $1500 to fix. Dang�

This is the part when SuperMama comes to our rescue (that�s my mom who
bought me Triple A plus, even though I don�t have a car right now). With
regular Triple A you can get a free 5 mile tow, but with Triple A plus you
get a free 100 mile tow. So I call them up and ask about it. The operator
asks where we want to go� I ask him to see how far it is to Petaluma
(Rosie�s house). From that rinky-dink tire garage to Rosie�s doorstep it
was 98.6 miles� WOOT! (that means yippee!) So we call and get a ride with
a driver who works for Darcy�s towing company. He tells us random stories
about past customers, the towing industry, his kids and wife, and how he�s
financially well off. Also, he told us that he often gets little or no
sleep between shifts� hmmm� doesn�t make one feel entirely safe�. But we
were almost there, I mean here�. And that brings me up to the present�. What
a day it has been. Now I�m planning to enjoy a nap in this lovely little
nook. Goodnight.
Love,
mn

We made it! (please don't ask about the face I'm making... I don't even know)

another lady who sent me a wonderful e-mail today... and an IHOP model... :)

mis, kt did, and me...

me and the dmz (or dmb) on her big day...