Yeah-it's Friday! Woot!


Recently for one reason or another I have found myself being the shoulder to cry on for a few folks. Although it is hard when you are the one upset, the need for others is a fortunate connection. It has been really good to have opportunities to help people.

Am getting closer to my Ecovillage and desert adventures... the people at Kookaburra Ecovillage are being a bit silly and less than overly cooperative. Might not end up visiting them... we shall see. Am just excited about adventures... and as all of my classes are winding up I'm feeling good of everything that I learned academically this semester.

Have been reading up a storm on my study breaks, which has been great too. Even got in a bit of needlepoint yesterday while we watched Beauty and Beast. Everyone had a good laugh about my needle pointing... I do enjoy it though... my Missy and mama can support my belief that it is a cool thing to do :)

Got a few more books from the library today... I love that whole requesting books thing. Am still jamming out to Switchback tunes.

The other night we had a farewell dinner at the Kinross woolshed. The biggest hoot was that Colleen told the guy who was playing music and he said farewell to me and played a few American tunes and we all got up and danced.... that's funny because no one dances at the Kini.

Then I went to a farewell lunch from the international center here.... it was of course, me and many Canadians. I have felt a huge economic gap between myself and that group in my time here. I also think we had different priorities and goals in our adventures. I wanted to meet and learn about Australians, whereas they had a bit of a Canadian network between them. It also makes me a bit crazy to hear them talk about all of their travel (seemingly for the sake of travel)... they're always talking about where they're flying next weekend and what tour they're doing... whereas I'm always hoppin' in a different friend's car going home to meet their families and see their Australia... or getting on a train to visit lots of Ecovillages... Regardless of our differences we both seem to be satisfied overall with our time spent in this country. I can't help but see how Berea has made me a different person... Not saying that the difference is better or worse, just that it has shaped many of my experiences and perspectives.

Things I'm thankful for today:
-The librarian who checks out most of my books and recognies certain topics as ones that would interest me
-music
-carebear blankets
-the fact that people need each other (that reminds me of a Tuesdays with Morrie quote-which I'll procede to botch... it's something like "When you first come into the world you need people to care for you, and when you get old like me you need people too... the secret is--in between you don't stop needing them")
-water to drink
-The Power of Now
-small colored scraps of paper perfect for writing quotes on
-the Switchfoot line "The shadow proves the sunshine"
-e-mails from home