“ALMOST two-thirds of Australians are prepared to pay more tax and more for essentials if it helps to reduce greenhouse gas emissions, according to a Herald/ACNielsen poll.” Sydney Morning Herald.

Yay, maybe Australians aren’t as bad as I have previously thought.

I went and saw Ngapartji Ngaparji tonight. This is what they call a theatre experience where you go along and learn some Pitjantjatjara (Aboriginal language of Northern Territory) and sing some songs and then listen to a story about one of the actors families acted out. Learning the language was fun. They taught us words about family my mum is my ngunytju and my dad is my mama and Gemma is my kangkuru. Martin is wiru (beautiful). I know that’s not family but I liked the word and I wanted to talk about Martin. They also taught us about how family works and who marries who. There are lots of laws that I don’t fully understand so Iwon’t go into it but it was interestinh. The story like many was very sad. It made me really angry.

I am glad I wnet and saw this today as in class today my lecturer told us that the uni now had a relationship with someone who teaches language in the Northern Territory and they want people to do their practicums there. I was thinking that I would like to do this and tonight made me quite excited about the idea. A bit scared as the whole thing is so complex and I worry that I really have no idea what I can/should do but I think that I should at leat try.

Hopefully I can go again tommorrrow.

Today we bought our tickets for South America. Yay I am so excited and I can’t wait but we aren’t going till June.

We will be flying into Buenas Aires and then going to Iguazu Falls which is on the border of Argentina, Paraguay and Brazil. From there we travel to Asunsion, the capital of Paraguay to stay with our lovely friend Sandra and from there to Santa Cruz and La Paz in Bolivia. I am excited about that as La Paz is the most surreal city and so beautiful but I was unable to enjoy it that much last time because I nearly got kidnapped so I was scared. This time though I speak the language and I am a bit more of an experienced traveler and of course my wonderful husband will be with me so it should be better. Of course after Bolivia we head to Peru and up to our Piura where will spend two weeks with family and friends.

I have put a map up where you can have a look at out trip.

I had a great weekend, hence the title good weekend.

On Friday night I went and saw Blue King Brown. They were brillant and there support act was almost as brillant. The music was good and the message was good and the vibe was good too. The last song they just played drums but it was the coolest sound ever. I felt like it was going right through me.

On Saturday morning Jo, Jem and I went to Post cafe in Marrickville and drank Chai and ate breakfast. Again it was really brillant, the company was good, the food and drink was good and the vibe was good too. We talked about lots of things, one of them being community and you’ll be very surprised to know that we think community is good. I really like Marrickville and this whole area is beginning to feel so familair and so homely. I almost feel like I belong. Afterwards we went to the Salvo’s shop and I got two new towells, two toothbrushes and some toothpaste and a massive bottle of sorbolene cream for 19.00. How good is that and new towells are great, they are like clean sheets. You just want dry yourself forever.

On Sunday I did some study which was relatively productive. Studying when you achieve nothing sux so bad but when you are productive it is actually really satisfying. It makes me realise why poeple like it.

In the afternoon when the sun was at it’s warmest I went for a swim with Hayley. I have been swimming a lot lately which has been really relaxing me and I am feeling pretty healthy too. In the evening with had a really fun BBQ with lots of local people who spontaneously dropped by, including our wine making neighbours who brought there very yummy wine. She is pregnant. I think preganant women are beautiful but if I hang around them I get really clucky. I don’t know if that is a good thing.

Today I wrote a letter to Peter Costello asking him in his role as chair of the G20 meeting of Finance Ministers to put the reduction of poverty on the agenda. Then I looked up the addresses of my local MP, John Howard and Phillip Ruddock and over the next couple of weeks I am going to write them all letters. After that I think I will get some more MP’s adresses like Amanda Vanstone, Kim Beazley and Alexander Downer so that I can write them letters too……..

I have been meaning to do this for so long but for some reason I never got around to it. I don’t know why maybe I thought that it would be too hard to find their addresses or something but it was really, really easy. Maybe I thought that it was a waste of time but somebody told me recently that they had been speaking to MP’s who said that if people keep writing they can not ignore it forever. It feels good to have finally done it.

Called to live among your people
Called to know my poverty
Called to sense the mystery in the ordinary day
Called to live amid the struggle
Called to gently hold the pain
Called to stand in wonder at the sacred in our lives

Give me sight to see the beauty in the ones who are despised
Lord may I see them through your eyes
Give me ears to hear the weeping of those wounded by despair
Lord in the brokeness you’re there
Give me a heart that longs to love, a heart that welcomes those who are alone
Lord in you we are at home

I am still feeling really tired and overwhelmed by the world. So much pain, so much lonliness, so much poverty, so many wars and so many gossip magazines yet there are so many people who are so wealthy, so ignorant and just don’t seem to care at all. It is all making me quite anxious.

Thankfully I have done a couple of things to try and reinspire and reenergise myself. Firstly I have put in to start work at 11am two days a week which means that I can start my days with a swim and prayer and meditation. It also gives me time to try and do some things I have been meaning to do for ages like write leters to politicians or paint.

Ryan has also agreed to share team leading responsibilities with me at Rough Edges. This will give me more of chance to talk to people and listen to them and engage with them which is something that really sustains me but I find hard to do when I am having to watch everthing that is going on.

And finally Martin and I have started going out every second Friday. It is good as we don’t really get to see much of each other as we are so busy with work and studies and it is also fun. We went put put golfing which he had never done before and we went and ate at the Peruvian restaurant which we do a lot but it is yum and he kind of needs to have it sometimes and it reminds him of home.

At about this time of year I start to get very tired and in need of a nice long summer break where I do not have to work and there are not a whole bunch of asessments due and you know there is just a more relaxed vibe around rather than the go, go, go all the time. And then I make new resolutions not to get as busy this year and to make sure I have more relaxing time and then of course I don’t. However next year will definitely be that year and I think that I am getting slightly beter.

I am looking forward to Blackstump though. I don’t imagine it will be a nice relaxing holiday especially as I have shifts at the TEAR Cafe til 1am in the morning but hopefully it will be an inspiring time. Looks like there are going to be some great people around.

Spring is making me so happy.

The smell of lavender, the warm sun, the fact that you can eat your breakfast outside and that your clothes dry when you hang out them out is sooooooo good. And the blue skies make me want to dance.