On Monday my laptop got stolen from our home. It was kind of strange as it was the only thing that took. Nothing else just the laptop. I guess it was just really easy and they were in a hurry. It really sux as it was a quite expensive computer. I mean I guess it wasn’t really that expensive if you think about how much computers can cost and that it had probably lost most of its value but it was relatively expensive to us. However Jem and I were talking last night and there are so many other things that happen when some one steals from you that they probably don’t realise but are almost as bad.

Firstly, I have a 3000 word essay tonight of which 1500 was on the computer and I had to start again. Secondly it makes you feel really untrusting. I mean now we have to get all security conscious and keep all the doors locked even if we are in the house (as someone was home when the laptop got stolen) which is so not what you want to be doing in summer. Also it makes you doubt the people that come around and again you don’t want that especially of you want to be a welcoming community. Thirday it can make you kind of angry and given that you can’t take it out on the person who stole from you, you take it out on the others aronud you, which you also don’t really want. Finally it is just a kind of yukky feeling that someone we don’t know was in our home and in our room.

Anyway have been trying to learn as much as I can from this. I am not sure how well I am doing but these are my tryings. I am trying not to totally fall apert about my assessment. It is the sort of thing that can drive me to a total anxiety attack but I have managed to keep it together thus far I am alos trying to continue payer for oour thief. We did on the night that it happened which helped. It reminded me that s/he was human too and also totally and completely loved by God which settled my anger a little. I have also been reflecting on what it means to be a community house after that. It now seems like there is an element of risk to it. That it is not just about fun and games but about reaching out to people even though you may lose your stuff. I really hope that we can do that.

Jemma and I were listening to John Coleman on the way home last night and the song we listened to on our first night here came on. The verse goes like this:

Father through Jesus, our Lord and our brother
We ask you to bless this house
We ask you to keep in your love and your caring
All who enter here

We probably weren’t thinking about the thief at that stage but I hope now that we are that the vision won’t change as I think the loss of that vision would be far sadder than the loss of the laptop.

And here are some photos of La Habana – just because they are cool and I suppose as I have been talking about Cuba.

Well without wanting to repeat too much of what Ryan said I am really wanting to write about Cuba right now.

We have been studying Cuba in Spanish this semester and it has been really rather interesting. However, while the rest of the class seems to be coming to the conclusion that Cuba is a “third world” country with a fascist government I am coming to think that it is really rather cool. I was wondering if I was just understanding really badly or if the fact that I so desperately want it to be working was clouding my judgement but it appears that, that may not be the case. I watched a documentary about it with Ryan, Jemma and David who I think are all very smart people and who have a fair amount of experience and they appear to have the same understanding as me. Especially Ryan who has done some economics thing that appears to show that the poor in Cuba are far better off than the poor in the rest of the world. So yay for Cuba then. Viva Fidel.

Don’t get me wrong there appears to be a lot of problems in Cuba, the people are struggling, their currency is worth nothing even inside Cuba, there is not lot of food or oil around (however that is probably getting better now that they are swapping oil for doctors with Venezuala) and rights for homosexuals and women are not great but well it appears to be far better off than the majority of the world and they appear to be really trying to make it better. They also have the best health care and education in the world which no one can really complain about and the people still believe in their government and their own ability to make cahanges which well is more than I can say for me.

And given that in Australia one in five people have a mental illness, one in four women are sexually abused, suicide is killing more and more young people every year and our indigenous people have a life expectancy twenty years less than the average Australian I’m not convinced we can say that our quality of life is that much better even if we do have a bit more money.

I am at work and it is Saturday – that sux but well I love my job so I shouldn’t complain and I will of course get some time in lieu.

I am at work because I have to speak at a Mass tonight about Compeer so I am here picking up the things I need and practising the speech a bit. I am a little nervous but it should be okay.

I just got back to work from having five days off. It really was very pleasant. On Friday I had to go to university in the morning which was a monumental waste of my time but I bought the reader and it has some interesting stuff in it. Lots of stuff on critical literacy which has become my new passion. Yes another one. Without going into too much deatail it is basically the idea that teaching people litercy isn’t about just teaching them how to function, you know read and write what they are told, but it is about teaching people how to criticise what they read and express that. Shame that there is not a lot of people doing it so getting a clear idea of how to do it is relatively hard. Not to mention the government policy on basic is education is that it has to lead people to work and that’s it. In the evening we went to dinner with for my grandfathers birthday. It was probably one of the best times I have spent with them in ages. They were relaxed which was nice and the food was great.

Saturday as everyone knows was Helen’s and Jon’s wedding. The highlights were probably having breakfast with the groom before the wedding. Lots of dancing and eating and shoe shining. Helen and Jon’s big smiles as she walked down the aisle and the dancing at the reception. Spike was playing the saxaphone in the band and he is amazing.

Sunday was a lovely day too. I had a nice big sleep in which always makes me happy and spent most of teh afternoon talking with Jem and Jo on the balcony. It is the sunniest spot in our house and it great. Jem and Jo are great too. Praise God for really good women friends that you can share everything with. Of course I had to spent the night at Rough Edges. I am struggling a lot there at the moment. I don’t feel I have much energy for it but it was a pretty good night really and I am learning a lot about my skills as a team leader. Asked God to enable us to be endlessly generous and I kept repeating the prayer. I think it may have worked.

On Monday Martin had the day off too. Given the hours that we keep we don’t get to spend that much time together so it was amazing to get a whole day of it. It was very much needed. We read together, prayed together, ate together, studied together and well that will do I think. I had to go to uni in the evening but I am really enjoying my Spanish course. We are studying Cuba and it is just fascinating. The revolution has not been perfect nt by any means and I have been disappoiinted to discover a lot of the not so nice things about it but I still essentially believe that it has been a good thing for Cuba. I mean who can argue with a country that has one of the highest literacy rates in the world as well as no one goes hungary. Also really a world without with McDonalds. How good would that be. It is good in class though as everyone hs different opinions so there are lots of lively debates – all in Spanish – it is exactly what I imagined uni would be like.

Finally Tuseday. Wow this has been a long post and I imagine everyone is over reading about how good things are for me but well I have made it this far and hey I am competing with Tom. So Tuesday I managed to get a good amount of study done. I did a lot of reading and got my head aroung my assessments. Feel like I know where to frome here which is a nice feeling. I get soooooo stressed sometimes so it is quite odd to be at peace with it all. I even wrote my own essay question, how good is that. Then last night was Commie Dinner. Hard question but good company. I droppped Lucinda home. She is an amazing women I think. Lots of struggles but has come through with a good and a strong faith.

And now I am back at work and I thankfully have things to do so I better get back to it….

I have an interview at 5.30 tonight and they usually go for an our so I was able to start work at 10.30. I think that would have to be the most pleasant thing in the world. I got up at the very respectable time of 8.30 and was able to make my bed and tidy room. Then I had a nice breakfast up on the balcony and read the Bible and wrote in my journal. And came to work. If I could do that everyday it would be wonderful.

I also had time to drop my clothes off at the laundromat. They are going to wash them, dry them and fold them and then I can pick them up. I feel a bit guilty but that is just so wonderful as well.

I am feeling very tired. I had to work 6 days last week as well as Rough Edges last night so I have not really had a whole day off in 8 days and I have to go to uni tonight. Life really has a way of coming down on you all at once. I guess after such a lovely six weeks off it was coming to me.

I am feeling a little bit anxious about uni to be honest. I looked up one of the courses and it looks really hard. That’s so not Adult Education. Also in one of the assessments you have to draw on experience from your prac and I have not done one yet as I am only studying part time. If there is no way around it I will be very annoyed as I really don’t want to be a uni any longer.

Last night at Commie Dinner we talked about communion. Either our favourite communion or a communion that we had that week with somebody.

I really like the idea of thinking about my interactions with people as communions. It reminds me that every interaction is sacred and everyone is welcome. If we think about the people that Jesus ate with and had communion with, well let’s just say that his open table certainly challenges our selective friendships.

It also reminds me that God is always present.