"kidault" , to twentysomething

motivation shot :

https://www.ted.com/talks/meg_jay_why_30_is_not_the_new_20?language=en

"Clinical psychologist Meg Jay has a bold message for twentysomethings: Contrary to popular belief, your 20s are not a throwaway decade. In this provocative talk, Jay says that just because marriage, work and kids are happening later in life, doesn't mean you can't start planning now. She gives 3 pieces of advice for how twentysomethings can re-claim adulthood in the defining decade of their lives."

i know that , every move every action that I'm taking and trying is going to be something else (an impact) .. things do add up .

invest : "do something that adds values ...." vs saying but not doing . ‘in the head imaging’

"cross-country job / exploration or procrastination .../ explore work and make it count...."

same applies to travelling (alone) , picking self , "no you will not stop me" , here and there ..... you can't keep up , why not focus on walking on your own pathway with own speed (what to see ect.) ...

definitely not going to pick the 'wrong' - at least to pass the bar test . leave quicker once the red card is out , with assertiveness and never looking back , change takes time , know the character : earn the trust (…..sincerely) or cry for help (personal gain - taken advantages of, again) . sax-🎷 is fun tho . (treat it-them the same way back or kinder - ignore . feel sorry ? as if they felt sorry before) _

know your wants / needs . don’t set-settle for lower , or accept and satisfied with what you’ve got and stick to that , grass is greener ? ever looking for more ? a so-so relationship is better than nothing ? wait : self focused . hard work or just feel content , guess someone would feel the greatest joy in life / priority is LOVE or a relationship xx not being alone - staying at the same place or being taken care of .. RETREAT (escape) .

choose someone who's close to my chair, definitely not settling because of one's need to cure the unhapiness of himself . work on self , work on relationships - otherwise - same result - to misery with regrets . (want to be loved if you treat others with love / care) . hard work or easy way in/out .

career, and mindfully-"intentionally" with love together ?) possibly going to be a nun . career-focused , self-centred life - time is short for wasting unnecessary feeliings or thoughts to some , do not hold grudges , not worth it) . the fairness the rightousness , errrm , forget about it - be kinder - move on .. waiting for buses to ? expectations that might not be met , chasing after time or feel content occasionally , but do act on it by achieving small things into something bigger .....

charity work training x3 again : 

6 hours . 

looking forward to joining our volunteer team!  We are pleased to offer our first round of training dates for the ’22 year! We set the time to 2 hours including a break, and just to ensure we won’t keep you over. 

Please keep a note of these in your calendar:

Session 1: Introduction 08.02.22 6:30pm-8:30pm

Session 2: Reasons for Referral 09.02.22 6:30pm-8:30pm

Session 3: Volunteering in Practice 10.02.22 6:30pm-8:30pm

(actually taking a matched-up client out on a regular basis : gallery visit or to cafe ect.!) always beneficial to both sides , insights from the others , forcing self to go out a bit more , to help . 

while finding artist residency in October, 2022/ current placement in museums/galleries .. stipend please. can’t just spend with time passing by . or take a short break .....

🌨🌧🌬 o gosh it’s windy (and …. where‘a d cat) snowing a bit , can’t imagine (there : east coast) : -11 Celsius , grey / white

First post in Australian Eastern Time Zone

The flight:

I finally have the time to sit down and post. What a wild past few days have been for me. After about 30 hours of traveling to the other side of the world, very little sleep on the plane, and getting edema in my feet (swelling in the feet); I have finally settled into my new home for the next 4 months. It took me and Kirsten (My travel partner from home) about 45 minutes to go through customs and find the people who would bring us to our home called campus east. Wollongong is an hour and a half south of Sydney. I was getting a little dizzy on the ride there due to the fact my brain had to process the driver on the right side of the car while we drove on the left side of the road. The drive through Sydney was jaw dropping. My neck started to hurt because I was constantly turning it left and right looking at all the new sights around me. Once we got out of the city and into the Royal National Park I was in complete and utterly shocked. We were driving through what felt like Jurassic park. I just couldn't believe how beautiful the country was. The driver told us to look out to the left and we could see Wollongong and the ocean. This sight from the highway was just something I cant put in words. It was truly a magical moment. As time went on, we started getting closer and closer to our destination. Kirsten and I were the second stop of the group. The first girl was staying at a host family's house outside of the city. I wish I knew how to explain what these houses looked like. They were all like houses that I never usually see around my home. I turned to Kirsten and said I never want to leave and we have not even arrived at our destination yet. 

The arrival:

The time came when we were just minutes away from Campus East, the beautiful place that I am calling home right now. We arrived and I stepped outside of the van my senses were so overloaded. The smell of the ocean nearby, the cool ocean breeze running on my face and through my hair, the sound of the exotic birds I’ve never heard before, I honestly thought it was a monkey screaming. The first thing I saw I looked up into the bright blue sky was blue and yellow things in the sky. Those blue and yellow things I saw were parachutes of people sky diving. I knew I had picked the right place to live in Australia. We carried our bags into the office and began the checking in process. They took my picture (not really sure why) but, I was so self-conscious because you probably can smell my breath through the picture because I didn't get to brush my teeth after 30 hours of traveling here. We were greeted with a Man named Adam. Adam was a student leader and he went over all the information that we received about our new home. He talked kind of fast and I had a hard time understanding him at some points due to his accent. But all was well after that and he showed us to our rooms. Carrying all my bags up three flights of stairs to find out that Kirsten and I are unit neighbors.

The room:

I opened my unit with a scan key. I immediately fell in love with my new home. There was a small common room with a couch and tv. But the best part of the unit.... the balcony. I love being able to go sit and enjoy the view out there. I can feel the beautiful breeze whenever I want to go sit out there. My room as at the very end of a long hallway. As I walked passed all my suitemates doors I read everyone's names. 3 of the 4 I couldn't even pronounce or knew if they were a boy or girl. Over time I learn how to pronounce their names. I am living with 2 girls and a boy (still not sure if the last suitemate is a boy or girl). I didn't realize that my unit would be mixed with girls and guys. OK, back to my room. When I opened my room I fell in love all over again. There is a huge desk in the corner so I am able to spread out but still have room to work. Above the desk is six built-in bookshelves. I don't have that much stuff with me but I just love having them to be able to put my stuff up there and not on my deskThe closet is pretty big. There are two sliding doors and one of them is a full-length mirror which couldn't be any cooler. The bed is smaller than mine at home but its not awful. Next to my bed is the window. The view I have is pretty decent. I can see the mountains off in the distance, some parts of the other campus east, and some pretty trees as well. Now, finally, the best part of my room is the ceiling fan.....yes I think the best part of my room is the ceiling fan. The breeze that comes from it during the day and at night is just amazing. 

The people:

The people I’ve met the past 48 hours are amazing. They say don't just be friend with the other Americans. I have a boy from Hong Kong, a girl from Norway, a girl from Australia all in my unit. Talking to them is pretty cool. Just comparing things that are similar and different about our cultures is really eye opening. One of Kirsten's suitemates is American as well. She came over with 5 other Americans from all different states. We have found 4 really good Australian friends as well. Its just amazing hanging out with everyone interacting with them and getting to know more about the Australian culture from Australians. Everyone here is so friendly. Our little group took a trip into town. We took the free shuttle bus. After 3 seconds of being on the shuttle, a guy was like a tourist... like really how could you tell? I guess they think Americans are really loud...they’re not wrong. But we talked to this guy and his friend on our way to the shops. He gave us helpful information about places to go and food to try. I started a conversation with the cashier at the grocery store and I think he was genuinely happy he was talking to us, in a way he found us fascinating and interesting. 

And more:

I’ve spent a lot of time walking everywhere. I walked to the grocery store (and back with arms full of heavy groceries). I walked to the bus stop to get to the mall (then back again with heavy bags). Last night we walked into town with a group of 11 people to the bars. We walked along the beach at night. It was really cool they have a pool in the ocean... like the high tide fills it and there's a small concrete wall and ladder to get into it. I thought that was so cool and can't wait to check that out during the day.  We went to 2 bars last night (sorry mom) but it was just cool going there with my new friends and experiencing all this. The interesting fact the club played a lot of American songs, like we all knew the words to songs being played, until, this song came on and our new Aussie friends started singing all the words while the Americans kind just awkwardly danced because we had no idea what song was on. Also, fun fact they call McDonlads Mackies. The weather has been beautiful even though it has rained every day. It actually hailed yesterday. but its still 25 degrees Celsius(77 degrees Fahrenheit). a week ago it was 18 degrees Fahrenheit and snowing now its 77 and clear sunny days. Something I'm still getting used to is the different measurements. This morning my Hong Kong and Norwegian suitemates were talking about how its 30 degrees or 0 degrees out and I'm thinking in my head “I wish I knew Celcius” Lol but I created a note on my phone with some comparisons to memorize them so I know about how cold or hot a certain temperature is. I have my first of many mandatory meetings to go to today. Its called Res-fest and I guess its to meet everyone at Campus East and go over the rules. I'm really hoping the “they are giving us free dinner” rumor is true. Speaking of food ( I'm always hungry with food on my mind) last night our friend group ordered dominos but don't let that fool you. The pizza tasted so different and a LARGE here is like a small pizza back at home... Like I could have eaten that large all by myself. Also I tried some TimTams and OMG they are so good! They kind of taste like chocolate covered Snackwell’s creme sandwiches. I’ve also had some peanut butter and jelly sandwiches and they taste different but good. They jelly actually tastes like good homemade strawberry jam. Also it took me 15 minutes in the grocery store to find a can of tomato sauce that would be relatively similar to the tomato sauce back at home along with parmesan cheese, its not as common as it is back home(my Norwegian friend had never even heard of it before!) All in all so far its been a cool learning experience so far just talking to my new Aussie friends and find what words we say that mean something different or words that are like the same thing but we call differently. So there you have it, a little brief summary of my experience in Australia so far. I will post some pictures in a second post for you to enjoy! G’day mates!