Two down, two to go

Mi segunda semana en St. Bedes mejoro mil por ciento...pero ahora tengo mucho sueno asique posteo manana si tengo tiempo. Perdon por el espacio entre post y post pero estoy muy cansada.

One down three to go

After a week of experiencing a new and different working environment I found myself reflecting about the challenges facing my new profession (once I enter it).

How funny it is that it is not the knowledge, the preparation or the intellectual difficulties that I fear, but the minutia of the social structures and personality hierarchy. I have experienced stress like I haven't in years. Things like learning the whereabouts of the most insignificant thing, learning new names, scanning for vibes, having to ask the most elemental questions, finding the rooms, books, staples, paper, tubs, switches, scissors, glue, pens, people, hats and doing it all with a smile has literally worn me out.

This experience has also made me evaluate my own position of comfort at my current workplace and how I may not have been aware of others facing this difficulty. We become so complacent about everything we do, we forget that we can be making someone else's life uncomfortable.

Finally some waves

Some waves for the boys finally! I love photographing the sea, something so alive and constantly changing. Never two images look the same. Last Thursday the waves were clean and long across the flat mirror like surface.

Al fin algunas olas para los chicos. Me encanta fotografiar el mar, algo tan vivo y constantemente cambiando. Nunca hay dos fotos iguales. El Jueves pasado las olas eran limpias y alargadas extendiendose sobre la chata y espejada superficie del mar.

Happy Birthday Australia

Today we went out to celebrate Australia Day the Australian way, with a cold beer. We went to a really cool pub in Fitzroy called "Naked for Satan" which is not what you are all thinking. There's actually a really good myth behind it.

We also ate lunch there, which is really cute, a variety of different toppings on bread (tortilla, baked vegetables, cold meats, cheeses, eggplant and more). Some shops were open so we bought a children's book called Lost and Found by Oliver Jeffers, a favourite illustrator of Ric's. I loved this bookshop, The Brunswick Street Bookstore, it had a really interesting selections of books. Will visit again with more money. We also bought "monk pear"tea at the T2 tea shop. I tried it for the first time at my friend Luke's house and it is delicious.

Now it's time for dinner and then Andrea, Luca and Alan are coming over.

Hoy celebramos el cumpleanos de Australia, en forma Australiana, con una cerveza fria. Fuimos a un pub copadisimo en Fitzroy llamado "Desnudo por Satan" que no es lo que estan pesando. Tiene un muy buen mito detras.

Tambien almorzamos ahi algo buenisismo, unos pancitos con variedad de cosas arriba (tortilla, vegetales asados, fiambres, quesos, berengena y mas). Algunos negocios estaban abiertos asique compramos un libro para chicos llamado "Perido y Encontrado" de Oliver Jeffers, un ilustrador favorito de Ricky. Me encanto esta libreria, The Brunswick Street Bookstore", tenia una seleccion de libros excelente asique volvere con mas plata. Tambien compramos te de pera monk en el T2 negocio de tes. Lo probe por primera vez en la casa de mi amigo Luke y me encanto. Ahora es hora de hacer la comida y despues recibir a las visitas Andrea, Luca y Alan.

Organic Vegetables

Amazing little piece of land here in our backyard. The size of the plants and the amount of veggies it is providing is simply spectacular. Organic and fresh we are eating salads like this, straight from the garden, every day. What stands out the most is the "mini green pumpkins' leaves" and the zucchini plants taking over. They are gigantic! Everything else is so big too that it takes skill and dexterity to harvest it all.

Increible el pedacito de tierra que tenemos en el fondo. El tamano de las plantas y la cantidad de vegetales que estan produciendo es simplemente espectacular. Estamos comiendo ensaladas como esta todos los dias, directamente del jardin, organica y fresquisima. Lo que mas sobresale son las hojas de los zapallitos y las plantas de zucchinis que estan ocupando todo! Son gigantes! Todo lo demas esta tan grande tambien que se necesita habilidad y destreza para cosecharlo todo.

Attention

To read the entries about my last Vacation scroll down to the post titled "Vacation"and work your way up, otherwise you will read it in reverse order.

Para leer sobre mi ultima vacacion tienen que empezar por la entrada titulada "Vacation" e ir subiendo, sino van a leer todo en orden inverso.

Vacation III Big Challenge

By the afternoon the wind eased and I went back to the beach for another swim and a bit of sun-baking. I also read more of Isabel Allende's Portrait en Sepia. After a shower and whilst the boys were trying to catch a wave or two I attempted my challenge: walk to and back from the pier. Not an extremely long walk, but long enough for me. I was so proud of myself when I got there with my ipod listening to Death Cab for Cutie, Cordrazine, Laura Veirs and The Decemberists, all great company to complete a perfect backdrop.

The day ended after dinner at Cuda Bar with live loud music and delicious dinner. The waiter was from Uruguay, the food was really nice and the music, well...there will be times for better performers, I hope. The almost full moon illuminated the road and the ocean on the way home at 10.30 pm. It was a perfect end for a perfect yet short holiday.

Por la tarde el viento paro un poco y volvi a la playa, me meti a nadar y tome mas sol. Tambien segui leyendo mi libro de Isabel Allende "Retrato en Sepia". Despues de banarme y mientras los muchachos trataban de agarrar una ola o dos yo intente mi desafio: caminar hasta el muelle y volver. No una super larga caminata, pero suficientemente larga para mi (1 hora y un poco mas). Me enorgullecio mucho cuando llegue al muelle con mi ipod escuchando Death Cab for Cutie, Cordrazine, Laura Veirs and The Decemberists, todos muy buena compania para completar el cuadro perfecto.

El dia termino despues de cenar en Cuda Bar con musica en vivo y comida deliciosa. El mozo era de Uruguay, la comida rica y la musica, bueno....ya habra tiempo para mejores musicos, espero. La luna menguante ilumino la ruta y el oceano en camino de vuelta a las 10.30 pm. Fue el final perfecto para la perfecta aunque corta vacacion.

Vacation III

The last day is always sad. Anything can go wrong and ruin the last minutes in heaven. Today it was the wind...started blowing about 1 hour after installing the beach tent and it was impossible to control, so we had to dismantle it and put it away. But, because we were in beautiful Lorne we didn't care. We left the beach and went for coffee at this other new place in town Cuda Bar, a mixture of restaurant, bar and live music performance space. Coffee led us into lunch and we can finally say that we had the best chips with the best aioli. We used to have chips this good at the beach cafe, but this Summer it changed and the yummy chips were no longer. Well we can now be at ease that Cuda Bar can provide!

El ultimo dia es siempre triste. Cualquier cosa puede salir mal y arruinar los ultimos minutos de paraiso. Hoy fue el viento...empezo a soplar una hora despues de instalar la carpita y era imposible controlar, asique tuvimos que desarmarla y guardarla. Pero, como estabamos en hermoso Lorne, no nos importo. Dejamos la playa y nos fuimos a tomar un cafe en este otro lugar nuevo "Cuda Bar", una mezcla de restaurant, bar y espacio para bandas en vivo. El cafe nos duro hasta el almuerzo y finalmente podemos decir que comimos las mejores papas fritas con la mejor mayonesa casera. Soliamos comer papas asi de ricas en el cafe de la playa, pero este ano cambio de dueno y las papitas se fueron con los anteriores. Bueno, ahora podemos descansar en paz sabiendo que Cuda Bar nos puede proveer!

Day II Final

After a glorious beach day, swim, sun and sand (but still no waves), we were feeling pretty happy. I can't begin to describe how much I enjoyed the water. It was like I bathed for the very first time. The water was typically cold, but it felt cleansing and refreshing. There is nothing like feeling the pores of your body vibrate at the touch of the cool water. It is just mesmerising to let your body sway with the waves whilst looking at the green hills falling into the turquoise water. It is a simple yet priceless experience.

Despues de un dia glorioso de playa, agua, sol y arena (todavia no olas), nos sentiamos super felices. No puedo empezar a describir cuanto disfrute el agua. Fue como si me banara por primera vez. El agua estaba tipicamente fria, pero se sentia purificadora y refrescante. No hay nada como sentir los poros de tu cuerpo vibrar con el toque del agua helada. Es simplemente hipnotizador dejar tu cuerpo mecerce con las olas mirando las colinas verdes cayendo en el agua turquesa. Es una experiencia simple y sin precio.

To conclude the perfect day, we had dinner at this cute new place: Chopstix. It is such a cool place: Asian food, loud music, manga design on the walls, paper lanterns and food in a box. Yummy! I also enjoyed a couple of Asian beers and had many laughs. Oh I almost forgot, it was also a day of shopping. My husband bought me a Billabong bag to kill for.

Para terminar el dia perfecto, cenamos en este lugar lindo y nuevo: Chopstix (palitos chinos). Esta tan bueno: comida Asiatica, musica fuerte, paredes disenadas con manga, linternas de papel y comida en cajita. Deliciosa! Tambien disfrute un par de cervezas asiaticas y me rei mucho. Ah me olvidaba, tambien fue un dia de compras. Mi marido me regalo un bolson de Billabong hermoso.