Time Flies, right?

Hey Hey!

No wait, that should be 'Hola' or 'Namaste' Everyone!!!

There you go, that's my cultural input for today. Hey I figure it's my day off, I don't need to be cultural or worldly. I don't need to be anywhere or do anything. Well nothing over important anyway. So I realised its been almost two weeks since I sent everyone 'back home' mail and despite actually planning to make contact on my last set of days off, I got a little side tracked by puppets...but I'll get to that later on.

There are actually a few new people added to my mailing list here, the HA's farewells continued for a day or so after I last e-mailed, so a few of them now get my 'Adventures of Rachael' (Yes Allie I too rely on bulk e-mailing where possible). The day after my last installment I went on a big shopping spree in Oxford Circus and spent a fairly damaging amount of money. By most accounts it's probably not that bad but when you consider I'm now staying a little longer it probably wasn't the wisest thing. Regardless, I now have a functioning English mobile phone number. Got to get the important things sorted, right? It was a good day though, me, the footpath and I think about seven different bags by day's end.

I did the sort of homesickness but not kind of gig for a while there. It wasn't sad or emotional or anything, it was more a sense of missing the small things, like routine and things I would see each day. Like driving to work as the city woke up. Seeing the sunset over Albert Park Lake. Being able to just get in my car and drive. The vibe of Friday night football. Curling up in bed on a Wednesday night for Blue Healers. Thursday night Netball. Monday night 'free food'. Just routine. But then I realised I've sort of picked up a new routine here and I now enjoy watching the squirrel each day at around 4:30 go and bury food for winter in the front garden. Walking after dinner duties even if it is pitch black. Going to flag on my days off. Little things which for routine. And keep my kinda busy I guess.

Had a spur of the moment 'lets go to the WalkAbout' moment the other Saturday night and got there to discover a poster for live coverage of the AFL Grand Final. Amazingly I've got the gift of the gab to switch my rota for the right day so I'm getting up at 4am to go to a pub to watch a football game and then come back here to start work at 8:45 the first day of the World Board! I must be on my best behaviour! So anyhows, the WalkAbout was kinda lame and pretty freaky by the time we left because this guy tried to take Eri (Japanese HA)! We sort of turned around and she was gone. So Monique, Erin S and I go like Body guard Style and find her and this guy (she's not got great English) and like fly out of the building, but he started to follow us!! Anyhows, Monique told him to um...go away, so to speak, and eventually he did.

We had another small session in, this one called Castles and Palaces and it was only a small number, but a great one because we got to do more! So some late night evening programs and card games (oh my gosh we played Spoons!!!) and late night talking...not much sleep was achieved in there! Plus I got to see We Will Rock You for a second time which I loved just as much as the first!! Yay!

Ventured down to Hampton Court Palace with Ruth, Eri, Erin G and had a long day down there! But I loved it, some of the gardens were simply stunning. The building itself was quite delightful as well. It took a while to get there, I think we may have gone the long way round, but I actually worked out that I can get a National Rail train direct from Hampstead to West Ham so I've managed to talk Erin S into going to a soccer game with me. He he he, I have this image of us sitting in the stadium in mittens while its snowing...

On a mundane level we had the meat freezer die on us -twice. Sarcasm has become the choice tone of everyone and Erin and I often find ourselves still up at 1am and seemingly ending up on the subject of food we miss at home. We both had this great desire for Nachos so on our last day off we went up the hill for dinner and got them -NEVER AGAIN! I sware to you, our mouths were still burning the next day. They were horrible. What I wouldn't give for a good meal at Taco Bills in South Melborune...mmm...Mexican....

One of our Long Term Residents (LTR) Kat (not sure if I have mentioned her before) had her mother send her violin. Not a great idea. She's on the floor above and over a bit and I can still hear her playing and she's not that crash hot!!! Plus she sings Opera! My ears are damaged for life!!

Now the puppets. Yesterday (and there is one today but I am off) we had what's called an International Adventure Day. Basically a group of Brownies and Guides come and we 'take them round the world' for the day. Well we had 33 brownies running around and I tell you I was in my element!!! I miss my girls soooooo much! BUT Erin and I were given the task of doing the puppet show which sort of tells them about the the four world centres (for non guide people, I work at Pax Lodge which is a world centre. There are four around the world). We pulled out the materials used last year and nearly died. So we binned it all and started form scratch. Made new puppets, clothes, rewrote the script made a new puppet stage thing. The works. We spent both of our last days off plus all our non working hours since pulling the show together. We even walked all the way back from Finchly carrying a piece or ply board because it wouldn't fit into Doreen's car. Now that's dedication. Regardless, the show was a huge success and the girls loved it, the staff loved it and the leaders loved it. The best bit was seeing the girls sneak back into the room and do the show themselves!!! It was soooo cute!!! I loved yesterday. I've gotten contact details and am hopefully going to visit the unit on a regular basis, plus we've all been invited (if not working) to their Carols Round the Campfire on the 11th of December. Yay! Janet said she hadn't seen me smile so much in a long time. I was just so excited to have little ones running around!

Oh and I set a new record. I made 24 beds and had the rooms ready for check in between end of breakfast (9:30) and Break (11am). I am a legend!! Oh my gosh it was soooo funny! I kept going 'I'm going to do this' and I did. Stupid little challenges like that make the day go quicker. Or something. Mind you I then ended up deep cleaning a room in the afternoon because I had not a lot to do!! And all those beds were for Australians! Yep, we've just about had a house full of Aussies!! Further to that, the 24 beds we all for students and teachers from Ivanhoe Grammar! Not overly impressed with their attitude, they were quite rude at times and I mean come on, this is a hostel not the god damn Hilton! Anyhows, they left this morning. The remaining Aussies are hear for the World Centres committee. Yep, we're going to end up with all the world centre managers here. And you know what? HA's at Sangam (in India) don't do house chores! They are there purely for program! Dang I'm at the wrong world centre!!

Hmm...this got long again, I was trying to keep it relatively short for a change, didn't happen. It has been freezing here. It's not even winter yet, it's still summer. Let me rephrase that. The wind has been really cold and for me to be saying it's cold, then you know for most of you it would be freezing. Mind you, if I actually wore something with long sleeves....and if I close my window at night...okay I am off! Phone calls to make, arrangement to make. Seven of us are heading down to the Thames this evening, this weekend is the Thames River Festival and there's a huge fireworks display on.

Hope everyone is doing well and I shall write again soon (maybe!!).

Take care,

Rachael :-)

Hello

Hey!!

You know there haven't been many e-mails from you, but they tend to rock up at the right time when they do get here! It's now after midnight and I've been talking to Erin for the past two hours.

It's likely that in the next couple of days you'll get a letter arrive in your post box. I can't help myself sometimes. Indeed how I'm feeling now is vastly different to how I was feeling when I wrote the letter, that said I'm yet to question if I made the right choice or not. I know at some stage I will, but now is not the time.

This afternoon at around 4:40 I was in the dining room having just started my afternoon K2 shift. I had one of those moments that comes right out of the blue and so unexpected it left me speechless and kinda feeling like I'm not sure where to look. I was opening the window or something and turn around to find 50 odd year old Chef Maria standing there with half her jacket off, bra and boob and all complaining about the pain in her shoulder and showing me the needle marks they'd put in!! I tell you I could have fallen over. This isn't aimed at you but if people are going to start making a habit of doing this, I want a bit of notice!!

My biggest issue right now is that I've had very little contact with anyone from home in the past three weeks. Aside from you and my mother, I've received one e-mail and a text message. I feel so disconnected. This was one of my fears coming here, reaching a point where it's like I have dropped off the face of the planet and don't exist. In my letter (the long one) I say something about this being the biggest form of self isolation I've put myself through. To be honest, it feels like I hit the nail dead on the head.

I'm not expecting weekly e-mails from people, I know they all have a life. But I'd say that about 90% of people that told me I had to stay in contact with I haven't heard from since I left. It really sucks.

That aside I am having a good time. Our current session is a whole of three people. We've other guests in too, but it means I may end up going to see We Will Rock You again tomorrow night...well I guess technically it's tonight...but tomorrow I am off and I'm going on a London walk (like what we did but during the day) and on Wednesday Ruth, Erin and I are going out to Hampton Court Palace for the day.

Oh and guess what? The WalkAbout is screening the AFL Grand Final, live so it's on at like 5am in the morning!!! I'm working that day, but I'm trying to see if I can switch shifts with Monique so I can get an 8:45am shift start. Which means if the stream starts at 5am I have until 8am to see it all, should be over in three hours right? Mind you I could be pushing my luck, it's the first day of the World Board and apparently this place runs like the army while it's on. We'll see. I might go talk to Janet.

I have three days off again this month by default. I'm thinking of going up to Birmingham to stay with Ruth (who came to the TRS function in feb?) as she's now back in the UK and called me the other night. She's bringing her brownies to Pax Lodge in Feb to stay!! But yeah, other than that, no major plans.

And as for my bonsai plant, I think it's dead. Well maybe not dead. Maybe it's supposed to look like it does. I water it and feed it that stuff Sally got so maybe I'm just not talking nice enough to it. Perhaps it keeps hearing me swear under my breath. That's another thing I've been doing more of lately.

Oh I brought a CD the other day and the song from kill Bill is on there!!

I was talking to a lady on the Tube the other day who had a Siamese cat with her!! A little bit darker than Candy, but sounded exactly the same!! She's actually moving back to Sydney so had to send the cat first as it had to go through quarantine and all. I looked in the box and smiled. I miss cat's in general here. No one to sit on my lap and pur or chase my finger or cover my clothes in hair...

Right I should be off because I need sleep and I've probably just stolen your lunch break again. Sorry. Just remember, we used to spend hours yakking all the time. I can't do that now. So I have to somehow compensate this way. It's not the same, but you know...

Okay I'm going! Take care and hope the broken nose gets fixed!
Rachael :-)

Home in Canada

Heya!!

Glad to hear you got home safely, Janet had mentioned you'd had a brief delay at the airport in her homeland!! But to be home is good. I'd imagine at this point in time you'd have started back at school again? A strike of luck with both the bags and the booze -indeed it was you're lucky day.

Nothing much changes at Pax, same ol same ol really. Evening Program tonight and a planning meeting today that went for over half an hour! Keren and Marie both had their send off last night, followed by a drink at The George. Being in 'House' today I actually watched Keren walk down the drive and out onto the road when she was leaving. It was an odd feeling. Suddenly people who have been here with me this whole time are leaving! This shouldn't be happening!

All the senior staff are strangely happy at the moment. Like more than usual. Doreen was even poking Monique in the dining room when she was sitting at the table...it's freaky mate. Erin G had her first day as K3 and somehow managed to get away with not wearing the 'funny trousers'.

Monique's addy is (deleted) but if you are having issues trying to e-mail her it may be because she's over her storage limit. She was complaining about that yesterday.

Well my dear I must be off, thank god the day is partly over. Still a long evening a head (we've more brownies here!) but I guess it could be worse...somehow. Oh hell it's payday. That's it I am off to see Janet! Oh my gosh I went on a shopping spree yesterday in Regent Street and Oxford Circus and Covent Garden...the ol credit card got a good work out...it'll take a while before I can do that again!

Take care and talk soon,
Rachael :-)