Realisations
Door: Carine
02 April 2008 | Australië, Adelaide
I realised tonight that this blog of mine has been up and running for over 3 ½ years now, of which about 2 ½ years in English. That’s a long time!! That’s 3 ½ years of my memories documented on this website and so many more memories between the lines… Little windows to my life :) I wonder, if complete strangers would read it (and maybe they already do!!), what they would make of me and my life based just on these stories.
I actually realised quite a few things lately. I realised I really like the smell of rain in the air, especially when it’s not actually raining. Then again, I also really liked the feeling of rain on my skin the other day having gone without it for so long. I realised that I love hearing people talk Australian all around me when I’m on the bus. I realised that I’m here and I’m doing this and though it’s not always easy, it’s once again a great feeling. No one can take these past two months and its many new experiences away from me. I’m soaking it up :) I realised that by the time I’ve finished this exchange, I will have intermittently spent almost half of my past 4 years in Australia. Does that also make me half an Aussie?? I don’t know… I’ve been mistaken for one plenty of times these past two months, haha. What defines being an Aussie anyway?? Is it legal citizenship, is it being identified as an Aussie by others, is it a feeling of belonging and self-identification, is it knowing who Don Bradman is, or knowing that Edmund Barton was the first prime-minister, is it perhaps all those things… I realised that I love asking myself these kinds of questions and also love hearing other people’s answers to them. I realised that I am much more interested in the ideas behind theories than in the theories themselves. I realised that this is the best place for me to be right now, coz there’s so much to learn just from living on campus interacting with lots of different people from lots of different backgrounds and from going to uni in a different country. I love it :)
Anyway, everything here is pretty much normal daily life at the moment. The photos below are from a random night having pizza on a hill to watch the sun go down on the ocean and a spontaneous day road-tripping to Victor Harbor over Easter weekend. It was supposed to be a surfing day, but instead we ended up playing mini-golf and wandering around Granite Island for the day being the ultimate tourists :) And please note the fact that we all got airbrush tattoos as well, haha. Good times… we had heaps of fun together :) This weekend there’s a party coming up which also includes an open-mic stage at the beginning of it and I’m playing a few songs and I’m already nervous for it. Playing today in the music room felt great though, but then no one was listening… Not much else going on. Had a plan of going to New Zealand over mid-semester break this month with Paul, a guy here on campus, but I’m not too sure if that’s still happening coz we can’t really agree on the exact dates and it’s quite expensive with just the two of us so last-minute. We’ll see.
Well I hope everyone’s well and that you’ve all had a good Easter break!! And I wish those with exams/assignment deadlines heaps of good luck :) Thanks to everyone who’s leaving comments or sending me messages or e-mails. I love hearing from you!! Sending lots of love to all corners of the world, wherever you may be :)
Love Carine
xxx
I actually realised quite a few things lately. I realised I really like the smell of rain in the air, especially when it’s not actually raining. Then again, I also really liked the feeling of rain on my skin the other day having gone without it for so long. I realised that I love hearing people talk Australian all around me when I’m on the bus. I realised that I’m here and I’m doing this and though it’s not always easy, it’s once again a great feeling. No one can take these past two months and its many new experiences away from me. I’m soaking it up :) I realised that by the time I’ve finished this exchange, I will have intermittently spent almost half of my past 4 years in Australia. Does that also make me half an Aussie?? I don’t know… I’ve been mistaken for one plenty of times these past two months, haha. What defines being an Aussie anyway?? Is it legal citizenship, is it being identified as an Aussie by others, is it a feeling of belonging and self-identification, is it knowing who Don Bradman is, or knowing that Edmund Barton was the first prime-minister, is it perhaps all those things… I realised that I love asking myself these kinds of questions and also love hearing other people’s answers to them. I realised that I am much more interested in the ideas behind theories than in the theories themselves. I realised that this is the best place for me to be right now, coz there’s so much to learn just from living on campus interacting with lots of different people from lots of different backgrounds and from going to uni in a different country. I love it :)
Anyway, everything here is pretty much normal daily life at the moment. The photos below are from a random night having pizza on a hill to watch the sun go down on the ocean and a spontaneous day road-tripping to Victor Harbor over Easter weekend. It was supposed to be a surfing day, but instead we ended up playing mini-golf and wandering around Granite Island for the day being the ultimate tourists :) And please note the fact that we all got airbrush tattoos as well, haha. Good times… we had heaps of fun together :) This weekend there’s a party coming up which also includes an open-mic stage at the beginning of it and I’m playing a few songs and I’m already nervous for it. Playing today in the music room felt great though, but then no one was listening… Not much else going on. Had a plan of going to New Zealand over mid-semester break this month with Paul, a guy here on campus, but I’m not too sure if that’s still happening coz we can’t really agree on the exact dates and it’s quite expensive with just the two of us so last-minute. We’ll see.
Well I hope everyone’s well and that you’ve all had a good Easter break!! And I wish those with exams/assignment deadlines heaps of good luck :) Thanks to everyone who’s leaving comments or sending me messages or e-mails. I love hearing from you!! Sending lots of love to all corners of the world, wherever you may be :)
Love Carine
xxx
-
01 April 2008 - 14:42
Li-Shi:
Zal ik nu wel de eerste zijn? ^-^...
Have fun on open-mic night! I bet you will blow them all away... -
01 April 2008 - 14:45
Li-Shi:
en wat een leuke foto's! the jump shot, pointing picture and everyone under the fountain... Looks like so much fun! :D XxX -
01 April 2008 - 15:03
Froukje:
Hey!! Vette foto's!! Mooi ook die man die net langs die fontein loopt haha. De tijd gaat snel zeg, je bent alweer bijna 3 maanden weg!! Ik begrijp precies hoe je je voelt, ergens anders studeren met allemaal verschillende nationaliteiten om je heen, echt een geweldige ervaring, waar je zonder uberhaupt te studeren al veel van leert!! NZ in de midsemester break, heb je daar wel tijd voor?! Als je de kans krijgt zou ik het doen, geld komt wel weer goed joh, je bent nu zo dichtbij (misschien wel voorlopig voor de laatste keer?)! Ik was ook helemaal blut na NZ, maar ben nu lekker m'n moeder aan het terugbetalen, heb verder toch niet zoveel te doen:p, geen NZ naast de deur iig, maar wel Kopenhagen:):):).
Geniet er van! xx -
02 April 2008 - 00:33
Mum:
I would love a dollar for every time I have "had" to walk around granite island as a child. :-) -
02 April 2008 - 02:37
Kim:
granite island is beautiful! perhaps its time for another roadtrip back to adelaide?
inspiring carine! xoxo -
03 April 2008 - 06:31
Melly Xo:
Hey Gorgeous!
I love reading your blogs, you have a real knack for being engaging in the way you present your thoughts. Im sure people let these ideas flow in and and out, but to actually sit down and grasp exactly what it is, you think about life and all the buzz that is going on around you is amazing! I'm so glad your enjoying your time in Adelaide, and growing more and more from it! You are beautiful!
Love lots,
Mel xoxoxo -
03 April 2008 - 13:05
Maaike:
Hee Carine! Je wordt al bijna een 'Aussie' hoor ik.. maar je blijft toch altijd een patmosje hoor :p Wel grappig dat ze steeds denken dat je uit Australie komt. En met dat optreden.. wat leuk zeg!! Wel spannend.. maar het komt vast wel goed, bij ons kon je het ook :) Laat maar weten hoe het is gegaan! Ik zit nu op de HU, we hebben net een krant in elkaar geflanst.. erg stressen, maar ook heel leuk. Ben blij trouwens dat alles goed gaat, droomde een tijdje geleden namelijk een beetje raar over jou, en op dezelfde dag waren de bosbranden bij Adelaide op het nieuws :p Hopelijk horen we snel weer iets van je! liefs maaike -
03 April 2008 - 13:13
Renske:
Hey hey, hier weer een berichtje van je grote kleinere zus. Ben inmiddels weer beter. Vandaag weer aan het werk gegaan na een week uit de running te zijn geweest. Jouw cadeautje pas super aan mijn ketting, maar wel het verkeerde merk ;). Hierdoor is het zilver aan de zijkant niet verzonken in de kraal. Maar hij is nog steeds mooi en past er goed bij. Leuk om weer eens te lezen wat je daar allemaal doet. Heb skype van het weekend aanstaan... wie weet dat het er dan toch nog een keer van gaat komen ;). -
05 April 2008 - 17:56
Lydia:
Hey hey!
Een verlaat berichtje van mij :P Ben druk bezig met een essay.. grrr... Hoe gaat het schoolwerk daar? Of doe je daar niet aan?? :P Leuk om al je verhalen te horen! En owee als je besluit voor altijd een aussie te worden hoor! :P
Doeiiii XLied
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