From The Canoe

I was picked up in San Francisco by the lovely Rocio who I met at camp, her and her boyfriend said I could sleep on the couch at their place for a couple of nights before I left for the hardcore dust party in the desert of nearby Nevada. They were so nice that they drove me to the local Target and to hippie Haight Street to get various survival items from the tent to the tutu. Bikes were scarce, all the wallmarts were out, Burning Man had affected all of San Francisco but these wonderful locals were also bike enthusiasts and they pulled strings, made phonecalls and got me a bike, woohoo. It really was rather a nice bike too, antique and English and red. The morning I left to get to my Green Tortoise ... read more

So I travelled on a greyhound bus, and I didn't get beheaded which was a bonus. The bus rolled through Maine, Massachusetts through some beautiful tree filled towns at dusk where artists should be walking down streets. Springfield Massachusetts was interesting. If my phone was working I would have text my sister to tell her that I was in the Dandenong of America, here is where plump American bogans in cheap tacky clothes smoked and smooched and swore at each other, a young man spoke yo diggity to himself while chewing on a toothbrush. Luckily I have spent many an hour/day/night at Frankston station, I am seasoned. I travelled onwards towards Vermont where I was to meet a girl on the riding staff from camp who was competing in a show and I was going to ... read more

Well. I had planned to write a lot more and a lot more often but being a mostly non technological camp and lately having activities morning noon and night has meant, sitting on my laptop for hours hasn't really been a common occurrence. I have been at my camp locale by the lake since June 2nd and it has been absolutely beautiful and fun and sometimes stressful and I may or may not have cried one day when I was running late and I didn't get time to make my bed and could not find any clean socks. When I got here after my long series of flights and bus rides, I wafted with an upbeat delirium to go on a road trip through 3 states to the hills of beautiful Vermont to go and choose ... read more

Anyway, back to the begininning. So I arrive at Tullamarine airport Melbourne at about 7.30 am, for the first trip overseas with family members in tow. I was mostly anxious about the fact that I had a one way ticket due to onward travel plans, and if they caught me at immigration or something I may be in le sh*t. The family were mostly anxious because I am fabulous and leaving the country for what may be a number of years. I said goodbye at the very non homely entrance to the international gates and plane is delayed - again. We get restaurant vouchers to tame us - Some people actually buy lunch, most hit the bar. I chose the latter, because I am Australian. The 14 hour planeride is as good as a 14 hour ... read more

I am writing this on my last evening at home on the couch in my uggboots my nose is a bit cold from the chill and my eyes are hanging a bit from lack of sleep (last night was my last hurrah = no sleep last night). I leave at tomorrow morning at 6am to catch a plane from Melbourne to New York and several road bus/car trips before I am sorted and organised for the summer camp I will be working at in Maine. I haven't really been excited yet, more of my energy over the past few months has been hardcore organising, visas, selling car, sorting out work yada yada. Today was the pinnacle of that as I purchased and packed the last remaining items into my backpack, I would feel excitement for an ... read more