it's gypsy music time

Ever since my 'balkanology' experience in cape town, I've really enjoyed balkan-gypsy-ish music. it seems like australia-land does too. I went to a Cat Empire concert a while ago, and their support band was Paprika Balkanicus. Combine Balkan sounds with big band jazz and a DJ and you get a very fun night out!

In just over a fortnight's time, there's another Melbourne act coming to town - The Woohoo Revue - and they are combining with Canberra's Mr Fibby for a night of story-telling and musical goodness.

Apparently I should "Expect a big, brassy and very sweaty show from them and a theatrical performance from Mr Fibby that combines Eastern melodies with preposterous stories." Sounds like fun. More about the event here.

streams of conscience

13 october 2008
streams of conscience/
stream of consciousness

Blah
I’m at home. Sick. On the couch. It’s windy and overcast outside. My body mimics the conditions inside. So I’ll take a break from work for a day (it was only a half-day in any case) and sleep, recoup and maybe write something. I felt it coming on for the last 3 days - a dry cough, general dis-ease and a need to relax. As always its timing couldn’t be worse - I’m off to Brisbane on Saturday for mixed nats.

Borndays
It was my birthday last week. Julie says Bornday. It was a good day. On my way to work I passed some cyclists on the cycle path. One of them said “Good morning Gareth.” It was Jess, a frisbee friend, who recognised me as we sped past each other. Starting to feel like I belong a bit more here in Canberra.

At work over lunch I was asked how old I was.
‘26’ was my reply.
Boss Barry recalled where he was at 26, and was frightened at the recollection.
‘I wish I was as wise as you when I was 26’ he remarked.
What a graceful statement. Hmm… yes. Thank you.

Again, at frisbee training that night, I was seen. Larissa saw my birthday on the afda website and brought honey cakes and rum balls for after training. I don’t like being the centre of attention. I like being the centre of attention.

Internet grace
Facebook is not something I’ve spent much time on lately, but last week I was thankful for it, and the way it reminds me of my full life. Friday morning I read through my facebook happy birthday messages. From close friends and distant faces.
Thank you, thank you.

Skype joined in on the internet birthday grace on Thursday. I spoke to 5 of my 6 family members. Parents and sisters are all well in Jo’burg. Mom sold 5 paintings at a recent figure studies exhibition in Melville. There were a few hundred people at the opening. And as a naked man.

[Naked man
‘There’s a naked man here!’ Tash shrieked to my parents.
He was naked, and clothed.
He had been body-painted. Tiger stripes on his upper body. Grass over his belly button. Olive green legs. Some men were shocked. A (conservative?) Afrikaans man captured it perfectly:
‘Daar’s a tier in die kamer, en ‘n slang in die gras’
‘There’s a tiger in the room and a snake in the grass’

I laughed!
I finished working at Fox Antiques on Friday. Having our beer at 5 after work we spoke of nakedness again. Barry sharing stories of co-ed saunas in Holland, topless beaches in Germany and Australian prudishness]

Family (ctnd)
Bronwen got a new job teaching reception class. Vicki is waiting for Uni to start. Jane is in Cape Town getting ready to lead a DTS. Dad told me that derth is spelled with an ‘a’. Dearth. I laughed.
I hung up with them at 11pm, warmed by the conversation. As if by grace Matthew came online from London, so we spoke for almost an hour.

Mat
is almost finished his London adventure. Told stories of Slovenia, poker and my aunt. I said he must add the Lake Districts to his Scotland trip in a few weeks. I miss him. There’s a photo of him and Gra mooning the camera, jumping into some lake in Slovenia!

Blogging
is rather taxing on me. I find myself thinking about what I should write, the opening line that will draw people in, and show off my deft use of language. As with many of my well intentioned ideas, I never get around to it. I have 5 unfinished posts in my drafts folder. If I wait long enough they will be so outdated that I’ll delete them. And delete the minutes they filled up running around in my head. For nothing. Making me agitated.

But then, sometimes, I’m sick in bed, and I write. Freely. Mostly.
I still try to show off (is any writing completely devoid of ego?).
I still censor. That’s okay. I’ll keep trying.

Julie
is beautiful.
Studying for her UNISA exam today. She’s next to me on the couch:

‘G. Guess what’
‘What?’
‘Women work 65% of the world's working hours. And guess how much of the worlds salaries they get paid?’
‘20%?’
‘No, 10%
And they own less than 1% of the worlds assets.’

The exam is on Theological Ethics: Human rights, values and social transformation. At the SA High Commission at 2 today. It’s a big white Cape-Dutch style house near to Parliament here in Canberra. I’ve been there once. They weren’t very helpful.

stream of consciousness
and conscience
to get out all the half-post I’ve been thinking about over the last weeks. I should try it again.

What else is there to say?
started a garden
got a black eye from a frisbee
got some good wine from Adrian & dad
saw Utopia: the Genius of Emily Kame Kngwarreye yesterday. Profound artist and messenger. What is the message?

This week
No more Fox antiques. 3 days with the ALP IP, 2 days with the ACC&C. Make that 1 day with the ACC&C - today I’m off sick.
I stopped working at Fox on Friday. The ALP wanted more days from me, and the work was too tiring.

I’ll miss:
the sweet smell of the wax we polish the antiques with,
the casual banter in the workroom,
the lunches out on the pavement in the sun opposite the Belgian Beer place.
I won’t miss:
the dirty dish-clothes
the heavy lifting.

Global economic crisis.
Crap.
I’ve not paid it much attention. (still have to study my Masters of Development Economics)
But I read this article today. It helped to outline what’s going on, and why this could well be the end of the current economic system as we know it. That’s a good thing - in my mind. However, as usual, the poor will feel it first and worst.

One last stream:

Clergy Gentrification
(what!?)
I heard about it at last weeks’ conference. Which went very well by the way. Maybe I’ll write about it. Or, more likely, I’ll plan to write about it. Work out some sentences, and then not write.
Back to the clergy and how they are like buildings.
Clergy are well educated, get a salary, their children then go to school, go to university and get an office job. After a generation or two you have a wealthy, educated clergy of and for the bourgeoisie, the status quo, those in power… with no connection to the working class any more.

Just a thought.

That’s maybe why liberation theology (take the text back to the poor and let them interpret it) and feminist theology (reading from the margins and the underside) make sense to me. Me - someone with no natural connection to the working class, though trying to follow/understand a Jesus of the poor?

End

I
am okay.
and happy.
and am not a poet.
(yet?)

Thankful for all the streams that have made, fed and changed me.
Got to take Julie to the High Com to write.
Okay bye.

my workplace diversity (religion,politics&woodwork)

For the last two months I’ve been filling out job application essays, and have often come across the terms ‘workplace diversity’ and ‘participative management practices’. Once I worked out what they were, I had to think up ways to prove to the recruitment people that I practiced/believed in/followed these cool terms. Thankfully, I don’t have to do any more proving, as I’m employed! Hooray. And… what’s more – I didn’t just find one job, but three! I’m workplace diversity all in one!

These three jobs are all tasters/testers for now, and I guess I’ll have to pick one sometime, but for now I rather enjoy the variety and exposures. So, here then is what keeps me busy during the week in Canberra:

First up (monday & tuesday): Religion with the ACC&C
(Am I taking Jesus’ words ‘seek first the kingdom’ too literally here?) ;)

It’s a big title, but as the Global Network for Public Theology Officer, basically all I’m doing is organising a conference (something I’ve done before). My employer is the Australian Centre for Christianity and Culture, where I work with Julia Pitman and James Haire. Julia is of the opinion that James is the top theologian in Australian. I don’t know too many theologians yet to make that call, but the impromptu lectionary commentary and exegesis we get each week at staff meetings is phenomenal. It’s really hard not to want to record all that he says!
Anyway, back to work – the conference I’m organising is in October, and entitled: The Christian Mission in the Public Sphere. It’s a mixture of public theology and mission studies – both areas of interest to me. And, would you guess, the keynote speaker is Prof Nico Koopman from Stellenbosch! He was on the board of the SACC Parliamentary Office in Cape Town where I worked last year, and is the chair of the Beyers Naude Centre for Public Theology! It’s a small world! The actual conference logistics aren’t that exciting, but the papers seems promising, and the contacts valuable. (Oh, and the centre where I work is on a beautiful site overlooking lake Burley Griffin, with a labyrinth and a Bible Garden and outdoor chapel!)

Moving on to the secular (wednesday): Politics with the ALP IP

I’ve just started one day a week working with the Australian Labor Party (the folks in power) in their International Projects office. Development work is really big here in Canberra, and something that I looked into quite a bit when I arrived. All the development work here in Aus is focused on South East Asia (an area I know nothing about), but I’m keen to learn and see where it takes me. So I work with the director Michael Morgan and help out where I can. As funds become available, and the work increases, this job may expand. The IP office has a $1 million a year democracy building program in SE Asia, as well as historic links to the ANC and trade unions in South Africa (not to mention close ties with the UK Labor, and the Democrats in the US). A good place to be I think!

And to round the week off (thurs&fri), a bit of manual labour: Woodwork with Fox Antiques

When I was in SA I googled a few job pages in Canberra and saw an advert for an Antique Furniture restorer at Fox Antiques. I didn’t apply for the job, but kept the idea in my mind. After a failed attempt at being a waiter at a restaurant, I thought that if I were to do some low paying physical task, it may be in an area that I enjoy (I was top woodwork student at high school, and have done some restoring as a hobby) So I went to see the folks at Fox and asked to work, It’s been 3 weeks so far, and I’ve enjoyed every day. The pay ain't great, my hands are really dirty, and there’s a lot of heavy lifting, but it’s not every day that one gets to play around with 19th century French antiques. I’m learning a whole bunch, and getting my hands dirty with beautiful woodwork. And, on Friday after work we all have a beer (corporate bonding) and a chat. It’s not theology or politics, but good old labourer conversations!

So... that's what keeps me busy.
Add to this mix Frisbee 3 times a week, and I’m a full and happy man. Just have to find time to garden and read (and maybe blog)! This full-ness is probably not sustainable, so after the conference in October, I’ll have a look and choose one of these jobs. Or perhaps something else – I’m talking to a local Uniting church about a community faith development position that seems very exciting. So, that’s my diverse workplace. And I’m very thankful for it.

Canberra style

Don't be fooled... though it may seem small and boring and full of public servants... under the skin Canberra's got style. Just ask Nina or Canberrablog.

It's rather different from the South African (street) style, but difference is good. I look forward to unearthing some of the more edgy and arty sides to this little city as i settle in (and when the weather warms up).

Some good frisbee news

After the sad frisbee news of missing worlds and nursing my ankle, here's some good news. Last night the indoor winter league started here in Canberra. I signed up a while back, and thought i'd give it a try. I haven't run or played frisbee in two months, and was wary as to how my ankle would perform. I bandaged it up nicely, put on an aircast, and it held up surprisingly well. There were a whole bunch of aspects that contributed to a smooth return to my favourite pastime: the court we played on at the AIS was a sprung floor, i was able to wear cushioned shoes, the games were only 30 mins long, and the small court means less running. I came home really energised from the run around, and from meeting cool new frisbee folks - a great change from the boring job applications that usually colour my day.

(PS> The Canberra Ultimate crowd are running some frisbee development clinics on Monday nights from next week... i know about 8 people in this city, and have convinced 4 to come along! What a frisbee-evangelist i am.
PPS> Julie has expressed an interest to come along. I've told her that i love her just as she is - ultimate player or not- but she, of her own volition, wants to learn and play too! Hooray!)

ACT update... with pictures!

Yes, this one even comes with pictures!

So, we’ve been here a month, and are starting to get vaguely settled. Apart from the freezing cold, things are falling into place. We moved into our flat a week ago, and my dream of house-husband is almost realised! Without a job (yet) I’m cooking, cleaning and decorating. If only there was a garden! With a few garage sales, and some of Julie’s aunt’s surplus furniture, we’ve managed to scratch together reasonable furnishings. My favourite are 4 delightful old suitcases we picked up from a church, and use as storage and decoration:
The block we're in is old, but the unit itself is really nice, and has been recently redone. I especially like the kitchen sink, and cabinets with downlights in them. The light helps to accentuate my great Edward Monkton mug that my brother sent to me from London! Thanks Matt! ;)

our only plant, the kitchen, and my mug and classy wine glass

We’ve made some friends with the Quakers (we stay two houses down from the meeting house), and we've also met quite a few SA folks who came here in the 70’s and 80’s in exile. It’s been refreshing to hear their stories, and have people who understand where we come from. Most of the people here are civil servants, or linked to the University. I’ve begun to network some with people from the Uniting Church, as well as some developmental agencies. I was wandering around ANU last week, and looked around their courses. I’m quite interested in their Masters in Developmental and International Economics, and may try to get one of those while I’m here ;) During my wanderings I carried on through the campus to the National Museum of Australia - a rather impressive building on Lake Burley Griffin where you can see Civic (the city) and Parliament over the water.

a collage of abstract museum shots

the city, ainslie hill, and the commonwealth bridge over Lake Burley Griffin

I am enjoying the relative peace and security here - being able to walk around at night, and not worrying about hijackings when you stop at traffic lights! Sometimes I do wonder if I’ll get ‘soft’ though. I have met quite a few ‘activists’ who are saying and doing things about social justice, but in a sense it’s just not the same if you are not living with the injustices in your face. Mind you, the ‘grass-is-greener’ saying is not true, there are problems and dis-eases here in Aus too. Our flat has an alarm system, and the council houses are known for crime and drugs. From a surface level, the problems may seem petty, but there are big issues to deal with: youth suicides in the rural areas, shocking history with the natives, big environmentally un-friendliness etc. So, there are some dangers, plenty of work, and quite a lot to learn from the people here.

Oh, I’ve also met a Dutch Reformed minister from Stellenbosch here, and have really enjoyed chatting to him about Canberra, South Africa, theology and life. He followed his wife here 5 years ago, and then found a Uniting Church to minister at. He has a PhD from Holland, and a good take on the city. He’s been very encouraging about me finding a position in the church here. My question now is to discern whether that is the work i want to do just now.

the (new) state of gareth...

... is now in ACT.
(Australian Capital Territories, that is. Technically its a Territory, and not a state, but who's being technical?)

Julie and I arrived here two weeks ago. It all happened so fast, so i guess i can back-track some:

The Canberra Journals #1: The prologue
We were exploring working overseas for a bit, tried Seattle, went and got jobs, but the not-so-friendly Dept of Homeland Security wouldn't play along when it came to Jules' visa. So, in the midst of our despair, Julie's cousin (a famous/infamous rugby player) happened to give her a call. "Hey Cuz, we've been looking for someone for our company, the Aussies are not good enough, and we want YOU!" he said, sounding a lot like pre-war Uncle Sam posters. So, we thought about it, and fought about it, and wished it were anywhere but Aus-land.

In the end I got over my issues with Australia, we appeased our shocked friends, and decided to give it a go. The tome of visa papers went in, and 10 days later we had an email in our inbox telling us we had a 2 year 457 working visa. Wow. We weren't too sure what to do with it intially, as it came so soon. But, being the intrepid adventures that we are, we looked at our calendars, Julie resigned from work, I finished CPE, had a week at home with respective parentals, said goodbye and boarded flight Quantas flight QF64 to Sydney on June 1 2008. (phew)

The Canberra Journals #2: The arrival
We disem-boarded in Australialand 17 hours later.

The Canberra Journals #3: First steps
And here we still are! The first few days we allocated to sight-seeing. We covered all the sights in an afternoon and then slept for the next 3 days! I'm exaggerating a bit, but it is a small city and after a few days we pretty much had the inner north, south and civic sorted. Julie started work Monday last week with Healthfutures, and that left me to deal with the cut-throat world of the Canberra rental market. It's crayzeeee! On Thursday we secured a nice little apartment for a not so nice price (prices here are exhorbitant) in Turner - a suburb in the inner north, a couple of block from the city centre, and two houses down from the Quaker meeting house! We move in there on the 24th, sans any furniture or anything! We will start with a matress on the floor and paper plates. Things can only get better from there so watch this space!

G'day mate.

Hello...

... from Canberra. ACT. Australia.

Yes, it's true. This is coming to you live and not-so-loud from the planned, not-so-sprawling metropolis of Canberra, ACT, Australia. It's like DC - a planned capital city with its own state - but not. It's small and quiet and clean and full of bush. Not W. Bush, small 'b' bush. They call Canberra the 'bush capital', because its a city built into the surrounding nature. It's rather pretty, athough cold and dry at the moment. The suburbs remind me of 1960s farm towns, the horses and hills remind me of the Natal midlands and the bush reminds me of the Eastern Transvaal. The kangaroos are just wierd, and i'm still getting over the fact that people actually plant bluegum trees here!

So yeah, that's where i am. Canberra. Hello.