Group email 5:
Just 1 sleep left... then my feet land back once again in fantastic Melbourne, nearly 4 months since I was last there. Exciting and scary at the same time...
The last 4 weeks here in Tasmania have been absolutely amazing and unlike what I was expecting, in a positive way. I was expecting 5 days a week of teaching circus classes, and a weekend or two away seeing some sights. What actually came to fruit was a still-not-complete basketball stadium, the delay of which meant Slipstream's classes were to take place on an outdoor dog training area rather than the old gym and not very surprisingly very few kids turned up.
Plan B was quickly devised: hire a local school hall two afternoons a week and try and get the numbers up for those sessions for the remaining 3 weeks, to try and rehab the numbers. Worked a treat. We got kids, 17 on one occasion, plus it meant I had 5 days off rather than 2. Score. My 16hrs/week contract remained active so the 10 non-teaching hours/week were spent carefully tweaking policies and procedures that were definitely in need of attention. (I finished my last paid hour of work yesterday arvo and have been celebrating my glorious achievement once again (I've had heaps of glorious achievements on this trip!) with one of my old friends, Mr Stone's Green Ginger Wine). So with these schedule alterations in my diary I decided to hire a car for 11 days and make best use of those days off, in the end seeing a great deal of the island, catching up with a few friends and making a bunch of brand new friends too.
I'm aware of the epic-ness my emails have become (I'd be impressed to hear if anyone managed to read them all top to bottom). I've been adding photos for those who have less time and prefer to just scan photos rather than read rambles of a person chasing their dreams. Both options are valid and this email is no different.
So, Tasmania. Not that different to New Zealand (the most notable differences are that no-one calls me bro, there are no indigenous people left from what I could see, and the mountains are smaller) but its definitely much much closer to Melbourne.
With the freshness of Permaculture, environmental sustainability, intentional communities, organic food production, and my two freshly trained eyes for the beautifully simple and abundant ability of nature to exist effortlessly as it does, I set off on the road to have a good look around and see what I could see. You will probably see from some of my photos, that not only are huge big gaping vistas incredibly beautiful, but a minute detail within a forest also has unquestionable beauty also.
During those 11 days I saw so much, and have felt a great deal too. There's something special about this part of Australia, which is probably why Tasmanians seem to put this island quite separate to Australia, even going as far to say it's a separate country altogether.
The photos do most of the talking when it comes to some of the things I saw, but by far the biggest impacts I have had on my psyche have been people. More specifically their ideas, their communities (and the abundant knowledge contained within them), their location, their freedoms and their restraints.
Living rurally, or planning to, building their own houses, designing them, Earthships, food production, the system, permaculture, straw bale, mud render, solar water, WWOOF, harvesting clean energy, politics, compost, acreage, dams, cob ovens, chooks, the list goes on... all were seen or discussed. So much food for thought, so much desire to join them in the amazing things they do, so much excitement on my part.
I was going to write more about my trip, I felt like there was so much to say, but I actually can't find the words. What I've discovered actually seems too big for words. Hopefully the photos can give you some insight instead of my ramblings.
OK so I'm gonna clock off with a thank you.
Thank you to all the beautiful people who joined me on this trip of discovery over the last 4 months, whether it was for half an hour or a whole month. I realise that without my friends life would be very different. I managed to travel for 4 months and only pay for one night of accommodation. The universe, and my friends are looking out for me. What an awesome feeling.
May you have a dream and one day realise that that dream has become your life.
With love,
Christian.
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