There are things I love about being on land. Somehow, we have landed in what I would
consider an almost-perfect place. The ‘almost’
comes from the fact that life in Adelaide is expensive. Very, very expensive. But so many of my favourites are covered: the
apartment is bright. I can walk
everywhere. There is a free bus
downtown. The girls love their
schools. People are friendly. The rules are relaxed. There is a library 200 m from my door. The weather is awesome. Hot running water! These are things it is hard to compete
with. Erik is already having a panic
attack about trying to get us to move back aboard when his project is done.
Hooray! We're finally free from Mom and get to go to school! |
Oh, people. What are
you doing to yourselves? I realize that reading
a newspaper and watching the TV news is an unspoken requirement for personhood
to many people. And still I must ask
you: why? Since we hit NZ, I’ve flipped
through the odd paper and seen a few news reports. And what did I learn? Nothing of value. In one paper, it took Erik and me until page
93 to find anything we wanted to read about.
In the whole paper, we found two articles of interest, one about the Mars
Curiosity, and another detailing comments from President Obama regarding the
Israeli government. What was the rest of
the paper? Aside from ads (don’t get me
started), it was fear-mongering. Thefts,
murder, car crashes, don’t-eat-this-it-will-give-you-cancer, oh-no-our-kids-are-fat,
be-careful-or-something-really-bad-is-going-to-happen-to-you, doom, doom,
gloom.
In theory, the news fills a vital role. I am interested in world news, and by
that I mean a cogent overview and analysis of world events. Not easy to find. As for my local news, if I could find good
coverage in a paper, I’d read it. Until
that exists, I’ll just talk to people. You find out more, anyway.
In short, most
so-called news is all filler and no content.
I won’t let it steal my time and make me scared.
Actual problem #1: I
Own Nothing
Actual size. |
Well, not
nothing. Obviously I own things. Probably too many things. But when I arrived in Adelaide, I realized
that the entire contents of my wardrobe fit into one drawer. That drawer.
Oh, you think I’m
playing?
That's it. There is no more. |
See? And that drawer is by no means chock-a-block. The bottom drawer is currently occupied by
computer cables, notebooks and other detritus, only to make me feel like I have
something to put in there because otherwise it looks so sad and
purposeless. Maybe that is why people
have too much stuff – they feel sorry for empty spaces.
Point being, I
probably can’t wander around in my stained, boat-appropriate t-shirts around
here. I may have to do two things I hate
doing, ie. 1. Spend money and 2. Go shopping.
Ugh. Save me.
Problem #2:
Explaining Papillon
You wouldn’t think
this would be a tough one. I’ve lived
aboard Papillon for more than two years, and I pretty much have my patter
down. And up to this point, it has worked. People get it. They might think it is crazy, but they get
it: family + boat = familyboat.
Adventure on the high seas. But,
for some reason, when I tell people here in Australia that I live on a boat,
they make a funny face. A brief frown
crosses their features, as though they can’t really process what I’ve
said. Most days, I feel like I’ve told
people, “I live in a jar of mustard,” or “I think car tires make a tasty snack.” Those are the looks I get. Maybe this is related to the issue above and
the fact that, to these put-together moms, I must look like I just stumbled out
of an alley somewhere. Whatever the
case, I’m clearly not in tune with the Australian psyche yet.
Problem #3: Routine
It isn’t as though we didn’t have
a routine on Papillon. Get up, eat, do
school, eat, play somewhere, eat, read, sleep.
But some days it would be: get up, eat, go look at turtles, swim, eat,
visit friends, write, eat, have an impromptu party. Or, get up in the middle of the night, sail
out of the harbour, make tea. And all
without the tyranny of a clock. Man, do I
not like wearing a watch again. But when the school says be here now and pick them up
then, you do it. Land life = scheduled life.
Bleh. Do people really do this
for years on end? Yes, obviously they do
– I did, too. But, more and more, I'm having trouble remembering why.
The solution is obvious: spend half
the year aboard, half the year on land.
Totally perfect and manageable and in no way disruptive for work or
school or anyone involved, right? When
they build that fairytale utopia of lollipops and spun sugar, you be sure to
let me know. I’ll point Papillon in that
direction and apply for my visa right away.
2 comments:
Amy
You make us all envious. If you have trouble explaining your life style to folks who are surrounded by the sea, you should see the looks & comments that we get explaining your life style to folks back home.
Time to go shopping-make a plan & break a leg
Love Mom
On the bright side, this short sojourn to the dark side (landlife) should make you appreciate life on Papillon even more when you return to her!
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