Thump!
Oooooooohhhh! The fall was long... Very long. I've landed and feel ill. Am ever-so-dazed and dizzy. LA is as it promised: smoggy, a bit dirty and kinda sleazy in an American way. Though to be honest, from the highway from the airport LA could be an Australian city - many, many gum tress. However, it seems to be a city without supermarkets or fresh fruit. At least I have seen none yet... I was lucky enough to get on a shuttle bus that went through some of the L.A burbs. WOW. Not seen anything like it. All these bizarre, decaying californian bungalos/adams family houses in a myriad of lurid colours...
I slightly don't know what I'm doing here. Though that is slightly less dread- filling now that I've had a sleep.Hopefully San Fransisco will be all it promises.
I had a fun interaction with the American customs man.
Man: (looking at my passport) You an Aussie girl.
Rae: Yep.
Man: Where's your tan?
Rae: Well, I'm from Melbourne. It gets quite cold there.
Man: It's cold now, but what about in summer. You know how to surf? Don't tell me you don't know how to surf?
Rae: No, I don't.
Man: Well, I guess you aint the stereotype then. You should go down to santa monica and learn how to surf in our sunny California.
Sunny ideed. It's only about 25 degrees but the hostel is VERY humid and my pants are plastered to my legs.
I hope this gets better. I hope it gets easier as I go deeper into the rabbit hole and see what else is in there...
XXX OOO Rae.
I slightly don't know what I'm doing here. Though that is slightly less dread- filling now that I've had a sleep.Hopefully San Fransisco will be all it promises.
I had a fun interaction with the American customs man.
Man: (looking at my passport) You an Aussie girl.
Rae: Yep.
Man: Where's your tan?
Rae: Well, I'm from Melbourne. It gets quite cold there.
Man: It's cold now, but what about in summer. You know how to surf? Don't tell me you don't know how to surf?
Rae: No, I don't.
Man: Well, I guess you aint the stereotype then. You should go down to santa monica and learn how to surf in our sunny California.
Sunny ideed. It's only about 25 degrees but the hostel is VERY humid and my pants are plastered to my legs.
I hope this gets better. I hope it gets easier as I go deeper into the rabbit hole and see what else is in there...
XXX OOO Rae.
posted by Jonny S. | 1:37 PM
6 Comments:
If all else fails go find yourself an Adams Family house to live in. It would be cool and I'm sure you'd fit right in. I wonder why they have gum trees? Or is that a stupid question? You'll have fun after the shock wears off. L
you should have told him you were proudly unaustralian and were just in america to get your pilot's licence, and then you were going to fly a bigarse jet into kirrabilli (sp?)
love you lots, sending you non-humid thoughts (fucking freezing here!)
it will get better :)
it is one of those crazy things - when something is mad and crazy and challenging and maybe not how you expected it will always be one of those expereinces that are really important in your life.
i think that is the whole thing about travelling - it is not the photos of tourist attractions that change/influence your life/perspective on the world, it is being completely outside of your comfort zone, outside of your entire comfort-universe...
and it is always hard when you are jet-lag tired and crazy; that is the pinnacle of verge-of-tears times! i remember when julia and i arrived in vienna (when we went there a few years ago) i was tired and hot and tried to call home and the phone wouldn't work and i just thought 'what am i doing here'..
but it was great :)
sleep. shower. eat. explore.
you will have an amazing time my friend xoxoxoxo
ps. they have gum trees here. there is one stretch of rode on the way to caitlin's house and whenever we are riding along there in the night i feel like i am in wattle glen!
Oh Rae, I wish (probably not for the last time) that I was there to give you a hug and make it all ok.
Thing is, I don't need to. It IS ok. It will continue to be ok and before you know it, it will be good, then great, then incredible.
That post-flight low must be crap when you're on your own, I know. Like Erin said, have a sleep, a shower, an eat (and yeah, a cry) and make a fresh start in the morning. It's all uphill (or downhill? I guess it depends if you've got rollerskates or not)from here.
Lots of love,
Mads.
P.S. Missing you lots already!
I second what Erin said. I think before someone starts travelling they have a certain naive expectation of what it's going to be like (I know I did and I still get that sometimes with some places and then I have to slap myself when I get to my destination and it's not the way I played it out in my fantasies). You will find your own travel rhythm. I found that it got easier the longer I was away from Melb. I gradually stopped comparing everything to Melb (now I compare everything to Berlin...bad me! Bad!)! Living out of a backpack is not always easy and some people tire of it a lot faster than others, but it is indeed a challenge through which you will learn a lot about yourself, the way you cope with various situations, the way you relate to people, etc. etc. It's worth it, baby. Just find your feet in your own way and in your own time.
See you in August, maybe (see my blog!)?
Thankyou for your comments guys. The second day was much better. I guess it is the out of the comfort zone thing. Found a supermarket (fresh apples...hoorah!) and went to Universal studios. There were MANY MANY anamatronic creatures - I was in crass heaven. I may have gotten a little bit too excited before going into the Van Helsing haunted house. Anyway, I very much appreciate your support. I guess it was just a very big shock - I'm in this crazy country alone - "Why the fuck did I do this?" But I feel better already. I shall write a new post soon and yo shall see my crap photo of the most excellent anamatronic jaws shark.
YAY for robots that look like animals!
XXXX OOOO
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