Wonderful Woodford

The results are in: Woodford is the most awesome festival EVER!

Perhaps a little on the pricey side, this festival is well worth the money spent on entering!

Things I love about Woodford:
1. In the two days and one night I was there I learnt; how to play with giant puppets, do new hip-hop dance moves, learn more about an eco-friendly investment retreat in the mountains, body contact tricks for fire twirling and how powerful each one of us is (we just need to recognise it).
2. I laughed hard at a comedian, listened to some poetry, watched some local short films, danced to international acts and was asked out by a performer known as "Scottie the Hottie".
3. In a supreme live music scene, I was introduced to the wonderful tunes of emerging and established Aussie acts like Blue King Brown, DJ Blitz and MC_S, Xavier Rudd, Ash Grumwald, Leo, John Butler Trio, That1Guy and Ganga Giri.
4. I met a girl who did not have a bank account or a formal education but paid for her and her partner's rent by creating commission art works and weaved baskets that she started doing three years ago. She also grew all her own food in a box at her place and did not shake hands but instead 'make spirals'.
5. I smiled and made peace signs and dozens of people and sent of little prayers for a more peaceful existance with thousands of others after many wonderful performances.
6. I was able to sleep on a hilltop under the stars and wake to the sunrise without any problems.
7. Despite the fact that nearly 60,000 people were at Woodford, I did not see any fights and saw next to no pollution.
8. I made new friends because we happened to sit next to each other or be ordering from the same food stall or because we had enjoyed the same performances.
9. I could dance in mud and get really filthy and feel totally great afterwards.
10. I found peace.

My favourite quote at Woodford this year was a quote I heard from many people throughout my time there, "If the world was more like Woodford, how much more excellent would this world be..."

k

Happy Holidays

Isn't it a funny world we live in?

I wanted to title this blog "Happy Christmas" but have become aware recently of how politically incorrect it is to say that... I mean I am not Christian and neither is my family but we say "Merry Christmas" to each other and we know we are just meaning something along the lines of "Hope you have a good day, glad you are here to share it with me, wishing that it continues to be nice".

Meh, whatever.

Christmas was a pleasant afternoon spent with family back in Brisbane, Queensland, Australia. Not too hot and not too cold I was able to have a relaxing morning with my brother sister and father during bruch and then a smooth afternoon with my sister, mum and her family at my aunts.

It is nice to know I am not too old for presents from the extended family, not that it was about that...
;)

Anyway, happy holidays to you all and thanks for keeping up with my world during the course of this year. I hope your lives were even more exciting and challenging than mine and that next year is even better! Don't forget to update me sometimes, okay?!

Big smiles and cheeky giggles.

kristiana

Visa Rejected

Today I went to my visa interview in Johannesburg, South Africa. My US working visa was rejected.

We can therefore expect minor delays in me making it back to the States but you better believe that I will be back and I will be wearing my play shoes!

Obviously the Goddesses of the world are telling me that I need to be back in Australia right now.

Really, I can understand their view, I have excellent job prospects there.... but damn it is going to be hard being away from my amazing mates in the States for a while...

Sending love to everyone (because you know that my love is more powerful than this distance thing...).

Smiles and good vibes.

k

South Africa is GREAT!

Loving it here!

It seems my bad luck has been abandoned in Spain (thank God!) because South Africa has been AWESOME!!!

I convinced the US consulate to give me a visa interview for tomorrow and hopefully, it will go really well and they will give me a working visa and I can go back to Cali and everything will be wonderful!

If not, back to Australia I will toddle.

Future pending. Always smiling.

kristiana

Sorry for the lack of update!

I am alive.

Obviously.

This has been a pretty rough week. I have lost my job, had a lot of money stolen, had a flight delayed by 7 hours and in general, had a very big dose of bad luck recently. Hopefully my karmic incomings are ending and all will be excellent in time for Christmas.

Update soon.

Love you all!

k

I may not be back in the States after all...

Santiago Canyon College, the school I am supposed to start working for in a couple of weeks, just sent me an email letting me know that their offer for employment has been revoked.

I understand that they have a right to do this. However, without a job, I have no grounds for getting a working visa. Without a visa, I can not afford to come back to the States for a visit just now...

I am INCREDIBLY upset and angry.

I already have my flights booked for the States (which I need to take back because I can't afford to go without a job), I have already been applying for visas, I have started to make arrangements for living with three great friends, I have positioned myself for a life in Southern California and now it looks like that is not going to happen.

I feel sick.

I don't want sympathy and I don't want you to be angry or upset for me. I just want to let you know on mass so I don't have to let you know one by one.

k

Morocco!

What an adventure!

I unexpectedly had to leave Paul in Lisbon because the trains out of Portugal were full! It was so horrific but I guess these things happen for a reason...

I was scared to go to Morocco on my lonesome but I wanted to go to North Africa, I wanted to see Morocco because it is so accessible from Spain and because I may never have this opportunity again... so I did!

I caught a ferry and spoke to some backpackers for advise, they told me not to stay out after dark and to go shopping at the Medina in Tangier. I decided then and there to make this a day trip and head to the Medina for shopping... On my way I came across two lovely men who took me through the local streets, had Moroccan mint tea with me, introduced me to their children, their wives and brought me into their homes for laughter, chats and a traditional Moroccan dinner. I feel SO lucky to have meet Samir and Mustafa and have been brought into their world for 20hours!!

I don't know that I could have had a better experience!!

Thank you to my two new brothers!

Off to Barcelona!

k

"Terrifyingly Funny"

Paul, my new travel buddy and I are in Lisbon. I don´t think I have EVER laughed so hard in such a short period of time, this is by far the funniest city in the world!

When we arrived the weather couldn´t decide whether to storm or settle. Either way, the cobblestone streets were exceedingly wet and slippery which is always fun for people with a lot of luggage in a new city... Also, Lisbon is full of steps, lots of them, going steeply up and steeply down various alley ways and streets.

The buildings are cute and the people are insane. Old women yell at you for no apparent reason and point you in the absolute opposite direction of where you need to go, police officers tell you where non-existent Metro stations are and men successfully attempt to fix electrical problems from unstable ladders in the rain.

As Paul put it, "Lisbon is terrifyingly funny".

We feel very safe (though disorientated) here and there have been many tears in my eyes from laughing so hard at Paul´s sarcasim while trying to avoid lawsuit worthy footpaths and dog poop.

Our next stop is supposed to be Cadiz in the south of Spain so we can go to Morocco but we may just have to see about that...

Until next time, behave my lovelies!

k

MADrid

Madrid is full of people, noise (mainly car horns and police whistles) and wonderful things.

It is getting ever closer to Christmas now so there is lots of kids and joy in Spain...

Madrid is so full of people but the city handels it with grace. It is easy to navigate and the people are lovely, even if they do eat sticks. Yes, they eat sticks. A new friend and I discovered this last night when we saw an old man selling sticks that people bought with gusto to promptly put in their mouths and chew/suck.... It was one of the weirdest things I have ever seen....

So entertaining...

The art museums here are also totally excellent! I have an appreciation now for Picasso and Dali that I was severely lacking before... I am glad it has been found!

Onto Lisbon, Portugal tonight on an overnight to train with a fellow Aussie called Paul. We met in San Sebastian and seem to be travelling the same way. He is very entertaining and we are having a ball together. I had forgotten how nice it is to travel with someone, particularly and Aussie... we have such a unique sense of humour and particular way of looking at this peculiar world. He is my new ´little bro´.

BIG hugs and kisses to everyone!

raffie