A really good read: Euphoria

Oh my goodness! This book broke my heart over the weekend... I've probably said too much already, so without spoiling the end anymore than I might have already, I want to tell you about Euphoria by Lily King.

The first I heard about this book was here, followed by here. As I like how these women write, I figured it was worth getting my hands on a copy, and after a short wait I was able to borrow it from the library.

It was well worth the wait.

Oh my goodness! It sucked me in: I could feel the tropics, smell the cooking fires, taste the breadfruit and yams, and see the lake where most of the book takes place. Euphoria is electric, vibrant, gripping, tantalising, and beautifully written. It made for excellent reading while resting an ouchie knee.

King has taken the story of groundbreaking anthropologist Margaret Mead and created a piece of fiction that is engaging and quick to read. I keep wanting to use the word "elegant" to describe it but there is too much sweat and grime and passion in the pages. I could gush and gush about it, but then I remember King's efficiency with words, so here's a little from the dust cover:

[...] King's new novel is the story of three young, gifted anthropologists in the 1930s caught in a passionate love triangle that threatens their bonds, their careers, and ultimately their lives.

If you're over winter, if it is winter where you are, this book is set in the Territory of New Guinea, which is now part of Papua New Guinea. There is sweat, humidity, and mosquitoes in the pages.

My own time in the tropics, my year in Samoa, is probably the main reasons this book struck such a strong chord with me. Every time Lake Tam was mentioned or visited, I saw Lake Lanoto'o, even though it has no beach. I remembered the heaviness of the air. I remembered how dry the dry season can actually be. Whenever the rivers were mentioned or travelled on, I thought of scenes from the African Queen.

Like Lake Lanoto'o, Euphoria is now etched into my mind. It has provided an interesting and unexpected link between the year Michael and I lived in Samoa and our time here in Manhattan. Getting to Lake Lanoto'o is not easy, and it was not easy to put Euphoria down. It sucked me in and broke my heart. It was a very good read.

A weighty matter...

Samoa 2008: holding Princess while Radar watches (the dogs belonged to our landlords).

A funny thing has been happening to me lately, something I'm not used to, and something that I'm not entirely sure how to respond to:

People are commenting on how much weight I've lost since they last saw me... they're saying I look skinny...

The 6 week slump...

The view from our front yard in Vaoala, Samoa, 2008

About 6 years ago I sitting on the grass in our front yard in Vaoala, looking at this view, and bawling my eyes out, crying into Michael's shoulder. He doesn't remember it, but I do because I was the one crying. We'd been in Samoa for 6 weeks and I was hitting the "6 week slump" hard. We had been warned, probably at our Pre-Departure Training (PDT) for the Australian Youth Ambassadors for Development (AYADs) in Canberra, that at about 6 weeks we would probably have a little breakdown, not be happy with things, want to throw in the towel, etc. etc., but this was normal and things would improve.

Looking at this photo, I find it hard to imagine ever being unhappy there. Samoa is a beautiful country, and where we lived for most of that year was possibly one of the best spots around Apia, and for the most part, Michael and I loved it there.

But I was miserable that afternoon. Just plain miserable. It wasn't that I wanted to go home and I wasn't really homesick, but I missed my anonymity, I just wanted to be able to walk around Apia without having guys call out "hey pretty" or "want a Samoan boyfriend"* or similar, I was probably frustrated with our limited internet access, I missed public toilets that came with toilet paper and soap as standard features, I missed being able to go where I wanted when I wanted because I was a little scared of the dogs in the area, I wanted to be able to eat whatever and not have to worry about whether or not it would make me sick, and I was probably a little over not being about to drink water straight from a tap.

Well, I hit slump last night. We've been here for just over 7 weeks, but Michael has been at work for 6 weeks now, so we've been living this new rhythm for just on 6 weeks. I'm still a little that way today, so writing about it at length isn't easy, so I'll be brief: family and friends know that you are missed; JNY, our car, you are missed but not by Jimmy (sorry...); our bicycles, oh how we miss you; Brisbane City Council buses you are also missed, as are you, foamy cafe latte's. It's mostly the physical isolation and not having spent much time with another young mum in a month or more, but a good cry and a pledge to go to bed before 10 pm from now on, plus plans to finally contact the playgroup people and hire a car for next weekend, and I'm getting there. Michael is not entirely happy either, so provided we get work in Australia for next year, we'll only be away from home for 12 months.

Oh and I think I have mastitis, which doesn't help... and Jimmy is a drooling, teething mess with only 2 teeth to show for it...

It's been a rough few weeks, but we're still alive, with food in our bellies and cupboards, a solid apartment to live in, and a good internet connection.

*I need to say that Samoans are lovely people, and that it is a safe country to visit, and that these invitations were always made in good humour and never with any malice, but it was annoying.

Mother's Day...

It's Mother's Day, but I've never really done much for it. Ever. It's just something my family doesn't really do. Same goes for Father's Day. My parents aren't overly fussed because both my Dads' and my Mums' parents thought both were "too American", plus Mother's Day always falls close to my brothers' birthday, so that weekend is usually spent celebrating him. (Here are more reasons not to make too much fuss.) We still say "Happy Mother's Day" and "Happy Father's Day", but we rarely do anything more than that.

This isn't to say we don't show our appreciation for our parents, we just did it everyday, while we were all living at home, usually more than once a day. Everyday was ended with "G'night, love you", unless Dad had slipped off to bed while we were watching something he didn't want to watch. Birthdays were, and still are, celebrated, my parents wedding anniversary is always marked in some way or other, and Christmas is always a family day, where presents are thoughtfully chosen to help us show our appreciation. I still tell my parents that I love them at the end of every phone call. If it's done daily, why go to all that fuss and stress because someone in a marketing department decided it was a good idea?

While Michael and I were in Samoa as Australian Youth Ambassadors for Development, way back in 2008, we saw how the Samoans do Mother's Day and Father's Day. Mother's Day was huge. Just huge. There was cake and celebrations and gifts. Father's Day was a little quieter, but it was still bigger there than in Australia. Bigger still was White Sunday, or Children's Day. It was really, really huge. Everyone wore white, the children put on a show for their parents at their churches, the children were given new clothes and shoes, and just generally showered with attention. And Christmas Day? It was a religious celebration, nothing much more than that, because all of the present giving had been done during the year. There's a part of me that likes it that way. Birthdays are still celebrated in Samoa, but Mother's Day, Father's Day, and White Sunday are national celebrations, and the fuss seemed welcome and truly festive.

So, what are we doing? Well, I've been feeling a little run down, I think it's a cold, and Michael is a bit tired, so we're keeping things to a minimum. Friday evening we talked to my brother, sister, Mum, and Dad, because they were all together for my brothers' birthday. Saturday saw Michael looking after Jimmy for 30 minutes here, an hour there, giving me some alone time. And it's been lovely. I'm still a little run down, but I've been able to nap with the whole bed to myself, clean the bathroom without worrying that Jimmy will wake up when I turn on a tap (it happens...), and cook dinner without constant interruptions requests for my attention. Plus Michael made me pancakes both Saturday and Sunday. Me time, plus pancakes? It's the best Mother's Day gift.

Hope you're having a lovely weekend, whatever you're doing.

19/52

"a portrait of my son, once a week, every week of 2014"

Jimmy: discovering dandelions and learning how to blow the seeds away.

Our crawling boy. Our darling, sweet, pink kneed, crawling boy. There is so much world to discover. 

Photo credit goes to Michael, who has been entertaining Jimmy today (Saturday) while I try to not get any sicker than I already am. I've been a little run down, probably has something to do with getting 6 hours sleep a night and the crazy weather here - it can be hot one day and chilly the next. And don't get me started on the north wind... 

Happy Mother's Day! I know it's a bit of a big thing in Australia, it's supposedly a big thing here in the USA, but it's huge in Samoa. Absolutely huge. Lots of love to all my mummy aunties, cousins, and friends, and to my own Mum - come visit, ok? 

First, we take Manhattan...

...Manhattan, Kansas, USA.

Our little, fairly new family is moving to Manhattan, KS, USA, in April this year. We are moving all the way from Brisbane, Australia, taking what little we need and want, packing the rest of our possessions away and storing them with family and friends for the coming year or two. The sorting is under way, as is the packing. It's been five years since Michael and I returned from Samoa and we haven't moved since settling in Brisbane, so the sorting is epic but the adventure is welcome.

We're starting this blog so that we, and our family and friends, have a record of this adventure and of the first few years of Jimmy's life. I hope you enjoy it, as much as we will (hopefully) enjoy the adventure.