Fi delivered an irresistible invitation over at Kiwifruit this morning – something along the lines of “leave a comment if you want me to interview you”. Well. it’s irresistible alright when you are a living in an obscurity you feel you don’t deserve… [joke…] (If you would like me to interview you just leave a comment! I’d love to oblige.)
1) You’ve been living in Aussie for quite a while now. Are there essential differences between NZ and Oz as a nation? Or are we really just the same but with slightly different accents?
Different, totally different. It seems to me that Kiwis are a lot easier to get to know – to make lasting friendships with! Weird huh? You’d expect a lot more similarities; I know I did, actually it was a good 4 years before I felt really at home here. And to tell the truth my best mate here in Oz is another Kiwi!
In Oz you can’t just drop in for a cuppa if you’re driving by, you have to call first. And having the family just rock up and stay the night is out of the question… (Unless of course it was planned in advance.)
In all honestly this may be just a Sydney thing … big city etc. maybe country folk are a bit cruisier… However I reckon there is a definitely more spontaneous nature in NZ and it certainly feels as though us cuzzy bros are a lot more trusting of others.
(I hope none of my Ozzie readers aren’t offended, like I say, I may be completely wrong… it’s just that this is the way things have felt to me…)
2) What is your most cherished possession and why?
Oh gosh… the laptop. It is my contact with the big wide world, my livelyhood, my photo album, my jukebox, my diary, and lately my love life …
Damn, I definitely need to get out more…
3) What is something that you are determined to do before you leave this mortal coil (or cark it ;))
Do I have to be totally honest???
[blushes]
To have sex…
I prefer not to elaborate beyond that, though the reason as to why this might be so is all tied up in the answer to question 5.
4) What is your fondest memory of your mother? And of your father?
Of Mum – Being there in the early stages of her emergence from a coma. While her words didn’t match what she was trying to communicate, and her hands behaved contrarily and frustrated the living daylights out of her, the thing she was trying to make known was that she knew us and wanted to hug us. That she was alive, that she knew us. That we hadn’t lost her altogether. Still breaks me up.
Of Dad? … This is harder, some of the the most memorable moments weren’t great. I guess the fondest is hearing him tell only a few years ago that me he loved me, and knowing he meant it.
5) You’re a very spiritual sort of person – tell me what God means to you.
The short answer is everything – which isn’t fair for others reading who would find that difficult to understand so I think the best explanation is to describe what it feels like.
It feels like anything is possible because I’m backed up by the biggest big brother/father/friend in the universe.
It feels like all hell can come against me and everything will be ok, because if He’s with me who can be against me?
It feels like I have nothing to fear.
It feels like nothing I have done in the past will be held against me either now or in the hereafter – ever… (phew)
It feels like believing what He said about life, believing how He made it and believing how He can fix what went wrong with it, makes living make sense to me.
I feel like I have peace- more than that, I know I have peace – and while sometimes anxiety kicks in it never lasts. I know where I came from, I know where I’m going and while I know that things here aren’t perfect, that people and plans change, that life never quite turns out like you had anticipated, I feel secure. Totally secure. I don’t have to flog myself to be acceptable, I don’t have to be anything but me. Because He loves me that much, how can I respond except with love in return? As a result I make sacrifices willingly (including point 3) basically because I’ve seen the damage done when one lives with only oneself in mind – I fully prefer not to do that damage to myself or others.
Strangely, living this way hasn’t hurt much at all – actually it feels very much as though it has made me free.
4 & 5 made me cry. Thank you for sharing.
[and 3 made me laugh. Sorry. ;-)]
Re 1, I think it’s a Sydney thing. Or more particularly, a city thing. Out here in the suburbs we drop in unexpectedly — though maybe it’s just my friends! [though I’d probably call if I wanted to sleep over]. My experiences in “the country” is that people do drop in… New Zealand sounds wonderful. I’d love that environment.
[And I wasn’t offended…I’m one of Sydney’s biggest critics!]
Lovely answers Dee :)
Great questions and great answers!!
Cool, I have to go on a wiblog excursion to keep up with this one! Great answer by the way Dee, responses to No1 is – not offended, and I think it’s pretty Sydney actually, it’s more freein the country, though that’s getting harder too as the cities are getting closer … I love people dropping in but I do tell them to call first – but only to make sure I’m home, not to ask permission to come! and you know what the parents place is like … :) great answers for 3 and 5, no 4 is lovely and honest :)
OK, that’s me done :D
Yes, great questions. Are you sure you’re not a journalist? Look forward to the answers too.
Great questions dee, but … they’re a bit scary! I think you have a very different view of me to the one I have of myself! lol. Will shower, do a bit more packing and mull them over – get back to you later :)
Sorry Jack – hadn’t realised they are so long!!!! But those are your questions above…
1. What is your happiest memory?
2. Your posts about your affair with the Eastern Block and with developing countries has been of great interest to all of us, and you have taken great steps towards going beyond exploring that interest to actually doing something with it. What do you suggest as a means to ‘making a difference’ to the ordinary person whose interest hasn’t extended quite so far as making it a life work as you have done?
3. You mentioned in a recent post that your Phd won’t be finished until you’ve turned 40. Thinking back, as you approached your 30th birthday, was it a cause for a pre mid-life crisis? a massive celebration? or did it squeeze past you totally unnoticed?
4. Your garden is a place of inspiration for your creativity – do you have other inspirations? Other creative outlets?
5. You have achieved more than many single girls our age, travel, education and the acquisition of property. What do you credit as having driven you to achieve so much? What piece of advice would you give to girls coming up behind you who, for various reasons of social background or low self esteem may look at such achievements as unattainable?
Go on, I’ll bite :)