Thursday, January 09, 2014
Tuesday, January 07, 2014
Thoughts on Expat Life So Far....
Mauritius was a complete unknown to me before actually setting foot here just a few weeks ago. I had read some history and somethings about the politics and nature on the island. I knew bits and scraps from what Fred has told me from his many visits here- but it was all abstract having never been here myself.
My first days were spent tentatively venturing out into the surrounding towns with Fred. The mix of cultures here is diverse- it remixes me a lot NYC in that way. Sitting at a cafe or going to the grocery store, you hear dozens of languages spoken.
Driving down the streets there are women in brightly colored saris, people of all colors and on about every mode of transport you can think of.
As in all places, you have to know the ground rules and how to keep safe- where to go and where not to go. Fred found himself in San Francisco not too long ago, accidentally walking into the Tenderloin district and quickly feeling the dangers around him...on a recent visit to Manhattan, I turned a corner in the middle of the afternoon onto a place that I knew immediately I shouldn't be in- it is the same here. There are retractable bars on the windows like in San Francisco, NYC, and in the suburbs of many European cities. Not like Shell Beach, but in Shell Beach we didn't feel safe letting Tristam play outside in the front yard unsupervised with all of the tourist traffic going by our house- here we tell him to go out and play and don't worry about it because we are in a gated community.
Some of the things that frustrate me so far are the simple things that have to do with being unfamiliar with a place. Not knowing where it buy what and how much things should cost, for example. Not knowing how to navigate around here and what is where. The Indian class system is a strange ghost here too and from what I understand the Hinduism practiced here is what was practiced in India generations ago...that said the 20 something Indian-Mauritians are as modern as any 20 year olds around the globe...
There are so many things that remind me of Europe here- especially of Belgium and France. Walled streets (bend them are houses, apartments and neighborhoods) and most people greeting each other as you walk by them with a nod of the head, or a "bonjour". We have met the nicest people here.
My favorites are some of Fred's friends we had over a few nights ago. A couple who had come here over 20 years ago, she from SA (South Africa) and he is a native Mauritian- their daughter a beautiful 22 year old woman who had gone to the same school that Tristam now attends. Charming, so welcoming, so truly wonderful. We were put at ease about life here- they had gone through a very similar process of adjustment arrived in Mauritius that it was to move here with her husband and that the roads were not paved back then and that she was moving from a big city and landing on this little island. Now it is home truly home.
My parents were expats before when I was a kid. They wrote this to us in an e-mail not too long ago:
It was really great to hear from you. We have been following the updates on the Stephanitely Blog and on Facebook. Thank you for the new photos and especially for the explanations. You are handling the new culture very well. When working with expatriates in Belgium and Germany we saw them go through phases. The first phase was the honeymoon phase where everything was new and charming (wow, look at the little cars darting around), then after about 6 months they tended to see more of the negative side. It was not actually negative, but they were no longer new visitors and were now learning to deal with the new culture around them which of course was "not normal" by their personal historical references (Did you see how that idiot cut me off in traffic). Then they went into a more positive phase where they started to acclimate into their new culture (Did you see how I cut that guy off in traffic). I am sure you have lots of adventures ahead of you.
I know that it was a great experience for me as a kid and that it changed me forever. This morning after dropping Tristam off at school- he was so excited- we thought the same thing about what lies ahead for him.
This is a grand adventure. We are all learning French and learning to listen more than talk. Learning to be patient and not jump to conclusions and learning to open our minds up to new ways of thinking-
My first days were spent tentatively venturing out into the surrounding towns with Fred. The mix of cultures here is diverse- it remixes me a lot NYC in that way. Sitting at a cafe or going to the grocery store, you hear dozens of languages spoken.
Driving down the streets there are women in brightly colored saris, people of all colors and on about every mode of transport you can think of.
As in all places, you have to know the ground rules and how to keep safe- where to go and where not to go. Fred found himself in San Francisco not too long ago, accidentally walking into the Tenderloin district and quickly feeling the dangers around him...on a recent visit to Manhattan, I turned a corner in the middle of the afternoon onto a place that I knew immediately I shouldn't be in- it is the same here. There are retractable bars on the windows like in San Francisco, NYC, and in the suburbs of many European cities. Not like Shell Beach, but in Shell Beach we didn't feel safe letting Tristam play outside in the front yard unsupervised with all of the tourist traffic going by our house- here we tell him to go out and play and don't worry about it because we are in a gated community.
Some of the things that frustrate me so far are the simple things that have to do with being unfamiliar with a place. Not knowing where it buy what and how much things should cost, for example. Not knowing how to navigate around here and what is where. The Indian class system is a strange ghost here too and from what I understand the Hinduism practiced here is what was practiced in India generations ago...that said the 20 something Indian-Mauritians are as modern as any 20 year olds around the globe...
There are so many things that remind me of Europe here- especially of Belgium and France. Walled streets (bend them are houses, apartments and neighborhoods) and most people greeting each other as you walk by them with a nod of the head, or a "bonjour". We have met the nicest people here.
My favorites are some of Fred's friends we had over a few nights ago. A couple who had come here over 20 years ago, she from SA (South Africa) and he is a native Mauritian- their daughter a beautiful 22 year old woman who had gone to the same school that Tristam now attends. Charming, so welcoming, so truly wonderful. We were put at ease about life here- they had gone through a very similar process of adjustment arrived in Mauritius that it was to move here with her husband and that the roads were not paved back then and that she was moving from a big city and landing on this little island. Now it is home truly home.
My parents were expats before when I was a kid. They wrote this to us in an e-mail not too long ago:
It was really great to hear from you. We have been following the updates on the Stephanitely Blog and on Facebook. Thank you for the new photos and especially for the explanations. You are handling the new culture very well. When working with expatriates in Belgium and Germany we saw them go through phases. The first phase was the honeymoon phase where everything was new and charming (wow, look at the little cars darting around), then after about 6 months they tended to see more of the negative side. It was not actually negative, but they were no longer new visitors and were now learning to deal with the new culture around them which of course was "not normal" by their personal historical references (Did you see how that idiot cut me off in traffic). Then they went into a more positive phase where they started to acclimate into their new culture (Did you see how I cut that guy off in traffic). I am sure you have lots of adventures ahead of you.
I know that it was a great experience for me as a kid and that it changed me forever. This morning after dropping Tristam off at school- he was so excited- we thought the same thing about what lies ahead for him.
This is a grand adventure. We are all learning French and learning to listen more than talk. Learning to be patient and not jump to conclusions and learning to open our minds up to new ways of thinking-
A statue of Ganesha on the beach- left as an offering (which of course we left there- fyi). Ganesha- the God of success, remover of obstacles and patron of the arts and sciences, and diety of intellect and wisdom. I think I need to get one of these and make my own offering for this new journey into the unknown.
Thursday, January 02, 2014
Happy 2014- off to a good start : )
Happy New Year from the both of us- plus a "hi" from Fred. We spent New Year's Eve in Grand Baie. It was a feast, but we still like the food we make at home better- I almost always want to go into the kitchen at whatever restaurant we are at and say to the cook/chef- you know if you added a little x or cooked this a little less, of steamed these instead...Well, anyhow, New Year's Eve was hoot. We boogied out of town at about 11 to beat the traffic and the inevitable drunks on the road. Glad we did- we got home and had our own toast and a bit of chocolate we got a the bakery earlier.
2013 was a roller coaster and we work are butts off. We created some really cool stuff- I'm super proud of the art and the writings I did (my first written and illustrated by book coming out in the autumn of 2014 - so happy with it!!!). And now here we are- in our new home away from home of for the next little while as we create some more things that have never been in a place we have never lived before...returning home ever few months until??
Happy 2014 all of you- thank you for popping by and I hope that 2014 is kind and fulfilling and packed with adventure and good things. xo Steph
Sunday, December 29, 2013
Christmas Recap- Père Noël
On christmas day, Fred and I headed for the beach. As we walked along we saw this mass of people, mostly wearing white coming towards us. At first, Fred thought it was a funeral procession, but as they got closer, the children in the group sprinted out ahead smiling and giggling. Just to our right, Santa was arriving on a boat, got out and started handing out treats of some sort (we were not close enough to see just what). Then the whole procession with Santa headed back off to the left. An ice cream truck complete with ice cream truck music followed the, Christmas Mauritian style.
So cool. I love the surprises here- everything is a new experience- even former Turkish monk- St. Nick.
Setting Up in Mauritius
StudioSH (Studio Southern Hemisphere), is almost set up. We found a desk for me last week. It's beautiful- and so Mauritian. It was made from an old door- not exactly flat, but I have a piece of cardboard to place under my paper. I love it.
A box for pencils I got at the market. "Ils Maurice". My big challenge now is setting up my work station with Apple's new Mavericks- I half wish that I didn't update my system. There are some really cool things about how it works, but my drawing tablet doesn't seem to think so with how it splits the screen in Photoshop. I also seem to have lost some of the custom brushes I made before- so I have to remember how I did them and remake them.
The studio is nice though- quiet, because we live in the middle of this:
A big sugar cane field. The sugar cane is half way to maturity. Fred says it will get much taller.
I'm curious to find out how my work change over here. The colors of the island, the slower pace of things, the strange new creatures. The language. I spoke French fluently as a young girl, slowly the words are popping up in my brain...very slowly, so I also am doing some online French courses and of course, daily things like shopping present ample opportunity to learn.
Wednesday, December 25, 2013
Merry, Merry...
Wishing everyone a very happy holiday! Eat, drink, hug your loved ones (virtually or in person) and be merry.
Tuesday, December 24, 2013
Monday, December 23, 2013
Hello from the Other Side
To be be honest, it is still hard to know what what day it is since arriving on Mauritius. Here are some photos of this beautiful and complex place:
So far so good, lots of cultural things to learn- don't want to be like the American character in Graham Green's The Quiet American. As Fred put it last night, we need to wrap ourselves in this place. More soon-
Wednesday, December 11, 2013
Yoga SLO Style
I'm going to miss this place. 90 minutes, 105 degrees, nothing else to think about than focusing and then afterwards- the irritations, challenges and uncertainties of life seem a bit more manageable . Fred and I have been going since December of 2008- about 3 to 6 days a weeks- schedule allowing. The people who come here are among our closest friends- maybe because as you go through something so intense to do something good for you mind and body- yourself with 20-40 other people all going through their own life stuff - you bond.
I wonder what kind of yoga they do on Mauritius?
Mind Afire
My multi-talented agent, Abigail Samoun- wrote this gorgeous book: Mind Afire , all about Nikola Tesla.
Can you hear the drum beat on books and media trying to excite the next generation to explore and dream- to imagine a better world and to create it?
We'll get around those trying to squish that with the truth is more interesting that fiction angle...not that I don't like fairy tales and imaginative tales...it's just that we have a planet to save.
Can you hear the drum beat on books and media trying to excite the next generation to explore and dream- to imagine a better world and to create it?
We'll get around those trying to squish that with the truth is more interesting that fiction angle...not that I don't like fairy tales and imaginative tales...it's just that we have a planet to save.
Quote
My dear friend Terry (who is one of the most amazing people I have met), sent over a link to this man's work. The work is beyond incredible , but it was the quote she sent over that sticks with me today:
"It doesn't matter much whether we rail against reality or endorse it; the universe is going to continue to unfold."- Ran Ortner
"It doesn't matter much whether we rail against reality or endorse it; the universe is going to continue to unfold."- Ran Ortner
Monday, December 09, 2013
My Sparkly Artist Friend
This afternoon I got to hang out with one of my younger girlfriends, Lucy. I've known this kid since she was born and she began life with the big personality she fully inhabits now- you go Lucy!
We get together every now and then and draw. Today it was Princess Posey. And then Lucy ended her drawing time with a ta-da moment- the splits!
We get together every now and then and draw. Today it was Princess Posey. And then Lucy ended her drawing time with a ta-da moment- the splits!
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