~being a beach butterfly~

Monday, May 16, 2005

While it's Winter

I miss the summer days when choosing an outfit involved deciding which tank top would go with which flip flop. i was just getting into the groove of spring dressing, where summer meets winter: flipflops, a cami, a cardi and maybe a scarf for good measure. But today.. walking to my 9AM class (at 9:10 which made me 30 minutes late for my class) i realized i won't be able to get away with my spring get ups.. i'd have to start piling in the layers.. now the outfit is about which jumper would go with which boots with which scarf and whether or not to wear a beanie or to bring gloves.

Winter is the season of gloom, cold and bareness. But I have come to view winter in a completely different way. To me winter is a time of change.. when the landscape of life is blanketed with pure white snow so all the ugliness can be cleansed and new things can grow.

I've found that all the drastic changes in my life have happened in winter. Winters have been harsh on me.. but i acknowledge it serves its purpose well.

About four winters ago.. i found myself in Kazahkstan.. a place i knew nothing about, whose culture couldn't be more different from my own, with a completely different language and where i knew no one outside my family. I got there in November.. the start of a Siberian winter.. when stepping out in the ruthless cold can numb your entire body. I certainly felt chilled getting there.. that winter was the harshest i've ever experienced.. but it proved to be the most fruitful and fun as well.

I arrived here in Australia right smack in the middle of winter. I remember it was mid June and my mum and i were covered with layer after layer of thick clothing. It was nothing compared to the Kazahk winter we've survived before but after living in the tropical paradise that is the Philippines, coming to a Canberran winter was quite a shock to us. Another shock was the fact that I didn't know a single soul out here. My mum helped me settle down.. but she only stayed for a week and the stark reality that i was alone after that was looming over my head all the while.

But winter is about fresh starts.. it's when seeds are planted so spring would be worth waiting for.

beachbutterfly babbled @ 7:08 PM |

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: Name: beachbutterfly; Location: Canberra, Australian Capital Territory, Australia

i'm always on the verge of going somewhere else. Not one to settle, i've lived in 7 cities, 4 countries.. and well.. i intend to keep on counting. i live for travelling, shopping, making my parents proud, going to the beach, hanging out with people as insane as i am, boozing and ummm.. having the freedom to be the occasional bum

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