Life in Brisbane

I arrived in Brisbane on my birthday and headed for my old university. I studied Economics and Marketing here 20 years ago. This university is particularly beautiful it is virtually all trees. A uni in the middle of the forest. I suspect the real university is the forest.

I met with a lecturer there who is an environmental teacher. He was really lovely the way he took me around the university, introducing me to the Head of School. He was impressed with my experience as a peace clown and my unique life. I felt him to be a friend.

I lodged my enrolment enthusiastically to study environment, I was particularly interested in climate change.

I headed across Brisbane to stay with a lovely couple I met in Chile. They were standing behind me in a supermarket queue. They are hosting me for a week.

I’ve been in two minds about the Environmental course. I found out that most of the reading material is online and some of the lecturers and tutorials are. I was trained in training and assessment and I am very aware of the brave new world of online education. I have my doubts about the effectiveness of it as it increases our isolation from each other. Much of the dynamism of learning is interacting with other people and asking questions. I find the online enviornment to restrictive and I don’t like reading on a computer. I prefer paper but the dilemma is the paper wastage. I also see the transferrence of curriculum online to be more of a business strategy to gain more online students and make more money. So the quality of teaching diminishes. So my warning bells went off.

I went and visited my old house in a place called Mt Gravatt. I actually went and had a coffee around there. I saw my old neighbour walk past, he was around 60 when I knew him. I always felt guilty that I hadn’t said goodbye to him. So next time I am around there I may go and say hello to him, he would be around 80 now. He used to work on the trains. He had a speech problem, often repeating himself, he was very alone. He used to yell out to my cockateil (parrot) and say hello to him, he really loved my bird. He was a nice old bloke. Anyway as I sat there memories were coming back. I marvelled how much of the place I forgot. Streets didn’t seem that familiar, I guess it is because I have travelled so much in my life. Feels like a thousand years ago since I was here.

My lecturer friend told me he had a eager beaver keen to meet me and the two came for coffee where I was. She was a universal person she told me quite out of the blue and did much meditation. She was keen to cut loose from society and travel. So she was really doing what I’ve done. She had a wonderful generous laugh and was incredibly warm person. It was so refreshing to be with likeminded people. I may take her clowning if she feels she would like to, for the fun of it.

It has been beautiful returning to Brisbane and I love the trees and forests here. It is really a very beautiful city. I was amazed to see the roads were in tack along Coronation drive where the flood waters covered. I am told the Government here is broke and that is the price of natural disasters. When we ignore nature, we pay a price. We have to listen to the reality of what nature is saying to us. This is our lesson I feel.

I’ve been uncertain about where to from here. I also had the tail end of a dispute in Melbourne to resolve. Sadly it didn’t resolve and stonewalling appears to have won the day. I must put it behind me and start anew. You really can’t change the world only yourself. My own wisdom comes back to me, but sometimes I simply forget and do feel disappointed and tired. You’d think love and peace were easy, but they are not. So I feel I must let go now and get on with whatever.

My mum is out of hospital so I wish to give her a hand. So will go and care for her for a little while. I love my mum and it is a good chance to give to her. So will do that soon.

Next blog I want to share with you a lecture I went to on the environment. It was very interesting.