tears

listen

in spare moments, poetry

feathered aching

honey, milk and 

a life perfumed with salt water

dipping into cold,

the waves kiss the shore

 the taste of raspberries

sunsets and sunrises 

laughter
stories
a campfire

long, stretched nights

emotion that softly tears

fully alive

“I was within and without, simultaneously enchanted and repelled by the inexhaustible variety of life.”
― F. Scott Fitzgerald, The Great Gatsby

MELBOURNE

 

 My mum and I popped into Melbourne the day before my birthday.   We rode on the trams, watched bicyclists rush past, took pretty pictures of skyscrapers, bought mangos and passion fruit, ventured into potentially one of the world'd largest H&M's outlets, ate a delicious lunch, got lost, asked for help, missed our stop, and hitched a ride to the right station with the loveliest lady and her two daughters.  We adventured well, to say the least!   

What places are on your to-visit list?  I'd love to visit New Zealand. 

xx

PS The first & second picture? Pumpkin pizza and greek salad, which we ate seated at a small restaurant on one of Melbourne's quintessential cobbled roads. Still can't get over how crazily delicious the pizza was. 

TRAVEL with Carlotta Cisternas

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Today I'm thrilled to share a short interview featuring Carlotta. God led Carlotta to an au pair opportunity in Nairobi and she has been there for the past 5 months; she heads home in less than a month.  From travelling essentials, trying moments, trusting God, and encouraging lessons (alongside her beautiful photographs!) Carlotta shares her journey and her heart. 

In terms of makeup, clothing, food, and books, what are your travelling essentials this year?  

Less is more. When you travel for 6 months, you naturally simplify. I've been using coconut oil religiously on my face and have simplified my makeup routine to just eyeliner and mascara. My wardrobe consists of basic pieces that I can mix and match. I didn't bring any books other than my Bible with me because space was tight, but you can almost always purchase inexpensive paperbacks at your destination. I would also recommend bringing some sort of protein/energy bars when traveling! Traveling is exhausting but there isn't always time or opportunity to eat.

Was moving to Kenya harder or easier than you expected? 

Both. I underestimated the homesickness that would hit me in the gut almost immediately, but adjusting to living in Kenya was easier than I'd anticipated. When you first move a foreign country, you have to live day to day, otherwise it will be too overwhelming. And as far as culture shock goes, I've had it easier because I live in Nairobi, which is the most developed and metropolitan city in East Africa. There are good days and bad days, though, and they come in waves.

What tips would you share to someone travelling overseas alone for the first time?

It can be scary, but don't let yourself think about all that could go wrong. Enjoy it! Traveling alone teaches you a lot about yourself and it's fascinating. The hardest part is leaving, and once you get past that, you'll be alright. You are stronger and can withstand a lot more than you think. 

What has God been teaching you having lived and flown ‘solo’ for a while? 

He's been teaching me the importance of community. He's made me more relaxed and easy going, allowed me not to sweat the small stuff. He's taught me about home. Most importantly, though, he's taught me about himself.

Is there a particular memory or life-lesson that you be taking home from your journey to Kenya?

It's hard to say what will stand out until I'm back home, but God has made me a stronger person in Kenya. He's smoothed out some of my rough edges and has built my faith to be stronger than ever. I never knew what it was like to fully trust in Jesus until I was sitting in my apartment sobbing because I felt so weary and lost and sad. He's tenderly picked me up over and over and given me grace day after day. I suppose I've truly learned that even when I'm alone physically, I'm never without his strength and guidance. 

Where to next?  Has this journey made you want to travel even more? 

I'm not sure where life will take me next! I don't think I'll ever lose the travel bug, but I've also realized how important coming home is.

Assuming this trip required a lot of bravery, courage, and trust in God, how would you recommend building that sense of bravery and trust?  

Well first off, I'm not brave or courageous. My strength is 100% from God and he has worked wondrously, miraculously in me. If you follow where God leads, he won't let you down. There's a wonderful quote by C.S. Lewis in which he says, "I know the words ‘leave it to God’ can be misunderstood, but they must stay for the moment. The sense in which a Christian leaves it to God is that he puts all his trust in Christ: trusts that Christ will somehow share with him the perfect human obedience which He carried out from His birth to His crucifixion: that Christ will make the man more like Himself and, in a sense, make good his deficiencies. In Christian language, He will share His ‘sonship’ with us, will make us, like Himself, ‘Sons of God’." 

all photographs taken by carlotta 

Thanks, Carlotta, for the opportunity to interview you! 

Where have you travelled?

xx

our journey, part 2

Warning:  this post is long side. But don't be swerved by that; please read it - dive in - and don't jump out to early.  ;) 

t h e  s k y  f r o m  t h e  p l a n e  w i n d o w 

I really should have explained our move/arrival date/etc earlier to you, but better late then never!  I'll  throw most eloquence out the door and write plainly. 

We arrived in Australia about two months ago; we flew for a total of 21 hours and our journey was safe and smooth.  We did, however, have a layover flight in Singapore - it was lovely to have the journey split in two and be able to adventure and explore just a little more.  During the two days we spent in Signapore, we had a fabulous time, besides when we got terribly sick due to a mixture of food poisoning (hey thanks greasy Singapore food) and jet lag (what can one expect after travelling so far?!).  Singapore was brimming with an authentic Asian feel: Small and clean cobbled roads were crammed with meat stalls and colourful booths selling Asian silks.  Real Asian food (i.e., no westernised Chinese takeaway!) ribboned its smell across the streets.  Humid mists lazily floated around and palm trees wavered in the midst of a booming city.  Oh, and the city itself was amazing -- like New York City, it was gleaming and dazzling with lights and finesse - sky scrapers and roads that ribboned round and round, spilling with bright yellow taxis and dazzling cars.  (Unfortunately, I didn't get many pictures of Singapore itself because I wasn't feeling great... the greasy food, remember? *grr*.) 

t h e  l i t t l e s t  o n e

  So that's Singapore; now we're in Australia!  In Australia, it's been very hot (at the moment it's 87 degrees fahrenheit outside); because we're on the other side of the world, it's spring.  Although at first glance having a repeat of spring and summer seems appealing (at least it seemed appealing to me!) it has been hard to leave the glory of fall and the wonderful cosiness of winter behind.  Christmas won't be Christmas without any snow…and hot cocoa (who would want to drink hot cocoa in 98 degree weather anyway?!)…and the ambience of a crisp and chilly winter's day.  But, I'm learning to cope with the heat, and in many ways it is nice not to be living in the dampness, rain, and chill of England.  

u n d e r  t h e  p i e r  a t  a  b e a c h  n e a r e s t  t o  u s

Since our arrival in Australia, we've seen many weird yet wonderful creatures.  And we've even tasted a weird yet wonderful creature (namely, kangaroo meat).  As for seeing these creatures… As we drove along the road one day there was a huge lizard (20 inches long) in the middle of the road; my dad screeched the car to a halt and we pulled over on the side of the road.  A few (brave) ones clambered out to have a peek; unfortunately, the poor lizard was dead (I won't get into the gory details but let's just say the lizard was rolling his eyes).  This past Sunday, as we were enjoying a Sunday drive in a rural part near us, a baby kangaroo (a joey!) was meandering around in the field right next to the road - he was The. Cutest. Thing.  We all oohed and awwed through the car window, even managing to wake Caleb, our baby brother up, in our exclamations of 'Oh, the joey is just! so! adorable!".  I feel Australian-ized (not a word but…) after seeing a kangaroo.  My favourite creature was the koala, who, in a completely ordinary neighbourhood, was sitting high in a tree with his legs crossed, his arms hanging on either side of him, and his eyes slightly closed.  (I imagined him reviewing The New York Times and sipping a cup of coffee, which was totally applicable to him).  Yeah, Mr. Koala-in-a-tree was stinkin' adorable.  Another not-so-nice instance involving creatures consisted of a broom, a very nervous and frantic me, and a hairy thing with eight legs (but let's not get into that at the moment)...

 

I could go on and tell you about every other aspect of our move (and what life is like here in Aussie) , but to finish; we've been in Australia for two months and are slowly settling in - we've found a church, met some fellow homeschoolers, been to the beach, familiarised ourselves with a few local neighbourhoods, swam in a pool, learnt a few Australian catch-phrases, and we've even tried kangaroo meat!

NOTE: If any of y'all live in America, Canada, or England (i.e., country that actually gets cold around Christmastime), I'd love if you'd bottle up some cold and snow and cocoa and mail it to me - or something of the sort - because I get extremely envious when I see your luscious cozy winter photos posted on blogs, instagram, etc. ;)  Oh, and one more thing -- if you're ever visiting Aussie, give me a shout!

Love,

Acacia xx

PS In case you're wondering what place Australia takes in our journeys; I've now lived in Canada, America, England, and Australia. :)

PPS Thoughts on the new header?? 

+ AUSTRALIA

THE JOURNEY

THE PEOPLE

THE LOVELY

I really should have explained all of this to you earlier, but now is better than later and here is the big news:

We're moving to Australia!  (This is where I insert far too many exclamation marks and a happy dance.)

 It's strange and exciting and confusing all at the same time, but it is God's will and we are (yes, really are) moving countries for the fourth time.  Already confused?  Well, my traveling life began in Canada, and we somehow managed to live in the US for around 10 years, and then we flew over to England and now my dad has been offered a job in Australia.  So, we're flying to Australia next Tuesday(!) and will live there for however long God calls us to be there. 

One more thing:  Are you living in Australia?  If so, please contact me me and let me know where you are and just maybe we'll happen to live near each other; wouldn't it be lovely to meet up? 

Let the adventure begin!

xx, Acacia

OXFORDS & FLOWERS & ROADTRIPS

one Daddy bought me new Oxfords from Clarks; pretty, no?

two This morning light spilled past my curtains and flooded my crinkled sheets.  The lake stretches, licking at the sand, and flowers flood the ground. Summer is like a dream.

three Plane rides and security checks have been completed and a long and strenuous car ride belongs to my past: We're in North America! I've taken so many lovely photos that I can't wait to share with you all.

What does your summer look like so far?
xo

WE WENT TO LONDON

London senses, emotions and feelings:

buses, crammed too tightly with people, pushing through narrow roads

 axis whirring past, zipping by, caught in life's hurries

heavy, deep and warm winds pulling by in the underground tube station

books to read and tea to sip in between stops

click, clack of heels, a whiff of perfume, a dash of rain

watching people live their complex lives

pink taxis (and London in general) that make me very excited

birds twittering sweetly in trees

photographing the bustle and business and loveliness of everything

We went to London last week.  To say I had a good time would be an understatement; and one of the many highlights was finding and photographing a spectacular pink taxi. ;)

xx