◆オーストラリアでスローライフ、はじめます！
わたしたちのスローライフについて長い間お知らせしなくてごめんなさい！
最近、PachaとYaniと３人でオーストラリアの新しい場所での生活を楽しんでいます －掃除したり、ペンキをぬったり、庭の手入れをしたり、探検したりして、田舎暮らしを楽しんでいます。現在オーストラリア、クイーンズランド州のさらに北に位置するエアー（Ayr）に住んでいます。エクアドルに戻る前に今後１年か２年ここで過ごすつもりです。
エアーは人口約１万人の小さな町で、Townsvilleタウンズビルからおよそ１時間ほど南、Burdekinバーデキンという大きくて豊かな川のデルタ地帯にあります。地下水を含む水資源で有名な場所で、さとうきび、マンゴーやその他の農作物がよく育ちます。わたしたちの住まいは海に近く（２０ｋｍ）、あのすばらしいグレートバリアリーフにも近いところにあります。今はとても暑いのですが、日陰にある小さな浅いプールに腰かけ猛暑をしのいでいます。
ここはスローでゆったりした町で、人々は微笑んだりいろんなことを話しあう時間を持っています。ほとんど毎日同じ人に出会うのでみんな近所の人のことをよく知ることができるんですよ（私たちの近所の方たちはとても親切）。また、町まで１０分しか離れていないのですが、自然がすばらしく豊かです（毎朝ワライカワセミからバタンインコまでオーストラリアの鳥たちのコーラスが聞こえますし、午後にはガンの群れが頭上を飛んでいきます。）向かいの女性はトビ（わたしにとっては特別な鳥）にえさをやっていて、毎日彼女が用意した肉片を食べに急降下してくる２０～３０羽の鳥にわたしたちは大喜びです。
また、Pachaは５分離れたところにいる２頭の馬に毎日会いに行くんだと譲りません。わたしたちの家は大きな古い家で、広い裏庭があるのでそれを徐々にパーマカルチャーガーデンにしようとしているところです。
雲霧林のエクアドルから遠く離れてはいても、自分たちがスローなライフスタイルに少しでも近づくことのできる場所なのです。ゴールドコーストではなくこの土地を選んだ大きな理由です。わたしの家族は少し離れたところにいますが、すでにここに遊びに来る予定があり、わたしたちも２、３ヶ月に１度は彼らのところへ行くつもりです。
ほかにも理由があります。わたしは長期的にオプションとして持つことのできる家にお金を使いたかったのです（そのため人生で初めて銀行に借金をしなければならなくなったとしても！）ゴールドコーストでは小さくて家賃の高いアパートしか借りることができません。でもわたしたちは自分たちの場所を持ちたかったのです－壁をとりこわしてテラスを作り、心ゆくまでガーデニングをして広い裏庭で遊びたいのです！
エアーでは「時間」がたくさんあるので（渋滞はないし駐車場を待つとかほかの妨げがない）、近々エクアドルの現行プロジェクトやキャンペーンについてEメールでもう少しお手伝いできるようになると思います（コタカチ、エルミラグロ、その他のエクアドルのプロジェクトではつねにボランティアを必要としています（長ければ長いほうがいいです）。
◆アンニャの近況～ピースボート、選挙への挑戦
ここ２ヶ月はとても忙しくしていました。まず１月にはニュージーランドからシドニーまでのピースボートに１週間参加しました。１５年間ずっとピースボートへ参加することを夢みていたのですが、地元の選挙に立候補していたため、短い期間の参加にせざるを得ませんでした。でも乗船していた１週間はとてもすばらしく、新しい友人がたくさんできました。PachaとYaniのほうがわたしより人気がありました。（子供はほとんど参加していませんでした！）ボランティアの方も職員の方も乗客の方も、みなさん子供たちの面倒をとてもよくみてくださったので、海に落ちてしまうのではないかという不安は取り越し苦労に終わりました。
また、ナマケモノ倶楽部のネットワークがピースボートとつながりを結んだこともすばらしいと思いました。彼らは多くの面でよく似たビジョンを持っているようですね。また（先にビースボートに参加された）中村さんに刺激を受けたという方にもたくさん会いました。カフェスローで定期的にピースボートデーをもうけては？というアイデアに、皆さんわくわくしていました。わたし自身も、週に１度か２週間に１度、カフェスローで「スローマザー倶楽部」を開いては？というアイデアを話さずにはいられなくてお話しました。スローな精神をもったおかあさんたちが子供たちを連れて集まり、オーガニックコーヒーを楽しんでいる間は子供たちの世話をしてもらうのです。きっといつか実現するでしょうね！
ピースボートからゴールドコーストへ戻ってからは選挙まで数日しかありませんでした。Currumbinというわたしが育った町の補欠選挙で、グリーン党の候補として環境問題、参加型民主主義、生活の質の問題を提起しました。全部で１４名が立候補し、グリーン党について知ってもらう重要な機会が得られました。最終的には、地元の緑の党メンバーの力強い支援のおかげで約１２％の投票を獲得、１４名のうち３位となりました。この結果はめざましいもので、さらに多くの市民の態度に変化が起きていることを示すものだと感じました。わたしはどの選挙にも人々に「グリーン」を選ぶ機会がなければならないと思っているので、いつかまた候補として立つことを楽しみにしています。
◆７月、日本でお会いしましょう！
・・・というわけでここ２、３ヶ月はこのような状況でした。
現在はゴールドコーストで母の展覧会の開催を手伝っています。この展覧会は地元の環境ネットワークにとっても刺激があり、力を強めるよい機会になると思います。母はすばらしい才能で４５年間作品を作り続けてきましたが、これが最初の展覧会です。テーマは「Love for Lifeand Art 人生と芸術への愛」で、わたしたちが過去に行ってきた環境キャンペーンの新聞記事の切り抜きを貼ったものも展示する予定です。
今年の７月半ばにはPacha、Yaniと一緒にまた日本へ行く予定です。８月１日には愛知万博の地球市民プロジェクトに参加します。日本では音楽やインスピレーションを携えて他の地域も訪れたいと思っていますので、もしイベントの企画にご関心がありましたらナマケモノ倶楽部までお知らせください！
最後になりましたが、もしみなさんがオーストラリアにお越しになりたい場合はお知らせください。エクアドルと違うことはわかっていますが、少なくとも日本からはすこし近いですし、おどろくほど美しい自然があります。またここのオルタナティブなライフスタイルはとても進歩していて大変刺激を受けます。
エアーは、ホームステイや英語の（スローな）勉強、また壮大なパーマカルチャーガーデンのデザインをしたり作り上げるお手伝いに来ていただくのに理想的な場所です。しかもそれだけでなく、世界の驚くべき不思議、グレートバリアリーフにこんなに近いのです（地球温暖化の影響でいつまであるかわかりませんよ・・）。
それからこれを申し上げなければこのレポートは終われません。
直子とご家族 －新しく加わったナマケモノベビー にわたしの喜びとお祝いの気持ちを申し上げます。人生はあふれんばかりの喜びと豊かさで続きます！
いのちのために
Anja、Pacha、Yani
（訳：粥川麻美）
2005-03-16
Dear Friends,
Please forgive me for the long time it has been since I have written an update of my family's slow life!
Recently our days have been spent enjoying a new place in Australia - cleaning, painting, gardening, exploring and enjoying a country life. Pacha, Yani and
I now live in Ayr, in far north Queensland in Australia, where we will be based for the next year or two before returning to Ecuador. Ayr is a small town of about 10 000 people at the delta of a massive and bountiful river system (the Burdekin), about one hour south of Townsville. It is famous for its water sources, including underground water - that ensures the sugar cane, mango and other agricultural crops are successful. We are close (20km) to the sea and to the incredible Great Barrier Reef. It is hot and tropical at the moment - but we escape the worst of the heat sitting in a little wading pool in the shade. We are living in a slow, relaxed town where people have time to smile and time to talk about all kinds of things. You meet the same people most days and get to know your neighbours well (ours are very helpful too).
Despite living just 10 minutes walk to town, nature is deliciously abundant - every morning a chorus of Australian birds from Kookaburras to Cockatoos, in the afternoons groups of local geese fly over head. A lady down the road feeds the whistling kites (a special bird for me) and we can revel in 20 to 30 birds swooping to feed on the meat scraps she has for them each day. Pacha insists that we have a daily visit to a couple of horses 5 minutes down the road.
We live in a big old house with a huge backyard where we are slowly starting to transform into a permaculture garden. It is a place where we can be a little closer to a slow lifestyle despite being far away from the cloud forest in Ecuador. That's the main reason we have chosen to live here rather than the Gold Coast. My family, though a little further away, have already made plans to visit and we will visit them every few months too.
There are other reasons too. I would prefer to pay off a house that we will have as an option in the long term (even though it means going into debt with a bank for the first time in my life!). On the Gold Coast, we would only be able to rent a small, expensive flat to live in. And we love having our own place - knocking out walls and building decks and gardening to our hearts content and playing in a huge back yard! Because there is more 'time' in Ayr (no traffic jams, parking queues or other distractions) I hope soon to be able to help more with the ongoing projects and campaigns in Ecuador by email. (We are always in need of volunteers for the Cotacachi, El Milagro and other projects in Ecuador - the longer the better).
We have had a very busy time over the past two months. In January we joined the Peace Boat for a week from New Zealand to Sydney. Although I had been dreaming of
joining the Peace Boat for the past fifteen years, we had to cut the trip short because I was running as a candidate in a local election campaign. However,
during the week we were on board we had a great time and made many new friends. I think Pacha and Yani were more popular than me - there were very few other
children on board! Volunteers, workers and guests helped us so much looking after the children - so my fears of them falling over the side were unfounded. It
was also great to feel the Sloth network making links and connections with the Peace Boat - who seem to have a similar vision in many areas. I met many people who
had been inspired by Nakamura-san (who was an earlier leg of the same journey) and who were excited by the idea of having a regular Peace Boat day at Cafe Slow.
I couldn't help to mention again my idea of a weekly or fortnightly Slow Mother Club at Caf_ Slow - for Sloth minded Mothers to bring their children along to be looked after while they enjoy a Slow cup of organic coffeeÅcI am sure that one day this will happen!
Coming back to the Gold Coast after the Peace Boat, I had a few days before election day. I was the Greens party candidate for a local by-election in Currumbin (the place I grew up) raising environmental, participatory democracy and quality of life issues.
There were 14 candidates running in total that gave us an important opportunity to raise the profile of the Greens. The final result, thanks to wonderful support by other local Greens members, was that we came 3rd out of 14 candidates with around 12% of the vote going to us. We felt it was a fantastic outcome and reflects the shift in attitude of a growing number of people. I still feel it is vital for there to be a 'Green' choice for the public in every election - so am looking forward to running again sometime in the future.
So, that's more or less my update for the past few months. I am helping organise my Mother's art exhibition on the Gold Coast,that will be exciting and empowering for the local environment network. It is the first time she had an exhibition, despite wonderful talent and artwork for the past 45 years.
The theme of the exhibition is love for Life and Art and we will include mounted news clippings of some of our environmental campaigns over the years.
From around mid July this year Pacha, Yani and I plan to visit Japan once again. We will join the Global Citizen's Initiative at the Aichi Expo on August 1st and hope also to visit some other parts of Japan with music and inspiration. If you are interested in organising event, let the Sloth Club know!
Finally, let me know if you would like to visit Australia. I know it's not the same as Ecuador - but it is at least a little closer to Japan and there are amazingly beautiful natural places to visit. The alternative lifestyle here is well developed and very inspiring. Ayr, where I live, is an ideal place for an experience in a homestay, studying (Slow) English, or for helping design and create a magnificent permaculture garden - while being so close to the amazing wonder of the world, the Great Barrier Reef(and who knows how long it will still be here with the impact of global warming...).
I can't finish this report without expressing my joy and congratulations to Naoko and her family - the latest Sloth babies to be born. Life continues with exuberance and abundance!
For Life,
Anja, Pacha and Yani
Please forgive me for the long time it has been since I have written an update of my family's slow life!
Recently our days have been spent enjoying a new place in Australia - cleaning, painting, gardening, exploring and enjoying a country life. Pacha, Yani and
I now live in Ayr, in far north Queensland in Australia, where we will be based for the next year or two before returning to Ecuador. Ayr is a small town of about 10 000 people at the delta of a massive and bountiful river system (the Burdekin), about one hour south of Townsville. It is famous for its water sources, including underground water - that ensures the sugar cane, mango and other agricultural crops are successful. We are close (20km) to the sea and to the incredible Great Barrier Reef. It is hot and tropical at the moment - but we escape the worst of the heat sitting in a little wading pool in the shade. We are living in a slow, relaxed town where people have time to smile and time to talk about all kinds of things. You meet the same people most days and get to know your neighbours well (ours are very helpful too).
Despite living just 10 minutes walk to town, nature is deliciously abundant - every morning a chorus of Australian birds from Kookaburras to Cockatoos, in the afternoons groups of local geese fly over head. A lady down the road feeds the whistling kites (a special bird for me) and we can revel in 20 to 30 birds swooping to feed on the meat scraps she has for them each day. Pacha insists that we have a daily visit to a couple of horses 5 minutes down the road.
We live in a big old house with a huge backyard where we are slowly starting to transform into a permaculture garden. It is a place where we can be a little closer to a slow lifestyle despite being far away from the cloud forest in Ecuador. That's the main reason we have chosen to live here rather than the Gold Coast. My family, though a little further away, have already made plans to visit and we will visit them every few months too.
There are other reasons too. I would prefer to pay off a house that we will have as an option in the long term (even though it means going into debt with a bank for the first time in my life!). On the Gold Coast, we would only be able to rent a small, expensive flat to live in. And we love having our own place - knocking out walls and building decks and gardening to our hearts content and playing in a huge back yard! Because there is more 'time' in Ayr (no traffic jams, parking queues or other distractions) I hope soon to be able to help more with the ongoing projects and campaigns in Ecuador by email. (We are always in need of volunteers for the Cotacachi, El Milagro and other projects in Ecuador - the longer the better).
We have had a very busy time over the past two months. In January we joined the Peace Boat for a week from New Zealand to Sydney. Although I had been dreaming of
joining the Peace Boat for the past fifteen years, we had to cut the trip short because I was running as a candidate in a local election campaign. However,
during the week we were on board we had a great time and made many new friends. I think Pacha and Yani were more popular than me - there were very few other
children on board! Volunteers, workers and guests helped us so much looking after the children - so my fears of them falling over the side were unfounded. It
was also great to feel the Sloth network making links and connections with the Peace Boat - who seem to have a similar vision in many areas. I met many people who
had been inspired by Nakamura-san (who was an earlier leg of the same journey) and who were excited by the idea of having a regular Peace Boat day at Cafe Slow.
I couldn't help to mention again my idea of a weekly or fortnightly Slow Mother Club at Caf_ Slow - for Sloth minded Mothers to bring their children along to be looked after while they enjoy a Slow cup of organic coffeeÅcI am sure that one day this will happen!
Coming back to the Gold Coast after the Peace Boat, I had a few days before election day. I was the Greens party candidate for a local by-election in Currumbin (the place I grew up) raising environmental, participatory democracy and quality of life issues.
There were 14 candidates running in total that gave us an important opportunity to raise the profile of the Greens. The final result, thanks to wonderful support by other local Greens members, was that we came 3rd out of 14 candidates with around 12% of the vote going to us. We felt it was a fantastic outcome and reflects the shift in attitude of a growing number of people. I still feel it is vital for there to be a 'Green' choice for the public in every election - so am looking forward to running again sometime in the future.
So, that's more or less my update for the past few months. I am helping organise my Mother's art exhibition on the Gold Coast,that will be exciting and empowering for the local environment network. It is the first time she had an exhibition, despite wonderful talent and artwork for the past 45 years.
The theme of the exhibition is love for Life and Art and we will include mounted news clippings of some of our environmental campaigns over the years.
From around mid July this year Pacha, Yani and I plan to visit Japan once again. We will join the Global Citizen's Initiative at the Aichi Expo on August 1st and hope also to visit some other parts of Japan with music and inspiration. If you are interested in organising event, let the Sloth Club know!
Finally, let me know if you would like to visit Australia. I know it's not the same as Ecuador - but it is at least a little closer to Japan and there are amazingly beautiful natural places to visit. The alternative lifestyle here is well developed and very inspiring. Ayr, where I live, is an ideal place for an experience in a homestay, studying (Slow) English, or for helping design and create a magnificent permaculture garden - while being so close to the amazing wonder of the world, the Great Barrier Reef(and who knows how long it will still be here with the impact of global warming...).
I can't finish this report without expressing my joy and congratulations to Naoko and her family - the latest Sloth babies to be born. Life continues with exuberance and abundance!
For Life,
Anja, Pacha and Yani
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)