Learning to Dance in the Rain

Thanks to the incredibly adored Queen Elizabeth II and her 86th birthday this past Monday (except it wasn't really her birthday) (yup, I don't know either...), we found ourselves with a nice three-day weekend! Not a bad deal for being a part of the Commonwealth. Here's what went down!

The Vivid Festival show at the Customs Building

After we came home from the Edmund Rice Center on Friday, I spent the afternoon relaxing with the Pow girls as they took a much deserved break from studying for their final exams. After a nice cup of tea and lots of laughs, we got ready, swung by the Vaccari's to grab Joe, and made our way to Circular Quay for another viewing of the Vivid Festival! We met up with Sarah V. and her lovely boyfriend Dan at Opera Bar, which overlooks the beautiful Sydney Harbor Bridge from under the Sydney Opera House, and enjoyed some great conversation and drinks!

From there we look a nice long walk around to watch the festival, slowly making our way over to "The Rocks," nicknamed for the rustic, old-fashioned architecture of the buildings. I felt like I was back in New York City! We enjoyed some Italian cuisine for dinner and met more of the Pow's and Vaccari's friends, who were all so incredibly welcoming to us. A bowl of pasta and a Nutella hot chocolate later (YUM by the way), we made our way to "Cargo Lounge" and met up with Laura and some of her friends. We made ourselves comfortable by a patio heater and chatted the night away - it was wonderful!

View of Sydney Harbor from the bridge!

Saturday was phenomenal, in part because the sun finally came out! I met Joe in town and we took the train to Milsons Point, the last station before crossing south over the Sydney Harbor Bridge. We hopped off the train and enjoyed a long walk over the famed architectural icon. The views were incredible, and I tried to imagine fireworks shooting out from the arch as I've seen in pictures from New Years Eve. From there we made our way to the Royal Botanic Gardens, which lie just behind the Opera House. The landscapes were beautiful, and I can only imagine how colorful and rich the gardens look during the summer time (fact: we are one week away from the winter season here)!

Obligatory tourist photo :)

After taking some touristy pictures in front of the Opera House and enjoying my first Iced Chocolate (a combo of chocolate milk and milkshake... very popular Down Under!), we made our way over to Paddy's Market to do some souvenir shopping! After returning home for dinner and resting my legs from the long day of walking, we piled back into the van with the girls and made our way to "The Star," a local casino, to watch the Australia vs. Wales rugby match (The Wallabies won, obviously). It made me very excited for the rugby game we are going to see this Wednesday between New South Wales and Queensland! After the game, we finished the night with some dancing and fun conversation!

Sunday brought back some rain, but that didn't stop any of our plans for the day. The Vaccari's and Joe picked me up early and we made our way to St. Mary's Cathedral for the Corpus Christi Mass! The mass was solemn sung, with a traditional all-male choir and a powerful organ, and I felt as if I had traveled back in time. The way the traditional Latin hymns filled the air around us, traveling all the way up through the high arched ceilings down to the humble pews, was incredibly moving. It was the first time I had ever attended a Mass in a cathedral (other than the Basilica in Washington D.C.), and it was an amazingly beautiful experience!

Joe's turn!

We followed Mass with a hearty Italian lunch, and while it has taken me a little while to admit, I must come clean - the food here in Australia is MUCH better than food in America (besides your cooking, Mom)! I think American chefs have mastered the science of cooking, but not the patience. Aussie's are not in such a rush as New Yorkers, and it shows in the well prepared food! But criticisms aside, we finished our meal and got ready for a music-filled afternoon - the Pow's and Vaccari's friends have their own band, and they were holding a gig in their backyard that afternoon that they graciously invited us to! And as they say in the show business, "The show must go on!" The rain was kept away with sturdy tarps, and although my tush may have gotten a little soaked, to say it was worth it would be an understatement.

St. Mary's Cathedral

Monday concluded the official birthday celebrations for Louise's 18th with a family lunch! I'm not sure how we made it happen, but more than 40 Pooley-Pow family members and friends were fed and kept dry for the duration of the afternoon. It was a wonderful day of meeting new friends, enjoying delicious home cooked food, and an embarrassing incident involving me falling out of a chair (ask Joe).

Despite the buckets upon buckets of rain this weekend (I suppose that is what 10 years of drought in Australia prior to our arrival will get you), I learned an invaluable lesson, and it occurred to me during the gig on Sunday afternoon. About one hour into the show, I had one of those sort of out-of-body experiences, in which I thought to myself, "How strange is this? I am currently thousands of miles away from home in a foreign country. I am currently sitting in a stranger's backyard, listening to strangers play music, and I am surrounded by strangers. The leaves are yellow and falling, winter starts next week, and I can see my breath in the air. Oh, and it is pouring buckets, yet I am outside with 100 other people at a mini-concert."

Life's not about waiting for the storm to pass...

The circumstances seemed so odd. So inconvenient. So uncomfortable. So unnecessary. But that couldn't have been further from the truth. 

It made me wonder how many times in life we give up on things just because we don't see how there can be any benefit from it, when really it's the simple things in life that have the greatest impact on us. Because we went to this gig, I experienced the warm and welcoming company of new friends that were once strangers. I witnessed God given talent through the music those boys produced. And as the music got faster, the rain came down harder, and the smiles in the crowd grew bigger, and I experienced a sense of community that can never properly be put into words.

... It's about learning to dance in the rain.

So go forward - do what isn't convenient for you, and never let the "maybes" hold you back. Because you never know what lessons are out there waiting for you.

Love,
Em