solegraphy :: like calligraphy, only better

Australia was cold for July. I don’t think I was quite prepared as I stepped off the plane into the chilly air. I was visiting an Australian friend and she drove me to the boardwalk to stroll along the beach. We watched the local “polar bear” club shiver in the shallow shores as we wrapped our scarves tightly around ourselves.

The air was crisp and clear, almost surprising when you stepped out the comforting confines of the indoors. It reminded me of April in London – far too cold and me with only warm season clothing. Apparently I am a poor judge of weather. We drove into the mountains and stared off precipices into soaring valleys, raced down bush back roads looking for wild kangaroos, laid by bonfires and gazed up into a vast sky – counting the shooting stars.

We watched Aussie movie classics, wrapped up in blankets in front of space heaters, sipping homemade soup. Through those movies, she taught me a new country’s phrases, sayings, and social norms enough that I felt like I understood another culture better than any other before. There is an Australian comedy, The Castle, in which the main character stares off into a great nothing and peacefully proclaims, “Can you feel the serenity?”

Last week, I was in Thailand on holiday. Thailand is the Australian tourist location. Everywhere we went, we were assumed to be Aussies. Our last evening, we ate dinner on the beach – watching the sun set over the calm waters. All of a sudden, some workers started their jackhammers behind our restaurant. The couple next to me turned to look at my traveling companion and I and the husband pipped up, “Can you feel the serenity?” I almost choked on my drink. My American friend with me smiled and laughed, but I laughed because I understood in a way she didn’t.

To answer his question: Yes. I certainly can.