Curiosity Journey Week 2
Week 2 of my Curiosity Journey is done. It was amazing. The highlights were: Telling my story at the Moth, realising why I’m doing all these walks in Belgrave, doing musical improv for the first time and learning about the Alexander Technique at a movement class. I explored 25 suburbs, so far.
Here are some statistics after 2 weeks:
- Distance walked: 184.4 km
- Distance cycled: 32.1 km
- Distance swam: 20.2 km
- Distance traveled on public transport: 453.5 km
- Total distance traveled: 690.2 km
- People I had conversations with: 147
- People who smiled at me: 207
Also here are the routes I traveled:
Curiosity Journey Day 14
In the morning I have a movement session with Mastaneh. She teaches the Alexander technique, a way to explore the movements of your body based on geometry. It’s super interesting and a whole new experience. I walk back through Fitzroy North and come by this Jewellery shop called lovehate. What an interesting name. I go in and talk to the lady inside. Her name is Janine and we have a great chat about living in Melbourne and spending time in other countries. She tells me I should go out to Sunshine. So I do and take the train. On the train I meet Peggy who works for the police and is on her way home. We talk about openness and the beauty of have different perspectives to see the world. We are so deep in Conversation that I miss the Sunshine stop and get off at Albion. I walk my way back through Sunshine. There are not many people on the streets and I soon get to nature reserve on the way to Tottenham. Then Tim calls and I take the train back from Tottenham.
Curiosity Journey Day 13
Today our gas meter is replaced and I have to be at home with the construction workers for most of the day. Nevertheless, I go on a little walk around my home suburb Fitzroy. I meet Lordana on the street and she practises the text of her audition on me. In the evening I take the train to Footscray to check out the Emerging Cultural Leaders showcase at the Footscray Community Arts Centre. I meet Sally whose friend Soma project is to set up Memory Shelters in nursing homes for people with Alzheimer’s. I return to city to have my first musical improv lesson. It’s so much fun to makeup songs on the spot.
Curiosity Journey Day 12
Belgrave has come up in conversations a few times over the last few weeks. I feel like I had to go there. The train only takes me to Ringwood. From there on a bus drives me to Belgrave. The bus is packed. A whole school class is on board. I’m cramped in this bus full of people and I don’t really know where I’m going. I start questioning myself. Why am I doing this curiosity journey? I know that I really like it and want to do more of it, maybe through Victoria, maybe though Australia, maybe through the whole world. Mastaneh told me yesterday that she really likes Life on Mars, so I put on a David Bowie playlist.
As the bus pulls into Belgrave Station, these two lines pop into my head:
Only if we can see the world in different ways, we can see how it really is.
Only if we can see ourselves in different ways, we can see who we really are.
I walk passed all these beautiful murals. Then Freddie Mercury starts playing with Under Pressure. The two lines I thought of before, start making perfect sense and start resonating with the song. I’m overwhelmed by my emotions and I find a log to sit on stare into forrest. It’s so simple, yet so beautiful. I have never felt something like this before. It feels like I finally let go of my soul and let it tell me what it wanted to tell me for such a long time. I knew for a while that I want to gain more perspective and inspire others to gain more perspective and now I know why. I feel free and on track at the same time. It’s a wonderful feeling. I need continue travelling and exchange views with others.
I start walking along the train line passed all these beautiful gardens. I feel at peace with myself. There are so many magnificent views and little things to be discovered on the way. I reach Upper Ferntree Gully. Something pulls me into a side street and I find myself in front of the 1812 Theatre. I walk in and find Malcolm who is in the foyer rehearsing for the Vicar of Dibley play that is starting next week. He tells me to have a look in the actual theatre. In there I find Loretta and Louise and have a beautiful chat. I start to make my way home. I walk by a newsagent with these amazing hand painted greeting cards in the window. In there is Jimmy. He tells me that his wife makes the cards. I buy two of them, one with dandelions and one with a butterfly. Back in Fitzroy I catch up with my friend Tim for a Laksa and I tell about my amazing discoveries.
Curiosity Journey Day 11
Today’s Curiosity Walk starts at Tim’s warehouse. Jules is over to have a chat with Tim about making handles the blades he forged. Jules’ parrot Birdy is there too. I’m traveling up the Upfield Line. I’m getting off at the last stop and walk through Coolaroo. I find myself in a big industrial area with lots of recycling places dumps for broken cars and concrete mixers. There is a lot of rubbish, but in between there are all these little pockets of green. There are lots of planes flying across and its not surprising that Australian movie “The Castle” was set in Coolaroo. I arrive at a residential area and enter a milk bar and buy an ice cream from Matt. Back at Upfield station I meet Nebahand a jewellery maker and choreographer. I hop off at Jewell station in Brunswick, meet my friends Sarah and Trevor and go to the Moth story telling. I actually get to tell my curiosity walk story and make a lot of people smile.
