We found ourselves at Merchant Coffee, a very cool little cafe on the main strip in Freo, and had a great, inexpensive lunch. We decided we were too full to read, so we wandered around Freo a bit, and here's when I decided that Fremantle, WA is the raddest city this world has to offer. We went down a side street we had never seen before and first found a store themed entirely around Alice in Wonderland. It sold teapots, soaps shaped like teapots, costumes for little kids (some shaped like teapots), lots of Alice-themed toys, and it even had a little room in the back, behind a pink and green curtain, WHERE YOU COULD HAVE YOUR OWN TEA PARTY. Two miniature tables with miniature chairs and a miniature tea set. There was even a miniature television playing a regular-sized version of Alice in Wonderland. We could have spent days in that shop, but we had studying to do, so we moseyed out. THEN we found Fairy World. A whole store about fairies. The cashiers were wearing wings and fairy skirts. They sold fairy dust by the kilogram. Oh. My. God. We found an Irish pub too - didn't go in, but earmarked it for a later date. There was a busker in there playing some sweet guitar - okay by me. On our way out of the street of magic, we came across a store called "Recycled Clothing." Turned out to be a thrift store (and a pretty expensive one at that, boohoo), probably the most well-stocked and Kelsey-friendly thrift store I've ever been to. I didn't buy anything, but if I ever come into a lot of money while I'm down here, I will...probably put it in the bank. And then wish I had spent it at this store.
We were still too full to read, so we wandered to the Fremantle market. When I get older and have a money tree growing in my backyard, my house will contain the following things: a huge, Beauty and the Beast-esque library, a planetarium, two or three Australian shepherds (they're a breed of dog, don't worry) and the Fremantle market. It's full of stalls of clothing, cds, bars of soap (everyone in Australia sells bars of soap...I have not yet figured out why. I can only hope this means that everyone down here is clean.), incense, scarves, boomerangs, probably some blackmarket body parts...EVERYTHING. We probably spent an hour just looking at the stalls. PS Mol - at this antique stall there was a necklace with a Freemason's symbol on it...think Wainey knows anything about that? However, my favorite part of the market, the piece de resistance if you will: the produce section. Free samples everywhere, fruit and vegis are way cheaper here than at the supermarket, everything is local and DELICIOUS, everything is fresh, there are people yelling and weighing and bagging and eating and laughing and IT WAS HEAVEN. We bought some apples, bananas, and strawberries, and I probably consumed at least one whole apple with all the sampling I did. We're going to make this a weekly trip - and let me tell you, as far as my list of "things to do" goes, "buy produce at the Fremantle market" may top "go to the pub."
Fruit in hand, we decided we were still too full to read, but that we needed dessert. We found an Italian pastry shop called Fiorento's (or something else Italian), bought gelato, and ate outside in the sunshine. MAYBE we should go read now...we headed over to the park, found a bench, and read for about twenty minutes before deciding we should get back to Murdoch if we want to make it to church on time. And there ends our perfect day.
Church was AWFUL. I have never been so uncomfortable and so angry at the same time in my entire life. We had met some people a week ago, all very friendly, and they told us about the church services they ran on campus. The church itself is Christian, and not affiliated with Murdoch at all, but they have their services in one of the lecture halls on campus. So we decided today would be a great day to test out the waters. AND WE ARE NEVER GOING BACK. It seemed innocent enough - every person we saw wanted to meet us, asked us what we were studying and where in America we were from - great. I made a few friends. Then a rock band came out and started singing Christian music, also fine. Everyone was really, really enthusiastic about it. Everything really was okay until the pastor started speaking. I have never heard a more chauvinistic, self-righteous, ignorant man at a podium. He read a bit and then he just kept telling stories, all about himself...and they were degrading to women, to men, to people who didn't believe in Jesus...and everyone just accepted it! The insides of my cheeks must have scars from how hard I was biting them. Lauren and I declined to stay for coffee, and instead booked it home to complain about the service. Here's the thing - worship whomever and however you want. But when your worshipping interferes with or patronizes someone else's well-being, or their GENDER?!, for Pete's sake, it's not okay.
So we were angry. We ate strawberries and felt better. And that was my day! I practiced my monologue, did not do anymore Shakespeare reading, and wrote this.
Here's some Sparknotes for the last few days...
Thursday - Festival Day - I had high expectations for this, no luck, but I did manage to sign up for a bunch of clubs (including Bedlam Theater Society, which is putting up a performance of "Sweet - a new musical based on Buffy the Vampire Slayer!" at the beginning of September...they had auditions last semester, so I won't get to be in that one, aw shucks). Went out that night to see Keith do two open mic gigs in two different pubs - NICE.
Friday - Ecology class in the morning, an interesting Skype conversation with Mols (I didn't have sound but she did, I felt like Helen Keller), went to a yoga class, then off to my first Acting and Production II class. Actually at the start I thought about dropping it...but instead, decided to stage manage our show. And maybe act in it too? I don't know how that's going to work. But it's called Wounds to the Face, by Howard Barker, and rehearsals start on Friday. YES.
Saturday - TREE PLANTING DAY!!! Lauren and I joined thirty other earth-lovin' kids (including several adorable four and five year-olds, gotta start 'em young) and adults and, in our group of eight, we planted probably 350 seedlings. And got some free sausage. Saturday night we went out to a club/bar place called The Newport Hotel - that place was a' hoppin'. There was a live band (they played all American music...Good Charlotte and Blink-182 and Bryan Adams), really cool lighting, just a great atmosphere, and no cover charge - we're going back.
I think that's it. Sorry for the long-winded wordiness of this one, I haven't written a long entry in awhile. If you made it all the way to the bottom of this (or of any of my super-duper long entries), remind me to give you a hug when I get back.
Love you guys...and I'm looking for reviews of Llama Tsunami's performance the other night if anyone caught that - be brutal, they can take it (:
After reading all of that, and being totally delighted that you are experiencing great things in WA, the thing that struck me the most is that YOU BOUGHT CLOTHING!!! Were you not there when your suitcases were weighed at the airport?? Are the purchased items so worn that they will be unwearable by December and you are planning on throwing them away?? Because they will not fit in your luggage my love. They will not. Sigh. Llama Tsunami was Mahvelous! The crowd loved them and they put on a great show. Nothing brutal about it.
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