Bramley Famli

Yay I’m doing my first blog in Sanlameer on the verandah.

We played tennis today.

Mom and Carli are playing jenga.

If you want to see some pics, click here.

This post is offered up simply as a reflection for some colleagues who will have more context around what it is.

In order to deal with my own akwardness in the process, I took notes. I wasn’t sure if I was going to manage just sitting there? So the notes ended up being my ‘safety blanket’ and not an intentional recording process. Each new line is a new reflection at a different time. Time between reflections ranges from 30sec to several minutes. Often an event would prompt a new reflection. So it’s a combo of time and event.

“So I’m trying Nick’s experiment today. Got to be honest, that the discomfort I’m feeling is more about me than my concern around anyone else in the room.”

“I’m feeling akward. The group seems quite relaxed. They’re chatting amongst themselves still”

“I suppose my akwardness is not knowing what will happen? I’m anticipating that I’ll feel a lot better than I do now, once it’s done. I’m writting as a way to be doing something.”

“The room has now gone quiet. People are looking at me. People are trying to work out what’s going on?”

“There’s some laughter. They think I’m analysing and observing them.”

“It feels like it’s only been 3 monutes. I wonder what’s going to happen? Some just got up, walked around the table and is making coffee.”

“Someone is trying to get my attention by talking to me. I’ve ignored them by looking into this book. Didn’t think I’d be able to look at them and keep a straight face.”

“God this is difficult.”

“Someone just asked the person who tried to talk to me a question. It felt as if they were trying to rescue the person from being ignored by me. So they’ve engaged the individual by pulling them into the group.”

====== I was called out of the room for 2 minutes. This wasn’t planned.

“I’m back and I’m not sure what the conversation was while I was out.”

“Someone (different person) is trying to engage me again. Again I ignore them.”

“The group has gone quiet again. They think if they’re quiet I’ll start. The quiet doesn’t last long (10 sec)”

“The group hasn’t engaged themselves yet as a collective. Still lots of small conversations going on.”

“I’ve just pulled my phone out of my bag to see the time. It’s been 13 minutes.”

“Most of the conversation in the room is around work and people at work. Feels like ‘safe’ conversation.”

“One or two irritated/put-out bits of body language happening. Deep sighs. Shifting in chairs.”

“How long should I sit here? This group knows each other even though they work in different geographical locations. So they seem confortable with each other. Should I go for longer with a group that’s comfortable and who knoe each other? Good question to ask Nick and Keith from their experience?”

“Experiencing this brings a lot more questions into my head that I had never thought of asking previously. That’s an interesting observation about life and experience.”

“I looked up at the group. Smiled at each person. They smiled back. Someone almost took initiative and started a group conversation. But they stopped on ‘Ok…..’ Can it be so difficult to engage the group?”

“People talking about me rejecting them.”

“Some more humour in the room. The group laughed. It’s been 20 minutes.”

“Someone just got up and is writting on a whiteboard. I don’t want to look up yet. I think they’re hoping I’ll do that? Yup I might be right, because she sat down and the room went quiet. Feel like they’re waiting for me to respond, or look. Lasted only 5 sec and they’re back to normal.”

“Someone says, ‘I can spend my entire Friday like this. It’s cool.’ Group talk starting?”

“Phone starts vibrating. Group focus off of him and onto the phone.”

“The whiteboard says, ‘Barrie, please talk to us ’. Interesting that one of the quietest people in the room did this.”

“The person next to me, looked at her watch. Sighed deeply. Someone else sighs. It’s been 25 min.”

“Someone now asks the group if the group should start something or wait for me to finish whatever it is I’m doing. I almost smile, but keep looking down. Am I getting nervous? Excited? Something is finally happening.”

“People ask him to give them a quote that he mentioned he read that morning, for them to talk about.” He backs down and says he might get thrown out for taking over, as it’s happened to him before.”

“The group returns to small pockets of conversation around the business.”

“It’s been 30 minutes since we began. I’m going to end this.”

“They try to engage with me again. Then there’s quiet as people wait for a response. Then back to normal.”

“I’m going to ask for a 5 minute break. Leave the room. Come back and we can engage around what they, and I, just experienced.”

Well that’s my journal of what happened.

According to Wikipedia:

Hōkūle’a is a full-scale replica of a wooden sailing vessel (Polynesian voyaging canoe) used in ancient Hawaii. Its name means “star of gladness” in Hawaiian, and the name refers to the star Arcturus, a guiding zenith star for Hawaiian navigators, which falls directly overhead at Hawaiʻi’s latitude.

It was built in 1975 by the Polynesian Voyaging Society, and is best known for its 1976 voyage from Hawaii to Tahiti, performed without modern navigational instruments. Since then Hōkūle’a has completed seven voyages to various destinations in Polynesia and the United States, all using ancient wayfinding techniques of celestial navigation.

Most surfers are aware of it because in it’s second voyage in 1978, Eddie Aikau was lost at sea. My interest is because of the link to the Asia Pacific Leadership Programme in Hawaii for the past 5 years. Nainoa Thompson, a Hawaiian Navigator who has led most of the voyages, is a guest lecturer in the APLP programme.

This year it sets sail once again to Micronesia and Japan and two of the students from the APLP will be on board for different parts of the voyage.

The Hokule’a is a great story to read up on. Below I’ve listed some links around the current voyage. From there the options are endless for your own voyage of discovery.

• The Honolulu Advertiser (stories around the current voyage)
• 2007 Voyages to Micronesia and Japan (a dedicated web site)
• Photo Gallery
• Latest position of the Hokule’a
• Polynesian Voyaging Society

I’m back. 36 hours of flying via Atlanta, New York and Dakar make for an ugly trip.

So good to be home. So good to see my family. To read stories for bed and to kiss, hug and cuddle. Let me stop right there : )

Woke up this morning at 03h30. Couldn’t get back to sleep and didn’t want to. Slept on the plane for 2 days, and didn’t feel like doing any more.

It’s good to be home.

On Sunday we headed off to the North Shore on our yearly pilgrimige. We stopped at a collection of shops for some lunch. We ate at small little place and on the wall were 6 clocks with the times of surf spots around the world.

It was one of those proud SA moments to see J-Bay up there. I do know it’s world famous, because people often ask us about it. Still it was nice to have that fact affirmed in a tiny restaurant somewhere on the North Shore : )

One of the things that strikes you around the time of sunset in Hawaii (on Oahu anyway) is that people, no matter what they’re doing, if they can see the sun, pause, turn-around and watch as the sun goes down. It’s a daily ritual that I love watching. To be honest it’s so novel I end up watching others watching the sun.

It is a beautiful sunset. I’m not sure it’s any better than back home. But lets face it… when you’re standing on the edge of an Hawaiin island thousands of miles from any large land mass, in the middle of the Pacific, there’s a certain something to what’s going down (scuse the pun: )

I took this pic (just after the sun went donw) in Waikiki. But it could have been Sunset, Pipeline, wherever there are people and a sun.

Today is washing day. And in this department I’m in charge. Keith’s job while we’re here is to supervise the shopping (quality control, regular intervals, sufficient recovery, etc). Mine is the washing.

It’s been a good strong start with two loads of colour, and a load of white to look forward to, once I get another available machine.

I must admit I was a touch nervous approaching the laundry room this morning, having been gone for two years now. But it’s amazing how quickly it all came back to me. As I entered, I knew instinctively what to do. Well almost. You’d think you’d at least remember the simple mistakes you once made? Not me. I loaded up two machines, and then read the instructions. Damn! I then off- loaded the two machines, because you’ve got to put the ‘Tide’ in first.

Being of homo-sapien nature, I decided to take a proactive step and get a head start on the drying process. So I’ve read those instructions now. I think I’m ready? All that stands between me and a very efficient drying process is whether I can remember what I read between now and then?

I’ll let you know……

Let it be known that this store almost destroyed my soul yesterday. What began as a motivated, rested and focussed human being, ended as a shriveled up, exhausted and pathetic little man.

This store single handedly finished me out… emotionally, spiritually and physically. Not even Keith’s wisdom and experience could save me from the fete that was mine. I suppose it’s important to note that I was specifically looking for stuff for Leish. I now see why women take their shopping so seriously. It was a baptism of fire.

Going forward… I’ve made a note of the street name and suburb, and we will never, ever go down that road again!

We’ve never been let down on the car we end up getting from one of the rental companies in Hawaii. Clearly when you’re talking rands, you’re hunting for cheap and nasty. Well cheap and nasty has never been better : )

And this year is no different. Look, it’s as big as a frikkin Sherman tank (and drives like it) but it’s got about a gazillion horses in it and it’s comfy.

May I present ‘The Pontiac – Grand Prix’ – Luvereleeeee

Note…. picture taken outside Best Buy on a shopping spree at one of the biggest tech stores you could dream of being in. What did we buy (thanks to Keith’s new shopping restrictions)? Wonka sweets. A pepsi. And I think he splashed out on a Snickers Bar. This is a very sad reflection of what he used to be.

Just got back from our (since I arrived) first event. It was Mind the Gap for Booz Allen Hamilton, at their offices in Honolulu. 30th floor. Stunning views. Not a bad view to have from a work perspective.