TRAVEL
Wisdom of My Friends
I came here to resettle my life from a place of war. Finding myself in this country, you have challenges that you would not have in your own native country. And the environment changed, weather changed, staple food changed, language changed - I grew up speaking local pigeon English, but now I speak proper English here; friends change - I’m surrounded by my diverse group of friends from all walks of life. We began in Auckland, only briefly, to get a familiar feel, get an idea. But since then, we’ve been in Wellington. I can’t imagine living in Auckland. Queenstown is nice. Wellington is home for now. I might move to Queenstown, I like Queenstown. What do you love the most about Wellington? The culture - diverse culture. I love food, and be able to walk down the city and have all sorts of different food that you can imagine: Asian, Indian, European, Kiwi. I always have my sense of relationship around food: to be able to talk and have a coffee, when you have a nice conversation in a relaxed atmosphere and exchange idea and share things you wouldn't have in strained situations. Being in the city, you have access to all types of food and cultures. That’s one of my favourite things about Wellington. Do you have any future goals in mind? You can’t really put a goal on life. But you just sort of go one day at a time, things you do everyday, things you do routinely. I want to continue to progress with the life that I have, better myself, support my community, inspire others, continue to grow with the Spirit in mind. Setting goals along the way that you can meet everyday, every month, every year, every season. Seasonably and routinely, be a deeper, greater influence to people around me, and also to communities out there. And that can happen anywhere you are. For what I do get in Wellington, I'd like to use that as a positive influence. We live in a place where we can be the best we can be. I think using all of that: to help others who are perhaps not quite aware of how to access that, draw that from within themselves. A lot of people tend to go far to find themselves, and that’s fine, I’ve done that too, I’ve travelled a lot to find myself. But I think I would like to teach people so that people realise that finding yourself really begins from within. Even when you're in a pit, a pit can become a paradise. Gold comes within yourself. You gain wisdom for how to use them. Wherever you are becomes the paradise to you. I would like to influence people, to help them stay content, to realise the state of contentment, by being around them - I’d like to be available - Be there for people. When you travel afar, what [you] see and experience can compliment and become a greater influence in you. I marvel at creation. Because I know where it comes from. I don't believe it’s evolution. I know where it comes from. It’s amazing: the whole idea, the whole concept. You kind of begin to conceptualise how great the Creator is. His great arms and power compared to what we toil at day after day... It’s just amazing. The only real knowledge is the one God gives, and the only wisdom is the one God gives. Science is great. but it’s God who gives it to us. How can men acknowledge that their knowledge is great? To think your knowledge is powerful is complete foolishness. Where did you get your knowledge from? Where did you start, where do you finish? That’s why celebrities become so famous. Because people idolize them. But human beings only go so far. We lose our connections with our being. Everything becomes meaningless. But when you’re connected with God, everything is meaningful. Even when you look at a bird. Everything is endless. And for people to abandon that wisdom, I think it’s foolish. How can you forego that for something temporary? So, in the end, who is really foolish? People who believe in God or people who reject God? I can think that if you don't believe in God, it’s because you don't know Him. But when you know him... What do you think about man's quest to conquer the Everest? There’s two ways of looking at it: You can conquer a mountain as in “I can do this.” It’s foolishness. But okay, God is going to take me up this mountain, and God presents me challenges in life, for His glory, for His purpose. So then it’s not about personal glory, then it makes it so much more glorious. But when it’s just about "you you you", I don't enjoy reading about people writing their own story. I don't want to read about "you you you". All I end up doing is follow you and idolize you. But if you tell me that you‘ve done this with God, here’s someone who’s done something through God. Then I look at that with encouragement. That whole "me me me" just doesn't appeal to me. And this day and age, it’s like a bad perfume, that’s what the world’s come to be. I think when we really connect with ourselves, really go deep - to find ourselves, remove the noise - it won't take you long to discover your Creator. But go deeper - because who you are is what God created in you, If we go deeper into ourselves, we see God. Everything in this world is false: we have to create false things, it’s like technology, we have to keep advancing - it’s too dreary and burdensome. It’s really like a bad perfume that I don't want to wear or smell - I don't want my clothes to reek with bad smell. When you discover who you are, you really find those things as rotten food in your mouth, when you pursue death. When you become a woman, you don't wanna choose friends who remain as little boys, little girls. I think in time, the end in the Revelation is drawing closer and closer. You can see the Prophecy fulfilling everyday. As we grow closer and closer to it, people become more stubborn. But it also makes a lot of people become closer to Him. That’s why you see ISIS people have Christians slaughtered. But people will come to God in a way that’s so intense, so real, when facing their death, it doesn't matter - because you can't kill my soul. We die on this Earth but our spirit lives on. Things will get worse, even worse. But God is greater, things will get better. A lot more people will get in closer relationship with Him. The 12 apostles did not die peacefully. What you have is to end in peace: you know where you’re going to be, what your life is going to be like. The flesh is fading anyway, so big deal that you’re gonna get persecuted. So pain is painless to them, it encourages you to carry on your relationship with God. So unfortunately it will get worse. People who do come to God will have a real genuine relationship with God. You either have one with God or you don't. With prosecution, you will have a stronger relationship with God, so much stronger in you, so much deeper in you. My moral for life is the word of God. Because it is practical, it’s spiritual, it is not faulty. If you find it faulty it’s because you rejected [it], it convicts you of things you should not be doing. So for me, my moral code is the Bible. I don't necessarily pick it up and go "oh wow, I’ll follow this." What is in the Bible will make sense to you, when other people may not through conviction; you find things that apply to you, you know how it sits in your spirit; and when you’re on the conviction, it’s hard to go against it. When God speaks to you in His word, it’s hard to go against [them], because it’ll be going against everything that’s who you are. We are born in sin. It means that, until God calls us into salvation through His son, we don't have the spiritual understanding of who He is until He calls us into relationship with Him. That means we are inclined to sway away because that’s who we are. The son’s choice in the Book of Mark: He was genuine that He wanted to go live his life, and he was redeemed, and it’s the greatest story of Redemption. It’s beautiful because even though we stray, we have the opportunity. What's interesting about that is the adversary. Paul knows so many people who’d gone that way. He was so damaged that he thought, “there was no salvation for me”. It took interference [from] God for Paul to turn around. God is greater, He will bring you back in such a great way that what Satan did before did not matter. What Paul did was so legalistic, but with grace - it's amazing how God works like that. People no, only God determines that. He’s able to do everything. It takes faith: it takes trusting when you go on an air plane to go afar - you trust the pilot. How can trust towards God be so limited in men? That’s foolishness. Because what power does men have? I don't understand it when men come to so love themselves and money. Like after an 8 point something earthquake - do you call upon men or do you call upon God? God exists. We wanna keep indulge ourselves in our sin. Until impossible situations, man is foolish until God gives greater purpose for himself. Some of wonderful Christians who were once before atheists, and now they found God and how God has used them all these years of non-belief to make it so powerful - to make him commit to Life at last. It’s all a blindfold that Satan, the adversary, put on our faces. We just work around believing in superficial things. It really takes God to remove that superficiality from our lives. And that’s what you pray for, so that they may have a chance to live a life that God wants [you] to live; and you pray for yourself - without being affected by them. Manifestations of God is in his Bible. His words manifest in reality, in practicality. And it takes the Holy Spirit in you - the spiritual eyes - to see the manifestations. God is deep. God’s blessed us with knowledge, but there’s so much more to God. When you meet God, you grasp how awesome He is, an amazing power that’s all Him. He humbles you by His presence. When you meet your Creator, you don't go “Hi!” You go,”Wow! Wow! Wow! Wow!” You don't say it standing up. You just completely lose yourself. For me, I've had these encounters in recluse. God is not loud. The devil is loud - but he is very subtle - He’s not the horned, red devil: He came to Adam and Eve, God said, "you shouldn’t eat that but...” So he’s very subtle. God is very quiet, very soft. And all you know is “Wow...Wow..Wow...” I would take the moment and just thank Him. The first thing came into mind is pray, pray. “Thank you.” He’s with you and He manifests Himself. I don't imagine the Buddha appears to people, or for whatever belief system. But I've passed the stage of criticizing people. At the very start, I was so raw, so “Wow!” I was quite wowed! You know? But He refines you, pushes you to the far. I’m getting to the stage now where I’m more sympathetic with people. When I see situations where people point their fingers, I just pray for them, pray for leaders in the world. It’s good to let them know what the Bible says, but at the same time, you need to ask God for his power, to grant power to guide them. And also you need to pray for protection for God’s power so you don't become affected by them. What would you do when you encounter an antagonistic atheist? Everyday, every morning, I pray for God’s manifestations. I study the Word so that gives me background information and knowledge. Whoever I encounter, wherever God wants to reveal them, it happens. What I know is not my idea, it’s what God wants. My duty is to read His words, study His words, pray to Him, and the way He speaks to me is different from how He will speak to them. The worst of evil is when you believe what you’re doing is right. Religious evil begins with ourselves. When you don't read the Bible with the Spirit, it’s applied in the wrong context. And the story goes on and on. God has used me in terms of His change in me and refining me. So what comes out of me is more of Himself and less of me. I see that, as a person, He uses me to be supportive, affirmative, prayerful, in so many ways that I myself would not do as nearly, in ways I would not pursue in the past. I see Him using me in a positive light. And it’s nothing to do with me, I don't say “I...I...I...” It’s not me, I'm not capable. Narrowly, I'm quite selfish and self-absorbed. But with Him it’s like a great weight lifting off your shoulder. It’s really burdensome to carry “Me, me me”. When He moves in you, you really don't think about “I, I, I”. Your language changes, He honours you, because you’re in a much better life than you’ll ever be. Beauty is repugnantly ugly. But when He comes in and beautifies you, it really becomes more beautiful than ever. If you look into the mirror, you really just make yourself tidy. Wherever God takes me now, amongst people close to me, I think His light is the light that sees, His liberation is the light that feels. He touches them in me, through me. The source of any strong idea, anything meaningful, is God. But you have to be willing to want that, as opposed to man-made idea about what is good. It doesn't mean that you'll have to become someone that reads the Bible. It can be wherever he uses you: It can be a street-fighter, someone in the entertainment world, someone in psychology. Wherever He uses you, God can use you greatly in that area. It’s just allowing Him from within to come in, and fill in all those gaps that you try to fill, that none of us can fill. It’s not just a life of mediocrity, it isn't. All of us have been given gifts, when it comes to relationship with God. It sounds nice to hear someone sing, it sounds nice but when you sing with God, it’s like a mountain has been broken down. We become greater if we allow God to come in and release His glory. God glorifies us by revealing Himself through us. And that’s the greatest life you could ever live. Who would ever consider Paul mediocre? Or Moses that led the israelites mediocre? Or Josh that led the army? Or King David? Or Abraham at his age? They wouldn't be considered mediocre if they had a force behind them.
0 Comments
What makes you happy the most? Music; when I dance; when I achieve success in something that I do at work -- I love my job -- when I hear the girls saying to me, “I passed my exam! Thank you very much for training me!” It makes me happy. “Mission accomplished! Yes!” I do have a big part of my life and that is dancing: A nice song, having a good connection with the person I’m dancing with, close my eyes, have a good time. Listening to songs just takes me away, it’s just in here - my entire soul is absorbed, I can imagine myself dancing. And because of the lyrics of the song, the rhythm and the beat - nothing can attain me, Now, capoeira is a really big part of my life: it can make me sad and happy, because it’s so important to me that I care so much! When we had a great class, and if I was not in a super good mood when I arrived at class, as soon as we started doing the Ginga - the fact that all the students were in sync in their movements, and the music was so loud - you get into the trance. I had that moment and that look on my face, that I was happy! And when we do the music class, when the energy of the music is good and instruments are pumping, that just makes me happy. So I guess, overall - music! If I think of work, it’s all about the visual -- if I see something, I’ll do it. But audio -- it’s very important. For our capoeira classes, we say: “Teach as if to do the blind.” What you say have to make sense even to people who can’t see. I do believe that in the artistic world, people will understand something when they look at it. With capoeira as well, you gotta look at someone, see how it’s done. But the audio is more in the music, the trance. I call it a trance because when I listen to music, such as salsa or any dancing music - it is music that equals moving my body to it. As I’m moving into the music, conscious of only certain parts of the body and what the body is doing, but I’ll be completely unconscious of what’s around me. Capoeira can be a big exercise. We have been training quite militarily, trying to get our resistance up, sometimes try to continue without even water. If we end up in a game in which we can’t last, we’re going to lose our focus. At the beginning of the class, we’d do 10 minutes of movements, then for 45 minutes from the time we start, we’ll be moving the whole time. 45 minutes later, which is usually after 10 songs - 6 songs if we’re lucky - we’ll repeat the same kick, and then do another kick, and another kick... So many that at some stage, your body’s sore and painful, but you also have the birimbao and the instruments pumping so loud around you, you have so much echo in the room, at some stage, you’d only hear the music, steps, people counting, their heavy breathing. And all you can feel is the breathing, plus the pain; and you want it to stop, you pray for the music to finish, but then you don’t even care if the music doesn’t finish - you’re gone - you’re beyond the pain, you become stronger - it doesn’t even hurt anymore, you can’t feel the pain. Afterwards I would think to myself: “Oh my god, I love capoeira, it’s so good!” That makes me happy! It’s so satisfying, I can’t explain it. Salsa - I miss it, but capoeira is probably why I haven’t danced for such a long time. I’m absorbed in capoeira, I love it, it's so good. We do take things for granted. We take our master for granted. We would complain, “Oh it hurts... He doesn’t care... It’s painful...” But when we went to Australia for the congress where he was the invited as the guest, Pererez did a workshop where he trained everyone that way. And for us it’s normal. and he was quite kind: the song wasn’t too long. At the end of that song, he told us to keep our breath - which is lucky - we don't get to have that usually to keep our breath. And because of the way Pererez was answering questions that were asked to him, people looked at him like “He’s great!”. So I thought: Don’t take him for granted. Because of it, even when injured, I would still go to class - because I respect him. That’s why I would feel bad if I can’t live up to his expectations. I hated the capoeira uniform, I don’t ever feel comfortable in it. But now, everytime I put my abada on - the capoeira pants that hold the belt - I’m proud, and I’ll be like, “Right! Let’s do this!” It’s not just what I wear - it has meaning to me. It’s no more my master is also my flatmate, it’s “He is my master”, and I’ll just say. “Yes, Master”. Sometimes I may feel like it’s unjustified, but I know he’s the one with the knowledge. If it’s “Yes”, it’s yes; if it’s “No”, it’s no - it’s his rule, it’s his castle. When I go to class and put my abada on, I give honor to what he says. Now, for the next question... The answer is Chocolate! Hahaha What do you think of Wellington? Do you really wanna get me to talk about Wellington. It’s gonna be 5 million interviews. Wellington: it’s home. I’m planning on leaving it, and I will come back. But the truth is, you never know. I’m scared that I’m gonna miss Wellington. Coming here, I became who I am. I was a teenager when I came. (I’m still a teenager.) I had to open a power company, look for apartment, sign a lease - I’m out of my parents house, now I gotta go for it. I learnt a new language here. English wasn’t very easy. But it’s also that in Wellington I never felt alone. When I went back to France. it was ok, but I was really glad when I came back here. People are so friendly here. My first friend was Avi, Lloyd Jones’ son. And I remember when I first met Avi, we met on Valentine’s Day. We met at Reading Cinema at the food court. He gave me the NZ big hug. I was still more French then than a Kiwi. Kiss kiss, “la bis” we call it. Avi and I were walking around... He was so open minded, so open to meet someone. He was one of my uncle’s friend’s wife’s cousin. I think he was coming back from travelling. Because we were of the same age, my uncle suggested, “Oh you should meet him!” I used to always say, “Sorry my English isn’t very good.” I was not so sure of everything. But it makes me laugh when he said, “Well, you speak a lot for someone who doesn’t know English very well.” Haha! At the time I was saving so much money: I didn’t know anyone so I would stay home in the weekend. I would visit friends in Australia, I had friends in Bali so I went to visit them... And my best friend came, so we went to Fiji... The Flight Center agent used to call me the Jet Setter: I used to walk in and say, “Hi, I want to go to Bali next week... I want to go to Fiji next week...” Then I started to look for salsa stuff. I was missing dancing. I started meeting people, and that’s it, I had my salsa crew. My first good friends here were Robin, Robert... I did apply to go to Australia to go work there before I joined the salsa community. If it wasn’t for them, I would have went and worked in Australia. I felt really lucky. I was doing so much stuff. When I went home, I saw all my friends - we were still doing same old, same old - and I missed my friends in NZ. I wanted to go to Salsa Drome, I wanted to go get dumplings, have bubble tea, go out on Sundays and go shopping, go to supermarket at 10pm - in France I couldn’t do that. I wanted to just walk down the Terrace, if I feel like it, and go to the market... and see the sea! I wanted to look at the sea on one side, and on the other side, look at the hills! Have the blue and the greens... Having lived in NZ, I found Paris so beautiful. The city was dirty but, I found that for the first time, I paid attention to things when I went back there. I’m more aware, since I’m in Wellington, about the environment, and nature, about how everything we do affects it. People are a bit more conscious here. It’s nicer, feeling less threatened by the foreign, I became so open-minded here. I have friends from China, India, Brazil, Mexico... In France, you have people from overseas, but I haven’t been exposed so much before in France. I love the size of Wellington. I love that there’s lots of things going on. Even though now I tend to do less things socially, I go out less; I’ll go to the same places, enjoy doing the same things. It’s definitely people that I love. The easy way... chilled out... And the Sunday Market: I love going to the Sunday Market and walk all the way to Oriental Bay and back... And there’s always these little tiny restaurants and cafes everywhere. It’s also that I’m having less regiments. When I arrived, you would not make me go to KK Malaysia for food. It doesn't look dodgy to me anymore, but I would never go to Newtown restaurants. The other day when I was driving through Newtown, I was like, “Aw my little Newtown...” Just being nice to people is what changed for me as well. When I went home, at the supermarket, when I was paying the bills, I asked the lady at the cashier, “Hey, how you doing? How’s your day?” And the lady was like I was asking for her purse! And even my best friend was like, “Why the fuck did you ask that?” Here, we would be like, “How’s your day? How you doing?” We would just ask simply, “How’s your day?” Wellington - so many stuff! Professionally, I became a more independent hairdresser. Although I learnt in France where I was a senior stylist doing things on my own, but I just came out of school. Here, I was really senior. I worked and gained lots of experience. As a teacher, I am able to work in the artistic team in the best merchandise chain. I have a good spot, I have to say. There may not be any moving further up. In that role, it’s the role. You could become the manager and work at the head office, but I’m not someone who would work in the office. I don’t want to deal with being a boss. Now I think, actually, I would love to have a business and make good money - you just need to be taught, detach the artistic, the emotional, the doing... See? I’m getting there. Wellington has helped me appreciate me as myself, as me! Actually, I think I’m fucking awesome! Hahaha! And it’s not been an easy journey. I made good encounters, good friends - real friends. I know that there will be people, with whom, if I go and come back in 10 years, we never know where we’ll be, and I know there’s that bond and it’s quite strong. I don’t just consider these people my friends. it’s my family. There are people who know me more than my family, than my friends in France, who became different people. I became more of a woman here, and more confident with myself - on the professional side, social side, relationship side... It was hard - I learnt so much. I met so many people that are so amazing. So many! I learnt how to do nothing as well in NZ, which is hard. I need to be socially involved with people. If people don't hear from me, I feel restricted sometimes. Now I enjoy times with myself - hard, but getting there. Yeah...I just met amazing people, and doing stuff with them, enjoying walking up the hill and see the sea, and just chilling, just sitting on the bench at Oriental Bay... I got my Spanish back. I met capoeira. Capoeira met me... Yeah, just incredible people. Even French people as well, with whom when we went back home, just hanging out, it was so cool! Just connecting with people, just feeling like I belong to a group and we belong to each other. And I’m gonna miss them very much. I love Scopa and Duke Carvell’s hot chocolate. I love Oriental Thai. I love the bathroom downstairs in Museum Hotel. I love just walking around Wellington. Embassy theatre - how beautiful is that movie place! I love the film festival - so much going on! I love when, right, I’m gonna go to that party next week, and I have nobody to go with me but I don’t care, coz when I go, I know all the people there. (But sometimes Wellington’s too small...) Bohemian said to me the other day, “Always arrive fashionably late and leave fashionably early.” The more I’m thinking about Wellington, the less I want to go home to Paris. Sandy has moved back to France, and is now living in Paris. She is still dancing. collecting wisdom
|