What can I do?

We arrived in Australia 15 months ago after a 2 year trip on our catamaran sailing between Cape Town and Brisbane. After spending time finding our marks in a new country and running around for few months sorting out visa issues, the kids are now going to school and I am in need to do something with my free time, preferably earning some money at the same time. A job seems the right solution, right? But which job?

During this amazing sailing experience, I was wearing few hats. I was the co-skipper doing my normal shift which consisted of a 3 hours watch 4 times a day. I was also the teacher of my three kids (now 6, 9 and 11). I used a corresponding teaching system which helped tremendously by structuring the content of each subject. However I was the one supervising the kids work and ensuring that their lessons were understood and learnt. I was also, like most land mothers, in charge of the “pink jobs” of cooking, cleaning and washing up clothes and boat. On a reassuring note I am not blaming Greg, the captain, as he was in charge of the boat maintenance and all the admin when we arrived in a new country.

On board, I also learnt so many new things, from adapting easily in all kind of situation and countries, using our modern technologies to post news regularly on our travel blog or provisioning the boat with healthy food for 6 months.

So I could say that I have exceptional organisational skills, strong written and verbal communication skills and I am able to multitask and prioritise.

In fact, I am not a sailor! I am a marine biologist by training. I did a PhD in France studying the ecology and the biology of the jellyfish. I went sampling at sea, I did fun experiments feeding jellyfish, I analysed a huge amount of scientific data and I went to international conferences to share my results and gain more knowledge. As I wanted to pursue my research in another country, I was delighted when the project I wrote about studying jellyfish around South Africa was financed through a cooperation agreement.

So, I suppose, I can tick the boxes tertiary qualification, did demonstrate a high level of management skills or willing to take on challenging work, with a drive to deliver outcomes.

It is in Cape Town that I met the one who is now my husband and who, easily, convinced me to stay in South Africa longer than my grants allowed me. I found some new funds and continued to go on cruises and feed my adorable “jelly pets” even during the week-ends.

While I was breastfeeding my second child during a conference that I had organized, I thought that I would love to do something “more useful” and less theoretical. I then switched to science teaching and spent 5 years enjoying the spontaneity of kids aged between 8 and 18 and their joy when they understood the complex scientific principles. I had fun being creative about various projects which were hands on and related to todays’ concerns such as environment, health, etc.

This could be summarized by saying that I have a positive approach and passion for my work with the ability to manage my projects effectively, within time and budget. I am also willing to do extra hours.

And now, after all these experiences, here I am, looking for a job for the last 6 months, ticking most of the boxes and not even getting one interview. As there are no jellyfish positions available and because I don’t hold a proper teaching degree, I have the feeling that my qualifications and experiences are just useless and that I might have wasted my time. Am I too atypical? Too far away from the normal standards? I have been sending hundreds of resumes, after a certain number it was too depressing to count, writing letters proving that I had all the demanded criteria and contacting various companies dealing for example with environmental and scientific issues. I even offered to volunteer for different institutions (eg Marine Parks or the Queensland Museum) but even these queries were rejected. New studies could be a solution but not being an Australian citizen it represents a financial investment that I can’t afford right now.

In the meantime, I have my words to keep me company, my eyes to watch our world swirling and lots of stories that I would like to share. I am still filling up merlinsvoyage blog with pictures and content and I am having fun doing it. I am doing contract work in a field which is really not mine but it gives me back some lost confidence and might lead to something else at a later stage.

Un week-end tout en douceur

Il y a le week-end une certaine effervescence a la marina. Les gens s’afferent, reparent/entretiennent leur bateau, briquent les inox et recoivent a bord. Nous n’echappons pas a la regle et les 2 premieres heures du samedi matin sont en general attribuees au rincage du pont et au brossage des jupes arrieres. Parfois (si pas trop chaud) on pousse jusqu’a un peu de polissage de coques. Nous etions aussi invite a diner chez nos voisins les Totems samedi soir. Le reste du week-end fut encore plus tranquille avec lecture, jeux et rejeux. Ainsi, sans nous en rendre vraiment compte, nous voila deja dimanche soir.

Je profite de cette note pour revenir un peu sur l’escrime qui demarre nos fins de semaine. C’est apparement bien plus un defi pour moi que pour les enfants. Ils y vont simplement et naturellement. Le fleuret a beau etre de la taille de Clea, elle le manipule avec aisance et confiance (attention en face). Victor et Felix s’exercent dans leurs attaques et leurs parades avec facilite. Et moi, je reflechis... L’escrime est un sport d’agilite, de concentration et d’endurance. Apres un peu plus d’un mois, je n’en suis pas encore a tout gerer et c'est bien motivant. Il me semble pour l’instant que tout est terriblement technique. J’ai maintenant bien assimile la position de garde et j’absorbe doucement les caracteristiques des differentes positions de l’arme et des deplacements. Le francais etant la langue officielle de ce sport, je devrais avoir un avantage. Mais lorsqu’il faut decripter les noms (ex la quinte, la quarte, l’octave, …)  prononces avec un accent australien cela devient plus complexe! C’est un peu comme decouvrir une nouvelle langue avec ses gestes associes. J’apprends sans doute plus lentement que les enfants, mais tous les quatre nous avons grand plaisir a commencer ainsi nos week-ends.

Felix is playing with the rhymes

The Menu

I felt hungry

Oh what a pity

I went passed a doorway

Then I heard him say

“Which way?”

It was a poor door like a doorway which was crying.

“What’s the problem? Are you shouting?”

I asked “What! I am not flying or standing?”

Said the doorway “Want to go thru?”

“First, what’s your name?” I asked – “Mu!”

He replied

Like he lied

How could I resist, I was so hungry

Why was Mu crying? May be I was scary?

So I went 10m back and then I was running thru

I was running to a black and red table with a menu

I sat down, looked at the menu then I felt

Something pointy on my head, like a belt

Then I heard him say “Hi or bye, look I can fly!”

High like a pie, my mouth cannot lie neither did I

Lie or say goodbye “said a dancing dog

Hey, do not call me a red log!”

Our little princess is 6 today!

Happy birthday!!

And the chocolate cake shared with our friends from Mowgli

Update on Sunday, March 4, 2012 at 9:43PM by Admin

Endless birthday! For the first time Clea had a birthday party with some friends! The rain gave us a welcoming break betwen 3-6pm yesterday, perfect to have, like planned, her party in the park.

More cakes and presents! What a birthday!

Superstitions a bord

C’est sans doute en cherchant un responsable pour les naufrages, les maigres prises de poisson ou le mauvais temps que les marins sont devenus aussi superstitieux. Des siècles se sont ecoules depuis la naissance de toutes ces croyances. Pourtant ces legendes persistent et continuent de se transmettre.  

Meme a bord de Merlin, on suit certaines de ces traditions, pas toutes, mais quelques unes. Ainsi Merlin n’a pas ete mis a l’eau un vendredi. Il a bien recu une petite douche de champagne lorqu’il a touche l’ocean (mais pas en cassant la bouteille directement sur la coque : notre constructeur avait trop peur d’abimer le gelcoat). De meme, nous avons evite au maximum de quitter un port ou un mouillage un vendredi (du moins lorsqu’il s’agissait d’une traverse de plusieurs jours). Les conditions meteo ne rendaient pas forcement cette regle facile a respecter et  nous ne l’avons fait qu’une fois, au depart des Tongas …Nous sommes partis un vendredi vers 19h et a 20h nous avons subi un grain vraiment impressionnant : le seul de toute la traversee.

Il y a ensuite “l’animal aux grandes oreilles” qui n’est jamais appele par son vrai nom. Il a ete surnomme  “grandes oreilles” et bien sur le cousin du lievre. Nous avons explique la raison de ce tabou aux enfants et ils sont sans doute les plus respectueux de cette croyance. Clea est d’ailleurs bien ennuyee lorsqu’elle doit pronnoncer son nom lors de ses eveluations du Cned.

Et puis, il y a “l’ame du bateau”.  On parle de son bateau comme d’une personne et on est tres (mais vraiment tres) sentimental. Malgre le “she” anglais approprie pour les navires, Merlin est masculin et on pourrait le decrire comme un bateau “comprehensif” et “attentionne” .

En fait, on croit aux supersititions qui nous conviennent et on se contente d'oublier les autres (ex pas de femme a bord!). Est-ce alors bien de la superstition?