Howdy stranger...

So I know, it's been ages since I last wrote.

I went to a Mediation course last week and it was all about learning how to gently push, softly softly encourage people into reaching compromises and resolving their hefty disputes. There was lots of role playing and acting and the most comprehensive meals I've ever encountered. Our food breaks went something like this: 8:30 am: tea and coffee. 10am: pastries and tea and coffee. 1 pm: sandwiches, pasta, quiche, cheese and crackers + dried fruit. 3 pm: Tim Tams and coffee.

Heifer and blimp, I tell you. You could not have fit in any more food if you tried. By the end of it my jeans were so tight that the fly kept slipping down, and I had to resort to wearing a super long black singlet to keep the busted gap out of sight. Out of sight, out of mind, says I. Although I did resume my Zumba workouts today.

It suffices to say that Miss Tiny, Makari, Mr Russia and I were in Severe Food Depression Land this morning when we realised that this awesome regimented meal plan was no longer. Miss Tiny sent around a remorseful email wailing for the 10 am snack and we all shared our condolences.

Besides the daily food soiree, I think we all learnt a lot.

What I found most intriguing was the spread of people. There was us, 4 mid twenty-somethings, cheeping like lost birds and laughing openly when things got uncomfortable and nerve-wracking. There were the 50 + year old fella who, still stuck in the habit of his senior office role, turned up in his starched shirts and plush, silver ties. There was the worldly and serious Tribunal member, with kind, inquiring eyes, who was also in his mid forties and pronounced "Mediator Extraordinaire" after only two days of learning. There was the the table of ex-private law firm lady lawyers turned child rearers, serious in their learning and appreciative of the opportunity. There was the rogue cowboy with the gravelly voice whose inflection remained even as he contributed to the brainstorming sessions and on day 1, flirted openly with one of the ex-private lady lawyers. And so many more.

I thought that the older participants wouldn't get nervous doing all this self-conscious role play business. I thought they'd have weathered life, been thrust into every possible situation, learnt everything you could possibly learn and be self assured and unshakeable. It was somehow reassuring to see that the older set get nervous too. The guy with the silver tie always looked so in control, and when we spoke later he admitted that his heart had been beating like crazy. I told him that I assumed he wouldn't be bothered by this kind of thing because he looked so experienced and he found my assumptions pretty funny.

Like Miss Glamela tells me, it's all about being taught to act a certain way and show a certain side. Underneath, everyone's just the same.