Signing Off, But Not Before a Video and Essay of Thanks!

As a part of the Share the Mission debrief, we were asked to come up with a ten minute presentation about our year and of course, I skimmed through the letter of instruction and completely misread everything. I perceived it to be an individual presentation but instead it was a group activity, and I was fortunate that the guys were a little bit more organised than myself. However, it seems like a fitting video to show at the conclusion of my Share the Mission and Balgo journey and proved to be quite an intriguing method of reflection as I once again fought with Windows Media to compile this production. Sure, it's a little corny at times but I think it sums up the year pretty well and has like a million memories in a sweet little ten minute film, pretty dandy if I do say so myself. So sit back and enjoy the short compilation of photos, quotes and the wacky and wonderful memories I have been lucky enough to enjoy during the year.

I suppose this is a fitting opportunity to wrap up the blogging experience. Having been home for over a week now, I'm surprised at how easy it has been to fit back in to routine. Of course, this does not extend to driving on roads with more than two cars and must admit I have gotten frazzled more than once in such a high speed environment, the worst incident to date being when I attempted to get into the city. Currently, it’s quite difficult discerning directions and lanes but I’m sure I’ll get used to it all eventually.

Although I miss Balgo, I am enjoying all the luxuries that come with city living. I must disclose that I have eaten more than my fair share of homemade and takeaway food, all the things I’ve missed of course, but with so many people telling me I’ve lost weight (HA! The scales DO lie!) I’m feeling alright about it. Plus, sunset in Perth is about 7.30pm, probably an hour and a half later than Balgo so more time to go for quite vigorous walks and jogs around the suburb. It also helps that around this time, everyone is cooking the most lovely smelling barbecues and the wafting smells of everyone’s dinners motivates me to get home faster and enjoy my own food.

Christmas is in full swing and I have almost completed my present shopping. The only thing I haven’t brought is my brothers, which is going to be a fish and I’m having trouble figuring out how to keep a fish alive and hidden, plus wrapped safely before Christmas Day. I’m sure I’ll figure something out, but as long as the cats don’t get to it I’m all good. Having so much variety to choose from is something I’m also not used to and I certainly pride all the Luurnpa staff for their amazingly diverse Kris Kringle presents at the Christmas Party. With only one shop to choose stuff from, everyone did really well!

So while life may appear to be back to normal, I know that this experience has changed my life forever and things will always be just that little bit different. I have developed independence, a different attitude towards the world, know how to cook (impressed the parentals the other day, woo!) am cleaning just a little bit more and taking pride in my possessions (namely my room, quite clean now) and now know for certain what direction my future will take. After seven years at university, I’m looking forward to pursuing a career in remote medicine, possibly even joining the Royal Flying Doctors if someone can discover a permanent cure for motion sickness in the near future. However, I hope resources are put into more severe illnesses than that of course, we can all cope with Kwells and brown paper bags.

This year would not have happened without the support and help of so many people and I’m going to list as many as I can, hopefully without excluding anyone.

Firstly, to my Mum and Dad. They both supported my decision from the beginning and saw the experiences of spending a year in Balgo as a positive and something I should do. Of course, it couldn’t have been easy for them to see me off for a year and I truly appreciate them letting go, just for a little bit. More importantly was the constant support while I was in Balgo, especially when I rang up with a problem or just needed to talk. They would be ready to talk no matter where they were and I cannot thank them enough for basically keeping me sane through some pretty messy times. Plus, even though I complained (and rejoiced) over the amount of lollies that were been sent up, in a dry community after a hard, HARD day at the office, they were the next best thing to come home to. The toiletries also kept me feeling like a female and despite the fact that I’d buy a lot online, Mum always managed to post up those little extras that I overlooked or decided were wasted in the desert. Turns out, nothing is wasted in the desert and anything that keeps you feeling good is a definite pro. Although Dad came out to do some work for the school in October, I really appreciated him making the massive journey out to the middle of nowhere and it was amazing to be able to share in my experiences with him, knowing that when I got home, there would be someone to actually appreciate what I saw and did. You have no idea how important that is! When people ask how the year was, there is no way I can sum it up in a sentence. However, people like Dad who have gone up can appreciate it as I do and that’s a truly special bond. Mum also made me look forward to her essay length comments in response to every blog post, making me laugh almost every time I read them!

My brother and sister were also very supportive and cool with the fact that I missed out on a lot of their lives over the past year, including some pretty awesome milestones like my sister passing her driving test and my brother getting promoted in cadets. They also managed to cram some pretty quirky things into my many care packages, the most memorable including a dream catcher my sister and I had fought over for a month before I left (I wanted to take it, she wouldn’t let me so essentially I won when it was posted up, BAM CASS!) and four metres of rolled up liquorice that AJ wanted me to eat by myself and tell him how long it took. I don’t remember the exact time but I am embarrassed to admit it wasn’t that long a time. They also withstood a lot of ‘how is Steph going’ questions which would have gotten really, REALLY annoying after a while, but they seemed to make the most out of it with some pretty random answers at times.

All my grandparents and my Aunty Cathy were also very supportive, reading my blog and ringing up for a chat. My Nonna also kept me waiting every Saturday for the weekly update with more than often included some local gossip that I came to crave. The care parcels with plenty of tiny teddies, peanut butter, Ferrero Rochers and cooking books were very much appreciated and the latter can very much be attributed to the increased cooking ability. I was also super doped (local lingo for really happy, I’m not a drugie) when my grandfather, at 84 years of age got FACEBOOK and kept in contact over that with me. That was awesome and made my day when I got a friend request from him.

So many of my friends made the effort to keep in regular contact and I felt bad at times when I wasn’t in a social mood and neglected to ring them for quite some time. However I loved the times we’d just be able to chat for hours at a time and that really made my day. My students and I also got great use out of the many care parcels that were posted up by Sara and Chloe and they definitely made my week when a mysterious parcel arrived in my pigeon hole on a random Friday. Special thanks to those two just mentioned, plus Susan, Sarah and Jess for the constant phone calls catching me up on the local happenings and just keeping me company for a little bit.

My former school, La Salle College was also super supportive in my adventure, and I am stoked to be able to work for the boarding house next year, especially with some of my Balgo students. Specific staff were also very influential in gaining me the position in Balgo and I would like to thank Mr. Bull and Ms. Keating for taking the time to write my written references, and Ms. Keenan and Mr. Martino for being my phone references. I’m assuming they said some nice things about me because my application, with their help was a success so thanks! I would also like to thank Mr. Bull for some very good advice via email, Ms. Calleja for a pretty awesome care package in first term, Ms. Reger for her support and Mr. Calleja and Ms. McGregor for lugging some of my stuff home during their visit late in Term 4. I apologies for not being able to thank you in person. Super thanks to Ms. McKay for sending up some really great basketball shirts that I was able to use as farewell gifts for my class; the kids absolutely loved them!

There are also a lot of people I have to thank in Balgo. Most importantly, Jenny and Jim who were like my parents away from home and were always there when I needed them. Jenny was also great fun to work with and I couldn’t have picked a better class to work in. Primary C was so much fun and I loved the students, especially because they were always so well behaved when the amazing Ms. Jenny was in the room! The De La Salle Brother Community consisting of Brother Rick, Brother Marty, Brother Lou and Brother Michael were also incredibly accepting of our presence in their lives and I fully understand that having an eighteen year old female hanging around would have been quite a bit weird. Brother Rick as Principal of Luurnpa proved to be a great work supervisor and during the holidays took us on some pretty memorable trips, things I am truly thankful for. Brother Lou and Marty spent about two months taking us out every Sunday to all the sights and sounds around Balgo (until we ran out of things to see which was a real shame), and I really enjoyed those little trips. And Brother Michael took me out with the women a few times, the first being my first weekend in Balgo and that was truly awesome. I cannot thank them enough for everything. The staff of Luurnpa were also incredibly supportive and were amazing friends and colleagues. I thought it would be a little straining living and working with the same people but somehow, the Luurnpa community made it work and there were some pretty memorable weekend dinners and games nights with everyone. Never before have I met such a lovely and well gelled group of people and I hope I am lucky enough to be a part of such a community again. Father John and the parish volunteers of Vin and Judy and later Michael were also great support and I really enjoyed the Saturday afternoons I spent there doing the Mirli Mirli. Finally, to Henry and Anthony who were such great friends to me in Balgo, thank you. I cannot thank them enough for putting up with my female ways, mood swings for no reasons and constant illness but they always invited me to do things with them and we had some pretty epic Friday and Saturday nights, getting as rowdy as you can in Balgo!

Finally, thank you to La Sallian Youth Ministry for this incredible opportunity, especially to James Camden for putting up with me as my Programme Manager. Not only did he come out and visit us in June but was always there for a phone call, text or email and ensured that everything was done to make sure the placement was going well. It is a very hard job and James does it very well so thank you. Brother Ambrose and Brother John, thank you for your undying support of the program and delivering an opportunity like this to people like me. You have changed my life! Thank you also to the Youth Ministers around Australia, namely Karina, Josh and Simone for their support at orientation and throughout the year and especially to all the other volunteers, Ben, Matt, Eucharist, Chanel, Nat, Tim, Jack Ale and Henry. Thank you for being the only ones that understand my year, and I appreciated sharing the stories we had at debrief knowing exactly what each one of us went through!

Ok so I really hope I haven’t forgotten anyone because that would be awkward, but if I have be sure to comment on this post.

I can’t believe the year is over, but I’m certainly glad it happened. It has made me (hopefully) a better person, more assured in my decision making, about my future and about my life in general. Sure, I have seen the worst of the world and it does make me a little sad to know that despite my security and own happiness, others do not share these comforts, but it makes me a little bit more grateful for my own contentment and I do not take for granted as much as I used to. I have come to accept that things won’t always go my way but hey, that’s life! I have all my arms and legs, fingers and toes, senses and health and despite my scrutinised ginger locks, all is well. As Helen Keller said, Life is either a daring adventure, or nothing. I embarked on a superb adventure and came home a little bit wiser, flying from the comforts of the nest and living in an alien world for a while. And while the world became less alien and more like home over time, I was most certainly still out of my comfort zone. So dare to dream, do the impossible and fly without the fear of falling because you can’t live until you undo the harness.

For now, adios. Thank you to all those who read my blog and for all the comments along the way. It really did make the experience of Balgo so much more enjoyable knowing people were genuinely interested in what I was doing and what I had to say. You were also an incredible support system and I hope you benefited from reading about the middle of nowhere.

Singing out for the last time (actually the first because I don't think I've ever signed out of a blog before, awkward!)

Stephanie Louise

19^th December 2011  



Back in Kansas!

I would like to make it very clear that I had actually attempted to blog a lot earlier, once actually in Darwin Airport when I made very good use of a five hour wait between flights. Then the Wi-Fi died, the file deleted and I was back to square one, knowing very well it was going to be a long post and quite an effort, therefore I’ve only managed to scrounge up enough energy to compile this recent post for you all now, exactly a week since I left Balgo. And looking back, it certainly has been an epic seven days, going from one place to another, to another, to another and finally arriving back in Perth. The year has gone so quick!

After quite a sleepless night on Tuesday doing last minute packing and cleaning, I didn’t want to get up when the sun shone on Wednesday. Probably because there was still a whole heap more cleaning to actually do and I wasn’t keen on having to say goodbye to everyone, but definitely because of the severe lack of sleep over the past few nights. I hung around the house for a while, ensuring that I had paced every one of my belongings stowed around the house, paranoid I would forget something. I have a tendency to pull my suitcase apart looking for an item I know I’ve packed, but am terrified it has been forgotten. Thankfully, nothing like that this time around!

By the time I got to school, the bell was almost about to ring yet only five kids were in school; Joan, Chris, Antonio, Delwyn and Naiomi, all taking advantage of the abundance of lollies and fun stuff Henry and accumulated over the year and was handing out to the kids. They were all pretty happy but by the end of the morning my ears were willing to murder Henry; Antonio had gotten hold of an annoying whistle and was not holding back on his usage! I helped Jenny up with the last minute cleaning and organising of the classroom over the holidays as more kids trickled in. Sharelle almost made me cry when she told me she’d had a dream about me leaving that night only to wake up crying. Aw!!

I don’t know what it was, but I saw the softer side of a few kids that I had clashed with over the year. Believing them to not like me very much, they were the ones that clung to me the most during my last hours in Balgo telling me how much they’d miss me and asking when I’d come back.  It was really cute and made things so much harder when I actually did have to say goodbye. Every kid in the school got a massive hug from me, some holding on too tight and so long that I had to tell them to let go so I could hug the rest of the kids. I was most unimpressed and a little disheartened when I went into Primary B to hug the committed two; Chenille and Irvin. I jumped into the class and announced in a big voice I was leaving and expected hugs, or at least some expression that would indicate I would be missed. Unfortunately not. They barely even looked up from their colouring and I slunk out of the room feeling rather embarrassed and noting the situation to be rather awkward!

We said goodbye to the staff and I was taken aback by how laid back they were with their farewell. It was almost as if they would see me again! We grabbed our bags from home, cleaned up quickly and headed to the airstrip, the unenthusiastic goodbyes making so much sense when we saw the ENTIRE SCHOOL there to greet us and see us off. Of course, we were so very moved and the kids were so excited to be there, running around, hugging and jumping all over us and enjoying the break in routine. There was already a plane there, a small charter to Broome where Sister Nola was headed and we all got excited when another flew in only to discover this was the clinic plane. The kids got a bit over standing around in the heat (38°C) and by the time our mail plane arrived everyone was chanting ‘Get on the plane!’ I was pleased with the size of our aircraft as the bigger it is, the less airsick I get and as we’d be making numerous stops along the way to pick up people and drop of mail, that was a very good thing. Balgo looked very different from up high and I suppose the flight that made me realise that yes, I was leaving! I knew I’d be back but with so much planned for the next few years, I had no idea when this would be. What would it be like in a few years time? Will the kids remember me? I eventually decided it was pointless pondering these things and set myself up to enjoy whatever the future holds.

Our plane is on the right, thank gosh!

We stopped at Mulan, a station west of Billiluna, Halls Creek and then finally reached Kununurra, just as the sun was setting. The flight was very uncomfortable and I got incredibly hot and clammy, at one point stretching out as much as I could to cool down and prevent some epic air sickness. However, the view was amazing. We saw Lake Gregory from the air, passed over an open mine, Halls Creek and Lake Argyle while viewing some beautiful landscape and cloud formations. As you can see, it was all stunning.

Part of Balgo from the air.

Lake Gregory.

Halls Creek,

It was raining everywhere.

An open mine.

Residential Kununurra.

Henry and I, making the very silly choice not to have breakfast this morning were absolutely starving by the time we arrived at the recently renovated Kununurra Airport. But despite some multi-million renovations, there was nowhere to buy food. Don’t ever make the mistake of skipping brekky before flying; it just makes life a whole lot worse! Our forty minute flight to Darwin not only gave us some sustenance in the form of cheese and crackers and also some in flight entertainment as we flew next to a stunning top end lightning show! The lightning in Darwin is weird in an amazing way. It kind of comes down vertical to the land, goes up half way and then stretches horizontal over the horizon. No wonder people get such amazing photos of the NT storms!

Boarding the plane to Darwin.

As soon as we got into Darwin and got our baggage I brought an incredible ham and salad wrap, enjoying not just the food side of the beverage but the salad part. I have really missed that! We had a lot of time just hanging around the airport with our stuff, unable to check in until two hours before our flight and looking kind of weird as we hung out in front of the arrivals cafe with trolleys of bags surrounding us. Eventually, we got through departures and settled into our six our red eye flight to Sydney, enjoying the extra room on a two thirds full flight.

I made the awful mistake of sending all my jeans and warm shirts home in a postal bag and regretted it as soon as landed in Sydney and I spied the miserable weather engulfing the city I was to spend the next three days in. All of a sudden the whole ‘I like the cold’ attitude I had kind of sucked and I just wanted to get all my boots, jeans, jumpers and scarves from Perth just to be able to endure the time I had in the frigid wannabe capital of Australia. However after a quick bite at Maccas, dropping off our bags at the motel and finding my bearings, I hit the shops to do the next best thing to warm me up; shopping!

I spent AGES just wandering around Bankstown Central enjoying the sights, sounds, smells and of course, the abundance of things to purchase. My main aim was to find something to wear on the debrief dinner the next night and eventually put a cute dress and jacket combination together, hopefully stealing the title from my sister of The Most Fashionable. I never understood why she was awarded that prize.

The rest of the time was spent at the office of the De La Salle Brothers were we had a debrief with the other volunteers. I loved hearing their stories, both good and bad knowing that really, they were the only people that would understand my experiences. Friday night came before we knew it and we all dressed up (me bring the only girl, all dolled up) and partied the night away with family and friends. While my own family couldn’t make it to Sydney from Perth, my stand in Sydney family comprised of Ben, Molly, Julia and Adam celebrated with me, supporting me all the way. That’s truly special and I cannot thank them enough for their love and support.

Each volunteer was presented with a beautiful glass plaque signifying the sacrifice and efforts we had put into the year and it was a lovely gift, now displayed proudly in my lounge room. It was bubble wrapped up nice and tight and survived the journey home in one piece, which was awesome. With my flight at 7.20pm Saturday night, I managed to get the train into the city, sweet talked a hotel concierge into letting me hold my bags for a few hours and trekked it to the harbour, my favourite place in Sydney. There is an amazing bar just across from the bridge and below the Opera House called the Opera Kitchen and I arrived just in time for lunch, enjoying the most amazing parmesan and truffle infused chips across from an incredible view. It really was the life! I wandered amlessley around The Rocks markets and George Street, getting into the Christmas spirit when I saw the biggest Christmas tree ever in Martin Place. Oh so Christmassy!

Oh hey there bridge!

This is why I love Sydney; so many random things around!

Martin Place Christmas Tree

Eventually my energy wore out, my comfy shoes became torture and I made my way to the airport and hung out for a while enjoying the travel atmosphere. I love airports, they signify so much and can either be the beginning or the end of a journey. In this case, they were ending one of the most amazing experiences of my life, a downer of course, but I was been returned home to my loving family and friends who I knew would be super excited to have me back...I hoped! The flight was turbulent and quite scary at times but I was able to spread out along two seats once again (I actually have the best luck on planes) and got into Perth right on schedule, greeted by a lunar eclipse!

Bye bye Sydney!

It was amazing to see my family again and see the changes in our home, our pets, our community and each other. My brother has grown up so much and is amazingly tall, my room is completely different, the house is dowsed in Christmas decorations and change is evident all over the small suburb of High Wycombe. I suppose change is evident and its fun good to see it but it takes a bit of getting used to.  

It has been great being home and I apologie for this post taking forever to get to you. This is where the Balgo story ends, for now but I have a few more things to upload so this isn’t the end of the blog yet!

By the way, this is the hundredth post today. Talk about timing!

One Day to Go – Goodbyes, Discos and Massive cards!

I awoke this morning with a funny feeling.  Of course I knew that it was the last full day I’d be spending in Balgo for a while (I saw a while because I know I’ll be back eventually!) but still couldn’t understand why I wasn’t mentally prepared for leaving. It’s almost as if my mind and body are wired to accept a holiday at the end of every term and recognizes that I’m leaving for a short while, but probably are not keeping up with the calendar and realizing that this is for quite some time. Even packing up my room and saying goodbye to everyone today hasn’t fully hit home and I wonder how long into me being back in Perth will I finally realize this year is up.

For the last time this year I served breakfast to the kids and made everyone’s day by giving out milo as well as weetbix/spaghetti. The kids were a bit annoyed when I told them to wait five minutes for breakfast and kept stirring the food, before finally realizing I’d turned the wrong hot plate on. Of course, I made up for this rookie mistake with heaps of extra milo and spaghetti and for lucky Jake, milo milk with his weetbix. Like WOW! Super cool.

The kids knew we were leaving this week, and I had so many asking me when. Chris especially was so persistent with finding out an actual time and I wondered if he was counting down the hours until Balgo was Share the Mission-less and while it cut me deep at first, I realized it was just one of those cute Balgo kid things that can either be super offensive or super cute. I went with the super cute option this time around, especially as he was extra nice to me all day, making up for all those times he was a little too cheeky.

I think it’s probably a good time to be leaving Balgo. The flies are so plentiful it’s impossible to breathe in heavily or with ones mouth open (swallowed two in three days, so gross!), the grasshopper plague is just coming in, the camel is learning how to open our gate and worst of all, the Primary A kids have discovered I am ticklish. It was a very painful mangarri time as I attempted to enjoy some quality time with them all only to be poked and prodded by tiny fingers finding their way into every ticklish spot I knew existed, and some new additions. Never before have I been so glad to hear the school bell!

Teeny tiny finges in ticklish places a second later...the pain!

As this was our final assembly Angela blessed Ale, Henry and myself while the school sung the blessing song over us. Having said goodbye to so many people throughout the year using the blessing song, it being my turn is quite surreal. I thought I’d put the lyrics up, and although I can sing the Kutjaka version I have no idea how to spell the words so will just do the English part.

‘May the blessing of our God be upon you.

The blessing of the father and the son.

And may the spirit of god, the spirit of love,

Be with you all your days’.

 The first verse in English and Kutjaka is sung over those been blessed, and then the last verse in English is sung over everyone. It’s a very special song and as it concludes mass, I usually have it in my head for most of the week, getting rid of it on Friday and picking it up again on Saturday night. At least it’s a nice tune!

Jenny kicked me out of Primary C during the last hour of school and I used the time to wash the bathers and towels of all the kids, as I was closing the pool for the summer that afternoon. The reason for my enforced departure became clear when I opened the door slightly to put something in and Antonio looked at me with wide eyes, jumping an absolute mile before hurriedly covering the piece of paper he was coloring in. He was so funny and cute, but ten minutes when I came back in for good later saw the reason for his surprise and worry about me coming in early. The students had written individual farewell cards and messages for me and stuck them all over a massive piece of card, before drawing around everything and covering the page in stickers and drawings. It was absolutely beautiful!! I was so moved by some of the things the kids had written. Antonio said that the class believed in me (awwww) while Frena apologized for sometimes being too much of a smarty pants and making me grumpy at times. Very sweet. They were stoked when I gave out some basketball shirts donated by Ms. McKay back at La Salle, saying they were ‘so deadly’. Thank you Mc.Kay!

Looking super trendy in their shirts!

My beautiful card <3 now rolled up safely in a mailing tube in my suitcase.

After some frantic packing and cleaning I trekked across the road to the school hall for the final disco of the year. It was the first time we had had it inside for the year and it worked a lot better, especially as the kids were all contained in one small area and the disco lights shone off every wall giving the ultimate disco experience. A whole heap of glow sticks were given out and of course the kids went crazy for those, making all sorts of cool things out of them. Shania even made a super cool flower with Lily, totally better than anything I used to make when I was their age. It was so great seeing heaps of the kids at the disco that I hadn’t seen at school during the day and a time for me to say my final farewells. I’ll miss them all incredibly!

 

Francis, Jean Claude and Danielle enjoying the fresh air.

Urla on the monkey bars.

(Panning. Mr Gill would be so proud of my skills!)

Jayden, Isaac and Renelle.

Such a cool flower!

Jake on the monkey bars just as the sun sets.

Dinner with the Brothers officially concluded the year in Balgo and we were bid goodbye with a lovely blessing Brother Lou wrote. Finishing with a lovely dinner really was the way to go and Lou really did provide us with an amazing and delicious feast, fit for kings. I’ll very much miss our ritualistic Tuesday night dinners with the Brothers; what an inspirational and wise group of men!

The plane tickets are printed, the bags are almost packed, left over clothes and food are ready to give out to the community and post is ready to be sent. I think we’re almost ready to go, physically, but mentally I don’t know when we’ll ever be ready. It’s providing to be harder getting the brain to fully comprehend that yes, I’ll be gone this time tomorrow but hopefully it kicks into gear soon. I cannot believe that this is my last post from Balgo. Who knows what exotic place/airport I’ll write from next?!

Two Days to Go – Presentations, Presents and Pearls

Things are coming to a close and with this the last week of school, exhaustion is dotting the faces of every teacher, classes are stripped bare as work is handed back to students and kids are bouncing around as Christmas is tossed casually into every conversation. It makes me glad to be finishing with the year as I feel a part of the finalities and the celebrations that come with the end of a school year. It has been amazing working with students from basically the beginning of 2011 to now, being able to see their improvement and the people they are growing into.

I commemorated the relationships I have had with the Primary C class especially as I wrote personal messages in each of their Christmas cards. As most of the kids were here when Santa came, we included a class photo with the big man, as well as an individual picture of them receiving their present and with candy canes attached and messages from both Jenny and I written inside, the students all found them quite special. I am amazed by the leaps and bounds each and every child has made and it is pleasing to know that despite my lack of qualifications when it comes to teaching, I facilitated a small percentage of their achievements. Now I can see why teaching is such a rewarding career!

Luurnpa had their Semester 2 reports handed out today as well as a community mass and awards presentation. Just as La Salle had their Presentation night at the Convention Centre last night, Luurnpa did it in a similar fashion, but Balgo style. Out on the grass, everyone was chilled and enjoyed the light summer air while the younger non-school aged kids ran around the playground, stomachs rumbling as the smoke from the sausage sizzle cooking wafted over. It was a very pleasant and enjoyable evening and a great way to not only wrap up the year but thank Mama Kankarra for the good times and congratulate the children who have proven to be outstanding students.

Father John celebrated mass first up, with Frena and Alex serving as altar servers. Apparently Frena was the first female altar server the Balgo church had had in a while and she was greatly honored to break the drought. The sun was just setting over the school as mass was begun and the cool breeze made the whole ceremony very pleasant. I love the outdoor masses in Balgo. In such a beautiful place, it makes so much sense to give thanks outside and with nature.

Frena and Alex.

Julian, Kailas, Me, Charles and Moses.

 

The children receiving blessings.

After mass Brother Rick bid farewell to a few staff members who were leaving, including Henry and me. I hadn’t realized this was going to happen and was rather on the spot when asked to make a few words, but luckily I always have something to say and despite a few awkward pauses when my brain failed to keep up with my mouth, all was well. I received a lovely card, signed by all the children who were in school today, so beautiful it nearly made me cry. Their childish handwriting and crayon letters have been taken for granted up until this point and I believe it’s probably finally hitting me that I will be home this time next week, back into the hustle and bustle of city life. Hopefully I have come to appreciate the serenity and laid back nature of the desert, because after Year 12 and before I begin Uni, I believe it to be exactly what the doctor ordered!

The presentation ceremony concluded the night. Awards were given to students in each year who showed the most improvement, who were the best academically and who were the most kind and caring. In Primary C, Danielle and Frena very deservingly received academic awards, Julian and Sharelle received citizenship prizes while Shonielle and Antonio were acknowledged for having made the most improvement. I was so proud of them, knowing especially how hard each child worked for every bit of praise and recognition they so rightly deserved.

Back at the ranch, I was presented with my own little gift from Jenny and Jim (thanks to technology Jim was able to share in the present giving despite being back home in Geelong). As a thank you/good luck/farewell gift I was given by the people who have come to be my family a stunning pearl necklace with matching earrings. As you can see by the photos below, they were truly stunning and having come from Broome, a lovely reminder of my time up in the Kimberley. Words cannot express how thankful I was for such a generous gift and of course, I was moved to tears!

So pretty!

Today I watched as a plane circled above the community, wondering what I will be feeling when I’m the one up there, looking down. Will I be sad for the time to be over, happy for the memories I have, excited for the future or wondering if I’ll ever come back? Eventually I concluded I’d feel all these emotions. This place has truly touched my heart and hopefully made me a better person, and despite feeling sad that my time has ended, I’m glad to have had this amazing and life changing opportunity and know that it has put me in a fabulous position to continue my life on the path of St. John Baptist de La Salle.

Three Days to Go - Rocks!

Last night on the way to Mass the most spectacular sunset lit up the sky over the church and made the short walk rather spectacular and a lot longer as I spent a while taking photos. I’ll certainly miss the amazing Balgo sky displays, often so spontaneous and random one could miss them if they were inside for only five minutes.

As my last mass in Balgo, the church service last night was rather special. Aware of my imminent departure Sister Alice asked me to do the blessing with Madeleine. In churches back home one would bless themselves with Holy Water before entering the church however in Balgo this happens during the mass and two people walk around with a coolamon and gum leaves, splashing water over every parishioner. I got to wear a church stole and felt rather honored that such a special task was bestowed upon me, especially considering I’m not even a church leader!

During the Blessing Song at the end, myself along with departing staff and ill community members received a special blessing. Cathy blessed me, asking Mama Kankarra to send the Holy Spirit to look over me as I made my way back to Perth, thanking me for the time I have spent in Balgo. It was very special and quite moving and even though I was basically farewelled by the community at this stage, it still has not hit me that I’m leaving. Even now, I look around my room and see my belongings packed already (I’ve been trying to do this so I’m not stressing during my final days and can take everything in and enjoy it for what it is) things are not yet surreal. I wonder when it will hit!

The Blessing Song

  

Packing until 3am in the morning left me with a desperately needed sleep in. Fortunately I am now fully packed meaning that the last few days can be enjoyed fully without me stressing over what needs to go in what bag and how I’m going to organize everything neatly. Considering at times I would wake up in the middle night freaking out about how I would get everything home, it’s a huge relief knowing that the problem is solved. Many thanks to Ben and Trish who took quite a heavy bag home with them the other day, along with my roll of paintings. That helped a lot!

Liz and Tom asked me if I’d like to go for a drive in The Pound with them and of course, I jumped at the chance. This would be the last time I’d ever be able to see the beautiful land and despite the bumpy drive I loved the few hours we spent out there. Tom drove over to the dam and we sat for a while watching Cassius, Lily and Darcie jumping from a low lying tree into the water, getting some great photos while they were in mid air. I love the care free nature of the kids and will certainly miss their antics.

The Dam

Darcie in mid air.

Liz told me a story about her finding a fossil in the area and was surprised to find that I hadn’t picked any rocks to take home with me. After thinking about it for a while, I deemed it rather strange myself and decided I’d pick a few souvenirs to take home, especially considering the rocks around Balgo are so beautiful and unique. We headed over to the lookout and saw the ruins of the goat shed where Cathy was born and I loved seeing it from such a good angle. It provided me some great photography opportunities as well!

I came home, went for a walk to The Lookout and came back just as a car full of my students with their father were driving past. They ushered me over wanting to show me something and I was surprised to discover that they had captured a python, holding it as casually as ever in the car. It was very placid and I gamely gave it a few pats, amazed by the calm nature of the animal. I was told that instead of eating it, the snake would be kept as a pet, quite good really considering it appeared to be very friendly!

This is the beautiful Nativity scene that is outside the parish house. Children stop to admire the beautiful statues and Christmas Tree and it looks even better at night with fancy fairy lights decorating the figurines. It’s so beautifully Christmassy!

Four Days to Go - Sorry, I missed a few!

So with good intentions I had attempted to bring you a post a day to keep you all up to date with the excitement that the last few days were guaranteed to bring. The only problem was that the last few days were a little too exciting and left very little room for much else, including blogging. Therefore I very much apologize for my false advertising of sorts on previous posts but can say with absolute certainty that this post is going to be rather massive. Just looking at all the things I have to talk about and the five hundred odd photos I’m yet to sort through, it’s becoming apparent that you’re in for a treat!

Wednesday. Also referred to as hump day because once you get over that day, the weekend is in sight! Which for me is rather sad because it marked a week until my departure and everything that occurred after 11am on Wednesday became ‘the last’.  These included the last time I would attend a Wednesday assembly, the last time I would go home after school on a Wednesday, the last time I would eat an icy pole in Balgo on a Wednesday, the last time I would hear the mail plane flying overhead without actually being inside and you get my drift. Sure, very small and seemingly insignificant details, but for a sentimentalist like me most definitely not little things!

I was quite happy because after a busy morning the kids were allowed to watch The Polar Express after swimming and this movie has quite a special connection with my family. It’s tradition to watch it every Christmas Eve and of course I enjoyed seeing it twenty four days earlier, loving how into it the kids were! They attempted to sing along to all the songs and loved it when Santa made an appearance, goaded by Brother Rick announcing the arrival of Santa in Balgo on Friday! After that announcement at Mangarri time it was impossible to steer them away from the idea and hence the emphasis placed on Christmas the rest of the day, basically because that’s all they wanted!

The next day Primary C was in for an absolute treat. Based on attendance, students would be chosen to sleepover at the school after a day of bush trips and a number of kids had come almost every day to ensure they were a part of this exciting event. The only problem was that it involved a bit of organizing so most of Wednesday afternoon was spent running around preparing not just for our trip to the Lake but the sleepover as soon as we get back. Fortunately most of this I was able to do in the comfort of my own kitchen. I had been given the task of making some yummy mangarri for everyone and set out to produce a large amount of biscuits to eat throughout the day. The only problem was that I was doing this whilst watching Bones, quite honestly one of the most addicting TV shows EVER! I was watching a season finale and managed to completely forget I had a dozen cookies baking until I smelt them burning…not good. Luckily there were no flames and the smoke was nothing major but it certainly shook my confidence in the whole ‘women can do two things at once’ belief!

The bush trip day finally arrived, and Thursday was proving to be one epic adventure. Despite some rather hot conditions Primary C were prepared with about 50 liters of water, plenty of sunscreen, mangarri and of course, the cookies that had survived my distractions. With nine students and three Primary C staff plus our head lifeguard Henry we were piled into two troupies and headed down the Mulan road towards the lake. The bumpy road was also quite washed away at parts by the fair amount of rain we have had over the past few weeks, not a good sign for all those trying to get out by road when school wraps up. Apparently the rains have come early this year and with the Tanami already closed once this wet season, everyone is crossing their fingers and toes to ensure it stays open! Even in the car the kids were able to have a ball, loving especially listening to the walkie talkies we had to communicate with the other car and spotting bush food along the side of the road. This they were very good at. At one point, the convoy stopped so the students could pile out and pick some bush fruit Darian had spotted a bit of the way off the road. Like blackberries, the fruit was lovely and sweet, by far the best thing I’ve tasted off a tree in Balgo. Often the fruit is either very bitter or rather sour but these little black berries differed immensely, probably why they were spotted from such a distance by the sugar loving students. They had fun picking as much as they could for themselves and then for the teachers, roles always reversed on bush trips. I find that I learn so much more from the kids on these trips than I ever would from the book or the Internet. They understand that my culture is different from theirs and make a sincere effort to immerse me in their ways. It’s truly beautiful!

Cody picking berries.

Tegan and Julian.

Sharelle.

Back on the road, we reached Mulan and made our way behind the community towards Lake Gregory. Adrian, our fearless navigator was leading to a place he found accidentally once when lost and Jenny and I were looking forward to seeing another part of the lake. We had both been to Two Trees quite a number of times but with such a large lake, so many other places were around to explore, our current destination an example. Unusually, there weren’t many horses around as we drove through the fertile land, differing from times when hundreds can be spotted in an hour. We agreed the nearing forty mercury was probably keeping them closer to water and kept our eyes open as we headed along. Jenny proved to be an excellent driver, handling the vehicle exceptionally well over some tricky sandy tracks and after quite a long drive, water was in sight.

You know that feeling when you’re driving towards the ocean and over every hill hope to see the beginnings of the big blue? That’s exactly what happened this time around, except I didn’t expect this part of the lake to resemble the ocean so much. It was absolutely massive and I could barely even see the other side on the horizon! Small waves lapped at the sandy beach and even a pelican flew over the water, resembling an ocean so much more than any lake! Unlike Two Trees, the bottom was sandy, not muddy and one could quite comfortably stand in the water without sinking two feet down. It was an absolutely beautiful spot. The kids all ran into water, as warm as bath water for a paddle and to mud up Henry, a first time visitor to Lake Gregory and therefore forced to endure this cultural must. I find it rather special to be mudded up but enjoy watching others have mud slopped everywhere by the kids just as much. Henry then went on to lifeguard from the comfort of the warm water. Such an easy job!

They call that a stick out.

Only water on the horizon!

Henry getting mudded.

Sharelle playing in the sand.

Julian and Antonio, best buddies.

Sharelle, Tegan and I.

Darian wasn’t very interested in swimming. Instead he wandered around the scrub looking for animal tracks trying to find bush tucker to hunt. Jenny and I agreed he was shaping up to be an exceptional tracker and hunter, with such a passion for the outdoors. All he wanted from the day was to catch a goanna, but unfortunately none were found and he succumbed to the heat and enjoyed the water instead.

The kids had great fun playing in the mud and turning themselves into ‘mud people’. Cody especially went to great lengths to cover almost every inch of himself in mud and looked very funny as the mud hardened in wrinkle like patterns over his body making him look much older than his nine years. However he too eventually showed off his improving swimming skills with his peers, all much more able swimmers thanks to a swimming lesson a day throughout the year. Full credit to Jenny and Henry for that one, working absolutely so hard over the year!

Cody and I.

Mud man!

Antonio and I, working on producing awesome photos!

A nest in the tree.

Cody admires the water.

After about an hour in the water, everyone got a bit hungry so we made the trek back to the car, found some shade and enjoyed an abundance of oranges and sandwiches. Some of the kids enjoyed mangarri in style, on top of the troupie and upon joining them saw what they were on about. Truly the best way to enjoy lunch in the desert, up high admiring the view! Piling back into the car, we made the long drive back, the girls ending up in one car and the guys in another. Shonielle, Frena, Tegan, Sharelle and Rachel entertained Jenny and I with various singalongs as we drove back to Balgo, the wheels on the bus included! I miss that age, getting away with singing everything and anything!

Chilling.

View from the top.

Only ten minutes out of Balgo, the convoy was halted by a very flat tire on the car Adrian was driving. It wasn’t just flat, it was FLAT! Jenny and I agreed the kids had done this before, all cramming into the small piece of shade at the front of the car and sitting there until the job was finished. It was here that I brought out the cookies and I think that kept the kids going until the tire was fixed. Adrian managed to change it in record time and we were home within a quarter of an hour! Seriously the quickest tire change I have ever seen!

Flat as a pancake with no self raising flour.

Waiting so patiently!

We dropped off the non-sleepover kids around the community and then headed back to the school. After unloading the troupies and getting icy poles for everyone (first priority) Adrian organized a basketball game for the Antonio, Frena, Sharelle, Shonielle and Julian allowing Jenny and I to have two hours off. I headed home desperately needing a shower but Henry had beat me to it. Not wanting to waste any time, I headed over to the Art Centre to pick up a painting Mum had brought and see if one I had had my eye for or the term was finally finished. I had spied this painting during the holidays when it was only one fifth completed and even then I loved it. By an artist I know, Gracie Mosquito, I had come into the Art Centre almost every week to see if it was done but only enquired about it last week during the sale. It looked finished but I wasn’t able to buy it until the curator was absolutely certain and today she had checked with Gracie and was able to sell it to me at the sale price; 40% off! WOO! You know those times when things just work; totally that situation! Now I have an absolutely beautiful Balgo painting to take home with me, a very special reminder of my time here.

The picture is blurred, not the painting. At that stage, I hadn't brought it so was trying to do a quick and sneaky photo before the curators came back. Fail.

After finally getting into the shower I headed back over to the school and supervised a bit of basketball before dinner. Danielle had also arrived, another student who had enough days at school to warrant being able to sleepover but was in Billiuluna over the past few days. She managed to run home and get a note signed by her mother allowing her to stay the night and came back very excited for the night’s events. Dinner consisted of spaghetti bolognaise containing onion and capsicum the students had very carefully cut up earlier in the day and they were very happy to be able to eat something that they had helped to create. It helped that it was also so very yummy!

The kids watched the rest of The Polar Express in the classroom with Jenny while I went and checked the pool and then it was up to the school hall for the rest of the night. Everyone set up their beds and my job of pumping up the mattresses for the teachers was made so much easier when the kids perceived it to be a lot of fun and took over. Win! With a fair amount of sporting equipment in the room everyone enjoyed playing all sorts of quirky games until I brought out a craft activity I had planned. Sharelle and I were reading her reading book on Wednesday and in one of the pictures a lady was sleeping with a mask over her eyes. Sharelle asked what it was and I explained it to her, saying if she was really good she’d be able to make one for the sleepover. All the kids then got really interested when I brought my own out for a demonstration and decorated them quite beautifully. Sure, I couldn’t make them properly but with a little bit of laminate and some elastic a near perfect face mask was produced. They looked so good and when bed time came, the kids put them on and enjoyed not having to try to block the light out of their eyes.

Julian with my eye mask on.

Sharelle.

Creating master pieces.

Sharelle's mask.

Danielle.

Julian (pretending to be asleep for the sake of the photo).

They all fell asleep reasonably quickly and despite a bit of giggling from the girls the night was quiet. I fell asleep after everyone (as I usually do) and didn’t wake until the morning, 5.10am. I had been awoken by Julian coughing as he made his way to the bathroom and then Jenny telling him to go back to bed and wait. I later found out that he was ready to begin the day and had gone to wake Antonio up so he would have someone to play with. Quite cute really!

As Santa was visiting Luurnpa today students were already at school by 6.30am to ensure they didn’t miss out! The kids wanted leftover pasta for breakfast so enjoyed an early garlic infusion washed down with orange and apple juice, working all the carbs off in an early morning basketball game. I headed home for a quick shower before the day begun and of course, a large cup of coffee! We were all hoping for an easy day but when twelve kids rocked up to the classroom it didn’t look like that was happening. Luckily Adrian maintained that despite such large numbers, we’d make it easy on ourselves and pulled Gnomeo and Juliet off my hard drive for the kids to watch. It was an absolute relief that the kids were kept busy by that because there was a lot to do around the classroom. I sorted through a huge stack of artwork and made envelopes to put it all in, doing quite well and maintaining an organized look before I got the call.

The call. From Brother Rick. Asking me to drive out to the airstrip and see if Santa had any extra visitors. Henry and Ale were asked to tinsel up the ute and drive Santa and his elf in the back but Rick wasn’t sure if anyone else would need a lift so sent me out. It was rather surreal seeing Santa climbing out of a plane in the middle of the desert and loading his box of goodies onto the back of a ute. While I raced back to school to let everyone know he was coming, Santa and his elf were driven around the community and eventually into the school where about a huge number of excited children were waiting. Everyone cheered and Christmas carols played as the big man himself made an appearance. Inside his box, a substitute for his sack, was a present for each child and everyone was thrilled to be getting Christmas presents earlier! After a quick chat to the school, classes were called up one at a time to get their gifts, some rather scared of the man in red (Kindy), others checking out how real his beard was (secondary). It was so very cool and such an amazing initiative, a Santa and his elf flying around to various communities giving out gifts.

HUGE mob of kids!

Super skinny (and young) Santa, but Santa nonetheless.

Sina gets a present.

Danielle and Santa.

Noah and his golf set he got from Santa.

  

Bye Santa!

Justine and her present.

Yeah, I may have written that...

Santa said he enjoyed his visit to Balgo and waved goodbye to everyone before climbing his sleigh, I mean ute and flying off with his reindeer, I mean Cessna. Primary C all loved their gifts and there was a lot of playing with and showing off during the day. Thankfully, they settled back into the movie and after swimming and some free time, the day was over and Jenny, Adrian and myself released ourselves of children after almost 36 hours of been with them!

There was not much time for relaxation with the staff Christmas Party on that night. We also had a Kris Kringle and my KK had gone to Halls Creek for the rest of the year, leaving me less than an afternoon to organize a gift for my new KK, Henry. With the Balgo store rather devoid of Christmas gifts handmade presents were the go and I made my dread locked roomie a book of his time in Balgo throwing in the ‘How to Play Guitar’ book I had made for my previous KK, lollies and an outrageous Christmas hat. When it was all wrapped up, it looked AMAZING! I put it in the staffroom and made a big deal of pointing out how awesome it looked to Henry, who got very excited when he realized it was for him. Good to know someone already likes the look of their present before it is unwrapped!

We had an incredible rainstorm this afternoon. The day, going from very hot and muggy changed in about five minutes to very cool and wet, mud trickling everywhere and water soaking into the parched ground until the ground was parched no more and large puddles grew everywhere. While I usually love the rain, it’s an absolute pain when you’ve just gotten ready, look kind of nice for Balgo and make a run for it during a rain break only to have the heavens open up. Absolute pain! The rain is also causing chaos with everyone’s plans to get out of Balgo so stop raining!!!

My two PCAs from La Salle, Ben Calleja and Trish McGregor had been in Balgo since Tuesday interviewing students for the boarding program in 2012 and it was great to have them around and even better when they offered to take a bag of stuff home for me. I appreciated that so much, especially the conundrum I’ve been in over the past few days trying to figure out how to get all my belongings home. They also took my paintings home so Mum, you have permission to open the parcel when it arrives! Ben and Trish were rather honored to be invited to the Christmas Party, especially when I told them about how awesome the food spread is that the staff of Luurnpa put on.

The Christmas Party was also a farewell for all staff leaving Luurnpa, including myself. Jenny spoke for me and said some very lovely things making me already miss the amazing people I have come to treasure as family. Having sat through a number of farewells here, I’ve always imagined and planned what I’d say when my time came. Of course, I forgot everything as soon as I had a microphone and was standing up in front of everyone but I’m hoping that I didn’t miss anything or forget to thank anyone vitally important. That’s my worst fear!

Maggie, having been here for nine years made a big deal of upholding the tradition of leaving all your things of definite need with Balgo with others. Everyone got a gift from Maggie that she believed was needed most by them. I got some lip balm, her reasoning been I’ve probably ruined my lips pursing so often living with two guys! Bang on track Maggie!! Brother Rick also announced the Share the Mission awards. Henry got ‘STMer with the best fashion sense’ (the best been rather outrageous), Ale got ‘Best Hair’ (offended beyond belief) and I got ‘the most normal’. I questioned Brother Rick after telling him I wouldn’t be considered normal in most places. He just looked at me and said out of us three, I was the less strange. Absolute win!

Dressed in Christmas colours...

So there you have it. A very long and extended blog post updating you with the events of the past few days. Sorry I wasn’t able to give you a post a day but I didn’t think life would be so very busy! Oh well, I’ll attempt to stay on track for the rest of the week :)