Bush Trip!

My Primary D class went on a bush trip today and I was honoured when Steve, their teacher asked me to be a staff supervisor. Considering during my whole high school life I only went on one excursion (Year 11 History trip to the Holocaust Museum) I was incredibly excited to be involved in my first Luurnpa Catholic School trip only three weeks in. We got together our lunch, organised our drivers and after a bit of a wait we were off! I was thinking a Bush trip entailed going into the desert and studying the plants and wildlife however was surprised and excited to discover we were heading over to the Waterhole for a swim. I wished I brought my togs (yes, I’ve been hanging around WAY too many Kiwis and Eastern Aussies) because the water looked so refreshing and after a fair amount of rain during the past few days, the waterfall was running beautifully. The kids had a ball, splashing around, finding endless amounts of crabs in the rock holes which they gladly freaked me out with and hogging the camera spot light. Alex and Jayden, two cheeky ones even tried to get me into the water, an act that Henry caught on camera as proof. A few of the more coordinated boys did very dangerous flips off a small rock into the shallow water, something they seem to do often without ever hurting themselves. Jayden especially had fun doing it and his video is below.

We headed back early and Henry and I walked into the kitchen to discover 70 unwashed cups sitting in the sink. Nice. To explain, every student at school gets a sandwich and a piece of fruit for lunch, but with the bridge out of action the fruit levels have been dwindling and we finally ran out yesterday. Still needing to feed the kids, we made up cups with tinned fruit in them and then chilled them for the morning. At lunch, the kids come over to the canteen and we give them out. Unfortunately, with Henry needed on the bush trip as the ‘Official Lifeguard’ and Anthony and I also out with Primary D, Ale was left in charge of distributing the food and cleaning up the dishes, two tasks that not even Superman could do in half an hour. We spruced up the Mangarri room and went to Primary C where the kids were amazingly chilled for 1.00pm in the afternoon, a day WITHOUT swimming to tire them out (the new pump is being rested for a few days). Henry and I are both writing our blogs in their computer lesson where because Robert, the IT expert is out in Broome for a teacher’s conference, the kids are just playing games which for us is awesome!!

The funniest part of my day was when we gave out the icy-poles to the kids who were wearing their uniforms as a reward. Henry did it this afternoon while I made fairy bread for us both (long story!) and had trouble because he is colour-blind! I’m still not over him trashing my room (read on!), so sat there laughing while the kids were screaming ‘blue!! No, red! No, green!’ as he struggled to discern between the colours. Payback is gold!!

So you all remember my video the other day? And especially the part where I showed how un-clean Henry’s room was? Well, that didn’t go down too well…he began plotting revenge immediately. To be the nice roommate that I am, I came home on Monday and cleaned his room top to bottom. Actually, it was really to annoy him more than anything; he hates how OCD I am. But I left home to go and do some stuff at school for no more than an hour and came back to find that payback had been served. My room was completely trashed! There were pyjamas hanging from the fan, undies everywhere and the worst, most TERRIBLE thing ever, the coat hangers all hanging the wrong way in the wardrobe. That really messed with the OCD, especially as Henry knows it’s something that really annoys me. But it was really funny, and just another example of how we all seem to get along in the most dysfunctional of ways! Like last Sunday night; the boys came into my room just as I was going to bed and annoyed me to bits! They stole my clothes and hid them around the house, made my dressing gown into a scarecrow (which I didn’t discover until I got up the next morning; what a surprise!) and set rat traps over my room, snapping them with my teddy which was very cruel. But it was all hilarious.

I am starting to pick up the language that the locals speak around here. Well, more or less starting to pick out the swear words and the words the kids say to each other before there is a fight. The best one is ‘Bookinanah’ which means ‘I’ll fight you’ or ‘I’ll hit you!’ The other day one of my Primary C kids said that to me and she got the biggest of shocks when I turned around and said ‘Ok then, fight me!’ They don’t tend to be serious, but just like the fact that they can be all smart and say things without you knowing what it is. But it’s the best feeling when you actually do! However, I still can’t say ‘In the name of the father, son and the Holy Spirit’ in the local tongue. I can if I read it as I’m saying that, but the kids jumble the words together when we pray at assembly so I tend to look really stupid. I start off good; ‘Yinga mummah, gadjah’, and then the last two words I never really catch on to. Amen is ‘Yiati,’ which is the coolest word to say. I’m hoping at the end of the year I’ll know it off by heart but the test is going to be going home and praying in English!

The other day I had my first experience of the Balgo clinic and I must say, it was very impressive! Everyone told me to get in early so I was the first person in when the doors opened at 9.00am and didn’t have to wait long before I saw the nurse. However seeing as they had a working TV with the news on it, I wouldn’t have minded waiting longer. It is similar to an ED really. You see a nurse, get processed and if they think you need to see the doctor, you wait around until he’s not busy. Amazingly, the doctor I saw actually used to work in Kalamunda and knows my GP back home, which is kind of crazy! It’s such a small world. The best part was the fact that I didn’t even have to pay for the consult, or the antibiotics that were given to me. AWESOME! Really, that’s the way it should be; remind me to change that the system when I’m a world class doctor. 

The week has been a bit of a blur. Things seem to be going quicker and quicker the more time we’re out here. It just passed three weeks yesterday and I definitely know I’ll be able to last a year out here. The boys are involved in a ‘white fella only’ game of cricket at the cop shop this Saturday and I have been very vocal about my disappointment at not being able to play. But Brother Rick has a whole heap of second hand clothes for me to sort and label so in a strange way I’m looking forward to getting some order into them. It’s apparently quite a job! Waterhole on Sunday for sure, but definitely with the togs this time.

The Rockhole 

Fatima, Danielle and Rochanna

Jayden

Jayden and Joseph

Urla and Bart

Henry and Joseph

Me, Joseph and Danielle

Me and Rochanna

Alex tried to push me in so I'd swim!

Me, Alex and Rochanna

Me and Alex

Henry, Alex, Jayden and Me

Photo of the day :)

From the top

The caterpillar Lily found

Me and Jayden, with a crab he found

Alex, Sampson and Jarman

The boys

Jarman, Urla and Jayden

Ok, so being the responsible adult I should have discouraged this, but instead I filmed it. Enjoy!