It's getting hot out here (so hot!)

Sophie and I had a bet at the beginning of the week. Both eager to see our family and friends back home, we were wondering how quickly the week would pass by until it was Friday and we were set to leave Balgo, me for two weeks and Sophie forever. Sophie believed it would go really slow, justifying this by saying that when something you want is just days away, the time will pass slower because you want it to go faster. Fair call, however I believed it would go fast, only because we have a million and one things to do in a very short time and because the universe is rather rude, we'd be kept busy and stressed over the week. Turns out I was the right one, however I was wrong as to how fast the week would go. Already it's Wednesday and tomorrow is my last day of teaching at Luurnpa for Term 2, while it's Sophie's last day forever. It seems like just yesterday we were all gathered in Broome, having some last minute drinks before the term began and with the blink of an eye, the weeks have flown by. While I'm looking forward to going home, it's scary that the weeks have sped by without me really comprehending how quickly time was flying and I hope that terms 3 and 4 are just a little bit slower.

NAIDOC celebrations are still going strong. We had the elders here today telling stories which was great not only for the kids but all the adults who love learning about the history of Balgo and the surrounding land. The elders are just so wise and have so much to share and I'm so glad I have a lot more time here to soak everything they have to say up! I got into trouble though for trying to count the number of students talking with Trevor to see how many sandwiches I needed; I didn't realise it was all the boys, with no girls allowed. Whoops!

Took this photo like a ninja! The boys gathering and hearing the stories.

Tonight there is a big community BBQ with a lot of different bush tucker as well. Having only had Kangaroo Tail so far, I'm really keen on trying goanna because from what I've heard, that is the best. The ladies are currently cooking all the food in a big ditch on the oval just outside my house which is the best way to do it; the earthy aroma just makes it that little bit more delicious. Plus, we have a disco so the party is set to be pretty awesome.

Mmmmm. Bush mangarri

We had a rather hot day today; Brother MJ, the qualified weather man and stats taker said it hit 30ºC today. The morning felt like those first few days of summer where the air is kind of warm before the sun gets hot and I can't get over the fact that we pretty much had a two week winter. To be honest, I don't really blame the secondary boys for turning an ordinary game of AFL on the oval into an aquatic version. I turned around at Mangarri time to see half the boys on the oval with just their shorts on and soaked to the bone, courtesy of a sprinkler right in their path. They seemed to be enjoying it and it was one of those 'Only in Balgo' moments. Good times.

A big shout out to La Salle College in Middle Swan, my former school. Thank you for allowing me to crash your assembly this morning. I skyped them today to explain a bit about Balgo and especially our NAIDOC week and got a few kids who have siblings that board at LSC to say hi. They got a bit giggly though so it didn't work as we had endeavoured but I hope that the rest of it was kind of ok despite the technical difficulties! Thank you Mr. Pepper, Ms. Reger and Mr. Vella - champs as always :)

This time last year I was on the New Zealand ski slopes, crashing into everyone and knocking five year olds over (accidentally of course, I am the worst skier). Good times and memories!! Just goes to prove how quickly time flies; one minute I'm throwing snowballs at teachers and the next I'm in the desert practically been the teacher! Just goes to show how much I've learnt to value these experiences and take advantage of the chance to do these things while I'm young. That's my subtle way of convincing all my Year 12 readers to APPLY FOR SHARE THE MISSION!!!

Oh, and here's a knitting update, because I know you're all so intrigued with the manner in which I go about being an old lady. With the hand out of the plaster splint and on the mend things are going quite well. The next problem to tackle is whether I can take it to Perth in my hand luggage or whether that makes me a flight risk. We'll see how it goes!

Like WOW!!