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 :)

Eight Days to Go - The Little Things

While today appeared as a normal, slightly quiet day I suppose knowing I'm leaving soon made me apprecaite the little things. These may be things that happen everyday that I just take for granted but they stood out a little bit more than usual and I felt quite happy knowing that yes, I noticed them.

Firstly Julian laughed as soon as he saw me this morning. Apparently my presence had reminded him of that ill fated night when the camel made a move towards me and I slightly freaked out. 'Camel being chase you' were the first words I heard when I walked into the school, greeted by his cheeky laugh and giagantic smile. I don't think he will ever forget that, in fact I believe that if I came back in twenty years time, that would be the only memory he would associate with me. Even though it's a memory associated with some severe cowardness on my behalf, it's a good one nonetheless because I had a lot of fun that night and will forever remember it fondly too!

Secondly, the unexpected. Not only did the pool roof make a miraculous recovery overnight but the topsy turvy chlorine levels that I have been fighting with ALL WEEK returned to normal levels! WOO! On a day where the mercury hit above forty degrees, it certainly made me a litte bit happier that all the kids would get a swim in the cool refreshing and clean waters of the Balgo pool.

Unexpected also were the sounds I heard coming from inside the Primary D classroom as I walked past. I would have expected Christmas carols or even Justin Bieber, but instead heard the sounds of Roy Orbison coming from the students mouths. I peeked inside to see the entire class practicing while Anthony and Steve conducted with such passion, it only made me assume they had enjoyed immensley discerning such a song choice. That made me smile; I love the songs that come out of my class.

And lastly, the most beautiful little thing of them all; a wave from Kamus 100m away as I walked towards the school. The tiny little Primary A student had spotted my flaming red hair and called out as loud as he could to get my attention, just so he could wave to me. That is truly and honestly beautiful and amazingly special. Of course, I had to go over and see what he was doing, just as an older kid stole his basketball and I stepped in as a hero to get it back so excellent timing on my behalf. But I have come to love the effort the kids will go to, just to say hello. Often I'm walking home in the dark and will hear voices calling my name and saying hello. Occasionally I can discern who they are by voice but most of the time it's a good reminder that someone is always around when you need it, even just for a 'hello'. That is why I love Balgo.

Nine Days to Go - Art and Graduation!

Suppose you were an outsider observer, who just decided to pop into Balgo while you made your rather rough and at some times wet journey along the Tanami. While you were here, you passed by the school, drove around the store, Church, clinic and oval and stopped in quickly at the Art Centre. Usually, you would have seen a rather quiet and meticulously run place. However had you popped in today, you certainly would have marveled by how alive and robust the community was, fired up by two separate but very exciting events that were special enough to have visitors come from as far as Perth to witness. For what is usually a casual beginning to the week, this Monday was unusually busy but certainly a lot of fun and definitely very exciting for all involved!

We began the morning as normal. Class was rather busy with nine students and one new addition, Farren. From Lajimanu, he fit in well with the rest of the students, knowing most of them from pervious explorations. Everyone seems to know everyone around here, it’s like one big massive community spread over many hundreds of kilometers. We had literacy and numeracy rotations and then the normal became the abnormal and our usual routine was disrupted by something very exciting and a great honor to witness.

A huge number of special visitors had converged upon the school to bear witness to the graduation of five of our Aboriginal Teaching Assistants who had been completing their Certificate 1 in Work Preparation. As a part of an institute called Bachelor, Sanjay, Marika, Joseph, Angela and Madeleine were congratulated in front of the entire school for receiving their certificates and all involved in the ceremony were very proud of the ATAs. The graduation was fit with caps and gowns for the overseers of the ceremony and lovely golden gowns for the graduates, and boy did they look swish!! The school hall was filled not just with students, teachers and guests but a plethora of community individuals who were all immensely happy with the achievements of five of their own and as Carol from the CEO in Perth said, it was an inspiring moment for the children of Luurnpa to see what they can accomplish in the future. The whole Bachelor program is an incredibly exceptional idea and a program that helps to introduce indigenous teachers into schools within their communities, something that very much points towards a bright future in these education institutes. Congratulations Joseph, Sanjay, Marika, Madeleine and Angela!

After a quick Mangarri and assembly, the students trekked over to the Art Centre, the stifling hot air very much making the usually short walk rather difficult! Today was the day that the Children’s Art Exhibition occurred and all students from Mulan and Balgo visited the centre to see their works up on the walls that their parents and grandparents usually feature upon. For such a small community, promoting the younger generation to embrace the artistic talent of their elders and display their own in a place of so much worth and value was an exceptional idea and very much a success! The students ran into the gallery to find their works and admire the aptitude of their peers, posing for photos next to their art and reading the descriptions of everyone else’s pieces. Tracy, the curator of the exhibition had done a very professional job at making it look like a display fit for the modern day Leonardo da Vinci’s and Picasso’s and the community absolutely loved it!

Each class had spent time during lessons creating something that represented Balgo. Primary C painted landscape and dreaming images to do with the land, Primary B used leaves and grass on canvas to paint true looking displays, Primary A made sponge animals with cute little googly eyes on paper, Primary D painted dot dreaming images and Secondary did photography! It all was exceptional, and totally 100% better than anything I could have ever done, slightly putting me to shame but certainly making me very proud of all the students. They celebrated with their families over a barbecue and sausage sizzle and then enjoyed an early end to the day, much to the joy of all the teachers after such a busy and hot day!

Eva opens the Exhibition.

Danielle and her piece.

Shonielle points to her work, right up the top.

Work from Primary B.

Work from Mulan.

By the way, you know summer is in full swing in Balgo when the cold water tap in the shower is actually warmer than the hot water tap. Gotta love Balgo!

Ten Days to Go - Painting Complete!

Remember when I said in a previous post that when it came to having only ten days left in this great place, I'd write a blog post everyday, motivated by all the fun and exciting things that would be happening? Well the countdown began today but unfortunately, the interesting things I had expected were very medial. But of course, a promise is a promise so here we go!

I suppose something that I found exciting was actually FINALLY finishing the painting job Jim had charged me with. After many weeks, a lot of paint, a lot of soap used scrubbing off the paint, two pairs of shoes, one perfectly good pair of shorts and a shirt and about a dozen paintbrushes a rollers, the house is 100% painted and clean! It's truly a sight to behold and I only wish I had of taken before shots to make my after photos look just that little bit more impressive. Well, hopefully you're impressed regardless!! All walls are a neutral white with the bedroom doors a lovely blue. The lino floors have been scrubbed until they shine and not one thing is out of place; just the way I like it! Looking at it now, I would totally live in it. Before it got a paint job and a clean, I was concerned about simply stepping inside for a minute without a facemask!!

The main room and kitchen.

The lovely blue door!

Anthony made my job a lot easier this morning by breaking the pool. Well, not exactly the pool, but the pulley system that brings the massive steel cover over the top of the bigger pool. Brother Rick, deeming it unsafe has closed it for the rest of the year which means most of the kids will either have to play sports in the hall with Henry or paddle in the small pool meant for the Primary A kids. It's quite disappointing especially as the weather is heating up but we're fortunate it occurred now and not at the beginning of the term. It was a job I quite enjoyed as well, but no hard feelings to Anthony; it could have happened to anyone! However, we have both decided we'll blame Brother Rick, because Santa is coming next week and while the kids will be angry at him first, seeing their principal as Santa's Little Helper will melt all those hard feelings away. What a plan!

I began taking down the multitude of pictures, photos and drawings that line my walls last night. It really was quite a job and I can't believe how empty it all looks without the smiling faces of my family and friends lining my bedroom. Sure, it's a little earlier than I would have liked but I'd rather spend as much time as possible with everyone here closer to the time I'm leaving than packing. Plus, I'm not a last minute person so it's out with the suitcases, in with the belongings. It's all gone too fast for my liking and while I'm looking forward to the joys of Uni and work I'll miss Balgo immensely. You can take the person out of Balgo but you can't take the Balgo out of the person! The only thing on the walls in my room is of course, my Christmas Tree. Can't get more festive than this :)

Never Agree to a Staff vs Students Water Fight

You all didn’t pray hard enough!! Our planned trip to Halls Creek got cancelled on account of a closed Tanami Road, thanks to some pretty intense rainfall. The original plan was to have the teachers who were attending the PD go during the week, and then the rest of us would go up in another car so we could enjoy a staff dinner together. Unfortunately, the plan didn’t happen. Rick, Robert, Mary, Jenny, Mindy and Steve were lucky enough to be chauffeured Kimberley style by plane to Halls Creek, the five hour bone rattling journey taking a mere fifty minutes with a spectacular view. The absence of such a large chunk of staff really did throw out the week and I can’t believe almost a week has passed since I blogged. I suppose I better attempt to get you all up to speed!

Because of sports in Billiluna, we didn’t have that many students on Tuesday, as well as Monday. With the Kimberley being so gun ho for any kind of sporting events, most of Balgo had trekked the 80kms down the road to witness the local teams vying for basketball and football titles. While Billiluna tripled in size, Balgo probably lost about 70% of its population and driving through it on Sunday night was eerie; no-one was around! The only Primary C students to grace us with their presence were Shonielle, Antonio, Cherie and Frena, all quite chuffed to be the ‘only kids’. We attempted to stick to a routine designed for at least eight students but decided that making lessons up on the spot was probably the best idea and the kids enjoyed one on one lessons with each teacher. Jenny and I used the time to get the classroom prepared for the end of the year and after a bit of window washing and cleaning. Of course, I had already gotten the Christmas Tree up and decorated the day before, pretty early but it really did brighten up the classroom. I was stoked when Jenny presented the kids with a Christmas Activity book that they could complete over the next few weeks. If there’s one thing I love, it’s Christmas. Not Christmas Day exactly, but the lead up to the 25th. I can’t really describe this obsession of sorts, but I think it comes from my mum turning our house into the North Pole come December the 1st. Every surface is transformed, red felt and white tulle below every snowman, every Santa, elf, sleigh, and all things Christmassy. Only the inside is decorated and since we were younger Mum would video us decorating the Tree, the most important piece to our little Christmas wonderland. While I’ll miss the decorating this, the camera will not be! Antonio, Frena, Cherie and Shonielle kept getting me to help them with their coloring and other activities, and of course I complied. It really was quite therapeutic and relaxing just coloring away and over the week I made my own creation, a Christmas tree on paper that I could hang up in my room and make it look just a little bit more festive. Quite good too, for an individual who lacks serious artistic talent!

I don’t remember much of Tuesday afternoon, for quite an embarrassing reason. I was playing basketball with Joan, Bonnie and Keisha and the netballer I am made me rather uncoordinated and goofy when making the attempt to switch to a faster paced sport. I was trying really hard, but got distracted and missed Keisha throwing a ball at me. I turned around just as it smashed into my nose, ripping my neck back and giving me a very bad headache. While the kids laughed, I wandered off rather dazed in search of an icepack for my nose, hoping that it wouldn’t bleed or bruise. When class resumed, Jenny sent me home, somewhat aware that I was rather confused and a bit spacey and I think it probably was the right idea. I fell asleep, not good considering I could have been slightly concussed and woke up just in time for dinner with the Brothers who kept giving me funny looks all through dinner. I must have been a real sight! That’s the last time I attempt to play basketball.

As Maggie was sick on Wednesday, KP brought the Primary B kids into Primary C and we enjoyed a day with a lot more kids than usual, all of varying ages. I enjoyed being able to work with many students that I only really ever get to play around with and got to see a different side of them, as did they with me. We ended up having 19 students in total in the one class, fortunately with five teachers so the workload was spread around quite a bit. It was also good for the Primary B kids in Grade 3 to have a day in an older classroom, the place they will be spending most of their time next year. They were very much mentored by the current Primary C class and it was great to see everyone working together to make the experience as good as possible. After only having a few kids in the class for the past few days, such a big mob was so much fun!

Jenny left for Halls Creek on Wednesday afternoon leaving KP, Sanjay and I with Primary C and thankfully a whole heap of lesson plans. We managed seven students, but they were fired up after the sports and it might as well have been seventeen!! I did enjoy some funny moments with a few of them, including Antonio. Jenny had made a new stick for the word wall, a long pipe covered in bright gold contact and Antonio had gotten a hold of it earlier in the morning. He pretended to have a sword fight with me (he won, I was unarmed) and when I got my teacher voice on him and put it away, I thought it was for good. Not to be. I sat down to read with him and forgot a pen, so ran to get one quickly, tripping over the stick that he had inconspicuously placed beside my chair. Of course, he laughed and quite enjoyed the slapstick comedy of sorts and I had to as well, proud of how sneakily he had done it!

'Justine, why are you wet?'
'I stuck my head under a tap!'

Can't argue with that!!

  

I got fought over at recess by Bonnie, Joan, Chloe and Justine. I was playing a ball game with Joan and Bonnie, older girls in Primary D and then decided to ‘share myself around’ and headed over to play with the Primary A girls, Chloe and Justine included. This did not go down well and for a good five minutes, the four girls in question tugged at every part of me attempting to sway me this way or that. It was quite cute and rather lovely to be fought over but Joan and Bonnie eventually relinquished me to the young ones. I was about to give Justine a piggyback when I turned around and found her soaking wet! Turns out she had gotten hot and put her head under a running tap, quite smart really but there were no piggy backs for a girl absolutely dripping!

That afternoon, after I finished a bit of painting I headed out to the basketball court for what Anthony referred to as his ‘Master Plan’. The attendance at after school sports had been a bit low and he was trying to find something really exciting to vamp it up and get more kids involved. He eventually settled with a water fight, good in theory but then he went as far as to say teacher’s verses students. That was the less cool part, seeing as Anthony, Henry, Ale and Xavier the Youth Worker were the only ones brave enough to partake. With the center line dividing the court and two balloons only a round, the game was set to be a lot of fun, but I didn’t count on certain students aiming at me constantly. For example, Delwyn, the kid in Primary D that Anthony works one on one with was dead set on hitting only me with the water bombs. He would line me up and wait until I had my back turned or least expected it, then he would POUNCE with deadly accuracy and I would walk away dripping. It didn’t help that my aim was shocking and other kids took advantage of my need to come closer to the line in order to throw to get me. We had a few rounds and I managed to practice a bit so by the second last, my aim was quite good. Robyn, a Primary B student had her back turned so I took it as my chance to get her, and did I ever! A water balloon exploded right in the nape of her neck and the look of shock and horror on her face was priceless!! Until she started to cry…then it just got awkward!

Turns out that Henry had just got get in the shoulder and unbeknown to me she was walking away after she had been struck once. I literally got the poor girl while she was down! Oops!! But I gave her a hug and she soon got over it, getting us back in the last round, involving all the teachers standing in a small circle with the students throwing water bombs at us from all sides. Again, Anthony’s idea, but I doubt he expected it to hurt as much as it did. An unexploded water bomb actually can cause bruises; I AM PROOF! We all finished an awesome game wet, but smiling and laughing all the way home.

The students verse...

..the teachers!

Evander lines on up...

...and gets me!

I manage to get Darian.

Frena had one more left. I told her she could get me and stood there with the surrender pose. She then proceeded to get Henry. Ha.

It was a case of Thank Gosh It’s Friday when the last day of the working week came around. Due to a lack of staff, we were finishing at 1pm, an hour earlier and it couldn’t have come sooner! The day was quite tiring and I was glad when I was able to walk out to The Lookout and take a moment out of my day to sit and relax. I was just sitting on what I refer to as The Edge of The World, checking my emails and Facebook (basically just for the satisfaction of knowing I check such medial things in such fabulous places) with headphones in when suddenly out of nowhere a plan flew right over me, so unbelievably low I reckon the pilot would have been able to see what was on my phone screen. I was absolutely flabbergasted, especially because it really did come out of the blue. I felt like I was in the middle of nowhere, where civilization could never reach me. Then I remembered that a, I had reception, b, the airstrip was about 300m away and c, Balgo was a mere 2kms away so really, my virtual world I had created had completely been disproved just by this plane. But truly, what an amazing sight; the modernism of the aircraft juxtaposing with the rugged and aged landscape, a brilliant photo if I had the opportunity.

It was the first of many goodbyes also on Friday as Brother Marty and KP left Balgo for varying adventures. KP told me this had to make the blog, especially as she discovered it online the other day and spent hours reading it from the beginning. I hope you’re reading this KP!! I really do hate goodbyes, but know that in all likelihood, I’ll see many of those I’ve met here again. It’s good to know that I have a place to stay if I ever travel around Australia; I think I know someone in every place simply from this year!

Loving the Lightning, Hating the Rain!

I’m coming to appreciate that when one reads someone’s blog, they are basically being told a story without ever having to see the person face to face. Here I sit informing you about the past few days in Balgo with a facemask on, hair in a towel, glasses askew on my face and slick with moisturizer, the rattiest of t-shirts on and basically looking like the dog dragged me in. But unless I told you that, which I just stupidly did, you would never know! You could picture me writing this on the edge of The Lookout dressed in a ball gown, or the middle of the oval, even on top of a troupie watching the sunset. Sorry to let your imaginations go wild but I’m simply typing away sitting in my mess of a room listening to The Beatles. That’s something I’m suddenly super thankful; the ability for you all to indulge in my life and past events without me ever having to put effort into my appearance, the cleanliness of my house or even the time of day. It’s like 24/7 news, whenever you want, wherever you want, whenever I want to write it, however I want to look like, wherever I want to type. Blogging technology for the win!

Primary C are learning about the water cycle and river systems with Adrian in the afternoons and are getting pretty into it. I always hated the water cycle, basically because of all the long words and painfully difficult diagrams we always had to label. However, the kids are loving the creative lessons Adrian plans. He’s made a river up on the wall and the students all made trees and animals to surround the area. Adrian is trying to make it as real as possible and suggested that one day the kids will all come in to see the trees all cut down, another day houses all developed and another an entire city occupying where a beautiful forest once stood. Even I have been coming in every day and checking to see if the trees are still standing, the animals still alive and the water still a pristine blue. At the moment, all is well. For now…

It was Brother Marty’s birthday on Thursday and I was already running late for his celebratory dinner when Francis, Julian and Jay Jay came running towards me yelling something about the camel. I eventually deciphered that the camel was in my yard, and around Sister Alice’s side of the unit drinking water from a dripping tap. The boys were rather scared of the camel but I told them rather proudly that the camel and I were the best of friends, reinforced when I gave Jellybean a scratch under the chin. However no amount of enticement would get the came out and we eventually resorted to bribing her with carrots. This worked a little too well; Jellybean kind of bolted towards me when she saw the carrot and with the kids screaming with laughter I sprinted away from the camel, scared that we actually weren’t friends and she had decided to chase me like the rest of Balgo. I don’t know how we got her out in the end, I think she just kind of meandered towards the gate and we locked her out with good use of the side gate, once again. The boys were pretty happy that they got both a carrot out of the adventure and a story of me running away from camel. Friday morning, Julian couldn’t stop laughing when he saw me and I managed only three words from him; ‘you, camel, running!’ plus nonstop giggling. Good times.

After that experience, I was made even later when I stopped to take photos of this magnificent cloud. The photos don’t do it justice; it was huge and bright pink. Absolutely stunning!

Friday brought sadness to Balgo; another funeral for the community that had only just buried one of their own on Saturday. Out of respect, the school closes when the funeral begins and we were hopeful we’d get a few for a couple of hours at least. Not to be. I got to school to find Julian, Sharelle and Callum eager for breakfast and was hopeful that more would come but those lone three remained the only kids in school. They certainly did pick the right day to come. Henry had promised to make celebratory birthday pancakes for Brother Marty and the rest of the staff and seeing as there were only those three kids around, they got not only baked beans on Baked Bean Friday for breakfast but Pancakes as well! They sat around the staffroom like sophisticated future students, eating their mangarri and reading the books and magazines around. Such a sight! The pancakes were excellent, and as Henry proudly announces every time he makes them, they are the pancakes eaten in heaven! For this reason, he is not allowed to give me the recipe…bitchy.

Fit with candles and everything!

M for Marty!

After a very lazy Saturday, I awoke super early on Sunday morning and headed over to paint the donga. It’s getting closer and closer to being finished and I suppose that was my motivation to get out of bed at 4.30am in order to paint the outside before it got awfully hot. Having done all the painting bar a few doors my attention turned to cleaning up my mess. I had assumed that the floor was being replaced and therefore didn’t put sheets down while I painted. BAD idea, because the floor isn’t being replaced and I’m forced down on my hands and knees to scrub every drip away. Oh well, hard work makes excellent people! I was hoping to fit a nap in before the afternoon adventures dawned upon me when I decided to quickly clean the pool. I had checked it on Friday and all was well but between then and Sunday morning we had had three storms and leaves by their hundreds has settled not only on top of the pool, but the bottom as well. It was quite an effort trying to scoop them all up and certainly one where talent is necessary. I’m slowly getting the hang of flicking the leaves and quickly scooping while they are flying above the bottom and did that for quite a while before vacuuming it and heading home for French toast. Yes I know, I know, not the healthiest of meals but after the scrubbing and scooping for hours on end, plus the early morning I deserved it!

I was heading to Billiluna with Father John and Michael at 12.30pm so after chilling for a bit wandered over to the Parish house and clambered into an already squished troupie. The only issue was, we were picking up more people! Watching more and more people try and climb in made me think those fabulous three words; ‘Only in Balgo’. Only in Balgo do you manage to fit like a million people into a ten seated vehicle. Luckily for me I was deemed the smallest person and got to sit up the front with Michael who entertained me with a life full of stories. That certainly kept my mind off the motion sickness! I also had an excellent view of all the wildlife crossing the road. We spied about five goannas and plenty of horses, but Michael said he had seen a herd of camels driving to Mulan earlier that day so anything I saw automatically didn’t live up to that feat.

Billiluna sports were on and the community was probably triple its normal size. There were people everywhere watching the sports and catching up with everyone but we drove past all that to the school and the small chapel Father John says mass in. I had picked a special day to come; the Middle Primary class was making their First Communion and Reconciliation and having missed the Balgo kids making these sacraments, I was very excited. Billiluna is a lovely little community and probably a little bit quieter than Balgo. The people also seem to be a little bit more interested in their appearances, something I quickly observed when I met three of the girls doing their sacraments. They looked absolutely stunning in lovely dresses, all clean and shoes on, and all very interested in who I was and what I was doing there. New people are so interesting!

Reconciliation was first, and the small ceremony was quite intimate and very much something an honor to be a part of. Mass is held in a small room in the school, more of a chapel than anything else but despite this, it’s coming along nicely. Anne, the Principal just had the floors done and they brought a new altar made completely of Jarrah wood. It sits proudly in the centre of the room, it being the focal point ensured through its beauty.

Shaniqua, Erica and Candice, Reconciliation candidates.

Only three out of six students were present in receiving their First Communion and the three girls changed into their dresses, looking absolutely amazing! Anne had got them when she was in Broome and it certainly complemented the ceremony. The girls, Ruby, Shaniqua and Erica were very proud to be wearing such beautiful clothes however I was rather afraid they would trip over in the red dirt and absolutely ruin them. It brought me back to when I made my First Communion and found a massive black stain on the bottom of my dress, just as we were ready to go to church. It seemed like the end of the world at the time but it quickly came out and I felt like a princess!

Shaniqua reading with the help of her teacher, PJ.

HAHA John, caught on camera!

Father John being silly witht the first Communion recipients.

Erica, Shaniqua and Ruby.

There was one picture in the chapel that caught my attention. It seemed rather morbid and I asked Anne what it was about. She told me that the church leaders had painted it as a memory of a tragic event in the history of Billiluna that still affects most of the community. The Sturt Creek massacre occurred at the creek not far from the town where indigenous people in their masses were drowned in the creek, basically for the entertainment of the station workers. This occurred in the very early 1900s, and I felt sick to my stomach while the events were being detailed to me. The massacre was for no reason, was not avenging anything, was not over religion or a disagreement, it occurred because a few people were bored. That is truly sickening!

The white in the rectangle are bones, the circle is a well also with bones in it.

Shocking.

We had dinner with Anne, a lovely salmon past dish that reminded me of home, but not as much as a flowering plant she had outside on her verandah that we have planted in our garded. We call it the Mother in Law bush, because my Nonna (mums mum) gave it to Dad and it has truly the most amazing smell. Homesick no more, we began the roundup of all those we had brought up and drove back to Balgo, entertained the whole way by the most spectacular lightning show I have ever seen. Lightning was just going nonstop in varying clouds around the sky, and I couldn’t keep my eyes of it. I can’t explain its magnificence, but I know that I am not going to be moved by thunderstorms at home anymore after living in amongst some spectacular natural shows.

Driving towards Balgo in the dark, I always look out for the lights of the community as we approach. At first, you can only see one. Then it doubles, triples and multiplies into the town. It’s rather exciting to see home from such a distance and watch as the community comes alive before your eyes, aided by the shimmering lights leading the way.

The Thunderstorm clouds.

With most of the community in Billiluna, the day was rather quiet with just three kids; Antonio, Frena and Shonielle. They had a good day playing on the computer, colouring in, playing on Jenny’s guitar (they called it a ‘geee-tar) and doing a number of fun activities while the adults cleaned and organized. I set up the Christmas Tree while we had time and attempted to get the kids to help me make decorations, but I think Adrian’s photography lesson took over. So I decorated it myself with tinsel and handmade pipecleaner candy canes. I even made the star; my creativity skills really are improving. They also enjoyed free time during the whole swimming lesson and even managed to get me into the pool, fully clothed! Frena used me as a taxi, with my head as the steering wheel and I was forced to take her to and from varying ends of the pool with my neck being tugged this way and that. When Shonielle cottoned on to the idea, I drew the line; glad Jenny called it quits not much later. For such a quiet day, I certinaly ended it rather tired!

O Christmas Tree, O Christmas Tree!

Here’s some homework for you all between now and Friday; pray for NO RAIN ALONG THE TANAMI! If it rains, more than likely Halls Creek shire will close the road and I will be unable to go on Friday. Most of the staff are going during the week for a PD and we’re heading out on the Friday for a night on the town, staff dinner and to get our Kris Kringle presents. Hopefully it stays dry because I really want to see more of Halls Creek than just a fuel stop will allow!

Reinforcing that message; PRAY FOR NO RAIN!

Thank you.