I am writing to you tonight from the comfort of my donga, known around the community as 'top donga' because it is located at the very top of the 'hill', that is really just a slope in the dirt. I am still sick from Ross River, with no real signs of progress.. other than it has now been a month and apparently this is the average length of time that the virus lasts. Technically I am still in the accute phase, which sucks. It hasn't hindered my time in my new surroundings though.. and this is good! I have had enough mobility and energy most days to check out the beautiful things around this community - even if it is by car. Im really looking forward to being able to go for walks and see it all again by foot rather than 4WD.
Oh! I got bogged the other night.. on a secret mission to find lollies in the school.. managed to get into a nice boggy patch of the dirt road and lets just say our secret mission to find lollies was not so secret anymore!The kids in my class are SO adorable. The first few days I really struggled to understand them, as they speak quite fast with a lot of kriol combined with minimal english, but now I am able to understand them very well, and even find myself speaking part kriol in class when Im stuck into my lessons. Its quite funny really. I went to the pub in the nearest town (almost 2 hrs away) last weekend for a meal, and I was shocked at how fast I was speaking and the way I kept almost reverting into kriol sounding language.. haha, this place really gets into your skin, in many ways..
The people here are amazing. I wouldn't say it has been a culture shock for me, more of an adjustment. The ladies here are very friendly and are interested in knowing who you are.. they dont speak much, but when they do, you know you are ok with them. The kids however.. they just throw themselves at you and talk a million miles an hour with a truckload of questions. A few days before school started I was walking around the school, and hadn't met any of the kids yet... I was walking to my classroom when I saw a girl with fuzzy hair sticking her head around the corner of a building peeping at me and then hiding when I looked at her.. I said "hello... whats your name? Can you help me find my classroom?" ....the next thing I heard was about 30 kids erupt with laughter and giggles and from all directions they came running out screaming and laughing their hearts out.. they all jumped all over me and played with my hair and my legs and my arms.. they were facinated with my 'wobbly bits' and my smooth legs. I was pretty much on the ground with all these kids jumping all over me asking me heaps of questions and wanting to know what I was carrying in my hands.. I ended up hanging out with them all outside my donga all afternoon giving them cold water to sip from plastic bottles and chatting about all their favourite things to do around here. They are just gorgeous. Most nights at least one or two groups of kids will come knocking, asking for 'justa cold water miss, and a little bit food?'.. it is a very special time of getting to hear their stories and learn about their culture.
I thought I would list some of my favourite things the kids have said to me so far:
"miss, why you got so fats guts? you like the fat cheeeeese?"
"your hair is a lubbly one miss"
One of the girls spotted a freckle on my arm and said "miss!!!.. you got a booty spot!"
"im paining in my guts - needa rest or shit...(I look at him in shock that he said "shit", and he says..) gaaaaaah sorry miss, a poo!"
When I was attempting a hiphop move that involves a bit of hip action, one of the boys got up and said "ah miss, that not dance, that a bad wiggle" and burst into laughter.. I joined him. It was ridiculous, and these kids have so many dance skills, not sure why i ever thought I could pull off more than just a bad wiggle.
Last night we had a 'killa', which is where the locals kill a beast to chop up and eat for the whole community. It was cool. The grade 10 blokes put on a bingo game and we all sat outside in the 49 degree heat playing bingo in the shade of the basketball court. After bingo and killa, the Walkabout Boys (a local band) played some tunes and the kids all ran around playing basketball and doing their hiphop moves to some country tunes pumping through the amps. The adults all stuck around, some getting up for a boogie, others just watching... I danced with the kiddies and held about 7 babies that were thrust into my arms over the duration of the evening. The babies are gorgeous.
So - it is safe to say that I am stoked with my decision to move here, and I am falling in love very quickly. I love the people, the culture, the artworks, the school, the staff, the isolation, the scenery, the sunsets, the animals, the bush tucker, the rivers, the waterholes, the heat... and even the hiphop music is becoming something I am enjoying more than I ever imagined I would!
Friday, February 12, 2010
Friday, January 29, 2010
Kartiya
WORD: Kartiya - whitefellas.
Well... I'm not sure where to start. I have arrived in my community and have set up my donga to be as homely as possible. I am really liking it here. I think I could possibly be in the lust phase of my relationship with my new home. It seems that everything here is perfect, and I feel that I have made an awesome decision coming north. Having said that, school starts on Tuesday, therefore work has not officially started. Things are about to get pretty crazy - up until now it has been all games and play.
I have just returned from a week-long Professional Development session. All the teachers from our cluster of schools get together quite frequently throughout the year for PD sessions. This one was great. I got to meet all of the teachers and principals from the Kimberley schools, and also met the support staff who will be making regular visits to our schools this year. I feel very supported here.
I recently came down with Ross River Fever. This effectively means most days are a half effort, and I can't do much walking (or standing) because my feet and legs are very sore. But... I have been so well looked after by the other staff members.
This place is quite special with the kind of people it attracts. I got along well with everyone at the PD, and really felt a sense of unity in what we are doing here. There is no one who is here to try and 'change the world', or do their bit for the human race.. it seems we are all here purely because we enjoy the people, place, and teaching. Genuine people are influential without having to set out to be.. and that is what I like about this mob.
The PD was well delivered, and I feel ready to get stuck into teaching. I feel like Ive had to re-learn how to teach literacy from the start, but it is good. We use the Accelerated Literacy programme in our schools, which seems pretty good, and is proven effective, but it is very backward from how I would usually teach literacy. I'm looking forward to seeing the results first hand.
I read a couple of books before I moved up here about what it is like to teach in an aboriginal community - much like the one I am in. I came here prepared for all the negative things I have read about, and soon discovered that it is a sad sad case of generalisation. My experiences with the people here have only been positive, and the teachers I have spoken to here all love their communities. It seems a completely different place to the discriptions in the books.
I feel weird when people say 'you are such a special person to be up there doing what you do', because it is amazing here - why wouldn't I be here? I am almost embarrassed for the person who assumes that all the negative generalisations apply to every aboriginal community.
Last night I was playing texas holdem with some of the teachers. We put on the hiphop CD some of the highschool kids made. It was fantastic. I am going to try and get a link on here so you can listen. There was a line in the chorus where one of the boys said "This is for my people, even the kartiya"... haha i love it.
Well... I'm not sure where to start. I have arrived in my community and have set up my donga to be as homely as possible. I am really liking it here. I think I could possibly be in the lust phase of my relationship with my new home. It seems that everything here is perfect, and I feel that I have made an awesome decision coming north. Having said that, school starts on Tuesday, therefore work has not officially started. Things are about to get pretty crazy - up until now it has been all games and play.
I have just returned from a week-long Professional Development session. All the teachers from our cluster of schools get together quite frequently throughout the year for PD sessions. This one was great. I got to meet all of the teachers and principals from the Kimberley schools, and also met the support staff who will be making regular visits to our schools this year. I feel very supported here.
I recently came down with Ross River Fever. This effectively means most days are a half effort, and I can't do much walking (or standing) because my feet and legs are very sore. But... I have been so well looked after by the other staff members.
This place is quite special with the kind of people it attracts. I got along well with everyone at the PD, and really felt a sense of unity in what we are doing here. There is no one who is here to try and 'change the world', or do their bit for the human race.. it seems we are all here purely because we enjoy the people, place, and teaching. Genuine people are influential without having to set out to be.. and that is what I like about this mob.
The PD was well delivered, and I feel ready to get stuck into teaching. I feel like Ive had to re-learn how to teach literacy from the start, but it is good. We use the Accelerated Literacy programme in our schools, which seems pretty good, and is proven effective, but it is very backward from how I would usually teach literacy. I'm looking forward to seeing the results first hand.
I read a couple of books before I moved up here about what it is like to teach in an aboriginal community - much like the one I am in. I came here prepared for all the negative things I have read about, and soon discovered that it is a sad sad case of generalisation. My experiences with the people here have only been positive, and the teachers I have spoken to here all love their communities. It seems a completely different place to the discriptions in the books.
I feel weird when people say 'you are such a special person to be up there doing what you do', because it is amazing here - why wouldn't I be here? I am almost embarrassed for the person who assumes that all the negative generalisations apply to every aboriginal community.
Last night I was playing texas holdem with some of the teachers. We put on the hiphop CD some of the highschool kids made. It was fantastic. I am going to try and get a link on here so you can listen. There was a line in the chorus where one of the boys said "This is for my people, even the kartiya"... haha i love it.
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