And with the deepest apologies of having neglected you for longer than I normally do.
In my defense I have been epic busy of late, not that it justifies ignoring you lovely people. How about I give you a giant gingerbread cookie, smile sweetly at you and bat my eyelashes and you forgive my abandonment?
Excellent, now that my exceptionally sincere apologies are out of the way, I can explain to you the stories that have kept me busy for the past 10 or so days.
So Thursday I had my class for Community Organising which was taken by who used to be the head of the Social Work department at the university. I had ALOT of frustrations with this class. The first of which was that it was taken in tagalog, and not english. However two students very nicely decided to translate for Tania and I. The only problem was I feel really awkward with them feeling like they need to translate, because it means they are trying to listen to his information and then transform it into another language, then catch up on what they missed him saying while they were busy translating for us. It's alot of work for a 3 hour class, but they are such wonderful people and I always really appreciate it when they do this for us.
So the general jist of the conversation was about how to adapt in new communities, to identify leaders and aid the community to become self sustainable. Which obviously to me this made a lot of sense. However the frustrating thing was the teachers approach to the topic. He began preaching about how we should become the community organisors that Jesus intended us to be, and to be exactly like Jesus, and then talked ALOT about the bible and the plans God has for us.
...Oh I am sorry, I thought this was a university class and not a church sermon, my bad, let me scoot on out of here feeling exceptionally uncomfortable that people are judging my hethen ways.
Church talk aside, there was alot in the rest of what he was saying that resonated with me. That information was about adaptation into a new community, which is ultimately what I have been doing for the past 4 months living here in the Philippines. It's incredibly interesting to hear someone break it down into steps and finding those parallels in your own existence.
Saturday I went with Tania and another girl from our classes to another volunteer day with the children's organisation that I have been with previously. This workshop was to teach children about their rights and of course incorporating the teachings into games and creativity.
We got in there and i spied one little girl staring at us with a cheeky smirk, immediately I knew that I liked her. We tried to converse with her (with the help of a translator) and she had this face full of attitude when our conversation fell flat after our skills of interpretive dance let us down. She was so freaking cute!
Her and her friends would ask me to participate in their group with them, and I would follow and work with them on the tasks. When they weren't paying attention to the speaker and instead staring at tania and I, I would employ charades to tell them to turn around and listen. about the 4th time of doing that, she giggled and repeated my charades moves back at me, haha, cheeky.
I had so much fun playing games with these kids, they were incredible. The next task for them was to write down on pieces of paper what they identified as problems for them. My friend from Uni read out what the kids wrote as indentified problems. Here is what a few of them said
* always hungry
* sleeping on the street
* no money to pay out debts
* no money to buy food
* can't afford to get to school
etc etc. It broke my heart completely. With all the hardship that these kids are going through I realised it didn't matter how resilient they were, because what was happening to these kids was not OK, no matter how resilient they are to still remain kids. What set me over the edge was when they used pictionary to draw what they had written down, and to see a picture portraying violence that they suffer made me want to sit in the corner and weep. I wanted to grab all the kids and hug them. What made me feel even worse was when one of the kids asked me if I was rich. The answer is no, I am a student, but the cold reality is that in comparison to them, I am rich. And in my life I have been incredibly fortunate and it really put a giant perspective on life for me.
Tania made friends with this little boy that would chat away constantly in tagalog and even though he never got a response because we never understood him, he seemed exceptionally content to continue the one sided conversation. There was also a young boy who was about 7 and his grasp on English was amazing. We played a few more games with the kids, took some photo's together and then said our goodbyes.
It is safe to say, that my heart was broken that day, kids should never be exposed to this kind of life. It really is just fate that we are born into fortunate families, or in a fortunate country like Australia. How was it decided that we would be born into this and they were born into this poverty?
That night we went to Cubao expo to hang out with two Aussie boys. It was goodbye drinks for one of them as he had enough of the Philippines. Fair enough too, he copped it harder than any of us fighting his own morals with the strict morals of the church. Well, when the catholic church is handing out pamphlets saying "Condoms spread HIV" and the general consensus in the Philippines that tampons are evil, you can see why at times it would be a struggle when everyone you work with things that you are a hethen for having differing views.
Sunday Tania, Cathy, two of her friends, and I went to Pagsanjan falls. We hopped in a boat and scooted our way over there. We arrived at a lodge and got briefed on the activities of the day and hopped into our little canoes. Having Cath, Tan and I in one little canoe sure was cozy as we were basically sitting in each others laps, and we went down the river singing ridiculous songs at the top of our lungs. We hit some beautiful jungle areas. It was absolutely breathtaking. The greens were brighter than bright, and were surrounded by lush trees, and as Cathy put it "Tarzan jungle vines". It began to rain and the rain fell hard onto the river as the boat men pulled our boat over rocks and rapids. We made it to the falls which, were honestly not the most spectacular falls I have ever seen, but none-the-less were beautiful. We jumped on a little raft and proceeded to get drenched by going under them.
We then jumped back in our canoe and headed back down the river in the rain. The day was just so beautiful that words cannot even describe it, neither can the pictures I took unfortunately.
The next day we went with our other housemate Erin to Miriam college for a photography exhibit. The exhibit was done by the girls that Erin has been working with on her placement. These girls are all victims of sexual exploitation and trafficking now living in a safe house, and they had been taught by Erin about photography. The work was amazing, as was meeting the girls. Tania jumped on her guitar so that two of the girls (aspiring singers) could have the chance to perform two numbers. I was blown away by their talent and their voices and Tan had to hold back some tears. Again, at such a young age children should not experience such a harsh reality to be traded for their bodies, and grow up learning about sex in such a volatile way.
I spent the next few days furiously studying for an exam and finally sitting it on Thursday. I was shitting myself not having a great memory for exams. Turns out nothing we studied in class or revised for was actually on the exam...always handy.
Friday night Tania and I went to the University fair. We made it out in the rain to watch some amazingly talented musicians perform on stage, devouring snow cones and getting mud all over our feet. We checked out the stalls and bought a few goodies, such as books (I bought waiting for godot :P) and other various knick knacks. It was such a fun night out.
Saturday we spent going to the movies to see 'Safe House' as a household outing. At the end of the movie Tania and Erin broke out in some epic hip hop krumping movements under the screen much to the enjoyment of all the cinema staff. It was hilariously funny and I wonder if they teach their moves in classes. Where do i sign up??
Sunday was unfortunate as we had to say goodbye to our hosuemate Erin. Her placement here in the Philippines had come to the end so she was off to spend a week or two on Palawan island to relax. lucky her!! We will definitely miss our token redhead...
and that brings us to today, Monday the 20th of Feb. Only 5 more weeks of classes until I finish the semester and find my self on an island also. Although have amazing weekend trips planned before then :) looking forward to it.
Well, I am exhausted and have a paper that isn't going to write itself (unfortunately, i tried. I asked super politely and everything!)
Much love to all, and speak soon :)
Love B xox
Saturday, February 18, 2012
Wednesday, February 8, 2012
excursions to the urban poor.
here we are again and i am starting to feel like time is speeding past me. which is exceptionally strange given that just a few weeks ago I was counting down the minutes and seconds of every single day until I could leave.
There are a few reasons for this i believe. First is my excursion over the weekend to ZOTO. ZOTO stands for the 'Zone One Tondo Organisation', which is an organisation here in the Philippines that, and I quote "is a federation of local urban poor organizations from relocation sites and areas for demolition. It organizes urban poor communities to build and rebuild their lives, turn shanties into empowered communities." Their website is here
This basically means that they work with the urban poor communities with disaster relief amongst other things. So my community organising class and i set out in our little bus to the office of this organisation. We sat in their community school room and were given a few videos to watch about the organisation. Specifically their work with the 'Bat People' who are people whose houses hang underneath bridges because they have nowhere else to go.
The second specific group we watched video's about were those who lost their houses in this past year to Typhoon Pedring. These families are currently living on basketball courts, each court housing around 85 families in the evacuation centers. The government currently wants them to move so they can have access to the courts again for basketball season, however these families have nowhere else to go.
So we split into groups and headed out to see these communities first hand.
Our first stop was to the shanty towns by the river, and to see the 'bat people'.
My first impression was that it reminded me greatly of the favellas in Brazil that i visited this time last year. The kids here however were covered in dirt from dead to toe, some not fully clothed, but all finding amusement within the simplest of things, and every child had a smile to give as you walked past. It was endearing to see the resilience in the kids even with their extreme poverty.
It got me thinking though about how much of our happiness within western cultures is dependent on our material objects. These families still have one another and with that they certainly get by. The other parallels that i could draw from this in comparison to the short time i spent working with the homeless communities in melbourne, and the ultimate difference i can see here between the individuals is that here in the Philippines, no matter what their is alot more support from families and no matter what they stick together. It is ultimately all about family over here.
The second place we went was to several of the evacuation sites. It was honestly shocking to see the amount of families that were squeezed into such a small area, and had been living that way since september 2011. the majority of the kids are not going to school anymore because getting to school now takes too long and is too expensive for transport, and with a lot of them being fisherman, have also lost alot of their livelihood.
The kids here really enjoyed having us come visit, and we were given alot of thankyou's by people as we walked past. They saw our being there as a sign of more help coming their way. The kids taught Tania how to play a hand clapping game, and every single kid that saw me with my camera asked politely and enthusiastically if they could have their picture taken. They had no interest in seeing the picture, but they got such pleasure in thinking that they were immortalised in film. I would show them the pictures i just took and they would giggle over their poses and then jump into a new pose.
With these experiences i remembered again why i got into social work and how incredibly rewarding it would be to work in this type of area, and bringing out more hope in those families who literally have nothing, except that glimmer of hope in their eyes and the fire in their bellies that makes them want to change their lives for the better.
Monday for lunch I went with Tania to go meet up with our German friends, Mara and Hannah. It was so lovely to catch up as we hadn't seen each other since before christmas. We also decided to take some weekend trips with each other down to Boracay and to swim with the whale sharks. Woo :) I love weekend trips!!
Tuesday came around and after having a toothache and sensitive teeth for almost a week, i headed to the dentist at the UP medical center. After waiting around an hour and a half in the waiting room they let me in. I was taking into a small cubicle office where she grabbed out the little mirrors to look at my teeth. She said she couldn't see anything wrong with them, but they would take a small xray just to make sure everything was ok underneath the gums.
I got led into a small room which to me resembled a small laundry or perhaps an older bathroom. there was hand towels hanging to dry in one corner and a sink below. They put the xray film in my mouth and took the picture.
After looking at the xray she said everything was fine, it might be that i am grinding my teeth in my sleep (as i used to do often) and am making them sensitive. It's likely. So she let me keep my xray and after paying a whole 80 pesos for the xray and appointment (equivilent of around $2) i was on my way.
Tania and i then spent the rest of the day finishing writing and recording a video of a song we wrote for our uni friends and uploading it. clearly a productive day.
Now here we are, and there are several things for me to look forward to this week, volunteering again this weekend with the children victims of militarisation, going to some waterfalls, dropping a class, and monday morning we are going to see a photography exhibition taken by young girls who are in a safe house after being sexually trafficked (a workshop our housemate has been doing on her placement).
So off I go now, peace out hombre!
Much love B xoxox
P.s. the uploading of photos on here is being incredibly annoying, so I will upload them later seperately, before i go crazy...you know more so than i already am.
There are a few reasons for this i believe. First is my excursion over the weekend to ZOTO. ZOTO stands for the 'Zone One Tondo Organisation', which is an organisation here in the Philippines that, and I quote "is a federation of local urban poor organizations from relocation sites and areas for demolition. It organizes urban poor communities to build and rebuild their lives, turn shanties into empowered communities." Their website is here
This basically means that they work with the urban poor communities with disaster relief amongst other things. So my community organising class and i set out in our little bus to the office of this organisation. We sat in their community school room and were given a few videos to watch about the organisation. Specifically their work with the 'Bat People' who are people whose houses hang underneath bridges because they have nowhere else to go.
The second specific group we watched video's about were those who lost their houses in this past year to Typhoon Pedring. These families are currently living on basketball courts, each court housing around 85 families in the evacuation centers. The government currently wants them to move so they can have access to the courts again for basketball season, however these families have nowhere else to go.
So we split into groups and headed out to see these communities first hand.
Our first stop was to the shanty towns by the river, and to see the 'bat people'.
My first impression was that it reminded me greatly of the favellas in Brazil that i visited this time last year. The kids here however were covered in dirt from dead to toe, some not fully clothed, but all finding amusement within the simplest of things, and every child had a smile to give as you walked past. It was endearing to see the resilience in the kids even with their extreme poverty.
It got me thinking though about how much of our happiness within western cultures is dependent on our material objects. These families still have one another and with that they certainly get by. The other parallels that i could draw from this in comparison to the short time i spent working with the homeless communities in melbourne, and the ultimate difference i can see here between the individuals is that here in the Philippines, no matter what their is alot more support from families and no matter what they stick together. It is ultimately all about family over here.
The second place we went was to several of the evacuation sites. It was honestly shocking to see the amount of families that were squeezed into such a small area, and had been living that way since september 2011. the majority of the kids are not going to school anymore because getting to school now takes too long and is too expensive for transport, and with a lot of them being fisherman, have also lost alot of their livelihood.
The kids here really enjoyed having us come visit, and we were given alot of thankyou's by people as we walked past. They saw our being there as a sign of more help coming their way. The kids taught Tania how to play a hand clapping game, and every single kid that saw me with my camera asked politely and enthusiastically if they could have their picture taken. They had no interest in seeing the picture, but they got such pleasure in thinking that they were immortalised in film. I would show them the pictures i just took and they would giggle over their poses and then jump into a new pose.
With these experiences i remembered again why i got into social work and how incredibly rewarding it would be to work in this type of area, and bringing out more hope in those families who literally have nothing, except that glimmer of hope in their eyes and the fire in their bellies that makes them want to change their lives for the better.
Monday for lunch I went with Tania to go meet up with our German friends, Mara and Hannah. It was so lovely to catch up as we hadn't seen each other since before christmas. We also decided to take some weekend trips with each other down to Boracay and to swim with the whale sharks. Woo :) I love weekend trips!!
Tuesday came around and after having a toothache and sensitive teeth for almost a week, i headed to the dentist at the UP medical center. After waiting around an hour and a half in the waiting room they let me in. I was taking into a small cubicle office where she grabbed out the little mirrors to look at my teeth. She said she couldn't see anything wrong with them, but they would take a small xray just to make sure everything was ok underneath the gums.
I got led into a small room which to me resembled a small laundry or perhaps an older bathroom. there was hand towels hanging to dry in one corner and a sink below. They put the xray film in my mouth and took the picture.
After looking at the xray she said everything was fine, it might be that i am grinding my teeth in my sleep (as i used to do often) and am making them sensitive. It's likely. So she let me keep my xray and after paying a whole 80 pesos for the xray and appointment (equivilent of around $2) i was on my way.
Tania and i then spent the rest of the day finishing writing and recording a video of a song we wrote for our uni friends and uploading it. clearly a productive day.
Now here we are, and there are several things for me to look forward to this week, volunteering again this weekend with the children victims of militarisation, going to some waterfalls, dropping a class, and monday morning we are going to see a photography exhibition taken by young girls who are in a safe house after being sexually trafficked (a workshop our housemate has been doing on her placement).
So off I go now, peace out hombre!
Much love B xoxox
P.s. the uploading of photos on here is being incredibly annoying, so I will upload them later seperately, before i go crazy...you know more so than i already am.
Wednesday, February 1, 2012
volcanoes, old men and avocado!
"It may not be the party we hoped for but while we are here we might as well dance"
That is definitely a great thought (thanks for that one Cathy!), and this week there has been a lot of dancing. The turn around in the past week has been nothing short of remarkable. Last week was a place I had never wanted to go, or want to go to again. I spent a lot of time reflecting upon how to adjust the sails in this turbulent wind that is living here, and I realised that I don't want to leave here without gaining the most that I can out of this country and this experience. So first things first, looking into dropping one of my classes to release the pressure slightly to give myself more wriggle room to get out and explore what it is about this country that is testing my boundaries in such a way.
That is something I am still looking into, but it seems that it will be a possibility for me to do so, and that in itself has allowed me to shed some of the burden.
Thursday was the turning point for me. Not feeling too well and still in a state of depression I spoke to a group of my friends on skype who were together for Australia Day. I had a sense of happiness in the morning before this skype session when I woke up to find that Tania had toilet papered our house (toilet paper used as there was a lack of streamers) and Australia day Fuzzies left out for all of us. ohhh bless. However after my stomach did some turns and I had a sneaky chunder I went to class, not quite so jazzed.
I came home during my break and jumped on skype. seeing everyone together was so great, although it was the final breaking point for me. The straw that breaks the camels back, and after hanging up I finally had my first cry of being here. It only lasted about two minutes but It was enough of an emotional release that from then on, I was feeling a lot better and had a clearer head.
So Friday afternoon I went with one of my class mates to an organisation named ERDA which deals in aiding children in education that are unable to afford it. The aim is to help future generations with a better lifestyle through education. It was really interesting to go there and speak to them about their programs, and in the next few weeks, my partner and I will be going back there to spend a day or two working in their Children in Conflict with the Law department. It should definitely be a great experience. We went and met with the founder of the organisation and who is now 97 years old. He was so cute, i just wanted to wrap him up in a blanky and sit him in a basket with wesley. He still works two jobs, every day from 9-4:30 but likes to repeat stories a million times.
"I was born in 1914, and at the time the land belonged to Germany, then France, then Germany again, and then France again. And now I am Filipino!"
Every time he finished that story he would give a little chuckle to himself, before retelling it. Man, he was just so sweet!!
We then left and spent the next hour or so on public transport giggling at silly things and generally just having a good time. My partner and one of her friends are seriously lovely and innocently sweet.
Sunday morning at the bright and early time of 4am, we hopped into a van and begun our journey to visit Mt Pinatubo. It took us a little over two hours to get to where we (Tania, Cathy, two of Cathy's friends from Australia, Christine and I) headed off in separate cars to the start of the hike. Tania, Christine and I jumped in a hummer with several locals and started 4WDing our way over creeks and rocks and the most amazing scenery. The mountains began to form around us, like majestic giants framing the land. The scenery was indescribable and my heart bounced excitedly within my chest at being once again out in the natural world. My lungs breathed in with a sigh of relief with the absence of air pollution, and I remembered why i loved getting out of the city so much.
Proclamations of love were scrawled into the mountain sides and the creeks rushed under the wheels of our tires as we bounced off our seats.
We arrived at the beginning of the hiking portion of the trip, and trekked our way through the mountains. The sun blazed above, and it was incredibly hot!
After 2 hours of hiking we reached the crater of Mt Pinatubo.
It was one of the most incredible views that I have ever seen. The crater of the volcano had filled up with water of the years to create an incredibly beautiful lake surrounded by the jagged edges of the volcano. The edges were a blend of beautiful volcanic greys and whites that contrasted magnificently with the piercing blue of the water.
We got changed behind a bush into our swimwear and stepped into the water before fully immersing ourselves. We played silly games, using our bodies to form the initials of our names, and within our fun forgot the rest of the world.
It began to rain, and I was in my own personal heaven. We got changed quickly and hiked in the bucketing rain back. I felt so at peace, something that I have not felt for a long time. The rain falling on the volcanic formations was a real thing of beauty.
Even with the rain, the temperature was still warm, so the rain acted as a cooling agent on our skins and you could no longer distinguish between the sweat or the rain on our faces.
The rain subsided and we got back in our jeeps for the return home. Tania, Christine and I swapped with the others and this time were in a small open aired jeep sitting on benches in the back. We had to hold on exceptionally tight so we didn't get flung out of the back as we bounced over rocks and creeks. I have discovered that 4WDing definitely requires a sports bra, or else injury could occur (most likely a black eye).
Our jeep got stuck at one stage in the middle of the creek and our driver had to exit the vehicle to try and get us up over to the other side. However, you will be pleased to know that we made it back in one piece, and guess what was waiting for us on the other end. A massage.
I found it odd that we were given uniforms to wear during the massage, but honestly I stopped thinking about it as soon as they began kneading the knots from my back. We spent the next hour being contorted like a pretzel and stretched, and in a pure state of relaxation. My muscles were exceptionally happy that I believe I heard them sing when we were done. Muscles don't sing? Well, I am pretty sure they do. Mine sang some form of hallelujah.
We came home and I pretty much fell straight asleep as it had been a very long and brilliant day.
Sunday and Monday were spent doing assignments unfortunately, but I was still juiced on the amazingness of Sunday. I did however get an amazing care package from back home which also boosted my spirits. I was given milo, tim tams, sweet little plaques with beautiful sayings, calendars and books, and a mug. Thanks mum and dad!!!
Tuesday rocked around and both my classes were exceptionally interesting and even when I went to the supermarket I managed to find.... AVOCADO!!! I don't think my excitement over fruits and vegetables has ever been so high. I even had avocado on the non sugary tasting bread I also managed to find. Life, you are good to me.
That is definitely a great thought (thanks for that one Cathy!), and this week there has been a lot of dancing. The turn around in the past week has been nothing short of remarkable. Last week was a place I had never wanted to go, or want to go to again. I spent a lot of time reflecting upon how to adjust the sails in this turbulent wind that is living here, and I realised that I don't want to leave here without gaining the most that I can out of this country and this experience. So first things first, looking into dropping one of my classes to release the pressure slightly to give myself more wriggle room to get out and explore what it is about this country that is testing my boundaries in such a way.
That is something I am still looking into, but it seems that it will be a possibility for me to do so, and that in itself has allowed me to shed some of the burden.
Thursday was the turning point for me. Not feeling too well and still in a state of depression I spoke to a group of my friends on skype who were together for Australia Day. I had a sense of happiness in the morning before this skype session when I woke up to find that Tania had toilet papered our house (toilet paper used as there was a lack of streamers) and Australia day Fuzzies left out for all of us. ohhh bless. However after my stomach did some turns and I had a sneaky chunder I went to class, not quite so jazzed.
I came home during my break and jumped on skype. seeing everyone together was so great, although it was the final breaking point for me. The straw that breaks the camels back, and after hanging up I finally had my first cry of being here. It only lasted about two minutes but It was enough of an emotional release that from then on, I was feeling a lot better and had a clearer head.
So Friday afternoon I went with one of my class mates to an organisation named ERDA which deals in aiding children in education that are unable to afford it. The aim is to help future generations with a better lifestyle through education. It was really interesting to go there and speak to them about their programs, and in the next few weeks, my partner and I will be going back there to spend a day or two working in their Children in Conflict with the Law department. It should definitely be a great experience. We went and met with the founder of the organisation and who is now 97 years old. He was so cute, i just wanted to wrap him up in a blanky and sit him in a basket with wesley. He still works two jobs, every day from 9-4:30 but likes to repeat stories a million times.
"I was born in 1914, and at the time the land belonged to Germany, then France, then Germany again, and then France again. And now I am Filipino!"
Every time he finished that story he would give a little chuckle to himself, before retelling it. Man, he was just so sweet!!
We then left and spent the next hour or so on public transport giggling at silly things and generally just having a good time. My partner and one of her friends are seriously lovely and innocently sweet.
Sunday morning at the bright and early time of 4am, we hopped into a van and begun our journey to visit Mt Pinatubo. It took us a little over two hours to get to where we (Tania, Cathy, two of Cathy's friends from Australia, Christine and I) headed off in separate cars to the start of the hike. Tania, Christine and I jumped in a hummer with several locals and started 4WDing our way over creeks and rocks and the most amazing scenery. The mountains began to form around us, like majestic giants framing the land. The scenery was indescribable and my heart bounced excitedly within my chest at being once again out in the natural world. My lungs breathed in with a sigh of relief with the absence of air pollution, and I remembered why i loved getting out of the city so much.
Proclamations of love were scrawled into the mountain sides and the creeks rushed under the wheels of our tires as we bounced off our seats.
We arrived at the beginning of the hiking portion of the trip, and trekked our way through the mountains. The sun blazed above, and it was incredibly hot!
After 2 hours of hiking we reached the crater of Mt Pinatubo.
It was one of the most incredible views that I have ever seen. The crater of the volcano had filled up with water of the years to create an incredibly beautiful lake surrounded by the jagged edges of the volcano. The edges were a blend of beautiful volcanic greys and whites that contrasted magnificently with the piercing blue of the water.
We got changed behind a bush into our swimwear and stepped into the water before fully immersing ourselves. We played silly games, using our bodies to form the initials of our names, and within our fun forgot the rest of the world.
It began to rain, and I was in my own personal heaven. We got changed quickly and hiked in the bucketing rain back. I felt so at peace, something that I have not felt for a long time. The rain falling on the volcanic formations was a real thing of beauty.
Even with the rain, the temperature was still warm, so the rain acted as a cooling agent on our skins and you could no longer distinguish between the sweat or the rain on our faces.
The rain subsided and we got back in our jeeps for the return home. Tania, Christine and I swapped with the others and this time were in a small open aired jeep sitting on benches in the back. We had to hold on exceptionally tight so we didn't get flung out of the back as we bounced over rocks and creeks. I have discovered that 4WDing definitely requires a sports bra, or else injury could occur (most likely a black eye).
Our jeep got stuck at one stage in the middle of the creek and our driver had to exit the vehicle to try and get us up over to the other side. However, you will be pleased to know that we made it back in one piece, and guess what was waiting for us on the other end. A massage.
I found it odd that we were given uniforms to wear during the massage, but honestly I stopped thinking about it as soon as they began kneading the knots from my back. We spent the next hour being contorted like a pretzel and stretched, and in a pure state of relaxation. My muscles were exceptionally happy that I believe I heard them sing when we were done. Muscles don't sing? Well, I am pretty sure they do. Mine sang some form of hallelujah.
We came home and I pretty much fell straight asleep as it had been a very long and brilliant day.
Sunday and Monday were spent doing assignments unfortunately, but I was still juiced on the amazingness of Sunday. I did however get an amazing care package from back home which also boosted my spirits. I was given milo, tim tams, sweet little plaques with beautiful sayings, calendars and books, and a mug. Thanks mum and dad!!!
Tuesday rocked around and both my classes were exceptionally interesting and even when I went to the supermarket I managed to find.... AVOCADO!!! I don't think my excitement over fruits and vegetables has ever been so high. I even had avocado on the non sugary tasting bread I also managed to find. Life, you are good to me.
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