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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