Things about me

1. Maybe I should... employ someone to wash my dishes, clean my car and massage my feet
2. I love...my family, friends, my pup, my job, exploring a new place and a new culture, big hugs and a meal cooked with love
3. People would say that I... have a cookbook fetish
4. I don't understand why people...blindly buy pretend 'food' in the supermarket and give it to their children without bothering to find out what is really in it
5. When I wake up in the morning...I hit the snooze button at least 3 times
6. I recently...learnt the Aboriginal word for poo (goona)
7. Life is full of...joy, laughter and tears
8. My past...has been a great learning journey and I intend my future to be an even bigger adventure
9. I get annoyed...by loud Americans, bad service and when actions don't match words
10. Parties are...a great excuse to have a few drinks and let my evil eye do the walking
11. I wish... I had a chaufeur
12. Dogs...are faithful companions and great company when you live alone
13. Cats...tolerate humans for their own gain
14. Tomorrow...is overated - today counts
15. I have low tolerance for...closed minded people and racism
16. If I had a million dollars I would...still teach
17. I'm totally terrified...of heights
19. My life...is the freedom to choose my own path.
20. My refridgerator...has four different kinds of cheese and no milk

STOP - Read the post below first** something similar means I cant remember the exact wording but its very close. They sang this song at least 4 times today and a few times yesterday and last week on assembly. For the younger kids they probably dont understand it but the older ones definately get it. Yes it happened - yes it shouldnt be forgotten - yes they should - we all should acknowledge that it happened but how can it benefit the kids and the relationships that they build with the 'whiteman boss' and police???????? It frustrates me, makes me angry, makes me sad. How can a community go forward - the children go forward when they are being fed an Us and Them diet????? The bottom line for me is - how can a kid build trust with a police officer or go to them for help after hearing the messages in these songs. Where is the message that a police officer is often the only person you can trust to put themselves in harms way to save a woman who is being bashed by her husband???? Grrrrrrrrrr

I would love to see them singing traditional songs, its seems so sad that their identity is still wrapped up in the stolen generation. I dont want to make light of what happened or that it is still real in the lives of people in town. Its a kind of homage and rememberance to what happened - a kind of weeping. But when and where do the future kids gain their own identities and pride from?
Tell me what you think?

Yarweeeee

The kids at school love to sing - anything with a rhythm or a tune will usually get them in. One of the Aboriginal ladies who works at the school often comes into class for a short sing along with her guitar. The kids love her and hang on her every word. She's a community elder and is quite outspoken politically and I'm a supporter of most of what she says.
Today at school we had the first parents and citizens meeting. Only a small handful of people turned up and the kids sang a song on assembly to welcome them and this was their song. They sang it beautifully and enjoyed it immensely.

Chorus
Yarwee, Yarwee they came and took my baby away x2

The stockman rode on his horse through a mission station
and saw a sight he would never forget - a young black woman with her cheeks all wet

The policeman came and took my baby away. Whiteman boss you let them take my baby away. Why you let them take him away (or sth similar)

They took them away and bought them all new clothes and
they lived on the station away from family (or sth similar)
When he grew the told him to go - they only place that he did know
He searched for his mother but in this world they would never meet

I took this picture on a morning walk about 2 weeks ago. It is about 2 mins stroll from my place. To the left is a horse stud and an area known as the stockyards where the kids learn to ride horses. To the right are houses that back onto one of the nine streets of town. I love the colours out here and in the morning the only noises are the horses whinnying and birds.

Its common to walk along here and have 4 or 5 people pass you in the morning. You know you are 'in' if someone tips their nose up in a short sharp kinda burst - it means 'what you doin?' Sometimes they'll have a plastic bag with their clothes in it because they have been camping out (not sure what that means but someone mentioned that thats what they call it???).

I wore thongs on my first walk but only got as far as the trees before turning back because the sandy dirt was going everywhere and my feet were filthy which ordinarily wouldn't be a problem - however there is strongaloidies in the soil (appologies for spelling) which is a parasite that lives in the soil and enters the body throught the soles of the feet and lives in the stomach. Yes I want to loose weight but NOT that way.

Is it really only Monday???

After a fab weekend just hanging out at home and shunning all society (I really should fight these hermitistic tendencies - but it was really productive - I made some rye sour dough bread and some baba ghanoush and I did a LOT of washing).

So anyway I was fresh as a daisy for my first day of the week with my Year 1 class. By 9.05am the shine had already come off...but somehow despite the odds we actually had a productive morning. Not quite as good for the rest of the day. I'm doing some serious mental editing as I type so I can block it out and go back for more tomorrow.

I woke up this morning with the will to make fresh ginger, apple and carrot juice but I didn't quite get there and right now I'm watching Imparja Northern Territory TV and wishing that I could have 2 of those KFC zinger burgers glistening with oil on the screen. Luckily I'm 2 hours drive away from such temptations...