18th March 2011 - 7:30pm
Well, I've made it! One month in (after my little holiday beforehand) and going strong! I'm really enjoying my new life here. Obviously there are so many differences to my life in Tassie, and it's so exciting to think of how much I will learn.
I've been really busy with my Uni course. There is so much more work than I was expecting. But I'm doing ALL of the reading, and ALL of the tasks assigned, so I guess I'm probably doing a lot more than some of the other students. But maybe it's because the course is only for one year. I've got subjects on child development (cognitive, physical, social and emotional), incorporating literacy and assessment and reporting. I'm actually finding it fascinating - maybe I've found my calling in life. I'll be chatting to the Principal from the local school next week to hopefully organise the practical component of my course (30 days this semester, and 50 next semester) and to do some work up there as well.
We've got some interesting things going on in Ramo at the moment. The Homelands Resource Centre, which was in charge of all of the outstations, has gone bust. Which means the Council (where Ben works) has had to take on a lot more. Also, the road that goes to the barge - where basically everything is sent into the community - is in really bad shape. The roads apparently weren't fully fixed last dry season, and this has been the wettest wet season on record. So the roads are covered in water, and cars and trucks are continually being bogged. The major problem is that the ALPA (Arnhem Land Progress Association) store uses that road to get all of the groceries in for the community. It's also the way our Coles Online orders come in. So if we don't get the road fixed soon, we'll have NO food in the community. Could be interesting. It's just lucky that I always go overboard shopping, so we've got enough food to probably live for two years. Although I'm not sure what I'm going to make with flour, golden syrup and tinned beetroot...
I have also just signed the papers to become a Special Area Supervisor for the national census that will be happening in August. It basically means I have to map out all of the houses in Ramingining and the outstations (some of which are probably 100km away), and employ the collector/interviewers. It means I'll have a lot of opportunity to talk to the locals, working out who lives where and who owns what land. Then we'll have to assign the collector/interviewers to appropriate houses. Because there are poison cousins, and people are from different families, only some people will be allowed in certain houses. And because literacy is low here, each household needs to be interviewed. In most of Australia, the forms are dropped off, and someone picks them up. Here, you can have up to 30 people living in a house, and it can take up to 8 hours to do the interview so that all of the questions are answered properly. So it'll be a huge challenge, but a fantastic way to integrate into the community. Assuming I do everything the right way!
So now for a nice relaxing weekend...
Friday, March 18, 2011
Sunday, March 6, 2011
day thirty one - goin' shootin'
6th March 2011 - 5:00pm
Most of you will probably know (if not personally, then from reading previous blog posts), that I DO NOT do extreme sports. But according to Ben, this year I'll be pushing my boundaries, and doing things I never would've seen myself doing before. So yesterday we went shootin'.
Ben bought a 0.22 rifle (or something like that, to me it's a big gun) when he was working in Gapuwiyak, but hadn't used it since arriving in Ramingining last July because he wasn't sure where it was safe to set up a target. After chatting to his work mate Tony in the morning, he had worked out that there was a quarry out near the airport that was a fantastic spot for setting up targets. So off we went.
I thought I was going to be watching Ben do the shooting, and trying not to jump a mile in the air when he took a shot. That was the case for about 30 rounds, but then it was my turn. I would never have seen myself shooting before I got up here, but I guess I am meant to be throwing myself into the way of life up here - and people often head out shooting here.
I have to admit, I actually had fun! And I wasn't too bad! Not quite as good as Ben was, but it was my first go. We had a bit of fun with Ben aiming for a water bottle and making it explode, so next time we're going to take up some shaken cans of pepsi max (they're on special here at the moment because they're nearly out of date, otherwise we couldn't afford it).
Two weeks in to my new life at Ramo, and I'm almost a new person!
Most of you will probably know (if not personally, then from reading previous blog posts), that I DO NOT do extreme sports. But according to Ben, this year I'll be pushing my boundaries, and doing things I never would've seen myself doing before. So yesterday we went shootin'.
Ben bought a 0.22 rifle (or something like that, to me it's a big gun) when he was working in Gapuwiyak, but hadn't used it since arriving in Ramingining last July because he wasn't sure where it was safe to set up a target. After chatting to his work mate Tony in the morning, he had worked out that there was a quarry out near the airport that was a fantastic spot for setting up targets. So off we went.
I thought I was going to be watching Ben do the shooting, and trying not to jump a mile in the air when he took a shot. That was the case for about 30 rounds, but then it was my turn. I would never have seen myself shooting before I got up here, but I guess I am meant to be throwing myself into the way of life up here - and people often head out shooting here.
I have to admit, I actually had fun! And I wasn't too bad! Not quite as good as Ben was, but it was my first go. We had a bit of fun with Ben aiming for a water bottle and making it explode, so next time we're going to take up some shaken cans of pepsi max (they're on special here at the moment because they're nearly out of date, otherwise we couldn't afford it).
This is what the 'highway' looks like.
Ok, so he's a pretty good shot...
Some of the smaller ant hills which are everywhere.
Not quite as good as Ben, but gave it a crack! The ones on the outside lines were meant to be there.
Good shot, Ben!
Time to head home - didn't want to get caught in the thunderstorm.
Two weeks in to my new life at Ramo, and I'm almost a new person!
day thirty one - a uni student again
6th March 2011 - 4:00pm
Well, what a week.
On Monday, I became a Uni student once again. You would've thought I had done enough study already, but apparently not. I decided to undertake the Graduate Diploma of Teaching and Learning through Charles Darwin University while I'm living in Ramingining. Monday was my first day, and I have spent the week alternating between whelmed and overwhelmed. After chatting to some friends who have undertaken various education degrees through various Universities, I was expecting that my 10 contact hours a week of classes and tutorials would be almost it. Boy was I wrong.
The online course is run fantastically. I've been so impressed with how easy it is to access unit information, lectures, assignment information and notes through their online program Learnline. But talk about lots of work! I was studying full time last week. Yes, I mean around 40 hours in the week. Way more than I was expecting! But given with the assignments, that I was trying to address all assessment criteria in the 500 words allocated, perhaps I was trying a bit hard. Maybe I am going to be a really good mature-aged student. I spent hours finding journal articles and reports that supported my argument, and hours more cutting back my 827 words to fit into the word limit. Maybe doing a PhD has made me think a bit differently about study compared to how I felt in my undergraduate courses.
I've also spent the week being totally overwhelmed about the component of my course. There is so much to organise over the next few weeks, I don't know how I'm going to get it done! I'll have five weeks of three days per week of prac, as well as three weeks full time. I guess everyone is in the same boat, and hopefully I'll be able to line Geoff at Ramingining School up to be my mentor teacher, and get lots of support from him. I suppose I will need to be thrown in the deep end to some extent, given that I'll be a fully qualified teacher at the end of this year (assuming I pass!).
Well, I'd better head off to read chapter one and two in Berk's Child Development...
Well, what a week.
On Monday, I became a Uni student once again. You would've thought I had done enough study already, but apparently not. I decided to undertake the Graduate Diploma of Teaching and Learning through Charles Darwin University while I'm living in Ramingining. Monday was my first day, and I have spent the week alternating between whelmed and overwhelmed. After chatting to some friends who have undertaken various education degrees through various Universities, I was expecting that my 10 contact hours a week of classes and tutorials would be almost it. Boy was I wrong.
The online course is run fantastically. I've been so impressed with how easy it is to access unit information, lectures, assignment information and notes through their online program Learnline. But talk about lots of work! I was studying full time last week. Yes, I mean around 40 hours in the week. Way more than I was expecting! But given with the assignments, that I was trying to address all assessment criteria in the 500 words allocated, perhaps I was trying a bit hard. Maybe I am going to be a really good mature-aged student. I spent hours finding journal articles and reports that supported my argument, and hours more cutting back my 827 words to fit into the word limit. Maybe doing a PhD has made me think a bit differently about study compared to how I felt in my undergraduate courses.
I've also spent the week being totally overwhelmed about the component of my course. There is so much to organise over the next few weeks, I don't know how I'm going to get it done! I'll have five weeks of three days per week of prac, as well as three weeks full time. I guess everyone is in the same boat, and hopefully I'll be able to line Geoff at Ramingining School up to be my mentor teacher, and get lots of support from him. I suppose I will need to be thrown in the deep end to some extent, given that I'll be a fully qualified teacher at the end of this year (assuming I pass!).
Well, I'd better head off to read chapter one and two in Berk's Child Development...
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