The Kindness of Strangers

After the second girl in our group got sick the rest of us were collected from the MemO Club (memorial club) where we were challenging the locals in a spot of Trivia (and YES, Total Eclipse of the Heart WAS one of the answers!) and taken to a hotel (sans clothes and toothbrush!) to wait out the rest of our quarantine period separate from anyone who was already sick. The owners of the hotel somehow heard about the whole swine debacle and that our plans were delayed in heading out to our work placements.

We have a trailor full of food with us so we decided to cook up a bbq at the hotel when we were approached by the hoteliers. They invited us to use one of their tables, Yes please, Thank you! That would be lovely! We finished cooking and headed around the corner to find that they had set up a beautiful table, complete with candles, champagne and heaters for us. It has been a rather unpredictable week and the kindness of these two strangers went a long LONG way for us 4 city girls in this desert town.

Thank You Kel and Julie.

West Macdonnell Ranges

Alice is flat but the areas surrounding Alice Springs are quite stunning. Here are a few photos of the East Macdonnell Ranges that we walked yesterday.

We have now been in Alice for a week. Another of the girls travelling with us (Janice) has become sick and is suspected to have swine flu. It has been confirmed today that 3 of us will definitely be heading out tomorrow morning, as for Janice, hopefully she will come out through the week. Lauren, my partner and initial swine flu suspect has flown home today. Alison who is the Mission Youth Worker/potter who was coming to Docker is no longer coming, which means I am heading out on my own.

Alison has resigned but plans on visiting Docker before she goes back to Melbourne. She has offered to teach me how to run the pottery shed and use the kiln so that I can share it with the people of Docker. I am so excited to get out there and start working.

We are celebrating our last night in town by attending a performance of 7 short indigenous plays by the Red Dust Theatre Company.

Hoo Roo for now, have a great weekend, I intend to.

Shan xx

Swine oh Whine

We are back in Alice Springs for the next seven days. In swine flu lock down. Let me explain.

• Someone from our group was in touch with someone, who was in touch with someone, who had contact with someone in Sydney who had swine flu.
• There was A cough and a request to be taken to the hospital.
• The hospital would not test because there were "no flu symptoms ".
• Everyone was collected and driven back to Alice (it took the day for us to collect everyone).
• There are 6 of us in a 2 bedroom apartment.
• I reside with someone who wears a mask.

We leave on Monday and head back out to the communities. I can't wait to see Docker River, I have heard some wonderful stories about the people who live there.

For now, the sun is shinning high in Alice and with no swine flu, infact, no flu at all, I intend to take full advantage of the McDonald Ranges and ANZAC Hill walks.

I hope you have a wonderful day!

Love Shan, Oink Oink xxxx

Ayres Rock and the Olgas

Yesterday was a lot of firsts for me.

We departed Alice and drove to the community of Imanpa where I was initially due to stay. It was mind blowing, I can't really do it justice here in the ten minutes I have to update this blog but lets just say, I have never been anywhere like it (not even Quandialla mum). The compound, where the whitefellas live, has high fences all around it and is locked up at night. It was red, flat and we had to be introduced to a few of the elders before we were allowed to drive in to make sure we weren't tourists (apparently German tourists try and rock up every now and then to take photos).

We drove on to Yulara and stopped for the night. Our accommodation is in a boarding school paid for by government and set up by the church. Not ONE person is enrolled for this term. Not bad for a $8.4m government intervention project. It's mighty flash tho and I sure enjoyed the sleep over, which must account for at least $100.

From my dorm window I can see the Olgas to the right and Ayres Rock to the left! We arrived here just in time for the sun to set over the Olgas. Magic! I will upload a photo when I can. The colours in this place are unbelievable!

The person driving us is Alison, she is a youth worker with Mission Australia. Thank god for her, she knows all the locals and last year was even invited to a return ceremony for 'mens business'. She is staying on in Docker River with us for 10 days which I am very grateful for. She has a pottery wheel and oven there and will run some classes with the elders which she has invited me to sit in on.

My other travel buddy Lauren is at hospital at the moment being tested for swine flu. She was in contact with a family member who tested positive before she left and is coughing. Alison was nervous about her taking swine flu out to Docker River where health is already fragile. There is a good chance I will be going to Docker without Lauren, the test results are back in a week and she may have to wait it out.

So far the NT is not what I had expected. I really couldn't have imagined that it could be this stunning.

Hope you are all travelling well.

Love Shanny of the big red rock. x

P.S. Oh and in case you are wondering, yes 4 girls did run away from the circus! We passed them on the bus and they were made come back to school, when I asked them where they were going they said home (7 hours in a car).

Yirara College

Here is a photo of the girls that I am staying with for 'cultural training' in Alice. They are all great girls and it's reassuring that we are all together. I will be travelling out to the community on Monday with Lauren (opposite me). There are two girls going out on their own!

We are staying for the weekend at Yirara College, it's a boarding school intended for the socialisation of aboriginal children, numeracy and literacy programs are replace with training in hygiene and life skills. Sleeping in the dorms and eating with the students has been quite an experience, everything is run by the sound of a bell and it is very strict. Tonight we get to take the girls on a trip to the circus (we are there mainly to ensure no one runs away) and tomorrow we are organising a scavenger hunt for the afternoon.

Now... Sunday night it is planned that the six of us will go into Alice and have dinner together, I think I it is fairly safe to say that I will take this opportunity to enjoy the last glass of red that I will be seeing for the next 10 ten weeks! The bush basher bush leaves at 8am Monday morning! Bring on Docker!

Love Shan x

P.S. Leachy! Have the best birthday party tonight!!! Love you.

Alice, Alice....

I have arrived! Unfortunately my bag has not arrived with me )-: QANTAS assure me that they have a good track record with missing luggage and that they can ship it out to me in Docker River on the bush bus should they find it, oh well, wasn't counting on being particularly clean anyway!

It is beautiful and sunny, the awesome kind of sun where you feel like you have loads of energy! The view from up high was beautiful, and RED! Looking forward to meeting my buddy, Lauren soon and heading into Alice for some cultural training before we head out to Docker on Monday.

Hope you are all travelling well.

Love Shan of Alice x