A taste of Auckland

Moora Youth Centre

Hi All

Well I am now in New Zealand and so time is going really fast for the 2nd last leg of my journey. I feel myself being drawn home far too quickly and yet not quick enough. I am eager to get home just to get myself sorted and get my finances in order as well as to see my friends and family. But at the same time I love moments where I am sitting on a hill or something and overlooking some of the most beautiful scenery wich I probably won't see again. Its a weird sensation, yet incredibly spiritual. I met a couple today from Canada and chatted about my travels and mentioned how my favourite place is still the first, Laurel said it sounded like it was a spiritual journey more than anything and thats why I loved it so much and the people. You know what, she is most probably right. I find this part of my trip has meant the most to me and made the most changes in me although I was also really blown away by working with the Burmese children whom I love very dearly. I suppose it has all been important, its just that 'India' has a charm for me that I have not felt so strongly anywhere else in the world.

And so goodbye to Australia, that is until I need to stop over there on my way to South Africa...now that I am really looking forward to! But I must say New Zealand has appeared very favourably to me so far in that it is very beautiful and picturesque especially just outside of the city and there are so many volcanoes and beaches and stuff. Beautiful. I went on a free trip today around Auckland and that is always good - free I mean! I love free. Anyway, I need to get back to Australia and let you know about my expeiences there with the Culver family....

Well as I said before I phoned around and eventually was asked if I would like to volunteer in Moora Youth Project and I said 'ok'. I must admit, it was a wonderful experience being in the life of the young people there as I could see that they have so much potential yet so many pit falls in their lives. It is in my opinion, a small town with small mind in which they live, and they of course are part of that. Coming from a small place with such a small mind I was not overly excited about what I saw and heard sometimes, and also I did feel claustrophobic quite often. I love being a 'free' bird, able to go and do as I please. It was a blessing and a curse living with the 'culver' family, they are a lovely family, but they are a family, well established, with their own routine and their own life. And there was I the 'lone traveller' offering my services in volunteer work, Amanda embraced this offer and took me in to her home and to her life whole heartedly, I am sorry to say but my whole heart was not there. What I did not like so much about there home was that it was in Moora in the middle of nowhere with nowhere to go and if you do go out, there is the flies although not as many as further up the west coast of Australia. But that was not all, I just felt that Amanda was happy for me to be there, her husband Malcolm was 'ok' about me being there, but her daughter 'Jodie' did not particularly want me there and she is 16 years old, the baby of the family (all the others have left home) and she has some hearing problems and so in my opinion she is spoilt and is allowed to 'moan', 'whinge', 'complain' and be a pain in the ass teenager without being challenged on it too much. The family seemed happy enough with this, personally I found it hard to put up with. Don't get me wrong, she is generally a sweet young girl, but one who does not know how to communicate properly and one who has no respect for other people's feelings. I suppose I was just a bit 'peeved' as on my birthday I went in to town in Perth (about 3 hours away) with Amanda, Jodie and her friend and Jodie was in the most foul mood all day, and she took it upon herself to ignore me whenever I spoke to her or if she did speak to me it was in a 'huffy' way. On the way home as she continued to be in a 'mood' her mother tried to console her and chatted with her, but she just kept on being really moody - especially as she did not find the 'dress' she wanted for her school dance. Later on we were in the car on our own and I was trying to lighten the mood and chat with her, she just looked away from me with a scowl on her face. I reminded her it was my birthday and she was being very rude, she said she didn't care. I tell you, if I have a birthday again and I am in Australia - I will avoid Moora like the Plague! Young people eh!

And so Moora Youth Group! The young people that came to the club (99% indigenous young people) were either Jnrs or snrs and they have different days and different times for their clubs to be on at the youth centre. I found the young people to be very much like those I worked with in Glasgow in that they had a lot of family issues and unemployment issues and education issues, etc. I also found them to be very caring towards each other and to take care of each other. I enjoyed the sessions with them and also working with the other youth workers. What I was not great at was making there afternoon 'tea' or a meal in the evening, I shrank their hamburgers and overcooked their chips. But I got good feedback on my stew - well I have always made a good stew it must be said. I did especially enjoy my last night with some of the 9 - 12 year olds, as we had a sleep over at the centre and we had a girlie night with make up, chick flicks, food and games. It was fun and the girls were on really good form and really relaxed in to having a fun evening. I will miss the young people, I will also miss Amanda as she has a heart of gold and gives so much to the young people. I suppose what I have learned from the young people here is that they are the same all over the world, they just need a chance and they need a bit of support and direction and I think most important of all is they need respect and the confidentiality of those they confide in.

I am happy to leave Moora, very much as it was time for me to let my wings stretch out once more. But I have gained a lot from the experience and am most greatful for Amanda's hospitality. She and Malcolm should have their own tv sitcom they are so funny together, such different personalities that come together so well and yet so comically. And so, goodbye to Australia and hello to New Zealand.

Love to all
Sylv x
ps Thanks for ecards and messages, they meant a lot to me on not such a great day...but I am planning on giving myself a birthday treat...we will see...NZ is the adventual capital of the world afterall!!!!

Pictures from the West Coast of Australia

West Coast - Monkey Mia with the Dolphins!

Well, I have to have a think about what I had been doing, as its been about 3 or 4 weeks since I last put a post on here. Some of the internet facilities along the way on the west coast have been a bit slow or hard to use. So anyway, I flew from Melbourne to Perth and stayed there a few days wondering around, visiting some of the tourist attractions like - Rottenest Island where I hired a bike and got myself some snorkel gear and headed off for a lovely cycle and relaxing swim! So anyway I got a puncture and I have now found after using the snorkel a few times that it is a piece of crap and I should have just hired stuff. But hey, it was still a gorgeous day!

From there I caught a bus and headed to a place called 'Kalbarrie' where they have a national park, a few shops, a youth hostel, a caravan park, some niece beaches and 20 billion flies. It is a nice place and I met a lovely girl there 'Christine' with whom I cycled 20k in 38 degrees with a fly net on my face sweating in the hot sun along the coast line. Beautiful views but the flies, oh those flies.

And then to my next volunteer project in Sharksbay, the Monkey Mia centre where for a couple of weeks I had the great honour of working with the dolphins. The dolphins have been coming in the the beach there for years, started off with local fishermen feeding them a couple of fish and now there is a couple of families that visit the shore every morning for a feed. I had the opportunity to defrost some fish, weigh them out in to particular buckets for each dolphin that was being fed and I also got to sweep up outside, wash the windows of the ampitheatre and display centre, cut up the fish for the pelicans and last of all and best of all - I got to get in the sea up to my knees with the dolphins swimming around me and invite tourists to feed them. The dolphins would nudge your legs and rub up against you and look up at you. It was one of the best and sweetest experiences. I also met another scot there who was also volunteering and we became the best of friends - cheers to Mandirs!

While in Monkey Mia feeding the dolphins I enjoyed the beautiful beaches there and did a bit of snorkelling and also went out in the resorts catamaran a couple of times called the 'Shotover'. On the Shotover we saw some wildlife although it was a bit hard to see things as the water was not that clear. But we did see some Dugongs, which are a cross between a whale and a walrus I think, some people call it the elephant of the sea. I will post a pic. Apart from that I took a lovely tour with the 'shark Safarri' and a guy called Leon who incidentally has worked in Edinburgh. It was a fun day where I got to see a lot of reef sharks and loads of sea life and some absolutely gorgeous beaches that you really would need some of your own transport to go and see. At one place 'Wilsons bay' I think we went in for a snorkel and then came out for some lunch. As we stood on the beach we saw some little reef sharks swimming around. I walked in to the sea and stood very still as one came up to me and then swam away it was a gorgeous experience, never forget it. Other than that I also went out for a 'Bush tour' with a guy called 'Capes' who's family originates in the area as he is aboriginal. He gave us some insight in what it was like to live there and how people survived. And also how there were different 'tribes' of aboriginals living around Australia in different locations.

And so from Monkey Mia an aurevoir to my dolphins who I will never forget. And I bought someone else's bus ticket as mine only went to Monkey Mia but I was told to go a bit further north as it was beautiful. And so one of the girls didn't quite make it with her ticket and was getting a lift back to Perth so she sold me a $200 ticket for $60, she wanted $100 but I am el skinto. Anyways well worth it and off I went to Coral bay (incidentally Mandirs paid for a ticket to Coral Bay for $110 one way!) And so a nice place to visit, especially to do snorkelling there absolutely beautiful. Went snorkelling with Mandi and another scot we came across - Erika. Me with my dodgy snorkel. And so it was nice and so the next day Mandi and I signed up for a $29 glass bottom boat trip. We got out a couple of times for a snorkel and the skipper feeds the 'snappers' there, I don't knowhow I felt when he threw the fish food at me and the fish all came at me like some thing from a Pirranha scene. But it was funny to see it happening to other people. The best part of the snorkel was when we came across a water turtle and we had a bit of a swim with him. It was fab.

And then to Exmouth where I thought I would try a 'dive' as I have never done one before and as my birthday is coming up on 9th march (yes ecards welcome) I thought I would hint to my family and treat myself. I got to the experience in the pool which was fun and got me ready for the real thing. However, on the day of the dive we had a cyclone coming 'cyclone Emma' and she had just hit just above us in 'Karratha' and flooded the place. We were also told another cyclone was coming after her and that would be the scary one. And so most of the backpackers headed out for the south, the roads to the north were blocked even though it ended up that 'emma' went further inland and totally missed us. So much for my dive. And so it was a farewell to Mandi and I decided I would end my time in Australia doing some youth work with some of the local aboriginal kids as I felt that was the experience I really wanted here. So I left Exmouth, got some cash back from my failed attempt to do a dive and headed for Geraldton. I contacted a youth service provider for the west of Australia and told them I was open for any volunteering. They then put me on to a woman in a place called Moora between Geraldton and Perth who runs a youth centre. I spoke to Amanda she offered me food and board as long as I was committed to the work and a whole load of cool experiences. And so right now, I am typing away on her computer in her home after 3 nights of youth work here and also a trip to the local swimming pool where I have played with some of the younger kids who come and I have totally enjoyed being around them. These guys seem to have a lot going against them by the things that are around them, but they have a lot going for them according to what I have seen inside them. Its all good.

I will let you know how that goes later on. After my two weeks here, then I am off to New Zealand. I will also try and get some photos posted as I KNOW half of you don't read my inspiring words!!! That leaves the other 2 who do, ie my mum and my neighbour Paddy!

Later Sylv x