Part 7: Landscape heaven and surprising things about Warburton.
I am almost halfway through my experience teaching out here at Warburton. I only had one meltdown the other day and only one hysterical fit when I nearly walked through a spider web just now… but besides that my time out here has been awesome. I am embracing all the unique experiences and trying not to sweat the small stuff, because it is all small stuff right?
I have been most impressive with the epic landscape views out here. Rolling hills, flat red dusty clay earth, green splashes of colour and magnificent pink glowing sunset skies. I have tried to capture the beauty in every photo I have taken, but really the best is to see it with your naked eye, naked (Sorry that is my inner nudist speaking there, lol).
This week I was lucky to be taken up to a high viewing point of the town and on a few bike rides out and around the outer rim of the town. It has been great! Painting has also kept me sane, and I have been pumping out a few paintings per day; and then adorning my bare walls with them. I like a bright, colourful, overwhelming environment, and constantly looking at my art on the walls makes me happy. And hopefully my visitors like it too.
I began thinking the other day, there are many surprising things about Warburton that are taken for granted here. In some ways it is a little lawless, what happens on the lands stays on the lands! However here are a few insights which are different to our every day life:
- Kids often go bare foot to school, and they love it! ( I am a little envious actually, but wow that ground is hot and often full of prickles!)
- Students will wear their ‘home clothes’ to school, change into their uniform, then change again to go home. Teachers are the ones to wash their uniforms.
- Students are not constantly on mobiles and computers out here, and it is GREAT! I literally saw one phone yesterday and it occupied a group of girls for about 38 seconds, then it disappeared. (There is also very limited internet, so that might help!)
- I paid $10 for a 40 bag pack of Peppermint Tea.
- 1.25L of Coke costs $8.50.
- There has been no fresh food supplies for over 4 weeks due to a blockage in the road. Fresh pickings are slim!
- The locals drive cars that have no windows, no seat belts, and sometimes no roofs.
- Flies are EVERYWHERE.
- The kids love to swim in the swimming pool, but it is also excellent for their eye and skin health. However it is only open during Term 1 and Term 4 and all of the school holidays. But some other communities only open their pool for 2 weeks a year, so this is awesome.
- Dogs are EVERYWHERE! They roam the streets all times of the day, following kids and groups of people, or simply taking themselves for a walk. They are free to do what they want when they want, and it seems so are the kids!
Overall there are many different and surprising things that happen out here, some of them really bad which I have not mentioned and some of them just generally surprising. It is like a different world out here. It is a world quite different to one I know, but I like it. It is a unique and interesting experience and I feel privileged to have the opportunity to be here.
I can constantly hear the twittering of birds, little yellow canary type birds, and butcher birds (little black and white ones), some kites, and some green rosellas. I am always looking up to see what bird life is around, and will be painting some birds and perhaps butterflies next!
Okay, that is it for another entry!
Over and out!
Anita xx
Live Your Truth 