Coming to terms with the end of term
13 more days until I land back in America..... (What?!?!)
Due to the timing of our fellowship, the first 5 weeks of our service were spent with our own individual classes while our final, sixth week of service is during school holidays. St. Lucy's has a holiday program that some of the students come for. This program is 5 days long and students can come for all five days or just one. Becky and I will be volunteering at this program and will see many children we know from out classes and the other classes but there will also be many familiar faces missing. We are lucky to have been able to meet many children outside our individual classes during the morning and afternoon songs, and both of the recesses that take place each day.
With the end of the term coming up on Friday, there have been some goodbyes happening. Today Becky and I bid farewell to one of the volunteers that we have seen quite a bit. Miss. Monica is a volunteer in Becky's class but she has a group of students that spend time with her during morning tea playtime each week on Tuesdays, Wednesdays, and Thursdays. I was able to spend time with this small group of students and Miss. Monica and Becky often during recess so I got to know some of these children very well. As it is the last Thursday of term Miss. Monica had the kids saying goodbye and thanking us for talking with them each day at recess and the like.
I think the group is a really great idea and was something I really enjoyed. Any child was welcome to come sit at the picnic tables and chat or just sit but the group attracted many of the students that were timid or shy to have a structured way of socializing. It was a safe space for many of the children. We'd talk about what they did over the weekend, what their favorite things were and also what they planned to do for the holidays. Some of the answers to the question about holiday plans included: shopping, sleeping, playing with mommy and daddy, and going to China!
We also sang songs like the ABCs, Twinkle Twinkle, and Who Let the Dogs Out! One of the students absolutely LOVED to dance to the music playing on the playground and would invite each of us to dance with him in turn. He is a very sweet little boy who honestly just makes you smile. If Miss. Monica ever is unable to volunteer at St. Lucy's at some point in the future (something that I doubt will be happening anytime soon) I hope that St. Lucy's follows her example and creates something similar for kids in the future because every child deserves to enjoy their playtime even if they aren't comfortable with running around. While we had to say goodbye to that group, we still have one more "regular" service day.
I will miss the regular routine of the day with my Rosella class, but I am looking forward to the holiday program! It will be something new and will also allow us to experience some activities that we haven't been to during our time here. BUT alas, it isn't truly time for goodbye just yet so I think I'll end here with that!
Standing on one of the Three Sisters (after some REALLY steep stairs)
Due to the timing of our fellowship, the first 5 weeks of our service were spent with our own individual classes while our final, sixth week of service is during school holidays. St. Lucy's has a holiday program that some of the students come for. This program is 5 days long and students can come for all five days or just one. Becky and I will be volunteering at this program and will see many children we know from out classes and the other classes but there will also be many familiar faces missing. We are lucky to have been able to meet many children outside our individual classes during the morning and afternoon songs, and both of the recesses that take place each day.
With the end of the term coming up on Friday, there have been some goodbyes happening. Today Becky and I bid farewell to one of the volunteers that we have seen quite a bit. Miss. Monica is a volunteer in Becky's class but she has a group of students that spend time with her during morning tea playtime each week on Tuesdays, Wednesdays, and Thursdays. I was able to spend time with this small group of students and Miss. Monica and Becky often during recess so I got to know some of these children very well. As it is the last Thursday of term Miss. Monica had the kids saying goodbye and thanking us for talking with them each day at recess and the like.
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| (I had to cover up the one girls face for privacy reasons!) |
I think the group is a really great idea and was something I really enjoyed. Any child was welcome to come sit at the picnic tables and chat or just sit but the group attracted many of the students that were timid or shy to have a structured way of socializing. It was a safe space for many of the children. We'd talk about what they did over the weekend, what their favorite things were and also what they planned to do for the holidays. Some of the answers to the question about holiday plans included: shopping, sleeping, playing with mommy and daddy, and going to China!
We also sang songs like the ABCs, Twinkle Twinkle, and Who Let the Dogs Out! One of the students absolutely LOVED to dance to the music playing on the playground and would invite each of us to dance with him in turn. He is a very sweet little boy who honestly just makes you smile. If Miss. Monica ever is unable to volunteer at St. Lucy's at some point in the future (something that I doubt will be happening anytime soon) I hope that St. Lucy's follows her example and creates something similar for kids in the future because every child deserves to enjoy their playtime even if they aren't comfortable with running around. While we had to say goodbye to that group, we still have one more "regular" service day.
I will miss the regular routine of the day with my Rosella class, but I am looking forward to the holiday program! It will be something new and will also allow us to experience some activities that we haven't been to during our time here. BUT alas, it isn't truly time for goodbye just yet so I think I'll end here with that!
Our Version of Immersion
While we've been here Becky and I have noted that Australia is similar to America, but it is definitely different. Since our service is located in an urban area, we have been exploring what we can of Australian culture in our own way! Part of our Smith Fellowship is immersing ourselves into the culture of where we are so here is a few my adventures in Sydney recently:
Blue Mountains
On Saturday the 17th of June, Becky and I took a day trip to the Blue Mountains which are an hour and a half West of Sydney. Helen (my host mum) dropped us off in Katoomba on her way further West. We hopped aboard a hop on hop off bus and explored. We did a few hikes, some very cool scenic "touristy" rides, saw a few waterfalls, drank hot chocolate, and touched a famous landmark. It was gorgeous and honestly awe-inspiring and peaceful.
Becky and I waaaay up over Jamison Valley!
The extremely steep railway we rode on! (It was WILD)
DIY hot chocolate (with LOTS of chocolate)
The foggy Australian brush
Gosh aren't I photogenic? Just one of the many scenic look outs we saw
The iconic Three Sisters (they're named 'Meehni', 'Wimlah' and Gunnedoo')
Fun Fact: The Blue Mountains are blue because the trees that are on the mountains are eucalypt trees which release eucalyptus oil into the air and due to light refraction the haze around the mountains appears blue.
Ashfield Living
The Randalls live in Ashfield, a suburb in Sydney. On Wednesday night John, Helen, Emma, Alice, CJ, Sally and I took a walk down to the main street of Ashfield where there are a lot of places to eat. We went to Shanghai Night, an Asian restaurant for loads of dumplings. The food was great and the company was better. I really have enjoyed living with the Randall family while I've been here and it was really nice to enjoy one of their favorite places to grab some good food nearby.
I didn't take any pictures at dinner but I do have a few pictures of the several minute long decision-making processes of what type of ice cream to buy at Coles after dinner.
Chats with Sr. Rose Mary
Today I got to grab coffee with Sr. Rose Mary who was Becky and my contact in Australia throughout the Smith Fellowship application process and facilitated our service placement and more. It was really nice to have some one on one time with her and just chat about my experience, the future and just some regular banter. A nice way to spend my Thursday afternoon!
That's all for now, Go Friars!
That's all for now, Go Friars!
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