So the weekend just passed was our grog hand out weekend. As I have said previously there is limited amount of alochol that you can LEGALLY obtain here. So this weekend I had 6 bottles of wine come into my possesion. The next grog hand out day is in 2 weeks. So whatever you get on the handout day is to last you for two weeks.
It was actually quite sad how excited I was to get intoxicated. The feeling I wanted the most was for my judgement to slip a little. Just to let everything go and blow off a little steam. I think that is the hardest thing I find here is that it is hard to find an outlet for any stress. I can see why alcohol is limited here because I know exactly how I would be if I could drink as much as I wanted.
Continuning on, I finished work at 12 Saturday. I had to occupy myself for 4 hours before my neighbourhood drinks started. Which was hard. Because I was WAY too keen. I hadnt had much to drink for the last probably four weeks. So my waiting for the afternoon didnt really happen. I started to drink at about one around at a workmates place. I left there, and then went to my neighbour's drinks. I continued to drink. I then decided to walk around to my mate's place and continue to drink. Along the way some of the community dogs ran out to attack me. But I have learnt if you ignore them, they totally dont care. Dont get me wrong, they still attack. But I find if I just ignore them and keep walking, they stop caring. So anyways. I continued on and had some drinks with my mates and then decided to stroll home in the dark. It can be a little dangerous walking here at night. Not only because of the dogs but because of the people as well. Especially on grog hand out night.
If I can paint a picture...
When people here get their grog every second saturday, and I am talking both black and white people, it is often consumed by the end of that day. It is a sure thing that there will be big fights between the Indigenous. Since I have been here (approx 4-5 handouts), people have hanged themselves, a guy was stabbed in the neck and a Somalian guy was running around the community completely naked while pleasuring himself, over and over again. This is the busiest night of all for the police here. Gambling and child molestation are rife, drink driving, and fights. So walking home on grog hand out night is not the best idea of all.
I walked home anyway. Dogs came out at me but by this stage I was way to drunk to care. I didnt remember til the next morning that I had seen some Indigenous folks on my walk and I actually stopped to talk to them for a bit. Its quite cool that whenever I get about the community I cant get around without seeing someone that I know. I kinda like that. And they love it when you remember their name and have a chat to them. So it quite made my night.
When I got back into my street I realised that my new neighbour was still up watching the soccer, so I just invited myself over to continue drinking, obviously not too keen to end the party. Which was a bad choice. I was pretty shattered by this stage, about 3 1/2 bottles down. I ended up falling asleep on his couch and he woke me up to go home. I dont remember getting in the house so who knows how that happend.
But in all, I enjoy the amount of people that I know here. Its nice to get around and see people you know all the time. I liken it to being on school camp or something like that. Which is kinda cool.
Since the weekend I have decided that I am not going to drink anymore. I have decided to put my alcohol acquisition to a better use - funding my trip home. This may sound bad, but there is money to be made here and I have decided to take the opportunity to make it.
Over the weekend I discovered the reason for having skin names. It is so families dont interbreed, this is the same reason for fathers not talking to their daughter-inlaws etc (which is known as poison cousins). Its very interesting because this practice has been within their culture since the begining of time, whereas other cultures have many stories about interbreeding. Its very interesting the stuff that you learn when speak with the locals. I have also discovered the reason why they have so many dogs. However the reason for this is one of the most disgusting things I have ever heard, so I am deciding not to share it here.
One of the girls that I work with and am quite close with, tells me today that her cousin is pregnant at 11. She is also married to a fellow around the same age. This is not uncommon. In fact their family is proud that she is bringing a baby into the world. They criticise my friend because she hasnt had children at 20. Its crazy. I tell them that I dont plan to have kids til Im 30 and they think Im crazy.
I was speaking to one of the other ladies I work with and she has the same skin name as my mother. Which means she is my mother. So basically she has to look after me if anything should happen to my mother. Her family is mine. Its pretty awesome knowing that you have a huge family. Even if you dont know them.
So I am at a cross roads. I go home, back to the real world, on the 9th of December. I go there for a month and travel the East Coast and swim in the ocean - which is long over due. The thing is that I am not sure if I want to come back. The thing with this place is that it can be the most amazing place in the world, and at then the next day it can be the worst. I love the experiences that I have had and am open to having just because I am here. There are things that are normal here that you cant get anywhere else. But in saying that, I miss my home dearly. I feel a strong pull to it and that I should be there as soon as possible. I am just worried that if and when I stop my adventure, I may not get it back ever again. On the same line, my mum has had enough of it up here, there is a chance that she will just up and leave over the break as well and I wont have anywhere to come back to. So it is a little up in the air at the moment.
But I will still do my best to have as many and as most awesome experiences as possible! Until at such time I board the plane to leave.
As they say, Theres nothing sweeter than Maningrida.
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