I have lost another friend this week. Im not sure if this place just turns people against each other or what, but I am over the pettiness.
I am feeling quite good again. My fears of returning home have been subdued and Im back to being totally excited. My hair was to be dreaded today but I decided to nap instead. Maybe tomorrow.
I, for some unknown reason, passed up the chance to hunt tonight. Im kicking myself now though. But ah well it obvioulsy wasnt meant to happen.
I have nearly been attacked by dogs twice in the last three days. I cant understand it considering I have walked past these dogs at least four times a day for the last 3 months, and now they decide to go at me! I actually got saved by a local fellow the other night. He came back and scared the dog away from me. It was a suprise, because they arent the most giving of people, especially to white folk. All I remember is saying thankyou and running off down the road without a look back.
There has been a little bit of commotion in the community this week. I will not be suprised if it all comes to a head soon and theres a big fight. Firstly my store is closed on Monday (for an uncertain amount of time) due to a community meeting - for locals only.
The reason being that two of the family members of the land owner have been at war basically for the last 2 months. So they are hoping to sort it out. I think it will be quite interesting how this ends.
Secondly a friend of mine was in the store the other day (a local lady) and I wa chatting with her mother, who was ill and jokingly saying that she was dying. I decided to joke with her saying she was too young to die etc; it was laughs all around, they left my store with a smile on their face. Her brother died that night. I could not believe it. I felt like a total bitch. But this also means a big funeral for the community - which hopefully means a smoking of our store (hopefully I will finally get to see one!!).
Then also, our wet is trying to start. We had rain 2 nights last week, but its just not getting the ball rolling. And I think this is puting everyone a little bit one edge. Its like everyone is all on edge, we all know its coming, we just dont know when. But I hope it hurries up. I think it will relieve a bit of community tension.
It is a grog handout night tonight. I have opted to stay home and watch movies alone. Im a bit over wasting my only day off with an extreme hangover - I drank last night ha ha. Plus I also want to go fishing tomorrow and work on my tan a little bit before I get back home.
I am in quite a weird place right now. I am super excited to go back to the real world, but I just cant see me being happy working back there. I have actually searched for jobs in communities in Queensland. It hasnt proven very successful so far. Communities are hard to get into unless you either know someone there or just show up and hope to find work. There is usually work, but it just isnt advertised in any way. I have applied for a job on Badu Island which is an Island right at the very top of Queensland in the Torres Straight. It looks amazing. A tropical island, but with the same facilities as here. It also looks quite the same size. So I would love to check it out. And I totally dont have any problem going alone. Now that I have checked it out, out here I know what to expect of community life now. So we will see how that goes. I most definately think that there is no way I am going to be able to stay put in the real world. I will not like the restrictions that is has.
I read a facebook status of a friend today, about him wearing no shoes into McDonalds and how he felt like a bum. I just chuckled to myself self and thought, geez its lucky if I wear shoes to work. Let alone McDonalds.
I have also learnt this week that the soil here carries a disease called "Melioidosis". Apparently its an epidemic in this part of the country. But basically when the wet comes because the downfalls are so intense, the disease is stirred up and can be caught from mud, dirt and water. Similar symptoms to tuberculosis and apparently it can make your limbs fall off. I have been here nearly 3 months and this is the first I have heard of this. I really feel that it would be imperitive for a handbook to be written and given to anyone who flies into the community. People who get jobs here and get flown in have no idea what they are coming into. They dont know about the dogs, the sacred sights, the requirements on clothing etc. Im just lucky that I had my mum here who knew alot before I came. Its very interesting, and probably not suprising that most people dont stay long here - some people came in 2 weeks ago to run the fast food shop and lasted 4 days and then left. So maybe if people had more awareness of the place, they either wouldnt come, or would be more sure of what they are getting themselves into before they got here. But it will take a long time before anything will even make a slight change around here. I see so much around me that is just corrupt, or wrong, and you can see how to make it better, but its just now possible, either because people wont aid and support the change, or the ones that are already ruining the system cant be removed. It makes me mad. I definatly know that there are no quick fixes. But there are for sure a few things here that could be made a whole lot better straight away.
But like everything else, this place will progress. It may just take a bit longer than the rest of the world.
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