Arrival!!

Hi guys! I'm so sorry that I have been so slack with my blogging-sorting out the Internet has been a bit of an issue, and I've been feeling very frustrated at my inability to write emails!

So, I've arrived safe and sound in Darwin! What can I tell you about Darwin...the vegetation is exceptionally green, because Darwin astonishingly has no water restrictions, and they spend all night sprinkling their gardens and trees! There are a lot of Indigenous people walking around, which at first was very strange to me, but I've become accustomed to it now. There are lots of Indigenous paintings around as well. When we went for a drive down to the wharf, there was a giant cylinder covered in a beautiful design. I hope it was painted by an Indigenous person, and not a white person. Also, I feel as though this place is more honest then other cities. It's kind of weird, I'll try and explain. Here, you can't get away from nature, unlike in Melbourne where I think we supress the natural world a bit with our fancy buildings. Darwin has a definite country/tropical atmosphere to it, and the people don't bother dressing up fancy, because it's too hot! You also can't swim in the beaches because of the crocs and jellyfish. I'm not sure if that makes sense, but this place has a more real feeling to it; the people seem to embrace nature a bit more, rather then trying to fight it.

About my room...I'm sleeping in a room in the boarding quarters with another Aussie from Brisbane, the floor is made from orange tiles, there's a tiny fridge that we manage to squeeze our food into (although we discovered that the ants can get in if they're really hungry!!!), the window next to the door is broken so that if you lock your keys inside the room, you can open the door from the outside (which makes me a bit dubious about leaving my laptop inside!!) there are two fans...and that's about it! Very simple, but I am loving my new life! It's kind of fun living out of my bag and being independent, it's forced me to keep my bag neat and tidy, because otherwise I can't find what I need! We share a bathroom and shower room with another guy from the uk, and we find geckos and frogs jumping around the walls in the night time! :) The showers are prison style-the doors only just reach above my head and anyone taller then me has to bend over to get the water on their hair!!

About the school...term doesn't start until Tuesday, and so far I haven't worked out my timetable. This is what I am most excited about, and I can't wait to get started! I am really looking forward to meeting the kids, hanging out with them and getting to know them! At night times it's fun to walk around the school in my bare feet and just think and pray about things, and I'm really thankful for these quiet times for reflection and challenge.

About the people...apart from the gappies from Brisbane and the uk, there are also two girls from Germany, who are simply gorgeous. They're sitting beside me on the other computers right now talking to their friends on skype in German! The five of us chill out together, plus there's two student teachers form Ballarat here and another new teacher called Nick who is in the next room from from me. All together we're a pretty cool gang! It's like having my own family over here, we've really clicked!

So that's the description of Darwin for you! I'm not sure if you're bored of reading, congratulations if you've reached this far! And THANK YOU to those of you who have txted or sent emails or rung or left comments, I've really appreciated the contact, and knowing that I have a community and home of people who love me and who I love back is really keeping me going!

Life has a different rhythm over here, although I expect things will get busier next week! I promise I'll blog really soon!

Love you all and miss you all heaps!