5k Kate

Year 2: Grace, Grace, Kate, Kate, and Kate In a comment to one of the Limol posts, Elizabeth said she was curious about how our relationships were evolving in the village and how people perceived us. I guess I can only talk about how I perceive that people perceive me, but with that caveat, here's what I thinkǃ The word for white person in Ende is gabma, which has been said to be derived from the English word government  for the government people that came in to check on the villages back under the Australian government. The word doesn't seem to be used in a mean way; children yell it out as we walk down the street, and adults use it when talking about us, "The tall gabma  is here with the medicineǃ" Towards the end of this last trip, I had started to remind people that my name was Kate and they could use that instead of gabma , which felt so impersonal. People did learn that I wanted to be called Kate and some children and adults made the effort, but especia...

Japingka Aboriginal Art Alma Nungarrayi Granites - Seven Sisters Although I woke up at 3am again, this mornings run was a bit later, but much faster, then yesterday's. I was really surprised not to be too sore because of the busy day yesterday! After having a delicious breakfast with N&P, we spent an hour or two in the garden, which was so much fun. I restacked some firewood and raked the fall leaves! How lovely to do spring cleaning twice this year! After gardening, I went to go finally meet Lauren. What a wonderful person! We connected instantly and I feel like I've known her a long time. We've got so much solar that we are bringing in that I think this will finally be the year when I can use my laptop to work! I bought Moana just in case we have a film showing. After meeting Lauren, Nick and I went to an exhibit at the National Museum of Australia called Songlines: The Seven Sisters. It was really well done. Through out the entire exhibit multiple technologies guides...

Just got back from a beautiful sunrise 5k in Canberra. I took off from N&Ps house again today and found a beautiful bike path surrounded on both sides by trees, flowers, and beautiful houses. I saw so many rabbits, some magpies, and even two red and blue parrots! As I was running, I was mostly reminding myself to keep left and to look right before looking left when crossing the streets. I feel like this is a pretty good example of how mentally exhausting it can be to be in a different culture, especially one that's so similar to your own. So much energy spent paying attention to things that others don't even think about. I was also thinking about how grateful I am to N&P for letting me stay in their beautiful house. I am so happy here and they are so kind. I also spent some time being grateful to Grace, who saved me but packing me a mosquito net last minute as I forgot mine in the closet! This year I'm bringing a special pop-up style mosquito "tent", c...

Today’s run took me through the Canberra Nature Reserve behind Nick and Penny’s home. After 14 hours on the plane to Sydney and a 4 hour bus ride (including break down on the highway) to Canberra, I was feeling pretty beat at 1 pm when Nick and Penny picked me up from the bus station. But I got a slow but steady 5k in after catching up with them over a delicious omelet and tea. There’s a great trail behind their house that goes through the reserve. Reminded me a lot of some of the paths in southern New Guinea, heard lots of birds and saw very few humans. I climbed a very large hill for a beautiful view and explored some side trails. The trail cut across two big roadways and on the second I forgot to look right first and was rightfully honked at angrily. Have to train myself to look the proper way! I spent my run mostly enjoying the scenery, trying to process the long day, and prepare for tonight. I arrived in Australia with all my baggage in one piece and easily found the bus to Can...