Teresa's ASSESSMENT course with Roman

weary & weathered Teresa with a "stiff" upper lip ... but still smiling ;) ... quite an appropriate picture for this posting as you will you read on ...

my scraped upper lip was a remnant of my ASSIST with Taz ... from when I caught it on the tight bivvy cord that held up our bivvy/tarp ... also one of the last nights I had my awesome Petzl head torch with its red cover before it somehow went missing from my pack during my trip to the podiatrist :( :(


The news I have to share with you about my ASSESSMENT course is somewhat of a paradox ...

Without a doubt, ... it was my best, most enjoyable course yet ... the connections I made with the A. B. Paterson students ... the "Lantana Bashing Pengins" as we fondly came to know ourselves & their teacher Penny , was most excellent!! I taught the group a song that Taz shared with the group on our previous course, ...

I'm a penguin,
You're a penguin,
We are penguins all.
& when we get together, we do the penguin call.

PENGUINS TOGETHER!
PENGUINS UNITE!

... my AB Paterson kids scooped it up ... & in no time, their Penguin identity was secured :)

My Bush Nurse skills were also put to task, predominantly with a variety of blisters and ticks needing to be removed, a rolled ankle that needed wrapping, ... plus a few Papa's who need to get a few things tended to away from the group ... one with low energy/dizziness, another with a sprained wrist, ... then another that had a bump on the side of the head with a rock after falling along a dry creek bed.

All in all, the course went very well, the Papa's were safe, they had a great time, learned heaps about themselves, each other, & the places we explored, plus how to work together as a team, and support themselves as a "penguin family."

mossy logs along one of the many creekbeds we tramped past during our 2 day Rainforest Walk

Typically, most groups get through the Rainforest Walk in one day, usually around 4-5 hours ... but our first full day out on course had us start later due to the medical concerns I had to tend to for one of our Papa's which had our Back-Up staff come pick them up to get rested, be watched, & if need be taken to the Doctor. As a result, we ended up making an expedition campsite in the rainforest just before sunset ... in a location that wouldn't have been a first choice for most folks but our group quick got to work on setting up camp ... & in no time, we had a super bivvy in place over a newly tramped patch of lantana ... and dinner was cooking over our expedition firepit ... "home sweet home"

amazing campsite the penguins made in the rainforest by bashing down a patch of lantana to make space to sleep on the ground :)


hiking up to a ridge before heading down to Bells Bay

view from one of the higher elevations we reached during our circuit around Iron Pot Creek

On the flip side of my assessment course, ... out of the extensive list of competencies that need to be checked off on our ASSESSMENT course logsheet, there are about half a dozen competencies that I still need to show more evidence of ... sooooo, that means I will be doing another ASSESS starting the end of August with the year 8 Ascham all girls school.

It was quite a disappointing and frustrating time when I had my mid-course review with my assessor Roman, especially since it ended up taking place very late at night (a day later than we had originally intended it to take place) and my energy of course was very low and my emotions more heightened, ... to find out that there were a number of things that I still needed to show more evidence of my competence.

Needless to say, amid what was quite an overwhelming time, late at night/early in the morning ... I woke up about 3 hours later, for our early wake up to prepare for our rafting day ... & I managed to greet the new day & embrace the challenge of continuing forward, with the reality that my assessment course was over and the remainder of the course would proceed moreso as an assist with the opportunity for various coaching points from Roman as we journeyed through the final two & a half days of the course.

Quite splendidly, the last few days of the course went very well with my group. We never skipped a beat, despite the weary night I had, the great rapoort that I had established with my Papa's & our teacher Penny which carried us forward in a totally wonderful way. We also had a great SERVICE activity toward the end of our rafting activity, where we were helping a fellow named Craig pull up about 71 bags!! of water hyacinth, which is a terribly invasive weed species that is threatening to block up a section of Iron Pot Creek if it is left untouched.

A. B. Paterson Penguins making & moving piles of water hyacinth we pulled out of the ground

After we pulled out our rafts and packed them away, we still had a hike up to our campsite, which once we got to the 4 wheel drive track & the sun was setting, we prepared to road walk in the dark. Our group worked so well together, keeping track of the pacing, keeping the group together, staying paired up as we travelled forward, and keeping in good spirits the whole way along :) We travelled past some embers and remnants of some lantana clearing scrub fires to finally arrive at the campsite we stayed in that night, which was about 500m closer than our originally intended campsite. our course coordinator had us stay at the one lower down to avoid any of the smoke & residual fires that were possibly still going at that time of the evening.

The penguins were pleased to arrive at our new campsite ahead of the one we were originally traveling toward. The next day we had a great time at the Giant Ladder, then waited for one of our penguins to be taken back to the base camp to rest her back muscles that were strained during the last leg of the Ladder. Then, onward ho! ... we proceeded, and finally got the group set up for their Buddy Walk later in the afternoon than originally intended but quite successful nonetheless. The group quite enjoyed finishing up their Buddy Walk in the dark :)

Once we met up as a group ~4km later along the trail, we crossed a little stream and then crossed Iron Pot Creek stepping on a little rock path to get to the other side to then make our way to our campsite after one final cross of Iron Pot Creek courtesy of another small boulder crossing. Roman set the pengins up that night so that they operated completely without my involvement and the night went wonderfully well, ending up with hot chocolate, my reading of "Oh The Places You'll Go!" courtesy of Dr. Seuss, and the penguins connecting with each other with other stories of their own, some of which were quite heartfelt and only possible in the safe space that the group had created where they could feel comfortable in sharing so deeply with each other.

Our final morning together involved breakfast, packing up camp one final time, washing up all the personal & group gear, a final debrief circle which went very well, & quickly "wolfing" down some lunch before heading a couple hundred metres up the road to meet our shuttle ride to the bus turnaround point after getting a group picture for the folks with cameras, mine included :)

All in all, I am very pleased with the course experience I had with the "Lantana Bashing Penguins" from A. B. Paterson ... It was great fun, I learned heaps & so did the Penguins/Papa's, and I know what I need to more fully cover for my next go at being assessed. Navigation, group management, & time management are the main areas that I need to spruce up and I know that I can get these things in line the next time around.

Sooooo, with that, I will sign off and assure you that my own Outward Bound journey continues to unfold and offer various opportunities for me to learn more about myself, how I interact with others, and how I tap into the skills I have been acquiring along the way. There have been numerous occasions where I have wished many of you closer by my side, to lean on, listen to my troubles, encourage me on, massage my sore feet & back, run me a hot bath (oh how I look forward to the next time I can have a hot bath!!!!!), ... & just remind me to keep breathing.

Somehow, even in your absence, I have felt you nearby and I continue to draw upon my own strength and the support I know you are sending my way, and I keep moving forward, stepping along this journey that is my life. Ever grateful for having all that I enjoy in my life ... the abundance of love & support from my family & friends ... my strong spirit & perseverance that have enabled me to continue forward amid the trouble with my "paws" and the significant physical & mental challenges that have been part of my OBA internship adventures ... freedom to be who I am and do the many splendid things I do that make me who I am ... my dedication to making a difference in the world and creatively utilizing the resources that I have within me & around me to help facilitate personal transformations for the folks that I interact with and to help protect this fragile planet we call home ... plus countless other things I am truly grateful for in my life ...

It is now time for me to enjoy an abundance of "Hotto Suru" (to relax because one has taken a deep breath) as I begin this much need time off. I look forward to reconnecting with all of you more often here in cyberspace through my blog but also over the telephone wires & perhaps the iChat waves ... and most welcomingly, through snail mail as well ... it's always a great treat to have mail from home to greet me when I am in my nomadic/gypsy ways ...

I miss all of you heaps, & send big hugs & warm wishes of an abundance of "hotto suru" your way, wherever you are ...

Be well & keep breathing deeply ...

Hugs 'n' Bugs, love,

Teresa


p.s. this past course, we saw 3 different carpet pythons & 1 goanna (big lizard) who travelled around us at the Giant Ladder,

carpet python in a big hole

goanna checking us out at the Giant Ladder

... and the bell miner birds kept chirping their continuous bell tones wherever we travelled through "the bush", with the exception of the sections and patches of intact rainforest that have been excluded from the logging operations that have altered the forest ecosystems throughout the Toonumbar National Park area.

p.s.s. I posted another update just below, with more on my July OBA activities & what I am planning to do during my eagerly anticipated big break of TIME OFF :)