Thursday, August 30, 2007

Teresa's next assessment course

G'daye Mates,

I wanted to post a quick message to y'all to let you know that tomorrow I go out for my next assessment course. It will be with the Ascham Girls, Yr. 8 (grade 8). We start on the 31 August & the girls go home on the 6th of September. Soooo, I am visualizing success, a full sign off of my assessment sheets, by my assessor Tom, and a very excited Teresa posting an update to you with such wonderful news in 8 days.

I will also update you in just over a week, on the splendid time off I had up in northern NSW ... in the mean time, know that I am thinking of you all & wishing you well as the Summer starts to wind down for you ... All the best to everyone who has more going on in the next little while as school gets ready to start ... have fun with the start of your 4th year Nadia, YOU GO SISTA!!

Early "Happy Birthday" out to Auntie Carol Lynn and my friend Shagufta.

Be well my dear family & friends!

Hugs 'n' Bugs, love,

Teresa

p.s. Pheebs, so sorry I missed your call last night. I had my earplugs in so I could get a solid night's sleep. Many thanks for your call. I look forward to catching up with you once I am done my course with the Ascham Girls :) :) :)

p.s.s. Cheryl, the timezones have made it a challenge to call you back :( ... but I will definitely call you on the 8th (for me, 7th for you) and I look forward to catching up with you then :) :) :)

Friday, August 10, 2007

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 :)

frost in mid- July ... who could imagine such a thing?

frosty morning for Tess & Taz's Papa's who slept out under the stars ... & the morning FROST!

Greetings my dear family & friends!

It's been awhile since I've been able to hop into cyberspace to let you all know what I have been up to ...

As I mentioned on my last posting, my ASSIST with Taz went extremely well. It was a great feeling to be able to connect with the participants as I did. They were a keen, mature group of teenagers from the U.S. who have come down to OZ for about 7 weeks with the big kick-off being their 9 days Outward Bound with Tess & Taz. Their "teacher"/chaperone, Sandi, who was with our group was also great to have with us. She shared stories of the activists doing tree sits up in Humboldt County in northern California where she currently lives and our group travelled quite well through the circuit that we did for their OB program.


abseil briefing by Tess (Teresa)

hoisting Tess up "Tinkerbell" the 27 meter tall Abseil Tree

Tess near the top of "Tinkerbell" ... preparing to abseil down, Yeehaa!

As you saw in my last posting, we also had the splendid fortune to enjoy a stunning sunset over Bells Bay the night before we went rafting.


Rafting our way along the Toonumbar Dam reservoir ...

One of the most excellent rainforest plants we saw along the way was the Staghorn, which is an epiphytic plant (grows on rocks or on trees without having a negative impact on them) ...

large staghorn growing on the underside of this big boulder

many staghorns hanging on & enjoying their shelf-like homes on the sides of the big trees

Part of the OB circuit includes this section of rainforest, we had our AFS participants doing their "Buddy Walk" at this time.

sunbeams lighting up the rainforest

rainforest splendour

So the participants were walking in pairs, getting to know someone else in their group that they didn't know very well (or at all) before coming to the OB course. They were to explore the following questions ... the impact of their OB experience that they felt would carry forward with them in 6 months, 1 year, perhaps even 2-3 years or longer; happiest & saddest moments of their lives, 2-3 values they have. I was at the front of our pack with Sandi, who was my buddy for the Buddy Walk, Taz held up the rear and enjoyed a solo walk through the splendid rainforest.

flowing water fun with my camera

Our "Papas" opted to sleep under the stars, without bivvies overhead ... the result, over this very cold night, was the lovely formation of frost that covered all sleeping bags, backpacks, and anything else that was not under cover ... Taz, Sandi, & I were protected from the frost by our bivvy, that we cleverly chose to put up :)



frosty morning at our expedition campsite near Iron Pot Creek

All in all, it was great to get out with this group of young adults from all corners of the US and to introduce them to some of the amazing landscapes and spaces that the Land of Oz has to offer. They came together very well as a group and connected with each other and themselves in a variety of ways that will help carry themselves through the rest of their adventures and service activities here in Australia and when they return back home to the U.S. Thanks heaps to all the AFS gang, it was great to get out & about with you near Toonumbar National Park :)

~~~

In the couple of days off that I had between my ASSIST with Taz & my ASSESSMENT course, I had the chance to go to the podiatrist in Lismore, who then set me up to see his colleague in Ballina (a town 30 minutes closer to the coast) so that I could get fitted for some orthotics. Just yesterday, I was finally able to pick up my new orthotics and will slowly start using them (an hour or so each day, increasing the time I wear them as the days go by).

Sending big hugs & a huge WELCOME HOME to my traveling, multi-lingual sister Nadia. How awesome that you were able to spend this past term over in Deutschland and to do the studying & traveling you did over there!!

To my twin nieces Roo & Boo, although I couldn't talk to you directly for your birthday while I was in Ballina, it was fun singing "Happy Birthday" to you on the answering machine. How fun that you were up in the Canadian Rockies when you celebrated turning 6 with Dad, Cecilia, A. Evelyn, U. Jerrold, and Schmookie Loo & Mommy & Daddy too!! Sorry I missed your visit to Canada ... I look forward to seeing you on your next visit once I return from the Land of Oz.

Trudy, I hope that you received my special delivery birthday card and that you had a most splendid time celebrating your special day as well ... same day as my twin nieces :) Did you get out for a wonder-full hike or other groovy outdoor adventure??

Margaret, I imagine you were in the thick of winding things down with your work in Colorado & preparing for your big move to D.C. when your birthday arrived. I hope that you were able to take some time to treat yourself to something special and that Jesse took you out for a little time outside to get some fresh air & take some time to stop & smell the roses.

I also have birthday wishes to send out to my cousins Kathy & Michelle, all the best to you in the coming year. I am sure A, A, J, & J & the rest of the Sheptak gang helped make your day extra special Kathy and perhaps Michelle, you had some fun out near the ocean in CA for yours or did you head up to Canada for a family visit??

There's a few more birthdays, anniversaries, and other special occasions that I am afraid I am not around to help celebrate ... To all of you, I send my best wishes for another great year and many wonder-filled moments with family & friends, including all your 4-legged friends too!

Ollie, it's very excellent to get your e-mail updates and encouragement as I have been moving through this OBA internship. Your support is much appreciated! So glad you received my latest cards and that you have been able to share my greetings to the rest of our DOE friends across the country. Thanks heaps :)

It would be great to hear how things are going for Shelley & your lovely "Bubby Bunch", also, M-F, what news have you to send my way. Cheryl, thanks for your recent note, it was great to hear from you & that you were preparing to go to the Summer Festival. I look forward to hearing about your Dharma adventures in the UK and more on how you, Gleb, & Aidan are settling in to life in Palo Alto.

I still have an update to share with you about my last course, which was my ASSESS with one of the international OBA guys from the Czech Republic. I will post that in a new note ...

But before I sign off from this posting, I wanted to let you all know that I will have a chance to be plugged in a little more often for the next few weeks because my big RDO BREAK has finally arrived, YIPPEE!!!

Soooo, I am now off until I return to Tharwa (where our National base is located SW of Canberra) for August 23rd. In the time between now & then, I will be getting myself organized to shuffle on from our mobile base here near Kyogle & Toonumbar National Park.

1st on my calendar will be spending time with Nan & Hugh Nicholson, some wonderfull folks whom I met during my time in northern New South Wales 2 years ago, when I was volunteering at the Womyn, Earth, & Change conference. They have extended a welcome to me that includes an opportunity to WWOOF (Willing Workers on Organic Farms) for them (help with their organic gardening activities) while they work on finishing a few big updates on a couple of their Rainforests of Australia books that are no longer in print. I'll also have a chance to rest & work on finishing up some of my Cert. IV assignments.

I am also looking forward to reconnecting with one of my Seed Mates, Bobbi, and her partner John, who are also out in the Terania Creek area near Nan & Hugh, in a town called The Channon. Nan & Hugh live among large tracts of splendid Rainforest which were protected back in the late 70's by their very own activist efforts (those of Nan, Hugh, Bobbi & John, & their kids) plus those of many, many other concerned folks. Nightcap National Park was formed after the peaceful protesting that went on for over a month was successful in changing the minds of the politicians at the state & I believe federal levels to ensure that environmental impact assessments that the government stated in its policies were required before logging of such diveres areas could occur ... the EIA's then revealed how important the rainforest diversity in this area was, especially given the quickly shrinking areas of rainforest in Australia because of the intense logging pressures ... & the government decided to protect this area which then led to numerous other areas in NSW & I believe elsewhere in Australia to be protected as National Parks & other protected areas.

"Never doubt that a small group of thoughtful, committed citizens can change the world. Indeed, it's the only thing that ever has."
Margaret Mead

Ruth Rosenhek & John Seed (directors of the Rainforest Information Centre & colleagues of Joanna Macy) are up in this area as well & it will be great to meet up with them sometime soon.

After spending time up in the Terania Creek area, ... resting, catching up on a bunch of my assignments, reconnecting with these splendid folks I know from my previous trip to Oz, & perhaps spotting a platypus or two in Nan & Hugh's pond, ... I will head down to Sydney (on the ~12 hour train ride) to reconnect with my Sydney Seed Mates & hopefully even Claire in Newie on the way down ... plus Fumi, John, & Julia and some of the Dharma folks in the Harbour Bridge city ... then the fun of reconnecting with my Canadian mates Jilly Peanut & her son Ethan as they wind down their month of adventures Down Unda.

As it turns out, our ROMEO internship graduation day will be August 28th, ... there may likely be preliminary celebrations taking place on the Sunday, August 26th as well. Sooooo, if any of you lovely beings have occasion to be in the Canberra area around that week-end, or want to connect with me via, any of the vast media options available to us, please do so, it would be lovely to hear from you & share this milestone occasion with you :) WOWEE, not long now until this internship really winds itself down ... I just need to knuckle down to complete a few major assignments ... planning & coordinating an expedition (I am doing my in Wilson's Promontory National Park in the southern tip of the state of Victoria, a very beauty-full space!), emerging technologies (I am working on introducing the Work that Reconnect and Non-Violent Communication into OBA's programming ... stay tuned, I will share my paper once I have written it up & handed it in), and a number of smaller assignments that fulfill our Cert. IV requirements.

Lots to do over the next couple of weeks, as well as a bunch of eagerly anticipated time off to rest my paws ...

Know that I am wishing you well wherever you are, ... amid the high temp's hitting Alberta and the busy schedules that are filling your lives with new adventures and challenges in the journeys of your lives. Please take a moment or ten of them, to visit some of the places that you enjoy or that you know I am fond of, ... take some deep breaths and soak up the beauty, peace, stillness, joy, abundance, and whatever other wonderments abound in the special spaces you seek out.

Be well my dear family & friends,

Hugs 'n' Bugs, love,

Teresa

Global Sunlight Map

Lunar Phase

"Awakening the Dreamer ... Changing the Dream"

Joanna Macy & David Korten Dialogue on the Great Turning ("For the Grandchildren" event)

Money as Debt video - Paul Grignon

The Story of Cap & Trade (Annie Leonard)

YouTube

How It All Ends - http://www.gregcraven.org/en/the-videos

Oh, the Places You'll Go! - Dr. Seuss