Beagle Bay

I recently got back from a service trip in the Kimberleys with a group of kids from my high school.
We slept in a classroom in the Beagle Bay Sacred Heart School for one of the most amazing and eye-opening weeks of my life.

I was assigned to the year 4/5 class for the week with my friend Sam and ended up getting so attached to them and their cheeky ways, I found it very difficult to say goodbye.

If there was one thing that I learnt about the Indigenous children of Beagle Bay, it was their innate ability to make the very best out of every situation- they never stopped smiling!

I hope to return to Beagle Bay at some point in the near future but,until then, I plan on writing to the children as much as I can. Of course, the letters will have to be addressed to the school on account of there not being a single street name! (I definitely came back home with a deeper appreciation for things I'd usually take for granted, that is for sure...)

There was one more thing that the kids loved to do which we very soon discovered....and that was take photos... LOTS OF THEM!! Here are some of the shots I got while I was there- most taken by the kids themselves :)

The dirt road we drove on for 2.5 hrs to get there!

The Sacred Heart Church of Beagle Bay- featured in the movie Bran Nue Day

My bed for the week....

Protesting at James Price Point

Me and Nicholas

KayAnn <3

Music is everywhere

Silly Jacob and his baby bird :)

A BEAGLE in Beagle Bay?!?

My year 4/5 class

Yatim....(and my sunnies!) <3

Aaliyah and I <3

Katelynn xx

Be Thankful

They are calling it the worst drought they've seen in 60 years. This child is just one of over 12.4 million people in need of urgent assistance, left to starve due to the 'world's greatest food crisis'- the famine in East Africa.

They riot about unsatisfactory social conditions and because of their oppressive and corrupted government.


But now...

One man was shot so they started a riot.  5 innocent people have been killed and countless injured. Havoc continues as looters maintain chaos to take advantage of the vulnerable.

They lost a hockey game.



I'm sorry....did I miss something?? These people don't know how damn lucky they are to be living in such wealthy and prosperous countries!! While there are over 12.4 million starving in East Africa, these delinquents have the audacity to set out on a DESTRUCTION SPREE in their own cities.

They attack the police and light their cars on fire... yet do they not see how fortunate they are to even have authorities who care enough to put their own lives in risk for the safety of their fellow innocent citizens? Or the fact that they aren't ruled under a corrupted government? OR THE FACT THAT THEY DO NOT LIVE IN AN OVER-CROWDED, FAMINE-STRICKEN REFUGEE CAMP???? JUST MAYBE?!!!?!??!?



sigh.


If only they could trade lives with those who would (and are) dying to live in such places yet have no choice, no way out. 


To donate to the famine-stricken people of East Africa,  go to any of the following links:

https://www.unrefugees.org.au/emergencies/current-emergencies/east-africa-crisis/donate

http://www.unicef.org.au/Donate/One-off-Donation/east-africa-drought-emergency-appeal-famine.aspx?gclid=CLPkhsaHz6oCFWdKpgodyBRbyw

http://www.actionaid.org.au/make-a-donation/




It needs to change.





In the words of a woman I admire....

"Be thankful for what you have; you'll end up having more. If you concentrate on what you don't have, you will never, ever have enough." 

~ Oprah Winfrey






Until Next Time...






Katelynn xxx

Dream A Little Dream Of Me

Lovers, well, they’ll come and go and babe, I hate to say it, most of them - actually pretty much all of them are going to break your heart, but you can’t give up because if you give up, you’ll never find your soul mate. You’ll never find that half who makes you whole and that goes for everything. Just because you fail once, doesn’t mean you’re gonna fail at everything. Keep trying, hold on, and always believe in yourself, because if you don’t, then who will, sweetie? - Marilyn Monroe

 

 

 

Katelynn xxx

Just a Snapshot

On the weekend, my friend and I were in the mood for some photography and ended up stumbling upon this place.

I thought I'd write a short little post to show you some of the pics we took....

 

Myself & my dream car

                                                           
                                                 Olivia...Best friend and future supermodel?

                                                                  

                  
                                                    

Never taking things seriously

Katelynn xxx

Holidays Part 2...

Part 2

So the second part of my holidays saw me headed to the country's capital- Canberra.

I pretty much got home from camp, slept for a day, and then headed straight for the airport!

I was still missing all of my Young Leader family so it was pretty hard to just jet off straight away- even though it was with all of my school friends! They were kind enough to write me a stack of plane letters (fashioned out of napkins) for the journey there which eased my home sickness a little too...


So to be honest, I wasn't really expecting much from Canberra- to be quite frank, I've heard it been described as 'a hole'. (In their words, not mine...)

But when I did arrive there, I was sort of pleasantly surprised at how nice it was....a really pretty and quaint little city with super friendly people :)

One thing is for sure though-- it. was. F-F-F-FREEZING! Pretty much 2 degrees every day. Bleckkk.  I'm such a pathetic 'Canadian' I know...I felt the cold more than most of my truly Aussie friends...

*sigh*


Anyways... some of the things we did included:

-Visited Old and New Parliament house
- Senate
- Australian War Memorial
- National Portrait Gallery
-Bowling
- toured the various embassies
- visited ANZAC parade
- had mass at St Christopher's Cathedral
- Went to the National Capital Exhibition
- Questacon (I'm 15 and still found it the coolest place ever...)
- Australians of the Year Walk.
- Australian Institute of Sport
- Laser Tag
-SKIING!

As you can see, my teachers managed to squeeze just about EVERYTHING there is to do in Canberra into under a week before we left for NSW for skiing.

Ah yes...skiing...I believe I was going to tell you about my....

NEAR DEATH EXPERIENCE?!?!?!?!


ok so maybe it wasn't quite near death at all but...it was definitely one of the scariest things I've witnessed before!

It all began on the very last day of skiing at Perisher Ski Fields (note: 'perisher' is the legitimate name of the ski fields there...reassuring, hey?).

It was pretty bad ski conditions for starters-  the snow was too fresh and it was ridiculously foggy out.

But the ski instructor of my little group thought it would be a good idea to take us up to the very top of the mountain... the 'confident' ones.


Little did he know how terrified of heights I was. I really...I really didn't feel that confident to be honest?!


I did make it up the T-Bars to the top eventually however....but then it hit me how freaking scared I was and had to slide down the first hill on my butt. Not embarrassing in the slightest... :/

I was pretty glad I had made it down to the bottom with my life still intact (even if my dignity was not) but celebrated a little too early because then the instructor said told us we were going back up again.

I made him a deal that I would go to the second highest hill and ski down from there because to be honest, I just wasn't keen on having to slide down on my backside again while herds of super smug snowboarders blew snow all up in my face.

So finally, as I waited, I saw one of my friends coming down from the top hill and took that as my cue to go down.
I forgot one minor little detail though- to ski ACROSS the hill. Straight down= bad. VERY,  VERY BAD.
I plummeted down the hill, practically to my death, until I finally got some control last minute and was able to turn left (into the oncoming chair lift traffic of course).

Just as I had veered left, my friend continued straight at lightning speed!
I couldn't help but picture what would have happened if I hadn't turned and we both collided at the edge of another hill...

When I turned around to face my group again, people were screaming and my poor friend was lying in the snow, absolutely writhing in pain! I don't think I'd ever been so scared before!

I had to fight the urge to throw up when I got a closer look at her and saw her leg twisted in all the wrong directions...well, let's just say it wasn't exactly the highlight of my trip!!

Anyways, my friend is now back in WA safe and sound after having to say in hospital for an extra week due to a broken FEMUR BONE IN TWO PLACES. OUCH?!
And she barely even complained too...certainly one of the bravest girls I know!!


So that pretty much sums up my holidays... :D

Glad to be home but mom's in Sydney this week so the house still doesn't quite feel the same!
I'll be grateful when everything's back to normal again...which won't be for a while because I'm setting off to an indigenous community to volunteer in a couple weeks...

I'm looking forward to it a lot though :)

ANYWAYS, I think I've rambled on enough for one night..


I'll keep you posted on everything exciting that's coming up :)




Until Next Time....

Katelynn xxx

A Journey Of A Thousand Miles Begins With A Single Step...

I think I'm going to have to take a moment right here before I go any further in this post to say that i am SOOOO SORRRY!!!!! for being the most pathetic of bloggers in the HISTORY of bloggers this past month. I don't want to sound like I'm making excuses but really...I can explain...promise!! :)

You see, I've just come back from one of the most hectic, exciting, terrifying and at the same time totally amazing school holidays I've experienced yet!

I've been inspired immensely, conquered some of my greatest fears, met the most remarkable people,  and had an (almost) near death experience--- All whilst staying within the boundaries of Australia.

I'll split my tale into two parts because I have that much to tell you!

Part one...

Begins with me packing..and re-packing...and then packing again...for a Youth Leadership Camp here in WA I'd been selected to go to - one of only 30 in the State.
As lucky as I was, I couldn't help but feel reeeallly nervous...and kind of in shock that I had actually been chosen in the first place!!
And I'm not gonna lie, I was having a mini freak out about being the only non-freakishly smart one there too, I mean....

WHAT IF THEY DIDN'T KNOW WHO CHUCK BASS WAS?!!?! HUH??!?!

I almost stopped packing right then and there!


But it's a good thing I didn't, because after the first 'awkward hour' of meeting everyone, I soon started to learncjust how much I had in common with all these people.

The first night there, I came out of my dorm to find my neighbour standing in the hallway, just chilling in a onesie.

Needless to say, I liked her instantly :D

About 95 % of them wanted to go to Uni overseas too! One of them had his sights set on Columbia so we might be America buddies together :) hehe For the first time in...well...EVER, I felt like I was completely understood. It was so unbelievably refreshing to be surrounded by people my age with such high ambitions- people who wanted to change the world as badly as I do and who actually believed they had the power to do so for a change! I think that's so unbelievably important.

The itinerary for the week long camp was packed, rising at 6am, with lights out at 11pm.

The biggest event was the 'Middle Eastern Role Play Scenario' where the 30 of us were split into delegate countries of the Middle East or the USA and had to, in a formal boardroom at a local university, come to a peaceful resolution to the situation presented to us. I was in Lebanon and our aim was to gain back a Lebanese politician safely who had been held hostage by an Israeli extremist.

It was pretty intense stuff! Not to mention it required loads of research and preparation before the camp even started but I did find it super interesting :) Maybe I am a bit of a 'nerd' after all?

And proud OF it!!!

hehehe
 
They also hired an actor to play the extremist...which made it even more exciting!
It definitely added to the pressure in the room though...

One of the hardest tasks of the camp, for me, was the 'leap of faith'.

After building a raft and paddling around in a muddy old lake for a good 20 minutes at 5 degrees, they wanted me to jump off a 15m high pole.

Ummmmm?!?!?!??

^ me.

Well I've only been terrified of heights since birth but somehow I ended up being the first girl to try it.

As I shakily reached further up the pole (clinging to it for dear life as I did so), I started to doubt myself and shamefully asked if they would let me down.

Ok so I was sort of begging....

But still they refused to relieve me from my suffering and started to encourage me some more. I thought that would be more of a distraction than help but their support somehow made me feel stronger and I...ever so slowly... made it to the top!!!!!!

I don't think I had ever been so petrified or proud in my life!!!!!


It took me a good while to build up enough courage to jump but I DID IT !!!!!


And that's pretty much what the whole camp was about - just doing it. Even in the face of your greatest fear.



As in the wise words of Lao-Tzu,



"A journey of a thousand miles, begins with a single step..."
 

Until next time....


Katelynn xxx

La vie est belle!

I think today was possibly one of the best days of my life? Just possibly...

For starters, I want to say a huge THANK YOU to all of you who read my last post and took action against live exports to Indonesia by sending in letters or signing petitions because...

It worked!!!

I just found out that the Australian Federal Government has announced they will be banning live exports to Indonesia completely for a period of at least six months. Although the Government has stated the period will only last for this  six month time frame, a complete end to the live export industry to Indonesia is in high demand and there is a likelihood of its termination occurring within the next three years!

How awe-inspiring is that?! It just goes to show that a little determination goes a long way...and that the bad guys never win of course... :)

So on top of finding that out, I was hit with some more good news in French class this morning.

The moment I have been waiting for...the information I have so lusted after since the beginning of first term when I handed in my application with an excited"bonne chance", has arrived. Madame C. has the list of accepted French Tour students!

I felt like I had deux mille papillons fluttering around in my stomach as she read down the list but alas it was revealed....


I HAVE OFFICIALLY BEEN ACCEPTED!


ME = ACCEPTED!




AS IN, I AM GOING.....TO FRANCE!!!!!!?????


I will be travelling to Paris and then Saint Quentin in the North of France in April next year where  I will remain for three delightful weeks! Myself and the rest of the fortunate students attending will be travelling with our neighbouring boys' school where we will live with host families, eat croissants, marvel at the Eiffel Tower and lust after beautiful French boys! ;)

I think an Ohhhhhh laaaa laaaaaa is in order??!

Oh and of course (most importantly) I will be improving my French skills and immersing myself in the fascinating French culture!

Hmmm yes...

So, did i mention there will be French boys?

They speak French.

wkeqkjsa dhjkf jkdfghdsgfhsalhf dsfghsdfgajlf shgf hsafgdsljas dfhg sa

Sorry, I may have just drooled on my keyboard...


You see, here in this obscure little place i reside, in a small part of Australia, it seems that the boys I associate with lack certain graces that one looks for in a man. I know it's the twenty first century but surely all signs of chivalry can not be dead?

Because, from what I have encountered here so far, it appears that chivalry has been brutally assassinated...butchered to death with a blunt weapon...massacred and annihilated...fed to a cage of hungry lions and then...well, you get the idea...

It doesn't help that I have extremely high expectations, I know.

Or that I have always wanted to be a Princess...shhhhh!


I do have a solution to this problem though. A lovely, two-worded solution that, if you are a teenage girl from anywhere (that has not been living under a rock) I'm quite sure you have heard and dreamt of.




 Chuck.Bass.



I mean, if Blair Waldorf can get her prince, then why can't I? Huh?!

Screw Prince Charming, I want Chuck Bass!

I'm warning you now, I'm exceedingly stubborn... ;)


Put quite bluntly...

"Destiny is for losers.
  It's just a stupid excuse
  to wait for things
  to happen instead of making them happen."

                                                             -Blair Waldorf.

Until next time...

Katelynn xx