Settling into 'Alice'

Well, we have been in 'Alice' for 2 weeks now and I have settled in to life and very much feel a part of the place once again! I have received a very warm welcome here at Yirara College and have already taken on a small job - that is tutoring 2 evenings per week. The students do homework from 7-8pm Monday - Thursday evenings and different teachers come in to supervise this. They also need people to do individual tutoring and that's what I'll be doing. It is a very warm and friendly community here at Yirara and everyone has certainly made me feel welcome.

The first week we had a few of the boy's boarding staff in for dinner and the night before the students started coming back (which was just over one week ago), most of the boarding staff (both boys and girls) went out for dinner and went ten pin bowling afterwards. A lot of fun!! The countries represented were Ireland, Papua Guinea, Germany and Tonga and of course Australia. Warwick now has 16 boys in his care and a lively bunch they are!! I have been into the Dorm a few times to help out with devotions and sorting out socks and jocks. Last Saturday night I actually helped out at a Round Robin Basket Ball event which was held at the large indoor sports arena in town. It took a while to settle the boys down after that!!

I have started working at 'Old Timers' - a Nursing Home operated by Frontier Services of the Uniting Church. I have worked there on previous visits to Alice Springs and it was good to go back and meet up with staff and residents that I knew before. The Fete is coming up on 9 August and this is a BIG event here in 'Alice'. I have also joind a Belly Dancing class and an A Capella choir. The latter just comes together at this time of the year for the Alice Springs Festival coming up at the end of September. It is conducted by a very charismatic black man from South Africa and hence we do a lot of African songs which is wonderful!! I have a lot to pick up on - I just hope that I can learn it all in time! They are performing at a few things, including the fete, leading up to the festival but the main event is a concert in Trephina Gorge which sounds fantastic!!

This week we also had the pleasure of having friends from home, Peter and Helen Sharoff here for a meal and to have a look at the set up at Yirara. They enjoyed interacting with the boys and Pete handed out some Guideon New Testaments and gave the boys some devotions which was great. Until next post............