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change of season

this week you could feel the season change. It's proper dry season now. It's cold now and you feel the air is just dry. It's had some kind of effect on me and everyone else too... most people I work with feel a bit sick or off colour and everyone is lacking energy and motivation. It's weird.

so yeah, i've been a bit sick this week. The dumbuyumbu i had might've helped a bit, but not a lot. And I later found out that I made it way too strong and that's why it tasted so gross! haha... stupid munanga.

This week was actually my last week in Ngukurr going solo. My contract finishes up in a month and I'm not coming back just yet. I need a good break from here. And I don't have to worry because I've got a good replacement coming next week. Her name is S and she's the one I took over from last October, so she already knows all about this job. She's had a good break now and is ready to come back. She comes next week and then we'll work together here at Ngukurr for a couple of weeks and then I'll leave her to it. After that, I'll still have a few weeks of work at Hodgson Downs and in Katherine and then holidays.

But it feels so weird that this week is my last on my own at Ngukurr Language Centre (on my own as in the only munanga). I've spent all year trying to get used to being here and now I have to get used to not being here! I'm gonna get sad too. I already had a bit of a soppy moment thinking about my wawa A. He's been so nice to me and taught me lots and has had such a positive effect on my time at Ngukurr. I'm pretty sure it'll be the case that although some people here can drive me nuts, as soon as I'm away from them I'll miss them like crazy and think the world of them.

Work has been slack this week. Like I said, we're all feeling unmotivated. We still had language classes at Ngukurr school, but only three out of five langauges were running. Most of the secondary students were away anyway because there's ceremony on at Numbulwar, a community three hours up the road.

Well, that's all my thoughts for now. I don't what's gonna happen in the next few weeks. I'll be going through a lot of changes... but I'll easing down and working up to giving myself a well-earned holiday.

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