July 4, 2008
Day in Dargaville
Today was another uneventful day in Dargaville. Jin wanted to take me to her school in the morning, but she had a doctor’s appointment so I slept in. I woke up late, and made myself a simple breakfast of my aunt’s banana-chocolate muffin (yummmssss!!!) and watched Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind on DVD. Yeah yeah I know that it’s a weird thing to do on a holiday… but hey, I’m on holiday. I’ve always wanted to watch that movie anyway eversince I found out the storyline.
Jin came back and then took me for lunch at Blah, Blah, Blah cafe where we had panini (delicious!!). I had the smoked chicken panini. Then we went to her school (Dargaville High School) as she still had classes. Because she had to sit in with some of her students for detention, she got one of her colleague, Karen to take me around. Karen is a lovely, bubbly woman (she’s got a 15-year-old daughter, but she doesn’t look it!!) who the kids obviously love, and she took me with her on her “duty”. I saw the school’s staffroom, office, gymnasium (the gym has not only a weight room, but a climbing wall!!!!!!!!!!), and peeped outside the library. They have an indoor pool, but I didn’t see it. It was Mufti Day today, which is when the kids could wear any casual clothes (instead of their uniforms) and they could do crazy things with their hair. Some of the staff got into the spirit of things by tying/dying their hair and some even wore outrageous costumes! Mufti Day was also when people donated $2 for a charitable cause ($1 goes to the school and $1 to a local helicopter rescue thingy).
The school is really near her house, and as she had one more class to go, I walked home and watched the last of Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind.
When Jin came home, she took me out to Baylys Beach which was one of the most BEAUTIFUL beaches I have ever seen! Actually it’s just flat with very strong waves. But it’s beautiful to me. The beach, according to Jin, stretches for 100 km. The wind was very strong, and the sand was blown over the beach, just skimming its surface. There were sand dunes, and seaweed on the shore. I thought it was heavenly, in spite of the strong wind. I love the beach. I would love to walk along it just to destress, or just to pass the time.
After the beach, Jin took me to meet a real farmer and a real farmer’s wife – the first I’ve ever met! They’re a lovely old couple who were so warm and welcoming. When I arrived at their place, even though they didn’t know me, they gave me a hug and a kiss. And when I left, they gave me a beautiful greenstone (jade) piece in a wooden frame, which can be removed and worn around my neck if I wanted.
We then rushed back, and Jin made some potatoes for Suzie’s party. The party was supposed to start at 6.30pm, but we only got there about 7pm (in typical “Malaysian time”!!!). It was a nice quiet 4th of July party – nothing rowdy or crazy. It was a quiet get-together sitting at the living room, eating potluck dinner (everything was super yummy), and then we left early to pack 🙂 )
I’m too lazy to transfer the photos now, so maybe I’ll do that later. Will be on the road tomorrow onwards though, so I don’t know if I can get Internet access. Might be able to blog again only when I reach KL!!
(Updated post entry with photos on July 14th)
10:12pm
