Morning Reflections in Australia

This morning I arose early, before the kookaburras began their noisy monkey calls in the surrounding trees. I thought it would be difficult to start my shift every morning at 5:45 a.m. by waking the kids up, but I'm finding that early mornings at Camp Tuckekoi are worth the effort. As I walked to my first cabin, I noticed a mist clinging to the pond, as if shielding it from the surrounding green hills. The morning birds had begun passing over the waters, boldly announcing the faint but unmistakable presence of the dawn. There is a distinct peace at this time before the noisy Cantonese chatter begins in the cabins as I bang on their door to wake them up.

The morning faces of the students are yet another kind of enjoyment. Being from Hong Kong, this is perhaps their first morning ever spent away from a city type environment. All of the girls expressed how cold they were from the previous night, but I also noticed that their beds were not properly made up. Being from affluent families, some of these students have never done any kind of household chore or duty. I am already looking forward to seeing their confidence as they progress to learning how to do their laundry, dishes, vacuum, etc. This will be a busy month!