Internship Yarns with Yali

Kia Ora (Māori hello) my darlings!

How amazing is this yubaa (rain)!? Well, not the flooding bit obviously.

Have you gone outside and stood in the rain, allowing the water to wash over your skin. Yubaa making its way down your skin, leaving trails of galing? Watching how Gunhi-dhagun (Mother Earth) soaks it up – sometimes slow and patient and sometimes she is so thirsty galing is gone quicker than we blink? Have you ever stood out in the rain and literally felt and smelt Gunhi-dhaagun change? It is such a wonderful thing to observe.

Anywaaaaay! As many of you know that we have been conducting interviews for our internships (we still are). I have had the honour of interviewing people to intern with me and gosh, it was an experience. I wanted to have everyone (even the squads interns hehe .. shhh don’t tell them!). I have also sat in on a few interviews .. So much amazingness! You lot are not making it easy for us at.. all!

I have felt that I needed to blog about this, as I have come away from my interviews and the interviews I have sat in on feeling empowered, in awe and so lucky.

I sit and listen to my people talking. Talking about their dreams freely. Nothing like silence our Elders experienced.  It hits me right in the heart – deep and hard. The pride and the fierceness – the hope and the desire to make our little ones (our future) lives better. To raise our little ones up to be proud, to believe and to achieve. To make their worlds a better place, better than we had growing up. The genuine desire to make a difference and to use their voices for the better. Hearing the success my people have achieved academically makes my heart sing – loud and proud and I loudly cheer and tell each how proud I am we are achieving; we are succeeding and being the change our young ones need to see and our Elders can be proud of. I have been left speechless in many of the interviews and when discussing with my darling bunch afterward (anyone that knows me, knows I am not usually at a loss for words). My mind is blown by the absolute deadly mob who have applied for the positions, it has been so hard to shortlist and for me to decide. I wanted to scoop them all up and say, “you are all in my bubs”! We have such bright, inspiring, and phenomenal young ones coming up and they going to change the world given time.

The allies that have applied and been shortlisted have been so fabulous. Every single one has been quality, Indigenous focused and want to genuinely work beside not only the squad, but stand beside and behind our people. Genuinely wanting to change the current narratives and assist us to stand up, make changes and do whatever it is that we need them to do. The fire in their bellies made me quite emotional (okay, okay, I am an emotional person :p ) and, wanting to go out and begin many projects right .. now .. darn it.

Feeling so blessed – for everything. For the Our Songlines and Our Dilly Bag squad, for the mob I have met and for the Allies .. For life in general.

 

As always, I end this with ngurrbul (love)

Yali xx

I acknowledge all Indigenous Countries/Lands that I learn/study about, write upon, walk/stand, study upon and that all readers read upon.

Always paying my Yindyamarra to Elders past, present, and future.

Sovereignty has never and will never be ceded.

Always Was, Always will be Aboriginal Land.