Aaron+Robinson+-+THE+JOURNEY+OF+THE+TRANSITION

8/10/2006 Dear Diary, School is feeling like it is very close now, I am looking forward to it and I am feeling a bit scared and anxious. Mum has started buying some stuff for me, like my school books and stuff for boarding like sheets. I still go out on the tractor with Dad but mum keeps me in some times so that she can organise stuff for school with me. Mum knows what to do because Luke is there (my big brother). I have to go now; tea is ready, then I am going to e-mail Luke to tell him what is happening here at the farm.
 * //__THE JOURNEY OF THE TRANSITION__//**

3/12/2006 Dear Diary, Luke comes home tonight; it was his last day of school for the year. I can’t believe that he is year 11 next year, it has gone so quick! Today mum has been cleaning up around the house ready for his ‘junk’ while Dad went down to Perth to pick him up and buy some parts for the header; it broke down the other day so he needs to fix it quick, so that we can get back on track with the harvest. I have only 9 days left of school days so we are winding down a bit too.

14/12/2006 Dear Diary, Luke is driving the header here at home, and dad drives to the bin, or swaps with Luke. It’s pretty full on with the harvest, we have to get it all off so that we can go on holidays, so we keep pressuring Dad to hurry up; I can’t wait to go to Albany for Christmas, because it’s not so hot and I get to see my cousins. At school, we have one more day left, but we will just be doing a school cleanup. I think it’s unfair that Luke gets off school 2 weeks earlier, but then again, I will be there next year so … I suppose its ok. It will be very hard to leave Babakin Primary School I think, because I have been there for eight years, and my school friends have been my second family for a long time. 16 other students in the whole school, all best mates and I don’t think I will be able to leave without feeling very sad about it. I have bought all of my Christmas presents and have done a tiny bit of packing secretly for our holiday to Albany. Mum can’t know otherwise she tells me to unpack it because it’s still 8 days away.

2/1/2007 Dear Diary, Christmas was AWESOME!! Dad even let us stay for New Year because we were so good and the farm was all going well. Poppa was at home to feed the sheep and check the troughs but we have promised to do lots of burning when we unpack and get back into the swing of things. I got lots of presents that I love and I have played with them all already. Luke got a laptop for study next year so I am a bit jealous but I got some pretty awesome stuff like cd’s and things so I’m happy. I realised today that it’s my Birthday in 5 days! I am so excited, I didn’t even realise because I had so much fun at Albany. I chose a cake and all so mum is going to make it really cool. Got to go and feed some sheep with Dad, bye.

7/1/2007 Dear Diary,

3/2/2007 Dear Diary, It was my first day of school today. It was super duper scary! I don’t know anybody except for my brother, but he acted a bit “too cool” for the year 8’s. I only saw him once, but he pretended he didn’t see me back. I hurt but I thought maybe he just wants me to be independent and not have to rely on him. All of the year eights seem to be a bit more comfortable that me, but maybe that’s just how they are acting because they know some people from their old schools etc. anyway, tea just got called up over the P.A, so I’d better go.

8/2/2007 Dear Diary, My first week seems like it went for a month, but then again, so quickly. I still don’t know what classrooms to go to; I still don’t know what time the bells go or what some general things mean. I have made some good mates already and we sort of struggle through it together which is good. I try to follow the crowd but sometimes it just ends up being a dead end where I am left in a worse situation that I started off with. I am still very anxious when it comes to lights out, scared of the dreaded ‘junior BASH’, which I have no idea about. It is so dark and empty, even though there are one hundred other boys in the same building. It just feels so eerie. Mass is on tonight just before tea, and next week I am on ‘wash-up’ so that should be fairly full on. Now we are going up to the pool for a bit, so I will update later. By the way, I think Mum might be coming down this week, which is good because I have been missing home so much.

3/3/2007 Dear Diary, I am trying not to write in this anymore because I have been told by Luke that it is ‘Gay’ so … I am doing this a bit secretly. Mum did come down a few weeks ago so it was nice to see her and to get a good update on how dad is going on the farm. She bought me a few little presents like brunch bars and some lollies but they are already gone, because I shared them with a few mates after school; which Mum said was OK, and she will give me some more next time. I went to ‘Sando’s’ yesterday and bought myself a Yo-go and a 1.25 litre mountain dew with my pocket money. I am going to save as much as I can so I can buy an I-pod or something at the end of the year.

2/4/2007 Dear Diary, I can’t believe how fast this term has gone! 4 days left! Everybody is packing up to go home and so am I. lots of kids are taking home almost all of their stuff, but my brother told me to just take home my sports bag with a few clothes in it because we just wear old farm clothes at home any way. I am really excited to go home because I have missed everything and everyone there. My family, friends, pets and all the things that I used to hate, I would now appreciate. I have realised now, looking back on the term that there are many people that I would class as my ‘mates’ and going to boarding school has had so many benefits already. I thought I would be completely lost without my best mates that I had been to school with for the last 8 years, but living with a new group, 24/7, for just one term, has felt like the same amount of time. I suppose this is because we are all going through the same struggles, strengths and homesickness. I feel like a part of a group. I feel accepted and respected, and I like that.



29/4/2007 Dear Diary, Home was so great, I forgot to take my diary home, but I didn’t mind, because I didn’t have a worry in the world. I have realised that all the stuff on the farm, couldn’t worry me, because I had lived there all my life, and it is what man calls home. I guess this is why Mum and Dad have sent me away, not because they were fed up with my attitude, but because they wanted me to get the most out of my schooling years as possible. I know now that they are absolutely right! I have got so much more out of going to a school away from home. I knew nothing but the name MAZENOD COLLEGE at the start of the year, but now I believe that I can comfortably say; it is my home away from home. It just feels good knowing that if you are not happy with something at home, such as the stinking hot weather, I will be back at school soon, to share the memories of the happy holidays with this group society calls ‘mates’, people who you can rely on, trust, help, and share the great experiences with at school. I suppose these are my substitutes for my family, people who I will spend another four and a half years with, and with anticipation, go on to be lifelong companions. I think by starting off with a new term I will feel slightly anxious, but also complete, knowing I am on my stairwell to success.

AARON ROBINSON --- 10B