Arriving on Christmas Island with my husband, two children and a couple of suitcases was scary, exciting and we were ready for an adventure! We knew in 10 minutes that this was going to be HOME for the next phase of our lives.

Our accommodation was fine, an old silver clad house in Silver City with a million dollar view, it was all worth it. We settled in quickly, and kept our eyes and ears open so that we learnt as much as we could about Island life from the locals, and teachers that had been here a few years. We had heard lots about CI before we arrived (what to bring, what to do etc)... but all from people who had been here many years ago. Times change, and we found that we needed to be pro- active and learn about CI ourselves, from connecting our electricity & water, getting around the place without a car, adjusting to different foods and the “Boong Trading Scramble” on a Saturday arvo, to listening to the locals about when and how to explore the Island.

My first impressions of the school can be described as: BIG (I came from a small Aboriginal Primary School) FRIENDLY (Nothing was too much trouble for anyone, from the Principal to the Cleaners) and ACCOUNTABLE (A high standard of teacher professionalism is expected to be presented and maintained, from planning documents to teaching skills and collaborative participation in whole school initiatives).

This school meant business, it was moving forward and it was a privilege to be a part of it! Over the next few months and subsequent years, I have felt more comfortable, valued and respected by the staff and community. It’s important to make an effort to go to all the cultural goings on around the Island, important to show the community that you want to understand and be a part of their world, their culture and their traditions.

How lucky we are to be a part of such a safe, welcoming, beautiful community!

(Kerry Buhner GiRL Teacher)

*****

I moved to Christmas Island from Perth in January 2008. Having never lived in a small community before, the first thing that struck me about moving to Christmas Island was the overwhelming friendliness of the island’s residents. When I was introduced to my new work colleagues, they greeted me with the familiarity and openness of friends and not just of future work colleagues.

As soon as I walked into the school I could just feel that it was going to be a good school to work in. As well as being better resourced that any other school that I had worked in, you could tell that the school had a good culture. The grounds were clean, there was no graffiti and there were brightly decorated noticeboards everywhere which focussed on things like “How to Help your Child Succeed at School”.

The part I found most challenging about settling in to Christmas Island was the lack of boundaries between my work and social lives. Although I think the strategies that I’ve since learnt to cope with this are strategies that will serve me well for my future career.

It took me a good year to feel that I was truly settled here and that Christmas Island was my home rather than Perth. Initially, I was thinking I would do my minimum of two years here and then move back to the city but now, writing this at the end of my second year, I feel a sense of happiness and contentment that I have never felt before. I finally feel like I have my work-life balance right and I don’t want to leave here any time soon!

(Amy Luetich Secondary Deputy)

*****

As we left Perth International Airport to start our new life on Christmas Island, we knew that this was going to be the adventure of a lifetime. We had seen photos and heard many stories from people who had lived on CI, but nothing could have prepared us for life on this amazing island. My wife, three kids and myself were excited to be finally on our way. We had packed our belongings up and sent them to Christmas Island 6 weeks earlier and the kids were looking forward to not only seeing the island, but to getting their toys back. We weren’t to know that we wouldn’t see our things for nearly 5 more months.

Flying over the island for the first time was magnificent. This tiny island in the middle of the Indian Ocean was so green and lush with some of the clearest water you could imagine. From the plane I imagined the huge fish swimming around and couldn’t wait to explore the depths. My son Hayden asked if there would be crabs everywhere. Alannah asked if they would bite her. I knew my wife had many questions but was most interested in seeing what our accommodation would be like.
We were met at the airport by Alan Thornton (Deputy) and taken to our house. It was a comfortable 3 bedroom place with a magnificent view of the ocean. We were given a very well put together survival kit and left to unpack. Within an hour of arriving, our neighbours had introduced themselves and offered to lend us anything until our things arrived. What a friendly place I thought. It was great to be back in a country town! That night we realised that the whole island was friendly including the wildlife. As I sat on the toilet I saw a centipede the length of my hand coming towards me to say hi. We didn’t stay friends for long!

We explored our amazing island and soon realised how privileged we were to be living here. The forest was filled with life including red crabs, huge robber crabs, beautiful birds and supersized plants that made you feel very small. We did regularly curse the mosquitoes that came for a feed every night as we did not have flywire on some of our louvered windows and our children would end up looking like they had the measles by morning. Mosquito coils became our best friend.

My first day at Christmas Island DHS I was nervous, excited and curious to say the least. By the end of the day I knew I would love working here. The staff were friendly and helpful, the school was well resourced and the overall feeling I got as I walked around put my nerves at ease. I could not have asked for a better welcome and introduction to my new place of employment. The experience improved as I walked into a multicultural year 7 class of 21 eager to learn students. During the year with this fantastic class I learnt many things from them and was amazed at the results that could be achieved when you have so few behavioural issues in the class.

The initial problems/shocks such as not receiving our belongings until May, paying $9 for a lettuce, being so far away from family and having exotic creatures invading our privacy were soon forgotten as the positives of this place far outweighed the negatives. In our two years on island we have grown to love the place, the people and the lifestyle. It is a safe place for our kids, everyone is friendly, there is always something exciting happening and the school is the most supportive workplace anyone could hope for. Christmas Island is a great place to live and work and has far exceeded any of our initial expectations.

(Jon Faulkner Year 7 teacher)

*****

Hi my name is Amy and I have had the pleasure of calling Christmas Island my home for the past year. As you have no doubt researched and heard from many people, the island is truly beautiful with many amazing sights to see. I remember looking out the window of the plane as we landed and being relieved that it was just how I had imagined. I was surrounded by lush green jungle.

Once out of the plane and onto the tarmac the humidity hit me. The humidity takes a bit of getting used to but the air con subsidy from the education department takes good care of that matter.

The school had organised a buddy who was waiting to greet me at the airport, which was really comforting. It was nice to have someone expecting you at the other end of such a lifestyle change. She was great. She took me to my house and showed me around the island. She also arranged a car for me, which was fantastic as there is quite a distance moving up the huge hill between the Settlement, Silver City and Drumsite.

In those first few weeks I met a huge amount of friendly people and got my first taste of Christmas Island culture with Chinese New Year celebrations. This was a great introduction to the community and the generosity of the locals. I think as the year has passed I have realised more and more just how generous the people of Christmas Island are. There is always something special happening and it is so interesting to be a part of it.

I have had a wonderful year teaching at CIDHS. It is a busy school with a lot happening, however, it is very well organised and as a new teacher I have felt much support from all the staff. Everyone has been very friendly and helpful which has made the transition a lot easier.

There is always a lot happening after school hours with many opportunities for you to get involved with the community. There are many sports based activities, however, if you are like myself and sport is not really your thing there are always other opportunities such as walking groups, drumming classes, and even tap dancing. I had a wonderful experience earlier this year where I was part of the staff dance team that participated in a community based dance competition. It was hilarious and a lot of fun. I really enjoy living and working on Christmas Island, and for my 7 year old daughter and I, it is an idyllic lifestyle. We are always outdoors and enjoy snorkelling any opportunity we get. We have met many great people and have had some wonderful cultural experiences. We hope to stay here for quite some time.

(Amy Stark Year 1 Teacher)