SUNDAY, OCTOBER 10: It is 10-10-10 today!! How cool huh!! We are trying to find a church in the area but have not found one yet. I am going to ask around at school tomorrow and see if I can find a location of one when I have internet access tomorrow. Today was also VERY windy, rainy, and cold! It was even colder than when I left Chicago I believe! AANNDD apparently the bus for our area does not run on Sundays so Amanda and I called a taxi to take us to the train station (which is only like 5 miles away) and that cost us $20! Crazy expensive, but it was better than sitting at home all day. We went around to some different shops and ate at a cute sushi place for a late lunch…it had a neat set up. The seating was in one big oval and you pulled up a seat and the cooks were hard at work in the middle and all of the food selections came around on the conveyer belt that was constantly going around the oval seating area…so you just took a look at the selections and picked your plate (or plates) and then ate! They know how much to charge you depending on what color your plate is, so once you are done eating you wave somebody down that works there and they look at your plate color, write you a receipt and you pay at the counter, pretty quick in-and-out and VERY delicious! I have never had sushi before and this was a good first experience!...although I must admit that I did not eat any raw fish…but baby steps are good right?! J I found this cute little candy shop that is based out of Perth and makes ROC candy (actually here they are called “lolly” shops and you don’t buy candies, you buy “lollies”) and I am hoping to stop back by there before I come home so I can bring some back with me! John was a sweetheart and picked Amanda and I up from the train station so we did not have to call a cab again to get home and he is going to take us to our schools for our first day tomorrow…I am still in vacation mode so I need to get focused because it is time to get down to business! Amanda and I watched our first movie here this evening, we picked from one of Denyer’s large selection of movies and settled on a 1992 film called “Far and Away” that neither of us had seen before, starring Tom Cruise and Nicole Kidman. It was really a cute movie but made me think of home and miss my family…but then I remind myself how quickly the first week has flown by and that I only have 10 more, so I need to stay present and live in the moment and enjoy this experience and learn a lot more about myself and the wonderful people and places around me!
MONDAY, OCTOBER 11: This morning I was able to get up early and get a load of clothes through the wash and hang it on the clothes line so it would be dry by tonight…I am still getting used to not having a dryer but its not that bad. John dropped me off at school this morning and a volunteer walked me to the classroom where I could meet my teacher and the classroom assistant. I was overwhelmed from the moment I walked in…I start feeling stressed in an unorganized environment and this classroom, although big, seems to have things thrown around everywhere in odd places. I know it is an organized mess though because both of them seemed to know where everything was at and where to dig for different things. They both do seem really nice. After I was introduced we had to rush over to the library for meetings and faculty development all morning, where I was able to meet the rest of the teaching staff at the school. Everyone did seemed really friendly, warm, and welcoming and one of the teachers made a lasagna, cake, and salad for the staff to eat for lunch (considering our staff is rather small because it is a small school). It is odd because they are almost done with their school year and are already making curriculum plans and goals for the next school year (January). Overall I know deep down that things are going to be fine but I really felt the effects of culture shock today and by the time I got home I was shaky and almost in tears, but thankfully Amanda got home at like the exact same time and we looked at each other and decided to go on a long run like RIGHT AWAY because she felt the same exact way I did and we needed to get the anxiety out of our system. It worked for the most part, plus some candy (actually lollies) and some cookies, and then I was fine J It is really nice living with someone who is going through the same exact thing and who deals with stress by working out just like I do J I felt much better after I made my list of things to get done tomorrow and had a look through all of the things my teacher gave me today. I will just take it one day at a time and I think getting up early enough to workout and eat breakfast will do wonders as well and help me feel ready for anything the day is going to throw at me. Denyer made a delicious pasta dish this evening and we put on Finding Nemo while I worked on school stuff. I did learn some more new facts today…apparently the government here pays for you to go to University and you don’t start paying them back until you get a job…AND the University sets you up with a job (like sends you to a school to work at) once you graduate. And I learned that they don’t put things in the “trunk” they put them in the “boot” and you don’t throw (rubbish) trash in the trashcan, you through it in the “bin”. Oh and there are Ravens like EVERYWHERE here and they kind of sound like ET J Also, sometimes they say “Ta” or “cheers” instead of “thank you” and they call “napkins” “serviettes”
TUESDAY, OCTOBER 12: Denyer was able to drop me off at school this morning which was helpful and I helped set up the room before the students and their parents came in. I have a class of 22, but one of them is still on vacation in Bali for the week and won’t be back till next week (apparently a lot of Australians vacation there because it is inexpensive to fly to and really beautiful!). I have learned almost all of their names now and am excited to work with them for the rest of the term. And I felt a lot better today and was not anxious by the end of it. I will be taking over the entire morning next week and then the whole day the week after that. I figure it is better to just jump in with both feet and get started as soon as possible so I don’t get bored and can learn more and take more from the experience. I can see that classrooms are pretty much the same here and children are the same everywhere so I do not feel as isolated as I did yesterday. I am teaching pre-primary which is considered kindergarten back home. Here kindergarten is preschool (so students go to kindergarten, then pre-primary, and then year 1, etc.). I thought it was interesting that most classes have hooks located outside for their backpacks, which makes sense since they have nice weather all year round-helps save some space inside the buildings. Here they spell color “colour” and a sweater is called a “jumper” and they don’t say/spell “learned” they say “learnt” and every school that I have seen students from are wearing a uniform. At our school the students must where black bottoms and either their light blue South Padbury Primary School T-shirt, collared shirt, sweatshirt, zip-up, or a a plain light blue shirt. We had some delicious risotto for dinner that Denyer made and I got three papers written for my STG 4000 and 4001 class…while watching the rest of Finding Nemo and then Grease J
WEDNESDAY, OCTOBER 13: Today I got to do a few more activities with my students (the theme is Knights, Dragons, and Castles) and got to lead part of the physical education lesson (we split the class into three groups and each worked on a different skill). I think it is unfortunate that they do not get P.E. instruction everyday but I do like that on days that they don’t have P.E. the teacher lets the students have recess for 50 minutes to give them time to play with the balls or hoops if they wish, run around, and use their imaginations and give them time to be kids! Today I had a funny incident-I asked for those with white tennishoes to stand up and they all looked at me and said “what?” and I said it again and they still did not understand, so I pointed to the shoes and asked them what they called them and they laughed and said “runners!” Also, I learned that although candies are called lollies here, they may also be called sweeties, which is a term the English use. The school bell that goes off for beginning of school, end of lunch recess, and end of school sounds like a fire siren and the first time I heard it I looked around trying to see what the fire procedures were but then realized that students were just lining up to go in from recess instead J I saw a beautiful pink cockatoo bird in the tree when the students were outside and it made me smile because I don’t get to see exotic birds like that just out and about at home. Apparently there are a lot of exotic birds that are native to Australia and people try to smuggle them out illegally to sell them in other parts of the world. I learned that the school was built in 1989, same year I was born! J And the school does not have a cafeteria, students just sit out either on the veranda (the pre-primary and other junior block students (like year 1-year3) or under the pavilion top (the senior block (year 4-year 7) students) and they sit on the ground. They say maths instead of math, I asked Denyer why and she said she didn’t know-maybe because of mathematics. Also, I heard a teacher asking a student if they were being a “dob” and I asked her later what that meant and she laughed and said that to “dob” is to tattle-so if someone is a “dobber” then they are a tattle-tale J It makes me think of like a dobber you would use at a bingo game or something J Amanda student teaches at a High School and they don’t have assemblies, homecoming, prom, or school sports here. They do have a Senior Ball that only seniors can attend and the sports teams are neighborhood leagues. The Commonwealth games are going on right now in Dalhi, India and so every time you are around a TV or radio you are hearing about the games. I talked to my teachers about how we call “rubbish” “trash” and they said “Yeah, don’t call it trash because people here only say trash when talking rudely about a type of person (like of low-economic status/white-trash) or if someone breaks into your house and trashes it. AND…Ben was finally able to get through to me via telephone/calling card…he said he has been trying for a few days but the number was not working for some reason…it was REALLY nice to hear a familiar voice from home!
THURSDAY, OCTOBER 14: I really am starting to feel at home here. Everyone is warm and welcoming and our classroom assistant, Mrs. Harvey is kind of becoming my Australian Grandma for now J She is really sweet and gives me a ride to the train station after school and on the car rides and during breaks at school she tells me stories about her family and Australia, and asks me about home and life, etc….just a really sweet lady and makes me feel right at home J Also, the classroom is more organized now…apparently it was a mess before because things needed carried out to the shed but it really is a good learning environment and I am happy to say that my first impression has been replaced by a better one and a better feeling now. I had to write 12 lesson plans tonight! Not my favorite thing to do, but hopefully I will get some templates typed up tomorrow so it will save me a little bit of time in the weeks to come…we shall see! I heard a teacher talking about their “dot” period today and I asked them what that was and it stands for “duties other than teaching” which we call a planning period back home. Today my teacher asked a student to go and grab her a rubber and I could not help but smile and giggle inside…rubbers here are erasers J “Packaway” time is cleanup time. I saw one of those ravens walking on the school lawn today (the ones that sound like ET laughing J) and they are BIG! Its body is bigger my head! I also noticed an Australian flag flying at the school and when I glanced up at first I thought “that doesn’t look right” but then I remembered I am in Australia not America…the school setting seems a lot like back home other than the Australian accents and different words for things. Apparently Australia has very strong men and women’s hockey teams and both won gold in the commonwealth games! Apparently the women were playing New Zealand and New Zealand tied up the score with 40 seconds left in the game so they had a shoot out and Australia won! I keep hearing about it J One of my students had a birthday today and he brought candy for students to take home…and he gave one to me to eat…after it fell on the floor…but it didn’t seem to phase him J gotta love it! Denyer was telling us that if someone is Aboriginal or even part Aboriginal they get a lot of financial help/scholarships, etc. from the government. She said they have a really rough way about them but that is probably because up until as early as the 70’s aboriginal children (or even part aboriginal) were taken from their parents and put in government boarding schools to be taught the “white”/”English” way of doing things.
FRIDAY, OCTOBER 15: WOW! Today was my planning day (“dot” day) and I thought I would get a lot done and be feeling good….WRONG! NOT relaxing…and NOT as productive as I should have been. I definitely realized today that when things are not organized in my working environment it drives me CRAZY! I felt like there was not even enough room for my thoughts! We have to do our planning in the “wet room” which is a main room that connects all four classrooms in the pre-primary little building…and there is stuff stacked EVERYWHERE in there! I even got to school early thinking it would give me time to kind of find a place and get started before people started coming in…and I did and THAT was good! I mean the other girls here have like three weeks to observe the classes and get settled in…I had three days and by the third day was already expected to have an outline of plans for what I wanted to teach next week…whereas other people don’t even start partially taking over till week 3 or 4…although that is not really the issue…I know I can do it and start teaching next week no problem…when I left the school I decided to leave my stress there…and here because writing about it helps me feel better J OK! That was a lot of venting in my writing but I do feel much better!!! Dinner tonight was really fun! Amanda and I got to meet Caitrin, another student teacher here from Ohio, and John and Hazel took the three of us (Brittany, the student teacher from Georgia could not come because her class that she is teaching is on a field trip to Melbourne for a week…I know! I wish I could go on a field trip to another city in Australia with my class…but it would be hard with 5 and 6 year olds J) to an eatery/food court in Perth with lots of Asian food joints to choose from-I had a heaping plate of Chinese food (when I can’t run-I relieve stress by eating LOTS of carbs J). Some friends of John and Hazel met us there and it was nice to meet them. The dad (I forget his name) works at Curtin University (same place as John) and his son James and daughter Marnie are both taking classes in university right now. It was fun to talk to James and Marnie because they are around our age and when we all left dinner we decided that we would definitely have to do it again later this term-they are a really nice family!
SATURDAY, OCTOBER 16: Today was a lot of fun! John was sweet enough to pick us up and take us to the train station and then we got off the train and walked to the pier along the Swan River to go on our Swan Valley Wine Tour! I like wine a lot more now that I have tried different kinds-the white fruity wines are my favorite! Our tour started with a 2 hour cruise on the Swan River and then we got off at Water’s Edge Vineyard (which was BEAutiful) and switched over to a coach for the remainder of the trip. We got to visit 4 vineyards, a brewery, and a chocolate factory! I had just a small sip of each wine because I did not want to get sick or anything, but I did make myself sip ALL of them…even the red wines that I knew I did not like…but I figured I paid a lot of money to go on this wine tour and I am trying to open my horizons to new experiences! AND I tried squid and raw salmon for lunch…the squid was not bad because it was fried and just tasted like any other fish…but a little chewier…and the raw salmon was not AWEFUL but I probably won’t be doing that again for awhile J We met three girls from Australia on the tour and we may be meeting up with them again next weekend at Octoberfest in the city. My favorite part of the whole tour was the chocolate factory! WOW!! There was TONS of chocolate and it all looked DELICIOUS!! I just tried the free samples…yes they had free tasting-cute huh?!...and I got to try one truffle for free…I picked the blueberry truffle and it was GREAT!! Apparently it won a gold medal last year too…so I am not the only one who loves it J And I could not help myself so I broke down and bought a scoop of mint-chocolate chip ice-cream!! I do not know what it is (especially since I used to hate mint flavored anything) but lately I have been really craving mint-chocolate cookies and ice-cream…and this ice-cream was worth the money…SOOOO good!!!!! MMMmmmmMMMmmm!! After all of my wining and dining today (not to mention the pizza and garlic bread Amanda and I ordered tonight) I am really going to have to work out more this next week-which won’t be a problem since I know I will want to de-stress after school everyday anyway…but enough talk about school…it is the weekend and I am NOT even going to go there right nowJ Anyway..I am filled to the brim with carbs (mainly from the loaf of garlic bread because their large pizza’s here are LITERALLY the same size-if not smaller-as a small pizza back home in the States…weird huh?! Either that or the people over the phone could tell we were foreigners so the just brought us a small and said it was a large…just kidding J I am sure that is not the case J) and am exhausted so I am going to sleep REALLY well tonight! OH yeah! I almost forgot…tonight after dinner I thought I would do some dishes…until I stuck my hand in the sink to find the biggest spider I have seen yet on this trip…YUCK!! It gave me the heebie-jeebies and we washed it down the sink and I decided against doing the dishes-at least until tomorrow J
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