Australia 2016: 2016

Friday, August 5, 2016

4 weeks down 5 to go

Wow! One month of student teaching has come and gone. Time is flying. 5 more weeks at Mountain Creek SHS to go!

I am running every day. Last week I ran 19 miles, this week I am looking at 25 miles. My routine is waking up biking to school by 7am, teaching from 730-330, biking home, going on a run, lesson planning, making dinner, going to sleep during the week. On the weekends it is time for adventures!

After the week on birthdays during the 3rd week of July, we all experienced Ocean Street. (the only night scene there seems to be around here.)

The last weekend in July, 2 girlfriends and I went up to Noosa Heads for a day of paddle boarding (I didn't fall in!) and a beach day. It was gorgeous!

I saw a Kangaroo at school!

I helped at the Athletics Carnival at USC! This is like a track and field meet that all the students from the school compete to qualify for districts. Districts is where schools from the region compete against each other!

I lesson plan on Sunday's at a table overlooking the ocean, not too bad.

Sunday, July 24, 2016

Feeling 22

The start of student teaching week 2 was exciting because not only was I more comfortable being at MT Creek, but it was also my birthday!

After a long day at school on Monday, netball practice, and a run, we had our weekly meeting with Colin in one of the apartments. It was so nice to be with everyone on my birthday, eat some baked ziti, and even be serenaded by the happy birthday tune. Throughout the day I even kept the Funk tradition alive and had cake, potato chips, coke, and ice cream!

Tuesday, the celebration continued at school. My host teacher and my session 1 &2 childcare girls put on a party: we had pancakes, frittata, quinoa cupcakes, fresh fruit, and juice for a celebration of my american birthday. (Yes, in Australia I had two birthdays because of the time difference). My host teacher really did make me feel special though, and as a gift I got a bag of tim tams!

The rest of the week was filled with more sport trials, high jump & javelin throwing during morning tea and lunch. On Wednesday, we had inter school softball and on Thursday we had inter school netball. I am the assistant coach in these situations which is really awesome, and great experience.

Thursday, I started playing in a rec league for OZ TAG! It was so fun! Every Thursday night a bunch of us are doing this now!

On Friday, it was hot! About 30 degrees (upper 80's). After a jam packed week of teaching and doing the extra sport trial stuff during breaks, Madonna (my host teacher) and I went out to lunch at Grill'd. This chain restaurant was amazing, and super healthy. It was so nice to be able to take a step back and have a very nice lunch, with my teacher.

On Saturday, it was Monet's birthday and we spent the gorgeous day on Mooloolaba beach after getting lost for an hour on the public bus.... and at night we went to Ocean Street. Ocean street is filled with bars, dancing, and late night food. (this area is the closest you are going to get 'college bars'). It was really great, very classy, and even found a mini reggae concert, who would have known?

Birthday Celebrations

On Saturday 16/07 , we all went to see Finding Dory at the Sunshine Plaza Cinema. The movie was so cute, and the perfect way to spend the afternoon.

On Sunday, 17/07 Monet, Abby, and I went to Underwater World (which is conveniently across the street from where we live) and got a backstage tour. We wondered through ginormous tanks filled with sharks, sting rays, jelly fish, and lots of other fish. The blue star fish are my favorite. We saw turtles and a seal show! It was great to finally see the seal show that we can hear from our apartments!

Monday, July 18, 2016

STUDENT TEACHING WEEK 1

JULY 11 - JULY 15

I can't believe everything I have been doing for the past 3 years was for solidified on Monday July 11. First day of student teaching at Mountain Creek State High School!

Normal days are about 6:45am - 3:45pm...

I am teaching yr 11, yr 10, yr 8 and yr 7.

Theory classes about biomechanics for yr 10's and a health class for yr 8's.

Trial, trials and more trials. At MT Creek, it is the beginning of a new semester and a new term, which is code for let's figure out what sport team or enrichment activity 2,000+ students are going to participate in for the next 20 wks.

I have helped with softball, netball, athletics carnival (track & field), and more.

Upcoming is a netball competition called Vicky Wilson Cup in week 3 -- Monday nights are practices.

Softball is on Wednesdays during session 5 for yr 8's.

There is an athletics carnival in week 3 which I will be helping out with.

I am getting used to the way the school works here. 70 minute classes, Monday's are my longest, Tuesdays are my 'prep' days, Friday's are the shortest.. no day a week is the same.

I am very happy and ready to see what I will do next.

In the mean time, I am working on getting a bike, and dealing with this freezing weather. (a whopping 60 degrees).

*on a side note... i found this amazing heart shaped shell on a run!

Back in Mooloolaba

How wonderful it is to be back in my home away from home after being on the bus for 15 hours straight. Who doesn't enjoy a sleepover with 26 other people on a bus?

We drove hours and hours through nothingness. Dodged kangaroos, but ran over a couple snakes along the way. We left Thursday night at 7pm and drove through the entire night. As a group we did superlatives for the trip: I won most likely to be snapping pictures. I think that was spot on, I always have my camera out, documenting every moment. We also watched Finding Nemo (which was really cool because I scuba dived in the great barrier reef not even a week ago), and Rouge (a movie about a killer salt water crocodile in Australia- kinda like Jaws for croc’s).

Upon arrival at Newport, I was overwhelmed with such a happy feeling. It is amazing to feel so much at home at a place where I only occupied for 2 weeks before. 2 weeks living out of a suitcase was enough for me. It is time to get back to reality and begin preparing for Monday- the first day of student teaching!

Cattle Country

We started off the day by venturing to the Longreach School for Distance Education. 160 students from over 800K attend this school. After a tour we went to a local bakery in Longreach. Longreach = the capital of the outback.

Another sunrise in the Outback

Qantas first Jet Plane

Stockholder Show

Tropic of Capricorn

Cattle

At Rosemary's cattle station

these windmills mark stations

The best part about the long trip home was seeing the milky way and southern cross standing in the middle of a road with no lights around.

Land Down Under

OUTBACK!

Started off the day by stopping at a gas station called Oasis. This was and Oasis that wasn’t and oasis.

Saw some wild camels on the way to the Dinosaur Triangle.... yes that is a real thing.

Continued driving through a whole lot of nothing all the way to Winton. Here we had an amazing drover stew dinner with bread and rice around a campfire. It also ended up being a karaoke night!

ON and OFF the Bus ( July 5)

Banana trees in the tropics!

Lake Echem - Clear volcanic lake

Nevana Tea Plantation

Millaa Millaa Falls

REST STOP FOR THE NIGHT: Had the best T-Bone Steak dinner here!!

Monarchy Range National Park

Pyramid Mountain

Independence Day

Fourth of July in Australia, not a big deal. (obviously). However, the NoMads hostel threw us a little 4th of July bash after a morning at Tjapukai Aboriginal Culture Center. This culture center reminded me of a MA Sturbridge Village. This center brought awareness to past hunting and gathering ideas, historical dance, and I even got to throw a boomerang!! Shocker, they don't always come back.

Sunday, July 3, 2016

Safe Floating Position

Today I participated in extreme white water rafting on the Tully River in one of the oldest Rainforests in the world. For 12k, I crazily sat in the front of the boat and roared down the river.

After waking up at 545am to be on the bus by 620, and drove 3 hours into the middle of the rainforest, I experienced something I will never forget.

I cliff jumped into the river (twice).
I floated down the 'drowning simulator'. Mind you the name is no joke - i felt the simulation.
I didn't fall out of the boat! (That was surprising).
I did go head first down a waterfall. When our guide told us it was gonna happen we all thought he was joking.. he wasn't. (reminder, I didn't fall out the boat..)
Our boat went underneath a waterfall. (That was some cold water...)
We hit some bumps i.e. giant boulders sticking out of the water.
Stopped halfway down the trip for some barbie lunch in the middle of the forest.
Got a little rope burn, some bruises on my legs but ya know it was all worth it.
A butterfly followed our boat the whole time, maybe that is why I didn't fall out.

Here are some pictures: