Well. I cannot believe this night has actually come. It seems like just yesterday that I landed in Brisbane not knowing what was in store for me; yet when I think of everything that has happened between now and then I cannot believe that it has only been 11 weeks. I have been through some big ups and downs through my time here, but God has taught me patience, trust, faith, and reliance. I am so blessed to have had this opportunity. I would like to thank everyone for their thoughts, prayers, and support while I have been away- you are all a blessing in my life. I would love to catch up with anyone who wants to when I get back in the states; I will land Wednesday evening if you would like to give me a ring in a couple of days I would love to chat.
Tonight was a great way to end the journey. The Podlichs have been so much fun to stay with (Chris Podlich is a friend from Concordia who is from Brisbane), I have loved getting to know his mom, and she was so happy to have a girl in the house for a change since it is usually just her, her husband, and the two boys. We went out for fish and chips this evening for dinner and then for gelato and coffee. When I type my last words I am headed to pack my bags (my huge stuffed bags) and then hit the sack so I can get a good nights sleep before a couple days of travelling. This family is yet another reason to come back and visit Australia.......one day I will be back. Until then. Hope all is well stateside and cheers from down under.
Pslam 73:28 "But as for me, it is good to be near God. I have made the sovereign Lord my refuge. I will tell of all your deeds."
Tuesday, May 29, 2012
Thursday, May 24, 2012
Leaving the way I came
So today is my last day with my kids. I am writing during our class writing time, and I cannot believe that I will leave Kingaroy in a few hours. Today was supposed to be Winter Carnival for the kids where they go to a different school and compete in various sports. I was scheduled to go with the soccer teams, but weather can always make you implement plan B. The forecast was for really heavy showers today so Winter Carnival was postponed until next Friday; sad because I was excited to watch the kids compete. Also a bit sad because yesterday was supposed to be the last day I had to plan something, haha. Well nevermind that, I got to plan for today as well! I mean don't get me wrong I am happy to have another day with my class, but it was like telling a little kid they were done for the summer, then making them go to school and do homework for another day.......just disappointing. :)
I will be heading out this evening at around 4:30 hopefully; Chris and his mom are going to come pick me up and we will drive all the way back to Brisbane tonight. I am excited for the next few days, it will be fun to see Chris again and have a few days to relax in Australia before I head back home. My journey away from Kingaroy will look just like my one in. Cloudy and rainy. I came in the rain, and I will drive away for the last time in the rain... couldn't be more appropriate.
I will keep you updated on my next few days. Cheers from Down Under, and hope all is well stateside; I will be joining the other side of the world again in 5 days.
I will be heading out this evening at around 4:30 hopefully; Chris and his mom are going to come pick me up and we will drive all the way back to Brisbane tonight. I am excited for the next few days, it will be fun to see Chris again and have a few days to relax in Australia before I head back home. My journey away from Kingaroy will look just like my one in. Cloudy and rainy. I came in the rain, and I will drive away for the last time in the rain... couldn't be more appropriate.
I will keep you updated on my next few days. Cheers from Down Under, and hope all is well stateside; I will be joining the other side of the world again in 5 days.
Monday, May 21, 2012
Smells like flowers, stings like a bee
I know that is not the real expression, but has described my week both literally and figuratively. I began this week feeling the sting- literally.
I came back on Saturday evening and was going to get my washing from the line outside. The light on the side of the house was on, but it was still dark outside. First shirt off the line, just fine, went to grab the second one, and OOOUUUUCCHHH!! My first reaction, was I got bit by something! So I ran inside and ran it under cold water. Sonya took the torch (flashlight) outside to check if she could see anything. We have killed a few redback spiders around the house lately so we just wanted to make sure it was nothing like that. She would not find anything out there, but my hand had not completely swelled up so we figured whatever it was, it was not too poisonous, ha. She took the rest of the laundry down and we were going through it piece by piece to make sure nothing was in the rest of the clothes. Well we picked up the shirt that I had grabbed, and it was still there.......a bee. Yes, I went to Australia, the home of the most poisonous snakes and spiders and got stung by a stinking bee. Not that I wanted to be in the hospital, but it is really just not a very cool story- it did hurt really badly though! Right on the pinky finger. So that was my literal sting for this week. The other sting has been starting to say goodbye to people. Greame left at the end of last week, and I have had to say goodbye to my principal and other staff members that I won't see again before I leave as well as the church family that I have grown to know since I have been here. It is a very bittersweet process. It is interesting the support systems that grow when you are away from everything that you know.
On the other hand, I am smelling the flowers; I will see home in one weeks time. I am very excited to see my family! and then friends when I head up to Nebraska. It will be a great time being at home once again, before real life really has to hit. I plan on sitting by the pool with my mom and my grandma, and helping out my dad most of the summer. Of course I am excited to go to weddings this summer as well. That is the sweet I have to look forward to, but the literal sweet smell I got this week was the most beautiful bouquet of Australian native flowers, and a huge box of snickerdoodle cookies:) I told you a while back that there was another American family here at the school from Missouri, well I have Abby in my history class, so she and another student, Lucy, baked me the cookies, and Abby's mom got me the flowers. The 7th grade class made me a card that a bunch of kids signed, it was so sweet. After chapel on Monday Helen (my principal) gave me a little farewell to the school. I just feel so blessed to be a part of this wonderful community for these 8 weeks. I will truly miss everyone.
I came back on Saturday evening and was going to get my washing from the line outside. The light on the side of the house was on, but it was still dark outside. First shirt off the line, just fine, went to grab the second one, and OOOUUUUCCHHH!! My first reaction, was I got bit by something! So I ran inside and ran it under cold water. Sonya took the torch (flashlight) outside to check if she could see anything. We have killed a few redback spiders around the house lately so we just wanted to make sure it was nothing like that. She would not find anything out there, but my hand had not completely swelled up so we figured whatever it was, it was not too poisonous, ha. She took the rest of the laundry down and we were going through it piece by piece to make sure nothing was in the rest of the clothes. Well we picked up the shirt that I had grabbed, and it was still there.......a bee. Yes, I went to Australia, the home of the most poisonous snakes and spiders and got stung by a stinking bee. Not that I wanted to be in the hospital, but it is really just not a very cool story- it did hurt really badly though! Right on the pinky finger. So that was my literal sting for this week. The other sting has been starting to say goodbye to people. Greame left at the end of last week, and I have had to say goodbye to my principal and other staff members that I won't see again before I leave as well as the church family that I have grown to know since I have been here. It is a very bittersweet process. It is interesting the support systems that grow when you are away from everything that you know.
On the other hand, I am smelling the flowers; I will see home in one weeks time. I am very excited to see my family! and then friends when I head up to Nebraska. It will be a great time being at home once again, before real life really has to hit. I plan on sitting by the pool with my mom and my grandma, and helping out my dad most of the summer. Of course I am excited to go to weddings this summer as well. That is the sweet I have to look forward to, but the literal sweet smell I got this week was the most beautiful bouquet of Australian native flowers, and a huge box of snickerdoodle cookies:) I told you a while back that there was another American family here at the school from Missouri, well I have Abby in my history class, so she and another student, Lucy, baked me the cookies, and Abby's mom got me the flowers. The 7th grade class made me a card that a bunch of kids signed, it was so sweet. After chapel on Monday Helen (my principal) gave me a little farewell to the school. I just feel so blessed to be a part of this wonderful community for these 8 weeks. I will truly miss everyone.
My lovely gift givers and my gifts:)
Beautiful flowers, a huge box of cookies (after I shared them with my whole class), my card, and the hat I got from my class.
Gorgeous!
Friday, May 18, 2012
Elephants and Akubras
Hello all!!! So, it is a lovely Saturday morning, and it actually feels like a Saturday for once. I got to sleep in and we are just relaxing, probably headed to Towoomba in a bit. Anyway, just a few minor updates for you. This week was a bit challenging, and not because my teaching was so difficult, but it feels like it is really coming to an end, and I realized that I am not sure if I am ready for that. This was my last week with my PE classes because next week both of my Co-ops are gone and my principal is gone so I am becoming the full time year 6 teacher with all of the classes- it should be interesting. I had to say goodbye to Greame yesterday and it was pretty sad, him and I got along so well and I gained so many ideas and knowledge from him. He is taking some of his long service leave starting next week so I will not see him again before I leave. Tanya will be back next Friday so I will have an opportunity to have one more day with her and then say my farewells. Honestly, since I have been here, beginning in second term I have felt more like one of the staff than a student teacher and have been treated as such. It was just such a great experience and really showed me what teaching is like- the best part is that I have found out just how much I love it. God certainly had a plan for sending me here.
Second thing is coolest.....gift.......ever. My class gave me a gift at the end of this week because both of my co-ops will be gone next week. They gave me an Akubra hat. So sweet. I am pretty sure my brother Ben will appreciate this more than most, but this hat is great, I feel like a true country Australian now, haha. Oh and they gave me a drink hugger that has Kingaroy on it. I love my class:) I am going to miss those kids.
I will leave you with just a little story from my prep class. We were playing a game called Abracadabra- best game ever if you want a good chuckle, but I digress. I am the magician and I get to change them into different animals or whatever I want. So at the current moment the kids were supposed to be elephants; I was setting up some hoops and beanbags for the next game when one of the little girls (I have written about this one before) came up and started chatting to me. I just smiled at her and told her elephants are not supposed to talk. She then preceded to raise her arm up to her head and swing it around, like you would do if you were pretending to have a trunk, and then continued talking. Hahaha. I guess elephants really can talk. You learn something new every day :)
Cheers from down under, I hope all is well stateside.
10 days left in Australia.
Isaiah 55:8-9 "For my thoughts are not your thought, neither are your ways my ways, declares the Lord. As the heavens are higher than the earth, so are my ways higher than your ways and my thoughts than your thoughts"
Second thing is coolest.....gift.......ever. My class gave me a gift at the end of this week because both of my co-ops will be gone next week. They gave me an Akubra hat. So sweet. I am pretty sure my brother Ben will appreciate this more than most, but this hat is great, I feel like a true country Australian now, haha. Oh and they gave me a drink hugger that has Kingaroy on it. I love my class:) I am going to miss those kids.
I will leave you with just a little story from my prep class. We were playing a game called Abracadabra- best game ever if you want a good chuckle, but I digress. I am the magician and I get to change them into different animals or whatever I want. So at the current moment the kids were supposed to be elephants; I was setting up some hoops and beanbags for the next game when one of the little girls (I have written about this one before) came up and started chatting to me. I just smiled at her and told her elephants are not supposed to talk. She then preceded to raise her arm up to her head and swing it around, like you would do if you were pretending to have a trunk, and then continued talking. Hahaha. I guess elephants really can talk. You learn something new every day :)
Cheers from down under, I hope all is well stateside.
10 days left in Australia.
Isaiah 55:8-9 "For my thoughts are not your thought, neither are your ways my ways, declares the Lord. As the heavens are higher than the earth, so are my ways higher than your ways and my thoughts than your thoughts"
Tuesday, May 15, 2012
Pictures to go with....
My new Missouri friend, Kayla!
Happy Graduation
Sooooo cute!
Woohooo! Celebrating at the sand hills.
Inspiration
Some of the wonderful St. Johns staff that came for the BBQ.
Whip cracking.....I was a quick learner.
Practicing my new skill on the beach the next day.
Gorgeous drive along Rainbow Beach and down the coast.
Look out! I am hitting the road.
Bethany and I on the beach
John and I at Mt. Coolum
Surfing day 2!
John, Naomi, and I in front of the Glasshouse Mountains.
Me giving the chapel message on Monday.
Monday, May 14, 2012
A toast, a drive, and a message
Things are wrapping up, and very quickly. I cannot believe that I only have one weekend left in Kingaroy! So much has happened in the last couple of weeks and I am sorry that I am just now updating you. I have separated my experiences into three categories for this post.
1. A toast.
Two weekends ago now, the weekend of May 5 and 6th I was able to go to Moreton Island. It was a great distraction for me because that was graduation for everyone back at CUNE. It was a very bitter sweet weekend. All of my friends were on my mind, but I knew I would not trade this experience. The weekend on Moreton turned out to be amazing, and definitely an unforgettable one. The weather had been rainy all week, but Saturday and Sunday were warm, sunny, and glorious. I was able to go snorkeling, hiking, and sandboarding. The weekend also included probably one of the coolest things I have ever seen! Our group got to see baby sea turtle hatchlings make it from their nest to the ocean. It was amazing! They were the cutest things in the world, smaller than my palm and definitely on a mission. If you want inspiration, just watch those little guys. I had brought along a graduation hat that belonged to Ashley (one of the teachers at my school that went on the trip as well). I figured that I still had to celebrate my graduation somehow, so what better way than taking my graduation pictures on the beach? So when we were finished snorkeling I took out the hat to snap a few pictures. Our guide for the weekend thought it was great, he was just loving the fact that I was there instead of at grad, and had me climb up on the four wheeler and just thought it was the coolest thing ever. Everyone else was congratulating me on my graduation now too. The group of people that ended up being on this trip was great as well, and a big part of what made the weekend special. That evening, sitting around a campfire, the Irishman gave me a glass of wine and we toasted to my graduation; the Spaniard, the Irishman, 2 Germans, 3 Aussies, and 3 Americans. Wow. After the fire we all went out to the coast and sat along the beach to watch the full moon- amazing night. I was missing home a bit that weekend, and God really has funny ways of providing because there were two other Americans on the trip, one studying over here, and the other had been living over here for two years...she was from Missouri. We could not believe it. Of all trips and for how small the group was the odds of that were close to 0. She had also been missing home a bit, so the two of us were able to chat about things back home. It was a nice refreshing weekend, and new friends were definitely made.
That Sunday evening we stayed at Ashley's folks' house in Brisbane and they popped a bottle of champagne for my graduation as well. It was nice to have a little celebration over the weekend- I cannot believe I made it through four years of college.
2. A drive
This past weekend.......even harder to describe. Great friends, great company, and great experiences. I was supposed to head out with the Kotzur family for the weekend, both John and Naomi teach at the school and their daughter Bethany is in high school. I was going to stay the night at their house on Friday so we could leave bright and early for the coast in the morning. Well Sonya and I pull up to their house for what I just though was tea (dinner) with the Kotzurs but there was a whole group of the faculty sitting around the BBQ and bonfire waiting for me. I cannot remember a time when I have been that surprised, I had zero inkling that they had planned this. I just could not stop smiling. It is just simply amazing the love that these people have. They wanted to celebrate my graduation and new job, so we had a sausage sizzle and roasted marshmallows, and went four wheel driving, and learned how to crack a whip, and what a perfect evening. I cannot tell you how great the staff is here at St. John Kingaroy, they just blow me away. That was just the beginning to the marvelous weekend I just returned from. After a night of star gazing, eating, and whip cracking (so many jokes go with that) we had to get up before the sun so we could make it to the beach at low tide. Saturday held a magnificent morning drive to the coast where we got to see the sun rise through thick fog, then we drove through a short forest path and along the beach for hours. We started at Rainbow Beach and ended at Noosa. John let me drive most of the way which was so much fun! I know why people love to do it. I will definitely go off-roading again. The day- beautiful, perfect waves and a warm sun. We stopped at John's brother's house for lunch before a few of us headed out to hike halfway up Mt. Coolum for an overlook of the coast. After our hike we headed to the beach to go surfing. I was a little less successful on my own, but still managed to stand up. That evening we drove to John's parents house for dinner and a much needed sleep. His parents were amazing people and I loved getting to know them. Sunday morning, my adopted family took me with them for Mother's day brunch at the surf club- I wish my mum and grandma were there too, they would have loved it. That afternoon we hit Maleny in the hinterlands, where we saw the glasshouse mountains, and then stopped at Naomi's sister's house before we began our trek back to Kingaroy. It was a long weekend, but one of the best I have had.
The best statement made last weekend was by John while we were on the beach. I was practicing my new skill of whipcracking, ha, and a car drove by. John said "Mia, Australian men like women with a whip." hahaha, yes.
3. A message
Since I have been here I have realized just what it means to rely on God. I see his presence everywhere I look. This has just been such an incredible experience that I do not think can be described. I love sharing what God has done in my life, and the magnificence of the sacrifice that His son Jesus made for the whole world. I was able to share that message in chapel on Monday. I did the chapel message and spoke on the story of Daniel in the Lion's Den. The story hit home a bit too just talking about the presence of God. I used Papa's (Larry Burgdorf) Arch Book that he wrote about Daniel, and the kids absolutely loved it. I just feel so at home being able to talk about God's love and presence to other people. At the end of the message I showed pictures of Concordia and my family. I also had a video clip from my class at St. Johns Seward saying hello; the kids loved it, and the parents who stayed had good things to say. I just hope that as much as this school and these people have made an impact on me, I can leave a little something behind as well. I am going to soak up these last two weeks that I have left. Cheers and I hope all is well stateside.
1. A toast.
Two weekends ago now, the weekend of May 5 and 6th I was able to go to Moreton Island. It was a great distraction for me because that was graduation for everyone back at CUNE. It was a very bitter sweet weekend. All of my friends were on my mind, but I knew I would not trade this experience. The weekend on Moreton turned out to be amazing, and definitely an unforgettable one. The weather had been rainy all week, but Saturday and Sunday were warm, sunny, and glorious. I was able to go snorkeling, hiking, and sandboarding. The weekend also included probably one of the coolest things I have ever seen! Our group got to see baby sea turtle hatchlings make it from their nest to the ocean. It was amazing! They were the cutest things in the world, smaller than my palm and definitely on a mission. If you want inspiration, just watch those little guys. I had brought along a graduation hat that belonged to Ashley (one of the teachers at my school that went on the trip as well). I figured that I still had to celebrate my graduation somehow, so what better way than taking my graduation pictures on the beach? So when we were finished snorkeling I took out the hat to snap a few pictures. Our guide for the weekend thought it was great, he was just loving the fact that I was there instead of at grad, and had me climb up on the four wheeler and just thought it was the coolest thing ever. Everyone else was congratulating me on my graduation now too. The group of people that ended up being on this trip was great as well, and a big part of what made the weekend special. That evening, sitting around a campfire, the Irishman gave me a glass of wine and we toasted to my graduation; the Spaniard, the Irishman, 2 Germans, 3 Aussies, and 3 Americans. Wow. After the fire we all went out to the coast and sat along the beach to watch the full moon- amazing night. I was missing home a bit that weekend, and God really has funny ways of providing because there were two other Americans on the trip, one studying over here, and the other had been living over here for two years...she was from Missouri. We could not believe it. Of all trips and for how small the group was the odds of that were close to 0. She had also been missing home a bit, so the two of us were able to chat about things back home. It was a nice refreshing weekend, and new friends were definitely made.
That Sunday evening we stayed at Ashley's folks' house in Brisbane and they popped a bottle of champagne for my graduation as well. It was nice to have a little celebration over the weekend- I cannot believe I made it through four years of college.
2. A drive
This past weekend.......even harder to describe. Great friends, great company, and great experiences. I was supposed to head out with the Kotzur family for the weekend, both John and Naomi teach at the school and their daughter Bethany is in high school. I was going to stay the night at their house on Friday so we could leave bright and early for the coast in the morning. Well Sonya and I pull up to their house for what I just though was tea (dinner) with the Kotzurs but there was a whole group of the faculty sitting around the BBQ and bonfire waiting for me. I cannot remember a time when I have been that surprised, I had zero inkling that they had planned this. I just could not stop smiling. It is just simply amazing the love that these people have. They wanted to celebrate my graduation and new job, so we had a sausage sizzle and roasted marshmallows, and went four wheel driving, and learned how to crack a whip, and what a perfect evening. I cannot tell you how great the staff is here at St. John Kingaroy, they just blow me away. That was just the beginning to the marvelous weekend I just returned from. After a night of star gazing, eating, and whip cracking (so many jokes go with that) we had to get up before the sun so we could make it to the beach at low tide. Saturday held a magnificent morning drive to the coast where we got to see the sun rise through thick fog, then we drove through a short forest path and along the beach for hours. We started at Rainbow Beach and ended at Noosa. John let me drive most of the way which was so much fun! I know why people love to do it. I will definitely go off-roading again. The day- beautiful, perfect waves and a warm sun. We stopped at John's brother's house for lunch before a few of us headed out to hike halfway up Mt. Coolum for an overlook of the coast. After our hike we headed to the beach to go surfing. I was a little less successful on my own, but still managed to stand up. That evening we drove to John's parents house for dinner and a much needed sleep. His parents were amazing people and I loved getting to know them. Sunday morning, my adopted family took me with them for Mother's day brunch at the surf club- I wish my mum and grandma were there too, they would have loved it. That afternoon we hit Maleny in the hinterlands, where we saw the glasshouse mountains, and then stopped at Naomi's sister's house before we began our trek back to Kingaroy. It was a long weekend, but one of the best I have had.
The best statement made last weekend was by John while we were on the beach. I was practicing my new skill of whipcracking, ha, and a car drove by. John said "Mia, Australian men like women with a whip." hahaha, yes.
3. A message
Since I have been here I have realized just what it means to rely on God. I see his presence everywhere I look. This has just been such an incredible experience that I do not think can be described. I love sharing what God has done in my life, and the magnificence of the sacrifice that His son Jesus made for the whole world. I was able to share that message in chapel on Monday. I did the chapel message and spoke on the story of Daniel in the Lion's Den. The story hit home a bit too just talking about the presence of God. I used Papa's (Larry Burgdorf) Arch Book that he wrote about Daniel, and the kids absolutely loved it. I just feel so at home being able to talk about God's love and presence to other people. At the end of the message I showed pictures of Concordia and my family. I also had a video clip from my class at St. Johns Seward saying hello; the kids loved it, and the parents who stayed had good things to say. I just hope that as much as this school and these people have made an impact on me, I can leave a little something behind as well. I am going to soak up these last two weeks that I have left. Cheers and I hope all is well stateside.
Sunday, May 6, 2012
The End of the Mayan Calendar
We have been warned about it for years now.......but I was sure that the world was coming to and end last Friday just as the Mayan's predicted it would this year. Ok maybe a slight exaggeration, but Friday was an interesting day......just listen.
The weather has been a bit intersting in Kingaroy as we change from Autumn into Winter. There was a storm that was rolling through on Friday afternoon during big lunch. The sky was black, and if we had been in Missouri I would have thought it had tornado potential. This storm is rolling in and some of the kids are already freaking out when the lightening struck-not anywhere near us mind you- but flashed none the less. So you have your preps and year ones screaming as their teacher tries to line them up which is a pretty funny scene in itself; the bell rings for everyone else to head inside for the duration of big lunch. Year 6 and 7 are all in my building and there are three classrooms in the unit, but our wall can be opened and there is a door to the third classroom that can be opened as well so that all three classrooms are connected. We coralled all of the students into the classrooms just as the rain started to absolutely dump. Thunder, deafening rain, and about 75 middle school kids is always a good combination.
As the rain was underway we are trying to get the classes under control and get them sitting down at their desks (their own desks) and working on something; which is way easier said than done. The storm has been fluke enough, but two girls walk up to me and one is holding her eye. "Ms. Pauluhn- her pen exploded and the ink went into my eye" Well sure enough it did. As I was staring at her with red ink in her eye trying to make my eyes stop watering I asked if she could see, and the answer was yes- awesome not blind- put some water in it from your water bottle to try and flush it out, its the only thing I could do for her then. She was fine, won't kill her. In the midst of all of this I have about half of the class, most of which are not a part of my class but the one next door, asking to use the restroom-
Um, no not unless you have a slight death wish and want to get pelted by rain, you are 12....hold it.
And NO you may not go out on the metal veranda in a thunder and lightening storm to get something from your backpack you already should have in your desk. Find something else to work on!!
Really guys this is not the end of the world....or was it.
Oh really??? Your puppy doesn't like storms and it is all alone today. That is really sad, but probably doesn't require tears, and a five minute story- WORK on something.
Then here is when I was really convinced something else was at work here.
"Ms. Pauluhn, my tooth is bleeding and it is wiggly"
"Should you be losing a tooth? Did you hit it on something?"
"I haven't lost it yet...I don't know....No I didn't do anything to it I was just sitting there" (just sitting is actually believable for this girl to)
"I guess get a drink, stop wiggling it and hold a tisue on it for a bit to help stop the bleeding" -thats right I know proper first aid- ha!
5 minutes later- same girl walks up to me
"Ms. Pauluhn, my tooth is split in half"
"What?!"
Sure enough this girl's tooth was split completely in half from top to root. How the heck??? And why now? So I just stared at her and then called Mr. Mo over to take a look at it. He stared at me and all I could do was shrug my shoulders, laugh, and say I have no idea What is going on. So he had to phone the office and then try and get a hold of her mum. It was the strangest series of events I have ever experienced. It was all during the storm that lasted a grand total of about 45 minutes. But literally you could have started to believe that the Mayans were on to something.......or at least my class acted like it. I would hate to see them during a tornado.
That was only my Friday- the beginng to a great weekend. I will post about more of that tomorrow hopefully.
Oh I did get to drive this weekend as well. And I did not do too badly except that I signalled with my wipers on multiple occassions because the signal and wipers are on opposite sides of the steering wheel, along with everything else, but it was great fun. Three words. Wide Right Turns. haha.
I hope everyone had a fantastic weekend. I am so proud of all of my Concordia Graduates. You did it!!! Love you all. Cheers from Down under- Hope all is well stateside, you will hear from me soon so stay tuned.
Hebrews 1:2 "But in these last days he has spoken to us by his Son, whom he appointed heir of all things, and through whom also, he made the universe." ( :) could not help myself)
The weather has been a bit intersting in Kingaroy as we change from Autumn into Winter. There was a storm that was rolling through on Friday afternoon during big lunch. The sky was black, and if we had been in Missouri I would have thought it had tornado potential. This storm is rolling in and some of the kids are already freaking out when the lightening struck-not anywhere near us mind you- but flashed none the less. So you have your preps and year ones screaming as their teacher tries to line them up which is a pretty funny scene in itself; the bell rings for everyone else to head inside for the duration of big lunch. Year 6 and 7 are all in my building and there are three classrooms in the unit, but our wall can be opened and there is a door to the third classroom that can be opened as well so that all three classrooms are connected. We coralled all of the students into the classrooms just as the rain started to absolutely dump. Thunder, deafening rain, and about 75 middle school kids is always a good combination.
As the rain was underway we are trying to get the classes under control and get them sitting down at their desks (their own desks) and working on something; which is way easier said than done. The storm has been fluke enough, but two girls walk up to me and one is holding her eye. "Ms. Pauluhn- her pen exploded and the ink went into my eye" Well sure enough it did. As I was staring at her with red ink in her eye trying to make my eyes stop watering I asked if she could see, and the answer was yes- awesome not blind- put some water in it from your water bottle to try and flush it out, its the only thing I could do for her then. She was fine, won't kill her. In the midst of all of this I have about half of the class, most of which are not a part of my class but the one next door, asking to use the restroom-
Um, no not unless you have a slight death wish and want to get pelted by rain, you are 12....hold it.
And NO you may not go out on the metal veranda in a thunder and lightening storm to get something from your backpack you already should have in your desk. Find something else to work on!!
Really guys this is not the end of the world....or was it.
Oh really??? Your puppy doesn't like storms and it is all alone today. That is really sad, but probably doesn't require tears, and a five minute story- WORK on something.
Then here is when I was really convinced something else was at work here.
"Ms. Pauluhn, my tooth is bleeding and it is wiggly"
"Should you be losing a tooth? Did you hit it on something?"
"I haven't lost it yet...I don't know....No I didn't do anything to it I was just sitting there" (just sitting is actually believable for this girl to)
"I guess get a drink, stop wiggling it and hold a tisue on it for a bit to help stop the bleeding" -thats right I know proper first aid- ha!
5 minutes later- same girl walks up to me
"Ms. Pauluhn, my tooth is split in half"
"What?!"
Sure enough this girl's tooth was split completely in half from top to root. How the heck??? And why now? So I just stared at her and then called Mr. Mo over to take a look at it. He stared at me and all I could do was shrug my shoulders, laugh, and say I have no idea What is going on. So he had to phone the office and then try and get a hold of her mum. It was the strangest series of events I have ever experienced. It was all during the storm that lasted a grand total of about 45 minutes. But literally you could have started to believe that the Mayans were on to something.......or at least my class acted like it. I would hate to see them during a tornado.
That was only my Friday- the beginng to a great weekend. I will post about more of that tomorrow hopefully.
Oh I did get to drive this weekend as well. And I did not do too badly except that I signalled with my wipers on multiple occassions because the signal and wipers are on opposite sides of the steering wheel, along with everything else, but it was great fun. Three words. Wide Right Turns. haha.
I hope everyone had a fantastic weekend. I am so proud of all of my Concordia Graduates. You did it!!! Love you all. Cheers from Down under- Hope all is well stateside, you will hear from me soon so stay tuned.
Hebrews 1:2 "But in these last days he has spoken to us by his Son, whom he appointed heir of all things, and through whom also, he made the universe." ( :) could not help myself)
Wednesday, May 2, 2012
Writing Drought
I am terribly sorry that it has been so long since I have posted last. As my fellow student teachers can attest to, week 4 is probably the hardest. Not so much that the teaching and lesson planning is difficult, but it is the longest stretch- we/I am half way through (almost everyone else is finished). I am hitting that time when I just want out of student teaching. Do not misunderstand me, I love being in Australia, and I have wonderful classes, but I am through with evaluations, and weekly reports, and someone constantly looking over your shoulder because they have to. It makes it a bit harder knowing that I have a job when I come home, it will not be working with elementary school children, and technically come this Saturday I will be a college graduate:) All of that being said I know that I still have plenty of learning to do and I am in a great place to do it.
Now that I got some ranting out of the way I will fill you in on some of the fun adventures I had last weekend. I went to my first Rugby League game- and it was awesome. Rugby could become one of my favorite sports to watch. Catching on to the game was a lot easier because of the touch football (rugby) league that I play in on Monday nights. A fellow teacher from school took me to the Brisbane Broncos game and we were two rows away from the field- close enough to see all of the massive quadriceps and hear every collision on the field. The only damper on the night was the rain that drizzled for the entire game, and then decided to dump when we were walking back to the car. The environment was so great though that the rain did not bother me. It got me excited to go to baseball games this summer.
The next day we went to Dream World which is an amusement park that is made by the Dreamworks company (the film company that produced Shrek). It was fun as well, and very similar to Six Flags. It was an interesting day though, because it was pouring all day long. The good news for us was that because of the rain there were zero lines in the park. We were done with all of the major rides by 11:30- awesome. Every day at an amusement park should be like that.
I was a bit tired to say the least after the weekend, but kept pushing through. Sunday I came up to school for a little bit of planning and then went to Sunday Night Life here at school. Sunday Night Life is a really neat worship service that is put on by one of the grades in school. There is a service once a month and that class is responsible for preparing the service (well the teacher does the planning and the students act it out). It is a great way to get families into the school and to see their children involved in worship. The fifth graders did a wonderful job.
Oh I almost forgot to mention that last Wednesday we did not have school- we were off for ANZAC day. (ANZAC stands for Australian and New Zealand Army Corps) This is a day of remembrance for soldiers, especially those soldiers who fought and lost their lives in the Battle of Gallipoli. St. Johns had a group of faculty and students who marched in the parade on Wednesday morning, and I had the honor of being one of them. It was really neat being able to be a part of such an honored day with my students. Not only did we have that one day of remembrance, but I learned a lot about ANZAC day before and after the holiday as we spent time in class looking at the event and why it was so important in Australian history.
After the parade my principal and her husband took Sonya and I up to the Bunya mountains for lunch and a hike. The mountains are gorgeous! I loved every second of it. The temperature was lower than what we expected and a bit windy, but it was still quite warm comparatively. The trees were enormous and some of the views just magnificent. I could stay up there for a long time exploring the forests.
There is not a whole lot else to report on at this time- but I always have great student quotes from the week.
A year 1 student at the beginning of class-
"Ms. Pauluhn soccer balls are filled with gas"
"Really? What kind of gas are they filled with?"
"Um. They are filled with soccer gas." :) Love it
Another good one happened as I was walking up to my classroom during lunch one day. One of the Preps ran up to me
"Hey Ms. Pauluhn (with a wave)"
"Hey buddy how are you? (most of the boys are still buddy because 350 names are impossible)"
"Did you know I like Mr. Mo's PE classes"
"What about mine?"
"Well, you know, I just like Mr. Mo's and you haven't been here very long, you are still a new teacher and stuff from America"
"Yes I am"
"Ok bye Ms. Pauluhn"
haha, all I could do after that one was have a good laugh and tell Greame that the kids still liked his class better than mine- don't worry.
Well I am sure that there is plenty that I am missing. OH like the fact that last week in touch football I scored twice and this week I had an awesome fake-out and scored again- no big deal:). Besides that, it is kind of the daily grind. Cheers and I hope all is well stateside.
A special shout out this week to all of my friends back in Nebraska. I hope finals went well and I am so proud of all of you. I pray that graduation weekend goes smoothly, and I will be thinking about you! Love all of you, and wish I could be there to celebrate with you.
Now that I got some ranting out of the way I will fill you in on some of the fun adventures I had last weekend. I went to my first Rugby League game- and it was awesome. Rugby could become one of my favorite sports to watch. Catching on to the game was a lot easier because of the touch football (rugby) league that I play in on Monday nights. A fellow teacher from school took me to the Brisbane Broncos game and we were two rows away from the field- close enough to see all of the massive quadriceps and hear every collision on the field. The only damper on the night was the rain that drizzled for the entire game, and then decided to dump when we were walking back to the car. The environment was so great though that the rain did not bother me. It got me excited to go to baseball games this summer.
The next day we went to Dream World which is an amusement park that is made by the Dreamworks company (the film company that produced Shrek). It was fun as well, and very similar to Six Flags. It was an interesting day though, because it was pouring all day long. The good news for us was that because of the rain there were zero lines in the park. We were done with all of the major rides by 11:30- awesome. Every day at an amusement park should be like that.
I was a bit tired to say the least after the weekend, but kept pushing through. Sunday I came up to school for a little bit of planning and then went to Sunday Night Life here at school. Sunday Night Life is a really neat worship service that is put on by one of the grades in school. There is a service once a month and that class is responsible for preparing the service (well the teacher does the planning and the students act it out). It is a great way to get families into the school and to see their children involved in worship. The fifth graders did a wonderful job.
Oh I almost forgot to mention that last Wednesday we did not have school- we were off for ANZAC day. (ANZAC stands for Australian and New Zealand Army Corps) This is a day of remembrance for soldiers, especially those soldiers who fought and lost their lives in the Battle of Gallipoli. St. Johns had a group of faculty and students who marched in the parade on Wednesday morning, and I had the honor of being one of them. It was really neat being able to be a part of such an honored day with my students. Not only did we have that one day of remembrance, but I learned a lot about ANZAC day before and after the holiday as we spent time in class looking at the event and why it was so important in Australian history.
After the parade my principal and her husband took Sonya and I up to the Bunya mountains for lunch and a hike. The mountains are gorgeous! I loved every second of it. The temperature was lower than what we expected and a bit windy, but it was still quite warm comparatively. The trees were enormous and some of the views just magnificent. I could stay up there for a long time exploring the forests.
There is not a whole lot else to report on at this time- but I always have great student quotes from the week.
A year 1 student at the beginning of class-
"Ms. Pauluhn soccer balls are filled with gas"
"Really? What kind of gas are they filled with?"
"Um. They are filled with soccer gas." :) Love it
Another good one happened as I was walking up to my classroom during lunch one day. One of the Preps ran up to me
"Hey Ms. Pauluhn (with a wave)"
"Hey buddy how are you? (most of the boys are still buddy because 350 names are impossible)"
"Did you know I like Mr. Mo's PE classes"
"What about mine?"
"Well, you know, I just like Mr. Mo's and you haven't been here very long, you are still a new teacher and stuff from America"
"Yes I am"
"Ok bye Ms. Pauluhn"
haha, all I could do after that one was have a good laugh and tell Greame that the kids still liked his class better than mine- don't worry.
Well I am sure that there is plenty that I am missing. OH like the fact that last week in touch football I scored twice and this week I had an awesome fake-out and scored again- no big deal:). Besides that, it is kind of the daily grind. Cheers and I hope all is well stateside.
A special shout out this week to all of my friends back in Nebraska. I hope finals went well and I am so proud of all of you. I pray that graduation weekend goes smoothly, and I will be thinking about you! Love all of you, and wish I could be there to celebrate with you.
Sunday, April 22, 2012
Crikey!
This weekend was a lot of fun, packed full of things to do, which is wonderful, but makes for an exhausting Monday. The week ended well and one of my co-ops organized a little celebration dinner for my new job. Seven of us teachers went out for dinner on Friday at the local pub, the Carrollee Hotel. I just love seeing local establishments like that, the townees always get me. It is funny to see the difference between country townees at home and those here in Kingaroy. The biggest difference? The men have a habit of wearing entirely too short rugby shorts. Eck. Dinner was nice though, great to get out and get to know my coworkers a bit better.
Saturday was a long day as well. Sonya and I went to the Australia Zoo, home of Steve Irwin. I would say a zoo is a zoo, but it was really neat to see all of the native Australian animals. I got to feed kangaroos again, and pet another koala. I just cannot get enough of them:) I saw a wild one on the way home as well. I got to see the Croc show in the Crocseum and I can only imagine what it used to be like when Steve Irwin was still alive and doing the show.
Sunday I made it to the Lutheran Church with my principal and her husband. After that we went out for lunch at Captain's Paddock, a local winery. It was so gorgeous up there; it is on the top of a hill looking over the vineyard and the Bunya Mountains. I don't know how many times I have to say it is gorgeous.
I have another busy week to look forward to, and I don't mind because it keeps me on my toes. I will update you as things come up.
Oh, I will just leave you from my favorite student quote from last week that I heard as I was picking up my year 1s from the library. (said in a whisper) "Mr. Brauer.....someone keeps fluffing and it smells really baad" haha, gotta love kids.
Cheers and hope all is well stateside.
Saturday was a long day as well. Sonya and I went to the Australia Zoo, home of Steve Irwin. I would say a zoo is a zoo, but it was really neat to see all of the native Australian animals. I got to feed kangaroos again, and pet another koala. I just cannot get enough of them:) I saw a wild one on the way home as well. I got to see the Croc show in the Crocseum and I can only imagine what it used to be like when Steve Irwin was still alive and doing the show.
Sunday I made it to the Lutheran Church with my principal and her husband. After that we went out for lunch at Captain's Paddock, a local winery. It was so gorgeous up there; it is on the top of a hill looking over the vineyard and the Bunya Mountains. I don't know how many times I have to say it is gorgeous.
I have another busy week to look forward to, and I don't mind because it keeps me on my toes. I will update you as things come up.
Oh, I will just leave you from my favorite student quote from last week that I heard as I was picking up my year 1s from the library. (said in a whisper) "Mr. Brauer.....someone keeps fluffing and it smells really baad" haha, gotta love kids.
Cheers and hope all is well stateside.
Monday, April 16, 2012
Sweaty as a cactus
Hello all- not too much to report. School has started up again after the two week term break we just had, and it is already back to the grind. I was teaching a distance lesson this morning in math and so I was using Google earth (I could spend all day on there- nerd alert) But figured out that I am over 14,000 km from home, your fun fact for the day.
Just a couple of funny happenings today that I will just relay to you. I had a few PE classes today and the year 2s were just after lunch. I was giving the directions at the beginning of class and while I was talking one of the boys in the back looked over to Mr. Mo (my co-op) and says in just a classic voice "Is that our American teacher?" ha, well yes I am, glad you have finally noticed. The year threes were my last class for the day. I was walking them back to their classroom and one of the kids stopped to take his sweatshirt off. His next words- "I am sweaty as a cactus!!" Hahaha, yes I did laugh out loud at him, hilarious, that is going to be my new expression. Gotta love kids.
Cheers- hope all is well stateside. Lots of love
Just a couple of funny happenings today that I will just relay to you. I had a few PE classes today and the year 2s were just after lunch. I was giving the directions at the beginning of class and while I was talking one of the boys in the back looked over to Mr. Mo (my co-op) and says in just a classic voice "Is that our American teacher?" ha, well yes I am, glad you have finally noticed. The year threes were my last class for the day. I was walking them back to their classroom and one of the kids stopped to take his sweatshirt off. His next words- "I am sweaty as a cactus!!" Hahaha, yes I did laugh out loud at him, hilarious, that is going to be my new expression. Gotta love kids.
Cheers- hope all is well stateside. Lots of love
Saturday, April 14, 2012
A backpack, a loaf of bread, and peanut butter
I made it. Back in Kingaroy. It is the end of the holidays, and so naturally I am at school planning, I mean blogging. I cannot believe how fast these last two weeks went, it is the middle of April already!! My adventures were awesome though. I survived two weeks with only a backpack. (truly amazing if you have ever seen me pack). Here is my backpack with some of the things taken out, but you get the idea.
Now travelling on a budget is another thing, so I am trying to spend as little money as I can and if you know me you know how annoying I can be over-analyzing stupid little details, money being one of them so your probably glad you were not here at the beginning of the trip, lol. I was cutting costs where I could, and for me food got the cut. I decided that since most meals are pretty expensive I was only going to eat out for dinner. So I went to the grocery store and this is what I bought for the rest of my meals, plus a couple granola bars. Mind over matter, and I won:)
You may think it looks terrible, but it really was not that bad. I was hiking most days anyway so I just threw a sandwich in my bag and went. Let me tell you, I saved a lot of money (and wasn't bad for the waistline, haha). My dinners were good though. I found a great little pub on the corner in the Junction that I went to twice while I was there.
I took surf lessons in Noosa too, so fun! Surf's up dude.
(PS the surf school mad us wear the red, not my color of choice, just had to let you know)
Moving away from my frugality, I really enjoyed myself. If you have been reading you heard about some of my adventures in Noosa and then the beginning of my trip to Sydney. I really do not know which stories to tell because most of them are fairly insignificant, but I will just ramble about the happenings of the last week.
On Easter Monday Sloan and her friends took me to Bondi Beach which was beautiful. We swam a little, played a little, and then explored on the rocks which was the best part. But a great day all around.
Tuesday Sloan and I went into the city to see the famous sights like the Opera House, Sydeny Harbor Bridge, and Manly Beach. I am going to go ahead and say this because I get my jokes from my dad and I know at least he and Ben will laugh, but; We looked for Nemo and couldn't find him...haha...I know sorry. Moving on. The harbor was gorgeous, and it was fun to see such iconic things. While we were in the city there is this famous chocolate bar chain that is called Max Brenner's (spelling?) well we had to stop. I got probably about the best chocolate soufle I have ever had in my life. It was so rich it made my stomach hurt, and usually it would take upwards of a whole chocolate cake to do that. I was in heaven, a painful one, but a happy one.
No words
A huge thank you to Sloan for giving me a place to stay and having a very fun few days in Sydney! It was nice to be in a college sort of environment again too. I miss my friends, and yes, I miss Seward.
After Sydney I hopped back on a plane to Brisbane, stayed at Meg's house (my supervisor) a big thank you to her as well, and then took the train up to Hervey Bay where Sonya picked me up. I was planning on snorkeling while I was there for the last couple of days, but the weather had other plans. Can't have everything right? So I read instead. Yes.....I read. Also for those of you that know me, know that this is a little unusual too, just because it is not my first activity of choice. What I am going to tell you next is about to blow your socks off too. I finished three books over the holiday. Yes thats right, 3!! The Hunger Games got me. I finally had the chance to sit down and read, and I got through all three of them, the last two in four days. I am so proud of myself, ha. :) If you have not read them. Do it.
The pier at Hervey Bay
OH! one of the most spectacular things I have seen in my life. Just breathtaking was on Thursday night when we were walking along the beach. It had been raining and the clouds were still dark, but out of this cloud a rainbow started to form. I love rainbows. This rainbow just got darker and darker. At its peak, I could see the whole thing from one end to the other stretching over the water, just magnificent. God certainly has wonderful ways of reminding us of his promises and presence doesn't he? The first thing that I saw when I flew into the Brisbane airport was a rainbow, and he reassured me of his presence once more. I just could not stop staring at it. I have pictures on my phone that do not do it justice, but I will try and upload one later.
So I know that I have left out so many stories of the in between, but there is only so much I can write, and I should probably get to some planning for Monday. Cheers and I hope all is well stateside.
Psalm 139:1-3 "You have searched me, Lord, and you know me. You know when I sit and when I rise; you perceive my thoughts from afar. You discern my going out and my lying down; you are familiar with all my ways."
Sunday, April 8, 2012
He is Risen.........He is risen indeed Alleluia!
Hello all!!
Sorry that it has been a few days since I have written, just not enough time in places where there has been internet until now. I will just give you a recap of my last day in Noosa and then where my adventures have taken me next. On Thursday morning in Noosa I made another checkmark on my bucket list by taking surfing lessons. They were awesome, and the swells were perfect that day. I stood up on the first try and I rode all the way in a few times. It made for a fantastic, and tiring morning. But there were still some trails I wanted to hit in the National Park, so I grabbed my backpack and headed for the Park. Another beautiful trail that dumped me out at Hell's Gate halfway through. It is truly a place that you can see the magnificence of God and the might of his creation. I was headed back to sit on the beach for a while so I decided to walk along the rocks on the shoreline. Well I guess I am still not a very good judge of the tides, or wave patterns, because I was turning a corner and thought I would be fine when the wave came in and before I knew it I was waist deep in a wave trying to keep my stuff above water..oops:) The rest of the afternoon/evening was spent laying on the sand reading a book, so relaxing. I went to dinner with a couple of girls who had just moved into my room. They were on holiday from Holland, it is so interesting to compare cultures and lifestyles. Friday morning I went for an early morning run on the beach before I packed up and caught the bus to Brisbane. One of the teachers from Kingaroy was in town with her family so I was able to stay there for the night which was very generous of her and her family.
Saturday was a fun day. I navigated my way through the airport, the train station, and the bus station (that was the most interesting one just because I have zero experience with buses) to arrive at Hillsong Church so that Sloan could pick me up. It was great to see her! All we did for about the next hour was talk nonstop, and then went to the pool. Sunday morning, Easter. I love Easter, but this is my first Easter aways from my family and so I knew it was going to be different from the get go. Sloan had to volunteer all day at other churches so I was with her friends all day. We went to Hillsong Church in the morning and it was amazing, the service was definitely something I was not used to, but still a huge celebration that our Lord and Savior rose again, defeating death and the grave. That night we went to downtown Sydney to another service where there was a guest evangelist preaching. All in all it was a great day. One thing that I did not hear all day however, was the good ole Lutheran response. He is Risen!.............He is Risen indeed, Alleluia!
Hope everyone is having an amazing Easter. What a joy we have as we look toward the cross and the empty grave.
Sorry that it has been a few days since I have written, just not enough time in places where there has been internet until now. I will just give you a recap of my last day in Noosa and then where my adventures have taken me next. On Thursday morning in Noosa I made another checkmark on my bucket list by taking surfing lessons. They were awesome, and the swells were perfect that day. I stood up on the first try and I rode all the way in a few times. It made for a fantastic, and tiring morning. But there were still some trails I wanted to hit in the National Park, so I grabbed my backpack and headed for the Park. Another beautiful trail that dumped me out at Hell's Gate halfway through. It is truly a place that you can see the magnificence of God and the might of his creation. I was headed back to sit on the beach for a while so I decided to walk along the rocks on the shoreline. Well I guess I am still not a very good judge of the tides, or wave patterns, because I was turning a corner and thought I would be fine when the wave came in and before I knew it I was waist deep in a wave trying to keep my stuff above water..oops:) The rest of the afternoon/evening was spent laying on the sand reading a book, so relaxing. I went to dinner with a couple of girls who had just moved into my room. They were on holiday from Holland, it is so interesting to compare cultures and lifestyles. Friday morning I went for an early morning run on the beach before I packed up and caught the bus to Brisbane. One of the teachers from Kingaroy was in town with her family so I was able to stay there for the night which was very generous of her and her family.
Saturday was a fun day. I navigated my way through the airport, the train station, and the bus station (that was the most interesting one just because I have zero experience with buses) to arrive at Hillsong Church so that Sloan could pick me up. It was great to see her! All we did for about the next hour was talk nonstop, and then went to the pool. Sunday morning, Easter. I love Easter, but this is my first Easter aways from my family and so I knew it was going to be different from the get go. Sloan had to volunteer all day at other churches so I was with her friends all day. We went to Hillsong Church in the morning and it was amazing, the service was definitely something I was not used to, but still a huge celebration that our Lord and Savior rose again, defeating death and the grave. That night we went to downtown Sydney to another service where there was a guest evangelist preaching. All in all it was a great day. One thing that I did not hear all day however, was the good ole Lutheran response. He is Risen!.............He is Risen indeed, Alleluia!
Hope everyone is having an amazing Easter. What a joy we have as we look toward the cross and the empty grave.
Wednesday, April 4, 2012
Hell's Gate and a Rude Awakening
Hello all. Just a quick update from down under and a couple of stories. I have really been enjoying myself andbi think more so after I was able to talk to home for a bit and I got over having to fall asleep in a room full of people that I do not know and half of which come in when I am already asleep. Interesting feeling.
Yesterday was a beautiful day so I went for a hike in Noosa National Park, the whole track was about 10.5k. What amazing views!! I came up to one part of these cliffs that were called hell's gates, I hiked down closer to the edge and found a nice rock to take a break on. I decided this would be a lovely place for lunch. I got out my sandwich and literally on my first bite this bird came out of nowhere aimed straight for my face. AHHH. I swallows the bite whole and threw my sandwich in the bag. Then I figured out it landed directly behind me, brave little booger. So this was the point I started flailing by bag around me trying to get it to fly away. It was not so easy. So I threw everything in my backpack and looked at it and said out loud "fine! I won't eat here then" I didn't eat for another hour and a half. Hahaha. My heart was racing so fast!
So I continued on my hike down to this bay area. I was getting really hot so I was excited to get down by the water again. I got the the edge of the trees and Alexandria Bay was gorgeous! Except I was in for a very nude...I mean rude awakening. Yup that's right a nude bech. I mean ok that's fine, but when youre not expecting it and there is a man sunbathing right at the bottom of the path it kind of throws you for a loop. It was one of those times you're like "woah!was not prepared for that" and then you look to your right and there is another, and the man jumping in the waves...mmhmmm him too, and then your eyes widen as you realize that stretching the expanse of this bay there was probably fewer clothes to be found than in the playboy mansion. Talk about a rude awakening, I always find it weird when I feel out of place because I am the one wearing clothes. My pace picked up a bit and I ended up not sticking around for a swim in Alexandria Bay.
Hope all is well stateside! Cheers.
Yesterday was a beautiful day so I went for a hike in Noosa National Park, the whole track was about 10.5k. What amazing views!! I came up to one part of these cliffs that were called hell's gates, I hiked down closer to the edge and found a nice rock to take a break on. I decided this would be a lovely place for lunch. I got out my sandwich and literally on my first bite this bird came out of nowhere aimed straight for my face. AHHH. I swallows the bite whole and threw my sandwich in the bag. Then I figured out it landed directly behind me, brave little booger. So this was the point I started flailing by bag around me trying to get it to fly away. It was not so easy. So I threw everything in my backpack and looked at it and said out loud "fine! I won't eat here then" I didn't eat for another hour and a half. Hahaha. My heart was racing so fast!
So I continued on my hike down to this bay area. I was getting really hot so I was excited to get down by the water again. I got the the edge of the trees and Alexandria Bay was gorgeous! Except I was in for a very nude...I mean rude awakening. Yup that's right a nude bech. I mean ok that's fine, but when youre not expecting it and there is a man sunbathing right at the bottom of the path it kind of throws you for a loop. It was one of those times you're like "woah!was not prepared for that" and then you look to your right and there is another, and the man jumping in the waves...mmhmmm him too, and then your eyes widen as you realize that stretching the expanse of this bay there was probably fewer clothes to be found than in the playboy mansion. Talk about a rude awakening, I always find it weird when I feel out of place because I am the one wearing clothes. My pace picked up a bit and I ended up not sticking around for a swim in Alexandria Bay.
Hope all is well stateside! Cheers.
Monday, April 2, 2012
Noosa Heads
Just a quick update on my whereabouts. I am in Noosa Heads on the Sunshine coast of Australia. It was a gorgeous day today, just took a little bit longer to get here with a flat tire on the way. Adds to the adventure right? I am currently sitting on a sidewalk outside of the only building that has free wifi:) me and all of the other very interesting type of crowd that the coastal towns attract. Lol. I plan to explore the beach a bit more tomorrow and maybe the national park. Until then, cheers and I hope all is well stateside. if anyone would like to Skype or anything this week jut drip me an email an am more flexible and can walk down here whenever.
Saturday, March 31, 2012
A whole new game
First of all I would jut like to say how excited I am to have two weeks off for my term/Easter break. I am travelling starting Monday, so I hope to update you with some of my adventures. It feels like I have been teaching here for a lot longer than two weeks and so the break is a welcomed one, and a good time to get away.
Rewinding back a few days I just wanted to share with you one of my favorite things I have done so far. Both of my cooperating teachers are fairly young still, and have kids who are elementary- high school aged. They play on a touch footbal rec league on Monday nights and needed another girl to play so they asked me if I would like to. SWEET! I would love to! I have learned to ask this question though..." Now when you say touch football, what does that mean in Australia?" Most people probably assumed I was talking about two-hand touch American style football (American style football also known as gridiron). No no, touch football, or footy, is a whole new game. I gave him a blank stare when Graeme started explaining it, so he said we would get the 7th graders to play it at recess. My first exposure to the game was a recess version (with way too many players, and iffy rules) played by the year 7 boys the afternoon before our game. That evening I was tossed a jersey, met the team, and then thrown on the field.
I have not felt that lost on an athletic field in a long time. I had no idea what was going on. A few of the rules were explained to me, but I barely caught mot of them. I felt like I was running around like a chicken with my head cut off the whole first half! There are no forward passes, you have six poessions to try and score, it is constantly moving, and the ref is constantly talking to you. (which incidentally led me to stop right before I scored because I thought something had been called on me, but lets not talk about that). Second half went a little bit better. I started to figure out the tactics of the game a bit more and see some holes on the field. It was great fun. I do not remember the last time I had to completely learn a new game like that; if anything it is usually just modifications of games that I already know. The good news for me is that I still have a few more Mondays to figure the game out:) I cannot wait to play again after break.
Here is the link for the Autralian Touch Football Official site if anyone is interested. Be prepared to play when I get home. http://www.austouch.com.au/
Until next time...Hope all is well stateside.
Rewinding back a few days I just wanted to share with you one of my favorite things I have done so far. Both of my cooperating teachers are fairly young still, and have kids who are elementary- high school aged. They play on a touch footbal rec league on Monday nights and needed another girl to play so they asked me if I would like to. SWEET! I would love to! I have learned to ask this question though..." Now when you say touch football, what does that mean in Australia?" Most people probably assumed I was talking about two-hand touch American style football (American style football also known as gridiron). No no, touch football, or footy, is a whole new game. I gave him a blank stare when Graeme started explaining it, so he said we would get the 7th graders to play it at recess. My first exposure to the game was a recess version (with way too many players, and iffy rules) played by the year 7 boys the afternoon before our game. That evening I was tossed a jersey, met the team, and then thrown on the field.
I have not felt that lost on an athletic field in a long time. I had no idea what was going on. A few of the rules were explained to me, but I barely caught mot of them. I felt like I was running around like a chicken with my head cut off the whole first half! There are no forward passes, you have six poessions to try and score, it is constantly moving, and the ref is constantly talking to you. (which incidentally led me to stop right before I scored because I thought something had been called on me, but lets not talk about that). Second half went a little bit better. I started to figure out the tactics of the game a bit more and see some holes on the field. It was great fun. I do not remember the last time I had to completely learn a new game like that; if anything it is usually just modifications of games that I already know. The good news for me is that I still have a few more Mondays to figure the game out:) I cannot wait to play again after break.
Here is the link for the Autralian Touch Football Official site if anyone is interested. Be prepared to play when I get home. http://www.austouch.com.au/
Until next time...Hope all is well stateside.
Wednesday, March 28, 2012
I love you with all my heart
Teaching is going great. I have had a few days teaching the PE classes, and most of them have been year three and under. Now as many of you know, those probably would not be my favorite grades, but they are really growing on me. I had a great lesson planned for the year ones the other day and my coo-op thought it looked great, so I was ready to go. Well it was one of those lessons that you figure out very quickly is going to tank. So you scramble to come up with simpler more basic games for them to do. The locomotor game I had planned for them went from using different movements to move around the space while tossing beanbags, to lets stand in one specific spot and do beanbag toss relays. I was looking around and thinking "Holy smokes I just bombed that one!" My co-op gave me some encouragement through that though. He said that even for him if 50% of his first grade lessons go like planned he is happy. He thought I did a good job reorganizing the task so that it turned into something that they would be successful with. So in my eyes I completely sunk with the anchor, but from the outside he said it really was not that bad. One of those teacher lessons learned. I had the other first grade class today and with adjustments that lesson went a lot better. Also, after that class my co-op walked up to me and said "That class is probably in the top three worst classes in the school, and you had them sitting quietly around the blue circle, I am stepping back, you can have those guys." Haha, it was probably a combination of a few things that they were able to sit today, but it was a great feeling to hear that.
Another teaching story for you. I taught my first English lesson ever on Monday; I was not really nervous, but I had planned a fair amount for the lesson so I felt ready...which was a good thing I did. On the outside it seemed like a very simple Spelling lesson, but it used lingo even I had to look up. What is a grapheme? What the heck is a digraph? Well I now know. So planning went well; it was fairly cruisy apart from the lingo, I just had to go through the tasks in the workbook and explain a few new prefixes. Here is the fun part, during my lesson I had a few guests.......my co-op was sitting in the back, my principal walked in, and my supervisor was in town with a group of 4 Indonesian teachers that also visited my classroom. My Supervisor was there for pretty much the whole lesson, which did not phase me much, but my co-op told me bits of information after the fact that probably would have made me a lot more hesitant during my lesson. I found out that not only was my supervisor just sitting in on my first English lesson, but she is the English curriculum overseer for all of Queensland, so the lady knows her stuff. I haven't taken an English class in 3 years and probably grammar in about 7, so I am a little rusty to say the least. However, she was impressed with the research I did for my lesson, and said that she thought it was a great lesson. That was one of those times that you say thank you God for making me prepare extra for this lesson!! Glad that was not a lesson where corners were cut (not that I ever do that).
Ending on an "awww" note today. I had my preps today (also known as preppys and basically Kindergarten in the States). One of the little girls in this class just has a mega personality, she has something to say about everything, and she knows how to voice her opinion; probably also one of the smallest in the class. We were going over playground rules and they all have their own to add to ours right, so Abbey pipes up and says "And no saying cheeky words and poking people in the stomach. It is not nice!" Hahaha, yes! Best rule ever. When I was lining them up later she came over to me and looked up and started with the "Umm.....umm....." and then said "I love you with all my heart" and gave me a great big leg hug. Talk about making my heart melt:)
Great day of teaching. I am preparing for tomorrow's all school Cross Country Meet (which they also call carnivals over here.....a bit confusing for me). Should be a good finish to the week.
Romans 6:23 “For the wages of sin is death, but the gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord.”
Another teaching story for you. I taught my first English lesson ever on Monday; I was not really nervous, but I had planned a fair amount for the lesson so I felt ready...which was a good thing I did. On the outside it seemed like a very simple Spelling lesson, but it used lingo even I had to look up. What is a grapheme? What the heck is a digraph? Well I now know. So planning went well; it was fairly cruisy apart from the lingo, I just had to go through the tasks in the workbook and explain a few new prefixes. Here is the fun part, during my lesson I had a few guests.......my co-op was sitting in the back, my principal walked in, and my supervisor was in town with a group of 4 Indonesian teachers that also visited my classroom. My Supervisor was there for pretty much the whole lesson, which did not phase me much, but my co-op told me bits of information after the fact that probably would have made me a lot more hesitant during my lesson. I found out that not only was my supervisor just sitting in on my first English lesson, but she is the English curriculum overseer for all of Queensland, so the lady knows her stuff. I haven't taken an English class in 3 years and probably grammar in about 7, so I am a little rusty to say the least. However, she was impressed with the research I did for my lesson, and said that she thought it was a great lesson. That was one of those times that you say thank you God for making me prepare extra for this lesson!! Glad that was not a lesson where corners were cut (not that I ever do that).
Ending on an "awww" note today. I had my preps today (also known as preppys and basically Kindergarten in the States). One of the little girls in this class just has a mega personality, she has something to say about everything, and she knows how to voice her opinion; probably also one of the smallest in the class. We were going over playground rules and they all have their own to add to ours right, so Abbey pipes up and says "And no saying cheeky words and poking people in the stomach. It is not nice!" Hahaha, yes! Best rule ever. When I was lining them up later she came over to me and looked up and started with the "Umm.....umm....." and then said "I love you with all my heart" and gave me a great big leg hug. Talk about making my heart melt:)
Great day of teaching. I am preparing for tomorrow's all school Cross Country Meet (which they also call carnivals over here.....a bit confusing for me). Should be a good finish to the week.
Romans 6:23 “For the wages of sin is death, but the gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord.”
Tuesday, March 27, 2012
St John Kingaroy
I figured you all may enjoy seeing some pictures of where I get the pleasure of working everyday. Here are a few snippets.
This is my homeroom classroom where I spend my mornings teaching the core subjects. This view is looking from my desk in the corner.
This is the building that my classroom is in. Our room is the first on as you walk up the stairs. Although it looks like what our mobile units look like. This is a permanent classroom building.
This is a view over the middle of campus looking from the playground outside of our classroom.
Here is looking the other way on campus. The big building that you see is the multipurpose center where I spend a lot of time in PE under the cover, but still outside. It also houses the chapel area.
This is a view of the main office. It is right at the front gate when you walk into campus. The campus is shaped in a square.
I hope this gives you an idea of what it is like. It is crazy having such an open campus, especially for being just a gradeschool. I love it! It is so nice to be outside most of the day, and the views are just beautiful.
Thursday, March 22, 2012
First Week
So I survived the first week Down Under; and it was, as the Australians say, pretty cruisy. Not a whole lot going on. I taught a few lessons here and there, but I have not fully taken over any subjects. It is an interesting time to jump into the class because they are trying to wrap up the end of term one. Next week I am taking on history, spelling, math, mentals, and the PE. So it should be a bit busier, but looking forward to it.
I am really looking forward to Sunday when we are going to Brisbane for Dance Fever. The kids have worked so hard preparing for this, and it will be great to actually see the performance. The only downside is that we are meeting 6AM and it will be about a 12 hour day, there is always a price to be paid.
So you know how I said that the elementary students are growing on me? Well they really are. I like to teach the middle schoolers, but the kindergartners just melt my heart. There is this one little guy who is just great. His name is Indiana, Indy for short, and he has this long blonde curly hair and these bright blue eyes. Put an Australian uniform hat on that kid and anyone would take him home.
Not a whole bunch else to report on, I am sure things are going to get a bit more interesting soon. Until then, cheers.
1 Thessalonians 1:2-3 "We always thank God for all of you and continually mention you in our prayers. We remember before our God and Father your work produced by faith, your labor prompted by love, and your endurance inspired by hope in our Lord Jesus Christ"
I am really looking forward to Sunday when we are going to Brisbane for Dance Fever. The kids have worked so hard preparing for this, and it will be great to actually see the performance. The only downside is that we are meeting 6AM and it will be about a 12 hour day, there is always a price to be paid.
So you know how I said that the elementary students are growing on me? Well they really are. I like to teach the middle schoolers, but the kindergartners just melt my heart. There is this one little guy who is just great. His name is Indiana, Indy for short, and he has this long blonde curly hair and these bright blue eyes. Put an Australian uniform hat on that kid and anyone would take him home.
Not a whole bunch else to report on, I am sure things are going to get a bit more interesting soon. Until then, cheers.
1 Thessalonians 1:2-3 "We always thank God for all of you and continually mention you in our prayers. We remember before our God and Father your work produced by faith, your labor prompted by love, and your endurance inspired by hope in our Lord Jesus Christ"
Wednesday, March 21, 2012
Lorikeet Face-off
So I am guessing that when the average person thinks of Australia and all of the animals they may encounter and could possibly have troubles with, the list may consist of kangaroos, crocodiles, or one of the many deadly spiders and snakes. Me? Nope. In my experience so far I have found a different animal to be a little bit of a thorn in my side.
The Lorikeet.
The temperature outisde is such that we keep the windows open all of the time, which is awesome don't get me wrong, but at about 5a.m.every morning there is a gang (yes a gang, blood brothers til the end) that hangs out diretly outside of my window. Now imagine the most annoying pet bird you have ever heard and multiply that by about 30. Yup. Good morning world. The Lorikeet is a Beautiful bird, google a picture of it, yet we are going to have a showdown soon. That is because they are not just my broken alarm clock in the morning, but there is another gang that hangs out in a couple of trees on our street. The route of my morning run takes me right past these trees just before I reach home. They caught me off gaurd the first couple of days, but I know their tricks now. They are (miraculously) silent as I approach and then as soon as I hit the first tree the whole gang explodes into the shrillest screech and they take flight. Not just anywhere, oh no, some go up some fly at about my level and then some in front and some in back. I am convinced they are trying to drop bombs; every day there has been a near miss of bird poop in front and to the side of me. So help me the day that one hits my head. It is going down, not quite sure what I will do but it won't be nice. We will see who wins this war before I leave.....it has only begun!
On a school note, things are going very very well. I taught a couple of the PE lessons this week and they went great. I taught them a new game and I am pretty sure they are hooked. I learned it from St. John Seward and it is called Shark Island. Just ask and I will explain it to you if you would like. Next week I will start picking up more of the main classes, but my heay load will not be until after term/Easter break which begins after next week. Like I said before it will be very interesting to see how teaching core lessons will go. I am teaching English, science, math, spelling, and Australian history. I am fairly excited though, it will keep me on my toes for sure. And do not tell anyone, but middle school is really growing on me; they are a fun age:).
Today I got to sit through some introduction presentations for a few other new staff members and me. We went over the handbook and some other safety regulations and things: enthralling day. Was not too bad to be inside though because it rained all day long. I have yet to see a full sunny day since I have been in Australia. All I keep hearing is how unusual this weather has been, prove it!
This Sunday I get to tag along to Brisbane for the dance competition that the students are entered in. I believe there is about 60-80 kids that participate from our school and it is a ballroom dancing competition. Every Friday at school they have what is called Dance Fever where professionally trained dancers come in and teach the students different types of dances. One of our teachers is professionally trained as well so she puts in a lot of time and helps the kids put together these routines. From what I have heard our school usually comes home with a few awards, so I am excited to see what the competition will be like. I have watched a couple of the practices already, and I am impressed with the students' skills. It is a really unique program to have at a school.
Tonight Sonya and I were invited to dinner by one of the families at her church, an American family that I met over the weekend. The father is a professor at the University of FL and they moved over here for a few months for his sabbatical. The mom was great, she made sure I had everything I needed and told me her parents were coming over in a few weeks if I were to need anything from the States. It is nice to just have that American connection as weird as that sounds, but it is a little comfort even from people you have never met. So I am excited to get to know them a little better.
Hope all is sunny and well Stateside!
Psalm 95:1-2 "Come let us sing for joy to the Lord; let us shout aloud to the rock of our salvation. Let us come before Him with thanksgiving; and extol him with music and song"
The Lorikeet.
The temperature outisde is such that we keep the windows open all of the time, which is awesome don't get me wrong, but at about 5a.m.every morning there is a gang (yes a gang, blood brothers til the end) that hangs out diretly outside of my window. Now imagine the most annoying pet bird you have ever heard and multiply that by about 30. Yup. Good morning world. The Lorikeet is a Beautiful bird, google a picture of it, yet we are going to have a showdown soon. That is because they are not just my broken alarm clock in the morning, but there is another gang that hangs out in a couple of trees on our street. The route of my morning run takes me right past these trees just before I reach home. They caught me off gaurd the first couple of days, but I know their tricks now. They are (miraculously) silent as I approach and then as soon as I hit the first tree the whole gang explodes into the shrillest screech and they take flight. Not just anywhere, oh no, some go up some fly at about my level and then some in front and some in back. I am convinced they are trying to drop bombs; every day there has been a near miss of bird poop in front and to the side of me. So help me the day that one hits my head. It is going down, not quite sure what I will do but it won't be nice. We will see who wins this war before I leave.....it has only begun!
On a school note, things are going very very well. I taught a couple of the PE lessons this week and they went great. I taught them a new game and I am pretty sure they are hooked. I learned it from St. John Seward and it is called Shark Island. Just ask and I will explain it to you if you would like. Next week I will start picking up more of the main classes, but my heay load will not be until after term/Easter break which begins after next week. Like I said before it will be very interesting to see how teaching core lessons will go. I am teaching English, science, math, spelling, and Australian history. I am fairly excited though, it will keep me on my toes for sure. And do not tell anyone, but middle school is really growing on me; they are a fun age:).
Today I got to sit through some introduction presentations for a few other new staff members and me. We went over the handbook and some other safety regulations and things: enthralling day. Was not too bad to be inside though because it rained all day long. I have yet to see a full sunny day since I have been in Australia. All I keep hearing is how unusual this weather has been, prove it!
This Sunday I get to tag along to Brisbane for the dance competition that the students are entered in. I believe there is about 60-80 kids that participate from our school and it is a ballroom dancing competition. Every Friday at school they have what is called Dance Fever where professionally trained dancers come in and teach the students different types of dances. One of our teachers is professionally trained as well so she puts in a lot of time and helps the kids put together these routines. From what I have heard our school usually comes home with a few awards, so I am excited to see what the competition will be like. I have watched a couple of the practices already, and I am impressed with the students' skills. It is a really unique program to have at a school.
Tonight Sonya and I were invited to dinner by one of the families at her church, an American family that I met over the weekend. The father is a professor at the University of FL and they moved over here for a few months for his sabbatical. The mom was great, she made sure I had everything I needed and told me her parents were coming over in a few weeks if I were to need anything from the States. It is nice to just have that American connection as weird as that sounds, but it is a little comfort even from people you have never met. So I am excited to get to know them a little better.
Hope all is sunny and well Stateside!
Psalm 95:1-2 "Come let us sing for joy to the Lord; let us shout aloud to the rock of our salvation. Let us come before Him with thanksgiving; and extol him with music and song"
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