Days 27-30 "I'll have a go!"

It's hard to believe another weekend here in Western Australia has come and gone. What's even harder to believe is that I have been away for exactly a month today! It seems like just last week I was bidding a farewell to everyone. Time is flying by!

Thursday, February 23rd

Well it was just another typical weekday morning until I saw a small package sitting on the stairs with my name on it. It was from my wonderful parents! They sent me some clothes that I had forgotten along with a couple of birthday presents and a lovely card. It certainly made my morning much more cheerful. Thursday's can be quite busy in the mornings, I teach three classes in a row with no break. I have got to limit the amount of water and coffee I intake in the morning because I found myself needing to go to the restroom, with no time to go! The afternoon was quite busy as well. I was able to sit in on a couple of IEP (Individualized Education Program) meetings with my teacher. It always is interesting to meet your students' parents and get a glimpse of what life is like at home. The meetings are quite different from ours back home and much more relaxed.

After school, the weather was so nice, I decided to get a good workout outside in the park near my house. As I was doing my crunches, two little malteses kept running over to me wanting to play. They must have known I was really missing Andy and wanted to offer a little comfort.

Friday,  February 24th

Finally Friday! My day at school went by fairly quick, teaching 6 lessons will do it to you! After running a couple of errands after school, I went into the city to meet Chelsea for dinner and drinks. The first time we went out in the city we saw a lovely Mexican restaurant so we had to try it. Zapatos, was very delish, it was nice to finally feed my craving for Mexican. After all, it had been over a month since I had it!

After dinner, we went to a lovely rooftop bar called The Aviary. The skyline was absolutely gorgeous, we sat and had a glass of wine and looked out into the city. We hung out there for quite a bit and met some really nice locals. One thing I find very funny is when I tell people I am from Alabama they instantly break out the lyrics to "Sweet Home Alabama." I guess it's my claim to fame here in WA. No worries, I have taught everyone how to say "roll tide roll" in the chorus!

Mojito- Yummy!

City Lights 

Saturday, February 25th

After an early evening, I was up quite early and ready to enjoy my day off. Janette, Steve, Ryan, and myself went into town to get groceries. Along the way, Janette dropped me off in the Maylands area. This part of town definitely has a little southern charm with its picturesque downtown scene. I wondered around and visited several odd shops, antique stores, and some clothing boutiques. I also visited their Salvation Army, or Salvo's as they like to call it. I was shocked by how neat everything was, it looked like an actual store! Far from the image that comes to mind when I picture these back home. After a little shopping, I stopped for a quick coffee at a quirky little shop called Milk'd. I still am having trouble learning the lingo, often times when I say that I want something "to go" whoever is serving me will give me the most bizarre look. Here everyone says "take away" which makes perfect sense! I spent my afternoon finishing some homework, making some travel plans, and getting a little workout in. I decided to spend the evening at Chelsea's and took the train into Sorrento.

Antiquing! 

City of Maylands. Reminds me of places back home!

Milk'd Coffee Shop

As soon as I got over to Chelsea's I was quite hungry, no worries I was fed quickly. In PLENTY. Chelsea's host family not only have great taste in wine, but in food as well. We wined and dined over a 12 course meal, that's right I said 12! From brushetta, to pizza, figs filled with feta cheese, fruits, veggies, you name it and we had it! By round five I was ready to throw in the towel. To top it off, we had a lovely dessert and were able to sample a variety of different lemoncellos. One particular bottle that Heather made was very good, but you could only have a tiny bit because it was 98% alcohol! It definitely cleared up my sinuses just with a quick sniff! As we enjoyed dinner, I was able to meet some of their friends and talk about their visits to the states, which was absolutely wonderful.

After our decadent dinner, Chelsea and I met up with a friend of hers to go check out a night club in the city. Although these experiences are quite interesting, I long for a place I can sit and enjoy a drink without disco lights and loud techno music. Wow, I sound like quite the grandma! Don't get me wrong, it always is fun, especially watching everyone dance. Chelsea and I constantly find ourselves people watching, we really enjoyed this one little Asian guy who was amazing! He looked like he had definitely played his fair share of Dance Dance Revolution! We also met another face from the states! This guy happened to be from Oklahoma and when I shared with him I was from Alabama the first thing out of his mouth was "Congratulations on your national championship, wish it'd been us!" I smiled back and gave him a roll tide, and he gave me one back! What was also relieving, was hearing someone else say "y'all!" I have been trying my best to cut back because some of the students find it hilarious when I say that. It was good to get back to my southern ways! 

"Clubbing"

Dance floor

Sunday, February 26th

After a lovely breakfast at Len and Heather's it was back to reality...homework and school. The weekends seem to go by so quickly! I spent the afternoon doing some stuff to prepare for my last week of full time teaching (wahoo!) and getting ready for my roommate to arrive. Stacey, who attends the University of Northern Kentucky, will be here this Friday along with three other COST Students. It will be nice to have someone around to keep me company and explore areas that I have yet to see. We already have made plans with Chelsea, her new roommate from Alabama, and the other student- Bob. 

Well here goes the last week of full time teaching! I need all the prayers/support I can get! Another thing to look forward to is our long weekend, we get Monday off for "Labour" day! Yippie! I'll keep y'all posted on my final week of teaching. :) 

Days 24-26 Learning the ropes

Well the first three days of solo teaching certainly have been interesting and have prepared me for what it will be like when I become a full time teacher, which means extremely busy. I am learning more and more why teachers believe they are underpaid. The workload is tremendous! But here is a glimpse into what life is like on the inside...

Monday, February 20
I woke up bright and early, just like a kid on Christmas morning waiting to unwrap their gifts from Santa. As I was walking to meet my ride, the nerves began to set in quickly. A surplus of emotions ran through my mind as I went through all of the possible disasters that could occur.

 The first half of the day went wonderful with the students. No behavior issues and for the most part, the kids seemed to understand what I was teaching- which is always a plus! As the afternoon slowly went by, the kids began to get restless and unwilling to learn. One student and I just didn't seem to see eye to eye... Apparently he's quite the challenging kid for the most experienced teachers, so I wasn't too surprised when he began to act out. Fortunately, my mentoring teacher was able to provide me with wonderful feedback and help me work out the kinks of the first day jitters.

As soon as I walked in the door, I immediately wanted to collapse and fall asleep, but there was no time for that. I had to prepare for my lessons for the next day, which meant preparing for my supervisor to come and evaluate me. To ease my worries, I took some time to myself and got a good workout in and had a wonderful meal prepared for me-Brunswick stew! Felt like I was back in the good ole South again!

Tuesday, February 21

Another muggy morning here in Perth, with morning temperatures reaching close to 91 degrees! I was very nervous about having John come evaluate me but as the morning went on, the nerves seemed to go away. We got a call from the front office that he had arrived, as I walked to meet him I felt at peace and the anxiety slowly went away. When I began my lesson, for the first time ever it felt like I really was the teacher. Most of the time in practicum experiences, it's hard to find your place into the classroom without stepping on the mentoring teacher's toes. But Melody let me take it away on my own, which really helped me feel much more comfortable and ready to teach. The lesson I taught was a Science lesson on classifying different objects, we used what was inside the student's pencil case, pictures, and even a soup mix to help understand why scientists classify plants and other living objects. This concept, sorting and classifying, can be an extremely hard skill for students with disabilities to grasp and can take much longer that your typical achieving student. During my lesson, I was writing the different ways we sorted our soup mix and wrote the word "color" on the board. One of my lovely students was quick to raise her hand and say "Miss! Miss! You have spelled colour wrong!" I looked back and saw my supervisor about to fall out of his chair from laughing so hard, which definitely helped relax me. I played it off by telling the student I was just testing her knowledge!

The lesson couldn't have gone anymore perfect. The students were extremely well behaved and John really liked my approach to instruction. His thoughts on the lesson- "It couldn't have been done any better, perfect lesson." Relief instantly set in! After a quick workout, John offered to take me to dinner with Chelsea and her host dad. We went to a lovely restaurant in Sorrento called Frotelli's. The meal was excellent, and the wine even better! Len, Chelsea's host dad, and John are very intelligent when it comes to wine so we only had the best! I had a lovely seafood rigotto which included mussels, fish, oysters, prawns in a rich and creamy pasta sauce. I still think I am a bit full from the large proportion I devoured. As we sat and watched the sunset, John entertained us with more of his magic tricks and taught us some new Aussie lingo. We learned that when people say they are "tired and exhausted" it typically means they have had way too much to drink the night before, haha! After dinner, it was back home to get ready for day three. John drove me home and had tons of questions about collegiate football which he believes is quite confusing. I argued that it really isn't and then he asked that I try and explain. As I was going through the rules, I realized how complicated it really is, especially to teach someone who is completely unfamiliar with it! Who knew?

Wednesday, February 22

After a lovely meal, I was able to get a very good night's rest. Wednesday's are always good, because they're the short day. Technically, students don't start until 9, but faculty starts at 8:30 for staff meetings. With this crew, the meetings aren't bad at all! My workload on Wednesday's is also relatively small. However, I do have my young group at the very end of the hot summer day, for English. Yep, English at 2 o'clock, how fun does that sound if you're twelve years old? We took it pretty easy because the kids seemed so exhausted from the heat, but the lesson went very well. My mentoring teacher was out on professional development, so another teacher filled in for relief. After the lesson he said "you are an amazing teacher, I can't imagine how wonderful you'll be on down the road." That really meant a lot to me seeing that he had never seen me teach before and the lesson was with my students on one of the hottest days of the year (temps topped 100 today).

Since my teacher was out, I had to take the bus home from school. Walking in this heat really puts your blessings into perspective. God sure does have a funny way of showing us how fortunate we are! Later after a quick cat nap in raging temperatures, I attempted to go for a long run but was cut short due to this miserable heat. When I came back in from baking, I was greeted by Janette's deputy principal who came by to fill her in on what's going on while she is away. He also was able to help me prepare for my science lesson tomorrow, which was quite helpful. Katherine, Steve and Janette's daughter, also stopped by for dinner.

Well tomorrow is day four, and quite the busy one. Hopefully I will be able to keep you all updated more frequently than I have been. Until then... :)

Days 21-23 A Birthday Down Unda

Another weekend has come and gone here in Western Australia. The time is flying by quicker than I could have ever imagined it would. This weekend was quite the success, I can't believe my birthday has come and gone again...

 

Friday, February 17

On Friday, I awoke to some wonderful surprises from friends and family. To get my day started off right, my parents skyped me and sang happy birthday and had a lovely poster decorated for me. It was so nice it nearly brought me to tears! Later on at school, several of the students walked in and remembered it was my birthday, then it was their turn to sing their rendition of happy birthday. My teachers, the aids, host family, and Chelsea's host family all helped celebrate my birthday, which made being away from home on my birthday not so bad. After teaching a few lessons, it was time for another weekend to begin. John, my supervisor, came by and gave me a lift to Chelsea's place. We began talking about his appearances on television this past week and he shared some tricks of his that he likes to pull on people who believe in psychics. They were quite entertaining, maybe I'll try some on you guys! 

Gifts from my host family! 

My parents are the best!

Once I arrived at Chelsea's, her host mum prepared us a delicious dinner and even surprised me with a birthday cake, card, and of course chocolate. It was so thoughtful of her to go out of her way to make my birthday special, which meant so much to me. I feel truly blessed to know that so many people took time to make my birthday down unda a hit! After dinner and chocolate cake, yum, Chelsea and I began to get ready for the night. Heather, her host mum, gave us a lift and we jammed out to American Music the whole way, she even had "Walking in Memphis" on her CD. It felt like I was back home! Our first stop was Subiaco Hotel and then it was off to a dance club called The Red Sea. We had a great time and met some people who can hopefully get us tickets to the West Coast Eagles pre-season games. Keep your fingers crossed, they can get quite expensive. What I find very interesting here is the amount of people who are dying to get over to America, it really is reassuring to know that foreigners still believe that the US is a wonderful place. 

24th Birthday

Yummy! 

A lovely surprise!

Saturday, February 18

After sleeping in for a bit at Chelsea's place, I woke up to her new neighbors remodeling their house and blaring music, which at the time seemed quite annoying. I actually ended up happy that they woke us up because it was an absolutely perfect day outside. After breakfast, Chelsea and I lounged by their wonderful pool and soaked up the rays. I even dozed off for a bit on the float, fortunately I had sunscreen on or that could have ended pretty badly. Oh, and a funny story- while I was asleep on the float I was dreaming that pirates were surrounding me on a cruise ship. Needless to say, waking up with water around you after a dream like that can give you a bit of a scare! 

My favorite pool decoration. Ever. 

Later on, our supervisor and Chelsea's host family invited us to an opera in the park. The weather couldn't have been any nicer. Her host family and their friends saved us a lovely spot right in the middle of the gorgeous city park. We were able to have a picnic and a glass of wine as the sun set right before the opera began. Chelsea and I didn't exactly know what we were getting ourselves into... We thought we were going to see a concert, not a opera, in French... I tried my best to follow it and enjoy this rare culture experience, but I ended up following asleep in my chair after intermission. Oops! Oh well, there were many others who were sound asleep as well including Chelsea, so I didn't feel so bad. I am happy to have had the experience, not many others can say they went to an opera in the park in WA! 

Exploring downtown before the "concert."

Pearl Fishers and Western Australia Symphony, look to the left and you can see the sun setting! 

Pre-nap time 

Sunday, February 19

After a relaxing evening, I was up and at'em bright and early to knock out plenty of school work. I was able to get a lot done, which was relieving. Janette finally is home from the hospital and she, Ryan, and Steve took me out for ice cream for my birthday. I had a wonderful mango sorbet, I definitely will be going back for seconds in the future. Ryan always tickles me how much he enjoys singing in the car, today on our way to the ice cream parlor, "Copperhead Road" came on and Ryan began belting it out like it was nobody's business. It was very entertaining!

Tomorrow I begin my ten consecutive days of solo teaching. I have most of my work planned for the week and my advisor comes to see me on Tuesday to assess me! Say a little prayer for me this week!

Days 19 & 20- Almost the weekend!

Well since the last time I have written, life here in Western Australia has been pretty blah and even hotter! The weekend temps are supposed to continue to rise, and even get close to 40 degrees Celsius. That's 104 degrees ladies and gentleman. Just in time for my birthday...

Wednesday, February 15
After I last wrote, I went down and had dinner with Steve and Ryan. All of a sudden, I hear a very familiar voice coming from the television. I look up and low and behold, it was my COST Supervisor, Dr. Happs. His wife had sent us an email earlier in the week saying he would be on the news a couple of nights this week, but I had completely forgot. He is commentating on a special the local news station is running on whether or not people can actually have psychic abilities. John is the president of WA Skeptics, an organization that devotes their time to uncover "weird" abilities. It was very interesting to hear what all he had to say, he definitely put one of the woman in her place who seemed to be talking out of her behind the entire time!

The following day it was off to school bright and early for a breakfast party to bid a farewell to one of the educational assistants. I wish I could have taken a picture of the "heaps" (I am getting there with the lingo, no worries, agh there I go again) of food that everyone prepared. Fortunately, I was put on toast duty and only had to bring in a loaf of bread, easy enough for me since I am such a little Betty Crocker in the kitchen! After our huge breakfast, we all needed a nap, but it was time to start our day. I taught another lesson on nouns, this time we worked on sorting the nouns into their categories (i.e., person, place, or thing). The students really seemed to grasp the concept, so I decided to change up my follow up lesson to challenge them a bit more. Tomorrow we are doing common nouns vs. proper nouns. I still find myself struggling to communicate with the one deaf student. He seems so far behind, it's puzzling to determine where to begin with him even for my experienced teacher. Fortunately, the interpreters are wonderful and are very patient with the students which makes instruction a little less chaotic.

Student Work- Sorting Nouns 

After school, I came home to fiddle on my Ipad which I suddenly realized I left at school on my work desk. I felt lost! So instead, I decided to be productive and go on a run. I typically go around 5:30-6, when it is a little bit cooler. Well on this day, I decided to give 4 o'clock a shot because the weather seemed nice. Boy was I wrong... I came in drenched! Hopefully my tolerance of the heat will increase so July and August in Alabama won't seem as big of a deal anymore. Oh and speaking of running, I am following a pacing guide I found online to train for a 5K! I really would like to run one once I get home, maybe not in the summer though... Anyone who is interested, please join! I need all the help/motivation a girl can get, seeing that running is not my forte'.

I am still adjusting to the high costs of everything here. Ryan, Steve, and myself went into town to get a pizza and two mediums cost a little over $40! I was in shock when the cashier rang it up... Another thing that is surprising is the amount of restaurants and cafes that are BYOB, for those of you who are not familiar with that acronym- Bring your own booze. They're everywhere! Also on the way into town, Steve and I chatted about how careful you have to be in another culture not to offend anyone. I have apologized a thousand times for saying "ma'am" and "sir" because here if you say it, it can be taken as an insult, like calling someone an old hag or something. Steve also thinks it's funny how I say "y'all" constantly...

Thursday, February 16
Morning came quite early for me once again. I really do hope I can keep up this nice early bird routine back home. After breakfast, I went out to hang my laundry on the line- something that I am still getting used to. I miss being able to turn on the dryer to keep things from getting wrinkled. Guess I am a little spoiled back home, just a teeny bit! I did have good company while I was out, Tia and Basha, the dogs. They're the sweetest thing and are very protective. I have already noticed how they look at strangers when I am around!

Tia, 12 years old, same spunk as my little Andy man!

School today went really well. I was able to spend some one on one time with my target student and another student who are both struggling readers. I enjoy doing this sort of work- fluency, literacy skills, etc. Things that seem so basic to us, take time and a lot of frustration for many students. So when I can see I have eased their stress and made what they're doing a little easier for them, I know I am doing my job- which I love! I was also able to plan my 10 days of solo teaching, was a HUGE relief! I cannot believe I am on my own next week! After school, I went down to the Galleria and have discovered so many wonderful shops. I am sure my Dad is just thrilled reading this! :)

Well, technically tomorrow is my birthday here. The big 2-4. This is the first one to spend without my family and friends ever, so it is a bit emotional. I know, wherever they are, they are out celebrating for me! No plans have been set in stone for tomorrow, but I am sure we'll find something to get into. Until then...

Days 17 & 18- On the grind

After a much needed night of rest from a fun weekend, it was back to the grind again...

Monday, February 13
On Monday morning, bright and early, my teacher asked that I teach the Year 9's English Lesson. This lesson required reading two chapters of the book they are currently reading, summarize what it was about, and identify tough vocabulary. Piece of cake, right? Well I thought so. For the most part, the lesson went pretty well. I am learning though that we put our own meanings to words and definitely say them much differently. So explaining their meanings can sometimes be a bit of an issue. Most of the kids grasped the concept and I was proud of myself. Let's just hope Melody thought I did just as well ;)

After school, I ran over to the post office (for the fifth time) to file my Working With Children background check. This has been quite the headache, so when I walked in and saw the line wrapped halfway around the building, I was praying the Lord would have some mercy on me and not make me wait in this long line for nothing! Fortunately, the lady was finally able to FINALLY accept it! Hooray! Chelsea's host dad, Len, told me the other day out on our wine tasting that this opportunity would "change me as a person." I am definitely starting to see that change, and the change is for the better! For example, if I had been in the states and saw that line I would have been grouchy and probably not stood there the entire time. Instead, I patiently waited and browsed the room of different stationary and office supplies, and of course did a little people watching! I hope my easy going outlook on life comes back with me to the states!

Oh, and I must share these with you. I unfortunately see these hideous little cars everywhere. Apparently they are quite the rave here in Australia! Chelsea and I over the weekend even tried to count the amount we saw, but eventually gave up because they were so many. Every day I walk home or to catch the bus, there these ugly little creatures are! Everyone meet- "The Thunder!" Yikes...

Any who, back to my marvelous Monday. Janette, my host "mum" is still in the hospital. I was able to talk to her on the phone and she sounds like she is slowly getting better. Turns out she had a terrible infection and it was taking the doctors a while to determine how to treat her. Hopefully she will be out soon! I have been spending a lot of time with the men of the house. Steve, my host dad, has been preparing wonderful meals every night while Janette has been away. Ryan and I always offer to help but he seems to have it all under control. Speaking of Ryan, he is currently looking into moving into a group home for adults with disabilities. He seems really excited about this transition and even was going to look at a place today! He told me the only way he would move in was if there is enough space for all of his caps and as long as the bathroom wasn't pink, haha! 

After dinner, it was off to finish some school work and call it an early night. I was able to skype with my parents and Will which is always wonderful. My Dad even told me he ate at Outback over the weekend in honor of muah. I wouldn't dare tell a soul that here because they would be greatly offended, haha! They say the restaurant is a disgrace to their country! Oh well... Oh and another fun fact, turns out one of Chelsea's friends who goes to Kentucky is friends with Angelina Gomez! Isn't it crazy all of the funny connections we have all around the world!? 

Tuesday, February 14

Oh Valentine's Day... and my oh my were my kids excited. All I heard all day was "mate, who's your squeeze for the day!?" Luckily, by mid morning the excitement began to wear off! Just a teeny bit...  

Later in the morning, I had the Year 8's for a Science Lesson on "What's Inside A Seed." The group is small, five students, so I get to be much more hands on with them. Which is obviously a plus! I think the lesson went really well because after teaching I did a quick review and they could all recall the material, except for my deaf student. This particular student is having a very difficult time in school. His inability to communicate with an interpreter due to his lack of knowledge in AUSLAN signing makes him very difficult to reach. It really becomes hard when you are trying to move forward with a lesson, and this one is behind. I tried my very best to keep him focused and engaged in the lesson. It was definitely one of my more challenging teaching experiences, but one I will keep with me as I continue on. Another area of concern for me, is my lack of content knowledge with this age group. As you all know, I am working towards completing my degree working with children ages 4-12. These children are 12, going on 13 so technically a grade above what I am going to be teaching, so the content is more for me to learn. Also, in  our courses at UA for special education, we focus more on how to differentiate instruction and how to modify things to suit our student's needs. So basically, I am having to relearn everything I am teaching my students which may sound silly, but can be quite time consuming! 

As for the rest of the day, I am spending it doing school work of course. I keep telling myself that May 5th is right around the corner and for a couple of months I won't have to worry about anything other than finding a job. Keep your ears open for jobs in special education back in the states, because before you know it, I will be a coming home! 

Days 14, 15, 16- Wined Down

Another wonderful weekend here in Western Australia has come and gone! Let's see, let's begin with Friday...

Friday, February 10
After keeping myself up to the wee hours of the morning thinking of everything that could go wrong with my lesson, I was one sleepy girl when 6 AM rolled around. Once I got to school, I perked up and was ready to teach my kids their English Lesson. The lesson didn't go exactly as planned, but I still think it went pretty well. My teacher provided me with wonderful feedback and the students were very well behaved and respectful of me. She was nice enough to give me a lesson to teach every day next week so I can really be prepared for when my COST Supervisor comes to watch me do my ten straight days of teaching which starts in a week, aghhh!!

After school, I rushed home to pack and it was off to the train station. I feel like I am in the movies every time I am catching the train because I am constantly running through trying not to miss my ride! But I do make it every time and I am getting some good jogging in! Once I got over to Chelsea's place, we rode into Subiaco for dinner and drinks. "Subi" is a very trendy sort of place and can get quite pricey. We had a wonderful meal at Jus Burgers and had a couple of cocktails at the Subiaco Hotel, which is absolutely gorgeous. Very vintage Hollywood glamour sort of style. While we were there we began talking to a guy who just got transferred here from work who is a die hard Texas A&M fan. Of course I chatted his ears off about the aggies joining the SEC, it was nice to catch up with someone who actually understood college sports, so many young people here only follow pro sports. He even gave me a big roll tide! Once we left Subi, we went back down to a swanky little bar in Hillary's Harbor and met a nice fellow who knew someone from Ozark, Alabama. I know I have said this before, but really what are the odds, it really is such a small world! One thing that was reassuring to hear was being reminded how wonderful we do have it in America. This little guy would not stop talking about how he would do anything to be able to move to the states but waiting for a VISA is just too time consuming. This experience has allowed me so far to see the up's and down's of living in another country, which I am very thankful for.

A healthy burger choice that was yummy in our tummy's!

Saturday, February 11

Saturday was quite a chill day for us. After having a late lunch at Sharky's in Hillary's Harbor, we wondered around and looked at all of the markets that come into the Harbor on Saturday's. It was lovely to see all of the unique jewelry, artwork, toys for children, and everything else you could possibly think of. I found a lovely elephant necklace that I plan on wearing next football season, which seems like years from now, haha! After a little fro-yo, for those of you who might not be familiar with the hip lingo these days, that means frozen yogurt, we wondered down and napped on the beach before heading home to get ready for our BBQ. The BBQ was  very relaxed and everything I expected a really Aussie Barbie to be like! We had sausage dogs by the pool and mainly just sat around getting to know people. It was a bit awkward finding out that only one other person there was close to my age, most of the people there were 18-19 and joked with me if I brought my cane along with me! Nonetheless, they were very friendly and invited us out with them to a club near Chelsea's house. They warned us before hand that the club was quite "bogan" aka red neck, low life, that sort of thing and it most certainly lived up to what we expected it to be. We had a great time dancing to music that was far behind what you would hear back home. The atmosphere of bars here is quite different than anything we have in Alabama, but hey it's nice to try new things. After we left, all of the kids we were with insisted on swimming in the ocean. Chelsea and I sat out of this one, there was no way we were getting our cute outfits soaked in the cold water before going home! And not to mention sharks.... not a snowball's chance in Haiti.

Lounging by "Breakie"

Out and about 

 

Sunday, February 12 

Once again, Chelsea's family prepared a lovely breakfast for us. I absolutely love spending time with them. They are so intelligent and interesting to listen to, I feel like I learn so much any time I am around them. After a little breakfast, it was off to Swan Valley for a couple of wine tastings. Swan Valley is very unique and has over fifty vineyards that go for miles and miles. No worries, we didn't go to all fifty today, just three! It was wonderful going up to some because they were run out of people's home. My favorite was our second stop where a man sat us down at a nice table and let us sample all of his wonderful wines. Did I mention that Chelsea's host family are quite the wine gurus? They gave us tons of wonderful tips and before you know it, I am going to be an expert just like them! We had lunch at a wonderful little cafe where we sampled anything and everything. It was delicious, but I think I am still full. Not to mention the ice cream I had after at a chocolate factory we stopped at nearby. Once I got home, I went on my usual run and came home to some not so great news. Janette is still in the hospital and won't be out for another week. Fortunately, the doctors determined what type of infection she had and are able to treat her but want to keep an eye on her as she recovers. I talked to her on the phone for a while and she sounded much better! Keep her in your thoughts and prayers. 

Hot Cakes, Mango yogurt, figs, cantaloupe, peaches and bananas :) 

The purchases made by Chelsea's family at Swan Valley... 

As I mentioned before, I will be teaching every day for the next three weeks so my apologies if I can't update my blog as frequently as I would like! Hope you all are doing well back in the mainland!! 

Day 13- Turnaround

Well today was a complete 180 from my pity party I have been having the past two days. I woke up to a nice cool breeze and well rested. Unfortunately, just like all of the cool mornings, it didn't carry over into the day. This weekend we are being hit by another heat wave and expected to have muggy weather, again... Oh well, at least it'll be the weekend!

Now about my day. Every morning I wake up and grab something to eat and am greeted by Tia and Basha, my host family's two dogs. They are wonderful and make me miss my little Andy so much! Tia is part maltese and has very similar expressions to Andy. It's so strange how much her personality resembles Andy's. It's so strange to the point that sometimes it seems like she is Andy! Her little head tilt and friendly attitude definitely makes me miss my little pup.

Today at school I was able to really work with my target student as well as the rest of the group of Year 8's in educational support. I gave a spelling quiz while my teacher worked one on one with another student. It was interesting to watch their faces whenever I would say certain words... I could tell my southern accent was confusing them a little. I'll have to be extra careful from now on.

As I finished up my last day of observing Michael, I was able to follow him around to his other classes. My favorite class to sit in on was Japanese. Since Australia is in the south Pacific, there are many Asian immigrants that come into the country, so learning Japanese would be like our students learning Spanish. Makes sense. Michael's Japanese teacher is quite the character. Think of the most upbeat person you know and multiply that by 1,000 and put that image into a tiny Japanese male body and you got him. He even did a Mister Miyagi impersonation for the class- "Wax on, wax off." I nearly fell out of my seat in laughter. One thing I really do appreciate about this teacher is that although he is a lively fellow, he does demand respect and lays down the law very distinctly. The students seem to really respect him because of his stern attitude which was a bit of relief to see. As the class continued on, the teacher began going over counting in Japanese. Suddenly, I flashed back to my 2nd grade classroom where we had a missionary come speak to us who had been to Japan and taught us to count to ten. I was actually able to participate! It was nice! I also learned a new Japanese phrase- Ki i te Kudasai! Which means "listen, please." I figured it was a great phrase to learn for my kids!

I have begun to really take notice to the relaxed dress code around the school. Not only with teachers, but with the students. Other than wearing school colors, the dress code is very relaxed. Girls wear EXTREMELY short shorts and all of the boys wear their pants extremely low. It would be far to risky for a student back in the states to dress like some of the students I have seen. Oh well, I guess its different strokes for different folks!

Later on in the day, I was asked to teach a lesson on how to tell time to a small group work because my teacher was in the meeting. It was lovely! Even though telling time is difficult to teach students with disabilities, today reminded me why I chose this field, because I really want to see my students succeed to the best of their abilities. I was so thankful to have this opportunity, especially after the week I have had!

After school, I ran a few errands and finally bought a lotto ticket. If you all remember "Clarice" I mentioned earlier in my blog, she seems to think I have some special type of luck and insisted I play the lottery this week for the big $20 million drop! So I said, what the heck, might as well give it a go! If I win, she says I have to give her a portion of my winnings since she could sense my luck. Her bubbly and carefree spirit is so nice to be around! Although I am getting used to how to get around, I am still having trouble with looking the correct directions when I am crossing the street. I know I look like such a foreigner at crosswalks because I look each way about ten times, oh well... Better safe than sorry!

Tomorrow is Friday, thank the good Lord! I am ready for a little fun and relaxation. Chelsea and I are planning to go out together and maybe even go to a wine village on Sunday! No worries, I will keep you all updated! Also, I teach my first English lesson to my Year 8's tomorrow. We are working on what nouns are and how to find them in sentences. I am a little nervous but know this will be a good way to get my feet wet before I start teaching full time for two weeks! :)

Days 11 & 12- Working for the weekend

The past two days have been quite interesting here in Perth, Australia. It's been a bit hectic, but I find blogging is somewhat therapeutic as bizarre as that may sound. It helps me get out what I am feeling and also updates you all about my adventures in Australia!

We will begin with yesterday, which for me was Tuesday. I woke up quite early for some reason and was feeling very chipper! I also noticed that I am starting to get a little bit of color to me! FINALLY. I do a lot of walking outdoors so I guess I am getting sun without even realizing it. No worries for you all thinking I am not wearing sunblock. I put it on everyday and even reapply at school if we are just going outside for a little bit. After I got up I went downstairs for some breakfast. I wake up quite early for my host family so I always try to be quiet so I don't wake them. But, on this morning my host "mum" :) was already awake. She was baffled by the fact that I would drink a Diet Coke in the morning as a little pick me up. The family doesn't drink coffee so I have to drink something that will put a little pep in my step. My supervisor at my school has offered to pick me up for school every morning, which saves me a bus fare and a little more time to count sheep. I enjoy riding with her because she is quite friendly and always has something interesting to say. I also don't mind the way she compliments me on my dressing every day. She always says "another wonderfully flash outfit, so professional!" or something of that nature. Hopefully my professional ensembles will be in the back of her mind when she is evaluating me :) On this particular day, I helped "Melody" with the Year 8 students. She is very precise with the kids and is great at breaking down tasks for them. Today during science we spent a good bit of time in the garden they are keeping for the year. I really enjoy watching the kids get into it, since they are still fairly young they seem to really like being outdoors. Not so much for the older kids though... I also was able to observe my focus student Michael a little bit more. I am slowly learning more and more about him as he slowly opens up to me! After school, I ran over to the gym next door to use my free membership pass. The facilities were alright, but not nearly nice enough for the price... Another thing I found odd was the fact that there were NO water fountains in sight at the gym. Their shortage of water must be really severe if there are no water fountains in a gym where everyone needs re hydrating! I ran over to the shops, before they closed at 5:30 (so early!), to grab a few things. I am becoming quite frustrated how certain people in the service industry act here. I am trying to be as patient as possible and not jump to conclusions, but it is quite different from the "American way." After dealing with not so nice cashiers, I heard "Take me home, country roads" on my Ipod. I suddenly was take over by feelings of missing home and how easy everything would be if I were back in the states. I keep reminding myself that this opportunity will benefit me so much in the long run! While I am enjoying my time here, our supervisor warned us that we would feel these types of emotions and that they are quite normal. After getting all down and the dumps, my day turned around! For some reason, the bus driver let me onto the bus without paying the fare. I went to give him the amount I normally pay which he seemed to disagree with. He didn't seem native to Australia, so maybe he could understand how hard it can be learning your way in the new country and thought he would help. Which I definitely appreciated! Once getting home, I sat down to watch a little bit of the news with Steve. I am trying my best to stay up to date with things going on here, but it can be a little confusing. The channel they watch for their news has a male anchor that insists on wearing either auburn color ties or even worse, that pumpkin orange color... Did I mention I have to walk by a house every day on my way home that is painted with that pumpkin orange. Yucky! Janette definitely made my day quite better by preparing Shepard's pie, it was lovely! She is very sick at the moment so I try to keep my distance. I can't afford a day to be sick while I am here, so pray for good health!

At least they have a nice yard? 

Today was another crazy sort of day. My morning started off on not such a good foot. I walked out of the house and the wind blew half of my papers out of my hand. I should have taken that as a sign, haha! As soon as we got out of our morning meeting I spilled coffee everywhere and then later at lunch, salad dressing down my pants. Probably not a sign that it was going to be a bad day, just a sign that I am very clumsy sometimes! On Wednesday's at my school, the kids do not begin class until 9 and are let out at 2:30! How wonderful, right? Short days, make for happy students. Happy students=happy teachers! I wasn't around the Year 8 students quite as much today and worked a lot with the upper school. They are very intrigued that I am an American and often ask me questions all about the states. I am more than happy to answer but one that tickled me today was- "I wish we had stores like you all, what do you do in Wal Mart? It has to be like the best thing ever!" I wish I could have told them about the people from Wal Mart website so they could see how "glamorous" it really is, but I didn't think that would be too professional! After school, I did a couple of things around the office and headed home to do MORE school work. I am feeling quite overwhelmed at the moment so all positive thoughts, prayers, vibes, what have you, are needed! You all have been very supportive of me while I am here and I know you will continue to be. Thanks again for all of your kind words and motivation!

Day 10- Monday, Monday

Today was a rather "blah" sort of day. Nothing to thrilling but perhaps you all will find it intriguing! After waking up to a rather cool morning (I even slept with a blanket and sweatshirt, wahoo!!) I began my day. One thing I despise about Australia is the constant cawing of the ravens, especially around 5 AM. They startle me every morning because they sound like crying infants. Oh well, at least I have a natural alarm clock...

After getting to school, I began to work more with my Year 8's. Did I mention that it was even cool enough to wear a cardigan to school? Can you believe it? Unfortunately, the nice weather didn't last too long with an afternoon high of about 97 degrees. Both my teacher and supervisor suggested me working with another student rather than Frank. Currently, I am working with a twelve year old boy who we will call "Michael." Michael is not a native to Australia and very little is known about his background. However, he is very positive to learning knew things and I am looking forward to working with him more and more. One interesting thing we did today in school was watch a segment of "Behind The News" which gives three minute scoops of what is going on in the world today. The bit we watched today was on NASA and various space centers. I was able to really get involved with the lesson because the teacher was familiar with the Huntsville Space and Rocket Center. The kids began asking if I could get them some astronaut ice cream shipped over, haha!

After school I ran a couple of errands and went for a quick run. My school work is beginning to become a little bit more intense than last week's work so my apologies if I don't get to update quite as frequently. Other than that, everything is quite well in WA. Oh and I was even able to watch a couple of highlights from the Super Bowl! It is amazing how well technology can keep you connected to the environment you're accustomed to! Cheers!

Days 7,8, 9- First Weekend in Perth

My apologies for not updating my blog quite as frequently. I was out exploring all of what Perth had to offer! Let's see, we will begin with Friday!

Friday 2/3/12

This is completely irrelevant to the post, but here they write their dates backwards from us. Rather than 2/3/12, they write 3/2/12, the third of February 2012. I constantly catch myself thinking, "is it March already?" Anywho, onto Friday's activities. It was a dreary morning filled with rains and thunderstorms. It did get better because I was able to skype with Will and Chelsea who were back in Birmingham. The kids came back and seem much more relaxed on day two. Maybe it was getting back into the routine, but they were quite calm compared to day 1. One thing I have noticed is that it is not considered offensive if the students use terms we may consider profanity, such as "damn" and "hell." The kids quite often say "bloody hell, I don't want to do this." This will take some getting used to... Throughout the day I was able to observe my Year 8's on various lessons and am starting to get to know them a little better. Melody placed me with my target student "Frank" and I will be working with him more next week. A funny story that happened in school on Friday were my spelling skills. One of the students asked how to spell the word color. I proceed to spell it "c-o-l-o-r." My teacher let out a big giggle and said "no, no, no, it's c-o-l-o-u-r." She understood completely why I made the mistake, there are a number of words spelled quite differently here than back in the states!

After school, Chelsea and I planned to meet in town for some dinner and drinks. Janette, Steve, and Ryan took me into the city mall which is very nice! We were absolutely starved by the time we met up with one another and trucked on into the first place that wasn't covered with people. We ate at Sixth and Moonspence, a local pub, which was nothing to write home about... After dinner we decided to just wonder a bit. We ended up in a little bar known as "Boeheme." It was rather swanky and we were a bit under dressed for the setting but we decided to give it a go. Chelsea and I were sitting there wondering what we should do next when we finally got up the nerve to just go up and ask someone, I mean really when are we ever going to see these people again? Might as well just look like a tourist and ask! The table we approached seemed very relaxed as we introduced ourselves. We then asked what we should do while we were in the city. They let out a giggle and said "we're from Ireland" in thick Irish accents. Chelsea and I have had quite a few laughs that the first people we approach in Australia were Irish!! After Boehme we went and "watched" the cricket game at a little bar called the Brass Monkey. Another thing that is quite funny to hear people say is "Mobile" rather than cell phone. When I say cell phone to others they look at me like I am from ancient history!

Beer of Champions, apparently it's pretty low dollar beer here. 

Saturday 2/4/12

After finishing up some things around my place, Chelsea and I made the trip back to Sorrento where she lives. She has been such a HUGE help learning the bus system, not sure where I would have ended up without her.We decided to make a little day trip to Fremantle which is quite a lovely suburb of Perth. Fremantle, or "Freo" as the locals like to call it, is one of the oldest cities in Western Australia which is quite evident through all of the lovely architecture. We had a delicious lunch at a little cafe and then began exploring all of the shops and everything else this quaint town had to offer. We made our way over to a local microbrewery known as "Little Creatures" for a beer tasting. Our beer guide was very nice and even sat down with us to tell us what to do and what not to waste our time doing. He also taught us some more Aussie lingo! Apparently a "bogan" here is a redneck, low life so to speak. Can't wait to use that one back home!! We made our way up to the strip of coffee shops and stopped and had a latte and then it was time to head back in and catch the train. 

Beer tasting menu at Little Creatures.

My favorite of course was the "Bright" ale

Freo 

We are definitely making a trip back to ride this bad boy! 

Heavenly Thai Chicken :)

For those of you who may ever be in Australia, take your passport with you EVERYWHERE! Especially out to the nightclubs. Chelsea and I had planned to have a night out on the town, but with my passport back at my house, that wasn't happening. We decided to cook a nice meal and keep it low key. We planned for weekends ahead and are even looking into going to New Zealand together! Her host family came back from a movie and let us sample one of their fine wines. Her family is very entertaining and offered to take us around the city for a couple of trips! 

Sunday 2/5/12

After a nice, relaxing evening Chelsea and I awoke to a lovely breakfast prepared by her host family and then we were off again. This time we went down to Cottesloe Beach and lounged around in the sun, ate a quick lunch at a local pub, and just enjoyed being out in the nice weather. One thing I have noticed is the service here is not as up to par as it is back in the states. Servers and bar tenders hourly wages are quite high, so they don't have to work for tips. Which explains why you wait 20 minutes for a glass of water... Later we went into the city to see what sort of information we could find about our travels. Once I got back home, by myself on the bus might I add :), I went on a nice run along the river path. The weather was absolutely perfect, it couldn't have gotten any better. I also hung my first load of laundry out to dry. I must admit, it has been quite some time since I have done that instead of tossing them into the dryer... Tomorrow will be a real test to see how well the kids get back into the swing of things. This week, I will be able to work more with my student and start knocking out some assignments. I even get to teach my first lesson on Friday! I can't wait :) Miss you all very much and thank you for the nice feedback! 

I didn't even get the third plate in the picture that was filled with sausages, eggs, and yummy bacon :) 

Cottesloe Beach 

Pretty amazing running path, if I do say so myself

Day 6- The boys are back in town

Well well well, school finally began for the students of my school today. School opened with an assembly held by the principal to welcome all of the students back. My oh my was the gym the most humid spot to have it, not to mention everyone's body heat all gathered together... My hair was up in no time! After assembly, the Year 8's broke off into their "contact groups" or homeroom so to speak. I was able to interact with a lot of the students. It was nice to speak with them and meet all of the faces I have heard about throughout the week. They are quite fascinated my Americans and said it felt like meeting a celebrity.. :)

What was interesting to see were the amount of adults that assist the special education teacher. There were maybe 12 or more students in the homeroom and first period and 4 adults, not including myself. I enjoy watching the interpreters to see how similar our American Sign Language (ASL) is compared to their AUSLAN. Also, several of the students sign Kiwi and there's even one little girl from Ireland who is very friendly who is learning their sign language. It really has perked my interest to get back into ASL, since my course in my undergraduate I have rarely used it!

Since the Year 8 students are in and out of the classroom, I get to see kids of all ages. Many of the higher education students (Year 11s and 12s, about 15-17) do vocational type work through the school. One of the girls is even learning to become a tattoo artist through an assisted program! Throughout the day, the main discussion was "what did you do over holiday?" I was shocked to hear that most of the kids worked, and worked MANY hours! It's not uncommon for children their age to have jobs and work part time. One of the girls told me she worked 10 hours a day 7 days per week at a cupcake shop and one of the boys worked two jobs to save up money for a car 6 days a week. I felt so selfish to think of what I was doing at their age while they are out working, it really put my blessings into prospective.

Once it got around to the Year 8 classes, I was able to assist the Melody with English and Science. Melody is an expert when it comes to individualizing instruction and can run about 3 lessons within one class. She also strongly advocates for independent work. She is far from a spoon feeder and forces (politely) the kids to do work on their own, which is exactly what special education students need. Far too often, you see teachers simply get frustrated and do the work for the students thus creating a sense of learners helplessness. It was reassuring to see that there are teachers like Melody still out there pushing students to give it their all. However, the students seem to be very behind so there is much catching up to do.

After school, I walked down to the local mall to grab a few things. In their Wal Mart, so to speak, I wondered around trying to find some good deals. It is amazing how much more expensive everything is here and now I understand why they try to use whatever it is to the fullest extent possible. Wasting is not an option here. One thing that stuck out to me the most was the price of soft drinks, a 24 pack of coca colas was $32! Could you imagine?!? I definitely had a case of sticker shock. Once I picked up a couple of things I needed it was off to the bus. What is nice about their public transportation system is that they have security guards who patrol busy stops. As I was walking onto the bus I told the driver that I was heading to Bayswater, he replied "BAAAAAYYYYYSSSSS-WAAAATTTTEEERRR?" Dragging out every sound chuckling to himself. He asked if my accent was Irish! This is the second time this has happened since I arrived. I told friends that I may pretend I am from Ireland (which wouldn't be a total lie since I do have Irish heritage) to get a good laugh in! Tomorrow is Friday and Chelsea and I are planning on going into the city to explore and relax a little! I am excited to do all of the cheesy, touristy sort of things. Photos to come!

Day 5- Final Day of PD :)

Well last night, I made the terrible mistake of starting my GNC vitamin packs. I have yet to try them and failed to realize that two of the pills give you energy. So after taking them at about 8 PM last night, I was wide eyed and bushy tailed! I stayed up until about 12 AM which made 5:45 come far too early. At the moment, the weather is very much like home- HUMID! And I thought I escaped the muggy weather for dry heat, well I thought wrong. Currently there is a "cyclone", or tornado as we like to call them, near midland and is causing this weather throughout the west coast. It was extremely hot this morning when I woke up and the heat didn't let up throughout the day.

Janette dropped me off at school again and showed me my bus route. There still are things they say that catch me off guard, for example the word "thongs." Where I live is right near a horse race course and on our way to school every day we pass it. She mentioned that if I wanted to go we could one weekend. She said all of the girls get dressed to the nines, but she and Steve like to keep it casual in thongs and hats. It took me a second to realize that she was referring to flip flops, not underwear! I think my face says it all when I misinterpret things...

Once I got into school, we began the last of our professional development seminars- YAY!!! The professional development workshops are very similar to those in the US, and they seem to have the same types of issues in school too. Communication is a huge issue among teachers as well as lack of jobs for teachers and administrators. Teaching jobs are very difficult to come by here in Australia. In years past, typically about 300 people retire each year from the education system. In 2011- only 4. However, by 2015 they are expecting a shortage of teachers in Australia as the recession soon passes (hopefully). We discussed the code of ethics, reporting misconduct, social media, and that sort of yata yata. One thing I did find interesting was that each teacher has a performance manager. For those of you who know me well, the first thing that came to mind when hearing performance review was an episode of The Office where Michael must review everyone's job performance for the past year- definitely one of my all time favorites. Well similar to Michael, the performance manager evaluates the teacher's performance through observations, interviews, etc. 4 times per year (once per term). If the teacher does not meet the appropriate standards, remediation is then put into place to get them up to par. How wonderful would this be in our education system back home?!? Maybe we could get some people out who aren't fit for the profession and get those in who truly care. We also discussed the evacuation plans in case of specific emergencies. What was so shocking to me is that students had not run through any of the practice procedures in nearly two years. TWO YEARS! Belmont is such a quite city, they rarely experience any type of harm so safety isn't as big of an issue to them.

I am beginning to catch on more and more to the lingo here in Australia. One thing my host "mum" says to me every morning is "Have a good sleep?" The first thing that always comes to mind is a video out now on YouTube where girls say that constantly, it's quite funny so I get a little laugh to myself. Also, everyone says "reckon." I feel like I am back in Alabama! Or at least talking to Will :)

After school let out, I was able to experience my first sun downer. It was extremely relaxed! Basically the teachers just sit around the table and have a beer, wine, and some snacks and chat about their days. I tried my first Australian amber ale called James Squire, it was absolutely delish! Unfortunately I couldn't stay too long because of homework, so it was off to catch the bus. I successfully made it home without getting lost, I was so proud of myself! The bus didn't take too long, what was bad however was the muggy walk home from the bus stop! I was drenched by the time I got in. I wanted to go for a run but I decided I would take a break from the not so pleasant weather.

Tomorrow the students finally come back and I get to really begin my internship. I am so excited to meet them all and hear them say "G'day Miss Carlton!" Keep your fingers crossed that everything goes well!