Platypus, kangaroos and emus, oh my!

Another week in Australia and another adventure into the bush. This weekend I headed off to Namadgi National Park, conveniantly located about 20 minutes out of Canberra. The original plan was to do some hiking, but that got sidetracked when I saw their programs and was convinced I must go on a koala excursion at Tidbinbilla Animal Reserve.

The geography around Canberra is almost second to none (I still like the Rockies the best). The hills and mountains are very picturesque, even when you're driving on the freeways around the city. Tidbinbilla is especially gorgeous, especially the tors (rock outcroppings) that dot the hills and 'mountains'.  They are homes for wallabies, kangaroos, emus, potaroos and various indigenous animals.

My koala excursion was really just a information session about koalas and I did get to see a very sleepy koala named Mo.  He's in the process of being aclimated to the enclosure at Tidbinbilla. The koala enclosure was actually destroyed in a fire 8 years ago which killed 21 of the 22 wild koalas that were there.  They are still in the process of repopulating and only have 4 in the wild and Mo who is a very picky eater and can't be put with the other koalas just yet.  He was very cute and, like all koalas, high on eucalyptus.

After visiting the enclosure and looking at the gum trees (no koalas in sight), I made my way over the the ponds and went on a platypus hunt.  I actually found a couple. They're the ripples in the water in the photos, I swear. I think I'll head back next week and get the full info session from a ranger and maybe see one a little closer. They are definitely bizarre looking creatures.

I started to make my way home and on the way, just at the park gate, I found a mama kangaroo with a joey in her pouch.  So cool! Along with the platypus, this made my Australian experience thus far. If you look really close at the one phot, you can actually see the joey hanging out of the mama's pouch and eating grass.

Today I'm just preparing myself for another week in school. Everyday last week got better and better and here's hoping that continues through the term.  I've got a great group of kids who work hard, or at least pretend to work hard for the picture.  I'm starting to get the hang of this Year 1 thing and hopefully by the end of the week I'll be able to put my own spin on it.

High Speed Internet? What's that?

The amazing views of Bungonia National Park.

They may not be the Rockies, but the view is still pretty good.

Had to throw in the kangaroo pictures, even though everyone
laughs when I get excited about seeing one.

My friendly neighbourhood spider.It's about the size of a twoonie by the way.

My classroom from the doorway, ready for the kids Monday morning.

St. John Vianney School

Just for you Kelsi!

Skating at the Civie.  By the way, it was 12 degrees.

After many attempts, I have finally managed to get these pictures downloaded. Internet is a tricky business.  Unlimited downloading gives you as many GB as you need, but is slow, slow, slow (dial-up anyone) and I'm still waiting to find out how much I actually do download on a regular basis to see if limited would be better (I'm told it's faster).

Today I went on my first excursion (field trip) to the symphony orchestra.  The whole school went and had a great time. Tomorrow is a 'free' day.  The kids don't have to wear uniforms and there is some movie watching and a disco going down.  The Friday I arrived, the school had a walkathon and this is the reward for raising over $10 000.  Heads up St. Marg's. I hear that we are looking for a new fundraiser.  Someone get on this!

The kids have been fantastic and have made sure that I know the routine and how things are run in Year 1 St. Nicholas. We're working together to make the classroom our own. They were very excited to receive the flags, pencils, rubbers (erasers) and pins on the first day. Most of them have been wearing the pins on their uniforms everyday.

The students all wear uniforms and it's kinda weird, in a good way.  I think I was able to get to know the kids better because I had to look at their faces to remember who they were instead of their clothing.  Though if I would have had to deal with the twins in uniforms, it may have taken me longer to figure them out. It's really a sight to see when there are 250 kids all wearing the exact same thing.  Tomorrow will be weird being uniform free.

Tonight I was invited to play basketball with one of the teachers.  It was lots of fun and we won, though my shooting percentage was worse than Shaq. They were thrilled to have an import player and have invited me to play anytime I like. I'm in if they want me.

The staff has been fantastic and I'm really looking forward to getting to know them better over the next year.

Wish I could be like daCosta and share some funny, endearing stories the kids have created or shared, but unfortunately I don't have the memory for it.  They do keep laughing at me when I say "put it in the bin' as bin here means garbage. They've gotten used to me saying sweater, but I've tried to use jumper more often. I'm definitely coming home speaking a different language, and definitely more appreciative of central heating. I'll never look at it the same way again. -5 celsius and I'm freezing in my own home. It's all part of the experience and so far I am enjoying every minute of it.

One Week as an Australian

I'm officially a Canberrian (or whatever we call ourselves)! I actually gave directions to the Museum of Australia.  Granted, it was to someone from London and I had just come from that direction... but still, a pretty proud moment.

The last couple of weeks have been both hectic and mundane. Last Sunday, I went to my first NRL (National Rugby League) game.  It was the hometown Raiders vs. the Melbourne Storm.  Though we had front row seats, and Chris cheered and jeered as loud as he could, the hometeam lost 26-0. Not a great introduction to my new home team.  It seems that it is my lot in life to cheer for the losing teams. The Oilers, the Melbourne Demons (AFL) and the Canberra Raiders (NRL).  Maybe I should start cheering for the Flames, then they'll really start losing.

Chris in his Sunday best

I was then invited to Chris' parents for dinner with his family and Nat's family. It seems that I am going to have two families while I am here in Canberra.  Both Chris and Nat's families have been so welcoming and so helpful as I try to find my way around.

On Monday, I said farewell to Nat.  I got to go out to her mom's acreage and meet the boys (2 steers), some sheep and a herd (?) of kangaroos out the back. Though kangaroos are considered a nuisance that eats crops, I still find it amazing to see them everywhere I go, though I have seen more dead ones on the side of the road than live ones.

Saying bye to Nat was a different experience. I didn't expect to become so close to her in the couple of weeks that I've been here. I actually feel that we have become close friends. We were both saying that it was great that we were exchanging with someone that we actually like.  I've found myself in the last few days wishing that I could tell her about some of the stuff that I have done as I had gotten so used to doing that at the end of the day. Nat's currently having a great time in Southern California and is slowly making her way towards Innisfail.  I keep telling her I wish I could be a fly on the wall when the snow starts to fly and the temperatures drop. I'm sure she's feeling the same way when the mercury starts jetting out of the thermometer around Christmas time here.

The Giant Merino in Goulbourn. I guess Alberta
isn't the only place with giant statues.

After spending a couple a days making the townhouse my own I did a little road trip out towards Sydney. I spent some time in the historical towns of Mittagong, Berrima and Bowral. I also took the time to check out the lookouts at Bungonia National Park and the beautiful gorge there. I'll definitely be going back on a sunny weekend to do some of the hikes. While on the road, I had my first, second, third.... eighth sighting of a wombat.  Unfortunately it was in the form of road kill. Apparently if you hit them, it does some massive damage to your vehicle, so I was on the lookout for the live ones too.

I spent Thursday and Friday preparing myself for school and met a local resident. Unfortunately it was 8-legged and large.  I was told it was a small Huntsman Spider and that they are harmless.  It sure as hell didn't look harmless and scared the crap out of me as I was taking down a bulletin board. So can't wait to meet more of them.

Saturday I met Nat's mom and we went to a local market. It was just like our farmer's markets and I got myself some homemade rhubarb and apple pie. So, so, so good. I spent more time with Nat's mom the next day as we headed out to Cooma.  This is where Nat's family is from and we visited Nat's aunt, nanna and uncle. We also picked up a bull calf for Shirley (Nat's mom) to take home. It was a pretty rainy and miserable day, therefore, there was lots of snow on the Snowy Mountains. Cooma is kinda the Hinton of Australia and is the gateway to the ski resorts of the snowy mountains. The highways were busy with ski hill traffic as we made our way home that night.

Stay tuned for my first couple of days of teaching.

Pictures I couldn't upload yesterday

My "new-to-me" car

The front of my townhouse

The kitchen

The living room

The bedroom

The backyard

Living in Australia

Not much happening at the moment. I've spent the last week settling in and getting myself somewhat organized.  I went to the school last Friday and participated in their Walk-a-thon.  It was a 5km walk through Waramanga in 1 degree weather.  I was wishing I had remembered to bring my mittens. I spent the day at the school and got the opportunity to sit down with Maria, my grade partner, and get a feel for what Grade 1 is like in Australia. We met again yesterday to plan out the first week together.  I'm still trying to wrap my mind around it, but have some stuff to go over next week, but I think this is going to be a jump-in-head-first and tread water type of situation.  I'm sure everything will be fine by week 3. I also got to meet some of the parents and they are very excited to have a Canadian teaching their kids. They even welcomed me with a bouquet of lilies (my favorite), so their already in my good books.

Nat had a going away party on Saturday so I was invited as the Canadian taking her place.  Everyone was so welcoming and kept asking about the weather. Most were horrified when I told them the weather here right now is like our late fall weather.

Yesterday was a big shopping day.  I had to buy some more warm casual wear as I was wearing the same two or three things every day. The biggest purchase yesterday was my car. I bought a 2000 Nissan Pulsar. It's in excellent condition and makes me feel a little more independent.  Thank God for GPS though.

The next few day will be getting the car registered and insured and then maybe I'll make a trip to Sydney or something.  Still not sure.  I may also check out the area around Canberra. There are supposed to be a couple of lakes nearby with good biking trails.

I'm going to try and post some pictures of what my Aussie house looks like but the internet is working very slow. It's very similar to my own house, so it hasn't been too hard getting accustomed to it.  It's been beneficial to have an electric blanket though as there is no central heating and the heater is downstairs.

Travel Days

“Twenty years from now you will be more disappointed by the things you didn’t do than by the ones you did do. So throw off the bowlines, sail away from the safe harbor. Catch the trade winds in your sails. Explore. Dream. Discover.” – Mark Twain

After 1 full day of travelling, I've arrived. The last 24 hours have been very eventful and long. After making sure my house was spic and span, Mom and Dad packed up the van with my 100 pounds of luggage and shuttled me to the airport. Carley and Jerry met us there with the three kids - Meghan, Liam and Paige - and we were entertained by their non-stop energy. Meghan: "Auntie Ally.... Did you know there are giant beetles in Australia?" Auntie Ally: "Yes, there are lots of giant bugs there?" Meghan: Be careful! Don't get bitten by one." Best advice I've received about this adventure.

Next stop: LA

The flight to LA was uneventful until the very end. Luckily, I had a window seat and I was able to watch the Fourth of July firewords bursting over top of every hamlet, city and town in California. You don't truly realize how far up in the air you are until you see how tiny the fireworks are.  When you watch them from the ground, you think they go a mile up into the air.

Once we landed, it was time to go through security to catch my flight to Sydney.  Fun times!  I was very excited to get a body scan done.  Unfortunately, they wouldn't let me see the picture. While waiting to get the scan done, all of sudden there was a loud shout and we were suddenly told to stop moving. They meant this literally too. Even a shift of weight brought a look. Finally and "All Clear" was yelled and the security robots all responded "All Clear!". Apparently we got to participate in a drill. Those Americans sure know how to entertain.

The excitement didn't stop there. I found my way to the gate and got comfortable on the floor (Kelsi, you'll remember this gate well) and waited for the plane to arrive.  That's right.  The plane hadn't arrived at the gate yet and it was only 30 minutes to boarding. Finally, we boarded and then were made to sit another 30 - 45 minutes on the plane. A 16 hour flight just got longer. We had to wait for the plane to be refueled and for them to fix the bathrooms. That's right folks, the bathrooms weren't working.  That would have made for a fun flight. Luckily, the flight wasn't full and there was a seat between myself and the guy sitting at the window. The flight went by quickly as I watched movies, played games on my iPad and slept somewhere in between.

Next stop: Sydney

As we flew over Sydney, I happened to peak out the window and saw Sydney Harbor with the Harbor Bridge standing guard next to the Opera House.  Wish I would have had the window seat so I could take a picture. Luckily, as we took off towards Canberra later on, I was able to get a picture of the Harbor Bridge and downtown Sydney.  Unfortunately, we were on the wrong side of downtown to see the Opera House too. Going through Sydney airport was an exercise in patience. Hurry up.... wait for luggage.  Hurry up..... go through  Quarantine.  Hurry up...... get bags to Domestic Transfers.  Hurry up..... catch a bus to the Qantas Domestic Terminal. Buy a sausage roll and flat white (means I'm officially back in Australia) and head to the gate to board my third and final flight of the day to my fourth airport of the day.

Next stop: Canberra (Canbre to the Aussies)
The flight was uneventful and all I saw were clouds. Finally, I'd landed at my final stop on a gray and windy day. Natalie, when she saw me, laughed when she saw me wearing sweat capris on a 7 degree day. We hauled my luggage to the car and I managed to not make a fool of myself and actually went to the proper side of the car. I'd hit a second (maybe third or fourth) wind and decided to go with Natalie to the school in the afternoon. My class to be (Year One) was very excited to see me. They all had lots of questions to ask and laughed at the funny words I used. They also informed me that we write the date wrong (July 6th, 2011) and that they would make sure that I learned the proper way (6th July, 2011). The also greeted me with: "Good afternoon, Miss Bendfeld. May God Bless You, you gorgeous thing." They sure know how to get on my good side.

A couple of Year Six girls took me on a tour of the school and I met some of the staff and some parents as well. Everyone is excited that their students will get the experience of having a Canadian to teach their kids.

In the evening, Natalie and I went out to the farm (her mom's house) for dinner. While eating, we watched the final game of the State of the Union (New South Wales vs. Queensland). Unfortanately for everyone in the house (Nat's brother and sister-in-law, and her mom's boyfriend), this was a terrible thing. By this time, I was done. We headed home, I crawled into the bed with it's heated blanket (YES!) and passed out.

My second day in the country has been less eventful. So far I've managed to have some toast (haven't attempted vegemite yet, though there is some in the cupboard), lots of tea and plugged myself back into the world. (Thanks for all the well-wishing on Facebook). I may head out for a walk later to check out what is nearby, but only after my GPS is charged up and ready to go.  Doris will need to lead me everywhere I go.  There are so many roundabouts that I truly have no idea where I am.

The itinerary for the next couple of days is to go back to the school for the last day of the term, go to Nat's going away party and find a car. This is going to be a fantastic year!