Melbourne

This afternoon I am leaving for a trip to Melbourne. I am heading Tuesday - Tuesday.

The plan is to see the Great Ocean Road and Philip Island (Penguin Tour).  The rest of the week, we're not too sure but I am sure Melbourne has more to offer :)

Last night I went on a booze cruise for my friend's birthday.  A couple of my friends work on a boat where they serve you a seafood dinner or lunch and then travel around the water for 2 hours. Because it was one of their birthdays, their manager suggested they take the boat out for a 2 hour stroll, and serve booze at a cheaper rate (everything was $5).

It was great fun. We brought our own iPod and had the music blasting and the canal  we went on allowed for us to view some mansions! I would do the cruise again during the day to scope them out (more).

Here's a picture of the fun:
There's one Aussie, 4 Germans and a bunch of Canadians.

Gotta go pack - we only booked this trip last night at 11 PM (it's now 9:45 AM) eeks!! :)
See you in a week!! xoxox

New Address - CORRECTION

1-5 Douglas Street
Mooloolaba, Queensland
4557
Australia

Don't forget unit 1

:)

Bitter Sweet...

This has been a crazy, busy couple of weeks!

We finished school on Thursday (then celebrated all day/night), Friday (graduation for my friends, then a graduation gathering at night), Saturday (volunteered with my old school all day), Sunday (moved, lawn bowling and then went out for some karaoke), Monday (finished moving, cleaned old place, gathered new things for apt., then going on a boat cruise for a friend's bday).

It has been bitter sweet these past two weeks.

We all finished school but that just meant that more than half of my closest friends are now heading back to Canada (they started here in February - I started in July).  I know I'll see a lot of them back in Canada but it's just sad because you become so close to people here (at an insanely rapid pace because of our circumstances). They've been amazing with me - giving me everything they cannot take home. But I'm paying it forward - giving heaps of it away to my friends who are still here for another 5months. We have a thing here, we pass around collections of DVDs (series etc.) and then pass it to someone else, but before you can give it away, you have to make them promise to pay it forward to and pass the along to the next person. It's a great thing to do out here - especially because a) we're students and cheap and b) things are expensive here (internet and buying DVDs) so free is great!

Tomorrow I'm planning on going down to Melbourne (that is another thing I have to do today - PLAN THAT TRIP!!).

More to come ...

Finally DONE!

Today was my last day at University - to wrap up the first semester.

We had a 5 minute (basically everyone spoke for 10-20 minutes) presentation on their prac. experience.

I am officially on SUMMER VACATION! (even though it's still considered spring).

Here's a picture my friend sent me from that weekend when I went to Beerwah for a friend's birthday:
The camera is awesome - makes us all look so dark! However the three days before this picture was taken, the weather was BEAUTIFUL!!

These ladies are leaving me next within the next couple of weeks :( They all joined USC in February (the cohort I was supposed to be in but chickened out).

They're a great group of ladies!  Their graduation is this Friday!

I move on Sunday - BOOYAH!

New..

New address until the end of January:

5 Douglas Street
Mooloolaba, Queensland, Australia
4557

Happy Holidays!! 

xx

I DID IT!!

This morning I had another maths test.

And the marks are already out..... 95%


How amazing! I was so excited! It's great because my friends who I met who are graduating this Friday (they started this course in February), well they needed to pass this test (over 80%) in order to graduate - so what great news!!!

Tomorrow I will be working on my teaching portfolio - something I have to present to the University Thursday morning. It's all about prac., my teaching style, methods and what I learned. It shouldn't be too hard, just a lot of reflecting and writing.

Then I will be packing up. I will be moving out of my current place, and into my new one on Sunday/Monday.

Friday I am attending the graduation. Then there's an after party / gathering that night.
Saturday I will be packing and cleaning and hopefully going to the beach ;)
Sunday I'll move some stuff and then we're going lawn bowling (third time).  A lot of parents are visiting for the holidays, or even to watch their child's graduation (and then they're going travelling a little before all going back to Canada together), so there will be 24 people bowling with us next weekend! Should be fun!

No longer homeless!

WOOHOOOOO I found a place to live for the summer and it's in Mooloolaba!

Mooloolaba is right on the coast - the ocean is literally a 5 minute walk from my new place.  Then I have Coles (the grocery store) a 7 minute walk (and my friend is donating a shopping trolly to me - yes, grama style).

Here are some pictures that were in the ad: Clearly when I went to view it, it was a little messier but it was still clean. The living/common areas are cleaned by cleaners (perfect).
The set up: It's one big house with two floors. The first floor is occupied by the landlord (wife, husband and children). Upstairs is divided into two apartments (cut a house vertically). Each space has three bedrooms, 1 bath/toilet and living space. We also have a balcony.

 Living Room and Kitchen:

 Another view of the living room - includes a TV and laundry in the basement. That's a deck through the window WITH A BBQ!! I hope it's a real BBQ and not a hot plate (which they have here EVERYWHERE). But the cross breeze will be nice because this deck faces the ocean (however there's a big building in front of me - but I am sure if I bent my body over the left side, I'd see water :P )

Past the kitchen is a hallway that leads to three bedrooms and one bathroom. Here in Oz the toilet and shower are in different rooms - works well when you have more than one person sharing the space.  

In the basement, where the landlord lives, is the shared ('free') laundry space & storage rooms.

The girl currently living in my room is leaving this weekend. I am kicked out of my place on Monday but the landlord of my new place said I can start moving things in on Sunday. 

Things things: Here is the closest to 'ketchup' they have.  Yes, it's HEINZ but it doesn't taste the same. 

Oh and it's called 'tomato sauce' here. Mom and friends, I barely use it. It's a shock!! This is my first bottle and I only bought it 3 weeks ago.  If you know me, you know I put ketchup on EVERYTHING and I use heaps of it! I reckon I should mail some of this home for everyone to try.  How does everyone like the terminology I just used ;) Just keeping you on your toes!! 

DONZO!

Prac. is finally over.  So exciting!

The kids were so cute with me on Friday....I received some Christmas cards and 'goodbye' cards.
Then I received things that completely shocked me.

A girl came up to me and handed me a (real) Christmas stocking. It broke my heart. She said to me "Because you're here for Christmas"..... then reality hit - Yes, I am. I am in Oz for Christmas, without a stocking or tree.  It was so adorable and the best thing ever!
I also received some chocolates and cookies - haha
My mentor teacher gave me two packages of Tim Tams, Aussie stickers, 3 packs of merit stickers, and some marking pens.

It was a great day though - it went by super quickly.
I already asked to go back and volunteer next semester (I have Wednesday and Fridays off). They agreed. I am also volunteering next Saturday at their annual fair. Should be good.

This is the shuttle we took - 2 times a day, for 6 weeks. We were extremely happy to be done! Champagne for everyone :)

Some of the loot on the bus... and drinks of course.  And yes, it's legal to drink in a car, as long as you aren't the driver.

Yesterday after looking at an apartment,  went to the beach.  We found this (dead) blow fish. INSANE!  Yes, those big things are his eyes... and he had lips!!

Last day....

Tomorrow is my last day with my grade 5s.

I have another lesson tomorrow but it isn't really a lesson - it's games in the afternoon.

I taught them poems so tomorrow afternoon I am putting them in groups, and having them make a poem for why I should stay in Australia to teach; or why I should stay in Australia for the holidays/summer.
We'll share them with the group and then the winners will get a prize.

The second game is trivia - about things we learned, about things they learned about me, and about Canada.
The team with the most points, win.

The third game is going to be 2 truths and a lie.
Each team will have to think of 2 truths and a lie and ask the rest. One group at a time will answer... group with the most points win a prize.

The others are just fun random games.

Words on the board, they have to pronounce it to find what it is actually saying:
Sand Tackle Laws  - Santa Claus
My Gulch Hoard Un - Michael Jordan
etc.

Then there are others.

Fun - fun!

I also got the students a little grab bag to thank them for the semester.
A Canada pencil, a rubber (eraser), small gel pen and a couple of lollies (lolly pops).

A student actually came up to me today and said her and her mom bought me something - how adorable!!

final days...

Today is my last lesson in my grade 5 class.
Tomorrow is my last day in my grade 5 class.

Tuesday I have a test at the University and Thursday I present my portfolio to my teachers (what I learned from my experience).

It's all wrapping up...... then it's summer! :)

3 more days!!

3 more days of prac. and then I'm doneeeeeeeeeee

I had a realization today.
I am living in Australia!!

Why?

Because there's a gecko in my living.

It's a common thing here :(
(there's currently a towel under my door).

Weekend Wrap up

5 MORE DAYS OF PRAC.!!!!

Next week starts my last week teaching 5NB (the name of my class). It's going to be a little bitter sweet. The kids are really (really) warming up to me and excited to share stories and feelings with me - that's great to experience because then you realize that they respect and like you. 

Every day that passes, the more the kids are getting more and more comfortable with me. I have this one student, a boy who I am constantly reminding to tuck in his shirt (uniform, boys shirts have to be tucked in). I bet with him that if I didn't have to remind/tell him to tuck his shirt in (for the next 7 days), then he'd get something special from me (all the kids are getting something from me when I leave on Friday).

It's fun though. He comes into class, and as soon as he sees me, he corrects or double checks his uniform... I have the power ; )

On Friday I crashed really early - I have been watching Burn Notice (on DVD) so I've been busy watching this series and happened to fall asleep watching it at 6 pm LOL  I woke up at 9 and watched some more episodes. Needless to say, Friday was a write off.

Saturday I did some errands and made birthday cupcakes for a friend then by 5 PM we were headed to Beerwah for a birthday celebration. 

Here are some facts about the town of Beerwah: http://www.beerwah.org/beerwah-queensland.html 

Every 2nd Saturday of the month, this bar/bistro/motel has a live band and it's country night. So my friends are all country go-ers so we went for one of their birthdays. 

BUCKLIST accomplishment: 

I rode the train (to get to Beerwah)!!!! 

Once we arrived we checked out where we'd be spending the night. Picture a bar, with local bikers and on top, a Bed & Breakfast. That is where we were staying. There was 14 of us. We had about 4 rooms. most rooms had a double and single bed. One room slept 5 people. It was fun. Each room also had the beds and a sink (shared bathroom and showers). The upstairs also had a shared 'kitchen' (with fridge, microwave and a table). After eating a good dinner at the Bistro part of the place, we headed to the kitchen area for some fun 'get to know you' games.  It was a lot of fun. Then we headed to the bar where there was about 20 people in the place - including 14 of us :P

The music was a lot slower than we expected - we couldn't dance. So we just hung around and chatted. Overall, it was a good night.

Then we woke up this morning to miss the train and have to wait hours for the next one.

Now, lesson planning.

5 MORE DAYS OF PRAC.... then two more days of university ;)

 

The kids laughed at me today....

Today, during my maths lesson the kids laughed at me.

What happened was I was trying to find sticky tack to hang up a shape (and mumbled, where is the sticky tack), and the kids lost it.

"Miss Costa it's called BLUE TACK"

Me: "Humm, no... it's sticky = sticky tack".

Kids: "It's blue = blue tack".

I had to tell her to be quiet so I could continue teaching my lesson.

HAHA

This just in...

Queensland (the state I am living in) is the only State to NOT go through a time change.

Therefore, we are now 15 hour ahead of Canada.

Chew on that!


Also, I'm not sure where I'll be living next semester so unless you're sending me something today or tomorrow *EXPRESS* then please wait until I have found a place to live.

Thanks :)

This week in teaching news...

This week it's swimming lessons.

What does that mean? Well at 12:35 the school day finishes and the kids eat, run around and then go to swimming until 2:45 - then school ends at 3PM.

So I teach in the mornings and do some marking or planning while the students are swimming - we load a bus and drive there. Then the teachers hand over the students to the swimming instructors for 45 minutes of swimming lessons.

Today, a girl got out of the water because she wasn't feeling well (happens everyday). While we were sitting there I got asked:
"Miss Costa, how do you become a millionaire?"
Me: Well, you have to work really hard at something, win the lottery, or invent something - something like that.
Her: "how much does a mansion cost?"
Me: A good one, millions.

Her: *sigh*

haha

Lawn Bowling = CHECK!

Today I went lawn bowling.

But lets back up before I get into those details ;)
(I feel like I'm narrating an episode of 'How I Met Your Mother')

On Friday I went for dinner (no nachos were served at that bar - boo). So instead we shared a pizza (not the greatest - Tandoori Chicken) and a caesar salad (awful - the dressing isn't made like back home). Then I  had two drinks and we just hung out and chatted.

Home and in bed by 12:30.

Saturday I went to the beach - up and at it at 7am - beach by 11. It was a gorgeous day - best one I've experienced (on the beach).  I left there around 3 and headed to a friends house where we were working on experiments/lessons. What she is going to do (she teaches grade 1s) is have the class make their own decorations for the christmas tree. I totally have some from when we were little - they're made from salt and flour (little water), and you bake them after you cut the shape out....then paint them. Soooo easy and the cost was only $4.
Then she's also doing gingerbread houses (made out of cookies) and having the kids decorate their own with their own supply of candies. This cost was about $40.

They are a great little thing to make with kids - sooo simple!

After that I came home and then went out for a couple of drinks and a couple of hours of dancing!!
The bar we went to was really small but nice...EXCEPT the drinks were way too expensive! My friend ordered two beers and it cost $18!!! So we didn't stay for too long (then I hopped into a cab and came home while some of my other friends went to another bar and came home at 4am this morning). haha

LAWN BOWLING!
It was another beautiful day! Lawn bowling started at 2pm so we were dead smack in the middle of the heat. It was a lot of fun. 6 girls came out, we had 3 on 3. Let me set the stage here (another 'How I met your mother' moment): We walked in and saw a sign that said, "no thongs (flipflops), singlets (tank tops)," etc.  I was wearing thongs and a singlet. This Bowls club is trying to make this club all fancy and having a dress code. Turns out I was ok - until we started....more to come.

We were told that we'd be mixed in with the 'pros' but I guess that didn't go over well so we ended up playing against each other. This was still fun because we were able to hang out (the girls I went with today, they're leaving in December because they started school in February, so their year here is almost up. We were explained the rules, and some tips and off we went. It was neat. Not really like bocce ball, or like bowling. The ball has more of a weight on one side, so you have to roll it out, in order for the spin to work properly... and you have to remember to hold the ball a certain way, or else the spin will go in the opposite direction.  In the end, my team won :)

So this is where I got in trouble. I went into the 'club house' for some water (as it was probably in the 30s today and I was dying of thirst) and I walked in barefoot. Let me explain something, here in Oz, you walk around barefoot any and everywhere. You see people walking around barefoot in the grocery store - anything goes!  So we're lawn bowling without shoes on, so I walk in the club house without my flip flops on. Turns out - BAD MOVE!  An older lady (probably in her 80s), sitting on her walker stopped me. She pointed out that I was not supposed to be in there without shoes on. So I told her I would go out and grab them and come back in - she was thankful I was so polite. Sure Lady. Anything.

So we won. Then at the end of the game, everyone goes inside (it's now 4:30). Everyone's name goes into a hat and there are door prizes.  I got called third. I go up to pick (off the table) and notice it's all food items HAHA It's awesome and so cute. Just random things. So I grabbed a bag of Mars Bars (haha - thank you halloween). Then it turned out that everyone we came with won something too. It ranged from chocolate bars, to pancake mix & syrup, instant noodles, nuts etc.

Overall, it was a good way to spend a Sunday afternoon, and $5.

Pictures: My team had the yellow and red balls.
Form:

The pitch:

 the girls after 2.5 hours of lawn bowling...

The girls and our mentor teacher.... haha after we all won something ;) 

4 weeks down... 2 to go

SO EXCITING!

We've completed more than we have left (of prac.).

This week was good - the challenge was teaching more (and maths class - everyday). My teacher is making me do it again next week.

I also had a poetry lesson today - rhyming couplets.  I even wrote my own:
(don't judge - they're grade 5s) hahaha
A boy in my class

There once was a boy with crazy blue eyes 

His smile was great and he made good pies. 

He had lots of friends 

And loved to play on the weekends.

He was a kid who walked with a cane 

Yet he had no shame. 

He was a boy in my class

Who had a lot of sass. 

His name was Jake

And he also owned a pet snake.


Then I made them think of a base word, and then we found some rhyming words to go with it ... and then they were off to make their own poem.  I must say, after I collected their books, and marked them - I was really proud of my lesson and their work.  I might take some pictures of them at a later date :)


Tonight I am going for some nachos and drinks at a local pub (they shuttle you home after - haha).  Sunday I will be lesson planning - I have another week filled with maths lessons (AND in the afternoon, the kids are out of school, swimming - they swim, I watch or help with homework with the kids who don't / aren't swimming).


Have a great weekend!


Happy Wedding Day (on Saturday), Jenny and Ryan!
xoxoox

I'm an old teacher...

I signed up for an afternoon of LAWN BOWLING on Sunday.

That'll be an interesting post.

Go me! haha

It's $5 and a couple of games.


It's huge here in Australia... and then after we warm up, and play a game, we'll then get mixed in with regular (old) people who will hate us for being 'new'. haha It'll be a special treat!

p.s. I feel like i mailed a post card to my grandmother (dad's side) without putting her address on it - perhaps i am getting old.



HAPPY BIRTHDAY EMMA!! xoxox

Lice... Yikes!

This week I've been wearing my hair up - being lazy.

But today I found out that a child who has been away most of this week, has head lice :(

Not cool.

Not cool.

Before prac. started, we all joked about lice (well not really joked, but spoke about it and were scared about getting it).

So now it's going around my school - I've heard of three students getting it (one in my class).

Lice and the flu.

WORST EVER!

3.5 weeks down...2.5 to go

EXCITING!


I've completed more days in practicum than I have left... Wooohooo! 
I might have said this already, but it isn't that I don't enjoy what I'm doing, it's just so out of our control (the bus getting there and back, the times we teach, the lessons we teach, the days we're teaching), that it'd be nice to be finished and able to relax ... haha  It's also because summer vacation is starting when prac. is done :)


I think teaching is largely based upon your mentor teacher (the teacher you're assisting). Mine is excellent - thankfully. I just think you can do sooo much more when you have your own class... or even when you go into a classroom in term 1 (the beginning of the year), instead of term 4 (end of the year) - like what I'm experiencing.
I actually brought 'homework' home tonight... assessment marking. The poor kids do at least 2 tests a day (end of the year stuff).


Today was interesting though....it was really hands on and I am mentally drained!
I was working with a specific child all morning doing assessments. We're trying to figure out his reading and writing levels and so I had to proctor all these tests on him - make him read a book, make him read a ton of words (every correct give a tick (check), every wrong, X and if three or more are wrong, then move onto the next assessment), make him write out (in 10 minutes) all the words he knows etc.  It was endless. I think we did this for almost 1.5 hours - the poor kid. 
Then we had to write a health and SOSE test - haha lucky him.
It's the health test that I took home tonight - my teacher gave it to me because I taught the health unit so she thinks my knowledge of the topic is greater than hers (or at least she likes to think that).


I'm hoping this weekend is nice - I'd love to hit up the beach. I haven't been in WEEKS - which is really strange for me.


Nothing else is going on and I'm sorry my posts are really boring and don't relate to anything Australian - at least not in the travel type - but this is the life of a starving teacher :P


What I've learned:
Australians don't say a 'check mark', they say 'tick'.
They write time as 5.50PM instead of 5:50PM
Torch = flashlight
They round up when you're paying for something - if it's $8.96, it's $9
When you order pizza, the delivery cost is $8 (BECAUSE they don't tip here so I would assume both tip and delivery cost are included in that). I've started making my own pizza
Keen = Excited
Avro = Afternoon


:)