Lazy Sunday

Today we did a little bit of running around; however, afterwards I made a little concoction for lunch.
I don't know what it is but since coming to Oz, I have become more experimental with the foods that I eat.
For example:
Before coming to Oz, I wouldn't eat onions unless they were sauteed.
Now I eat raw onions (red and white) on anything.

I also didn't eat shrimp (although they call them prawns here).
Now I eat them all the time.

I didn't eat chickpeas.
Now I throw them in everything I cook.

I never tried lamb before.
Now I've probably eaten it about 8 times. Thank you Greek food!

So now that my taste buds have changed, I tend to make a lot of concoctions (it might also be because I am broke, or don't have access to a car to buy groceries on the regular ;)

Today's concoction:

Sauteed onions with two pieces of bacon
1 chopped sweet potato
A quarter of a green cabbage
A handful of raisins
A handful of chickpeas

Done and done.

It was delicious!

Then I started to look up games to play with the kids (my prep class).
And then I came across a play dough recipe and went ahead and made some.
I rock.

Such a cheap way to entertain kids.

All you need is Salt, Flour and Water!
(Creme of Tartar if you have it).

I will post a picture soon!

Rain or Shine..

After placement on Friday, I headed to the farm with Cait.

I was completely exhausted and by 9 pm, I was heading to bed.

Saturday rolled around and it was pouring. I didn't know how picking was going to go. 

We had pancakes and then waited around to see if the weather was going to change. Eventually we went out, in the pouring rain. Oh and did I mention that Oz is in Autumn and thus, freeeeezing at 20 degrees?

(Judge all you want but my body has become climatized with the heat - anything under 29 is cool - I don't know how I'll be in Canada, thankfully I'll be returning in summer).

So, off we went to the orchard to pick custard apples 

(Here is a website explaining what custard apples are and what they look like: http://www.custardapple.com.au/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=46&Itemid=53)

Again, it was pouring.

But after 4 hours, we managed to collect 20 boxes of them.

Done and dusted.

The weather is still crappy so after dinner, Cait and I headed home.

I'm $74 richer.

There's a first for everything...

Today I went into my placement and what happened, a child peed her pants.

There's a first for everything.

This weekend I am going back to the farm. Hopefully there is a lot more work!

A True Aussie Experience

Today, I went into my old practicum school to sit in with a prep class... I needed to observe what a prep class looks, acts and feels like.
My old practicum school is amazing. They are so talented.

I learned a lot and feel better about my coming placement.

ANYWAY...

After school (I was exhausted) but we had to go to the mall for computer ink.
Of course, I developed a blister on my heel from my shoes.. so I took my shoes off and walked around the mall barefoot, aussie style.

I can check that off my list ;)

Preps and Farm Work

This week went by fairly quickly.

Friday I had my first day at my new placement.  It was only an orientation day - to know where the school is, how to get around it, and to fill out papers and to meet my mentor teacher.

Last semester I helped teaching a Year 5 class in a Private school. My mentor teacher is now my friend. She is an amazing teacher and a great mentor teacher. We e-mail each other all the time, and we're even friends on facebook :P

This time, I am teaching prep (basically senior kindergarten). I didn't know what to expect because I was used to something completely different with my Year 5s. The school is very large. There are about 4-5 classes of each grade (insane!). They have assembly in the pine (tree) forest because their auditorium cannot host them all - haha. But it's a State School (public school) so the rules are a little more relaxed but the students are still really well behaved.
The preppies.... so after the paper work I got introduced to Prep C - The C represent what class in prep - because there are so many of them! My mentor teacher is a lot older than my previous one (my old mentor teacher was a year younger than me).
Because this is my second placement, they expect a lot out of you.  They basically throw over their class to you on the first day you arrive.
Right now, my placement hasn't started. We're doing orientation and make-up days right now. Because when my placement starts, there are three public holidays and legally, Teaching placements have to be for 31 days so we have to make those days up.  We all figured it's better to make those days up now, than after placement because we'll have assignments for Uni and we'll be packing up our lives from Oz.

So next week, I'll be back in the classroom.

I have to find fun, exciting and engaging ways to teach prep. I feel like they need it.

Friday night I finished an assignment and then headed to the farm . Saturday morning I started my work on the farm. I woke up at 6 am but there was too much fog and mist that we couldn't start until 8:30. Then it was time to:
a) learn what a custard apple was
b) how to pick it
c) when it was a right time to pick it
d) how to pack them

And how to avoid massive cob webs.

After 1.5 hours, Cait's mom called it quits because the apples weren't fully ready to be picked....so she made the call that next weekend, or even the weekend after would be better.

So my job was done. I got paid for the work I did and we headed home.
On the way, we saw a farmers market and I stocked up on some awesomely fresh veggies - a huge box filled for $16. It was a great deal.

So my farm girl experience wasn't a 100% success but it still happened!

haha

xx

Teaching Position...

So it looks like I'll be helping with PREP.
Which is basically Canada's equivalent of senior kindergarten.

It should be interesting.. I dunno how I feel about it.

But we'll see what happens.

Oh man, all the germs!

haha Jokkkeeeee

From City Girl to Farm Girl

...this girl got a (casual) job on a farm!

Cait's parents (my roommate's parents) live on a farm. It's custard apple season and they asked Cait if she knew of anyone looking for a job - BINGO.
I will be helping on the weekends to pick or pack fruit.

Lets see how this goes.

My first shift - Saturday.

14 days... Sorry!!

It was brought to my attention that I haven't 'blogged' in 14 days -Whoops! Sorry

There really hasn't been anything too exciting to post.

Let me back track....

Easter Weekend:
My roommate is from Ireland. A lot of people have since left Ireland and have gone travelling - a lot of them end up in Oz. Neve started travelling 3 years ago when she backpacked Oz for a year. A lot of Irish people end up living in Brisbane or Sydney.  Anyway, she invited a couple up for Easter weekend. It was brilliant. They are awesome. Neve travelled with the girl and the girl met an Irish boy in Sydney and they've been dating for the past two years. They did a lot of sight seeing things but they were just so awesome to have around.
Easter was Sunday. Neve also had a friend from NZ coming to visit on Sunday-Sunday. And then she invited 3 other Irish people from Brisbane for dinner..... actually she went to school with two of them back in Ireland.

We made two roasted chickens and threw in 4 drum sticks as well. Then we roasted a bunch of veggies too. It worked out perfectly...  Irish-Aussie-Canadian-New Zealander Easter dinner. After the gang ate, most went down to the beach - it was perfect haha
Oh - I also made a loaf of banana bread - and nailed it!! It was a hit!!

Sunday night we all started to have some beers and then went to the bar. We danced the night away! It was a great day/night!!

This past week I have been off school.  It was mid-semester break.
But the weather wasn't that great (and I cannot afford to travel anymore) so I didn't do much. Oh, I got into a book.
When I was travelling, I went into a used book store and bought "Nineteen Minutes" by Jodi Picoult and never got around to reading it. It was too big to take travelling... so I found it in my closet and got addicted to it. It's a decent sized book and I couldn't put it down.  If you haven't read it - do!

The only thing I didn't like, was the very end. There are two paragraphs where I literally had to read them twice, and then out loud to understand correctly. Even then, I had to clarify with my roommate to make sure I was understanding it correctly. Poorly written - or something.

Anyway, that is basically what my week consisted of.  How exciting!

Next week we're back into the classroom to learn and I'm in two different schools to help teach - volunteering.
Three more weeks of University - then practicum starts!

Tonight my roommate and I are watching Home Alone! haha It's on TV - in the middle of April!! How weird!

xx