Uluru and Kata Tjuta - aka Life on Mars

Michael and I spent a few days in the real outback. It was about 100 degrees fahrenheit every day we were there, and it's not even the height of summer yet. Luckily the mornings and evenings were comfortable, though. We biked completely around Uluru and did the Valley of the Winds hike through/around Kata Tjuta. There was very little wildlife and very little water; we mostly saw red soil and brown plants. Desert sunrise, sunset, and rainbows can be spectacular. Michael was able to test out his time-lapse photography skills and hopefully some videos will be coming in the near future. 

It was interesting to be in the desert for a few days, but I am happy to be back in Sydney's climate once again. The town of Yulara, where we stayed, did not have very many food options, so I'm happy to be back in the land of cafes too. 

Another Thanksgiving has come and gone in our absence. As many do these days, I find the origin of the holiday ironic, but I still enjoy the simple idea of being thankful and spending time with friends and family - so I hope everyone had an enjoyable time! I'm hoping and planning that this is the last Thanksgiving we'll miss due to being overseas.

A Cautionary Tale

Growing up, just about every teacher I had told us to never tip in our chairs or else we would fall and bust your head open. Yesterday in my classroom, that actually happened!

A boy was obviously tipping forward in his chair (even he claims he wasn't), slid off the front of his chair, and gashed his nose on the corner of his desk. He definitely needed stitches, and I'm not sure if his nose was broken or if he even had a mild concussion. He was a little shaken up, but the whole affair was relatively calm, all things considered. It was the end of the day anyway, so I sent him to the office holding half a box of tissues over his nose with two of his buddies.

So there you have it. Vicarious lesson learned. 

Wattamolla Rocks!

After a sweltering end to last week, we had a relatively cool weekend. The first half we spent catching up with friends. I discovered a new brunch place I love, Henley's Wholefoods. Everything was really delicious and healthy. t's also kind of hidden on a back street at Bondi Junction, so one feels special for being in the know about it. 

Sunday we went to Wattamolla, a hidden gem we'd stumbled upon during the Royal National Park Coastal Track hike. This time we got a big car share van and brought along five our friends. 

View looking at the rocks.

View looking out from on top of the rocks

Despite the cool breeze, we spent some time in the water and several people in our group jumped off the rocks. Lots of GoPro footage was taken; hopefully it will get edited in the not-too-distant future so I can post some. We also had a nice picnic and played our favorite party game, Telestrations. We finished off the fun day with Thai dinner at Bangkok Bites in Newtown. 

Another delightful weekend has come and gone. It doesn't feel like it should almost be Thanksgiving.

From Bust to Jackpot

As usual, I was in polar opposite classroom settings this week. The week began with me working at a special needs school. My class was composed of teenage boys who could barely read and write, one whose alter ego was Inspector Clousseau, and two of whom could not communicate verbally. One of the boys literally sat on the floor and chewed his socks for an hour. One had to be taken out several times by the aide to jump on a trampoline so he would stop yelling and hitting other students. I got through the day fine, but didn't feel like I had particularly accomplished much with the kids, and my fingers are crossed that I never have to go back. I have the patience to deal with that kind of environment on occasion, but I don't know how some people do it every day. 

Yesterday I subbed in a new school, and I felt like I had hit the jackpot of all classes. It was a year one and two class of children who were specifically picked for that class because they were motivated and independent learners. Before I even met the kids, the other teachers were telling me, "Oh, they're just lovely". And they were! They were brighter than many kids I have taught in years four, five, and six. They were relaxed and easy going even though there were quite a few changes in plan throughout the day, they had had good senses of humor, they could actually follow instructions, and they were actually helpful to me and to each other (as opposed to all the kids who try to pull the wool over my eyes and muck up). The worst thing a kid tried to do was take extra worksheets when he thought I wasn't looking. Kid, if you want to keep yourself occupied for hours on end, I will not stop you. The most disciplining I had to do all day was say, "Please sit down". 

Because these kids were so well-behaved, I was able to be really productive with them. I could actually help the kids that were trying really hard and still needed guidance. And, when they finished their work they already had books to read and projects to keep working on that they actually seemed to enjoy. 

The icing on the cake was the air conditioning. Not every class in this school had air conditioning, some (or even most, I'm not sure) had fans. There wasn't even AC in the teachers' lounge. This just also seemed like an added unfairness to the other teachers - not only do they not get to teach the class of angels all day, they also have to feel more uncomfortable on hot days. And it was in the 90's yesterday. 

I left the school with mountains of energy left, instead of running on fumes like I can sometimes feel towards the end of a normal work week. 

The odds are low that I will end up with that class again before the end of the year, but you never know. I suppose it's just nice to be in a class that is really thriving, and not just holding it together to finish out the year, like most. 

And so ends another week of subbing. Along the way we got third place at trivia, I won a frisbee game, and I lost a frisbee game. I suppose it all evens out in the end.

The Owl and Billy Carts

It was our first weekend in the Sydney area in three weeks, and of course we spent it all over town.

One highlight was spotting the barn owl in Centennial Park, with help. We had heard it had been seen, but finding it is another thing altogether.

Also in the park, Red Bull was holding their annual billy cart race. It was a silly affair that really just tries to get everyone hyped up to buy their drinks. Our favorite entry into the race was the Spaceballs themed one.

We ended the weekend with a small dinner party at a friend's place. Good times.

Oz Travels Photo Dump

Here are some more pics from our travels around Oz with my family...

Signed print from PAX AUS

Hanging out with cockatoos and rosellas in the Dandenong Ranges

A very low-visibility visit to Echo Point

Fun at the Whitsundays and Great Barrier Reef

2 Weeks, 3 States

Victoria

The last two weeks have been very busy. We went to PAX AUS in Melbourne. Also in Melbourne, we met up with my family and celebrated my mom's birthday with my cousins who live there. We also discovered our favorite Australian restaurant, Chin Chin. 

New South Wales

We came back to Sydney to work for a few days. My parents and brother spent a few soggy days wandering the city, and we took a fun day trip to the Blue Mountains. We hit the usual favorite spots despite very foggy/slightly drizzly weather: The Yellow Deli, Echo Point, upper Leura Cascades, and The Treasured Teapot. 

Queensland

Next stop: Airlie Beach and the Whitsunday Islands. We had two great day trips that included snorkeling in the Great Barrier Reef. There were no unusual sealife sightings, just lots of pretty, colorful fish of all sizes. The largest one we saw was a grouper that was about three meters long (from the boat, not while we were in the water)! The last day while my family relaxed, Michael and I went on a jetski tour. He tried his hardest manoeuvring (is that really how that's spelled, spellcheck?) to throw me off, to no avail.

We spent my family's last night eating at another one of our favorite restaurants back in Sydney, Pony. Now they are en route back to the US and we are chilling out.