Enough complaining

Before I get into what is going on with me, let's just point out the fact the Nichole is a nerd. We are on the other side of the planet and she is interested in WASL scores?

Now as for me, I am starting to really appreciate my work. First of all, the hours are OK. I figured out the other day that I work 24 hours a week. Second, the money is good because they pay teachers a bit more. So, I'm making about the same as I was in Washington as a full time teacher. Finally, the experience is great! I've gotten better at dealing with the Australian students. They are rowdy buggers but fun. Here are some interesting bits about the teaching here:

-They say f*ck an awful lot... I hear that word about 6-7 times a day, they always apologize but it just isn't as big of a deal here.
-They all have either mullets or rat tails. No kidding! (obviously not the kids at the Jewish school, they got the little curly sideburns)

-They think everything in America is HUGE. They ask about super size at McDonalds all the time. "How big is it??? Do you really get 2 liters of soda, and a bucket of fries?"

-They think every American has a gun and shoots eachother. They ask: "Do you own a gun?" "Can you really just walk into Big W and buy a hand-gun?" "Have you ever been shot at?"
-They think Celebrities are all over the place. "Do you know any celebrities" is usually the first question they ask once they hear my accent. On a side note, I do know one... The guy who did the dragon's burp on Shrek (Uncle Spook!)
- Multi-cultural here means multi-cultural (not just Mexican). I was in a school the other day and I was talking with students from Sudan, Serbia, Turkey, South Africa, Ethiopia, and Egypt... All in the same classroom!!!
-They call teachers "sir" and "ma'am" almost exclusively. For example a student said the other day: "Sir, that student is an asshole... he is always mucking around"
-They are not afraid to fight. Punching a classmate in the face is like punching a buddy in the shoulder, and it doesn't lead to a real fight.
-They actually expect subs to do a bit of work. No pop the movie in and read the paper. I actually taught a great lesson on the Afghanistan situation the other day. I loved it!
-Students cannot use the machines in the wood shop. Hand tools only, this is a state law.

I'm sure I'll come up with more as I remember things but hopefully this gives a little glimpse of the typical day. On a side note, I found a great site about Aussie questions here: http://humour.200ok.com.au/aussie_tourism.html Check it out.

One other thing, Nikki's team (the North Melbourne Kangaroos) finished the regular season in 6th place, while the Western Bulldogs (my team) finished in 3rd. Playoffs start next week. Stay tuned!

The results are in and we rocked...

Okay, so this has nothing to do with being in Australia, but I still wanted to share the exciting news. One of my colleagues emailed me with the results from the 2008 10th grade science WASL (Washington's standardized test) and our students did a great job. The state average was 39.7%, the Sumner School District average was 48.1%, and the Sumner High School average was (drum roll please)... 57.5%! According to Boe, one member of the fabulous 10th grade science trio, the article in the paper that listed the results showed one other school at about 56% and the rest were below 50%, so we really rocked!!!

Prenatal testing and PGD...

Both of my bioethics classes this week focused on prenatal testing and PGD (genetic testing done on IVF embryos), which are two of my favorite bioethics topics. In one of my classes we discussed the issues of public policy and legislation regarding these procedures; in the other class we discussed the ethics of these procedures, spending a lot of time on the disability rights activists' critique that these procedures are discriminatory because they lead to selective abortion or non-implantation of disabled embryos. I really enjoyed being able to approach the same topic from two different angles, and to get the Australian perspective on this topic, especially since Australians are not nearly as PC as Americans.

As a side note, I also learned something new about America, which has been happening quite a bit lately. Many of the articles that I read pointed to Martha's Vineyard as a prime example of disabilities being socially constructed. Apparently in the 1800's and early 1900's, Martha's Vineyard had a large deaf population. The deaf and hearing created an inclusive, cohesive community in which they worked together, intermarried, and communicated through sign language (it's even said that, at times, the hearing used sign language to communicate with other hearing). As the economy changed from farming, in which the deaf could easily participate, to tourism, the deaf moved to the mainland for work and the community slowly dissipated. Anyway, I found the example to be quite fascinating. There's a lot of information online if you're interested, and here's a link to a short NPR broadcast about a play that was written about Martha's Vineyard (http://www.npr.org/templates/story/story.php?storyId=6254177).

They say opposites attract...

And after reading Mark's last two blogs, I agree with them. First, public transport isn't nearly as bad as he makes it out to be. It's nice to read or get work done on the way to school, which is something that I wouldn't be able to do if I actually had to pay attention to the road. And, if I'm a little late, it's nice to be able to blame it on public transport. Unlike Mark, I've only been a couple minutes late here a few times, whereas I was late quite a bit when I commuted to Seatac because the traffic and timing were so unpredictable. Second, I am not looking forward to NFL season. One would think that moving to the other side of the world might put a damper on football, but not with my husband, oh no. In fact, it's almost made it worse because now he's going to be setting the alarm clock to wake up at crazy times to watch the games or do fantasy football stuff (he even set his draft to start at 1 am on a Monday morning).

I'm a little excited for the NFL season!

The footy season here is holding me over well but it is no NFL. I would like to take this moment to really appreciate the internet. I watched the Bears preseason game the other day (live). Moreover, I can download it within 24 hours and watch it in full 1080 HD! Isn't that glorious? I am on the other side of the planet of my precious Chicago Bears and yet I heard the Kyle Orton/Rex Grossman news as quick as if I was in Chicago. Also, I listen to 5-6 different Chicago sports talk shows every morning on the way to work (podcasts). By the way Nixon, I loved your philosophical comment on to my wife's last blog.
I participated in my first of three fantasy football drafts yesterday. Which will keep me in touch with three different groups of friends. Anyone back in the States can call my or Nikki's cell phone to talk football and it will reach us here (call in the evenings please). And this blog right here is a great way to check in with everyone on their own terms. This is when my nerd side really helps out. Thank goodness my cool side is just so overpowering you wouldn't even know I had the nerd side.

p.s. I'd like to make an early prediction on the NFL season. I predict the Bears going 19-0 and winning the Super Bowl. You heard it here first!

Love your car

If I have learned anything from this trip it is no doubt that I appreciate getting in the car and driving somewhere. Sure, traffic sucks sometimes but at least you can see what is stopping you, you know that eventually you will move. You sometimes have options to take an exit and try something else. Standing there waiting for a bus/tram/train and wondering whether it will ever come is miserable.
Mass transportation really sucks. In 7 years at Fife, I was never late for class. Last week I was late twice.
On Tuesday, I sat at the bus stop that is supposed to have a bus every 13 minutes for 30 minutes. I ended up being 10 minutes late when I planned on being 15 minutes early. When leaving school that very night, I waited for 25 minutes and eventually gave up and walked to the train station.
Friday moring I was in Flinders station which is the main station in Melbourne and the screens (that tell you the next arriving trains) all went haywire. Nothing seem to work, so about 10,00 people trying to get to work were just sitting around. Also on Friday, after a particularly bad group of Aussie hellions, it took me 2 and 1/2 hours to get home on a trip that would've taken 33 minutes by car! The level of pissed was beyond that of any traffic jam on I-5 I have ever dealt with.
A few weeks ago, the tram I was riding on hit a car, so here I am about 10km away from home and no idea which way to go, and the tram is stuck there. Eventually I wandered to a train station but what a pain!
On a more positive note, I have learned how to make curry... my new love. And I found some beautiful beers thanks to hanging with a Brit that I work with at the Jewish school. We agreed that the Aussie beer lacked a bit so he showed me some "proper English bitters".

Does the learning curve ever end...

Just when I think that I've got things figured out when it comes to life in Oz, I learn something new. Today, unfortunately, I learned something new the hard way. I learned that dishwashing liquid is actually dish soap, not liquid dishwasher detergent. Now, if you've ever put dish soap in a dishwasher, you know what happens and are probably having a laugh at my expense- you're welcome. If you've never made this mistake, then picture a dishwasher so full of bubbles that it can only relieve itself by leaking sudsy water all over the kitchen floor. To add to the situation, picture this happening in a country with very expensive linens :) Needless to say, when I go to the store, I will be sure to ask for the dishwashing liquid that is designed for dishwashers!

To be or not to be...

That is the question of my Value Theory philosophy class. Actually, the question is more to bring into being or not to bring into being, and neither of the outlooks is promising. We spent the first part of the semester focusing on bringing people into the world, but that leads to what the philosophers call the Repugnant Conclusion (because it is truly repugnant) that it is always better to have more people even if their lives are barely worth living. Now we are discussing not bringing people into the world, because as two of the philosophers that we read this week argue, it is always harmful to come into being. The argument as I understand it (which isn't saying much) is that only a living person can be harmed, which is bad, or benefited, which is good, while a person that does not exist cannot be harmed, which is good, or benefited, which is not bad. Comparing these two conditions gives existence a bad and a good and nonexistence a good and a not bad; a good and a not bad are better than a bad and a good, therefore it is better to not come into existence- thanks mom and dad! But seriously, who comes up with this stuff?!

Just like an authentic Aussie!

Sure the beer is ridiculous but the food is friggin' great! And I came to the conclusion last night that I am gonna drink my beer regardless of price. I know that sounds like crazy talk for those of you who know how ridiculously cheap I am, but dammit... some days I deserve it! Anyway, back to the food. As you can see in the footy picture, I am eating a meat pie and a drinking a beer. This is like brats at a Packer game... when you go to the footy you drink a beer and eat a meat pie. Speaking of the meat pie, if ever there was a food designed for me it was the meat pie. It is meat and brown gravy in a pie crust! How beautiful is that??? First lunch buddies... I may love these more than my beloved chimchangas. Speaking of chimichangas that is the weak spot in food around here. The Mexican section at the grocery store is one little display and everything is Old El Paso brand. The salsa has no spice... the hottest one tastes a bit like Ketchup. (I need some Ray Mendoza salsa!) . The Indian food more than makes up for it though. Curry is another new love I have found. It is sooooo good. It's like meat and really spicy paste. It is fantastic!

As for work, there are days I totally miss Fife like when I get an email chain going with Kelli and Teresa and feel like I'm still in the loop, or when I have to deal with a nightmare class (yesterday). Then there are days like today when I wonder why they are paying me for this. the funny thing that has quickly come back to me after subbing for a bit is that everything that is good about it is also what is bad about it. Yeah, I don't have to work very hardand I put no real effort in... I'm just a glorified babysitter. But the bad part is I'm just a glorified babysitter, I don't really get the chance to teach the kids anything because I spend most of my time making sure they are not choking the kid next to them. I still haven't been back to the same school twice (other than my regular job at the Jewish school). I do have some fun conversations with kids and I'm meeting new people all the time. Single Serving friends or not, it make for interesting conversation.

Anyway, thatI'd pop in and update. As for the plans, we just booked our trip to Uluru (Ayer's Rock) for our first break at the end of September so that should be fun, and this weekend I think we're gonna go check out this huge casino downtown. I think it supposed to be the largest in Australia. As for tonight... it's a beer and the hot tub!

Feeling like a true student...

For the past five weeks I've been attending classes and reading journal articles and excerpts from books to prepare for discussions, but I haven't really felt like a student. I don't know how to explain it, except that maybe school just hasn't been as rigorous and demanding as I remember it being or as I expected it to be. However, all of that changed recently with the addition of essay writing. I have one essay due at the end of this month and another due at the end of next month, which doesn't sound too bad except that each of the essays requires a lot of outside research with time to understand, process, and then organize the information into a 4000-word persuasive argument. So, for the first time since starting my program, I went to the library and checked out books! I've got to say that nothing has made me feel more like a student than carrying around a stack of old, dusty books that nobody in their right mind, unless they're a student, would choose to read.

When in Melbourne...

Two things that I have been asked many times are, "Do you have a footy team?" and "Have you been to the market?" Melbourne was the birthplace of footy (Australian rules football) and has more footy teams than any other city in Australia, so it didn't take long to realize that we needed to pick footy teams. I decided on the North Melbourne Kangaroos because our hotel was located in North Melbourne and kangaroos just scream Australia (plus, there isn't a platypus team). Mark went with the Western Bulldogs because he was a Western Montana College Bulldog (I think they call them University of Montana Western Bulldogs now though) and because the colors are red, white, and blue. The next step to becoming a fan is to go out and buy a footy scarf and/or stocking cap to wear to the footy game (you don't really see them any other time). Being the thrifty (cheap?) people that we are, we bought our footy gear from the tourist shop, which means that it's not endorsed by the AFL, but it's cheap. The final step, of course, is to go to the footy games; fortunately the tickets are cheap and easy to get. So on Sunday, Mark and I put on our footy gear and headed to the Telstra Dome for the match between the kangaroos and the bulldogs. The kangaroos are ranked 5th (or at least they were at the time of the match) and the bulldogs are 3rd, but the roos are on an upswing and the bulldogs aren't, so we figured it'd be a pretty even match. Boy were we wrong- it was an absolute ass whooping and judging by the person writing this blog, you should be able to tell who was on the giving end! Here's a fun site to check out if you're interested in learning a little about footy, I'm really not, so I haven't checked it out myself, but it looks good (http://www.afana.com/af_faq_sec2.shtml).

On to the second question about the Queen Victoria Market. Not only have we been, but we live just minutes away, so we go a lot. In fact, that's pretty much the only place where we buy our produce and meat. The place is huge, like it makes the Pike Place Market seem cute and quaint. There is a general merchandise section that has souvenirs, clothes, luggage, electronics, etc. There is a regular produce section, as well as an organic section. There are sections for meats, cheeses, breads, etc. And then there is a section with cafes and prepared food. Like I said, it's huge! The pictures don't do it justice, but I'm putting them in anyway. The first is a view from our apartment, 23 floors up. The market is the large tan structure in the upper left corner with the parking lot below it. The next picture is a view from across the street of just a small portion of the market. Again if you're interested in learning a little more, check out the website (http://www.qvm.com.au/home.php).

I won the lottery...

...the Wicked lottery that is.

Wicked started playing here a few weeks ago, so we wandered down to the theatre to check on ticket prices. As we expected, they were outrageously expensive, but there was a sign posted explaining the ticket lottery. Two hours before each performance, they draw names for $30 front row seats. Since last weekend marked one month of us being here, we decided to spend a night on the town and put our names in for the ticket lottery. We figured they would draw one name and that would be it, but they actually drew a bunch of names (turns out they sell all of the front row seats this way). After drawing about 10 names, they announced that they only had one seat available, and then they announced my name as the winner. Unfortunately since they only had one seat and we needed two seats, I had to turn it down, but I was still excited that I had won! Since they drew so many names, we decided we'd try again for a weekday performance because we'd have better chances. So, this Thursday, when I got home from class, we went down to the theatre and put our names in for the lottery. After drawing a few names, they called my name. I bought the tickets and then we went home to eat dinner and change before the show. The show started at 8 pm, which made it a late night, but it was well worth it. The story was creative, Wicked is the Wizard of Oz told from the perspective of the wicked witch, and the special effects were amazing, especially from the front row! Plus, now we can say we've been to three different Broadway shows in three different countries on three different continents (who would've thought that Mark Beddes would be able to make this claim?!).

Home sweet home cont...

For some reason I can't put anymore pictures on my last post, so I'll put pictures of the rest of the house here (there's only two rooms left).

Our bedroom is off of the office. It doesn't look that small- okay, maybe it does- but it looks even smaller when you realize that our bed is a double and we could only fit one nightstand. The bathroom is right off of our room, which is way better than walking all the way through the house to get the the bathroom on the other side.

Home sweet home...

Here's what you get for $330/week in downtown Melbourne- all 380 sq. ft. of it! The outside of our building- remember, our place is near the top.

The door opens into the kitchen. Although it's not nearly as large as our kitchen at home, it does have granite counter tops and floors! It also has stainless steel appliances, with the exception of the fridge that we bought. On the other side of the kitchen is a large set of cupboards for my washing machine and cleaning supplies.

From the kitchen, we get to the dining room/living room/office. I guess it's like one of those great rooms, only a whole lot smaller, and really not that great. You may have noticed above that I mentioned a washing machine, but not a dryer. Because of cost and space, we only bought a washing machine, which means that I have to hang the clothes to dry (see the drying rack). The dining area, which is behind me so not in the picture, consists of two chairs. We don't have a table yet, because I picked out a little fold-down table that hangs on the wall (not taking up much space) before finding out that we aren't supposed to hang anything in our apartment. Until we figure out what to do, we've been eating on the couch.

The secret to staying awake during movies...

I can finally stay awake during movies! That's right, I have watched an entire full-length movie two nights in a row and not fallen asleep. Apparently all it takes is a small $150 couch from IKEA that, no matter how hard I try (trust me, I've tried hard), isn't comfortable. Although I've got to say, I haven't enjoyed watching movies nearly as much as I used to enjoy falling asleep to them on our over-sized leather sectional- but maybe I just haven't watched the right ones yet.

(Here it is- it's more like a love seat than a couch.)

Back to the Future

Oh how I miss you Fife High School! It is amazing how we've come full circle. 7 years ago, I was substitute teaching and Nikki was a student, we lived in a small apartment in a new place and we had only one car. Fast forward those 7 years and here we are in the same place only with no vehicles and an even smaller apartment. I suppose there are some details I'm leaving out, but nonetheless, the comparisons are funny. As for the substitute teaching, or CRT work as they call it, it kind've sucks. I really regret all those days when Karl, Kelli,and Teresa would ignore the subs during lunch. I mean I understand the reasons. When you have a solid 20 minutes of grown-up time in a day, you don't want to waste it on what might end up to be a poor conversation. You gotta go with the the people you know you like to talk to. But for the sub that can get pretty lonely. I don't want to jump in on the conversation of the regular teachers, but I would like to talk to someone. I am getting along with the co-workers at the Jewish school though. They are great guys. And we have a few American friends we met at the 4th of July thing.

On Thursday and Friday I subbed a 5th and 6th grade class. If hell is tailored to the person, I'm pretty sure mine will be 25, 5th and 6th grade Aussies for eternity. Which brings to the point the picture at the top (wine glass in a cooly cup). It is pretty hard to enjoy a beer that costs $2.50 when you know that was 15 minutes of the little bastards telling you "that's not how our teacher does it". However, after a day of that I really do need some type of alcohol, and since wine is still cheap... wine it is!

I will say though teaching at an elementary school is much more inviting. They are just so touchy-feely. It was someone's Birthday so they brought in snacks and sang Happy Birthday during recess. In high school if it is someones birthday, they have to tell us, then we tell them they have to bring in any leftover cake if they get some. The elementary teachers are way friendlier and I get more conversation. But I swear elementary and high school teachers are like oil and water, I just can't take 'em. Shane Hosley is about the only one I've ever liked.

Long story short... work is still work. I just have to remind myself that it is money in the bank. $200 for 6 hours. Just take it on the chin, drink the iwne whej I get home, and piss the cash away on a trip to Fiji, New Zealand, Tasmania, the Gold Coast, etc. etc. etc.