Mudgee, Australia.

Yep, we're still at home.  But not for long.

5 weeks in, and I have survived.  School is different, but definitely awesome.  I've made a lot of friends.  The way this school is set up makes it easy to make friends.  One problem though, is that it creates cliques that don't intermingle very often.  Every group of friends has a 'bay'.  It's an area that becomes your own and most people don't stray too far from it.  It does mean, though, that I have a lot of friends cause they're all in my classes or in my bay.  Bec Bailey (happy?) has been great.  She's been getting me out and playing sports that I really didn't know existed before this.  I've found myself in a big bay, so it's great.  The way the school is set up reminds me of elementary school.  We have RECESS!  And then 10 minute break.  And then lunch.  It's great, because it gives you time to hang out with your friends.  School is going well.  Most of the classes are the same difficulty level as home, so I'm settling in all right.  Math (or maths, as they call it) is a little bit harder to adjust to with the word problems and terms that are different from french.  Otherwise, though, it's about the same.  I've been playing basketball.  I feel like a star because I shoot basketball-ish instead of netball.  If Mudgee decided to stop playing netball, and start playing basketball, I would just have to stand there and watch them play.  Mudgeeites, or whatever they're called, are definitely not volleyball players.  Rugby, AFL, netball, sure.  Volleyball, no, so it's going to be difficult to find somewhere I can play and keep my skills alive.

Having parents for teaches is kind of difficult.  I've got Gavin for two classes, History and Elective History.  I don't know what to call him.  Gavin won't work, and calling him Mr. Mills sounds weird.  So, I do what everyone else does.  I don't need to know any of my teachers names, I just call them Ms. and Sir.  Mum has started teaching at the high school.  My friends who have had her seem to like her, so that's good.  Most of the time, it's not too bad.  Except when they've got supervision duty and decide to stand there and watch me during recess.  That's just awkward.  I can tell you, I didn't appreciate it.

On Tuesday, Mum, Jackie, Reinhardt, and I are going to Tasmania for 10 days.  We are going to walk from Hobart to Launceston.  Well, not all the way.  Some of it.

Last weekend, Gavin, Ian, Mum, and I went to Sydney.  That was cool.  We got to go on a ferry around the harbour and learn about it's history.

I woke up this morning and found Mum on the computer writing 'my' blog post.  Even if it wasn't her plan, she succeeded in getting me to write it myself.  I enjoyed reading what she wrote.  It was kind of funny reading her perspective on my perspective.  So, I've copied and pasted it below so you can read it. Also, she put in more detail than I want to, so here it is.

"It’s been 5 weeks at school and I am really enjoying myself.  Every 2 periods there is a 15 minute break at this school, with a 30 minute break for “tea” and I wander into the ‘Bay’ to hang out with my group of grade 9s. I love all the breaks because it gives you time to socialize and then you can spend the time in class doing your work- Canadian schools should learn a thing or two from the Australian system.  This would be ideal but in class, kids socialize just like Canadian kids so no one gets their work done but when you are talking in our bay you are not under the eye of a teacher. Except last week, Mom was working at the school and in the morning tea break, Mom and Gavin were on ‘playground’ duty and they stood at the stairs overlooking our bay and I turned and was shocked to see them stalking me.  It felt like forever but was only about 2 minutes when they finally left. I was so relieved.  The schools don’t allow any student to leave the premises, so teachers have to supervise on the playground. This totally works for me because I have never left the school premises before but can you imagine Branton or Aberhart with those rules!!  I think there would be riots.  The grade 12s stay on site- wow!  Last weekend we headed to Sydney to wonder around the CBD (Australians use this term for even Mudgee, it stands for Central Business District, it just means downtown).  Gavin was in a conference with all the exchange teachers on Friday and Mom was already in Sydney on a course for all Overseas Trained teachers who want to work in NSW.  Gavin and I packed up on Thursday night quickly and then retrieved Ian from our neighbours before heading out for the 3.5 hour drive to Sydney.  The drive is really nice because it takes you through the Blue Mountains that we will explore eventually, they are called blue because the hills appear blue due to all the gum trees.  All was good and of course I missed seeing most of the drive because I was into a good book and watched a movie and we arrived with the GPSs’ help at a very shady looking house, there were stacks of shoes at the door and no one seemed to want to open the door for us.  Clearly this was not the house of the couple who was billeting us (it really seemed like a criminal part of town) Luckily we didn’t get gunned down.  We called Mom and we were supposed to be at Montrose Rd instead of Ave, so we entered the correct address in and ended up at Elizabeth and Robert’s house 20 minutes later. Robert and Elizabeth have done 3 exchanges like ours and two were in Canada.  They gave us a snack and we went to bed ready to take on Sydney in the a.m.  Mom had to leave at 7:00a.m. and Gavin’s conference started at 9:00 so we were all up early and Ian, Gavin and I took a ferry (part of Sydney’s transport system) down the Paramatta River to the Circular Quay.  It took us under the Harbour Bridge and beside the Opera House.  That awesome scene in Nemo when Marlin and Dory finally get to Sydney and that is the scene with that Opera song-  awesome!  While Gavin was getting talked to, Ian and I went on a walk with all the other spouses and children of exchange teachers. We hung with a family from Okotoks who have 4 girls aged 11, 9,8 and 6. It was good but the woman who was guiding us was a bit of a battle axe and didn’t adjust the tour to accommodate the youngest who need more playtime and eating breaks than she would have liked. We walked along the Harbour Bridge, around and inside the Opera House (it has the most amazing washrooms), through the Botanical Gardens, into the Rocks so we got a sense of the CBD and the circular quay from the tour.  We ended up at Philip’s Foote Pub at the Rocks and ate a meal in a Pub, Mom met us there when I wanted to head home but we stuck it out so that she could talk and meet everyone so that took sometime.  I showed her the prints that I loved but the gallery was closed, the dress that I liked but it was $85.00 and the hustle and bustle around the Rocks on a Friday night.  We got on a ferry back to Elizabeth’s and Roberts and hit the sack after a quick facebook session ready for our next day.  We had to leave again early so we could catch a bus this time to the CBD so we could take a Harbour cruise.  I thought I put on enough sunscreen for the day on the boat that took us around the famous harbour, we travelled by Luna Park , under the 4 bridges in the harbour,  by Cockatoo island, out to the harbour entrance and finally to our lunch and swim spot at mid day. There was a good breeze out there and I yearned to get on one of the beautiful sail boats that speckled the harbour. Mom, Ian an I jumped off the pier into the sea for our dip in the harbour after a meal on the beach.  On the way back to the quay we witnessed a near collision with some sailboats right in front of our boat.   The disaster was averted due to the quick response of a really organized crew,  it could have been bad and we would have been the first responder.   Upon entering the Circular Quay we said goodbye to all the other Canadians, Americans and UKers until the next exchange weekend.  We went for some retail therapy after taking Mom and Gavin through the Opera house washrooms.  I bought my prints, Ian bought his lego and we headed back on the ferry to Elizabeth and Robert’s place for dinner.  They regaled us with their adventures in Canada- Alaska, Haida G’waii, Kitmai NP for grizzlies, Churchill for Polar bears- they went everywhere.  In the a.m. we said goodbye to our Sydney hosts and headed to Coogee Beach for a day in the surf.  I couldn’t get into a bathing suit because my shoulders were fried from the day before but Ian, Gavin and Mom dodged the blue bottles in the surf which looked like fun.  Mom and I took on some men in beach volleyball. I haven’t touched a ball so didn’t feel very competent but we were able to rally a little and sweat a ton.  That sand is really hard to play on- nothing like the sand at the volleydome.  Everyone jumped back into the surf but me to cool down before heading to Watson’s Bay. Gavin spent 4 month there in the 80s and we walked along the south head of the harbour over those huge cliffs where down and out people tend to end their lives- it is a beautiful view for sure. All along the cliffs were helpline phone numbers and even a phone with a direct link to someone.  There is an older man who lives by these rocks and when he sees someone contemplate death he walks down and asks them in for tea.  He has saved over 120 people by just being there at the right time and offering an ear.  He was given an award for his service to fellow Australians for all those cups of tea he has shared.   Mom and I are now getting prepared for our trip to Tasmania. "
 

Anyways, I'll add more information about our Tasmania trip later.  I have to go on it first.

Hugs,

Ali