Australia

At first, I wanted to begin this post by mentioning how terrible of a blogger I am, but then realized that I cannot even call myself a "blogger" because my blog entries are so sporadic it would be nearly equal to calling myself an athlete, a musician, or a stylish individual.

To anyone who has happened upon reading this and is just as pleasantly surprised that I decided to update this electronic communication as I am, I'm going to ego-boost myself and say you are in for a treat. And not one with sprinkles, but a moment of literary excitement. In all honestly, this post will probably be quite dull, and they will hopefully become better as time goes on. If I manage to keep up with this blogging thing. 

From the title of this post, you may be able to guess that I am no longer in France. In fact, since I left France, I have travelled to Switzerland, Korea, Alaska, and have finally arrived at the first stable home I have had in months. 

Welcome to Melbourne, Australia! (Melbourne, by the way, in Aussie speak, is pronounced with a very, very light "r" sound. It is almost non-existant.)

Arriving in Sydney, I saw the most beautiful sunrise of my entire life. I tried to capture a picture, but ended up awkwardly getting a photo of the chest region of the man sitting next to the window. After tossing all the snacks I had hoarded for my first weeks in Australia (they do not appreciate you brining food into the country) I had my bags sniffed by a very adorable puppy and I was sent off to board a plane for my new hometown. 

I arrived in Melbourne surprisingly awake and quickly found my bag and my supervisor for my program. He gave me a tour of the City (yes, with a capital 'C') and brought me to my host home. I set up my computer and since that moment have spent far too much time on the internet and not nearly enough doing anything else. Anything. 

I spent the first few days rather tearfully, missing my boyfriend who I had just visited in Alaska, my family, and my friends. I sat infront of my computer, annoyed at the time difference and my inability to communicate with someone at a reasonable hour. In all honesty, I wanted to just get on a plane, head back to the US and find a local high school to teach at. 

But by day three, I was feeling fine. Not exactly overjoyed at the prospect of being so far away from my social centers for three months, but past the point of breaking down in tears when I woke up each morning and faced the idea of going through the day. I met another student from the United States and have gotten to know my fellow boarder, a girl from Colombia (who doesn't really speak English) well. 

Starting school was a relief from the confines of my host family. As much as I appreciate them and how they care for me, I wanted to escape. Which, funny enough, was the reason I chose to do my student teaching abroad in the first place. I met my teacher and the English staff, all of whom are friendly and wonderful and have already invited me out for drinks next week and a game night in the future, and other staff in the school. I spent much of this first week observing classes. By the end of Wednesday, I was tired of observing and began to interact more with the students and talking to them. 

If you don't know me, or have a misconstrued perception of me, I can really be quite socially awkward. Sitting in classrooms at a school in a foreign country where I was unsure of social norms and customs made more an even more awkward version of myself. By the end of this week however (despite still being awkward) I have forced myself into talking to students and getting to know them. I feel intrusive into their daily lives, but they are going to have me around for the next nine weeks so they might as well get used to me :)

Today was Friday (ha! all you American people who are just starting Friday when you read this!) and after school the teachers have drinks and snacks in the "social staff room." Yes, they drink at the school. Don't worry, no students are around! I met more of the staff (after they noticed my accent) and have hopefully found some new friends! 

I do have one actual friend from the school, another student teacher named Lena, who came from Germany. We are known as "the girls" and "the international ones" to the administration and much of the staff. She studied English and history at her school in Germany and is learning to teach those here. We get along quite well and we have a good time together and plan on spending some time this weekend together! 

So, that wasn't much of a literary treat, sorry folks. But I promise, if I write again, I will try and make it more enjoyable! Oh and stay tuned, this weekend I will be filming my first video as part of a cooperative video blog called "vlogteachers" with my friend Stephanie. The video will focus on my life in Australia (not teaching) and I hope to at least update that once a week!