Have I Mentioned....

That students are never in class. And that it drives me crazy? I have? Well good. Because it's still true. Last Friday I have 10 students missing out of my year 9 class. The whole class in general had already been out of school for their first two lessons that week because they were away on camp. Friday was the only day I had them and one was still on medical leave (week 3 of medical leave...), 4 were away on a shooting team trip, and the rest were just taking the whole week off. Today, there were 8 students missing. Again most of them were away with sports, but this time it was cricket. In my year 11 class there were only 5 students in class. Granted it's only a class of 11 so it's usually small but only 5 is just ridiculous! And of course the rest were away on a sports trip with another class. I just don't understand how any work is supposed to get done. Moving onto a different rant...

Have I mentioned I am having a three months worth of bad hair days? I came prepared with only two bottles of mousse. I'm not sure what I was thinking, I was probably trying to be a tidy packer, but still two bottles of mousse is just not enough. Those lasted until mid-February. So ever since then I have been experimenting with different products because of course Australia doesn't carry Pantee Pro-V Curly Mousse. I also didn't pack any shampoo or conditioner. Now this was planned out on purpose because both of those things weigh a lot and I just figured I would buy some when I got here. Well, I did. I just chose the wrong ones. I bought whatever was on special because things in Australia don't run cheap so I thought I should stick with what was on sale. It's some kind of all natural Pantee Pro-V stuff and it's just awful. So at this point my hair is the driest and frizziest it's ever been. I didn't actually think my hair could be any more unmanageable but it has proven me wrong. OH-and my housemate accidentally broke my straightener the second week in. Not that I would have been using it a lot but an alternative would have been nice. It sounds like I'm making a mountain out of a mole hill but it's a daily blow to the self esteem to look in the mirror after a shower and just know that nothing is going to be right. And since nothing ever is right, my hair always goes up in a bun of some sort, which always ends in a headache.

I dream of having hair that will dry naturally in a beautiful state of soft, frizz free curls.

I will have to keep dreaming unfortunately.

Have I mentioned that break is at the end of this week and that I am so excited to be traveling and exploring new places on my own? Not yet? I will next time.

One Month Left.

Time is flying by. Next week is the last week of term and the last week before Easter break. After next week I have two weeks on holiday, then about a week and a half of school and then I'm home. It's unbelievable. It's strange to think I will be leaving my students soon. I feel like there is still so much left to do and just not enough time! It's strange to think I won't see my year 12's graduate or find out if they got into the university courses they want, or see how my year 8's grow up through the years. I don't like to think about it too much because it makes me sad.

It's also strange to think that Yarram is a place that no one else in my life will ever experience. I want so badly for my family and friends to be able to see where I have been living, see the school, see the town and meet the people. I also want to take so many of my Aussie friends to come and see Ohio! I wish the two weren't so far away. I wish it wasn't so expensive to make the trip.

Things I will miss about Australia:

• the people- I have made some fantastic friends and I can't bear to think I will never see them again.
• the food- not necessarily the type of food, because a lot of it is the same, but eating at home. There aren't any fast food places in Yarram and not many people eat out on a regular basis. They have dinner at home, they invite people over for a barbie or to make dinner and hang out. It's something that I wish we did more of back in the states-although I have missed many restaurants.
• the talk- I love the slang here. The accent is fantastic as well but at this point I don't notice it as much. They have some of the best slang that peppers their language, at some points it's hard to understand what they just said.
• the landscape- Paddocks as far as the eye can see. It is so beautiful. Even the sights from the windows in the classroom make me want to grab my camera. I will miss going for a run and passing all the cows-wishing all the time I could run with my Nikon. I have the best of both worlds-I live in the country but the beach is only 20 minutes away. I am too lucky.

There are lots more but that's just the start. I am looking forward to getting my hair back into some state of normal. It's been a bad hair day everyday for the past month and a half-and let me tell you, it was old after day one. Tomorrow, I'm heading into Traralgon to go Target, KMart, and a cheapy store called Rivers and I am so excited. It's getting quite cool here and I am not properly prepared!

Next time I will update you on where I will be headed for holiday, what I miss about home, and any exciting things that may happen in the meantime.

Oh the places...

They'll go. "They" being my students. Between field trips, swimming sports, staff development day, public holidays, surfing days, and work experience I haven't had a normal week with my students in weeks. That's not counting the days when the students just don't come. There is no attendance policy. No truancy. No nothing. If they don't come, then the school can't do anything about it. I have several students in my year 9 class who have missed so many days I can't even begin to fathom how to catch them up. They don't do homework and I have no idea if they will be in class the next time we meet. The students only have English three times a week and last week that meant several year 8's missed two out of three days. And I won't see them again until Wednesday. Where is the consistency? How are students supposed to build on knowledge if they are interrupted every other day? How am I supposed to teach any of them anything? It's been very frustrating. But onto...

Oh the places I'll go. I just spent a weekend in Melbourne and I have to say thank God the weather was nice. I think we walk a bazillion (more or less) miles a day and we did so happily thanks to the sun. Raina, Teresa, and I saw the Aquarium (let down), Moomba Festival (awesome), St. Kilda (fantastic), Melbourne Central (more on this in a second), Federation Square, SouthGate, and the Casino (looked didn't touch). Melbourne is a wonderful city. It was very easy to travel around, either by walking or by hopping on one of the trams. The people are friendly and there is a lot to see and do! More than that, there is a lot to eat!! We packed meals for breakfast and lunch to save on our budget but at every corner there is tempting food. I could go to Melbourne every weekend and eat at a difference place for each meal and still not have experienced them all by the time I leave in April! It's a wonderful problem to have. At the end of a wonderful, yet tiring, tour of St. Kilda, we decided to make a stop in Melbourne Central, a shopping mall. Wandering through the maze of expensive, yet fabulous, fashion, I look up and I see it. The Gap. I wanted to cry. I ran in and took in all of it's colorful cardigan and jean goodness. Who knew that something so little would cause such a big reaction? I surprised even myself. But I guess it's the little things you miss and you don't even realize you miss them, until you do.

If that's how I react to The Gap, I can't imagine what it will be like when I see Chipotle again.
Oh, and all my friends and family :)

'Ta!