ISWA

This week went by super fast. I haven't had a second to breath, but that's the best way for a week to go! Monday morning Helen was sick. So the principle told me I had the class to myself. I was so excited! It was like a slice of the future Ms. Ravensberg. Nevertheless a relief teacher (sub) came in & ended up leading most of the lessons. It was nice to experience another teaching style. The relief teacher brought puppets, costumes, & fun learning games. She was great-- definitely aimed more towards ESL (English as a Second Language) & younger students. The next day, Helen was sick again & Mrs. Meeke was back. She brought me materials & other great teaching resources. It's only Friday & she's already been offered a job to teach the year one's from my 1 & 2 classroom (they are splitting the room at the end of term). Tuesday night Melissa & I went to "He's Just Not That Into." In Perth, the popular movie snacks are chocolate bombs (vanilla ice cream cones dipped in chocolate.) Most of the girls at the theater looked fresh from the office, forced to eat chocolate bombs & popcorn for dinner. I don't know how the Perth women stay so skinny.

Wednesday was a little insane in the classroom because it was Helen's first day back & our kids were having behavior probs--fighting, not listening to anyway... That night (after a quick snooze on the couch) I went to Jeremy's birthday party (Jono's brother). He had family, close friends, & me over for dinner. Everyone was so nice. I finally met some Aussie girls my age which was fun (Mabes one was a temporary spray-tanner). The boys tried to convince me to go to a Death Cab concert in Freo Thursday night, but I already had plans with Milea & her host fam... Anyway, it was a fun party & the dessert was a dream.

Thursday Dr. Happs (COST coordinator) came in to see me teach. After the lesson, he gave me an evaluation & said he was shocked at how challenging the class was. He couldn't believe how different each child was & the lack of respect so many of them had for the teachers. Helen & I were glad to hear it. It's good to know we aren't going crazy or losing our teaching energy. Thursday night Milea & I joined her host parents at their wine tasting club. It was insane. Everyone brought a bottle wrapped up. During the tasting, everyone was served &, then, had to answer a series of questions, asking where the wine was from or what grapes the wine was made from. Most of them got it right, which is the craziest part of it all. All the people who went to the tasting were cracking me up. Most over the age of 60. Anyway, everyone was so welcoming-- true Aussie style. We ate at a Thai restaurant, which is super popular here. I liked it, but I did get a chili & started sweating profusely. Ha, that was awkward. Ahh, and today is Friday. I started this morning with a coastal bike ride. I have started biking in the mornings to switch it up & it has been amazing. It's a great way to start the day. School was great-- we spent the afternoon watching the students' musical compositions, beating to the sound of Ne-Yo "Closer." It was hilarious. I'll try to upload the video.