Today was the day of surveys and training. Since this is the final week of the term
and a large part of our schedule is cut due to classes being away, I filled in
time by completing things I really hate, such as online training and surveys.
But, I figured that the school as wifi so wi not? (get it- wi, why? Ok moving
on). I was lucky enough today to also be able to sit and observe one of my
fellow student teachers, as her teacher was away and Mel was covering. It’s so
cool to see each other in our own environment and doing the thing we’re all so
passionate about. What else was cool about today is that Mel invited me to stay
over at her house at the beginning of this trip and today I was finally able
to. So, the school day went by mostly in a blur and before I knew it, the final
bell had rung.
After school is when the real fun began. I headed home with Mel and got my first
glimpse into real Australian life and, let me just say, I like it. Mel’s house
is gorgeous. It reminds me a bit of ranch house with a tiny feeling of haunted
and she has the coolest stuff. Lots of niche-homey things mixed with Aboriginal
pieces. I alsto took notice of the big game shelf in the front den. She showed
me my guest room (which is like bigger than my room at home) and I got to meet
her son, Jake. She also introduced me to her two adorable dogs. We hung out and
just chatted for a bit before she had to go to a meeting. After she left I used
her unlimited wifi (her words) to call Adam, which was such a nice feeling.
Later on her partner Shorty came home and we hung out and watched some footy
and talked about the different types of leagues. Once Mel got back, we started
to set up for dinner. This is also when a couple of her friends, Jill and
Christy, stopped by. Christy also had her younger daughter and her baby son
with her. It was so much fun, it was like a little party! We had some cider and
wine and swapped stories before sitting down for possibly the best nachos I’ve
ever had. Chips just covered in beans and meat and cheese and sour cream and
guacamole. I told her I was flying her out in November to make them for the
wedding. Then, to add to it, she pulls out dessert: strawberry trifle. I almost
died; brandy-soaked cake with custard on top, then strawberry filling, then
real strawberries, then cream, with chocolate raspberries. I was in heaven.
After I inhaled as much as I could, we broke out the games. We played one
called Skulls, which is hard to explain, and one called Timeline, where you are
given different songs, movies, books, etc, and you have to put them in
chronological order. I was better than I thought. The entire night was such a
blast and it was so cool to just fit right in and feel comfortable joking
around and having fun. I went to bed with a full stomach and a full heart.
