Back in Oz to Stay

Arriving in Karratha in January, you hit a heat wave as soon as you exit the plane. Lucky for me, Perth was also quite warm (38 degrees, if I recall correctly), so it wasn't too much of a shock. Fortunately there's air conditioning everywhere you go, so you don't have to stay in the heat too long. My first taste of Karratha confirmed everything I remembered from my short visit here in 2009: it's hot, it's red and there's a lot of neon workman's clothing!

Emma's friend Nicole picked me up at the airport (she even held a sign with my name on it) and took me on a short tour of the town, showing me the school, the shops and my new house. After visiting the shops and stocking up on groceries, she dropped me back off at home, letting me get accustomed to my new home on my own. Unpacking my bag and putting things away made me realize that I was living here, that it was permanent. I would no longer be unpacking and repacking my bag every 24 hours, like I had been in New Zealand. I was staying here, and for the next 11 months it would be home.

The first week passed in a blur. I spent a great deal of time at Millars Well Primary School, my new workplace, getting ready for the students to arrive on Monday, February 4th. I met Weston, the principal, as well as many friendly staff members who welcomed me with open arms. Thursday and Friday were non-operational days, so we had the usual staff meetings and PD to prepare for the new school year. It was a bit overwhelming, with lots of new acronyms and ways of doing things that differed from back home. After coming in on Sunday to prepare my classroom for the big day, I felt a little more ready for parents and students.

Monday proved to be the easiest day of the week, as I had done the first day of school many times before. The students were great and we got to know each other just like we do back home. We even played the same classroom bingo game I had started with in September (I did change some of the items though~ Likes to cheer for the West Coast Eagles instead of the Oilers for example, or Went to Bali instead of Vancouver) and it proved to be a hit. Over the rest of the week, rules and routines were established and curriculum implemented. The rest of the week passed more slowly, as I had to think of things to do in each subject area. Not being as familiar with curriculum as I was back home, this took more time and thought. In a lot of ways, it's like being a beginning teacher again, where everything is new again.

One of my new colleagues, Beck, has been wonderful. She lent me her daughter's car until I bought my own this past weekend, she invited me to go 4x4ing the weekend before school started (the perfect way to not stress about the first day of school is going 4x4ing and then going for a dip in the sea) and she's been able to answer my questions about curriculum even though she's making her own way through a new curriculum this year, having moved from year 7 to Pre-Primary (4 and 5 year olds). She's been absolutely amazing and I thank her everyday for all she's done for me.

This photo is from the place we 4x4ed to and swam in. The earth really is that red, which I always thought made the sky seem that much bluer for some reason. It was a lovely stop, even though Beck and her friend Jodie said there were much more beautiful places around town. One of them, Hearson's Cove, we visited briefly the week after. It's one of those places where you need it to be high tide and we were there when the tide was going out, but it was still beautiful. I'm sure I'll get back there one day soon to swim.

Getting ready for week 3 this weekend and Meet the Teacher tomorrow afternoon. I made a Power Point presentation, so hopefully that will make things go smoothly and parents will see that while yes, I'm not Australian, I can still teach their children everything they need to know. I'm a little nervous about it, but I'm sure things will turn out for the best. I will let you know how it goes in the next post! Have a great week everyone, especially those in Alberta who get Monday off. Happy Family Day!