The First Day of School Jitters

View from Mt Lofty while on a weekend walk

Burnside Park

Everything has been going smoothly for me. The biggest concerns have been a few wrong turns in the city (I have not gone into the oncoming traffic but possibly would have if Debbie, my white knuckled passenger/Drivers’ Education instructor, hadn't stopped me in my tracks). On the other hand other exchange teachers have had some ominous experiences. Michele, who is around Brisbane, has experienced extreme winds and major flooding. She doubts many students will be able to get to school for the opening week. The water in her town rose from three to seven meters of flooding overnight. I understand that it got above 9 meters.Then there is the story of Debbie and Andy in Tasmania (my traveling buddies). Fires were circling the island while they were out visiting. One fire took a dangerous turn, as Coloradans know all too well can happen, and 1,000 residents and tourists were turned around on the one road in that part of the island. Arriving back in Hobart, the crowds calmly waited for a ferry to transport them to the mainland. Almost 24 hours later (some finally slept at the dock in the dirt) they loaded a ferry. Fortunately, the worst of it for them was the great need to wash clothes which smelled campfire-like. Many others lost their homes.

Galahs on the Cricket Field

On a lighter note,I feel as if I may have offended some of my new friends (I may be known to put my foot in my mouth a time or two) when claiming that I will never try a meat pie again. I retract my comment, and I will give it a go later, as opportunity arises… sometime at a. . .  distant date.

I do feel lucky to have landed this exchange. I really couldn't have asked for a nicer situation. The only worry is that each day I am more comfortable in my surroundings and may begin to  let my senses become numb to everything new, or begin to take things for granted. I must keep my eyes and ears wide open. The sights are breathtaking. 

Galahs leaving the cricket field

I met my class and after a day with my "New Arrivals" I am in love with their innocence. To listen to the children try to express themselves, to give them wait time and finally have students find the word they were searching for, to have them take my hand and lead me to the source of their question with eyes as their only means of communication, or to have them parrot back a phrase in their new language is just beautiful. Most everyone in the country uses the word beautiful a lot, but I am not using it lightly. The tuckers make me smile over and over. I know it is only the very first days, but my love for teaching has been totally revived. 

Some of Pam's new class on the first morning

Our Classroom of 2/3 opens to the year 3/4 class.  The teacher Kate
has be the best help ever imagined. Watch out Gardner School
I may become Smart with the Smart Board!

First Day of School on the side of the main building. Our block
 of buildings is separate from the main building
 and to get to media today we ran through
puddles and splashes from the morning rain.

I have one 6 year old, many seven year olds, many 8 year olds and soon to be nine. There are to be 16 students with, at least 10 various cultures. They are from China, India, Syria, Belgium, Mexico, Portugal, Thailand and Korea They are all coming with different levels of English, which makes for an interesting day. It is amazing to see such a successful program for the children new to English. 

Pam with Deb, the principal, and a first day year 3 very happy
new student- the first that I had the pleasure of meeting.  Today
in class he kindly said at lunch, "Pam, come sit, we visit!"
and then proceeded to scoot a chair for me!

All the teachers were asked to bring flowers and palm leaves  to line the walk as we bridged the receptions through year sevens to the new school year! Other teachers supplied colored sand to brightly decorate the walk.This is a pretty special school with the most amazing art by children. I raved about it to the "fine arts person" for quite awhile until I got a really funny look. She was finally reintroduced as the finance person. I have at least one of “those” misunderstood language moments daily. But, soon, I will probably have an Australian accent myself. I can already hear myself getting rather singsong like. 

School kids at home all know "Stop, Drop, and Roll", but here the jingle is: Slip, Slop, Slap, Slide

 Slip: a long sleeved shirt

 Slop: sunblock 30 or better

 Slap: wide brimmed hat

 Slide: sun glasses

You don't forget to grab your hat at outdoor play time!

I just wanted to get a few school photos up, but tune in soon for the next installment perhaps to be called: Eyes Wide Open.   xx0 pl

Lodging on Mt Lofty, where I began an afternoon trek on
the track

Correction pointed out by various AU readers:

Tucker- food, not child

Tacker- a child or an adorable animal ie: the little penguins

New glossary:

Track- trail

Like chalk and cheese- opposites

Chalkies- teachers

Making- creating arts or crafts
jimmy-jams- pajamas

Settling In and Around Town

Pam's first bird drawings

For now road trips are behind me, and I am shifting gears by learning all about the culture of Gilles Street Primary School. From the 45 members of the staff, I have mastered about 40 names. At bedtime going through teachers' names has become my way of counting sheep. I sleep like a rock here until the possum leaps onto the roof, the curious bird taps at the window, the rooster crows, a commotion of birds wake, or the koalas grunt.  The neighborhood of humans are quiet. The animals are not.

Adelaide is a busy town full of markets, festivals and sports events. The Adelaide Santos Down Under bike race is part of the world competitive races. There were 30 laps of the first stage of the race. Debbie and I were front row of a banked curb. Each time the riders passed there was a huge blast of air and I found myself gasping at the energy of the cyclists. The last few laps were a blur. The next two days were road races, and at each there was a pileup just at the conclusion of the race. On the hill climb, the stage concluded in the oval of my little town. I did not think that I would be able to get through town because the roads were to be blocked, but I left early to get to my first inservice.

Waiting for the opening race 

35,000 non-residents are in town for the race, and I think each is on a team of some sort. There is cycling mania with pelotons everywhere you turn. Cyclists are referred to as lycra this or that and many jokes concerning them are tossed back and forth. This week the town was flooded and accidents between a cyclist and a bus and a cyclist and a truck. 

The last Sunday of the month (today) Stirling holds its market which has homespun yarns, lotions, local wines, fruits, veggies honey and many other goodies.

Crazy Hat Day?  A hot item
at the Stirling Market

 I am waiting for the mangrove honey which won't be ready for a few months. Scents waft through the stalls, and I bought my first and last meat pie.  The queue to buy one was the longest, so I thought the crowd would know. It turns out that I had the first acid reflux that I have had in a long time. I do not intend on sampling other pies including the pie floater, which is a meat pie floated on top of a warm mushy pea soup and drenched with tomato sauce- a culinary treat I must turn down. I'd be more likely to try a muntry: baked bush tomato pasta and warrigal spinach pie, squid salad with sweet lemon myrtle chilli sauce.

I love taking walks in the hills and peeking in at the homes' styles and gardens. If someone builds a new house they are required to add solar panels and add rain water storage. There seem to be more environmentally advanced regulations here. The hill areas are great. When driving around, each valley seems to get a little deeper, and each ridge a little higher. The areas include Oakbank, Aldgate, Bridgewater Mt. Barker Handorf, and Mt.Lofty. Then there are all the areas that begin with Woll. . . .  and I keep confusing one from another. 

I have found an entire book of words specific to South Australia called Bardi Grubs and Frog Cakes and the words are great fun to learn local tidbits and stories. For example there is the Tantanoola Tiger, similar to Adam Pacheco's "mythical"  cupacabra. The Tantanoola is anything from a wolf-like creature to a tiger. Some said a tiger escaped from a circus, while others said that it was an Assyrian wolf that survived a shipwreck.  In the 1890's rewards were offered to bring in the beast and everyone kept close watch over their children. It was later responsible for taking sheep until two men were caught stealing thousands. There are  creatures worldwide to capture our imaginations. 

Yesterday was Australia Day, a national holiday. The barbies were all aglow and the neighborhood celebrating. I spent a great evening with my neighbors Sylvia, Thomas and their absolute darling son Gabriel Cseh. I am so sorry that they plan to move in less than three weeks. They have been very welcoming, and am hooked up to their internet for the time being. They have made it so that I am not wandering from cafe to library to locate a wireless connection to be in touch with all of you. 

Be well. Think of me in the next days when I encounter a class of eager faces, most of whom know little to no English. I must remember to smile and be gentle. 

Toa- 

possible signposts or markers

used in the  desert

Pam's Tree house and Beyond

After leaving the Great Ocean Road we drove inland through the Mount Grampian area, which is hill country and quite forested in places. The eucalyptus is predominant in most areas, but evergreens reach the skyline in places. They are not loved by all and am told (maybe someone was just pulling my leg) there was a cell called GROAP many years ago. Here’s a new acronym for you meaning: Get Rid Of All Pines. I understand the group bombed pine trees supposedly because nothing can grow under them and native birds can’t live in them. I love the variety, although very few are native and am sure the palm is not. In Sydney, Alan was not too happy with the future prospect of lining avenues aiming for a Vegas style.

The park down the road, Worrabinda- a great idea- a poetry
bag left for the public to view and write a poem

Look center for the kangaroo

Living surrounded by micropoded neighbours is a treat. I have all but quit photographing the koalas since they are snuggled in many trees on the mountain roads. I finally photographed a kangaroo in the wild at Worribinda, a .5 of a k down the road. They are tricky to photograph while standing alone by the highway or running in a mob. Since my driving abilities are still somewhat below mastery, I hesitate to pull off the road, especially when there is rarely an opportunity on the narrow lanes or extremely curvy hills.

Central Market

We arrived at Vivian’s hamlet in the Adelaide Hills which is just minutes from the 1.3 million people of the city. In Stirling there is a feeling of country living. While practicing my driving just minutes from the house, I was surrounded by farmland, horses, sheep, and the biggest goats ever. At the end of many private drives you’ll see homemade signs reading “Horse Poo, $2.oo a bag,” or “Sheep Poo, 2$ a bag. Leave money in the letter box.” After several farms advertizing their poo, one humorous fellow had a sign out: “Unicorn Poo. Free”.  Lemons are 1$ a bag, which I thought, was quite funny since it was half the price of the poo. Strawberries are for picking nine months out of the year, cherries have all just been picked and local farms have roadside stands.  Many conversations focus on the best  “farmers’ market” for any day of the week when finding out that I am new to Adelaide. The wineries are a given.

Ken and Debbie

The tasting flight with Pauline

Debbie, from Colorado, who will be teaching in Manly, and I toured Penfolds, Magill Estate Winery (and tons of other locations. She’s been a great traveling buddy) where a bottle of grange is ungodly expensive. The reserve bottles are not even for sale to public, but the cellar door price for the Grange Shiraz was $1,999 each. Four barrels of some of their bin numbers were worth a million dollars. Following the tour, we tasted a variety of their products. The sips from the bottles worth more than $100.00 definitely had a superior smoothness and taste. No wonder I have never loved wine, I have been drinking the wrong stuff.

Five days after visiting Pinfolds, Pauline and Ken (who live a stone's throw from Viv’s, and were in CO on an exchange in 2012) took us on the grand Saturday drive tour. A big thanks to Ken and Pauline are in order! We had a huge breakfast at the Central Market and wandered (thank goodness full, otherwise I would have bought gourmet cheese, each and every fruit, chocolates, breads and more breads). Instead I came home with passion fruit and veggies. Now all that needs to happen is for me to settle in an actually use the kitchen. Um, been eating out more than ever! From there we toured five wineries and ate tapas at the  brewery. Each winery has a very distinct flavor, but I am not talking about the wines. Some are in an original barn (My favorite Johnsons) while others are super contemporary. The servers are as different as their wines and surroundings. The vines and the almost ready to harvest grapes are the only similar bits.

My most favorite of the estate’s tour, since I am not such a wine connoisseur (but may be by 2014), was looking at the grapes on the vines and the stories. The best was about the time Helen Keller went on a tour in 1948. She was given a bit of information about the size of a barrel and she got inside to calculate its volume. The story goes that she measured it hand over hand around its circumference and was close to exact, only missing by a few liters. Most of us would have had trouble calculating what it would hold with our up to date palm pilots or what ever that technology is.

The white-faced heron in my backyard

Weather is interesting. The night we got here it rained early in the morning through mid-afternoon. All three of us were ready for some down time, and the rain was a great excuse. It also meant that Viv’s fish and frog pond refilled without me learning the hose system right away. Haven’t seen the fish, but the white-faced grey heron likes to visit. Caught him in flight when taking off from the backyard gazebo.

So, when I said I would call this next blog The tree House and Beyond, it is because I feel like I am as close to living in one as possible. Out ever window there are trees and more trees. In the evening, I know when a koala is around because his grunts are similar to a very large hog. The birds are an extra treat, and I am slowly learning some of the most common birds’ names: Galahs, many of the Cockatoos, the White Head Heron, the Rosella, and all the water birds a half block walk to the lake at Woorabinda Wildlife Sanctuary.

I walk up and steep hill and down a steep hill to arrive at my lakeside destination. There are four kilometers of tracks just in my backyard. I usually go just before dark when the snakes have hopefully gone to sleep, but the mosquitoes are certainly not. Half way around the lake some thoughtful poet, probably a teacher, hung a rucksack titled, “The Poetry Bag,” and inside are gobs of papers written by aspiring poets laminated for any passerby to take a break and enjoy. It is just one of the many forests, reservoirs, conservation parks, gorges, and National Parks in close range. Now that I have a G.P.S. that speaks kindly in a British accent even when I don’t follow her directions, I just ask her to plan a route. Truly wonderful, but weird as she takes me on the narrowest, most windy lanes you could imagine. I’d be impossibly lost going beyond going to the local grocery.

Talking stick on the beach close to the "Gong"

choice of kangaroo,croc, or...

Since I am rambling thought you may enjoy knowing that one of the two big market chains is Woolworths. Rather funny. I think of Nancy Griffith every time that I see it. You see other US chains like Maccas, which is the only country to call McDonalds by a nickname. First time I asked about wireless Internet, I was sent to Maccas, and when I did not understand what the barista was saying he said, McDonalds, but with a strong Chinese/Australian accent. So off I went looking for Max’s Donuts. When I turned the corner to see the grand M, I finally got what he was saying. Just one of those many “newbie” things.

The cliffs at Bondi area

Great climbing at Sydney botanical gardens

Along the Great Ocean Road

The rubber duckie in Darling Harbor
for the Sydney Festival and Allison

Photos and text are out of place, but hope that you can put the jigsaw together. Off to the opening day of the international Tour 'd France-like this evening. Hope all is well. Cheers PL 

On the Road Again:

Jan 7 through Jan 12 (Really Behind)

Walkways labeled for tourists. We are so programed to our side of the road, but so far I am crossing without getting hit by someone going the "wrong" direction. I've mastered rotarys, shifting gears in the hills, and driving left (well kind-of). Still turn on the wipers instead of the turn indicator and try to shift with my right hand.

Adrianne, Alan, David (14) and Elaine (David's Grandma) were the very best introduction to Sydney anyone could have asked for. Their kindness and hospitality prevented me from feeling jetlag, city or culture shock. Taking the ferry was the most wonderful to travel! Before departing from the best introduction, we went for Fish 'n Chips at Australia's most famous fish and chip spot, Doyles.

Steve Irwin and I climbed the bridge. That means we're both equally up for an adventure, right?

No photos allowed up top unless you are Steve or Opra. 

Last post I said that I was being "shouted" a trip on the nighttime walk over the Sydney Harbor bridge by Alan and Adrianne. What a treat and amazing experience that was. In each and every direction were  harbors, city lights, high winds and another set of ladders or steps. I even got my first look at the Southern Cross Constellation.  Heights don't seem to worry me much anymore when on a mountain or a cliff, but I have found that human-structures can be a bit of a different story. On the top of the bridge I guess I quit talking when spoken to.  I was totally in awe and was somewhat freaked-out at the precipice while locked in with my companions from Columbia, India, England, and an Aussie couple celebrating. Was told that there have been 6,000 wedding proposals accepted (one $10,000 ring dropped), and 9 woman have turned down engagements. I can't imagine how long the walk off the bridge would have been after being turned down. No proposals, but ticked off one more from the list "100 things you must do in Australia".  So glad for the adventure.

While giving the lowdown of being in high places I admit to going up 88 floors to the sky scape and the edge observation area in Melbourne. Compared to the heights of Dubai's towers, it wasn't much, but it is the tallest in the Southern Hemisphere. Its height is compared to the top of the Eiffel Tower.  Beautiful vistas again. I am going to have to quit talking about the beautiful vistas, because just about every way you turn a spot of beauty appears.

Is that Pam maybe looking fearlesson the top of the highest building in the Southern Hemisphere?

Jody, help, I can't find rotate!

Phillip Island is famous for its "Penguin Parade" which occurs most nights. Between 1-2 thousand exhausted little tuckers get to shore after dodging the seagulls and getting the strength to climb the hills back to their burrows several hundreds of meters away. The Little Penguins (formally known as the Fairy Penguins)  appear in rafts (the name for a group of penguins) of about 10-20. Just below the viewing railing an immodest couple copulated before waddling further up the hill. They chatter, squeal, and chirp all the way home to greet their family members that stayed behind with the downy babies or hunted with a different raft. The Little Penguin, the only type in Australia live in family groups, but the divorce rate is perhaps above 70%. Feelings: I couldn't have been more excited to get the privilege to meet and greet them!

So much time has passed without Internet or oomph to write. Been on the Great Ocean Road which is  more twisty and scenic than HWY 1. The 12 Apostles are down to 7.5 due to erosion, but well worth the sunset visit. Stayed at a lodge down a washboard road with a great variety of birds and marsupials. Took steep stairs down the cliffs for a silhouetted beach stroll:

First koala viewed along the Great Ocean Road

7.5 Apostles

Be on the Lookout for the next post: From Pam's Treehouse and Beyond

glossary:

rotarys: term for round-a-bout
Shout out a round: buy the first round
shout me: to be treated to something
tick: to add a check mark
tucker: small child or cute animal