Crocodile Rock

Well somewhere between March and May, I got swept up in life and literally had no time to dedicate to this blog. The short version of my excuse goes like this:

Now that's a good Friday

After a massive, legendary Good Friday BBQ for Easter, I worked all weekend and somehow managed to contract Strep Throat. I remained on the couch for 4 days, and once I peeled myself off of it, went straight back to work. Shortly thereafter, Steve’s parents paid us a visit! We did all sorts of fabulous things, and were busy every waking moment. We even flew up to Darwin in the Northern Territory – an attempt at some R&R – only to return back to Melbourne on a Sunday night with my first week of being a “real” teacher to follow.

Which brings us to the here and now. The first moment I have had to reach back out to Canada, and fill you in on life down under. I feel the need to recap some of the extraordinary events of the past few months to allow for a proper catch up. If you are content with the short version, stop reading here and catch me on the next entry. If you have nothing else to do with your life, please, read on!

The Crocodile:

It was so great to see some familiar faces (and accents!) on this side of the world when Billie and Lucy came to visit. Our North American quartet hit the streets of Melbourne running; touring St. Kilda, Fitzroy, Prahran, and the CBD all in just 3 days. Throw eating, sleeping and shopping in there and that’s what the Aussie’s like to call “chock-a-block!”

Heading North, we cruised up to Darwin and into the 35 degree weather! Since Melbourne has officially translated itself into Autumn, Steve and I couldn’t have been happier than to have one last ditch effort at preserving our tans!

A spicy night

One highlight of the Darwin trip was a Thai dinner we had on the first night. It was one of those “authentic” places, where they have lounge pillows on the floor and really short tables to sit at. Of course, they had proper sized tables as well, but that’s like going out for sushi and eating it with a fork. Steve, Lucy and I immediately opted for the floor. 6’5” Bill, however, probably had other ideas. He played a good sport and didn’t complain once about having to tangle up his limbs in order to sit down with us. The flavourful food, weightiness of the heat, the wine, and the good company all combined to keep me giggling all the way back to the hotel.

One great day rolled into another as we set off on a “Wallaroo Tour.” Now – Steve and I aren’t usually fans of tour buses, but it seemed like the only way you could safely get up close and personal with the wild and hefty crocs of Darwin. They’re everywhere, people! I’m talkin’ – you can’t go swimming in anything that’s not man-made because you’ll get eaten like Hook in Peter pan.  (Though, because of this, we also spent a lovely afternoon acting like children in a wave pool by the sea).

The tour began at the crack of dawn; we got picked up by a 20-seater at the hotel and headed out to the Adelaide River. Ben, our crusty yet lovely guide, informed us that the last croc-census that was done on the river calculated that 2000 estuarine beasts live in that one body of water alone. He proved it to us by tying the carcasses of chickens onto a pole and dangling them above the reptiles. Those leather lizards thrashed their way high into the air for that chicken – had we wanted to, we could have reached out and touched them. Luckily, no one on our tour got any ideas.

 

Piling back into the van, we were chauffeured to wondrous sights in Litchfield National Park, such as the magnetic termite mounds, waterfalls, and croc-less swimming holes. The secluded and unspoiled places to swim really made me feel like we were seeing the raw Australia. At Florence Falls, the water was so clear that you could see to the bottom, and rather large fish would swim lazily around your ankles. I swam behind the falling water just to get the real taste of the NT.

 

The tour finished off with prawns and champagne at sunset, and our time with Billie and Lucy drew to a close. We said our sleepy goodbyes on a Sunday morning and boarded the plane back to Melbourne. Massive hugs and kisses to those guys!

 

The Rock:

There’s just so much to say about teaching that I won’t torture you with the details. The school I have had the pleasure of winning a 6 month contract with is on the fringes of Melbourne, right on the water. As I walk through the surrounding neighbourhood, I can see the ocean at the end of the streets. There is sand on the playground. There are ice cream parlours and  masts and sails. It’s such a lovely place, that it must rub off on the families. The children who attend the school are helpful, positive and respectful. They’re so respectful that most teachers go by their first names – I go by ‘Jill.’ It has such a personal feel to it. Don’t even get me started on the staff, they’re so fabulous I already feel indebted to them.

 Aside from all the sunshine and rainbows, teaching is damn hard. Actually, I will rephrase; teaching is fun. Planning, marking, professional learning, researching, making resources, attending meetings, learning report card systems, booking performances, running extracurriculars, assemblies, learning 500+ names and doing yard duty is hard. At the end of the day today I went to the washroom, and as I sat there I realized ‘This is the first time I’ve peed today.’  Graphic maybe, but the honest truth.

I am loving the whole experience, but I am able to say that I am very excited about Steven and I’s upcoming swimming-with-whale-shark extravaganza in mid-May. Stay tuned for that one!