Settled in...

Well, a week has already gone by. I am finally settling in to my "home" and getting to know the city a bit more. Phil and I went into downtown Melbourne yesterday and were so distracted by all the cool sights that we forgot to take any pictures. LOL! We ate in Chinatown which was really good and we did a lot of walking because it was such a nice day.

Today my host family took us up to one of the local "hills" which was more like a mountain. It's called "Mt. Dandenong". We could see all of Melbourne, Port Phillip Bay and some other mountain ranges from the top. This is a picture of us up there. It was really windy.

I start my second week tomorrow and I'm looking forward to it. The school schedules are really crazy here. I have a different schedule everyday for 2 weeks and then it starts all over again. I just wrote it all out in my planner today.

I miss everyone at home already!!! This place is amazing but I have learned in my years of traveling that nothing ever compares to home.

First day of student teaching...

Well I wouldn't necessarily call it teaching just yet. I am still figuring out my "time table" (when you see the "", it usually means it's the Aussie way of saying it.)

I observed the primary school today and they welcomed me with a nice little sign in the front entrance. Of course my name was spelled wrong (like it always it) but it was still a nice effort on their part. Ironic how they are also advertising a spelling bee. :-)

The kids were funny but I think they thought I was even funnier. They asked me to say words like "slurp" and "tornado" and then giggled when I said it. They think Americans sound "funny". It was fun for me to have the accent this time though so I played along and laughed with them.

I'll have more to report hopefully once I get a good feel for what I will be doing on a regular basis. For now, it's time for bed. Good night! (or should I say good morning?) ;-)

First day in Melbin...

We arrived at around 10am in Melbourne and our coordinator, Kevin, drove us around first thing to give us a tour of the city. Check out "my photos" on the right hand side of this page to view the photos I took from the car ride. (They may not show up right away so if it doesn't work, check back again later.)

I still keep forgetting to go to the left side of the car when riding as the passenger. LOL! The city is beautiful and despite the dreary weather on Saturday, we really enjoyed the trip.

A bit about Melbourne...

Melbourne (pronounced /mel.bən/) is the state capital of Victoria, the southern most state on the mainland of Australia. Melbourne sits on Port Phillip Bay and is the second most populous city in Australia, with a metropolitan area population of approximately 3.7 million.

The seasons are reversed from Minneapolis so we (Phil and I) will be arriving in the fall and it will be winter time for most of our trip. Melbourne's climate is known for its changeable weather conditions. The phrase "four seasons in one day" is part of popular culture and observed by many visitors to the city. Just like home!  Although it is colder than most other Australian capital cities in winter, the lowest maximum on record is 39.9 degrees Fahrenheit and snowfalls are extremely rare.

I am pretty sure we will be able to handle the moderate temps and I am really excited about the beaches!

The countdown is almost over...

I am getting ready to leave this Thursday for Australia!! I encourage you all to visit my blog regularly if you want updated info and pictures from my travel and experiences.