Winter in Wisconsin

Patrick and I have made it home safely, sort of. We are both visiting family for the holidays and heading back to Denver on January 1st. While I have been visiting my parents we had one nice snowstorm. The snow has been on the trees for three days and looks beautiful. We have had the opportunity to do some of the fun things we do in the snow, sledding, snowmobiling, and cross country skiing. Unfortunately our snowboard equipment is in Denver. As Patrick and I talk with each other and reflect on our experience we have both realized how great of a time we really had in Australia and we are looking forward to visiting again. Although we are happy to be home and visiting our family and friends, we both realize it is easy and difficult to be back home. We miss our friends, the time in Australia and the things we had the opportunity to experience. We have grown and changed as we learned more. This simply just makes it different to be around our friends and we will eventually learn to adjust. Many who travel say it is more difficult to adjust being back home. We can't say it is any more difficult than adjusting to living in a new place, maybe just not as fun.

Reflection on Teaching

Our year is almost complete and we are both sad to leave some of the great new friends we have made. However we are also excited to see our family and friends. The year has been fantastic despite the difficulties. The ups far out weigh the downs and make the work and uncertainty worth it.

Teaching in the beginning of this year was difficult. Transitioning and learning the system took some time. The vocabulary, everyday procedures, and process take some adjusting. It often took every ounce of energy I had to not say my school (in the States) does it better. It isn't because your school does it better it is because you are used to that system. All schools have processes and procedures that function really well, based on the students, staff, and sometimes the architecture of the spaces. As an exchange teacher I felt it wasn't my job to question it, but to learn to understand what I was having difficulty with. What I eventually learned was that schools are constantly making choices about how to deal with issues that arise. Often times the choices made have a positive consequences and a negative consequences. The question I that often came to mind was, what are we gaining from this choice and what are we going to loose?

Personally, it took Patrick and I time to find our way around and what was around. This takes as much time as you put into it. We had to learn what the neighbourhood had to offer from shopping to parks to classes. We had to try a variety of things to see what we enjoyed doing as it wasn't different than Colorado. When you start learning this you start to establish patterns and habits. The place starts to feel more comfortable when you have a few habits developed. Those habits were often as simple as when we go grocery shopping or go to the gym. Shopping is interesting here, because most shops close around 5. Neighbourhoods have 1 late night a week and are open on Saturdays but not Sundays. If you are working all day and travelling on weekends it make shopping more difficult.

Making friends and establishing relationships also takes time and is probably uncomfortable in the beginning. It is uncomfortable because you know back home you have all these friends and you know who to call to do something fun, or who to call for problems. When you start in a new place you have to establish and build these relationships. But once you establish these as most do, it is sad to go. And that is where we are at, sad to leave.

The Things We Will Miss

There are many things Patrick and I will miss about Australia. We narrowed the list to 10 things list below. The items are listed in no particular order.

1. Sparkling Red Wines
2. The birds singing (especially the Kookabarra)
3. The Gum Trees
4. Beaches
5. Our Friends
6. The Staff at Hamilton
7. The Landscape and Wildlife
8. The neighborhood bakery, butcher, and fruit and veg.
9. Visiting Wineries
10. The Australian Accent

I also began to think while I was making the list, what I missed about the States. The list below is again in no particular order.

1. Good, Cheap beer from the Micro-breweries
2. Our Friends
3. Our Family
4. The Mountains
5. Snowboarding
6. Percipitation
7. Green Landscape
8. Snow
9. Mountain Biking
10. Carpool

Worlds Biggest Guitar Band...

Guinness Book Of Records: Biggest Guitar Band Attempt

Adelaide had a fantastic two week guitar festival last week, to kick off the event they tried to break the world record by forming the world's largest guitar band with everyone playing "Smoke on the Water" by Deep Purple.

They didn't quite break the world record but a record 1,350 Australians took part in our Biggest Guitar Band attempt, with many hundreds watching on. Around 2,000 people showed up and enjoyed the event.



Patrick and Larry rocking out trying to make history.



The guitar salute at the end of the performance.







Someone posted a youtube video online from the world record attempt.

Canberra...

Recently we had the chance to visit the capital city of Australia, Canberra. Kim has a friend she knew from traveling years back, Marianne and her husband Steve, who had recently relocated to Canberra from Darwin. They were gracious enough to put us up for the weekend and show us around. We had a fantastic time. We went to a great formal party that had some amazing food and interesting people. We also spent two days wandering around the city and went to the capital buildings, the war memorial, and the national art gallery. It was neat to see and learn the history about the Australian government and its political system. Canberra is a well laid out city that is easy to get around. It has small satellite areas that are all connected together throughout the city with a lot of surrounding trees and parklands. It has wide streets, and many walking and biking path, so many people commute by bike or walk. We spent one day driving out of the city and went bush walking out in the surrounding mountainous countryside. Canberra is very similar to Washington DC back home in the states.




Vintage cars lined up outside of the old parliment government building.



The capital building and national lawn.



Looking out across the lawn to the hill with the impressive War Memorial gallery.