I've been a week back in Indianapolis now. Apologizes for the lack of blogging. I have been sick and taking a break from blogging. I hope to give a detailed update on my trip back and concluding thoughts on my Australia experience.
Thursday, December 22, 2011
Sunday, December 11, 2011
Packing Up
These past two months have been too short. I'm going to miss Australia. Packing is always miserable, it's like tearing off a band aid. I am worried about coming back and realizing how much I and Indianapolis have changed.
I have learned a lot about myself while here both as a person and teacher. Most importantly my relationship with God has deepened. When you live in a foreign country you have no safety net. Sure people will help you out but your family and close friends are thousands of miles away. Also, I have made some great friends, but there hasn't been someone who's been in my same position, a young single male American teacher in an Australian school. I've been forced by my circumstances to talk with God about how things are going. Also, I've had to trust God a lot more. Whether it's just getting to some place or feeling out of place at school, God has been a constant aid. Living in a foreign country has forced me to rely on him.
Those are some beginning thoughts on my experience, more to come.
I have learned a lot about myself while here both as a person and teacher. Most importantly my relationship with God has deepened. When you live in a foreign country you have no safety net. Sure people will help you out but your family and close friends are thousands of miles away. Also, I have made some great friends, but there hasn't been someone who's been in my same position, a young single male American teacher in an Australian school. I've been forced by my circumstances to talk with God about how things are going. Also, I've had to trust God a lot more. Whether it's just getting to some place or feeling out of place at school, God has been a constant aid. Living in a foreign country has forced me to rely on him.
Those are some beginning thoughts on my experience, more to come.
Thursday, December 8, 2011
Beach Cricket!
This evening I will be playing beach cricket with the Repse family, who I've been living with for the past two months. It's my first time to play beach cricket. I've been explained the rules, and it looks like an interesting game. I don't understand how people will play it days on end. That seems a bit extreme for me. I've always been interested in learning new sports. I'm glad to add cricket to my list.
This morning and afternoon I was at a staff metting and luncheon. I had to say goodbye to everyone at Maranatha. It has been such a great experience teaching there. I wish I could have stayed, but I'm being called elsewhere.
The last week has been probably the hardest week I've spent in Australia. It is hard saying goodbye to people. With classes ending, it's been a very light week. I'm beginning to reflect on my experience in Australia. At some point I'll write some thoughts on my experience. Right now I'm doing my best to just enjoy the last couple of days.
This morning and afternoon I was at a staff metting and luncheon. I had to say goodbye to everyone at Maranatha. It has been such a great experience teaching there. I wish I could have stayed, but I'm being called elsewhere.
The last week has been probably the hardest week I've spent in Australia. It is hard saying goodbye to people. With classes ending, it's been a very light week. I'm beginning to reflect on my experience in Australia. At some point I'll write some thoughts on my experience. Right now I'm doing my best to just enjoy the last couple of days.
Sunday, December 4, 2011
The End is Near
I can't believe there are only four days of school left, and I come back to America in seven days. Time has flown for me here in Melbourne. I have learned a lot at Maranatha and am leaving with some great experiences and friendships.
I haven't blogged for a long time because I was at camp for five days. We lived in tents and were in the Otways, a beautiful area. It was a mix rainforest, forest and coast all on hilly terrain. We got some beautiful views. It also goes along the Great Ocean Road. We lived on food we brought. My diet was English muffins, oatmeal, some bars, water and 2-minute noodles. Glad to have real food now.
The weather was a mix of rain and sun shine. It was sunny one minute and as we started to put on sunscreen it started raining. Other then some bad weather we also kept awake by koalas. Those animals make the worst noises at night, even worse then the students who stayed up all night.
The students were well behaved overall. There were fourteen of them, both girls and guys. Of course there were moments that I was an unhappy teacher. Yet, overall it was a good experience. We had some good times and good memories. I'm glad I went. It has helped me become a better teacher and leader.
I haven't blogged for a long time because I was at camp for five days. We lived in tents and were in the Otways, a beautiful area. It was a mix rainforest, forest and coast all on hilly terrain. We got some beautiful views. It also goes along the Great Ocean Road. We lived on food we brought. My diet was English muffins, oatmeal, some bars, water and 2-minute noodles. Glad to have real food now.
The weather was a mix of rain and sun shine. It was sunny one minute and as we started to put on sunscreen it started raining. Other then some bad weather we also kept awake by koalas. Those animals make the worst noises at night, even worse then the students who stayed up all night.
The students were well behaved overall. There were fourteen of them, both girls and guys. Of course there were moments that I was an unhappy teacher. Yet, overall it was a good experience. We had some good times and good memories. I'm glad I went. It has helped me become a better teacher and leader.
Sunday, November 27, 2011
On Friday I had the 2nd best Cup of Coffee in my Life
On Friday I went in to the city to visit the Old Melbourne Gaol, walk around and had the second best cup of coffee I have ever had at Brother Baba Budan. The best I had was at Bewleys in Dublin Ireland. This cup was really close, and it's rather hard to compare the two, but yeah, I want to get another cup before I leave the country on December 12th.
I'll be gone for almost the whole week. I am going with the year 9 students to the Otways for a camping trip. It'll be an exciting time of rafting, mountain biking, bush walking and trying to survive. I had to pack all my food for the week. I hope it goes well.
Happy late Thanksgiving. I was able to celebrate two thanksgiving. One with a fellow teacher at his home on Thursday and another on Saturday over in Geloong with the Fishers, Blackwoods and other RPers. There is much to be thankful for!
I'll be gone for almost the whole week. I am going with the year 9 students to the Otways for a camping trip. It'll be an exciting time of rafting, mountain biking, bush walking and trying to survive. I had to pack all my food for the week. I hope it goes well.
Happy late Thanksgiving. I was able to celebrate two thanksgiving. One with a fellow teacher at his home on Thursday and another on Saturday over in Geloong with the Fishers, Blackwoods and other RPers. There is much to be thankful for!
Monday, November 21, 2011
A Slow Week
This week has put me in a bind. There is almost no teaching on. Currently grades 7-9 are in exams for the week. Years 11 through 12 are in early commencement. (This is when teachers begin introducing their new subjects to the students. Hard to introduce something that you won't be teaching because you won't be there.) Hence, I'm stuck in an office all week doing curriculum development on the Vietnam War and marking exams. Can't say this is the best week of my life.
Other then a slow week, I've begun to get to know the students a lot better. It was hard at first because I didn't know any of the students or staff. Though it's hard because I won't be teaching here next year, I've been able to develop a rapport with some of the students. I think that's what I enjoy most about teaching right now, is the relationships I've been able to have with the various students and staff. I thought I was more interested in content. Though I still enjoy it a lot, it's really cool taking concepts and ideas and giving them to students. It's a great feeling when a student tells you that they were learning while you taught or when you see their faces light up when they understand a concept.
The staff are very enjoyable. Aussies like to make fun of each other a lot, which is more in tune with my personality. I really enjoyed getting to know the staff when we went on camp. It was some very good times. It'll be hard to leave in a couple of weeks now.
I've put up some pictures on my google+ account, most of them are of camp.
Other then a slow week, I've begun to get to know the students a lot better. It was hard at first because I didn't know any of the students or staff. Though it's hard because I won't be teaching here next year, I've been able to develop a rapport with some of the students. I think that's what I enjoy most about teaching right now, is the relationships I've been able to have with the various students and staff. I thought I was more interested in content. Though I still enjoy it a lot, it's really cool taking concepts and ideas and giving them to students. It's a great feeling when a student tells you that they were learning while you taught or when you see their faces light up when they understand a concept.
The staff are very enjoyable. Aussies like to make fun of each other a lot, which is more in tune with my personality. I really enjoyed getting to know the staff when we went on camp. It was some very good times. It'll be hard to leave in a couple of weeks now.
I've put up some pictures on my google+ account, most of them are of camp.
Sunday, November 20, 2011
Relying on God in Australia
Living in a foreign country is an adventure. Certainly, Australia is not a third world country, and the Aussies speak English, kind of. So, it's not extraordinarily difficult to live here. Yet, I am away from family. I have no real support group. Yes, I have made friends, and people look out for my welfare. But if something happens I'm pretty much on my own. No one can make medical decisions for me, no one can tell me if I should get a job here. I can communicate with family, but that takes a while. Also, talking face to face with someone is different then gchat.
Living in a foreign country has forced me to rely more on God. Living by yourself does that to you. You hope you make the right decisions and that things fall into place, but only God can make sure things work out okay. It's been a good life lesson. I think any time we are put outside our comfort zone away from people we trust and love, we are forced to rely more on God. It's hard to learn because it's not easy, but growth in Christ comes about through these types of times. It's like weight lifting. You have to break down your muscles in order to get stronger. It's a bit counter-intuitive and painful, but we become stronger from it.
Living in a foreign country has forced me to rely more on God. Living by yourself does that to you. You hope you make the right decisions and that things fall into place, but only God can make sure things work out okay. It's been a good life lesson. I think any time we are put outside our comfort zone away from people we trust and love, we are forced to rely more on God. It's hard to learn because it's not easy, but growth in Christ comes about through these types of times. It's like weight lifting. You have to break down your muscles in order to get stronger. It's a bit counter-intuitive and painful, but we become stronger from it.
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