The 4th Grade and the Phone

There are a lot of things that I am good at. For instance, I know how to dress myself in a way that looks like I wear a size 6 when in actuality I wear a size 8 or 10. I also have the ability to find great sales on shoes, I can laugh at myself during the many mistakes I make, I can recall useless details from tv shows and movies, I can name almost any actor or actress, and I have an impeccable memory for remembering anything that is NOT important. All of these many talents of mine are of absolutely NO GOOD while teaching the 4th grade.

I called Cynthia and asked for a sub job. It was my fault. She didn't have much so my options were a full day of Special Ed at the high school or a half day in the 4th grade. Man, I did not choose wisely. If I were in an Indiana Jones movie attempting to choose the carpenters cup I would have shriveled up and my bones turned to dust right there and then on that sunny Friday morning.

As soon as I accepted I thought to myself, "why, why would I do something so stupid?" I was nervous as all get out so I thought to myself, alright, I'll just dress the part of an elementary school teacher and maybe that will give me the confidence to be able to get through this half day (only 4 hours mind you) of school. Since I do not own any zip up sweaters with the optional appliques of sunflowers, apples, pencils, and a little chalkboard with ABC or 1+2=3 written on it in chalk, I decided to wear khakis, a white tee, and the teacher staple of a jean jacket. I took a couple deep breaths and headed for my car with a huge cup o' coffee. I gave myself pep talks all the way there and just kept repeating "you can do this!"

I arrived at the classroom and the teacher gave me a quick rundown of what I was to do. She kept asking me if I knew certain procedures and I just stared and nodded my head. I didn't want to appear incompetent as I felt so I pretended I knew how to take small children to the restroom, Tack in the Shoe, and the various noisemakers for quieting down the class. I felt lucky that there was a room mom in the classroom. Later, I would discover that this was in fact not-so-lucky.

The students came back from recess and literally we were off. They know the procedure for the day like the back of their hand so I was desperately trying to catch up. They were excited to see a sub, hyper, and CRAZY. I asked them to sit down, it didn't happen, I asked them to quiet down, it didn't happen, I looked around desperately at the room mom for help, again nothing happened. I wondered out loud how I was going to get them to pay attention and 5 little kids all started telling me about putting my hand up in the air, taking away recess points, tacks in shoes, the windchime, AND a bell. No joke. I was FLABBERGASTED. I just watched unable to concentrate on even one of the students. They continued on completely unaware that I was silently screaming "WHAT THE HELL" and cursing myself out on the inside. One of thestudent is trying to explain to me the windchime. As she picks it up, another girl grabs it and FREAKS OUT.

She snatches it in both of her paws and starts yelling 'NO ONE BUT THE TEACHER IS SUPPOSED TO USE THIS AND DON'T YOU TAKE IT FROM ME THATS NOT FAIR AND I WAS JUST TRYING TO TELL HER HOW TO DO IT AND YOU TOOK IT FROM ME AND I HATE THIS STUPID BELL I JUST HATE IT I HATE IT I HATE IT I HATE IT!!!!!!!!!!!" All while stamping her feet and turning a violent color of maroonish purple. I, honestly, was so stunned I couldn't react correctly. I not so intelligently, started laughing, and said, "woah woah woah, what WAS that?!Please put that down!" The girl set it down, crossed her arms and sat down. Completely over it and calm. I still don't comprehend what exactly that was about.

We were only supposed to have a bathroom break. How did things get so out of control? I'd only been there for 5 minutes! The 5 minutes of yelling and screaming took us right into story time in the reading room. It took me another 8 minutes to actually get all 32 students lined up at the door and quiet. I mean, it was just chaos. We of course were late to the reading room and we shared the room with another class. The other teacher looked at my sympathetically and goes "we're certainly having "a day" today". Good news.

We leave the reading room and stop at the bathroom since they missed the opportunity on our first go. There must be some kind of art involved taking 4th graders on a potty break. The kids were ALL OVER the place. If they weren't in the potty they were supposed to be against the wall. No one would stay on the wall. Instead they were pulling out way too many paper towels, throwing hand sanitizer and water at each other, trying to do handstands against the wall, or there were 3 or 4 students trying to tell me 3 or 4 different stories at the same time. Really, I think it was just a clever way to distract me while the others got themselves into water fights. The room mom even comes from the classroom and says, "uh, I can hear you guys from down the hall!" Information I don't really need as it is more than obvious I am NOT in control. Another frustrated 8 or so minutes and I finally wrangle them all up and THANKFULLY take them to art for an hour.

I go back to the room and sit on my stool and put my face in my hands shaking my head. The room mom starts LAUGHING! I look up and plaster an annoyed smile on my face. We start conversation. Now, subbing can be difficult but it is nothing compared to the extra help I have come across in certain rooms. It doesn't matter what school because all of them that I have come across are the same. They all have information on what students are awful, what they think is wrong with the school system, what teachers do wrong, what administrator has his/her head so far up their own ass they don't pay attention to the rest of the school, and it just goes on and on. This room mother was not an exception. She proceeded to tell me what she thinks the teacher does wrong and what procedures she does not agree with all while glorifying her own child. She also indulges in a little condition I call verbal diarrhea. I suffer from this condition but I can keep it in check when it counts. Room mom on the other hand. She let it all hang out. She proceeds to tell me how she has to take zanax four times a day! She also tells me how it makes her tired and a little loopy and a bit hard to stay awake when she's sitting in on classes. I'm listening in disbelief while mentally telling myself to be sure that I keep my face set in an understanding agreeable expression. Really, though, I mean COME ON! What was she thinking? Why are you even there!? Go home! I am a future teacher who is not even in a school yet and you first of all are giving me waaay too much personal information and bad mouthing the school system and seasoned teachers. The very ones her children are enrolled in and I am hoping to be employed by. Seriously? Are you trying to talk me out of becoming a teacher? Last time I checked I didn't choose this profession expecting a classroom full of type A, do-gooder students. I guess I just like a challenge.

Anyway, art is over and the students came back. As Heidi Klum would say, we had a little chat. I reprimanded them on the bad behavior previously and then said I was hoping for a turn around in behavior for the second half of the afternoon. I also created the "Ms. V signal". I put two fingers up in the air in the shape of a V and I tell them that it is like my bat signal and they are to be quiet immediately whenever they see it and wait for furthur instruction. It worked amazingly well. The rest of the afternoon was instruction time and went really smoothly. No problems at all. I had to throw up the V signal a few times but other than that it was good. Then the end of the day came.

Ten minutes left in the day and the students decided to get all crazy again. Fifteen of them were attempting to tell me how the end of the day procedures go and the rest are flying all around getting book bags and tennis shoes out of the cupboards. I put up the Ms. V signal but they no longer cared. I was desperately trying to get their attention but they pretty much ignored me and the two class brown nosers who were trying to help me. The first bell rang and half the class just took off. Where to? I have NO idea. If you have seen the movie Kindergarten Cop when Arnold goes into the Kindergarten room for the first time and the kids are EVERYWHERE. My room was a good reenactment of that. Literally. It was horrible. The second bell rings and the rest of the students fly out of the room one by one. I'm left standing there red-faced, frustrated, in an eerie silence especially after all the chaos and noise that was previously in the room. I'm thinking, okay, that clearly did not go well but I did learn something. I learned that 34 bucks for that hell I was just in is NOT worth it.

I go to pick up my stuff only to find my cute red teacher bag all over the floor. I scoop things back up and am prepared to tell my bff all about it when I cannot locate my phone. Correction, my blackberry that stores all of my information including months and months of emails, text messages, and pictures. I am in a PANIC. I re-dump out my bag, crawl around on the floor, look in, under, around, the desk I was sitting and I look in the trash, the blackboard, the teachers desk, everywhere. I can't find it. I walk out in the hall where I can hear other teachers talking and literally blinking back tears ask them if they think a 4th grader is capable of stealing a blackberry. Immediately they all are like "OH YEA" and tell me to go talk to the principal. We search for it and I even looked in all of the students desks but it's nowhere to be found. I'm pretty much frantic, pissed off, and mostly upset. It was such an exasperating day. The thought of going home and telling my parents my blackberry was gone was almost as bad as the phone being gone.

Luckily, the parental unit was not home when I got home. I paced the house trying to think what to do and anticipate how much I am going to be inconvenienced. I did intelligently call my phone repeatidly before suspending the service so my number would show up a bunch of times. I'm still fuming when house phone rings. I check the caller I.D. and since I didn't recognize the number I didn't answer. Then I thought about it for awhile and realized that the number was attached to the same last name as the room mom! I called it back, holding my breath, and sure enough it was the room mother and even more to my relief, her daughter had my blackberry. While I was on the phone with her getting directions she puts me on hold to CHEW out her daughter in language I would never use in front of a 10 year old. My relief of knowing where my phone completely subsided for guilt over getting that girl in trouble. As soon as my phone was back in my possession I checked it to see how much she had gone through. It was obvious my texts had been scrolled through but only to the point passed a long text conversation about the season premiere of Grey's Anatomy the previous night. Then I open my email. I'm doing this all while the room mom is telling me that her daugher doesn't know how to do anything on a cell phone like text or send emails or probably even to call soemone. Naive. Naive. Naive.

In my inbox is a sent email to Dicks Sporting Goods. Soemone had replied to an automatically generated email about upcoming sales and discounts. The email said "Go Suck on." At first I don't get it but then I looked at it again and right after that line it says who the email is sent to, so together it says, Go Suck on... [Dicks] Sporting Goods. Creative you little 4th Grader. Creative.

My Work Out Rules... Though Harsh: Absolutely True!

I just got back from running at Rails n' Trails Park in Bloomington and there are a few things that consistently bother me.

First and foremost is the man who bikes shirtless with white curly chest hair a-blazin' in CUT OFF WAY TOO SHORT JEAN SHORTS. Cut offs are meant for those women I am insanely jealous of that have killer thin toned legs. Not for the overweight man huffing and puffing on a bike. I can't even imagine the chaffing!

Second: There are loads of people out there that walk with their pets. I get this and often I think it's cute. Sometimes my ass will start a runnin' faster when an attractive male with his golden retriever are about to trot by (the counterpart of this being an attractive male with a teeny tiny dog like a chihuahua. I chalk these boys up to walking their girlfriends dogs or as put by Carrie Bradshaw (Season 5-Episode 2:Unoriginal Sin) "Can't handle a real dog can't handle a real woman." I, however, am not entertained by those people who allow their pets to wander on the trail across from them leaving the leash as an invisible clothesline for me to contemplate and panic about. If I'm running it is slightly less daunting but as it is I am a klutz. The thought of me jumping over the leash at the right height and speed has me in hysterics. I don't fancy a broken arm from it and I can just imagine the entertainment others would get from the tale. When I'm on my rollerblades the fear is even worse. I am still horrible at stopping. In fact, I have never managed to be able to come to a complete stop. One time I did mean to turn in a semi-circle in order to stop but I was going to quick and I spun in two little tight circles. I felt like Nancy Kerrigan or something until I was so dizzy I had to sit before moving on. Anyway, I'm just saying that people with pets should have a little consideration for others. Especially those who are leisurely walking through that park. I think people who look like they are trying to get a serious work out should have the right away. Also, tonight, I was sitting on a bench attempting to catch my breath when this little fuzzy thing of a dog on a leash but a bit away from its owner came up to me. I must of gave it a dirty look because its owner gave me one right back and under her breath said, "wow.. bitch.." Seriously? It's known that I'm not the greatest fan of dogs but I had just got done running 2.29 miles. My face was so red it was maroon and I was sucking in air like I hadn't had any oxygen for days. No, I don't want to pet your dog!

Third: Like the leashes I work out in fear of the families walking, biking, skating together. Especially the families with little ones. This is going to make me sound evil but I can't help but get frustrated by the little kids who have not yet mastered their wheeled transportation devices. It causes them to ride erratically in "s" curves all over the path. I get panicky when I'm coming up to them and trying to judge which direction they are going to go in next. A few times I have judged wrong and in order to miss the unaware small child I have flown into the grass with my arms flying wildly and a few of those times I have wiped out. None of which have the parents apologized for their children. I'm sporting a nice scab on my right forearm right now from such an occasion. A lot of parents are really great and will tell their children to move aside so I can pass and I am extremely grateful and I usually even say thanks and smile. A little consideration. That's all I'm asking for.

Fourth: For me this is common sense but in my studies has proven not to be for many others. You should always be aware of other people working out, walking, jogging, biking, whatever around you. I get extremely annoyed when I'm jogging or skating along and I come up to a group of people who are blocking the path and are completely unaware that I am behind them. If you are walking in a line across the path please have enough consideration to pay attention and move aside for others to pass through. I do it for others. If I'm going at a slower pace from someone and I see them coming I move aside so they can have the inside track. It is the reasonable thing to do. I can't really stop on my skates so I always fear I'm going to end up taking someone out. It's a legitimate fear. I can't stop. I can imagine the ridicule I'd get.

Fifth: If you are gabbing wildly on your cell phone talking to someone about how you are working out while you are working out, you are NOT working out! Being able to hold a whole conversation complete with complex sentences with few breathers in between means you are no where near an aerobic level. This is most basic test everyone should know if they are wondering if they are working out hard enough. You should be able to talk in short sporadic sentences but should not be able to hold a conversation. Please spare me the annoyance of having to go around you and go home and facebook. These types of people are really high on my list of central annoyances during the winter season of working out at the gym on campus. Decent treadmill time is hard to come by and when one is being used by someone who is talking or texting on their cell phone really fires me up. It's really irritating and I know I'm not the only one who thinks so.

Sixth: The glamourites at the glamour gym. By my definition a glamourite is either: a male who goes to the gym in a a t-shirt with the sleeves torn off so literally more skin is showing than shirt who does a few reps but then mostly does one of two things: stares at all the asses of the females on treadmills or flexes in the mirror while making "yea, man, I'm ripped" faces at himself. The female glamourite is a girl who comes to the gym in full make-up, the shortest shorts possible, and a teeny tiny tank top. They will bounce around on an elliptical for awhile and never break a sweat. They in turn stare around at the male glamourites giggling or gossip with their friends on a nearby treadmill or elliptical while simultaneously texting on their phones. They do exist. I work at the gym and us workers get a good kick laughing at these people and it's not only a few people. They are loads of them!

That's all for now. I plan on working out again tomorrow so I may come up with some new ones!

A Little Gem from My Parents

Thanks Mom and Dad! I LOVE that you did this for me! Grandma looks so precious! I can just imagine mom saying, "oh wait let's put her paws over my arm!" :) Can't wait to see you guys and the kitty. Oh, and NO, you cannot keep her! :)

Ode to My Fur Kitty Baby

I have LOADS of work to do and I do not want to do it. I have a pile of papers sitting right next to me at this moment, and I do not want to grade them. Usually, in moments like this, I torture my poor roommate Grandma. She's not here though and it makes my heart ache. So, instead, to fill the Grandma sized hole in my heart, I am going to post my favorite pictures of the fur face. I get to see her two weeks from today!! I CANNOT wait! I miss my parents and my friends and all, but I really really miss Grandma. She's my pal.

Amy actually took this picture. She snuck Grandma into the spare room and told me I wasn't allowed to peek. She came back out and here is the result. You can see the pleased look on Grandma's face. I like the way her paws are turned out. It makes me smile.



I love how Grandma and Monte match in this picture. Also, they are both looking at the camera which is a rarity!



Proof Grandma watches TV. She prefers Friends and Full House.



Cone Kitty! Grandma had to wear this cone for a week when she got fixed. She tore her staples out twice. She acted so defeated when she had to wear the cone. She would try to run but the cone would catch and flip her over. I felt SO sorry for her.



Grandma's Halloween Costume! She hates it but somehow fell asleep with it on.



Somehow Grandma gave herself a fat lip. I didn't even know cats could get fat lips. I have no idea how it happened. She has been known to ran into a wall or two though...



This is what I do when I'm avoiding work... Poor poor Kitty Grandma...






Grandma couldn't resist the power that a lighted candle has over her and she stuck her face in it. This is the consequence. She had black smut all over her face and burnt off her whiskers. I tried to get the black off but it wouldn't come off. Her whiskers were more hilarious because they were real short and curly. They took FOREVER to grow back.




Grandma! I miss you! I'll be home soon, Kitty!!

Pukekaihau

Pukekaihau is my favorite club at CHBC! I'm so glad I got to see them perform again and record it. I am literally like five feet away so the video is not ideal but it's still good. I LOVE it! The first time I watched them I got goosebumps. One of the videos if all of them singing, one is just the females, and then one is the males doing a haka (my favorite!).








Only 9 Days Left! :(

The Non-Automatic Glass Door

Last Wednesday we went to the public pool for swimming sports. Swimming sports are an event that the school holds every year to promote house unity. The school has four different houses. Yes, like true Harry Potter: Gryffindor, Hufflepuff, Slytherin, and Ravenclaw. Of course, the school I am at, the four names are not from Harry Potter, but still very cool. The students sign up to participate in an event like the 25m freestyle, backstroke, or butterfly. There's a 50m and 100m in each of those events as well. It goes by junior girls, junior boys, senior girls, and senior boys. Juniors in the school are years 9 and 10. Seniors are years 11, 12, and 13. Anyone who doesn't sign up stays at school and goes to class like normal except for a lot of the classes are combined because so many students are out and they just have a "fun" day. Each person who participates in a race gets points and then whoever gets first, second, and third gets additional points for their house. The house who wins gets bragging rights for the rest of the year. They are only in the second term here so literally their school year is still in the beginning not the end.

I went with J early to help out. I was walking in with all of these cones and paper work and walk through the first automatic doors. I get to the second set of doors and expect like the first that they are going to open automatically. Except for they don't. Me, not really getting why, am standing there like a dope slowing moving towards the door to see if I've just missed the sensor but no, the door still does not open. Finally, the woman who runs the indoor swimming facility tells me, "um, you have to push the door open". Me: "What?" Her: "push the door" Me: "What?" It's like I so expected those stupid doors to be automatic that I couldn't process the fact that they were NOT in fact automatic. The lady came and pushed the door open. I walk through all red and hot faced laughing.

This is not the end of the door saga though. I was pleased that there was hardly anyone there yet so there was only a few witnesses to my stupidity. I figured the rest of the students and staff had probably been there enough to know that the second door wasn't automatic. To my great surprise and entertainment ALL day, many people did NOT know this fact. I was near the doors all day checking people in and telling when the next group of swimmers could go to to start blocks. I could not tell you how much I laughed at people thinking the second set of doors were going to open for them. Some would walk right up until their noses were practically against the glass, some would move slowly foward, and then back, forward again, and then back, and some would even walk through the first set of doors AGAIN and then come back to the second set to test it out. Eventually, they would figure it out, be embarrassed, and walk through to find me on the other side cracking up. It was SO good. Honestly. I live for stupid things like that.

The next day a few of my of students were like, "Ms. V! Ms. V! We saw you yesterday cracking up all by yourself by the doors!" I'd tell them what I was laughing at one of my students goes, "but, Ms. V, it's not that funny!" Oh! But I promise you it was! I wonder if they thought I was laughing at all the students who were running around completely embarrassed to be in their togs (bathing suites) in front of essentially the whole school and three quarters of the staff.

Needless to say it was a good day and I found out that there are quite a few of really good swimmers in one of my classes and I had no idea. One of them was even was in the last olympic trials and just barely missed out and is a true contender to represent En Zed in the next summer olympics. I know New Zealand is small, but sweet as! I had no idea. How wicked cool, ey?

Sometimes, I'm so happy to be so easily entertained.

Another good glass door situation was on the first night on the Kiwi Bus. We were staying at Turtle Cove hostel and had a huge spaghetti dinner for the whole bus. The kitchen in the hostel had sliding glass doors that went out to the bar area and there was a significent step down into it. I was sitting there happily eating away and this girl is about to walk from the bar area back into the kitchen. Well, she, I'm certain, was like "I am going to MAKE SURE I don't trip over this ledge and make it into the kitchen" because she lifted her leg really high up for the step, and then she SMACKED right into the glass!!! I DIED! Honestly, died. It was one of the BEST "run into a glass door" situations I have ever seen in my life! Only a few other people saw it and we didn't know each other very well so it was right rude of me to laugh but I couldn't hold it in! I had to walk away because it was a near impossibility to calm myself down. LOVE it. Oh man, I'm even laughing right now thinking about it! She needn't feel so bad. Two other people walked into the door as well. Though nobody lifted their leg as high as she did in preperation for the step. By the way this is a competely true story. You can ask anyone on the Kiwi Bus. Anytime someone wanted to make me laugh they would just say, "ask her about the girl who lifted her leg and ran into the door!" I died thinking about it before I had even said a word!

Okay... no more stories. I'm meant to be grading papers right now! ;)

My Volunteer Project

For the Overseas project we have to do a Service Learning Project. I was slow to come by one but luckily J thought of one for me. She suggested that I go by Scally's to see if they could use my services. Scally's is a pre-kindergarten school for little kids ages 5 and younger and is also an after school sort of day care for primary school kids. I had to do something that was outside of my school and was apart of the community. The thought of working with all those young kids was really daunting for me. Personally, I'd rather shear a sheep. (By the way, there were some farmers from England on the Kiwi Bus and they said that shearing a sheep is nothing to laugh at. All of them said it's really hard work. Plus, sheep farmers make almost twice as much as regular farmers. But still, I think it'd be fun to have a go at a sheep. (poor, poor sheep, right?) There are sheep ALL over the place over here and once we even got in a sheep traffic jam (I have a picture of it. HILARIOUS. There's all these little sheep faces in the screen.) They look so soft and fluffy. It'd seems like it would feel nice to hug a sheep.

Anyway, back to Scally's. I went yesterday for the first time. I haven't spent any time in a kindergarten classroom since I was in Kindergarten myself. I felt SO awkward and out of place. I kept trying to talk to the little ones but could only hear what a dweeb I sounded like! The fake little laugh that I kept producing was horrid. I have little cousins! Several, actually. It should not be that hard. Part of the problem is the wonderful kiwi accent that I thought I had a hold on until I met these little ones. A kiwi accent is already hard to understand and then coupled with little kids who can't pronounce all their words right in the first place was nearly impossible. I would just look at them blankly then say, "mmm yea.. neat." There was this one little girl that constantly cracked me up. She says everything in the form of a question. For example, "you work at scally's today, ey? (ey is is pronounced A) Or, it's time for lunch, ey?" This little four year old and her dear accent and saying "ey" at the end of everything made her sound like a pirate! I'm certain I'm the only one who thought so but it was so entertaining to me I couldn't help crack a smile. There is also another little girl who has to be watched all the time because if she gets away she immediately will stop up the sink and flood the bathroom. It's such a funny problem to have. Just like the little kid who decided to paint the bottom of his feet instead of his firetruck and stamped little purple feet prints all over the cement. It was pretty cute. I sort of wish I had those sort of problems instead of kids flinging every cussword in the book at me or indecent behavior of another kind going on in the bathroom. Can you imagine a high school student who would think it'd be great fun to paint the bottom of his feet purple and stamp on down the hallway? Actually, I think I could imagine some of my students doing it! In the states and here!

Scally's really is a pre-kindy (they call Kindergarten, kindy, it's easier for the little one's to say) heaven. The facility is amazing. The different age groups occupy three different buildings and the yards in between. The buildings are old houses aside from the one that was just built which is a huge heated gym (tumble room, they call it). Each age group has their different areas and have AWESOME outside play areas. It really is like nothing I've ever seen. So cool.

Towards the end I started to feel more comfortable and even got a little boy to stop crying! Anyway, I got the little kid to stop crying by picking up this toy cat and meowing at him! So appropriate, ey? I don't know what I was thinking. I just meowed at him and he answered me with a mew. So, I go meow mew mew! I have a kitty at home do you have kitty as a pet (Grandma!)? Meow. Okay, typing it, it sounds incredibly stupid and weird but my old cat lady ways saved me of the awkward situation of having a howling kid on my hands. But really, what kind of person just meows at a kid to get them to stop crying?! Even I think I'm weird.

I have to go back today because I have to do at least 8 hours. I'm not exactly looking forward to it but I'm not dreading it like before. All the teachers there or pre-degree teachers are super nice so it's not all bad. Luckily, no one saw my meowing yesterday so at least no one will be calling me "that girl who meows at the kids" when they can't remember my name!

A Few Images

This is a picture of when I went white water rafting in Rotorura. It was great fun. This is at the bottom of a 7 meter drop off of a waterfall. It was pretty scary but over before you blink. The guides were HILARIOUS! Honest. They all were so good and I'm quite jealous. They might have one of the best jobs in the world. They all seemed like best friends just messin' around on some rapids every day. I'm the one on the right in front of the guide in all black. His name was CHONK which is his nickname he got from having his front teeth knocked out 17 times while going on tours!

This picture is from the Franz Glacier all day hike. It also was amazing. The views were amzing. The glacier is actually in between rainforest so we were able to hike in t-shirts and some people even wore shorts. Our guide Kutty was the one who was super fit that I mentioned in a story earlier (so, yes, this is the morning after I got pissed on). I'm so glad I got to do it. The ice looks incredible! I tripped loads! Cramp-ons (spikes that attach to your boots) are really hard to walk in. If you don't lift your feet up high enough you just trip on them which I did, a lot. I even scratched my chin up pretty good on some ice stairs. You can see it in some of my close up bungy photos. Sometimes I'd be walking about and just think to myself... I am on a BLINKIN' GLACIER! Ah! It was just so so cool.

And here are some more bungy photos that Julien from London took of me. I'm pretty proud of my superman jump. Everyone does it. Some better than others. It looks wicked in the photos though. Everyone keeps asking me where I got the courage to jump and I honestly don't really know. For both sky diving and doign a bungy, I just didn't know when I would ever get the opportunity again so it didn't make sense to pass it up. We had an amazing bunch of people on the Kiwi bus. I think I still would have done everything I did but the memories would not be as wonderful as they are because of the people on the Kiwi Bus. The atmosphere that followed us around was incredible. Everyone was up for anything and just waiting for the next adventure. It was awesome. There's nothing like standing on a ledge staring down at a 440 ft drop scared out of your wits, about to pee yourself, and having amazing, wicked people behind you cheering your name. I'll never ever forget.

There is a rip chord that you can pull to turn yourself up right for when you get brought back up in the the hub but I couldn't get it to pull. I yanked on it twice and nothing happened so I gave up. The chord is tucked in between your leg in the ankle straps but I couldn't get it out.
I was spinning in quick little circle until I finally managed to grab that white bungy chord to stop myself. The white chord is the one that looks like it is made up of a bunch of tiny rubber bands. So scary!

This picture is in Queenstown Base hostel. All those girls are AMAZING and I miss them! Best room in the hostel #309! The girls in this room were from Denmark, Dublin, and England (oh and the states of course!)



This is me horse trekking in River Valley. Again, absolutely beautiful and stunning views! The horses were a riot. They took off whenever they wanted to and I assure you did not listen to whoever was riding them. Mine was a follower of Mr. Grumpy (aka Graham's horse). Two of the other horses were in constant competition to be first. I also wasn't allowed to put my horse to close to the others because it had a problem with biting! It actually, accidentally bit Kevin instead of Kevin's horse! At one point, all the horses took off running and us inexperienced people were hopeless to stop it! I was hanging on for dear life thinking I was about to go down when the horse finally stopped! I looked behind me and Graham was bouncing ALL over the place on his horse and finally couldn't hold on any longer and fell off! It was SO good! I still get a good laugh thinking about it!

That's it for now. Only 16 more days here! Will someone please make time slow down somehow!

Sometimes I Make Up Words... I'm a Teacher, I'm Allowed

I was teaching the other day. My students needed to figure out definitions for the words: discrimination, racism, prejudice, tolerance, acceptance and assimilation. They were not allowed to use dictionaries and had to put the definitions in their own words.

I meant to say, "do not use dictionaries to look up the definitions" and instead I said, "don't use a definitionary..."

I got embarrassed and laughed. A couple of the students looked at me confused. They asked me what a definitionary is and instead of admitting my mistake, I just said, "oh it's an American slang word for a dictionary. Same thing!" They believed me.

Luckily, they don't walk around and everytime they need a dictionary ask for a definitionary! It would be hilarious if they did though. :)

Kiwi Song

While, I was on the Kiwi Experience bus, our driver Lauren gave us an education about New Zealand music. Tiki Taane is of the Ngati Maniapoto tribe of Aotearoa New Zealand. He is the first kiwi artist to gain international fame as a solo artist. This first song I'm posting I just LOVE. The video looks amazing and I love the Maori cadence in it and the people performing the Haka. The song is really popular with Kiwi's because of the sound of the sea in it and the traditional Maori music as well. Oh yea, it's called Tangaroa meaning "god of sea".

It won't let me upload the video from youtube so I'll just copy and paste the link and hopefully get it on here at a later date. Here it is!

Oh yea, in the beginning, the way that the Maori leader and Tiki touch faces is the traditional Maori greeting of hello and welcome.



This is Tiki Taane's most recent song. It's called "Always on My Mind" and it is played on the radio heaps.

For Your Entertainment... A Little Diddy About.... Well...

On the Kiwi bus we made a two night stop in Franz Josef. Since, we did not have to be on the bus early the next morning many people took the opportunity to partake in the local watering hole. As hostels go, there are just bunks in each room and there is usually 2-5 of them. That night, I had chosen my room with the ensuite (its own bathroom and shower) with a specific group of people. Later, I would realize the demise of my decision.

Usually, you queue up, pay for the room, and the first person in your room to get there gets to choose whether they want the top or bottom bunk. Finally, I was the first one in the room and chose a bottom bunk after being on the top one for several nights in a row. Being on the bottom is best because the bunks are often rickety and make a sh*t ton of noise getting up into them. I was reveling in my victory and pleased to be there for two nights and was looking forward to having my superior bed. These bunks were good too. They actually had decent pillows. Usually you have to fold the pillow into two's or three's and sometimes that's not even helpful the pillows are SO flat. The duvet was nothing to shun at either.

Anyway, I was going on a full day glacier hike the next day starting at 8 am so I chose to shower up and go to bed early. My efforts were in vain. Me and three other mates all went to bed early, as they were sky diving early the next morning, and I was doing the hike. Now, enter our faithful fourth roommate, that mind you, we chose, at or around 3-4 am. Post multitudes of drinking and dancing at the pub. He was right pissed.

Fredlar* comes in the room noisily, knocking into things, stumbling, and hiccuping like an old fat drunk. Fredlar sleeps on the bed above me. He used all his drunk might and got himself into bed and once the hiccups ceased he slept HEAVILY. I know this heavy sleeping to be a fact. He was practically comatose. Had to be.

At about 4:30-5 am I was awoken by a dripping noise. You hear ALL kinds of noises, (trust me ALLLL kinds of noises in hostels. 100 plus people all sharing rooms with very thin walls leads to lots of entertainment, embarrassment, frustration and annoyance). I thought the noise was probably someone just using a shower or flushing a toilet in another room. I ignored it.... UNTIL I felt an odd warmth creeping down my hip and leg. At first, naively, I thought my leg had just fallen asleep from sleeping in the same position for too long and the tingling was a result of that. But OH NO, I felt my leg and it was warm, but not only warm it was WET!!!

I now, sit up with ALERT attention, and just as I am in horror realizing that the comforter is all wet as well as the mattress above my head, Fredlar lets out the most satisfying, groan you'd ever hear in your life. If I hadn't know better I would have thought he just bit into the BEST steak n'cheese sandwich he had ever eaten in his life! But alas, the moan was in satisfaction of letting go of a great, I've drank too much beer and jaeger bombs, piss.

Fredlar was up in his bunk moaning away in "sleeping I'm pissing myself bliss" and I'm down beneath him freaking out and trying to get out of bed as soon as possible. I didn't wake him. I'm not sure why it didn't occur to me to try and wake him up. I mean, he peed a reasonable sized lake!

A little less than ideal I would say. I had to get up, shower, and obviously change clothes. My steaming hot shower that turned my skin red couldn't prevent the shudders I felt from being peed on. Luckily, I was equipped with a sleeping bag so I could transfer myself to the floor. My wonderful bed had been soiled! Oh man was I angry. I fretted and fumed until morning.

Here's the kicker. Fredlar was to get up at 6:45 that morning to make it to his glacier climb on Franz. It was already booked and paid for. A bus was not coming to get us for any of the glacier activities so it was our own responsibility to get up and walk to the meeting point. Fredlar missed his deadline. So, in my "little bit" of satisfaction, he pissed himself and 240 bucks down the toilet!

The embarrassment that ensued is unmeasurable. I didn't tell anyone else on the bus besides those that were in my room because there was no easy explanation of why I was lying on the floor. I figured the embarrassment and missing the hike was torture enough. The glacier hike was incredible and something that should definitely NOT be missed out on given the chance. I forgot my camera due to being frazzled by "the incident". My glacier guide, Kutty, kept making fun of me for forgetting it, and finally, I just said, "Well what would you do when you had to get up in the middle of the night and take a shower because you awoke to a very specific type of nasty shower that is much less enjoyable than a real one!" He knew right away what I was referring too, asked the story, I dutifully told, and it got passed on to all the other guides on the glacier by their walkie talkies. Not so friendly, I admit, but the guides all got a huge kick out of it and said my little misfortune made their day. Plus, our guide Kutty, was FIT.

Even now as I tell it, I am not proud nor happy of the situation but laughing at it and making light of the horribleness that can only come about from being peed on has kept me from being irately angry at someone with whom I was going to be spending another week on a bus with. What else are you gonna do? It's just my luck.

*Fredlar- Name of offending Kiwi Bus participant has been changed.

Bungy Jump!!!

OH MY GOSH! The bungy jump is the BEST thing I have EVER done. I may have said that about sky diving but bungy jumping is completely different. I have never been so terrified in my life. Honestly. I have no idea how I got myself to jump. I did the Nevis which is a highwire bungy. You go over in a rail car to this little hub that has a glass floor and everyone just gets amped up to jump. There was about 18 of us. Me and two other boys were by far the most scared. I considered not doing it. Some of the pics I have from it are hilarious. My face is priceless. I freaked out twice and wouldn't jump. I had my arms out and the guy counted down but when it was time to go I freaked out and kept going no no no no no no... I can't!!! Finally, I took a deep breathe, made the sign of the cross, pointed to the sky and jumped. It was sick! I screamed my head off! I was hoarse for nearly the rest of the day! The jump guy said I put shame on all of my students back home screaming like I did. I don't know how some other people just walked to the edge and jumped. My friend, Helena, that I met on the bus, walked right up and just bounced on off. It's absolutely terrifying though. One of my other friends, Andrew, had to sit with me and talk me down because I was wigging out so bad. I'm so happy I did it though. There is nothing like it. It really is a personal accomplishment. The bungy is very gentle and doesn't hurt at all. It's surprising how you get down to the end and when you bounce you can barely feel it. I couldn't pull my zip chord to turn myself up right so I had to be pulled back up hanging upside down. Now, that I've done it I would do it all over again. If you ever get the chance you just have to do it. It's more of a mental challenge than anything else. I'm so proud of myself for doing the bungy. All of yesterday I was grinning like a fool! :)

The Nevis is the second highest jump in the world. There are three other jumps in Queenstown but the one I did was three times higher than any of those. I thought, well, If I'm going to do this, then I might as well do it right. The only other jump that is higher is in Hong Kong. There was one in South Africa but it was closed down due to faulty equipment! Aj Hackett, the company I jumped with, has a 100% accident free record. They are also the longest standing bungy company in the world. AJ Hackett created the commercial bungy jump. My jump was 134 Meters or 440 Feet! It really is just crazy high. The staff will not push you. You have to jump on your own accord. They count down and try to encourage you but will NOT physically make you jump. That's what makes doing a bungy so different than a sky dive. During a sky dive, you are not in control. You're literally strapped to someone else so you have no choice in the matter. Sky diving is more enjoyable and last longer. There is time to look around and enjoy the scenery. A bungy is more of a personal accomplishment. The Nevis has a 8.5 second free fall. That doesn't seem long but 8.5 seconds is plently long enough to think about how you could potentially be plummiting to your death. During the sky dive free fall, there isn't so much falling, it's more like you are floating and there's incredible pressure from the wind. Bungy, you fall straight to the ground and you're staring at it the whole time. I swear, I about peed myself at the bottom. After the intial fall though there is nothing but elation and the best adrenaline rush you will ever feel in your life. I was bouncing around down there screaming, clapping my hands, and laughing. I had so many emotions I didn't know if I should cry, pee myself, laugh, or just scream in terror. I'll never never forget it. I'm so glad I did it and grateful for the people that were around me at the time. Our group was incredible and the whole experience was well worth the fear.

I'll post some other pictures when I have more time.

Sky Diving

Sky diving was incredible! I'm so glad I did it. It's not like anything I have done before. They were really backed up so we had to wait for a really long time. I thought I was going to have an anxiety attack I was so nervous and waiting for such a long time did not help at all. It's really weird how they do the sky diving. We didn't get any kind of training at all. You get there and watch a video of other people's jumps and sign a waiver that says you cannot sue if you plummet to the earth and die. My group got to go first and I was with three other Americans that are on the Kiwi Experience bus. We got suited up in red jump suites, leather hats, and googles. Everyone looks so goofy in the hats and goggles. Then we waited some more. The jump masters came out and put on our harnesses. My jump master was this little guy named Malachi. He was cool though. He kept asking me questions but I was so nervous it was tough to conversate. Then literally we just go up into the plane. It was a small white plane that only holds 14 people. Since we all got pictures and a video of our jumps we had camera jumpers in the plane also. It's crazy how all the jump masters were so calm and relaxed. I was practically hyperventilating. My heart was pounding so fast and my stomach was flipping I felt like I had a forest of butterflies in my chest and stomach. We had to wear oxygen masks because we went up to 15,000 feet and it helps prevent altitude sickness. The plane ride was about 20 minutes. About 5 minutes before we jump they hook themselves to us. It literally takes about 3 seconds to get ready to go. I was last to jump. Once they started jumping though it was really quick. They slide you on down the bench and just fall right on out. We sort of sit on the edge of the opening in the plane while the camera jumper goes out first and hangs onto the side of the plane. My jump master held onto these handles near the door and leaned me out so I was literally hanging out of the plane. Legs dangling and all. At this point I seriously considered not doing it. Your on such a sensory overload it's almost impossible to fathom what is going on.



Free falling is so AWESOME! We free fell for a minute or so. The first probably 10 seconds I legit thought I was going to die. It felt like my heart was just going to explode. I screamed my head off and then snapped out of it and enjoyed it. So, it was like AHHHH AHHHH AHHHH AHHh ooooo wow...... It's not so much falling as it is sort of just floating. My ears popped and it hurt really bad. I kept trying to pop them back but they wouldn't go. It took almost all day to get my ears to finally unpop. It was really irritating. The harness around your legs feels like it is going to rip your crotch off. I have bruises from them. After you free fall we just floated around and I got to steer the chute. Malachi kept asking me questions but I had no words. I probably sounded like an idiot. I couldn't get any words out. When he asked me what I thought.. I was just like uhh e I... um? The landing is super smooth. The jump masters have so much control. I was really surprised. The people that are taking the video and pictures fly in really quickly and hit the ground running almost but the jumpers slow it down a ton and you land basically standing up. Our video is so funny and the pictures are great. I'm so so glad I did it. I never thought I would get thrown out of a plame but it's probably one of the experiences I am going to remember most. When I am not paying for every minute I spend on the internet I will post more of the pics.

HEYYY!!

I am having the time of my life on this trip. It's only been three days but it's been WONDERFUL!!!

I AM JUMPING OUT OF A PLANE IN AN HOUR!!! I'M SOO EXCITED. I FEEL LIKE PEEING IN MY CHAIR!!! (Sorry Mom and Dad if you don't approve!) :)

I'm Bungy Jumping tomorrow off a bridge over water!

I went white water rafting two days ago. The guides were hilarious. It was a primo time.

I got to get going. Oh yea, one more thing! I'M OFFICIALLY GRADUATING!!! Such a bittersweet day!

Royal New Zealand Ballet

I went to the ballet last night with J. I LOVED it! All of the dancers were so good! I'm so glad I got to go. For some reason I didn't think it was going to be as good as it was but it definitely surpassed all of my expectations! The first dance was a little odd though. It was called Saltarello. All of the men ballerinas were wearing what could only be described as velvet hot shorts and glittery belts. I was so distracted by their little knickers it was hard to pay attention. Obviously they had to be very tight but they seemed smaller than anything the smallest school girl would wear. The dance was very good though. Powerful and graceful at the same time. My favorite one was called Through To You. It was a duet between a male and female dancer. They walked in and out of shadows and were always connected to each other in some way. It was really cool. The following two segments after that were a lot of fun. They were both much more contemporary. One was called Currently Under Investigation and the music was created by a DJ from DETROIT! All the dancers wore white and did a lot of movements with straight lines that were all quick and flashy. The last one, which was the most fun was called Koo Koo KaChoo and was set to music by Paul McCartney and John Lennon. It was very fun and cheeky. The male dancers were wearing like a black work pant and often danced with their hands in their pockets. They were all just SO good though. I was genuinely sad when it was over!

I'm leaving for Auckland tomorrow to start my tour! I'm SO excited! I hope everyone has a great Easter!

Block Three!!!

I am SO thrilled to hear from you guys! I lit up when I saw your post! I miss you guys! You all were definitely a bunch of characters and I can honestly say I had no idea what I might hear in class on any given day! It was always fun though. Well, at least for me! My year 11's (17 year olds) were learning colloquialisms the other day. Their's are definitely different than the ones we used. We were like "peanut butter and jelly" would make no sense over here! Peas and carrots maybe, but jelly is literally different flavors of jello like substance. It's sick. I'm not fan of the mint jelly I was told to put on the lamb we had for dinner one night. It's such an odd comparison to what we know as jello or jelly. The students here love "The Flight of the Conchords" which is a New Zealand show that we have in America. The humor is all kiwi so it's not as funny to the Americans as it is to them. It's hard finding points of interest to share with them. They don't get the Grandma stories like you guys did! Man, do I miss her and talking about her! Rubie, no I do not have a face tattoo. Actually, I have seen barely any tattoos. I don't think they are as popular over here or at least in the area I am in. Dayton and David, no need to be offended! I was only kidding! You guys are hilarious. I don't have any tall students to be "jealous" of anymore. I appreciated the stories. No more fruit o's or whatever it was you ate before going on those rollercoaster rides! :)

If you guys have any questions while I am here feel free to email me or post on the blog. You can get my email from Ms. B. Email me anytime. I'd love to hear from you! Have a good week. It's already Tuesday here. All of my blogs are posted in New Zealand time. We are now 19 hours ahead because for the first time they have enacted daylight savings time! Be good!

I Miss You Guys!

Logan, Logan, Logan...

Well... what can I say? There are definitely no students here like you. No one is as tall! haha. Block 3 definitely was always interesting when you were there! Be good. No more cussing at teachers or the prinicpal! :) You better be doing your work and walk at graduation in May! Do NOT disappoint me!

Jacob and Matt (The Twins!) and the Song Play Lists

One of my students here reminds me of you guys! He is really into designing games and has created this whole world. He wrote a story, has landscapes, creatures, and tons of characters. All of his drawings are really good and super involved. He's really quiet though and doesn't talk a lot so he is definitely different from you guys in that way. His characters look a little Zelda like so I always think about those dang Zelda signs you guys drew all over the room! :)

I was unable to download the play lists you guys made for me. My limewire was not working before I left so I wasn't able to download anything. I'm really disappointed and I still have all of them with me in New Zealand. I'll probably download them when I get back! I'm sorry! :)

Why is There No Ice?!

I have not seen ONE ice cube since I've been here! It's so weird! J and I got tea (which is a variable word meaning some kind of food, dinner, lunch, breakfast, or the beverage) at this adorable tea shop down the road and she got a diet coke. They brought her a glass and a can. No ice! There isn't even ice here at the house or in the fridge at school. I think they like all of their beverages lukewarm or boiling hot. Most the time, the half hour tea time during the school, I can't even drink a cup of coffee because the water is so freakin' hot. I have no idea how the others just gulp it down. I've scorched my own mouth a few times to know better now.

My other complaint, is what in the hell is Indiana known for?! I get asked this all the time and I have NO idea what to answer! Corn? Bob Knight? What is a Hoosier? We are known for being hoosiers but a hoosier is a person from Indiana, not an actual thing. It's a conundrum. If I say Bob Knight they don't really know who that is because they don't pay attention to basketball, if I say corn it's not a big deal because they have corn all over the place here.. Sometimes I say we have all four seasons and that usually pacifies who ever has asked. Snow is once in every 5 year rarity so it's easy to impress people by mentioning the FEET or snow we get, not inches or just frost. Oh Indiana... lovely flat Indiana...Thank god we have Indiana University!

It's also weird how they don't take any pride in their flag. There is no such thing as flag loyalty. There's been a constant debate about whether to use the NZ flag or the use the Maori one. Some people use both but then there is still a divide. Others don't like the... uh.. I'm drawing a blank.. the crossed arms, or whatever you want to call the pattern on th NZ glad. They don't like what it means and want it changed. It's a mess. The only time you hear the National Anthem is at sporting events and even then they don't sing the whole thing. They sing a third or it and then sing the Maori anthem. J said there is NO way you would get a whole school to stand up and say the Pledge of Allegiance at the beginning of a school day.

I ate Fish n' Chips on Friday with J and B. J brought them home in newspaper. The only thing around here are Fish n' Chip shops. Though, I have discovered a SUBWAY! but, I'm resisting to attempt to remain in the culture and not revert to the wonderful goodness of a 6 inch turkey sub (they don't have turkey here anyway). Back to the Fish n' Chips. I ate a coney dog type thing also. First of all, the sausage was HUGE. Second, the batter was really bumpy and didn't cover all areas of this massive sausage. Thirdly, the outside layer was pink on the sausage. I just didn't look at it so I could still eat it. The fish was alright. I'm not a huge fish fan but I doused it in ketchup (which is much more spicy here.. sort of like ketchup, barbecue sauce, and Arby's sauce all in one. pretty good though). J and B made me try a deep fried oyster. Oh boy, that did not go over well. I should not have bit through the middle of it! Big mistake. It was SO squishy and dark in the middle. I held it in my mouth for a little bit while my eyes started watering. I swallowed it without chewing and shuddered for I swear a full five minutes afterwords. Yuck! Won't be doing that again.

I'm going to the New Zealand ballet tomorrow. I'm excited. I've never seen a real live ballet. I really like ballet movies so I'm hoping I will be just as impressed with it live.

Olivia West- There are NO Jonas Brothers CD's here. I asked and the lady laughed at me because she was well aware of their popularity. Sorry! I tried!

Okay, I have got to do my first field assignment. Man, are those mother's long! I have almost all of it done except for the last question which is somewhat of an essay. I feel like I'm still waiting for my brain to catch up to the time change because I have been somewhat dim the last couple days. I can't think of quick as I normally can. I've even been playing Brain Quest on Nintendo DS and have improved my Sudoku time dramatically!

Napier-Hastings

I went to Napier and Hastings on Saturday with Joy. It was beautiful out and Napier made it so much more of a better day. The area is amazing. It's right on the ocean and has all this art deco architecture, and is full of small boutique shops. There are really incredble houses in the area worth tons and tons of money. J said they are worth a "mint".

The beach was all pebbles and not sand. J called them shingles. I didn't buy anything in Napier. J said we would go to Warehouse which is like a Walmart without any fancy displays. I got a cheap black hoodie, two long sleeve shirts, a watch, and cheap as sunglasses for my trip coming up this Friday. I'm going on a Kiwi Experience bus tour of the North and South Island. I am SO stinkin' excited I can hardly stand it. I'm taking a bus up to Auckland on Thursday and staying in a backpacker's hostel that night, then getting up early and getting on a 7 am bus to start the adventure. Kevin, a fellow IU cultural immersions project is taking the journey with me.

After we wandered around the shops we went to East Pier. When I was putting titles ont he pictures so I would know where they were from I ask J where we at when we ate ice cream and she said east pier but I couldn't understand what she was saying so I asked her to spell it. After she did, I felt like an idiot. Anyway, we got icecream at this little shop and it was the BEST ice cream ever! It did not taste like American ice cream I swear. We sat outside at a table and enjoyed our ice cream and cokes. True bliss. I keep saying over and over how beautiful it is but it's true! I've never seen scenery like they have here! I took the following pics while sitting at that table. So, this is my view while sitting and enjoying Saturday afternoon.

I hope to visit again before I leave. It's only about an hour away from Waipukurua. 3 Days until the tour! I'm counting down!

Random Tid Bits

Here are some odd funny things that have been said or have happened to me while I've been here.

Most importantly, I have only tripped twice and fell down a couple stairs once. This is good.

Let's see....
Terrace (Tce) is another name for street. They have Rd's and Tce's. Very rarely is there a Ln.

The "Itsy Bitsy Spider" is the Incy Wincy Spider here.

No one says "Bless you" when you sneeze. I've been sneezing a lot since I've been here and after I do, I know no one is going to say "Bless you" but I still can't help but feel expectant of it. There is also no reason to really worry about whether or not it's going to be obvious when you wipe the spit off your hand. No one takes notice of sneezes. Normally, you have to go through the routine of putting your arm down to your side casually, wait for people to look and bless you, then wipe if off non chalantly on pant leg or wherever. Problem solved here. It's a nice change.

I found a Jim Beam can on the street. Yup, a can. It was a Jim Beam and Cola and must be served in a can. I immediately wondered where the hell it came from? I have not seen one local drinking establishment while I've been here.

Before I came here I told J that I like turkey and lettuce sandwiches. Now, for lunch, I get a chicken sandwich and a lettuce sandwich. I don't know if there was some kind of confusion or if this is an En Zed thing I am unaware of. Lettuce sandwiches are not bad though (toast bread, butter, and lettuce). I quite enjoyed them until I found a worm in the lettuce. Now, I feel a bit hesitant. All that day I found the worm I felt sick and would swear I could feel a worm crawling in my belly even though the first half I ate was probably clean.

I also ate lamb the other night for dinner. It was alright. I thought it tasted too much like I was eating a little white flully lamb. I kept thinking about "How to Lose a Guy in 10 Days" when Matthew McConaughey cooks the lamb for Kate Hudson trying to impress her and all she does is cry and holds of a piece singing Mary had a Little Lamb.

I ate my first hot cross bun too. I didn't know such a thing existed. I thought they were just for the song new players learned on the recorder. It's like a dessert bun. It's sort of spicy with fruit in it and an icing cross on the top. I guess they appear in stores starting at Christmas and remain until after Easter.

Vegetables are HUGE here. I have eaten (as Kevin, another IU student here would say) 246354564 vegetables since I've been here. We eat them every night! Steam vegetables! We also ate them in hamburger meat (at least I think it was) along with the normal veggies there was cauliflower, broccoli, squash and pumpkin in it. Pretty good though. We also eat small potatoes every night. So those carbs squash out the healthiness of all the veggies.

A boy student last week was rough housing with another at lunch. I walked by with the HOD of English and she yelled at them. The boy turned around and promptly goes, "He right hit me in the balls though, Miss!" It's only funny to me the American because imagine hearing someone say that with a British accent which sounds all polite but the content is not. Plus, the way the boy said "balls" like it was nothing was funny. Usually you'd think they'd skirt around that word and use something more acceptable.

It was like when I was leading a discussion and this girl (I can't remember the question) but she goes "I think he wanted to take the puss right out of her!" I paused, and go "Wait... what?! Are you supposed to say that?!" The whole class laughed more at me than her saying something inappropriate. I'm not entirely sure what it means but I can guess.

The kids also keep trying to say that shit is kiwi slang and they should be able to use it whenever they want. Please.

Two days ago a girl came into class and goes "Mrs. K! I learned a new word! WIGGER!" I froze in my seat and was thinking omgomgomgomgomgomg. Hoping it is used differently here. But nope, sure enough she goes "It's a white person and n*gger! A white n*gger!(It's even tough for me to TYPE that word). Seriously, I was sweating by the time she finished. She has no idea what the word means and how offensive it can be. I don't think they quite even understand how harsh and demoralizing the "n" word is. They don't have the history here like other places do to understand it. It's just like how they have a really hard time with "The Crucible." Witch hunts are uncomprehensible to them.

I just figured out two nights ago that there is an electric blanket on my bed. Mind you I have made up my bed while I've been here and I have no idea why I didn't put two and two together. It's really nice when the sun is out during the day but in between it is chilly. Especially in the back of the house where my room is. The electric blanket is WONDERFULLNESS. I'm ticked it took me so long to figure it out.

I was having a nice little chat with the principal in the teachers lounge. I don't have a classroom so I sort of wander about sometimes. I just got done drinking coffee which I put too much mix in so I was practically vibrating, not shaking, from all the caffeeine. Anyway, he asked if my school were rural or urban. For the LIFE of me. I could not say rural! It kept coming out a sloppy mess or too many R's and L's. It was awful. I tried three times and embarrassed I gave up. He was looking at me like, "oh you poor girl." He also laughed pretty hard though. Hopefully with me and not AT me. Then the word statistics came up. I knew I was going to have to say it and was already peein' my pants in anticipation a little, welp, wouldn't ya know, when I did have to say it, it was a mush of s's and t's. WAY to impress the principal, Leslie!

The teachers were talking during lunch and I was only vaguely paying attention so I wasn't quite sure what they were talking about. I kept hearing the words, premium nipple, and masterbation. So, I of course start listening more carefully trying to figure it out. Literally for about 15 minutes I kept thinking there is no way that this is what they are saying! It turned out to be "premier netball" and the "master station". Whew! Damn accents!

I wore heels for the first time yesterday and for some reason it was a VERY BIG deal. I don't understand. Why are heels at school such an oddity? There was another woman teacher there wearing calf length boots with a heel. Nobody made a fuss to her. I am short and look young. Adding a 3 inches by putting on a pair of heels is helpful! Plus, I have great shoes. They should be worn! And no, most the time my feet don't hurt, and yes, I CAN walk in them. (well, you know what I mean.)

This morning I was playing with the cat my host family has. I was flinging her around in the air being stupid. Well, I scared her and she put her claws out. Her stupid claws got STUCK in my FACE! I had to pull them out! I now look like I have two big unslightly pimples above my lip.

Things I Miss From Home!

-My parents of course

-Grandma!!

-When I'm laying in my bed at night all I can think about it is how I wish I had my black soft microfiber fleece blanket from home.

-Turkey sandwiches! They don't eat turkey here.

-Chicken Noodle Soup! The watery condensed style and the chunky kind!

-Cans of Coca-Cola

-Cheese Nips! The cheese crackers here are NO substitute!

-My students at OV who actually know me and can relate to me! I miss the familiarity of the normal routine I had there. I miss Ms. Benton of course. I don't understand the humor here yet so the kids are not nearly as funny as my old students were.

-My own sense of humor. I'm very sarcastic and I know it wouldn't translate. Even when a student asked me a stupid question and I said "really?" He kept say, "uh yea, really?..."

-The little fur baby (Grandma)

-ALL OF MY SHOES! I brought more than I had been told to but I still feel like my feet are way too boring everyday.

-Central heating and air conditioning! It is SO flipping cold in the mornings. There is absolutely not use shaving my legs. It's really difficult to get up in the morning and out of bed because the only warm place is the pod under my covers. Showering is miserable. All of you OV students who said you hate being cold getting out of the shower, you have no idea. On the upperhand though, I get dressed SO quickly. I am never late. Sure, I've gotten used to perpetual bad hair days but always being on time is a nice change.

-The way Grandma smells! I swear she is the best smelling cat ever (when I'm not setting her butt on fire!)

-Rockstars

Funny Commercial

I was watching TV with J and the best commercial I have ever seen came on. I've actually seen it a couple times but didn't quite get it before.

The commercial is an attractive blonde female going around town with a beaver. They go to lunch, shop, and the beach. The blonde even gives the beaver a present. In the last scene while they are at the beach the over voice says... "You've only got one down there! Treat it with the best!" And a box of New Zealand brand tampons flashes on the screen.

Seriously!? How blatant and gross! What the hell is that?! The beaver is pretty funny but not in what it is in reference to! Sick!

One Week Down

I can't believe I've been here for a week already! It has flown by. 1 week down 9 to go! I know it's going to go by way too quickly.

School is a lot different and not so much different in a lot of ways. The school is very bright and open. There are individual buildings with classrooms all of which are surrounded by windows. Everyone here about died when I said my Indiana classroom had no windows. They kept asking me how students in Indiana could possibly work under such conditions. The students are really not that different from American ones. I have only seen one tattoo since I've been here and there are not piercings and things like you would normally see in an American high school. Part of that I think is not having access to tattoo and piercing parlors. There isn't one in town so they'd have to go to Napier or Hastings. They have to wear a uniform. The girls have to wear a plaid skirt and white button down. They have the option of black shoes that tie and tights or sandals. When they wear their sandals they are NOT allowed to have socks or tights on. the boys wear grey polo's and grey shorts. They also have the option of shoes or sandals and the same sock rule applies. When they have to "dress up" then everyone wears the white shirt and a blue and yellow striped tie except for head boy and girl who have a different tie. There is also blue sweaters and blazers that are a pretty awful color of blue to be seen everyday. The uniforms are hard to get used to. I've never been in a school with uniforms so I sort of always feel like I'm on a movie set or something. It's definitely not like "Gossip Girl" though trust me. The girls are required to keep their uniforms modest. The students also have to address everyone as Miss and Sir. It makes them sound very polite even when they are not being so. My first day there I got a massive headache from the sunshine. I'm not used to so much light! J laughed at me and gave me tamol (tylenol). They also call erasers, rubbers, which I knew before I came so it wasn't a surprise. It's still a bit funny though to have kids constantly be asking for rubbers. I am in school from 8-3:10 in the afternoon. J is always the first one at school so it's been tough for me to not be running behind and grabbing things last minute.

There are a ton of cultural differences. I was thought to be rude when I asked a little boy to please stop farting at gymnastics practice. Seriously. Also, that same day I guess I spoke too sharply at some kids when putting equipment away and snapping your fingers and clapping your hands is uncalled for. I was doing it in a hurry up lets get this done sort of way. For this, I got told I was going to get a reputation as a "right-bitch". I was a bit offended for probably a day but I'm not anymore. It's just a cultural difference and in all honestly (they also don't say honestly, it's always- to be honest- or If I'm being right honest) the term bitch is used pretty loosely.



CHBC has never had a student teacher before so a lot of the students think I am an exchange student. They think it's neat that I'm from American but have not asked me anything beyond "have you been to Disney Land." They also think it's really cool that I have not because I've only been to Disney World. Most have no idea where Indiana is. They mostly know California or New York where TV shows and Films are made.

I have four different classes with four different teachers. Being in the classes makes me miss OV because there my students were very relatable and here they are not. I'm going to have to find another way in. I am following years 10 (14 year olds) 11 (age 15-16) 12 (age 17) and 13 (age 18). It's more like they don't have Kindergarten it's just year 1. The students seem pretty un-interested in my being there. I'm still just trying to catch up though so I'm not real active yet. I lead a discussion today and had to keep asking the students what they were saying. Some of the students have a much thicker accent than the adults. They think it's funny when I can't understand and when they speak more slowly it often only makes it worse. The teacher interprets for me. One of the students said, "I think he just wanted to take the puss out of her" and she got in trouble. I don't know exactly what it means but I can imagine that it's not good. The students will throw around cuss words. Often it will just be ignored or other times I teacher will point and say something. The students aren't embarassed at all though to cuss in front of the teachers. The teachers, on the other hand, when alone, have horrible mouths! My first day there, J, was showing me around the school. There is a board in the teacher's lounge and on it a teacher had written he was looking for roosters and chickens. Another teacher as a joke wrote, "He's looking for c*ck and p*ssy." This was after knowing J for about 3 hours. I about fell on the floor! It took me like 10 minutes to actually laugh. J thought my reaction was more funny than the joke itself.

Last weekend (28-29) the school had it's 50th Jubilee. I went to the concert they put on of various acts from present day and songs from plays that were performed over the 50 years. The Maori Club started out. (The Maori are the indegenous people of NZ) They did traditional Maori song and dance. It was amazing. I was really impressed with the students. The boys part especially. They usually had one leader of the girls and guys and then the rest of the "choir" would follow. The boys were just great. They were down low to the groud and sang very forcefully and their motions were violent almost. They stick out their tongues and make like a hissing sound while stomping their feet and beating their chests. It may sound silly reading it but it was really something to see. There's some really talented people in the school which I don't get to see so often being in the English department.

That's all I've got for now. I'm going to see if I can figure out how to post some pictures!

ooo Wait I Forgot..

One of the flight attendants on the place had the MOST prominent chin I have ever seen. He put Jay Leno to shame. Seriously. It was like someone had glued a brick under his mouth. I could not get over it. I stared at him everytime he walked by me. I wish I would have taken a picture but the zoom on my camera was not working and I didn't want to be too obvious. He may have been serving me food later and that could be only a disaster for me.

Travel

Finally arriving in Auckland, New Zealand was crazy. I could never figure out quite what time it was back home or what the date was. I had been traveling for about 20 some odd hours but it felt like weeks. I felt really scrummy and like I had been dragged through a mud pit. I avoided mirrors the whole time. Luckily in Auckland, since it was so early there was hardly anyone in the airport. The flight from Chicago to LA was nearly the worst one. The girl seated next to me had no "flight manners." Her legs were all over the place, she took the arm rest between us, and she kept the windows shut! I couldn't see anything taking off or landing and it pissed me off. She also chose the exact moment I sat down and got my seat re-buckled to ask me to get up and let her out to use the restroom. She was reading Harry Potter and watching previews and interviews for Twilight. When her ipod died I thought she was going to cry. She bitched about it to me for about 15 minutes. Seriously, the flight was only 3 1/2 hours. I told her I only had the "old school" nano ipod that doesn't play video and she really seemed to take pity on me. I hid my face in my book and laughed. I read "Running with Scissors" by Anthony Burroughs. HILARIOUS book. I was cracking up right on the flight.

There was a lot of people on the plane to LA. It was a tight fit. I definitely couldn't throw any fits about personal space. People were likely to press their bodies right up against yours in the aisle to walk by without any reserve at all. I tried hard not to shiver and call whomever a "creeper".

LAX is completely intimidating. The airport is huge. I got told to go the wrong direction a few times and was thankful for the four hour layover. I gave up trying to find my gate and grudgingly bought a 10 dollar salad and some chips. (10 dollars?! Really!) I finally did find my gate and there were tons of people over there sitting and waiting. Two of the planes before mine were going to Hawaii. I was a little bit jealous until I remembered exactly what it was I was there for. There was an Ed Hardy shop across from my gate. I wondered in there to look at all the god awful clothing. Ed Hardy is so tacky and unflattering. I know it's very popular but I just don't get the trend. All of it is so busy. I guess I was making faces at the clothes because the sales person asked me if I were going to make a gross face at everything I looked at. Embarassed I slunk away.

The flight was not bad at all. I was originally sat next to two men. Quickly, it was recognized that we were not traveling together and three different flight attendants came over and told the two men they were welcome to move. I was certainly not going to complain. I was at the window and felt trapped. Plus, one of those men had some bad garlic breath and I could already imagine the headache I was going to get from it. I asked the third flight attendant (A very attractive male which I sort of found funny. I know it's a cliche but he fit it perfectly and he was gay as he told me) why the two men next to me got to move when on a flight of so many other people had to of been sitting next to people they didn't know. He said, "Well I may be gay but you are a very pretty American. New Zealanders love blonde Americans in their country." A bit creepy but yay for having my own asile! Who knew my American-ness and blonde hair would allow me such good luck. I got to lay down and sleep the whole time. I think I slept 7 hours of the flight. It was great. I also watched "Twilight" and enjoyed it more the second time than the first. I think the first time I was too distracted by horrible make up and special effects.

Like I said earlier we landed at 4:30 am in Auckland on Monday morning. I wandered about and played Nintendo DS to pass the time. The flight to Napier-Hastings was only 50 minutes and by then I felt like a seasoned flyer. It was strange that we got to walk out onto the runway and into the plane. The plane seemed teeny after the one from LA to Auckland. It shook a lot and made weird noises. Nobody else seemed bothered by it so I didn't get worried.

In Napier I met B and J at the airport. I was tired and had no energy so they probably didn't think I was as excited as I actually was to be there. It was about 65 and continued to warm up to about 75 by midday. New Zealand weather is odd. It's quite cold in the morning and gradually warms up. I would say the day is at it's warmest around 2 or 3. In Indiana we are going into summer and here summer is on its way out. It's so clear here though. I will post pictures as soon as I can.

Last Official Day of Student Teaching

Today was my last day teaching.  It hasn't set in yet that I'm actually leaving even though it's only a week away.  I didn't feel sad or sentimental about it.  I'm sure that I will next week.  

It's been such a great experience.  I will honestly be sad to leave.  I feel very fortunate to be placed where I was.  Before student teaching I wasn't entirely sure where I was going to fit in the teaching world.  Many of the other students in my cohort have always known they wanted to be a teacher or had that one great teacher somewhere along the way that inspired them.  I just knew that I didn't want to go to a job everyday that makes me miserable.  I hated being an apparel merchandising major and my grades were suffering because I had no interest in it. 

Teaching is fun.  I was so relieved about the laid back atmosphere that was already in place in my classroom.  I was worried about having to be super straight laced and buttoned up. I don’t think I would have survived.  It was the opposite though.  I got to be myself and wasn’t afraid to make mistakes.  I certainly did make mistakes but I learned from them and moved on.  I really have my cooperating teacher and supervisor to thank for my growth as a teacher in the last 11 weeks.  It was so nice to have a supportive system behind me that was helpful and encouraging.  My field experiences did not go nearly as smoothly and left me feeling doubtful about my abilities.  All the encouragement and wonderful feedback I have gotten has been so helpful.

I feel lucky to have meet all of my students in all of my classes.  All the students are such characters and I have been thoroughly entertained and challenged.  There really wasn’t a day that I didn’t laugh or crack up at something and there were a few comments, whether I was supposed to hear them or not, that have made my semester.  A lot of the students were so funny to me and I’ll never forget the first day of class when we did the survey.  Some of the answers from students were so great, off beat, and funny.  I knew nearly all of their names after that first day.  That day standing in front of all those kids I could barely choke out any words my voice was shaking so bad.  I kept moving my feet and hands to attempt to disguise my visibly shaking hands.  I can’t even imagine what my students were thinking when the first thing I admitted to was my crazy cat lady ways and how I’m obsessed with my cat who lovingly is named Grandma!

I have one last week to get everything in order before I leave.  I have done pretty well at staying organized.  I only have a few things left on my many lists that still need to be crossed out.  I’m so grateful to my parents.  They have been really wonderful and supportive about going overseas.  I don’t feel nervous about it yet but I’m sure my mother has twisted herself in knots over everything.  I’m so lucky to have such great parents and simply cannot thank them enough.  I’ll miss them when I’m gone.  I hope Grandma survives dad’s teasing while I’m away for 3 months!  J

Until Next time

-Madeline