Kaikoura

After a very tiring day on Thursday - tramping from 10:30am - 3:20pm with only a 30 minute break, through the mountains/hills around Winuiomata - I caught the ferry down to Picton. I spent the night at a lovely hostel and then picked up a rental car on Friday morning and drove the 2 hours to Kaikoura. What an awesome drive! I was winding through the hills and thinking to myself "Ah pretty scenery - a bit different from the Wellington area - not bad." Then I came around a curve and up a little hill when *BOOM* there's the most magestic mountain I've ever seen - still snow-capped and glowing in a sunny days radiance. 'Hello Aspen' it says to me and it literally took my breath away. I was so surprised and happy to see it peeking out through the hilles. I've always felt at home in the mountains - that's why I've always seen myself living in Colorado, Wyoming, or Montana. As I drove along further the rest of the range revealed itself. I was enjoying them until they went back behind some hills. I came over a quite steep hill and there - sandwiched between to green hills *BAM* the ocean. Blue and bluey-green, smiling and sparkling. Down the hill and I can see them both - mountains and ocean - both amazingly beautiful - both nature at her finest. Which to look at? Which do I feel pulling me more? Eventually the mountains won out - but the ocean gave it a run for it's money. I still feel a sense of awe and new-ness when I look at the ocean. It's so different from anything I've ever lived by. Even in Wellington the house faces the bay - not the open ocean.

If there is such a place as heaven on earth - I have found it. 'Kaikoura, where the mountains meet the ocean.' And they do.
The scenery is beautiful in itself - but if that wasn't enough to stun my senses, it is also an amazing place to see cetaceans (whales and dolphins). Friday noon I went out on a whale watching boat and we saw an amazing number of sperm whales - usually you only see one or two, but we saw a dozen or so. The coast here always has whales and dolphins and seals. It has something to do with the southern currents and the northern currents meeting, not too far off shore, and the deepest cavern (underwater) closest to the shore. The sperm whales can dive deeper than any other whale and they feed off giant squid, until recently thought to be only a myth. The squid live down in the cavern. The sperm whale is also the largest toothed whale.
See - it was a learning experience as well!

I also took a drive through the country-side where, on a dirt road, I had to stop suddenly as I rounded a curve for a flock of sheep, 5 sheepdogs, and a man on a motorbike to clear the road. They weren't just crossing the street - they were actually running down it. He was a nice guy and I chatted with he and his wife for a bit - saw a baby lamb, only two weeks old - and a litter of kittens who were only a week old!

I went down to Christchurch - though the drive wasn't as spectacular as the one from Picton to Kaikoura.

This morning, Sunday, I went on a dolphin watching boat and there were about 50 Dusky Dolpins out. They were jumping and looking up at us and riding in front of the boat. It was SO cool! This afternoon I took a helicopter ride out and saw two more sperm whales - from the sky you can see their entire bodies, but from the boat you only see about 2/3 rds of their bodies - they dive down for 45 mins or so and are only on the surface for about 7-8 minutes. Before they dive they hunch their backs and then you see the infamous tail shot. Often they leave behind their 'footprints' a smooth circular patch of water - where the air and the water are calm for just a bit.

I have to head back up to Picton tomorrow, but I might find something to do tomorrow morning, and then take my time going back up. I catch the 9:30 pm ferry back to Wellington - get there at 12:30 am and have to drive back to where I'm staying - oh and school on Tuesday morning. I'll be really tired, but it has definitely been worth it!

Update 3.1

I survived my first two weeks of official sole charge. I've completed that portion of my requirements. I'm doing an additional three days this week - one down two to go.

I am SO excited about this weekend. I'm going down to Kaikoura on a whale watching boat - I realllllly hope I get to see some whales. This is something I've wanted to do since I can remember - see a whale and/or dolphin in its natural habitat. How awesome it must be!
I'll take the ferry down Thursday night, a 3 hour trip through the Marlborough Sounds down to the South Island. Haven't been to the South Island yet. That'll be another first!

We're taking the year 7's and 8's (7 and 8 grade) over to a local mountain range for a big tramp - hike. 4 teachers, 1 student teacher, a handfull of parents, and over a 100 kids - It should be interesting.

Cool and teacher, in the same sentence?

"You listen to cool music Miss Easterling."
hehe had to chuckle at that one :)
My kids caught me listening to The Darkness.

Today is my last day of official 'sole charge' that I am required to do. Which means after I brush up the planning for the last two weeks "she'll be mint" (Kiwi saying). In any case I won't be spending hours every night writing extremely detailed lesson plans. Maybe now I can even finish up those 6 papers I have due by the end of the term *cough*

Uhm hope Alan is feeling better, poor guy!

Uhm yeah... that's pretty much it. Just had 5 minutes to kill before class started.

I'm not a walking curse... I swear...

Since I arrived in New Zealand the following illnesses have befallen those closest to me:
- My first week of student teaching was done with a sub because my cooperating teacher fell ill with tonsillitis.
- Five weeks into my stay the lady I am living with became violently ill and has since had her gallbladder removed. She is now going in about a lump in her thyroid.
- Today, my cooperating teacher was out with a concussion.

I mean honestly people…

I missed three days of class because I was very sick as well… but that was foreign bugs ya know?

I feel horrible about everyone getting sick, but surely it’s not because of me? Hehe yeesh I bring bad vibes or something :(


I’m almost done with my second week of sole charge, and today I was totally by myself! They didn’t call in a reliever because I was here! I didn’t know they could do that!

The planning is a pain, I spend two-three hours a night just typing up lesson plans. They have to be very detailed for my University supervisor – to prove I know how to do them.

Uhm… gotta run, meeting time!

Not so bad...

I made it through my first week of sole charge.
After a very serious lecture on respect on Wednesday afternoon my students chilled a bit. I was exhausted by the end of the week, but an early night on Friday and a late morning on Saturday proved just what I needed.
The kids were well behaved today and I'm actually feeling pretty good about the next week and a half.

So never mind my whining - I was just tired and a bit grumpy :)

I've made plans to go down to Kaikoura - taking a 4 day weekend - from October 22-25th. Whale watching! Wahoo! Working out the details now, but hopefully on Friday I'll be saying 'Thar she blows!'

Went Sunday to an animal sanctuary, will post some pictures soon.

Uhm... that's about it.
*poke Aya* Be home next time I call, would ya?

Would you like some cheese with that whine?

I remember being a pre-teen.
I hated being a pre-teen.
Early teens weren't any better than being a pre-teen.
I never wanted to relive my days as a pre-teen.
I'm in a class with 27 pre-teens.
Why?
Because I have to.

/sigh

I don't wanna!

Sassy and self-centered. That pretty much describes them on a bad day.
Wonderful, funny, smart, hard-working. That describes them on a good day.

Why can't every day be a good day?

I'm finding the load of paperwork involved in being a teacher quite stressful. And I'm not even in charge of ALL the paperwork - there are still some things my supervising teacher must do herself - I'm just in charge of all the planning and teaching for the next two and a half weeks.

It was going to be just two but I bargained to take three extra days of sole charge so I could have a 4-day weekend to go whale-watching on the South Island.

Nevermind me. It's not so bad really, I'm just exhausted and slightly annoyed at having to give 11 - 13 year olds a lecture on respecting me, their teacher - temporary or not. They have so much potential, can be funny, and very well behaved - but they've been pushing me every second for the past three days and quite frankly I'm sick of it. And after today they know it. Hopefully my lecture will have made a difference... if not... I don't know what I'll do.

It's now 5:30pm
I've been here since 8:00am
I need to go make some copies for tomorrow, find a ride home, sit down and do another 2 hours of planning for tomorrow - then probably pass out - wake up at 6:00am ready to go again.

Anyone else in favor of an international mandate for 4-day weekends?

Good Old New Zealand

It's good to be back. I wish I could say home... I would make New Zealand my home, if I could. Maybe one day it will be... you never know!

I enjoyed my night at the Opera! Was awesome! I understood maybe 10 words of the entire thing of course, but the music was beautiful and made me think of the movie Oscar - The Barber of Seville is where the Figaro song came from.

Thursday flew by really, then I was up early on Friday to catch my plane. It boarded 20 minutes late, we sat on the tarmac for an hour and a half before we took off, and then three very bumpy hours later we landed - an hour through customs and I was free!

Saturday I slept in and then got to work on planning for this week at school - my first week of sole charge. Saturday night I went down to Wellington with a few girls and we went club-hopping - another new adventure. I slept in Johnsonville at a friend’s house and was picked up Sunday morning for another new adventure. I went to Ngawi to see the seals! SO INCREDIBLY CUTE! And they're RIGHT THERE > I got within 10 feet of them. You don't want to go right up next to them because they're pretty territorial, but they let you get that close before they start barking at you. Took lots of pictures, which I will post as soon as possible. Had an awesome day – picnic by the beach. It was gorgeous and I loved seeing the seals – LONG drive though.

Today was my first day of sole charge. Just me and 27 kids… It wasn't easy, but it wasn't horrible. I'm glad to have the first day over and done with and I'm looking forward to seeing the kids reactions as they realise that I'm it. I'm what they get.
Their regular teacher is out and about doing other things all day, leaving just me in the classroom. She is wonderful in helping me plan though! I'd be lost without her :) But when it comes to teaching, I'm the one who is in charge - for the next two weeks.