Horses and Bubbly

Tuesday June 19, 2012

                Today was planned to go to the mounted police with some of the kids.  We didn’t leave until 11am so I was with my primary class for a good hour in the morning.  The boys were just so cranky this morning.  One boy started crying and next thing you know they all are for no real reason to be upset.  It’s like they hear on child cry so they have to.  A little before 11 I went and got the girl I was going to be with all day.  She is in her teens and is very nice, she never tried to run away from me so I thank her for that.  The mounted police station is actually in Surry Hills right by me.  I’ve walked past it many times and never noticed it or thought what was in there.  When we got there we were given a bag of carrots to feed the horses.  We strolled through the stable where they had 15 horses.  I tried to put a carrot in her hand for her to give to the horse but she was too scared and back away quickly when I tried guiding her hand in the direction of the mouth.  She sometimes would cooperate and let me take her hand to pet the horse but if the horse made any movement she jerked away.  This is fine I wasn’t mad, I was expecting those behaviors.  I enjoyed walking through the stable a lot.  The horses are all dark brown and so incredibly large and tall.  We walked around the grounds, it’s a very small area.  As we were heading out to leave two horses with police on top came in.  it was nice for the kids to see people on top of the horses and we stood and took pictures.

                We weren’t there too long because afterwards we went to Centennial park.  The park is massive.  It takes a while to drive around the perimeter of it, think central park size.  We parked and got out and enjoyed our lunch in the sun on some picnic benches.  It was such a nice day with the sun, a little breezy.  After we ate we were by a small playground area that the kids jumped around on.  It was a good time and I was happy to be asked to go.  We got back to school at 2pm so I spent the last hour in my primary class. 

                After school, Jordan and I were driven by a teacher to Eastern Respite Offices.  There I filled out paper work and forms in order to volunteer over the holiday.  Next week is the last week for the kids before their term is up and they start a two week holiday.  So during that holiday, this nonprofit organization plans fun activities for every day of the holiday.  I am really excited for this actually.  I am only able to help with two days before I leave.  One of the days I go with 8 teenage boys who are fairly high functioning to cronulla beach which is south of here.  Since the kids are high functioning we get to take a train down and then grab fish and chips for lunch.  The second day I can work I know we do crafts because it’s a week to remember the aboriginals or something.  I’ll also get to know other kids who don’t go to Wairoa. 

                Overall I was exhausted after this day.  On the way home Jordan and I were on a bus home with only one other man.  We were talking when the man recognized our accent and told us he loved it.  He came back and sat down next to us and talked to us about what we were doing here.   He explained that he is working for this organization that works with stem cells.  He was so open to talk about it considering how much of a controversy it is at home.  But what he does it take the placenta after birth and then freeze it to use for stem cells.  He was nice, he daughter just graduated from Georgetown.  I believe he said she was American and he I don’t even think had an Australian accent.

Wednesday, June 20, 2012

                Another morning of the dreadful commute out to north Sydney.  Almost every bus I need to get on is full and the train I take I either just barely miss or is full.  Everyone just wants to go north into Sydney or north Sydney.  During my internship focus class we talked about negotiations.  It was pretty boring, but she did bring a box of Tim Tams.  Which is possibly the best thing Australia has to offer.  I have told myself I cannot buy a box simply because I will eat them all right away. 

                So wine class this week.  It was interesting, I just was really tired for some reason.  During the morning session we talked about wine and health.  A lot of information about how drinking red wine every night in moderation has proven to be a benefit to one’s health.  It got into all the deep detail about what is in the wine and sorts.  Studying for this quiz next week won’t be fun.  In the afternoon session we tried dessert wines and sparkling wines.  Hmm dessert wines aren’t my favorite just tastes too concentrated and sparkling wines were good just after the first bottle I thought my stomach was full of fizz.  The dessert wines we tried were Late Harvest Riesling, Botrytised Semillon, Orange Muscat and Flora, and Brown Muscat.  The sparkling wines included Diamond Nights Spumante, Passion Pop Sparkling Pink, Sparkling White Wine, Grandin Methode Traditionelle Champagne, and Sparkling Shiraz.  We had two other bottles to that two students brought in.  They were just okay.  Nothing I liked enough to take notice to write down to buy in a store. 

                After class I went out to the Bondi Junction to hopefully buy tickets for this Friday’s footy match.  I was disappointed, they were all sold out to where we couldn’t get six tickets sitting together anywhere in the stadium.  Oh well, we tried at least. 

i didn't like it, but it's PINK

Thursday, June 21, 2012

                This was my last day with my primary class.  Since next week is my last week I asked to spend it with my secondary class.  Plus next week I can only go to school twice because on Monday I am going to the Hunter Valley Vineyards for wine class and then Friday I am leaving for Cairns.  In the morning we didn’t do anything too specific, but after lunch I got to go swimming! I was really looking forward to this to be in the water with the kids.  We got them all changed and put a flotation thing that wraps around their waist with the flotation on their back.  Only one kid was a little slow to getting into the water.  all the others got right in when I asked them too.  For the first half the kids got to do whatever they wanted.  The pool is fairly big, about the size of one that is in a hotel, possibly on the smaller size.  They keep it very chlorinated and the temperature very high.  Most of the kids can swim, just not on their own without the flotation.  So the second half we took off the flotation and had the kids swim from me to the teacher, just a short distance.  Some will put their head in the water for you when you ask.  I didn’t like being so cold after getting out though and for the rest of the day I was cold.  It was actually very cold here today all day long.  The sun never shined long enough to warm up the day.  We then dried off and changed and headed back to class to have lunch.  After lunch we spent the rest of the day in the multisensory room.  I enjoy being in that room.  We turned on a bubble machine and one of the kids spent his whole time in the bubbles and his hair was soaked with soap by the time we left. 

                After class I came home and went straight to Coles to do my weekly grocery shopping.  I was excited to come home because for dinner I planned to make Mongolian beef over noodles.  I loved it and it was really easy to make.  Later my roommate gave me some of her Chinese porridge.  It tastes like honey and oats.  She put purple sweet potato in it.  It was interesting. 

                Nothing too big is going on in the next days.  I need to get better. I’ve been sick all week.  Not a horrible cold but one that lingers enough to frustrate and annoy me.  Also today the kids sent home a note saying next Wednesday parents need to find other plans for their kids to go somewhere else because all the schools in the district are going on strike so only one teacher will be at school on Wednesday.