When It Rains, It Pours.....

Perth had not seen rain since November. When I heard there was a chance of rain and possibly even thunderstorms, I did not believe it. However, the four or so months worth of rain came down in about a three hour time span.

While leaving school, I noticed there were some really dark clouds approaching. Brad and I went to the shops at around 5:00, and I could not look any direction without seeing a lightning bolt. We went into the store with it sprinkling, and as soon as we were inside the bottom literally dropped (maybe the top even exploded). The power flickered a couple of times, and then the manager of the store came over the intercom and said, "We would just like to inform our customers that we are in the process of organizing a carwash out in the front of our store."..... You have to love Australian humor!!!! =)

Well, we made it home safetly. (All my fingernails were gone, because as you all should know, I am terrified of storms.) The roads of Perth were flooded- up to car hoods-, power was out in many suburbs, hail had shattered many people's windshield, the glass on the outside table was shattered at the house, and the laundry room roof at Izzy's work had caved in. The damage was all across Perth, and as the radio station put it, Perth has not seen a storm like this since the mid-90's.

Unfortunely,  the power was out at school all day Tuesday. The principal called for a staff meeting straight away, and informed us all that Western Power was hoping to have the power back on by lunchtime. Because some parts of the school were flooded, room rearranging had to be done. My teacher and I had planned all the lessons for Tuesday to be working with the computers. Without power, these plans were impossible. Sooooooo....... we had to improvise.... We played board games in the dark (and in the hot, I must add)! I played games with different groups of students, and I felt it was a great way to get to know them better.

THE PERTH ZOO :)

Going to the Perth Zoo made me realize my fascination with animals.

Their days consist of swimming back and forth and back and forth in the tank.

Then, they may decide to people-watch for a little bit.

Simmo was staring at the crowd, and he did not move.

So, just when I thought the zoo had tricked me and had placed a few wax creatures amongst the animals, I finally saw the sign.

And the answer is--- Yes, he is real.

HMMMM.....

DINGO!

This was taken during the kangaroo's modeling shoot.

I just wanted to pick the little guy up out of the tree!!

My favorite part- The elephant show :)

She did many tricks for us...

The monkeys also put on a show of their own..

I guess she didn't like me taking pictures of her and her baby.

Sleeping....

This is the only elephant I got to ride... =)

And then, it was time for a little fun in the city..

We went to dinner. Then, as we were walking down the street, we were invited into a pub where there was a band playing 80's music....

 

We knew noone in the pub (the city.. hey, even the country)... So, we took advantage of this time to show off our 80's-dancing-skills.... haha

It has been a while since I have written a post... Believe it or not, I have been kind of busy. :)

I have worked my way into a daily routine. After school each day, I go for a walk at the park, which is down the road from my house. It is beautiful there, and no matter how hot the day is, the temperature is always perfect being that the park is close to the river. However, today I have a lot of time on my hands.  Yesterday afternoon (after booking my flight and accommodation to Cairns during the holiday break, yes, very excited! :))) ) I decided to take my book outside by the pool to read and relax. I was moving the lounge chair to the other side of the pool, and I was having a little trouble getting the legs through the narrow path as one kept falling into the pool. I decided to just pick up the chair and swing it around to the other side. As I turned, my left foot landed in the hole which is made for the suctioning mechanisms used for cleaning the pool. So, I have a hurt foot, a broken toe nail, and a big egg-shaped bruise on my shin. I can barely walk  now, and all day at school, the staff called me out for "wobbling". Izzy's brother is going to look at it tonight, so I will keep you all posted. :)

Back to good stuff now--  Brad and Izzy took me and Christina to Margaret River, Dunsborough, Eagles Bay, and Busselton last weekend. We went to the beach, shops, and a few wineries. It was absolutely beautiful, and Christina and I both had a lot of fun. I took a ton of pictures, and although the pictures do the place no justice, I want to share them with you all. :)

Me and Christina at the Chocolate Factory... YUMMM!!!


Me and Christina at the beach :)

"Gaze upon the beauty of the Lord." Psalm 27:4

"Pray in the Spirit on all occasions with all kinds of prayers and requests." Ephesians 6:18

 

"All things were created by him and for him." Colossians 1:16

"Grow in the grace and knowledge of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. To him be glory both now and forever! Amen. 2 Peter 3:18

"The Lord sent miraculous signs and wonders." Deuteronomy 6:22

"Be still before the Lord and wait patiently for Him." Psalm 37:7

"My God is my rock, in whom I take refuge, my shield and the horn of my salvation. He is my stronghold, my refuge and savior." 2 Samuel 22:3

"Put your faith in God, for I will yet praise him, my Savior and my God." Psalm 42:5, 6

Me and Christina at a $4 million house we visited... I think the view was worth it!

"The Mighty One, God, the Lord, speaks and summons the earth from the rising of the sun to the place where it sets." Psalm 50:1

One of the wineries we visited. :) And to think the owner doesn't even drink.

One of the wineries.

My supervisor came to observe me last Thursday, and it went really well. I taught the Year 8 class Divisibility Rules and the little angels worked hard on the work I assigned. The only complaint I had was that it was around 95 degrees that day, and being last period, the classroom was very hot. Our classroom does not have airconditioning, so we rely on fans and opened windows. My supervisor gave me very positive feedback, and he appreciated my preparedness. I have taken on all the classes now for everyday until I leave, so planning is a bit time consuming.

"And we know that in all things God works for the good of those who love him, who have been called according to his purpose." Romans 8:28.. I have been feeling a bit homesick the past couple of days, and it has been comforting to know that I can turn to the word to find peace and hope. I know that the lord has me here for a reason. I am learning a lot, having a lot of fun, and very thankful for this opportunity... I just miss my sisters, family, friends, and my comfortable, simple life in the U.S. (One more thing I miss- being able to drive my car whenever and wherever.)

Like I told you all in last Wednesday's post, today was my turn to cook for the Math and Science Department Morning Tea. I was assigned the "sweets" role; so I made fruit pizza. :) Everyone seemed to enjoy it. However, finding all the ingredients last night in the grocery store was not an easy task. Who knew following an American recipes in Australia would be a bit challenging?? They do not have logs of sugar-cookie cookie dough... I had to make that part from scratch... (EEK!)..... and dealing with the metric system for everything! (I know you are probably thinking-- 'haha and you are supposed to be a math person and teach students how to convert things to and from the metric system', but it was overwhelming, OKAY!?)


A little about the culture:
Australians recon when Americans think.
Australians say no worries when Americans say thank you.
Australians say G'day and ask How's you goin'?  when Americans say hello and ask How are you doing?
Australians shorten everything, and I mean everything. (not literally the word everything... but you know) I have noticed that words with only one syllable, they  add an "ie" to the end.
Examples: "sunnies"- sunglasses,"chewie"- chewing gum, "postie"- postman, "footie"- football, "barbie"- barbeque, "Bushie"- someone who lives in the bush, "bather"- bathing suit, "lollies"- any kind of sweet or candy, "mozzie"- mosquito

That is all for now.. THANKS FOR READING :) *AND* MOST IMPORTANTLY-
G'DAY MATES! :)