I'm ok!

So I've gotten a few concerned emails about my well-being after yesterday's alarming message. I am writing to say "yes... I'm ok!".

We certainly did have a crazy day yesterday. It was pretty wild outside my classroom. Lots of rain and lots of really strong winds. I'm not sure how this happened, but I was somehow able to find a willing volunteer in each of my classes to take the roll over despite the fact that it was pissing down rain the ENTIRE day(yes, we work in a very archaic system here where I actually have to send a student to the attendance office each class with the roll) .

I must say that although I knew it was bad out, I didn't realize just how bad it was until I got that email in my inbox. It actually gave me a bit of a fright and I definitely left in a bit of a hurry to get home. I stopped on the way home for just a bit to take a few pictures from my car, but it's really hard to capture just how insane the water levels were unless I had some "before pictures" to contrast with.

I had planned to visit the gym that evening but decided I better stay at home for fear of getting my car stuck in some crazy puddle or something. It was pretty wicked and wild for the rest of the night too. I had considered putting my car in the garage since I've only got 3rd party car insurance on my Mitzy and figured that my roommates would have something more substantial to cover them if a tree were to fall down in the night. I decided to tempt fate and leave it out. Ironically enough, Nic came home later in the evening and required my assistance in moving a tree out of the way that had fallen in our driveway.

The storm seemed to calm after I went to bed since I awoke to peace and quiet this morning. If it had gotten much worse we may have had the day off today, but unfortunately, we only had a few bus cancellations. We'll see how long it takes for the water levels to go down. One thing is certain - I'm looking forward to when "sunny Blenheim" goes back to being exactly what it's famous for - the sun!

State of Emergency???

So it's 3:45pm and it's been raining non-stop all day long! I just got the following email in my inbox:

IF YOU WANT TO GET HOME –GO HOME NOW. WE HAVE JUST BEEN INFORMED THAT MARLBOROUGH HAS BEEN DECLARED A STATE OF EMERGENCY AND THE WATER IS LAPPING NELSON STREET NOW.

Guess it's time to go home now! We'll see if my tiny little car makes it!! (yes... I do have to travel along Nelson street to get home!)

Wahooo! and Crazy Weather

I can't remember if I've mentioned this yet, but I've managed to find myself a student from the boys college to tutor. His mom and dad are really on-board with getting him straightened out in math so they are keen to have me come on a very regular weekly basis. When I first met with him a couple of months ago, he had received zero credits so far (that means that he failed every test so far) and had some pretty weak work ethic. I actually enjoy working with students like this - especially when you have the parent support - because you can actually see huge changes over a relatively short period of time. I've watched Matt change from an extremely weak student who seriously lacked confidence in mathematics, to someone who really gets it when he puts his mind to it.

However, as of recently I have been a bit frustrated. Since I've started working with Matt, he has been able to resit one of the tests that he failed and wrote the first sitting of another one. Neither one produced passing results (now, I should state that it is actually REALLY hard to pass here in NZ since they pretty much require 90-95% corectness to earn an "Achieved" status on any given paper). However, last night I got a text from his mom stating "We got Sequences and Series! Networks resit Thusday, Trig resit on Friday!". I wrote back with one big "Wahooo!!" and also included "Check your email - I sent you some extra review for Trig." I'm already eagerly awaiting the next text with good news!

On another note: I woke up very early this morning to some wicked weather outside my window. I didn't actually get out of bed to see it, but I definitely heard the wind whipping things around outside along with some pretty heavy rain coming down on the roof. I'm now at school loking out the window and it's still stormy out - complete with a very VERY gloomy, grey, overcast sky. Just recently I was complaining to someone that I haven't seen any extreme weather since coming to NZ, but I think this might be my first taste! Now... too bad this kind of weather doesn't equate to a "no-bus day" like I'm used to at home!!! ;)

New Crush!

So I just got back from watching the Rugby game at a pub called The Grove. Tonight's game was a huge disappointment for the All Black's fans as they were pretty much destroyed by the Aussies. It was strange to watch this phenomenon occur as every game I have watched prior to this has resulted in the All Blacks dominating their competition! Not sure what went wrong, but there will be lots of finger pointing tomorrow on the news!

On a different note: I have a new crush! His name is Richard Kahui and he exists on the All Blacks center line! I swear he makes me melt every single time I see his face!

And it gets better! According to this link, it sounds like he's a decent person too! Can he really be the complete package!!??

I'm already looking forward to the next game!!! ;)

Oh Happy Day!

I meant to make this post a few weeks ago before I left for vacation, but didn't get a chance...

I am elated to announce that the NZQA has FINALLY approved all of my documents and I am now officially certified to teach in New Zealand. So yes, mom, that means that all of my documents (including all of my university diplomas) have been mailed back to me and are safely in my possession. They are not crinkled, and you no longer have to worry about them!

Since my certification is now approved, I am finally eligible to receive the two installments of $2000 that the government offers to foreign teachers as a relocation grant. This has just arrived in my bank account today! I've already transferred $2000 of it straight back to my Canadian bank account to start chipping away at my line of credit which has been sitting stationary for the past few months... It's a bit sickening, however, to see my hard-earned $2000NZD reduce by over $600 with the unfavourable exchange rate of 0.76!!!

Nonetheless, it's still a good thing that I'm approved. The final step is for my salary assessment to be complete and if all goes well, they will approve my 1.5 years of previous teaching experience and 10 months of work experience at Maplesoft. Once that's sorted, I will receive an even nicer back-pay to make up for the pathetic salary that I have been earning up until this point. Oh happy days!! This will definitely make things a bit easier financially from now on...

License Plate

I just noticed after all this time that the license plate on my car has a very cool message on it: "Give Cyclists Space -- Share The Road".


How very very cool! I feel proud to be driving a car with this message! I'll have to see if I can find something similar for my car at home!!

Back in Blenheim

I'm now back from my 2 week vacation in Australia. Sad to be back in the middle of NZ winter and facing the reality of going back to work, but also glad to be back in the comforts of "home" (or as close to home as it gets for the time being).

Claire and I arrived at the Christchurch airport on Thursday night around 11:30pm. Rather than sticking with Plan A which involved spending the night on the airport floor, we happened upon a really nice lady at the Europcar counter who was feeling extra nice at the end of her shift and offered us a hire car (rental car) for the price of $86NZ to drive back to Blenheim. It was a long drive (and I guess somewhat of a nutty idea since we knew we wouldn't be home until 4:30am) but probably worth it in the end. I awoke feeling surprisingly rested at 10:30am and got started on 3 loads of (very stinky!) laundry before hitting the hills for a short 20 minute run and then heading over to Claires to have a shower and make her some Kraft Dinner for lunch! After delivering the hire car back to the agency at the Blenheim airport, we spent the rest of the afternoon sitting outside (in our t-shirts with no socks!), enjoying the beautiful Blenheim sun while sipping tea on Claire's lovely porch.

Today has been a much gloomier day with a very heavy amount of rainfall and very little sun. That's ok though - makes for a day of productivity I suppose. After sleeping in, I called mom and dad to catch up since we haven't talked in over 3 weeks (maybe even 4?), went to the gym, and now I'm at school making my way through all of the notes from my relief classes and starting to do some lesson plans for next week. I actually just came across this really nice note from the reliever: "I've meant to say this before but not go around to it... I really appreciate the structured lessons and appropriate work you leave for relievers. The instructions are always clear and all bases covered. Thanks, Denise." Awww... makes me feel all warm and fuzzy!

On a side note: When I arrived home early Friday morning I found a very large package with my name on it. This one was from Ming, and you'll never believe it, but it contained 18 more boxes of KD and 6 additional cheese packets! I think I've died and gone to Macaroni & Cheese heaven!! I swear I can average at LEAST 3 boxes a week now until mom and dad arrive at the end of September!!! :) Thanks Ming!

Adventures in Oz

After scrambling to finish my report cards and prepare my relief work (supply work) for the last two days of the term, Kristy and I fled Blenheim on Wednesday night to catch the ferry across to Wellington. This, of course, was all in order for us to catch a 7:15am flight to Australia the next day – assisted by the generous hospitality of Magalie who was kind enough, once again, to take us in the night before our departure. After a pretty rocky take-off in Wellington (I’m curious to know if what we experienced was normal for that airport?!) the rest was smooth sailing. Although we had a 4 hour layover in Brisbane, we didn’t mind at all given that we were able to spend some time outside in the sun and warmth without the need for sweaters, hats, mitts or scarves! When our plane arrived in Cairns we had just enough time to grab our luggage and catch a cab to the car rental location – 10 minutes before it closed (saving us a $75 late pick-up fee). After discovering that we weren’t going to get the Hyundai Getz economy car that we were expecting, we set off, instead, in a 2008 Toyota Camry (the lady at the desk assured me that this vehicle is really good on gas – we’ll see when we tally up the gas bills at the end!). From there, we headed straight into town and made our first stop at a tourist information centre where some very friendly staff members offered us a plethora of advice as to where to spend our time and money. Our first night was spent at the Serpent Backpackers on the edge of town – ok on the generic scale of backpacker accommodation, but also a harsh reminder that Kristy and I are getting old and nearing the end of our backpacker hostel years when we were asked by some 21 year old boys if we wanted to join them on the bar hopping tour that they were doing that night. Alas… we instead opted for the non-hangover “adult version” tour of town with a stop off at the mall where we picked up some healthy groceries and zero alcohol.

The next morning we woke early to enjoy a morning run along the Esplanade. Definitely the highlight of Cairns! We were up early enough to enjoy the sight of the sun rising in the East over the ocean horizon. Upon reflection, I realized that this was a new experience for me since Sauble Beach faces West and only allows for magnificent sun SETS. After our run, we had a quick shower, ate breakfast, packed up and hit the road heading North. Our first stop – Cooya Beach, where we met up with a local aboriginal man who offered half-day fishing/hiking adventures the “grass-roots” way. Our session stated off with an introduction to a number of the plants and nuts around us on the edge of the beach and learning about each of their medicinal and nutritional uses. Afterwards he gave us a quick tutorial in how to use a spear to catch fish and crabs from the water. From there we walked along the beach and into the mangrove trees as the tide receded into the ocean. On this section of the walk we climbed over and through the maze of mangrove roots that were entwined and growing right out of the wet and mucky sand. While our feet received the most natural pedicure that they could receive, we were also introduced to a number of shelled species and even helped to find a few to add to our collection that we would later eat for lunch. On our way back we walked along the shallow waters of the ocean and caught a few mud crabs along the way (a special treat since apparently these crabs sell for $65 a plate at local restaurants!). At the end of the walk, we left the beach and walked across the road to a house that belonged to his mother where we cooked up all of our seafood findings and learned more about the Aboriginal ways. We also learned about the complexity of his family tree since there was a home-made calendar on his fridge with pictures of his entire family and extended family. Our guide quickly earned himself a new title as “The Impregnator” as we learned about the 5 children that he has, with 4 different mothers. Not sure if this is part of the Aboriginal way since he was the only one on the family tree with that complexity of branches!

After we said goodbye we continued heading North towards the Daintree Rainforest National Park. Along this journey we took the craziest ferry I have ever ridden. For $10 one way or $18 return, you got a 5 minute ride on a barge across a river that is too deep to traverse by car. For some reason, no bridge has been built to connect the two banks, but I still haven’t figured out the exact reason why. After that we followed a long and windy road with a fully green canopy of trees overhead, complete with lots of speed bumps along the way in an effort to reduce the number of Cassowary collisions. We ended up spending the night at PKs Jungle Resort in a dorm where we met a group of young Canadian teachers that are teaching in Melbourne for the year but also seeking warmth on their school holidays. A really nice group of girls!

Since we went to bed at some crazy early hour, it was easy to get up early the next morning to set out for our hike up Mount Sorrow – the highest peak in the Daintree Rainforest. After a 20 minute “warm-up” trying to find the trail-head, we discovered that it was actually 2 metres from where we parked our car – hidden within the bush. The tourist pamphlets warned that this climb was steep and required strong physical fitness – they weren’t kidding! I’d say it was essentially a 670m vertical climb (over a distance of 3.5km)! Not quite as steep as Mt. Tuhua that I climbed with Brian in April, but comparable. Thank goodness I was feeling good!

Unfortunately Tom, another backpacker that had asked to join us the night before, wasn’t feeling so good. He learned the hard way that a climb of that nature maybe wasn’t the best cure for a hang-over. All-in-all the trip took us 4.5 hours with a half-hour stop at the top for pictures and a picnic lunch. The view was pretty nice, although somewhat disappointing. I think I liked the climb itself better than the actual view from the top.


Since Kristy and I both agreed that a change from the dormitory style backpacker accommodations would be nice, we decided to spend the next night in a jungle hut at the Koala resort since we had heard other travelers talk about this place. Although it was a bit further of a drive than we expected it to be, it was a nice place to stay. Still not top-notch accommodations by any means (the smell of must on our pjs the next day summarizes that nicely!), but we liked the really laid-back atmosphere that this place had to offer. To fit in with the crowd around us we went to bed at some uncanny hour like 8pm where we enjoyed close to a 10 hour sleep!

We awoke very well rested which was good since we had another early start as we set off, back up towards Cape Tribulation, to catch a boat ride out to the Great Barrier reef to do some snorkeling. This adventure cost each of us $99 to do, but it was well worth the money. We had both done some snorkeling while we were in Cancun a few years ago, but we quickly discovered that you can not even compare the two experiences. The snorkeling at the Great Barrier Reef was pretty amazing! Not only were the fish amazingly beautiful and colourful, but the coral itself was stunning. It was sooooo diverse and every piece seemed to be unique. The water was crystal clear as well. We got to see some turtles and some sting rays, and a whole slew of other really cool things including some coral “animals” that our leader was “qualified” to pick up and show us. The only drawback to this excursion was the water temperature. Although we had rented some wetsuits at the recommendation of the tour company, we were still too cold to last the full length of snorkeling time. The problem resulted when the boat picked us up from one location in the water and moved us over to another – not the best option for Kristy and I since we were already cold and after getting out of the water, it was really tough to get back in. But we toughed it out though and explored some more of the second location before jumping back into the boat. Oh, and one more thing… on the way out, we got to see some hump-back whales which apparently were the first ones of the season! On the way back we got to see some dolphins that were doing some small jumps in formation. After being dropped off on the beach and driven back to our cars, we made our way back towards the Koala resort where we planned to spend a second night in our romantic little beach hut. We went for a 4+ km walk along the beach and spent the rest of the evening planning the next few days of our trip. The staff at the resort were actually really friendly and helpful – they even let us use their internet on their office computer! Although it was dial-up (a painful reminder of how slow internet used to be), it still helped us to figure out a few important details. Since the next thing on our priority list was doing a cruise of the Whitsunday islands, we had to book it asap. And it didn’t take us long to realize that we were a bit behind the 8-ball on that one. Turns out that the cruise we wanted (that departed on Tuesday) was already booked. So, we were left with only 2 other choices that departed on Wednesday, one of which was also full, so the decision was easy. We are now booked on the Silent Night, departing on Wednesday and are looking forward to a good time! It is definitely the smallest of the three boats we were looking at with only a 12 person capacity (the other ones had capacities of 24 and 16 respectively). Should make for a really intimate setting!

Today was a day of regrouping and travelling. We were up early for a run/walk along the beach and then started our journey South, back towards Cairns. Along the way Kristy stopped for a small boat cruise in search of crocodiles while I sat and wrote postcards. Afterwards we hit up a café in Mossman for lunch and made another stop at the Mossman Gorge before continuing on to Cairns. While in Cairns we visited the mall again to pick up a few more items -- groceries and a special stop at the HMV to get some MUCH needed tunes for the road (radio coverage is surprisingly HORRIBLE in Australia!). We also visited the information centre that we stopped at when we first arrived in Cairns. Jason, the staff member we spoke to the first time, aided us in finding some accommodation for the next two nights. Some good laughs were shared when he asked whether we wanted a “twin share” or a “double”. Kristy and I just had to look at one another and we started to laugh hysterically because we both knew the other’s answer. It is really hard to explain this non-sexual, totally straight feeling of comfort and security that we appreciate when we share the same bed. It is something that started way back in University when we would go to visit each other on work terms, and have continued the tradition since then whenever we visit one another. I think we weirded Jason out… well… either that, or we gave him something to dream about, when we told him he made the wrong decision when choosing the twin single (he was forced to make the decision since Kristy and I were too busy recovering from our giggle fit, and he was on the phone with the accommodation provider).

Turns out the accommodation that Jason found for us was one-of-a-kind! We have ended up at a Yoga Sanctuary Retreat just north of Mission Beach which features actual “tree-house” accommodations in the middle of a rainforest. We woke early this morning hoping to go for a run, but since it is pouring rain, we have opted to lay in bed and soak up the rainforest surroundings and read some magazines (type some more blog entries) while enjoying a freshly made latte and some fresh cut berries! What a surreal feeling! Unfortunately, since time is tight and we have to get to Airlie Beach tonight, we have lots of driving ahead of us and we must get ourselves moving quickly if we want to shower, explore a bit more of this resort, and get on the road at a decent hour.