epic weekend: Saturday

this past weekend was by far the best I've had in Darwin yet. thanks to our willingness to explore and Carlee's expert time management skills (we had an itinerary and everything!) we hit up a few of the must-see Darwin landmarks.

Saturday morning started early with a trip to Parap market. I love going to the market. I make a point to go to the farmers' market in GR every weekend, and going to the markets here really makes me feel at home. the point of the market this week, however, was to find the guy selling hot sauce that we tasted on our very first trip to Parap. we haven't been able to find him for weeks, and our luck didn't change this week. we've been all around to different markets, looking for him. I will find him before I leave!

from there, we walked to the museum. it was a friendly 2.5 km - not too bad. the museum was really interesting, way too good to be free. lots of aboriginal art, and animals native to the NT, but the cyclone tracy exhibit was my favorite. it was so sad to see all the damage it caused and lives it destroyed, but it was so fascinating at the same time.

we also saw Sweetheart, a 5.1 m saltwater croc that attacked many boats on the Finnis River. they wanted to capture him because he was hurting people, but he drowned accidentally. so they stuffed him and threw him in the museum. the NT's infamous immortal croc.

after we soaked up all the air con we could, we ventured out again on a 1.5 km walk to the casino. I spent $2 and won $3 before security kicked us out for not having our passports. really? if the bars accept my Michigan ID, why can't a casino? ah well, we got some free coffee out of it anyway.

once the fuzz gave us the boot, we caught a bus to the wave pool (too far to walk and it was HOT). I honestly did not see what the big deal about a wave pool was before we went (we have one in Michigan that I used to go to all the time as a kid), but it was really relaxing, and we ended up having a lot of fun.

for dinner, Kaye, Roger, Fran, Carlee, Hannah and I went to the wharf. I knew that I loved barramundi since we had it at a Sunday roast, but slap some breading on it and fry it up, and I'm in heaven (how American of me, no?). I also learned that when a burger comes with "salad," it means they put the "salad" on the burger. at any rate, it was such a great meal. I also discovered that I love Cooper's pale ale. no beer will ever replace Michigan beers in my heart (which, incidentally, leads to my bloodstream), but we're getting closer.

after dinner, Fran dropped Carlee and I off at a bar, and we hung out downtown for a while. we met some very drunk nice locals and enjoyed their company for a while before hopping bars and meeting up with Blake. he and his friends Alycea and Tait took us to a club where we had a great time, had a few drinks and literally danced the night away. it was a really great night, and just what the doctor ordered after a long week at school.

ah, life

Sammy can get the mail...

my god, I need a haircut. it's going all Javier Bardem in No Country for Old Men on me. Jordan even noticed that my hair was getting long the last time we talked, and I only had short hair for a week or two before I left, so it must be true. although, I'm sure I'm blending in as a local with this awesome mullet I'm growing out. the only difference is that the locals aren't ashamed of their mullets.

...and read it! :)

other than my long hair conundrum, everything has been pretty great. my sunburn is healing, and we are planning some fun adventures.

two nights ago, Carlee and I booked our flight and hotel in BALI! we are so excited. it's only a short plane ride away (about 2 hours), so we figured we might as well go while we're here! we leave on Dec 9th and return on the 12th. it's just so amazing to me that I left the States never having traveled beyond the North American continent (and I've only spent time in...8 states? and only one Canadian province!), and I'll be returning having lived in Australia and traveled to Southeast Asia. incredible.

pearl ring I bought at the market

as for school, I'm feeling like a bit of a slacker, especially after having so much responsibility in GR, but it's the end of the school year and everything is so crazy. Mara is always thanking me for my help and hard work, so that helps me feel like less of a deadbeat. I plan on teaching about Christmas soon, and doing some daily punctuation lessons starting tomorrow, because they really struggle with it in their writing.

I just hope I don't stuff it up.

wildlife park adventure

clever bird throwing a rock at an egg to
open it

what a wild week it has been. the girls and I went to the Wildlife Park in Berry Springs on Saturday, and had a blast. I loved that all the animals at the park were native to Australia. they were all incredible. we went to a bird show (sounds silly, but actually really cool, even if a lorakeet did fly into my head), snuck into a taped-off dingo exhibit, and saw wild wallabies roaming around.

there was a billabong, a nocturnal house, and an aquarium as well. my students would always tell me how great the park was, so I was under the impression that it was more child-oriented, but it wasn't that way at all.

I'm glad I brought my K-x, because I really got some amazing shots. I feel like I was dragging us along, changing my lenses and taking hundreds of photos, but it was just too easy. the animals were amazing!

the walk-through aviary was very cool too. after some smaller bird exhibits, we came to a big, caged-in area with all sorts of birds walking and flying around. quicker than you can say, "hey, look at that cute little bird," I got pooped on. I quickly realized that what I thought was water (it had rained earlier in the day) was warm, freak-out commenced. it would have been worse had I not been laughing so hard.

when I got back from the Wildlife Park, I found out that my computer had a virus (this explains my lack of updating and the obscene length of this post - apologies). it was so horrible that I couldn't fix it on my own, so after crying for a bit Kaye drove me to a computer store to get it fixed. it's okay now. still a couple of problems,  but all my files and programs are still there, which is a HUGE relief.

Sunday morning we went to the markets at Rapid Creek, and to the craft show after. there was some beautiful stuff, but I didn't buy anything. I had actually left my wallet in the back seat of Roger's car from our trip to the Wildlife Park, so I couldn't have even if I wanted to. I came across the Down Syndrome Association of the Northern Territory at the market! I would have gone in if they were open. I would love to get involved with any events, etc, while I'm here!

my special ed teacher heart is melting

spotted at {Rapid Creek market}

Sunday evening we had our roast. our only guests were Fran, Carlee, and Vanessa, Kaye and Roger's neighbor. as much as I love our big groups at Sunday roast, the smaller group was really nice. we had some champagne, some great food, and we actually all got to talk to each other during our meal :)

veeery mysterious fruits at the market...

the only bad thing is that it has been unbearably hot the past few days. the news says the high today is 33º, but the humidity makes it feel closer to 40º. we usually don't need the air con on throughout the house, but we had to this week, otherwise we would melt.

loved this painting at the craft fair

tomorrow is Thanksgiving, and the whole crew is getting together, including the teachers we are working with. Mara and I get along really well. she marches to the beat of her own drummer, and I love that about her. I am learning a ton, and it makes me sad to think school is out in 3 short weeks!

markets, footie, and crocs, oh my!

Darwin bars: I approve

awesome photo courtesy of Carlee

we had an eventful past few days - so happy to finally be out and doing stuff and getting ot know the city. on Friday after school, I walked over to Hannah's school and we had some wine (yes, at school in the staff room. America, eat your heart out).

later that night, we met up with Carlee at the house and took the bus to a bar called the Tap. they had enormous drinks, appropriately named fishbowls, and we shared 2 between the three of us. honestly, two was all we needed. it's just nice to go out for a drink and have a chat and meet people. and Darwin is a wonderful city for just that.

on Saturday morning, Hannah, Carlee and I went to the Parap markets. It reminded me of the farmers' markets in GR, but with so much more than produce. I had an avocado, cheese, and salsa crepe that was made before my eyes. there were clothes, you could get a massages, there were all different cuisines, smoothies, produce, and everything else under the sun. truly amazing. there are several different markets in the area, and I hope to experience them all before I leave.

the "up-yours claw."

a few hours after we got home, Roger, Kaye, Hannah, Carlee and I went to a footie match, which was a lot of fun. it was the Tiwi Bombers vs the Wanderers. I, of course, didn't understand all the rules after seeing just one match, but I'll get it eventually. the footie season is over everywhere but in the NT right now, so there aren't many games, but still a good time to go, and cheap!

footie + sunset

early this morning, I video chatted with my parents, and then Blake took us to the Adelaide River to the jumping crocs cruise - one of the coolest things we have done so far. raw water buffalo meat is dangled from a string over the side of the boat, and the crocs jump out of the water to grab it. we chose to sit by the open window, of course. it was both horrifying and fascinating. I only wish I had brought my K-x instead of my little Canon P&S, but the pictures came out alright.

settling.

thanks Hannah :)

after the Jumping Crocs, I crashed in bed for a couple hours. I was awake for maybe 30 minutes when Blake called and said he was going to meet some friends for drinks, so we tagged along. he took us to a spot by the water where we sat in the back of his truck, chatted with his friends Darren and Michael (and Blake's puppy Bruce!) and had some drinks. it was so beautiful. perfect weather, good company, a cute puppy, and a few drinks. can't beat it! we came back fashionably late for Sunday tea, and had a wonderful end to our night.

I recently had a realization that I'm only in Australia for 5 more weeks. I know that I've only been here for less than 2 full weeks, so I'm hoping the next 5 will go by veeery slowly :)

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