Happy Chocolate Day!
We are celebrating Grade 2 Chocolate Day at Mike Mountain Horse!
As many of you know I participated in a teaching exchange to Australia in 2012! I had lots of fun and adventures during this time abroad. Here are some pictures of my journey! I hope you enjoy them as much as I enjoyed taking them. Travelling is a wonderful way to enjoy the world around us and to learn not only about other cultures, but more about our own culture as well!
While in Australia I participated in a straw bale house build project in New South Wales. As you can see I learned some new skills!
Wow. Be careful!
The students at Lake Albert Public School wear a uniform every day! Here they are all squished into their "hall", which we would call a gym here in Canada.
Pen Pal Project. The students were SO excited to receive a pen pal letter from their Canadian friend. My exchange partner and I had paired our kids up for this project. It was priceless, as you can see!
Reading in my Australian back yard in my new hammock. Loving this lifestyle!
A new friend at the straw bale house build project!
Kangaroo!
East Coast of Australia, south of Sydney, NSW.
Kangaroo!
Happy Australia Day!
Local park right by my house!
Heading to a swimming event for the school!
Swimming competition.
Having fun at the pool!
Peacock at the local park.
These pumpkin grew voluntarily in our garden! What a nice surprise. Delicious!
Look at all this produce! I became part of a veggie swap in the community. Every week I would meet with other community members and we would share what we grew in our own gardens!
Here I am with another exchange teacher who was also teaching in Australia.
She was in another town, but we became friends and visited each other throughout the year!
Wagga Wagga, NSW during the great flood of 2012.
Flooding was extensive. This picture was taken one day before the flood completely covered this area by several metres! The people in the picture were displaced from their home because it was in the flood zone, and their home had literally become the river's new path. The flood completely destroyed everything.
Sporting match!
Learning how to water ski!
Eucalyptus Tree. (Also known as a gum tree.)
Shopping!
Rock climbing!
Relaxing!
Shopping at a local fruit and vegetable market!
Travelling in New Zealand on my holiday.
New Zealand.
New Zealand
New Zealand.
My classroom.
Miss Lilley and Mrs. Ness.
Visiting a rural school. They had chickens!
Visiting a beach school. These boys are practicing for surf rescue.
The organic chocolate factory in Junee, NSW.
My fabulous class at Lake Albert Public School.
My staff at Lake Albert Public School.
Teaching a cooking class for friends in Wagga Wagga!
I rented a camping van all by myself and travelled to the rainforests in Queensland.
An assembly at school. Very packed in there with all the kids!
Yum! Enjoying a hot day at school!
Learning to play cricket. Well, actually I was just posing for this picture.
Australians sure love their sports and being active!
A family I met in Bali, Indonesia. They were so welcoming.
Steve Irwin Zoo.
Steve Irwin Zoo.
Steve Irwin Zoo. This is my sweet Mum.
Steve Irwin Zoo.
While teaching in Australia, I was able to take a vacation to beautiful Bali. These are some pictures of my trip to Bali, which is a beautiful island in Indonesia. I visited Bali in 2012. While I was there, I went to a cacao (or cocoa) plantation. On that farm they also bananas, coconuts, cinnamon, coffee, vanilla, and much much more! It was really exciting to see how these foods grow. It made me appreciate these products so much more!
There are also many pictures of life in Bali, from a tourist perspective. Many people drive motorcycles or scooters around, instead of cars. Enjoy the pictures, and while you are looking at the pictures, think about ways that Canada is the same and ways that it is different from Bali.
Banana Trees
Cacao pods on a cacao tree ….. yes, chocolate really does grow on trees!! :)
A truck full of chickens!
rice field
Highway.
