Toronto weekend. 21st - 23rd January

The Canadian Exchange Foundation (CLEE) put on a welcome weekend in Toronto for all the exchange teachers. Emma an exchange teacher from Canberra kindly let Ingrid (from Port Macquarie) and I stay with her over the weekend, she is living and teaching in Toronto.  I caught the bus from Aurora Friday night and met up with the girls and headed straight to the welcome reception, where we got to meet up with other Aussies and talk about all the things planned.  On the Saturday they held a conference for us, where we heard all the important information about living and teaching here. Skiing at Dagmar Ski slopes (about an hour?) out of Toronto was organised for Saturday evening.  As you can see by the photos below - we had a ball.  I wasn't too bad either (having had lessons previously) I was able to confidently get down 'green' runs without making a fool of myself. 

Ingrid and I spent the Sunday with Emma wandering around Toronto (in the bloody cold) after sleep in and a yummy omelet, fries and bacon brunch (just what you need after a nights skiing) followed by a muffin and chai latte! We spent the day shopping searching for coats and jackets - we are heading to Quebec next weekend where it gets much colder!

Night skiing at Dagmar in the coldest temperatures ever! -22oC with a wind chill of -33oC

When it all gets a little too cold :-) Even in the bar I wasn't taking the layers off!

Making it down the 'green' runs with style

Having to 'scrape' the car upon return :-Z

Starting Work - 10th January

I started teaching on 10th January, 5 days after arriving :-Z   I started mid way through the term, which I have found tough and then also I started a week late due to having to delay leaving Australia because of surgery - I can't believe it is 8 weeks since the surgery today.. and the doctors didn't think I'd be leaving until now!  Yay me :-)  Anyway all is great where the surgery is concerned, which is amazing.

Kelly took me into the school the Friday before to meet the principal and the class, which was just overwhelming. I spent the weekend before starting getting a few things organised and going over the plans Kelly had left.  I must admit I fumbled my way through the first week (and all weeks since come to think about it :-) quite successfully - God bless text books! Ha Ha :-)

I am teaching grade 8 :-Z  The kids are great, 13/14 years old and in their last year of elementary school .. teenagers!  I have to say the kids have been really good and I am enjoying them,  they are mostly respectful and I really can't complain about having behaviour issues.  Some have there moments but overall they are great. It is a real mixed bunch, 26 kids with some having no idea and then a few who are identified as gifted, and fly through the work.  Mostly they are teenagers and would rather talk to each other and be else where - me too guys :-)  The work on the other hand - oh my god!  I should have listened more during algebra in Maths or Fluids in Science when I was at school!  I think having walked in half way through the subjects was difficult so as I start new units hopefully I will feel like I have some idea ..... maybe not!  Really we only have to keep a day book, but I am finding myself planning a program just to know where I am going and teaching out of a text book makes it all that much easier for me.

The staff are wonderful :-) So friendly and helpful, such a nice group of people. I have been offered so much, one teacher even loaned me her car one weekend, to get out and about in - wow!  When it comes to planning and teaching we are all on our own, so really quite different from Australia.  Even assessments for the same topics are planned by the teacher, so kids across the grade are taking different assessments for the same topic??  I will also mention 'treat' day every Friday!  Staff are allocated a Friday in which to bring in morning tea and .... I have to stop eating - with the cold and then treat day Friday I'm not going to fit back on the plane to come home! 

Now playground duty - I will never complain about it again when I am back in Australia :-)  I spent my first duty walking around in amazement - thats when it really hit me that I was here in Canada, playground duty in the snow!  Luckily Kelly (my exchange partner) has left me appropriate clothing, we are the same size which is great!  I have big -40oC boots, quite the fashion item :-) and down filled jackets to wear - although funnily enough you still feel the cold somewhat ... nothing is suitable for - 10oC (and colder) days!  The school has never canceled outside play, only shortened the time out there to half of lunch or recess! I still can't believe they go out in it.  It is funny seeing all the kids in ski/snow gear running through the snow!

The school playground

Bogart Public School

The basketball courts

The view out of my classroom window

Having fun in the playground- huge snowballs

Well what else are snow covered hills for!

Look at just how big the snowballs get!

I've arrived! My first few weeks, 4th - 21st January

I can't believe I have been in Canada 3 weeks already!  So much has happened and so much to get used to.  The cold ...well actually freezing temperatures for one, last weekend records temperatures were set! Welcome to Canada Belinda :-)  It got down to -22 last Sunday with a wind chill of -33oC .. bloody cold and there's no other way to describe it!  Listening to the radio in the morning there was a mention to 'bundle' (rug) up as skin exposed in those temperatures would only take 10mins to get serious frost bite! No amount of layer helped and I froze!

I flew out of Sydney on the 4th January flying Korean Air through Seoul, no matter which way you go it was one hell of a long flight - 26 long hours!  I finally arrived after 2 hours through customs and immigration to snow falling.  Kelly my exchange partner picked me up and I headed to my new home for the next 12 months.

I had a 5 days to settle in before I started school.  Those first few days were getting over the jet lag, trying to organise myself and settle in.  I set myself up in my new house and took a wander around the local area - snow flurries permitting :-) I learned a few good lessons on those early walks - one MUST take gloves and a beanie with them when out walking in the snow!  I even found snow shoveling fun those first few days, keen and eager to get it done ... I'm not so enthusiastic any more!  I did also experience snow shoveling envy as I watched the neighbours be able to clear and clean so much more of their driveways!

It took a few days to feel settled - unpacking my things into someone elses wardrobe was weird especially knowing it is going to be for sometime.  Skype has been wonderful in being able to keep in contact with family and friends helping it not seem as far as it is to be away from you all. But this is home for now, I'm really enjoying it so far and am looking forward to the adventures to be had!

 My new home! Look at my snow covered front garden :-)

 My footprints in the snow on my front garden

(Yes there is grass under there)

The down pipe dripping

My snow shoveling efforts, even with the snow falling!

Look at the pile of shoveled snow next to the driveway!