Bungy Jumping!
WOW!! Ok, so while the rest of America was Trick-or-treating, the three of us went Bungy Jumping! Sorry, mom!If you know me and my OCD-ness in the gym concerning safety (Ex: Checking that there aren’t any cracks between mats, making sure that every bolt is tight under the beam, picking up almost every spec of pit or anything off the runway and floor, haha, and so much more), you would have probably laughed at the idea of me even considering to do this! I was the exact same way and had always said that I would never do it…WELP, I guess not having the challenges or thrill of the adrenaline rush in gymnastics any more, I had to do something that would satisfy those needs! And where else than the very FIRST BUNGY JUMPING LOCATION IN THE WORLD?!- The Kawarau Bridge in Queenstown. Words cannot explain it! It was probably the SCARIEST, yet most THRILLING thing ever! :)
- I am so happy to have such an awesome group of kids! Over the last week, I have found myself getting to know the students more and building relationships with them. After being with Kindergarteners for 8 weeks, this is surely a different atmosphere, and they each have their advantages and disadvantages. Where I could ask a 5 yr-old to go to a 'chill chair' to fix a problem, that doesn't work as easily with a 10 year old..ha! These kids like to talk a lot more, but what 5th/6th graders don't? So yes, there is a lot more talking and 'middle school' mannerisms taking place, but I can't help but love them! Like I said, I'm able to relate and interact with them more, so it overrules the negative part of it :)
- I have had the opportunity to take the lead over the year 6 students for math as well as the higher-leveled reading group this week, so that has been fun! I have enjoyed planning and teaching them, and watching 'lightbulbs' go off! :) It's awesome using some of the strategies that I've learned in the states to teach different skills here. (For example, I taught my math group how to multiply decimals by various powers of 10, and they had never heard of my method of solving before.)
- I have also taken lead of the Fitness lesson each day :) Brian, one of my CoOps (I'm working with a husband/wife team), had asked if I could work on some gymnastics with the kids, so of course I didn't turn that down! So far, we've done some various jumps, leaps, and balancing skills, and the kids have loved it! They actually surprised me with their coordination abilities, and we've had fun doing some races and challenges with the skills they learn :) All in all, we're having a fun, productive time in the classroom!
- This week, we have also found some fun things to do around the house and after school here in Alexandra. I brought a pack of
- Our principal also lent us some bikes and helmets, so we've ridden those around town to various locations. (For example, The Clock on the Hill. It's one of my favorite locations here in Alex. It's a great, scenic workout going up, and then you can look out on the town once you've accomplished the feat. **For those who know me and my love for climbing Stone Mountain back home in GA, I call this place my 'Stone Mtn. of New Zealand' lol)
- Spooner’s CoOp, and her family, invited us over for a roasted lamb dinner earlier this week, and that was such a great time! Even though we were a wee bit hesitant about the lamb at first, it was delicious! I think it tasted like a tender pot roast. They were so kind and made us feel at home! *This is just a wee insight to how nice the people are here! But yeah, there were many laughs (especially about my southern/”hillbilly” accent), and we shared funny stories about the differences in culture and such. *Oh, and Denise, the lady who owns the place we're living in, brought over some roasted duck for us to try the other night..haha! Again, we were very hesitant, but once we got past the thought of it, it was actually pretty good. We've impressed ourselves with our adventurous eating..lol
- One of my awesome students lent me the Lord of the Rings Trilogy on DVD, so we watched all 3 in one weekend! It's so cool to watch the movie and recognize the various scenic landscapes as we travel the country :)
- This past Saturday, we traveled down to Milford Sound in the Fiordland National Park on the west coast. It was beautiful! Since there are no major highways near us, we took a two-laned the whole way. The 5 hr drive went by so fast because the scenery around you changes every 5 minutes!
- We drove through the sunny fields, snowy mountains, through the clouds..it was BEAUTIFUL! Driving never gets old because you turn the corner around a mountain and get a whole new view full of different colors :)
- We went on a 90min cruise around Milford Sound through the mountains and out to the open Tasman Sea, and we saw some amazing sights! I saw penguins, a dolphin, seals & many waterfalls! The Cap'n even put the front of the boat under the waterfall to splash us, haha! Spooner got soaked sacrificing himself to get good go-pro video for us, lol.
- The drive back went fairly quickly as well because we jammed in the car (Of course!), played roadtrip games, and took in the country around us! We also Found an epic Jumping Pillow/Blob called the 'Kangaroo Jumper' somewhere between Milford Sound and Queenstown, and we played around on that for a bit as a fun pit-stop :)
- We stopped for dinner in Queenstown at THE Fergburger, and it was delicious! Previous ISU groups, as well as my students here, told me that we needed to go there while in NZ. I could tell by the line out the door when we got there, lol. But the line went quickly, and the burger massive and quite tasty!
- Ahhh, what a great Trip!!
Alrighty, until next time :)