Flying High!

Out to Dinner!

Some of the lights

This weekend went by quickly as usual. Friday I went out to eat with Roger and Kaye and their friends Harry and Poppy. We went to a fun sports club they are part of, and I had some delicious beef satay! It was a thai dish with a peanuty spicy sauce. It was very good! After that we headed to Harry and Poppy's house, and we saw the Christmas light displays. They were very pretty. There was music and everything. :) It reminded me of the states (other than the palm trees that were decorated and no snow).

Saturday I woke up and headed to the airport with Roger, and we met Ron. From there we took our 6 seater plane to Maningrida. It was a very pretty flight, and we were still close enough to the ground to see some sights! I did sleep both ways because the plane just lulled me to sleep! I tried to fight it but I couldn't. When I was awake, I did see some very pretty stuff. I loved the clouds! We were flying right through them and next to them, and it was awesome. I took many a picture! When we got to our destination, we hung out with Ron as he worked in the different places, but we did not end up walking around. We found out that the dogs had been attacking people lately in packs, so we didn't want to risk getting attacked. The place we went to was an indigenous town, and they just let the dogs wander around and basically live like they are in the wild. Therefore, they are not good dogs to encounter. Even though we didn't do much, the plane ride was well worth it!

Me with our plane :)

Roger and I in the back of the plane

Once we got home I just hung out at the house all night. I watched some good TV, and then I started to get ready to pack to leave Darwin. A very relaxed night. :)

Today Roger, Kaye and I went out and did some shopping around town, and I found some very funny cards I enjoyed that I am bringing home :) Later I went and saw New Years Eve (the new movie) by myself at the theatre. It was pretty good, but basically exactly what I expected. It was nice to see something from the states though, and it made me very very excited to be with Dave on New Years!!!

Sunday Roast was very tasty tonight :) As always! It was a smaller crowd without Sofia and Carlee and a few others that were absent, but still a good time. Tonight I packed all of my stuff in my bags to see if anything was too heavy, and it turns out I am pretty good to go! I think my bags will all be set! I might have to pack a few things in Elissas stuff somehow, but we should be good. It is so crazy to get ready to go...I can't believe I am almost leaving Darwin. I will miss Kaye and Roger so much!!! and all their animals :) I hope this week does not go too fast! I am excited to see Elissa in 3 days! It will be nice to have someone from home here.

But I will leave you with that. I hope everyone is doing well!!!!

Cheers!!!

Sam and I. We are good mates :)

Even Australians know which team to cheer for!!! MSU!!

One more gorgeous view of the clouds

Slowly Wrapping Up Darwin

This week went by so fast! And it has hit me my time here is coming to an end. Elissa will be here in 5 days!!! Crazy :) I taught all week this week, once again, and then I got Friday off! School is going well, and I am happy next week is our last week. It will be filled with fun and spending some quality time with my students. I look forward to being more laid back around them and having more fun! They are a great group of kids, and I am glad I have gotten to know them all. They have tested me and pushed me, and I have learned a lot from them! That was what this trip was all about! Learning some great tools I can use in the classroom while experiencing an entirely new culture. I am happy it has been a successful time.

Malau hanging out in the bag, relaxing :)

Whatcha got in there??

This week I found out one of our cats, Malau, loves to sit in reusable bags! Haha. If you put him in there he just lounges and will not get out. Kaye has put him in a bag before and taken him places, and he doesn't even move! No one knows she has a cat with her then, and he can travel around with her! It is so cute :) The animals here are cracking me up and making me want an animal of my own!!! Sofia has him in the bag on the right, and you couldn't even tell!

We went out to eat at the Trailer boat club (Kaye and Rogers country club thing they are part of) this week, and saw this real news headline. There have been a few sightings of crocodiles outside of where they are expected to be. Always what I want to hear! :/ The other day a crocodile was right near the beach and it snatched a pet dog right off the beach! It was in the news, and I found out from people that they often see crocs when walking their dogs on the beach! They just stalk the animals and wait until they get the chance to grab them. It is so sad. But I guess it is common in Darwin. Today they found a crocodile in Rapid Creek which is a creek that is in a populated area slightly near where we live. It is so crazy to hear stuff like that.

This morning I went to see Kaye's class at the Water Gardens, and then I headed back home. I went for a run, and then talked with Dave on skype. After that productiveness I napped...so my day went downhill from there. Now I am just being lazy, but it is actually quite nice to relax and have a low key day before all the traveling that is coming up in a week!

 This weekend Sofia and Carlee are gone in Bali, so I am having a weekend in Darwin with my host family. Tomorrow morning we are going to Maningrida with Roger and Ron on a 6 seater airplane. It is an isolated aboriginal town, and Ron has a job there. Roger and I are tagging along for the ride because there were 2 open seats, and we are going to walk around, explore, and see the area. Roger said not really anyone can say they have been to this small town, so I am excited to see such a unique place! I am also excited for the plane ride. I have never been in such a small plane, and it flies lower to the ground, so I will be able to see the scenery! It should be a cool experience :) I will post about it Sunday!

Other than that, my weekend is empty. I am not sure what I will end up doing, but I am hoping something else will come up. It will be nice to have a laid back weekend before Elissa gets here and it gets very busy! I am so so so excited to travel and be busy with Elissa!!! We are planning to snorkel, white water raft in the jungle, go to a beach island off of Cairns, go to a Harry Potter exhibit in Sydney, go to the Taronga Zoo in Sydney, possibly do the Sydney Harbour Bridge Climb, etc. On Christmas we are planning on going to a beach all day! First time I can say I will spend my Christmas in a swimsuit in the sun!

I hope everyone is enjoying the weather there. I do miss the cold weather that I associate with the holidays, but I think I will get sick of it pretty quickly once I am home! haha Enjoy your weekends, and I will post on Sunday about mine!

Cheers

 P.S. Below are just some gorgeous sunset shots I couldn't get enough of! Love the sunsets here :)

A Typical Week in Darwin

Well this week was a hot one! It was above 100 degrees at least 3 days with the humidity, but it was still a good one. I am getting used to the heat, but that does not mean I am enjoying the amount of sweat I am producing. I taught all week once again, and it went really well! My teacher has said I have already earned 3 A's! haha I am happy with that :) Now that the last two weeks are starting my teacher said that my lessons can be very laid back. I am excited to have some fun with the students while still trying to accomplish some educational goals.

Other than teaching this week, I did not do much. We enjoyed a lot of great food once again, and I started to work out. I am trying to do some sort of work out each day. I think the nice weather has motivated me to try and be active! It is hard in this heat, but I am trying to find ways to make it work! Other than that this week has been pretty standard.

This weekend we went to the market, museum, casino, and the wave pool! It was a really great day, and we got a lot of sun! Luckily my slight burn yesterday turned to a tan now! The museum was very nice since it was air conditioned, and we were able to see a lot of nice art and exhibits. We saw the huge crocodile Sweetheart that had to be captured because he was attacking too many people. Now they have it on display in the museum. It was a nice break to walk around there. We then walked to the casino, which we ended up getting kicked out of. haha We didn't have our passports so they tracked us down at the slots and said we had to leave. We were surprised, but then we just laughed and left. After that we went and enjoyed the public wave pool. It was so nice to relax in the water in the waves. It was the perfect end to a hot day!

Today is Sunday roast once again. Last week was delicious as always, and this week I am looking forward to the same delicious food! I am excited for Elissa to get to experience the Sunday roast the weekend she is in Darwin! Elissa comes in 1 and 1/2 weeks! Next Wednesday :) I am counting down to seeing her! I think traveling with her will be the perfect end to a GREAT trip. I am going to miss Darwin a lot! Especially my host family! They are so amazing, it will be hard to leave!

I hope everyone is doing well in the states though! Keep safe!

Cheers!!

A beautiful sunset :)