Australia!

OK I can't believe I am blogging...don't judge me...but everyone was hounding me about details and pictures so I decided to do this. 

I finally made it to the Gold Coast! The scenery is beautiful and full of lush vegetation with oceans that have gorgeous turquoise water and white sand.  My home is right on the beach which means amazing after school beach time and sunrise runs before school. Mary Kate lives literally 2 minutes from me and we walk to each other's houses all the time. She lives with my teacher, Leonie, and her husband Paul and 4 kids.

(Pic I took while running in the morning.)

I live with the most welcoming and lovely family. Angela and James (the principal of my school) have three children: Regan (an adorable quiet boy of 7), Juliet (a friendly and sweet girl of 6 who is ironically in the class I teach) and Laila (a sassy 4 year old who has insights a 24 year old would have.)

(Juliet on the left and Laila on the right)

The school is almost all outdoors and the day is broken up with 'morning tea' (snack outside), recess/lunch, a cross country run around the school grounds and other science activities outside.  I feel like I am teaching in a tropical rainforest but its sunny.  The students all wear uniforms even though its a public school.  They wear red hats (mandatory to go outside), girls wear white shirts and long red shorts and boys were khaki shorts and a red polo.  I teach year one and they are so adorable and obedient.  They thought my accent was so funny and for some reason at first thought I was French. Once they realized I was American, they started asking me if I personally knew every famous person from America.  Our accent is a big hit here because it is apparently like 'hearing TV in real life'.

 (the kids having a run at school)

We have visited Byron Bay this past weekend (which is hippie and full of backpackers from around the world). We met so many people, but primarily people from England.  We also went to a birthday party at Coolangatta Beach which was interesting and fun to meet people. We will be going to surfer's paradise this weekend which will be fun. 

(Mary Kate and I at Byron Bay)                          (The light house at Byron Bay)

I am still adjusting to the complete time change and not being able to talk to someone at 8pm here because it's only 5am the day before in the States.