I have so much to write but

Hello Everyone!

I hope this post finds everyone doing very well and enjoying themselves with whatever you choose to be doing. Things in Australia are terrific! The weather is cooling down a bit as we are approaching the end of summer and the beginning of autumn. You might be wondering why this is a good thing, but when it is over 100 degrees for extended periods of time I get a little uncomfortable and actually begin to appreciate those cool fall nights of jeans and a t-shirt. So things have been cooling down, but do not let me lead you to believe that it is getting cold here. It is still in the 80s and sunny! Everyone here is persistent in telling me that it is going to cool down in the winter months, that heaters are brought into the stadium for games.Based on what I have experienced, not necessarily here in Kalgoorlie, in Duluth, bring it on. We might get a bit a frost one night…oooh.

Anyways, this week is a big one. We start the regular season off this Saturday on the road at Sterling. We play them Saturday night and turn around and play Kalamunda Sunday afternoon before heading back to Kalgoorlie from Perth. Nearly all of our road games will be played as double headers in Perth, with the exception of playing a triple header one weekend with one of the games (Geraldton) being north of the city by about 4 hours. So, the season is under way and I will try to post links to streaming video of games, box scores, or press clippings as I can.

This past week was a pretty big week for me. I started working a job on Monday as an Educational Assistant at the local high school (referred to as a College, College is called University here) and as a tutor after school and on Wednesdays. As an EA I go to classes with students in grades 11 and 12 that have some sort of learning or physical disability and help with their assignments, keeping them on task, or just assisting them however I can. I am really excited for this job as it is really going to test my patience and expose me to things that I have never really dealt with in this capacity. In regards to the tutoring, I am primarily working with Aboriginal kids. We spend time finishing their homework or preparing for their year-end assessments. The program I work with is sponsored by Polly Farmer, a famous AFL player. He is one of the greatest players in the history of the AFL and an Aboriginal. He has donated large amounts of money to help support Aboriginal football players advance in their educations. The tutoring is fun and rewarding when all goes right, but at times it is very difficult. At times some of the kids are not interested in being at the session, do not want to do any work, or they have other things they want to do like surf the net. It can also become difficult at times as many of the students' English and Maths (yes, Maths) skills have deep rooted gaps.

On a different note, Australia continues to open my eyes and ears. As mentioned above, they refer to Math as Maths. Biscuits are not the southern food that I prefer not to eat, but rather a cookie. Similarly on the dessert front, Pies are actually filled with beef and vegetables…not strawberry rhubarb, blueberry, or apple. On a more common note for these settlements with the Union Jack, the only place you buy French Fries is at McDonald’s (aka Mackers). When you order anything that comes with chips, you are getting fries, not potato or tortilla chips. I'm sure that many of you know that from Fish and Chips dinners, but it doesn't stop there. It is with everything. Finally, the one thing that has really opened my ears up and baffled me is the word “but” and where it is used in a sentence. In America we say, “I would like to go, but I have to work.” In Australia you conclude the sentence with but and are expressing the same thing. It sounds like this: “I would like to go, I have to work but.” Weird, I know. It takes a few hundred times before you stop thinking about how terrible that sounds and just move on.

Since I have been here I have been very fortunate. I have had minimal expenses and many people taking care of me. Meals (tea), accommodations, etc. have all been taken care of for me and provided by wonderful people. It is still pretty expensive here, but that is because my reference point is still America. Talking with a fellow American, after spending time here you don’t bat an eye at $12 beers at the bar or $50 cartons of beer because your reference point changes. The analogy here from an American perspective is that “they throw $50 bills around like we throw $20 bills around.” No exaggeration. The wages earned here are far greater in comparison to those in the states and thus the cost of living is greater as well. Luckily I can make some pretty good money at the school to support me experiencing Australia!

Things have been great thus far and I did get to speak to my mom and dad via skype finally. If you have skype, my username is john.vaudreuil and I hope that you add me. I am excited for the season to begin and to get to Perth more often to see my friends Ben, Casey, Bobby, and Trey. It is really nice having a good group of guys near since all my other friends / family are so far away… Things are great though and looking forward to sharing more in the future! God Bless.

Little side note, for all those former Recorder players in grade school. This morning I had a wonderful breakfast of Hot Cross Buns. Let me break some truth on you… They are good, well actually they are great, but they do not cost: 1 a penny, 2 a penny. They cost like $1 each.

Good Luck to the Lady Bulldogs in the NCAAs!