MY FAVOURITES!

I have had plenty of "free-time" in the last month as I haven't been getting much work. That is kind of the down fall of being a Casual Relief Teacher, you are not necessarily guaranteed work. I knew this month would be slow as it is the start of a new school year and CRT's aren't usually required in the first month or so. 

With the amount of free-time I've had, I try to keep myself relatively busy - without spending much money. I have found a few of my new favourite things that I would like to share with "yous" (as they say here in Australia.)

FRENCH VANILLA COFFEE CREAMER

The coffee game isn't the same as it is in Canada. Brewed coffee? What is that. There certainly aren't any "Double Double's." As a matter of fact, people don't even use cream in their coffee. The closest thing you can get to a North American coffee is an Americano at the Starbucks down the way or opt for a "Long Black" at any other nearby cafe. In Melbourne, coffee is taken very seriously and perhaps that is why it is named the coffee capital of Australia and maybe even world. I'm not sure, but I wouldn't be surprised. 

As of lately, I've been skipping the coffee shops as I have paid for WiFi on my at home modem. Therefore, I really have no excuse to go out for a coffee so I have been making the coffee myself. Of course, it's not that great as I just have Woolies Brand (similar to "No Name") instant coffee. With that being said, I needed something to make it a little more tasty. As I said earlier, coffee cream is unheard of here so as a DIY-er I set out to make my own. The recipe is rather simple and the outcome is delicious! All you need is a can of sweetened condensed milk, 14 oz of milk and some vanilla flavour. That's it! Easy, right? The funny thing is I had no container to hold my new French Vanilla Coffee Creamer so I had to empty the carton of milk into bowls to mix it and keep it in the carton. Ha Ha! 

SMOOTHIE MAKING

Smoothies are my new addiction. They are 100% my favourite-est thing EVER! On Boxing Day a friend of mine, who was getting ready to travel and then return back to Canada, gave me her blender because she simply did not need it any longer. Was I ever excited! This is where my addiction was born! Smoothies are great because they are light, filling, and amazingly delicious! I enjoy coming up with new recipes after just throwing heaps of fruit and vegetables into the blender. As I type this I am enjoying a mixture I just threw together including Passion Fruit, Peaches, Strawberries, Raspberries and of course, Almond Milk. MMMM mmmm! 

As always, Sundays are market days where I can pick up some relatively cheap fruits and vegetables. I then spend the better half of the day creating "smoothie packages" to keep in the freezer or fridge so that I can throw a quick smoothie together in the morning. I love bananas in my smoothies and the BEST deal I got was last week, when I got about 15 bananas for $1.05 (normally they are $4/kg!!) Oh, I was so happy! 

PANCAKES, PANCAKES, PANCAKES!

I love pancakes so much. Pancakes for breakfast, pancakes for lunch! The blender has also helped me out in the pancake department. It makes it too easy to just toss my ingredients in and blend it up quick. Now that I'm an adult, I can make whatever I want for dinner. And what's better than breakfast for dinner? Especially when steamy, delicious flapjacks are on the menu! 

These babies aren't just any pancakes, no. They are healthy, two ingredient pancakes! WHAT?! Yes. A banana and two eggs are all you need for these bad boys. They are beyond delicious, but I sometimes like to spruce things up by adding in a swirl of my Coconut & Peanut spread OR by blending some rolled oats into the mixture. Easy, delicious and healthy. Could you ask for much more! YUM!

DOODLING 

Like I said, at the moment teaching days are few and far in between but that isn't an excuse for not getting up in the morning. Part of the job means you need to be ready to go at a moments notice. So, after waking up shortly after 5am to get ready, making a smoothie for brekky, and waiting around for a phone call that just might come, I sit with a cuppa coffee (with homemade French Vanilla Creamer), turn up the tunes and doodle away. Before I know it, the time has passed and it's nearly 9am - where the chances of getting a call are slim.

AWESOME TABS HOMEPAGE

I'm not sure what the heck I was doing yesterday, but I somehow, stumbled across this extension for Google Chrome! I was pretty excited because since iGoogle homepage was no more, I didn't have a homepage - besides the Google page. And that was boring. It's called Awesome New Tab Page which I have to be honest is a pretty lame name for this extension. But, I've been enjoying customizing it and adding all the buttons to pages I visit daily. I like it for a homepage because everything I need is just a click away and I can do a Google search by just hovering over the Google icon. I liked being able to completely customize it, so I added the chalkboard like background and made my images transparent.  

Well, that about sums up most of my current favourite things. During the last few weeks, I haven't been able to go to the beach on my days off (bummer!) because the weather hasn't been great. A few weeks ago it was between 40*C-45*C every day. Which brought on bush fires. Which made a thick smoke haze that didn't allow the sun to shine. Which is basically no fun. Melbourne was looking like a sad, sad city for a while. Luckily we've had some rain and the skies have cleared but we are down to 23*C weather now.

If you have some favourite things, please share them in the comments. With work this slow, I'll need to be trying new things in my future days off! 

I'M JUST A LITTLE DREAMER

I have a hard time wrapping my head around the fact that I have been living in Australia for the last seven months. It has been a crazy, incredible adventure. I look back to just about a year ago when I received the email stating that I was accepted to come teach in Australia. As I read that email, I didn't know how much this opportunity would change my entire life. In that moment, I had no clue what my responsibilities were even going to be once I got here. All I knew is that I was going to a place that I had always dreamed to visit and to pursue my first teaching job and a chance to travel a beautiful country.

I can't even imagine what my life would be like had I stayed in Canada to teach. I do miss Canada and all the beautiful faces back at home, but right now, I can't even picture myself anywhere else but in Australia. It is an amazing country of discovery, exploration and complete happiness. I know that one day, I will defiantly miss living here. There are nights where I have to ask myself, "am I seriously living in Australia right now?" because for me, Australia had only ever been a dream. It had always been "over there" or "too far away." 

Noosa Beach, Australia, 2014

I am young. I am a young person with dreams. I am baffled by the fact that two of my biggest dreams that I had as a child have already been realities for me. Ever since a young age, I was fascinated by The Big Five, or the famous African animals. I dreamed for a chance to some day go on a safari to see those animals in their natural environments. I dreamed of the opportunity to be submerged into a vibrant African culture and do work that would benefit the lives of others. Next to Africa was always Australia. I desperately wanted go to the Sydney Opera House since the first time I saw it on TV. I dreamed of swimming alongside the marine life in the Great Barrier Reef. I dreamed of learning to surf somewhere on a beautiful Australian beach. Who would have thought that in my short twenty-two years of life, I have completely fulfilled these dreams. 

Emdoneni Cat Sanctuary, South Africa, 2012

Just because these dreams are fulfilled, I will never stop dreaming. I have a long list of dreams big and small wandering around somewhere inside of my head, waiting to be fulfilled. Mark my words, I WILL step foot on each continent. Antarctica might be tricky, it isn't entirely outside the realm of possibility, so I'll try my very best.

I have five months left in Australia. My feelings are completely mixed. There are days where I wish I could go home early to see everyone and get back to a 'regular' life and then there are days where I wouldn't change a single thing! I'm most excited that my sister arrives in Melbourne in FOUR days which will commence an unreal sister road trip! Shortly after, we will meet with my parents and little sister in Sydney to head off and do some more travelling!  I can't wait to experience the Cairns area with them and to show them Noosa and Sydney. 

The way I see it, you are given one life. Dream as big as possible and do what you want. Go after your dreams, work hard, be courageous and never take 'no' for an answer. Don't let your dreams only ever be dreams. Make them come alive and live them! 

EAST COAST ADVENTURES!

After having been gone travelling for a month, I'm finding it hard to settle back into the regular lifestyle back here in Melbourne. I won't have to settle for long though as my sister comes in just a few weeks and we will be off travelling and meeting up with my family later!

Our East Coast trips was completely amazing and filled so many wonderful memories. We started the journey in Sydney where we took in the sights of the city. My favourite part was definitely walking the Harbour Bridge at night and taking this picture, which is probably the best picture I have ever taken! 

From Sydney, we had a crazy night out in Brisbane before hopping on a ten hour bus ride to get us up to the small town of 1770. This is where we learned to surf and exchanged our innocent teacher looks for a bad as bikers look.

 

The rest of the trip kinda speaks for itself in this video I made of all our little clips put together. I can't even watch this video without laughing at least twice! I feel so grateful to have these opportunities to travel and experience so much! I'm even so lucky to have the best mates to travel with! Check it out:

Lessons from a Wonderful Year

It is officially the last day of the year. While I'm not one to pick and choose favourite seasons, I do reserve a soft spot in my heart for December because of the holidays. This December though was unlike all other, and though I don't necessarily miss the cold, I sometimes wish I could wake up to frosted windows and falling snow. Even though Melbourne weather is highly unpredictable, snow just isn't in the cards. 

I started 2013 in a completely different atmosphere than I am ending it, which leaves me to wonder what is in store for the year to ahead. At the beginning of the year, I had no idea I would be living and teaching in Australia or that the experiences I am having would be real. 

I feel like nearly everything I did this year was wonderful and caulked full of new experiences so I thought I could leave you with some lessons that I've learned through the year! 

You can do anything you set your mind to (and don't let anyone tell you that you can't!) This isn't necessarily something I've only learnt this year, but it was a big part of my year. If you want something, get after it, it will probably take hard work and persistence, it may challenge you, but always keep in mind the outcome. And, if someone has the nerve to tell you that you can't, let that be your fire to prove them all wrong! 

Someday doesn't exist. If you are given an opportunity to do something, do it! There are too many times in conversation where I will hear people promise themselves "someday I will." The truth is that the "someday" that they are banking on doesn't exist; never has, never will. Don't make excuses to push an opportunity beside, don't promise yourself a day that has not come. Get out there and do it now! 

Always choose happiness. Sure, at times happiness isn't always the easiest choice, I get that, but if you aim to choose happiness in the morning and in a bad situation, you may be likely to live a happier life. You can't go back and un-do whatever it is that's got you down, so why be mad about it? Be happy, enjoy life and don't waste your time being grouchy!

Smile. I can bet that a smile signifies the same this worldwide: happiness. Smiling is contagious, makes you happy, makes others happy, makes you look good and had the possibility of evolving into laugher. That's a serious win, win situation. (I'm smiling now, are you?)

Get your butt out of bed! Although I used to always sleep in on the weekends, I never enjoyed it, I just enjoyed sleeping. I'm up everyday, no matter what, by 5:30-6am and it feels great! You can get so much accomplished all before noon and still have an entire day of unlimited possibilities ahead of you. And, when you wake up, begin with a smile! 

Travel. Do it. Go near, go far. Just go! Experience something new. Meet new people. Listen to others stories. Eat. Drink. Emerge yourself in a new culture. Dance with waves of he ocean. See the world. Stand in awe at the edge of a cliff wondering if there could ever be anything more beautiful. Reward yourself be feeling more alive than you thought possible. 

Perhaps you could say my lessons could be a little advice to anyone. Maybe they sound like cliches, but cliches are cliches for a reason - they work. 2013 has been a wonderful year, but I'm so excited to welcome 2014! Five days from now I will be off the travel the East Coast of Australia, a month after that my sister will arrive for some long overdue sister time, followed by my family. Shortly after that, my mates and I may head off to New Zealand. I hope for a chance to see Uluru and Tassie before I leave. 

With all this excitement, the year is bound to fly by. Before I know it, I will be back in Canada seeing all the beautiful faces that I left behind, and that is something else I am totally looking forward to! 

It's Christmas Time!

Although a bit of Christmas lives inside of me year round, it is now officially the holiday season, my favourite time of the year! This Christmas is defiantly going to be different for me as there is no need for cozy sweaters, warming up near the fireplace or family time. It is quite strange to think of summer and Christmas together, but that is how it is here in Australia! Rather than shopping with a Christmas Latte in hand, I am walking to the beach in the hot hot heat with an iced coffee! 

A few weekends back, the girls and I went to the opening of Christmas Square in Melbourne! This is actually known as City Square, however it transforms into a magical Christmas square in December. We watched as the real Christmas tree was lit for the first time this year. They also did a projection show onto the Town Hall building! It was amazing!

Check out the video of our Christmas Square experience: 


Melbourne has gone all out in Christmas decorations. The Myer (a department store) windows are decked out and play a puppet show from Jan Brett's book "Gingerbread Friends." People actually queue up for up to two hours to see the amazing window! I was lucky enough to go for a walk early in the morning and see them without waiting in a massive line.

Although I'm not sure what we are actually doing for Christmas, I've heard that the norm is BBQ and Beach so we just might have to do that!

Other than Christmas I am SO looking forward to January as the girls and I have booked in a 25 day adventure along the East Coast of Australia!!

Five Day Weekend?!

Yes, this past weekend was a glorious five days long! I only worked Thursday and Friday. But why the heck did I get a five day weekend?

Well, Tuesday was a public holiday due to the Melbourne Cup! Yes, a horse race so BIG that it is it's very own holiday. Because the Cup was on a Tuesday, many schools were not open for the students, so we got the day off as well! And as for Wednesday, I just didn't get a call so it extended my weekend a bit longer!

Last Saturday, Chelsea and I decided to go on a day long adventure! I was so excited because we were renting a car and we didn't need to take any public transportation! I felt so alive again to be out on the open road, with some tunes on and the windows down! AHH!

Our first stop was in Mornington where we went to the Peninsula Hot Springs! It was absolutely fabulous, all though it was a little hot out to be submerged into some of the hotter pools. My favourite thing there was the Turkish Steam Bath, it like a sauna but much better and it just felt delightful! When we were finished at the springs, we toured around Sorrento, a small Melbourne suburb and we also went to Portsea Ocean Surf Beach! Out there it was exactly what you think of when you think Australia! We were able to watch some surfies catch some waves and exlpore the beach a little! 

We headed to the Portsea Hotel for supper as we heard it was the place to be! We ended up sharing a Strawberry Goat Cheese salad and 'Fish' and Chips. The fish was actually a shark fillet and let me tell you something, if you haven't had shark, you need to try it because it was so GOOD! That was probably the best meal I've had since I've been here!

The day trip was really good and it felt wonderful to get out of the city and see something new! I even got to drive the car we rented, so that was fun and exciting as well!

The Melbourne Cup was AMAZING! It is a huge event and everyone gets quite fancy for it. The ladies are to wear fascinators or fancy hats along with cute dresses and the gentlemen are done up in suits and for some, top hats. Personally, I think my fascinator was the best! It is so darling and I still want to wear it where ever I go! It was also a fabulous deal as it was half-off the day before the race! 

As it turns out, I've lost my knack for picking the winning horses (not that I had much of one anyway!) BUT, I sure do know how to pick the last place finishers. There should be bets for that! It was a beautiful day out for the races and we all came home with a little extra colour! 

On Wednesday when we didn't get a call, Jenna and I headed to the beach as it was another glorious day in Melbourne! It was also Jenna's birthday! How lucky for her to have a November birthday in the sun on the beach! In the evening, the celebration continued as we went out to Greek Street for some delicious lamb giros! MMmm!

I surprised Jenna back at our apartment with a cake I made with our very favourite Aussie cookie - The Tim Tam. It was so yum and I think we all enjoyed it very muchly! 

Kaits! 

Vegemite Surprise

So, a few months ago when we first arrived in Melbourne I had tried some Vegemite on a piece of toast at the hostel. It was horrible and I swore I would never try it again. HOWEVER, there are students almost everyday that bring Vegemite sandwiches in their lunches. "But Miss, it is so yum!" they say.

Yesterday after school while picking up some groceries at Cole's, I stumbled upon the Vegemite section (yes, there is an entire Vegemite SECTION!) "Well" I thought, "maybe I'm missing something, there's got to be something good about it if everyone here likes it." So, I picked up a jar for myself! 

Once home, I spread it heavy onto a slab of toast and despite the smell of it, I told myself I would enjoy it. That wasn't the case. That will NEVER be the case. I was in the bathroom straight away spitting it out and cleaning out the horrible taste from my mouth. 

So now I'm left with a jar of Vegemite. For as much as a tiny jar costs, there's no way I'm tossin' it into the rubbish bin! After I realized Jenna and Eric were coming over, I knew what I had to do...

Let's just say, I better watch my back from now on. Prank war is among us!

KAITS :)