Hello Everyone!
Once the dust settled after the most intense dust storm Sydney has seen in over 70 years, Leah and I headed out of the city for a little rustic getaway. To make this mid-semester adventure more memorable, we decided to rent a car through Avis (sorry Adam, we couldn't find Enterprise down here). Leah returned from her clinic session, then just a few minutes later we packed the trunk and headed out of town with no map, and directions that ended up being useless! Our instincts took us over the Sydney Harbour bridge for a lovely view of the Opera House and the rest of the city. From there, we pretty much just followed the signs to Newcastle where we would eventually drop off the car. The drive to Newcastle had nice views to take in; mountains, waters, and best of all, no skyscrapers!
Once we got to Newcastle, we caught a shuttle bus that would take us up to Anna Bay, a small town in Port Stephens and not far from our YHA Hostel; Samurai Bungalows, which consists of 4 cabins with 2 rooms in each, a pool, fully equipped kitchen, a rec room with pool and tv, and the guard dog a.k.a. my newest friend, Bo. The hosts of this hostel were extremely friendly and helpful when it came to getting us around the area.
We spent Saturday in Anna Bay at the tavern watching the AFL Grand Final, which featured the St. Kilda Saints and the Geelong Cats (two Melbourne suburb teams) with the Cats clawing their way to a 2 goal victory. Sunday, we headed to Nelson Bay; a tiny
little village on the water. We grabbed some lunch, sat in the sun, listened to some live music and looked out onto the water before heading back for a quiet night in our cabin. Monday was a day full of relaxation; I mentioned earlier this place had a pool which is
where Leah and I spent the entire afternoon. It was the first really warm day with no wind, so when we got the opportunity to sit in the sun, we took full advantage. Tuesday was our adventure day; we booked a dolphin tour courtesy of Surprise Cruises. The 90 minute tour featured 6 or 7 dolphins, 3 of which were hanging out together near our boat (and yes Wanda, we got lots of footage) and as we were heading into the docks, we saw a mother and calf side by side leaping out of the water just to say 'hello.' After the tour, we walked to Salamander Bay, and did the one thing that no trip would be complete without; shopping. Leah bought herself and new dress and I cashed in on some end-of-season sales picking up 4 new shirts which will look good on a future teacher! We had hoped to do more of the touristy things in Port Stephens, but the high winds for the duration of our visit prevented us from adventuring through the sand dunes,
going sand boarding and taking camel and horse rides along the beach - guess we'll just have to go back! Today, reality had to kick in again, but both Leah and I feel very refreshed and are both ready to finish off this semester.
As far as school is concerned, we're both over the hump in terms of assignments. I only have 2 weeks of classes left before my final 5 week placement which takes place at Jannali East Primary School. I just talked to my teacher this evening and I will have a 2/3 split class, should be very exciting! Leah has 4 weeks of classes left before exams, and somewhere between the two, she will have her last clinic sessions, which are going very well.
We are very close to the end of year one; tomorrow marks the first day of October! In just under two months, Leah and I will both be finished school for another year (me for good!!!), something we are very excited about. Speaking of excitement, tomorrow is to be yet another day above 30 in this lovely Australian spring we're having. This weekend is calling for some decent weather, but more importantly, marks the Australian daylight savings again meaning we will go from 14 hours ahead to 15 hours ahead; write that down.
That's all that's new for now.
Trusting all is well back home!
Missing you all a bunch!
