Month 7 Review

It’s officially Autumn in Australia, which means that February has come and gone and we are one month deeper into my big adventure!

New Words

• You don’t use a wrench to wrench on something; you use a spanner to wrench on something.
• Trailmix is trail mix, right? WRONG! It also goes by the name scroggin, which stands for any number of things, according to The Illawarra Flame:
  • Sultanas or Seeds, Chocolate or Coconut, Raisins, Orange peel or Oats or even Other things, Grains or Ginger or Glucose or Goodies (yes, this is your excuse to add in lollies!), Imagination, and Nuts
• Ute is short for (cause Straya, mate) “utility” or “coupe utility” and is a car with a truck bed. They are SO common, and absurdly practical.
• It’s not a second hand store, but an Op Shop.
• When you have events on at school, depending if they are on or off campus, they will be called incursions and excursions, not field trips.
• If you’re going to the beach (which I have yet to do!), don’t forget your swimmers!
• More of a dialectal thing, but you don’t say you’re going to the store or uptown or to run errands, but that you’re going to the shops.
• Instead of dairy bars, they are called Milk Bars.
• Make sure you pack the aeroguard, or else you might get a few mozzy bites on your excursion! See also: bug spray, insect repellent, mosquitos.
• One that has come up in the classroom: food doesn’t go bad/rotten, and instead it goes off. Interesting to see a difference that is highly relevant in my classroom!
• Another classroom-relevant one: small goods! I wasn’t sure what the term was when it first came up in our safety video, but it refers to cured meats like bacon, sausages, ham, etc. I even found it at my local Coles later on, love the Baader–Meinhof phenomenon!
• Aussies will say “it’s 2nd Feb” when asked the date, cause we love to shorten things!

What did I do this month?

Well first of all, I learned my dishwasher has a food trap. That was disgusting.

Work, work, work! No student-free days in February, so that was most of my time. Check out my last post for all the things I love about my job.

Several trips to OfficeWorks (Australia’s version of Staples) later, I have a colour-coded folder system to keep my four cohorts of Year 10s straight, along with the other classes I teach, and the materials I need in every single class. Never thought I would be a colour-coded girl, but here we are. I am still 100% of the Type B desk sort, though.

I went for an insomnia walk, and had the heebie jeebies scared out of me, but then my day was made: I saw my first Victorian Possum! Alive, and road kill version. Thankfully not the same possum separated by blunt force trauma. Not the best photo, but look at my ring-tailed friend:

I joined a dodgeball league! Recreational grade, and it is fabulous so far. I didn’t realize how different it is to play “official” dodgeball rules compared to the high school gym class version. More strategy of gameplay for sure! Heaps of fun, and made me realize how much I miss playing sport. So, I also signed up for a volleyball league that will start in March. I’m gonna be a busy girl!

On Valentine’s Day, I went to an event called “For the Love of Libraries” where a panel of local authors spoke on the way libraries shape our lives. It sounds absolutely nerdy, and I was enthralled the entire time. Libraries are transformative and provide us the opportunity to explore different perspectives, ideas, and conceptual frameworks at our own pace. Not to mention all the community resources and services they are home to. I am enamoured by the influence my library cards have had on my life, and highly recommend you give it a try.

A visit to Slow Food farmer’s market, where I made the mistake of shopping on an empty stomach. Zucchini pickles, lentil burger mix, chocolate truffles, and some gozleme later, I was on my way home.

A first time event for me – I fainted on the train! Turns out going for a run in the evening then a walk the next morning with only a light breakfast doesn’t end well. Luckily I had a friend with me to make sure I was okay. Next time, breakfast is happening!

My first sausage sizzle at Bunnings! Arguably my initiation as an Aussie transplant, my $3.50 sausage (with onions, obviously) was absolutely *chef’s kiss*, especially knowing that the funds go to whichever group is running the sizzle that week.

To celebrate the leap year, I went to school! I also captured a photo of my apartment to be reminded on leap day 2028 that in 2024 I was living in Australia. Who knows what life will be by then? I can’t wait to find out.

See you soon,

Kate