Academic Pile Up

(*Sarcasm & humour are extensively used in this post).

There exists a tradition in education that has been passed down from generation to generation and is practiced by educators everywhere: before students leave on vacation, ‘dump-a-ton’ of assignments on them. With summer just five weeks away, secondary student teachers, such as myself, have been hit with a wave of individual/group assignments & presentations. Can’t you just feel the academic love in the air?

As it stands, I have 3 Unit Plans, 2 presentations, and an activity to complete before the arrival of summer. The terms ‘academic binge’ comes to mind. It may appear overwhelming and impossible to complete but I’ve been through worse during my undergraduate years, so completing this list shouldn’t be a problem. I no longer get the ‘all-the-teachers-are-punishing-me-with-work’ mentality that younger students get.

I can see the benefits of completing these assignments such as improving my lesson planning skills and potentially using the activities I’ve come up with in a real classroom setting.

On the job searching front, it’s quite interesting going from business to business with a CV in your hand, looking for openings for the summer months. I wonder if employers see us as job searchers or pesky solicitors? With the word out that I’m looking for summer work, I just have to hope that I get a reply soon and pass the interview. Hopefully, something will come up because there remains 5 weeks. I’m still thinking whether I should work in Australia for the summer. If that turns out to be the case, will I have to change my BLOG title to ‘Blogging Down Under’?

Sometimes, I wish my job would be looking for a job because I would make a fortune! Or maybe I should do what the artists do: cover myself in paint, splat myself onto a wall and sell the result for $5 million dollars.

Aside from the College of Ed workload and job hunting, this past week was normal. This weekend is three days instead of the usual two because of Labour Day. I know – Labour Day in late October! In North America, Labour Day is always the last day of vacation for students. As well, I’ve received word that my parents have begun their Down Under tour and will be meeting up with my older brother in Canberra. The last leg of their tour will be a visit to me in late November so I better make sure I’m showered and ready.

The weather has been a mix of sunshine, overcast clouds, warmer temperatures, and scattered showers. The approaching summer also means the return of allergy season. I’m allergic to dust & pollen of all things, it makes me sneeze . . . like a Japanese poet, ‘Haiku!’ To cure my summer sneezes I’ve been taking Benadryl tablets, like the two I just took before writing this post. And it seems . . . they’re making me . . . drowsy . . . so I’ll stop . . . for now . . . and . . . zzzzzzzzz . . . zzzzz . . .zzzzzzz . . .

I.A.C. Field Trip

As mentioned in the previous post, my Social Studies class went on a second field trip to the International Antarctica Centre last Thursday, coinciding with our field trip planning unit. The I.A.C. is located near Christchurch International Airport. The extra benefit was that after the scheduled presentation, we were allowed to enjoy the museum for free. (Never decline free service when living on a student budget).

Antarctica. Titles such as ‘The Lost Continent’, ‘The Forgotten Continent’, & ‘The Penguin Continent,’ come to the minds of average people. However, this southern most land mass is anything but deserted; it is bustling with human research activities and animal life. Like Greenland in the northern hemisphere, most of Antarctica is covered with snow & ice, as much as 3 kilometres high! If it were a person, it would have a massive brain freeze. Despite the extreme conditions, Antarctica is the driest place on Earth with very little snowfall. The lowest recorded temperature of –89.5 degrees Celsius was recorded here as well as the fastest wind speed of 320km/h. We were also told that if all the snow & ice melted, the Earth’s oceans would rise 196 feet!

Christchurch is one of the many ‘Gateways’ to Antarctica, providing flights for researchers and tourists. Oh yes, regular people like you & me can travel to this land of wonder and discovery. I was informed that a 2-week trip only costs about $20,000 US. Best to be a researcher because you get to travel for free.

Several international flights cruise over the baron continent because it’s faster to get to the other sides of the world. It would also be interesting because when making the Antarctic crossing, the plane would be flying upside down when observing it from space.

We were led to an upstairs conference room where an I.A.C. staff member welcomed us and gave a PowerPoint presentation on Antarctic history and his travels to the Earth’s 7^th continent. It was interesting to hear how one must live in order to survive in such extreme winter conditions. And let me tell you, it isn’t easy, especially if you go camping in tents.

Antarctica is governed through the International Antarctic Treaty, with emphasis placed on preservation and scientific research. Of course, countries such as Australia, New Zealand, Britain, Chile, and Argentina have made disputed land claims to several parts of the continent. Many research stations dot the Antarctic landscape and are operated by many Antarctic Treaty countries. New Zealand operates a station near Ross Island. There is a research station right on the South Pole where you can walk around the world several times before going inside to warm up. It must be interesting to work in a research station where all the walls are facing north.

During the presentation we got to meet a little New Zealand penguin. We weren’t allowed to touch it, just photograph or film its curious movements around the conference room.

Exploring the museum after the presentation was enjoyable with a large wealth of exhibits (pictures, videos, stuffed animals, baby penguins, previously used vehicles & equipment) to keep one’s mind in wonder. Like all museums, the last stop on the exhibits tour is the Gift Shop.

The two most interesting exhibits were the ice room where one can experience a dark, cold, and windy Antarctic storm (-17 degrees & 42km/h winds), and being taken for a ride in a tank treading vehicle. Overall, the I.A.C. is definitely a place worth checking out. If I take a teaching position in Christchurch, this would be one field trip destination on my mind.

Back To College

This past week saw the beginning of classes at the College of Education after 7 weeks of teaching practice and 2 weeks of break. Classes will go on for another 5 weeks before the long summer break begins in late November.

I was interested in seeing how many student teachers had returned. Out of our group of 30 secondary student teachers, I heard only one person left the program but I can’t confirm this. What made the ‘reunion’ more interesting and surprising were the stories people brought back from their teaching practices.

Comparing my experiences with others, mine were mediocre on the spectrum. Some student teachers had to deal with violent pupils, like fighting, tossing chairs & desks, and even talking back using expletive words. Lucky for me, I didn’t have to suffer through that, although, a part of me wishes that I did because it would prepare me for possible future confrontations. The only problems I had to deal with were students talking while I’m teaching, not wanting to do the work, and one kid who was always falling asleep. Also, some student teachers had problems with their associates who would not let them teach their own ways, or just couldn’t get along. Aside from all of that, everyone had fun, and were glad to see everyone else feel the same.

Classes for this week mostly focused on teaching practice reflections because all the professors wanted to hear how we taught and survived in the ‘real’ world. Once the reflections were out of the way, the professors began teaching how to improve classroom management and plan field trips.

For the field trip component, we visited the Canterbury Museum and the International Antarctic Centre for free! The Antarctic Centre turned out to be the best out of the two and I’ll talk about it in my next post. When it comes to planning field trips, there’s a ton of paperwork.

Sadly, on the international front, my beloved Liberal Party of Canada lost the recent federal election, losing more seats but still prevented the Conservatives from forming a majority government. Looks like it’ll be another Conservative minority for some time before the Canadian people get their act together and elect a party that knows how to run Canada. The only reasons why the Liberals lost were because French Quebec punished Liberal leader Stephane Dion in the polls because of his Clarity Act back in 2000 and English Canadians believed it would be unwise to elect a Prime Minister who didn’t speak fluent English. As if they already forgot about Jean Chretien! He didn’t speak English or French when he was Prime Minister!

I do have to applaud the Canadian people for not granting Stephen Harper and his Conservatives a majority government. To do so would be a disaster – another Mulroney era where the country is an American puppet state. I wouldn’t trust Harper with running a garage sale.

What also angers me is the media sham surrounding the future of Stephane Dion’s political career. They’re putting on a great spin that Liberals are calling for Mr. Dion to step down after the election loss. No political leader should step down after one loss! That just shows you can’t handle defeat and are running away. He’ll win the next time, guaranteed.

S.O.T.: The Return Trip

At the earlier suggestion of my older brother, Roman & I did an overnight stop during the return bus trip to Christchurch. Of course, the overnight stay was in Dunedin. We could have stayed on the Intercity bus for the 12 hour journey to Christchurch, but our nerves weren’t up to the challenge. The experience is much different than a 12 hour trans-Pacific flight.

Lucky for us, Hogwartz was available again but this time we stayed in Room 1, which had a more Romanesque feeling. Our second stay in Dunedin was similar to the first except the cold Invercargill weather didn’t want to let us go. The steepest street in the world, Baldwin Street, currently 'resides' in this city and was photographed by my brother. I unfortunately didn’t get a chance to get a look but after hearing Roman describe the angle of the street, it didn’t sound so steep; the angle is below 45 degrees. Before saying goodbye to Dunedin for a while, Roman & I paid one last visit to a restaurant on the Octagon where I ordered a tasty lamb meal.

The bus ride back to Christchurch went well for the most part, passing by the same landscape that I saw several days ago. Only two annoying women sitting behind me were disruptive, talking loudly because they couldn’t handle the silence.

Roman & I stayed at my campus residence for the night because he had to leave bright and early to catch his morning flight. And I’m talking really early, like waking up at 4am to board a 6:30am international flight. Before a taxicab carried him off, Roman thanked me for putting up with me and taking part in the backpacking trip. He hoped to see me one day in Australia.

I would have to agree that our six-day backpacking excursion turned out to be a success. In all, we spent $300 - $400NZD each to pay for hostels, food, alcohol, and any souvenirs. It would have been higher if our parents didn’t volunteer to pay for the bus tickets. Thank you once again.

Why did I spend so much over one week? Because I was travelling on the assumption that it would be a while before I’d get another opportunity to backpack across Middle Earth. There will be another time, but I have to raise the necessary funds meaning I need a summer job. With the trip now over, I suppose its time to go back to scanning the Classifieds in The Press.

Hey! I can make a $1000 a night being a pole dancer! Yeah, right. (Note extreme sarcasm.)

End of Southern October Tour 4 part mini series.

S.O.T.: Invercargill

The city of Invercargill is the South Island’s southern most city, settled by Scottish immigrants in the 1850s & 1860s. This was the next two-night stop for Roman & I on our backpacking trip. The Intercity bus left the sunny hills of Dunedin and rolled into the wet & windy. Rolling showers had decided to pay the city a visit as well. The landscape between Dunedin & Invercargill is the same between Dunedin & Christchurch, with rolling hills of green grass being picked by the anxious hungry cows & sheep.

A section of highway is called the Presidential Highway because it runs through two towns: Gore & Clinton. Former American President Bill Clinton visited the town with the same name during his tenure and there now stand two poles, one with the New Zealand flag & the other with an American flag. At this time, there are no plans to rename a rural town after the current president, George W. Bush.

Strong winds greeted Roman & I as the bus dropped us off at the Southland Museum & Art Gallery, a large white pyramid structure sitting on the edge of Queens Park. I would go inside the next day, looking over the various European & Maori portraits & sculptures. The museum also has a habitat showcasing Tuatara lizards. The one thing I can never understand with art galleries is too much space and not enough portraits.

For two nights, my brother & I stayed in a great hostel called Southern Comfort. It’s located close to the museum and even though our room was small, the beds were really comfortable. Since S.C. doesn't have a website, I'll say that the charge was $29/night per person. It would have been cheaper if we were members of Budget Backpacker Hostels.

Enjoying the sites of the city was a challenge due to constant wind & rolling showers. I’m glad that I brought my large golf umbrella. Despite the lacking weather, I walked around town, snapping pictures of monuments and breathing in the atmosphere around me. The iconic symbol of this southern city is the Romanesque Water Tower built in the late 1800s. I even ventured through the industrial sector, watching the movements of freight trains, trucks, cars, and actions of construction workers. Men always had a thing for heavy machinery & construction.

Unfortunately, I can’t see myself living in Invercargill because of the weather, but I just might end up being sent here for my second teaching practice in March 2009. If I do, I’m packing plenty of warm clothing.

When evening arrived, Roman & I decided to pay a visit to a well known restaurant franchise in Canada: Lone Star. Roman ordered a rack of ribs and I ordered a nice juicy steak. Of course, one can’t forget a good beer to go with that. Pricey? Yes, but definitely worth every bite.

The return bus was leaving in the early morning meaning Roman & I had to wakeup earlier than we wanted. I did my best getting extra sleep on the bus even though it's a challenge for me when I'm sitting upright. Well, I guess life isn’t always fair.

To Be Continued . . .

S.O.T.: Dunedin

I did it. I broke my overall record of being away from home. Before, it was 13 weeks back in 2006; now it stands at 14 weeks and counting. If all goes as planned, I’ll make it to a year. And who knows, maybe I’ll go beyond. There’s a moderately priced champagne bottle with my name on it tonight!

Anyway, the Intercity bus carried myself & my older brother, Roman, to the town of Dunedin, a southern port city inhabited by approximately 200,000 Kiwis. Up until this excursion, the only place I’ve travelled to outside of Christchurch was Temple Basin. Unlike the mountainous landscape when heading north to TB, heading south along the coastline gives way to rolling hills of green grass, used for dairy & sheep farming. It’s pretty much hectares & hectares of mowed lawns. The weather was sunny & partly cloudy during the bus ride. Every now & then the bus would stop in several towns, such as Tamaru, and drop off & pick up passengers.

On the way, I saw some interesting stuff: from a questionable product to a funny geographic location. In between Christchurch & Dunedin, there sits a place called Shag Point. I’m not making this up – it’s really there on the map. Since the bus drove by at a quick speed, I didn’t get a good look at the place. Next time, I’ll stop by and see why it’s called Shag Point. Or maybe I don’t want to see . . .

The small Intercity bus station in Dunedin is located near a large Cadbury factory and the historical Central Dunedin Fire Station. After being dropped off, Roman & I tramped up to our hostel on Rattray Street named Hogwartz. The hostel is very close to the city centre and very well managed, with Internet access, and a large DVD collection. The hosts have two dogs: Asterix who loves being petted, and a black & white who hates it. Ying & Yang I suppose.

The buildings and streets that make up the city envelope several green hills and flat lands. Because of this, the airport is quite a distance away. The city contains thousands of bungalows and many of the public buildings still remain in the 19^th century. The bungalows make me feel like I’m in California, the Caribbean, and in South America. I never realized how well established the bungalow trend is in Middle Earth.

The city centre is known by a different name: The Octagon. In the centre are terraces where people gather for lunch, sit under trees, and listen to the seagulls argue which lunches should be stolen from unsuspecting Two Legs. Surrounding the Octagon is city hall, bars, a public art gallery, movie theater, and a tourist gift shop. Over the course of our stay, Roman & I visited 3 bars where I spent quite an amount of money on great beer, Guinness & Steinlager to name a few, and great appetizers.

I also decided to check out the New Zealand style movie theatres by going to see the new sci/fi flick Babylon A.D. What blew me away was the high quality layout of the theater. The seats are comfortable & wide, enough arm rests for everyone, and the aisles are twice as wide as in Canada, meaning you don’t have to get up when someone is passing by! Cineplex Odeon definitely needs to take notice and improve their theatres back home. The only thing they don’t have to copy is when buying a ticket, you’re also assigned a seat.

The weather was sunny and a little windy but I have to say that Dunedin is quite the southern city.
To Be Continued . . .

Southern October Tour: A Guest Arrives

(Excuse the long delay but a lot has happened in the last week convincing me to wait until the end before committing it to cyberspace. Oh, and I’m aware that there’s no such thing as south October but I feel such a title will give the next several posts more zing.)

With one week of vacation left, my older brother by 2 years, Roman, decided to keep me company by paying a visit. It was easy for him to make the trip because he’s currently based in Canberra, Australia, studying law. Despite his plane being late, he managed to make it to my campus residence without any trouble. The only downer was that he arrived near midnight. The last time I saw my brother in person was in February and I must say that physically, he’s changed a lot. He looks more European than Canadian with long brown curly hair and plenty of dark facial hair. I really think he needs to cut his long hair but he’s fond of his new independent hairstyle. Maybe I should start a petition? With his new look, I can definitely see him residing in Australia for the rest of his life.

I gave Roman a brief tour of my campus residence before introducing him to my roommates. Most of them were, um, ‘overjoyed’ to meet my brother because earlier they had been celebrating the arrival of the weekend. Roman slept in my sleeping bag on a borrowed mattress and what surprised me is that he snores. Not as intensive as my dad but he’s getting there. I’m so grateful I have earplugs. They would be essential during our backpacking trip.

Before our South Island excursion, Roman & I explored Christchurch on foot. He’s quite the walker, snapping pictures along the way. I wasn’t exploring, more like enjoying what I’ve already seen. We met up in Town in the evening and paid a visit to a bar & grill named the Holy Grail. The place is located in what use to be a movie theater with the main screen being used to showcase rugby matches. Good food & booze too . . . all kindly paid for by my parents’ credit card.

Since Roman was staying for a week, it would be unwise to confine him to Christchurch. He wanted to pay a visit to Dunedin & Invercargill, two southern towns on the South Island. Why not?

Travelling would have to be done by bus; there’s not a big enough passenger market for trains. Only freight trains travel south of Christchurch. Canada has Greyhound & New Zealand has Intercity. The buses are either one level or double-decker. Even though there’re no washrooms on the buses, they stop frequently, thereby letting passengers stretch their legs & use the facilities. I don’t think there are any express buses - every bus in the system does a milk run.

For the two of us, the total cost for our bus tickets was $300NZD. It may sound a lot but we did several stops because my brother was against sitting on a bus for more than 8 hours. With out backpacks filled with spare clothing, cameras, books, maps, and cash, Roman & I boarded an Intercity bus on a Sunday afternoon and journeyed to Dunedin.

Our backpacking excursion began.

To Be Continued . . .