All In:The Aussie Adventure

Becky and I had the unique opportunity to be invited to a special event here in Sydney. On Tuesday the 13th of June we both went to Santa Sabina (a private school in Strathfield) for a Veritas Dinner. This post is a rundown of that experience along with a short post about something really cool that St. Lucy's does.  Santa Sabina Veritas Truth. The motto of many institutions is Veritas. The search for truth is something that we all undertake at some point in life. Honestly, in my humble opinion, we are always looking for our own truth. I know I currently am. The Veritas dinner is an event that happens roughly four times a year at Santa Sabina College in Strathfield, NSW. The attendees are all people who are connected to the Dominican Sisters of Eastern Australia and the Solomon Islands and their guests. The sisters invited Becky and I to come and join them. When I asked my host mom Helen what a Veritas dinner was like she described it as a gathering of frie...

I honestly don't know where the time has gone. Although my stay at St. Lucy's is temporary, the memories and lessons that I learn will be permanent. I truly hope that I am making a positive impact in the lives of the students and in the St. Lucy's environment. I have spent three weeks in the Rosella classroom and counting. I have entitled this post with a focus on three P's, and I chose to do this because I have seen some really great things happen when prayer, patience, and perseverance are used. Prayer God Our Maker God our maker and friend,  We love you And we thank you for loving us.... Every morning and every afternoon, the children gather together and say this prayer. The prayer is a sweet prayer that is simple to say, easy to sign, and powerful for the children and us all to remember. As a school with the Catholic and Dominican foundations, the children are in a learning environment that does an extremely good job at reminding them of who they ar...

I know I talked about cooking last time, but this was too good to pass up! Pies filled with minced meat! My lovely class of Rosellas truly love food and cooking so they were eager to share some classic Australian food with me. They've been offering me Vegemite since Day 1 (I think I'll continue to dodge that one for now) but today, the kids got to do some more intricate cooking! Today the class split up and worked on cooking 2 different foods: Pavlova and Meat Pies. We divided the boys up based on their interest in the type of food! A soft meringue topped with cream and fruit! So myself and the head teacher, Vanessa, took four of the boys into the kitchen to make the pies. (I have more pictures of that process than the other because I wasn't there for that!) Michael, Luke, Leif, and Lachlan were all very excited to make the pies with the special pie maker! Notice the safe way the pot handle is turned! After washing their hands, each of ...

Timeline Update: I found Nemo at the aquarium today! So I've been in Sydney since May 19 and think that I have settled into the lifestyle of Sydney and my routine really well. It feels really simple to hop on the train and head into the Sydney to adventure and is not a daunting task! I've completed 2 weeks of service at St. Lucy's (minus one day where I had to stay home because I was sick!- I missed my class so much!) and I have 3 more of the term and then 1 week of service during their holiday program. Time moves slowly at some points - like when I am working with a child through a rather difficult problem and at other points really quickly - like when I am sitting on the train and look at Becky realizing that the week is over. I'm trying to savor each moment and be fully present in each moment as best as I can! Week 2 Week 2 is over! I'm going to be talking about all of the great programs and activities that I get to assist and serve with at St. Lucy...

Week 1 Is Done! Wow! I honestly cannot believe that a whole week of service has passed. Each day with the Rosellas has been an adventure. This past week has had a lot of staff changes and casuals (the Australian term for substitute teachers) in the classrooms. That means that although I was brand new in the classroom, I was one of the most consistent people for the boys. Since the week was a bit inconsistent, the boys were a bit out of routine and a little wild! But, alas, they are children, so I kind of expected the wildness.  At St. Lucy's, the children have a lot of opportunities for showing us their strengths and shining where they can shine brightest. The structure of their learning is not one filled with examinations and opportunities to fail. They are encouraged to be their best! Part of circle time in the morning for the Rosellas is listening to a song about not giving up (Give it a listen here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pWp6kkz-pnQ ). By having this kind...

  A Class Of Energy, Joy, and Light for Five Weeks Rosella: One of six species of Australian parrots. They inhabit forests, woodlands, farmlands, suburban parks, and gardens. Rosellas have long broad tails, patches on their cheeks and are very colorful. While that is all well and good, the word Rosella means a bit more than just the parrot. The Rosella Class is the classroom where I am spending every Monday through Friday at St. Lucy's! St. Lucy's School As most of you know, I will be spending several weeks at St. Lucy's. St. Lucy's is a lovely school founded in the Dominican tradition and is where classrooms are filled with students of many different disabilities and ages. St. Lucy's is a primary school which in Australia means that the students are in years K-6. St. Lucy's was originally founded as a school for children who were deaf or had hearing difficulties and developed into a school for children with any disabilities more r...