It looks fake
After a full week of teaching I know every students name. I have been able to get to know the students more individually and see what they need. This week I will be working with two math and reading groups that need some small group instruction. I have created a mental health, poetry, and writing unit that I will slowly be teaching while I am here.
During the week days I don't really have much time to do anything else besides teach. Which, leaves the weekends for fun and adventures.
My first adventure, outside of school, was a hike on Rangitoto Island. A group of ladies and I took a train into Auckland and grabbed an early morning ferry over to the Island. We decided to break off from the large group that got off the ferry to explore on our own and create our own paths. We were doing a great job until we realized we kept walking farther away from what looked to be the volcano we wanted to climb. However, we had no where to be so we kept walking. We stopped on some beaches, took some pictures, and ate a few snacks before we finally headed toward the climb up the volcano. When we finally got to the top it looked like we could see the whole country. We hiked on a perfect day. The sky was blue with a few clouds and the weather was just right. We meet up with a teacher from the school we are all teaching at and she decided to spend the rest of the day with us. We walked through some caves on the volcano and then took the ferry back to the city. We weren't ready to finish the day so we treated ourselves to huge burgers and a few drinks. We laughed the night away.
Now, this past weekend started on Friday with a picnic on Bethells Beach. My host family and I made packed up some pasta, fruit, and veggies and headed down. The beach had all black sand and crystal blue water. The kiddos that I am currently living with made me feel right at home when they started to make sand angles. They weren't snow angles but it is a great substitute. We dipped our toes in the water for awhile and then settled down to eat. We watched a storm crawl across the water and saw light break in and out of the clouds. While I was sitting there looking out over the ocean I could not believe this view was real. It looked fake, as if I was looking at a picture in a picture frame.
My next day consisted of more unbelievable views. The ladies and I took another ferry ride to another island, Waiheke. We hopped on and off a bus to different wine vineyards. We tasted many different wines from the island and from all over New Zealand. We had no where to be. We sat down, laughed, and talked, all while taking in some beautiful views. The vineyards looked like they went on forever. There were rolling hills that were a pure colored green and hills in the distance that were home to roaming horses and sheep. It is hard to believe we needed a change in scenery. If we didn't need food in our stomachs I think we would have never felt. However, getting food in our bellies was our next mission. So, we took a break and hopped on the bus. We stopped and ate at this amazing pub on the beach. We ate some great fish & chips and then took a walk down Onetangi beach. We found many shells all the way down the beach. We each picked one shell up, made a wish, and then threw the shell back into the water. Cliche? I know. But sometimes it is hard to resist.
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