It appears that my blog has now become an annual Christmas letter. I hope it’s better than nothing!
As has become the norm, the year has flown by and it now seems that I am well and truly an Adelaidian again. I certainly appreciate the ease of living here, with all that I need and appreciate at my fingertips - family, friends, good food, the beach and the hills.
I have spent the year working casually. Two days a week, as an education consultant, at a recruitment agency that places teachers in relief/substitute roles, as well as contract and permanent positions. I learned a great deal in this role, and at its most simple, what it is like to work in an office with a small team of people as well as the tedium of some tasks! I acquired technical skills such as how to use a telephone system and database for searching and allocating teachers for an opening and learned more about the types of visas available and work, health and safety requirements.
As well as this, I did relief teaching at four government high schools, all with a very different vibe. There were engaging days, and those that were not so great, which is what you expect in this type of work and it was certainly nice to have the flexibility to only accept work when I wanted it. This left me free to see Mum, continue the slow process of cleaning out the family home and tend the garden. I also did three virtual evaluations of schools overseas, which was great, but they are a lot of work and they do rule out getting paid work!
I quickly came to realise that it can be quite frustrating when not always being engaged/challenged professionally. Plus, I do miss being in a school community and making an impact. So, after a number of different applications and interviews, I secured the role of Year 8 Sub School Leader at Glenunga International High School, here in Adelaide. This means I will be leading the Year 8 team of 16 teachers and 390 students, and will be teaching three classes of English!! Quite the change. I am looking forward to it in a strange way (not the full-time bit), as it is one of the top performing schools in the state and is also accredited with the Council of International Schools, so it will keep me in that loop. I begin on January 23. Wish me luck!
In April, I made a quick trip over to Melbourne to get my things out of storage after 9 years. It was nice to be reunited with some things and others went straight to goodwill. And, there are still a couple of boxes of books that I haven’t opened. I made a longer trip in August to catch up with friends, which was great, but I do not enjoy the city as much as I used to.
October took me to lower Eyre Peninsula for a few days, which was thoroughly enjoyable. The last time I was there, I was 20 months old! The coastal towns and surrounding coastline were great to explore and I was particularly blown away by Coffin Bay. It is stunning and the oysters, simply delicious. Photos of the trip can be seen here.
I also took the opportunity to go to Tasmania for a week earlier this month, before the whole of the country was on holidays. The weather was less than ideal - cold, wet and windy, but I loved exploring Hobart, Bruny Island, the Tasman Peninsula and Freycinet National Park. Again the coastline and little bays were spectacular and I will go back in a heartbeat. More photos.
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I enjoyed doing bits and pieces with WalkingSA, including the trial of street art walks in the city. There is a great deal of amazing work when you know where to look! Take a peak ..
It has been nice to have some interstate friends visit Adelaide, and I encourage you all to put it on your itinerary. Until then, wishing you all the best for the remainder of 2022 and into 2023.
