Well, Kieran and I have survived the biggest storm New South Wales has seen in over 30 years this weekend!! It rained last weekend basically non-stop from Thursday to Sunday morning. There were winds of 106 kilometers per hour and waves nearly 15 feet! I wanted to take photos, but did not want to wander out to do so.
Our power went out multiple times last weekend and some places are just getting power back. A coal transporter ( a huge tanker ship) ran aground up the coast a few hours away and may become a genuine ship wreck if they are unable to get it back out to sea!! Kieran drove home on last Friday and there was a part of some one's roof in the middle of the main road!! Kieran said he had never seen anything like it...that did not however, stop him from going out to his bachelor party on Saturday. This is party #1 for those who cannot make it Vegas in October. The boys braved the weather and went out paint balling amongst other things. I really don't want to know. :)
Monday was the Queen's birthday so there was no work for me! I went to the local Pub near were Kieran and I live called "The Newport Arms" with some girls I met from Kieran's work. The weather cleared up enough for me to enjoy a bit of sunshine. Kieran stayed home and nursed his paintball welts.
Then after a few nice days Mother Nature decided to pound us with more rain! It has been raining since Thursday afternoon (it is now Saturday night) and I want the Sunny Australia I thought I was going to get when I signed up to come here!! It has been damn cold too which is sad. Ah well - now they cannot say anything about water shortages on the news for awhile!
My big news though, is that I decided to get a new job. I love the school I am at right now, but I do NOT love working for the YMCA. I felt totally alone and unsupported at that job. I signed on mid-May and have seen my boss once since then! Sure I have free reign for the most part as to what I teach, but I get no feedback and have no one to really bounce ideas off of or anything...not really the best for someone just starting out.
Long story short, I am going to be working for a company called, "Pro sports". They send out qualified PE teachers to elementary schools (public) throughout the Sydney area. They currently have around 42 schools. The public elementary schools here do not hire PE teachers full time but this way parents can pay a standard (low) fee for their child to have a PE teacher come and teach them a 45 minute lesson once a week. Same as the Y, but at this place I will always be team teaching with someone else. I think it will be a much better fit for me. I have been so stressed having no one to talk to about my ideas and stuff that this should be much better. The staff all seem really cool and I think I will be placed at a school 5 minutes from my apartment - I have been pretty lucky thus far I must say.
I really do not know much else these days other than the fact that the weather has been terrible! Winter here does not mean snow but this month it has been raining non-stop! I have seen the sun about three times in the last three weeks - yuck! The photo to the left is of me at the Manly game the other night. I felt like I was at a high school football game with the weather...at least I get to go in the Presidents lounge to warm up - thanks Kieran!! I wish I was in MN having summer but I am making the best of things :) 
Kieran and I took the ferry from Manly over to the City. It is about a half hour ride and totally gorgeous. When you arrive in the city you go right past the Harbour Bridge, Opera House, etc. We took a little stroll around Circular Quay and then got some sandwiches and sat on the Opera House steps to eat...really nice spot to people watch! The sea gulls on the other hand, are torture!!
