I didn't know whether I would recognize any stars down here. I knew about the Southern Cross, of course, but I also knew that certain constellations and stars (most notably Polaris and the Big Dipper) are only effectively visible from northern latitudes. That said, I can see Orion from by back deck. I went out tonight on purpose because, well, it's Christmas Eve. A long, long time ago, people looked up on a night like this and saw a star and followed it. I know not every one out there believes in the Christmas story, but I felt it was important to give a nod to it tonight, of all nights. After all, it's a story about hope, a story about travel, and a story about new opportunities.
Christmas is about more than giving presents (though my kids are getting away like bandits this year, despite the fact that April and I had exactly 30 minutes of shopping time in the Muswellbrook "Big W", during which we managed to blow half of our monthly budget...). It represents the birth of hope. That stands true whether you are a Christian or a pagan (and I use that term purposely, as pagan tradition also celebrated the 25th of December as the first day after the solstice where the day was perceptibly longer, thus providing promise that the world was not descending into eternal night)...
And we, as a people, need hope right now. There is so much in the news that is dark, so much that is hopeless. I won't get into it, because this isn't really a political or environmental blog, but if you don't know about some of the things happening right now, spend a bit of time looking. What I will talk about is my own hopes for the up-coming year.
First of all, for myself, I hope that my experiences in Australia help me to appreciate things more. Not just my home and my family, but the more complex things that you don't grasp until you are immersed in another culture for a long time. I hope I come to appreciate the education system in Canada while at the same time appreciating the differences of the Australian system. I don't want to impose my values on Australia anymore than I expect to bring back a tablet of educational laws to Alberta, but I hope I develop an appreciation of how systems work, how they differ, and maybe even find a few things I can bring back and try in my classroom in Pioneer. I hope I come to appreciate how important friends are. In the absence of family, friends are the only support network people possess, and I have discovered that making friends gets harder the older one gets (and I'm a pretty social, outgoing person). I am desperately hoping that being here will help me to remember how important my friends are, and will remind me of friend-making skills I have allowed to lapse in the years since we had kids (sorry guys... I know I am not as good a friend as most of you deserve... as Bilbo Baggins said, "I know less than half of you half as well as I would like...").
For my family, well, that's another story. I hope for April that being here will give her freedom and opportunity. It's been a while since we lived in a town, and I know that having kids and being in the country has left her somewhat isolated. I hope that being here helps her feel free in a way she hasn't felt since we had kids. Every parent knows the challenge of parenting. It is a full-time job, a full-time second job, and a part-time third job. I hope for April that she finds something of personal interest and value here, something that helps her redefine herself as an individual as the kids transition into school. For my girls, I hope that they leave here with a love of travel, an adventurous spirit, and a ton of memories that will carry them through their lives, even if they are only vague recollections and shared stories. Collectively, I hope we all leave here with an appreciation for one-another.
For my exchange partner, I hope that their experience matches or exceeds our own. I can hope for nothing more. They will make friends, they will see and explore new places, and they will learn about themselves and their world. I hope it gives them joy and that I helped them discover that joy in some small way. I hope my friends welcome them and discover through welcoming them how important it is to be welcomed by others. I hope Kylie and Kieran find a sense of belonging there, and that my other friends create deep, honest friendships that will last a lifetime.
For my students, the ones I left behind, I hope my adventure makes them adventurous. I hope that my excitement makes them excited. I hope that exposure to a different worldview makes them worldly. Mostly, however, I hope that they learn that an education is more than just numbers and words, more than books and experiments. Education is the desire to keep learning, to know how much there is yet to learn, and a burning desire to obtain as much of an understanding of it all as you can.
For my students, the ones I have yet to meet... I hope that they are patient with me. I hope that they gain an appreciation of things beyond their personal world through their experiences in my classes. I hope... I hope that this exchange benefits them the most.
On a side-note:
Did you know that it is exactly 13,061 km from our house in Muswellbrook to our home in Alberta (thanks, google!)? Not counting travel within Canada, that means I've now travelled around 125,000km. Wow.
I hope the girls surpass that.
Christmas is about more than giving presents (though my kids are getting away like bandits this year, despite the fact that April and I had exactly 30 minutes of shopping time in the Muswellbrook "Big W", during which we managed to blow half of our monthly budget...). It represents the birth of hope. That stands true whether you are a Christian or a pagan (and I use that term purposely, as pagan tradition also celebrated the 25th of December as the first day after the solstice where the day was perceptibly longer, thus providing promise that the world was not descending into eternal night)...
And we, as a people, need hope right now. There is so much in the news that is dark, so much that is hopeless. I won't get into it, because this isn't really a political or environmental blog, but if you don't know about some of the things happening right now, spend a bit of time looking. What I will talk about is my own hopes for the up-coming year.
First of all, for myself, I hope that my experiences in Australia help me to appreciate things more. Not just my home and my family, but the more complex things that you don't grasp until you are immersed in another culture for a long time. I hope I come to appreciate the education system in Canada while at the same time appreciating the differences of the Australian system. I don't want to impose my values on Australia anymore than I expect to bring back a tablet of educational laws to Alberta, but I hope I develop an appreciation of how systems work, how they differ, and maybe even find a few things I can bring back and try in my classroom in Pioneer. I hope I come to appreciate how important friends are. In the absence of family, friends are the only support network people possess, and I have discovered that making friends gets harder the older one gets (and I'm a pretty social, outgoing person). I am desperately hoping that being here will help me to remember how important my friends are, and will remind me of friend-making skills I have allowed to lapse in the years since we had kids (sorry guys... I know I am not as good a friend as most of you deserve... as Bilbo Baggins said, "I know less than half of you half as well as I would like...").
For my family, well, that's another story. I hope for April that being here will give her freedom and opportunity. It's been a while since we lived in a town, and I know that having kids and being in the country has left her somewhat isolated. I hope that being here helps her feel free in a way she hasn't felt since we had kids. Every parent knows the challenge of parenting. It is a full-time job, a full-time second job, and a part-time third job. I hope for April that she finds something of personal interest and value here, something that helps her redefine herself as an individual as the kids transition into school. For my girls, I hope that they leave here with a love of travel, an adventurous spirit, and a ton of memories that will carry them through their lives, even if they are only vague recollections and shared stories. Collectively, I hope we all leave here with an appreciation for one-another.
For my exchange partner, I hope that their experience matches or exceeds our own. I can hope for nothing more. They will make friends, they will see and explore new places, and they will learn about themselves and their world. I hope it gives them joy and that I helped them discover that joy in some small way. I hope my friends welcome them and discover through welcoming them how important it is to be welcomed by others. I hope Kylie and Kieran find a sense of belonging there, and that my other friends create deep, honest friendships that will last a lifetime.
For my students, the ones I left behind, I hope my adventure makes them adventurous. I hope that my excitement makes them excited. I hope that exposure to a different worldview makes them worldly. Mostly, however, I hope that they learn that an education is more than just numbers and words, more than books and experiments. Education is the desire to keep learning, to know how much there is yet to learn, and a burning desire to obtain as much of an understanding of it all as you can.
For my students, the ones I have yet to meet... I hope that they are patient with me. I hope that they gain an appreciation of things beyond their personal world through their experiences in my classes. I hope... I hope that this exchange benefits them the most.
On a side-note:
Did you know that it is exactly 13,061 km from our house in Muswellbrook to our home in Alberta (thanks, google!)? Not counting travel within Canada, that means I've now travelled around 125,000km. Wow.
I hope the girls surpass that.