Life Update

pictures from the island

It’s been a while since I last updated the blog. I’m still teaching in the Torres Strait which is a group of islands near North Queensland. I have the same class from last year which is good because I know how to run the class and I know all the children. Four new students enrolled last week and I’m eager to see how they will add to the class dynamic. It’s common for families to move from island to island. I’m not sure how long the new students will stay.

I moved into a new apartment and now I have a roommate. I was apprehensive about moving at first and having a roommate. There isn’t many options available when it comes to accommodation here. All the teacher accommodation is managed by the government. I had to move out of my old place because it was only meant to be temporary accommodation.

My new roommate is a fellow teacher. We get along great. I feel very comfortable living with her. It’s been wonderful having someone to talk to and understand what I’m going through. She’s like the sister I never had. We’re both alone in the Torres Strait so it’s good we have each other.

 One thing I want to do differently this term is make more time for my hobbies. It’s very easy to work all the time because there’s isn’t much to do on this island and the workload for having a multi grade class is huge. However, I try to be mindful not to burn out. I am more aware of when I’m starting to exhaust myself. I remind myself that not everything has to be perfect and things can be done later. I try not to make school my entire life.

Besides teaching, I have re-enrolled into university to continue with my Bachelor of Arts degree. I dropped out of it midway last year. I regretted dropping out as I really missed my courses. I didn’t think that I could study and work full time. I just squeeze in my study with my life.

Jon has decided to stop blogging until the mood hits him. We still keep in regular contact on Facebook. He’s posting a lot more on that now.

I measure my time by terms which are every three months. We’re at the start of Term 2, I’ll update again when the term finishes. Thanks for reading.