#based on me needing to wake up at 5:30 to catch a 7:00 bus to get to the airport

[dragonpyre]

Harry Potter au where the rail strikes affect the train to Hogwarts and now all the wizards have to figure out Uber

[oshierusensei]

A Day in the life of Miss Lewis

It's been a while since I posted so I thought what's interesting and fairly simple to write.... day in the life, it is!

6:13am

My day starts every morning at 6:13am (unless it's Monday when I have PPA until 11!) I actually get up and ready for school at 6:20 but  I spend a bit of time in the morning scrolling through my socials and trying to convince myself to actually go to school!

7:00am

I leave the house at this time every morning to catch my 7:12 bus to school. I prefer to get to school early and arrive at 7:30 most days. This gives me time to set up the morning activities, get the star helpers changed on my PowerPoint, put a message in the morning sign in book and hide words for the Key Word Hunt. If I need to, I'll copy resources on my way in; I always keep them on the outside pocket of my laptop bag so I can just grab and go!)

8:50am

The gates open and the kids come POURING in! At this time, I'm floating about giving out clues and stickers for the key word hunt or catching up with parents but more often than not I'm trying to fix my PowerPoint because 7 kids have tried to touch it at once and driven it insane! At 9, I start the tidy up music, get the kids registers with a high five & Hello and get one of the kids to read through out schedule for the morning, After that, I get the class into the shared area for Wake and Shake which I lead for all 3 Foundation Classes and Nursery before heading back to class for Circle Time and the Morning Input.

9:20am - 11:00am

The kids have Choosing Time so I spend time getting on with other things. Whether it's readers, maths or literacy focus tasks, assessments, observations or just playing with the children. I also get a tea break in this time so I take that if I feel I need it but usually I'm fine without one.

11:00am

Every day except Tuesday (PPA day #2) It's phonics groups. We have our get ready song where the children get thier resources out and then on with the lesson! After this, it's getting ready for lunch. The kids watch a video whilst everyone filters back from thier groups and I read out the lunch choices. A quick check on the tables that everyone is sitting properly and OK eating thier lunch then I head off for mine at 11:30. Our lunch feels long as we get back around 12:50 to start of the afternoon!

12:50pm

Back from lunch! The kids have some relaxing time where we put on some meditation video and the special helpers get finger touches to draw relaxing shapes in the air. We then have an afternoon meeting, sharing about our lunches and another child is chosen to be teacher and go through the afternoon schedule. If it's a Wednesday, I have planning with the Foundation Team and so we head off to one of the meeting rooms. We go through diary dates and the area plan before in depth planning for the subjects.

1:00pm

Afternoon input and then another choosing time! Similarly to the morning, I get on with readers, observations, assessments. Whatever needs doing but I'll admit by this point, I'm just floating about! 

2:30pm

Time for snack and a story in Foundation. The Star Helpers hand out snack whilst I read a story to the children at the front. This is a 20 minutes job so the children have 10 minutes to get ready before hometime and it usually takes all ten! If I'm early (and lord knows, I'm always early) I shamelessly bribed them with a goodbye song they find hilarious and they watch that until 3:00.

3:00pm

HOMETIME!! I line the kids up and walk them out the the main door. Since our class is in eyesight of the door, I've gotten into the habit of asking anyone who's parent I can see to come to the front to make things a little easier. It's a little cramped out our dismissal door as there's two classes going from there so I tell the kids to 'squish' me in the corner to make sure they're keeping to the left.

3:20pm

By now, all the kids are gone! If it's my day, i walk the after school kids over, snag a snack from the staffroom and get on with some prep work. I either prep resources, get the sign in book ready, write some reflections, complete observations or just leave myself reminders at the end of the day. Sometimes, I have my weekly meeting with my SBT (school based trainer) or if we both agree we're done for the day, I head home!

4:00pm - 5:00pm

Depending on if I get the bus or if I get  a lift, I get home between 4 and 5. When I get home, I pop my lunch box in the kitchen (and forget to wash it up. Sorry Mum!) before heading up to my room. I always change out of work clothes and into something comfortable because I know I'll be too tired at bedtime and get on with some work. With only 2 week of training left to go, this is either prepping resources for my NQT year, prepping some organisational materials or planning for my transition day. This is also time to catch up with family and my boyfriend, James who I usually call or FaceTime when he's finished work or if it's a day off, we have a low key date night which is usually a subway and Pokemon Go!

9:00pm

LOVE ISLANNNNNNNNND either with my brother and James if I'm alive or in bed on the ITV2 Hub if it's been a long day. Always with Love Island Bingo!

10:00pm

I try my best to go the bed as I'm dead in the morning otherwise but sometimes, I get caught up in social media or chatting with James and end up awake at 10:50pm. Either way, I ended up waking up sometime around 3am!!

and that's the average day for me as an trainee in Foundation!

Catherine

[marielledownunder]

The last 10 days in Straya

I decided to quit farmwork earlier and took the nightboat from Devonport (TAS) to Melbourne. I’ve planned to stay 5 days in Melbourne, to catch up with everyone I know who’s still there. I arrived quite early in the morning, 6am to be precisely. I tried to stay on the boat and lay down on the couch until one of those workers told me to leave. I walked out, got my backpack and here I am, in Port Melbourne! Port Melbourne was actually my first destination when I arrived in Melbourne last October. Interesting to be back on this exact place.

I booked my hostel at Habitat HQ in St Kilda, because my friend Josh from Tasman Backpackers was staying there as well. Chilled at the hostel until 2 and checked in and I became Josh’s roomie! He wasn’t there when I arrived, cause he worked a lot. We would catch up in the evening. 

In the afternoon I went to the city to browse the lovely city centre again, bought some stuff I needed and deposited my money from my car I sold in Tasmania. It was pretty nostalgic to walk in these streets again, and I also walked around my old apartment, close to Southern cross. One big difference: Melbourne sure became a lot more colder! It even felt as cold as Tasmania! I was so happy to be back in my “second home”, but the weather was one of the things which made me craving for the weather of Queensland. Couldn’t wait either to get back there!

In the evening I met Josh (H) again, and we talked about the past weeks what we did after he left Tasman.

The next day I went to Brunswick to meet Samsara. I worked with her in Bundaberg when I was cutting ginger haha. We went out for lunch and got a huge chicken parma: a typical Australian dish. Later we went out for a coffee and talked a lot about what we’ve been doing for the past 2,5 months and what our plans are for the upcoming months. After that she wanted to get her free dumbells so I walked with her, the weather started to get worse and we walked the whole time in shitty rain haha. She had to go to work and I bought ‘new’ shoes. Replaced my old shoes with the same type so I’ll be ready for the hikes in New Zealand.

Later in the evening I went to Hotel Barkly. It was Tom’s and Joe’s last weekend before they would go back to England, and lots of people from Bundaberg gathered together for drinks and playing pool. I’ve seen Lee, Connor, Lucy, Molly, Emma, Joey, Tom, Joe, Alex, Jack,  Zanna, Alesia, Lauren, Ellie, Eluned, Wesley and some other friends from them. Played loads of pool and later we went spontaneously to a houseparty of one of Alex’s mates. Got into an uber to Brunswick and when we arrived there they told us that the party was over… bummer haha. Then we went to Alex’s place in North Melbourne. He did a few crazy house parties a while ago, but this one was more a chilled hangout. This night out was a pretty expensive one… especially because of the ubers we took. My bankaccount was not happy haha.

The next day I woke up pretty late, got lunch in Lentils as anything and in the evening I went to Elisabeth’s apartment. Finally got reunited with Stejara and Elisabeth. I’ve spent lots of time with them when I lived in Melbourne, they were part of ‘Dutchies in Melbourne’.

Went out in Lion, which is across Asian Beer Cafe and after that we went to Cookie. Got home about 5 and had to checkout at 10, yay. I decided to stay the last 2 nights in CBD, as it would be easier for me to take the train to the Airport.

That afternoon I hanged out with Britt and Rebecca. We went to the rooftop bar on Swanston street and ordered burgers and fries. Chatted a lot about different things, about what we do and what our plans are and other topics. Later a friend of Rebecca joined and we went afterwards to Asian Beer Cafe. I viseted that place so many times but we still go there because it’s cheap! Got cocktail jugs over there and ordered my last beer battered fries. I missed them! Later on Josh and Hendrik from Tasman joined.

The next day was more of an organising day. Booked flights to Bali! Yes, decided to go to Bali after New Zealand.  Booked train tickets to Bundaberg and arranged my bed in Bundaberg in my old working hostel. In the evening I watched up with Liam, (he stayed  during my first week in Bundy in the same hostel named Cellblock) and we went out for a burger at Betty’s. The burger was as everyone said really good! Later we went to the joint bar next to Flinders hostel for a beer and  we played pool for a bit. Then I went home on time to pack my clothes, because my 5 days of Melbourne has come to an end. Next destination is up north to Queensland!

After my 2h flight I landed in Brisbane and wow what a good weather!!! The sun was shining and it was about 24 degrees. What did I miss this weather! 

Walked on my way to my hostel and made a typical clumsy Marielle action again. I don’t really like the traffic lights in Straya, takes ages for pedestrians to cross, so I walked when it was still red. When it’s red, I normally walk faster. I did the same with my backpack, but it didn’t end well. Fell down so hard on the street and I couldn’t stand up cause my backpack was too heavy! Guess lots of friends would love to pay to see this happen haha! 

In the afternoon I went to my favourite sport of Brisbane again: Southbank! I met Nynke again. I lived for 5 days in the “Jersey house” together with Annemiek and Nynke, back in Melbourne in February. I catched up with her and we were just chilling in the city beach and later in the city. Said goodbye in the evening again and chilled at my hostel with karaoke night. 

The next day I took my train to a certain place I was before. A place where I spend my first month of farmwork: Bundaberg! I arrived in the evening where Kayleigh and her friend Emma waited for me. I checked in and got a 2 persons room and shared my room with a lovely Korean girl named Jinny. I was so excited to be back and spending my last weekend with her. We told eachother our stories from the past months. We haven’t seen eachother since NYE so it has been 5 months. We laughed a lot again like the old days.

The next day I made the crazy decision to do some cherry tomato picking again, because I wanted to make myself a bit useful and getting a tan. That day was the worst picking day: Started at 6 and got back at 9:00. Chilled at the hostel and spoke to lots of people from the hostel and played often pool.  

It was weird to be back. Lots of memories came back and even the hostel changed a bit. Upstairs got renovated: walls were painted, my room got a fan, the floor upstairs was shining and even the floor downstairs was even cleaner. Besides, the walls look more colorful by drawings and paintings from the backpackers from the hostel. Also the people are different, more different nationalities, especially the Italians are a majority. 

Friday I reunited with Sunny and Mike again. I encountered Niko from Tasman Backpackers while I was doing some groceries shopping in the Aldi. He told me that Sunny and Mike are also in Bundy. We spoke a bit and the next day I went to the beach with Sunny and Mike. Around sunset time I saw some kangaroos jumping to the seawater!

That evening I heard from Kay (from England) that there would be a karaoke at Base. Ha, that was my first accommodation in Bundy. I definitely had to visit that bar again and rock them with the microphone and my voice. We had so much fun and it was actually more crowded than the regular Friday I’ve experienced. We continued to club hotel again, can’t believe I stayed there so long cause there was almost nobody haha. On my way back to the hostel I visited the Hungry tum again. They were 24/7 open and we always came there for a snack after going out. I took the cheese/gravy fries again! (looks disgusting but the taste is pretty good!)

The next morning I waited for Kayleigh to explore Bundy one more time. She worked like 50 hours so she woke up pretty late. I decided to go to the Bundaberg Destillery by myself as Kayleigh couldn’t make it. I had no car and only 30 minutes left... shit. Walking would take me 50 mins so decided to go there by jogging/running. I just made it in time and did the rum tour including tasting. Got 2 tastings and 1 extra from a couple. Gotta say that I fell in love with the salted caramel liquor, but unfortunately they don’t have small sample to bring back home. 

In the evening we had a birthday dinner with the people from dingo blue. Andrea and Giuseppe from Italy organised it and they offered us to cook risotto. Lots of people joined, like almost everyone from the hostel. The risotto was amazing and it was such a nice vibe as we were eating outside with everyone. After that, Andrea and Giuseppe gave us all sparklers and by countdown we enlightened our sparklers and sang happy birthday to Andrea. It was so lovely and Andrea even cried a little. After the meal we all sat on the sidewalk in front of the hostel, drinking our alcohol, because the hostel banned drinking since I left Bundy. 

Around 10/11 we went to base to continue our night. It felt like the older days: lots of people and lots of jugs. Of course we got the “Closing time” song again when Base would close at 12. Then we all moved to club hotel again, like every Saturday. That cover band was there again. I can imagine if you’re staying there for like 4 months everything gets boring, but for me it wasn’t because I stayed only a month and an mid-week and I loved it!

Together with the karaoke and the birthday party I definitely chose a good weekend to come to Bundy and I definitely didn’t regret it to spend my last weekend here!

The next day I had to wake up early. Went to bed at 5 and woke up at 8.. ouch haha. Luckily I packed everything the night before, so I just needed to take my stuff and make breakfast. Said goodbye to Kayleigh and some others in the hostel and took de train to Brisbane. On my way I had to take the bus cause the train wouldn’t move further from a certain point. Then I took the bus from Brisbane to another station and from that station I took the train again and later the bus to Coolangatta. It was a long trip. Left at 10 and arrived at 6pm, so travelled for like 8 hours. I checked in at the Komune resort hotel where they also have dorms. I was here 9 months ago with Peter, Britt, Imke and Kayleigh and we went to the Sunday party. Guess what, it was Sunday again and they still had that party so I checked it out until I went to bed on time.  

The next morning was my last day in Australia. Went to the pool and jacuzzi in my resort and enjoyed the sun as this will take a while to get a good summer day again. After that I did my last preparations and took the flight from Goldcoast to Auckland. This time I got checked for the first time with my carry on… You’re supposed to take 7kg and I had 10km. Managed to sneak the extra 3 kilos haha, lucky me. Got into my plane and there I go. 11 months and 21 days of Australia has come to an end. Kind sad but also satisfied and ready to go to the next destination: New Zealand!

[travelbugs-blog1]

Torrijos, Marinduque

As promised in our previous blog (which we hope you liked), we will showcase another beach that you can try in the Eastern South part of Marinduque which is in Brgy. Dampulan of Torrijos. 

Brgy. Dampulan beach is so different from Maniwaya because while Maniwaya island boasts of white sand; Dampulan in Torrijos has a stony shore. However, it won’t fail you; 100% enjoyment guaranteed because the water is so clear and you need not walk far from the shore on slimy seagrasses before you can reach a good spot to swim. In fact, If we are to go back to Marinduque, this is the place we will most likely to come back because it’s just THE perfect and ideal spot for both hikers and beach lovers alike because the houses are sandwiched between mount Malindig and the Torrijos shorelines!--- And that’s THE dream! We actually considered relocating at Torrijos for a moment because that kind of setup is so perfect! That is what we actually want---to live where there is a nearby mountain high enough for a good hike then head straight to the quality beach that is Dampulan for a good swim and relaxation after getting tired from the hike. I am literally just blabbering non-stop here already so let me get this entry back on track. Actually, let the pictures do the talking:

This is what I mean when I said houses are nearby mount Malindig and this is what we are coming back for because we need to hike this:

On the way to the shore are these well-lit coconut trees in the morning:

The perfect spot for sunrise watching:

The stony shore:

This one was taken at Balanacan port while waiting for our ferry.

Missed to see our Marinduque video? Well, here it is again! (Don’t forget to click HD) 

Things you need to know about Brgy. Dampulan and our trip:

- There are no hotels or inns yet in this brgy.

-Their barangay is still recovering from Typhoon Mina that hit them last December 2016 meaning some parts are still lacking on power supply.

- It is more convenient if you will bring your own vehicle for this trip via ro-ro and that you book a room somewhere in Sta. Cruz for this is already near Torrijos. Then you can just ask your hotel or inn for a tour.

- We did not have to check in for a room in Dampulan, Torrijos because as I mentioned in the previous post our friend Ranier is from Marinduque and we were offered a homestay by his relatives so the following itinerary will be based on a situation where you will check-in on a hotel or inn.

Ready your pens again cos here comes the itinerary!

Itinerary 1 (If you are going to Dampulan ONLY)

Day 0 11:00 PM: ETD at Jac Liner Buendia to Lucena - Dalahican port (4-hour bus ride)

Day 1 03:00 AM - 03:20 AM: ETA at Dalahican port (buy tickets, go through baggage scanning, restroom break, ride ferry) then depart for Balanacan port, Marinduque (Our boat ride took 3 hours long)

6:20 AM: ETA at Balanacan port. Now this is the part where you’ll head to Sta. Cruz to check-in on your hotel or inn. There are air-conditioned vans and jeepneys available. (Travel time is 1-2 hours)

Itinerary 2 (If you are coming from Maniwaya like what we did)

Day 1

03:00 AM - 03:20 AM: ETA at Dalahican port (buy tickets, go through baggage scanning, restroom break, ride ferry) then depart for Balanacan port, Marinduque (Our boat ride took 3 hours long)

6:20 AM: ETA at Balanacan port then ride a van to Buyabod port where you will again ride a boat which will finally bring you to Maniwaya. (Van ride took an hour)

7:20 AM: ETA to Maniwaya! Destination reached! start pitching your tent if you will camp out or start checking in if you prefer to book a room. The rest will be free time, free time, and free time! Just don’t forget to catch the golden hour! :) P.S Sleep early because Day 2 is coming… ho ho!

Day 2

5:00 AM: wake up time to catch the sunrise

5:30 AM: ETD for Palad sand bar

6:30 AM: ETA at Palad sand bar (swim and take pictures. I think 1-2 hours is enough, yeah?)

7:30 AM: ETD from Palad sand bar to Ungab rock formation

8:30 AM: ETA at Ungab rock formation (swim and take pictures again. Again a good 1-2 hours could be enough, well at least it was for us)

9:45 AM: ETD from Ungab rock formation to Maniwaya island and get ready for lunch and breaking camp

12:00 PM: LUNCH

1:30 PM: ETD from Maniwaya to Buyabod port

2:30 PM: ETA Buyabod port and ETD for the town proper where you can ride a jeepney going to Sta. Cruz (via tricycle)

2:45 PM: ETA to the town proper where you will then head for Sta. Cruz to check-in on your hotel or inn via jeepney. Check-in on your desired stay, relax, enjoy the free time because tomorrow you’ll be heading to Dampulan.

Day 3 - Will depend on you if you like to stay all day in Dampulan or explore other beaches like Poctoy beach which is also a white beach and is also located at Torrijos. Enjoy day 3 then head back to your homestay for a goodnight’s sleep.

Day 4 - Homebound

There are usually Jac Liner buses passing by along the highway. These buses are headed for Balancan port. And if you are commuting you will probably see Jac Liner “ro-ro” buses that are going straight to Cubao. We suggest, that for convenience’s sake, to ride this one because it will save you time and the hassle of buying separate tickets for the ferry ride back home. We also enjoyed this ride because we got to see other parts of Marinduque! It’s like a tour in itself! ;) *wink-wink*

Base your time of ETD bound for Balancan on the following updated ferry trip schedule bound for Dalahican: 5:00 AM | 7:30 AM | 11:30 AM| 12:00 PM | 2:30 PM | 3:30 PM | 7:30 PM 

Source: Marinduque News

Budget:

Bus fare from Jac Liner Buendia to Dalahican port = 219 Pesos

Jac Liner “ro-ro” bus = 880

Ferry fare from Dalahican port to Balancan port will depend on your current status: Regular = 260 Pesos | Senior citizen = 186 Pesos | Student = 221| Half fare (3-7yrs old) = 130 (If you are going for Jac Liner “ro-ro” then this one is not for you.)

Van ride from Balanacan port to Buyabod port = 180 Pesos

Boat from Buyabod port to Maniwaya would depend on how many pax and the size of the boat. We were 5 grown-ups with a child. The deal with the boat man were the following: ride to Maniwaya island, island hop the next day to Palad sand bar and Ungab rock formation, ride back to Maniwaya island for lunch and to get ready to go home, and the ride back for Buyabod port to go back to Manila. Our bill was 3,500 Pesos

Tricycle = 100

Jeep from the town proper = will depend as to where are you heading. If you’re going to Torrijos it is 45 Pesos

Questions:

Are there ATMS? - There are ATMs at the town proper. However, don’t expect to see major banks like BDO and BPI because there’s none.

Is it more advisable to go via “ro-ro”? - Yes. We rode the Jac Liner “ro-ro” on our way home to save time.

Why didn’t you ride the ro-ro coming from Manila? Because we won’t make it to the time of departure. Most of us had work before our departure.

Where can we stay at Maniwaya?- If you are the type who prefers a room over tent then you may inquire at Wawie’s Resort for their rates. They also cater to beach campers by the way. However, we are the type of campers who really want to enjoy nature and it’s quietness and simplicity, so we did not choose Wawie’s because just beside Wawie’s is the welcoming, homey, and really probinsya feels that is the lot of Mang Teroy. If we have the same preference when it comes to beach camping then I recommend Mang Teroy. He is very helpful, accommodating, and is always there to tend to your needs. He also has a cousin with a boat you can rent! So you might as well also contact his cousin if you wish to be picked up from Buyabod port. Here is the contact number for Mang Teroy: 09502772308 or at 09551894051

Is there a comfort room?- Yes, Mang Teroy has one.

Is there a water source?- Yes. Igib method sa poso, guys.

Is there any store for when you forget to bring shampoo or when you want junk food and even soft drinks?- Yes

Are there mosquitos?- I did not encounter any bites

Pwede magpa-luto?- Well, if you’re staying at Mang Teroy’s, you can ask other nearby resorts to cook for you.

Will you go back to Marinduque? - YES!!!!

When is the Moriones festival? - During the Holy Week! First week of April.

Where can we stay on the main island of Marinduque should we decide to stay there after coming to Maniwaya? - TravelBook got you covered!

What else do we need to remember when we visit Marinduque? - Please remember to CLEAN AS YOU GO. We love nature but sometimes we trash the nature, and when you trash it can you still call that love? Please let us keep Marinduque clean and healthy so we can still bask in its beauty 50 years or so from now. :)

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