Good Fortune Becomes Her

"Luck is what happens when preparation meets opportunity." 

-Seneca 

Or sometimes you just happen to be in the right place at the right time. The stars align and magic happens. 

This past week and a bit, some incredible things have happened. 

First, I interviewed and got a contract at an amazing private school called

Haileybury. They had been having troubles finding a science teacher mid year and then my name came their way and things panned out. The school campus is 1x2km and gorgeous. I will be teaching 3 classes of grade ten science and one grade nine. 

Perfect fit, right?

I will have a lab tech who will set my labs up for me and help me out if need be! I have been assigned a mentor and a coach to help me figure out the day to day going ons of the school. I'm going to be making a shit tonne wonderful salary. The pros just don't stop.

Ah but alas, the dreaded downfall, the commute by public transport is still over and hour both ways from my current location. 

Did you catch that? Current location. Yes, I'm moving again. For the fifth time in 2 1/2 years. Moving to a place that is only twenty minutes away from my new school. Close to the train station which runs on the line near my gym. Oh, and you can see the beach and water from my bedroom. Just beyond the fire pit and BBQ. If you didn't already know, I love all of those things. The building is full of people my age. There is, apparently, a communal kayak. 

Everything's coming up Kate! 

At the moment, I'm waiting in a tattoo shop to get my very first tattoo. A thigh piece that is a Canadian themed compass. I've had a few people ask why I'm getting a Canadian tattoo in Australia. 

I'm proud to be Canadian. I'm proud of where I'm from. That's something about me that will never change. Never forget your roots. Where I started my life and lived the vast majority of my life will never cease to be a part of me. Your history, whether it were a positive or negative experience, will have a hand in defining your character.

I don't know how long I will stay here in Australia. 

The year? Two years? Forever? 

I'm really liking it and it's only just the winter. So much about a person can change, but being Canadian is a constant. Regardless of whether your past was a positive or negative experience, you are who you are because of it. 

It's kind of a big tattoo for a first one- go big or go home? 

 

 

 

It was kind of impulsive. I knew I wanted one, but when I made the appointment, I'd assumed there'd be a waiting period( 2-3 months?) and, as it happened, they had an opening the following week. So I went in, the artist had drawn something up from my rambling description and I just said, "Let's do it." 

Update: obviously, this post has been written over a few days (Sunday-Wednesday). Healing is going well and I'm still totally into it. No regrets. 

"Everything that happens, happens for a reason."

- Marilyn Monroe (?)

Everything that happens happens as a result of choices that have been made, mostly. Sometimes fluke, even senseless, events occur. When these things happen, how a person reacts to them will dictate the path their life takes from that point forward. I don't believe everything happens for a reason. Sometimes, things just happen and there doesn't have to be some deep existential meaning. 

As comforting as it may be. 

Our life is the result of our choices and our reactions. Choosing what moves you (taking the time to discover what moves you) over what your "supposed" to do or what you appear to be best suited for.

A friend of mine asked me for advice lately and it's began like this,

"I should want to..."

Which made me think, why should you want to. The social norm dictates that? You like what you like and there is no shame in that. There is a rapturous beauty that encapsulates someone who genuinely knows what they're all about. 

And lives that way unapologetically.

Something I've only begun to delve into. I'm thirty and only in the last year have really become totally comfortable with me. I know what I'm about. I have specific standards for myself. I use specific rather than high. Using the term "high standards" implies there is an inherent hierarchy of things. Some things are better than others and those are the things that capable people should strive for. Doing "less" would be a failure to meet one's full potential. Just because one has the potential to do something, doesn't mean it will bring them joy or a sense of a fulfillment. 

 

Now, especially in adolescence, I think it's important to explore all of ones capabilities. Don't know unless you try, right? 

However, just because someone is good at something doesn't mean they are meant to do that. It doesn't equate to a failure to reach potential or that society has been let down in someway. 

Whether it be the relationships you keep,  your career choices, or the place you call home, just because it looks good on paper, doesn't mean that it's the best option. 

I've had all three happen in the last 2 1/2 years. A long term relationship, that made sense from an outside perspective, came to an abrupt end- under less than desirable circumstances. I decided to forgo an opportunity to seek permanent employment in a school division where I'd built a reputation and had connections. Finally, of course, I moved 15000 kilometers from home, alone, to pursue different opportunities. 

I'm happy. My life is such an adventure right now. I've started from scratch, across the world, and, while some things feel familiar, excitement and new experiences lurk behind every corner. 

The difficult decisions to make challenging changes has left me feeling more fulfilled. Had I stayed in that cushy, comfort zone, my life would look fine on paper. It would look good actually. Real good. However, my insides would be slowly rotting until my unique essence became a shadow of my younger years and their tightly coupled ambition. 

Here, I am. 

Thirty, single, and far away from everything I've ever known.

 I have a feeling that I'm exactly where I'm supposed to be. 

Now, if my students would stop asking me when I'm going to get a boyfriend...

 

The Art of Turning Thirty in Sydney

I did it! I survived Sydney and the big 3-0! I had an amazing time and owe eons of gratitude to the lovely Sam Boongum and her wonderful boyfriend, Justin. I've never experience such hospitality! Definitely recommend Chez Boongum to prospective Sydney Vacationers. 

June 8, 2017- Day of the Dead: 29 years old

First though, I need to discuss the day prior to 30. I had a little celebration with my students at school. I'm the recipient of numerous drawings, cards, and chocolates. Even though they got a little bit hectic at the end of the day, I felt very lucky to be celebrated by students that I've only known for 3 weeks. 

Following that somewhat wild afternoon, I called and Uber to take me from the school to another school for an informal interview. This informal chat went well. I wasn't to have prepared anything as it was informal, but my thought process was when is any discussion about your potential career informal? I brought a portfolio of exemplars for good measure. I have been recommended for a formal interview and demonstration lesson (intense, huh?) on Friday. 

Oh, apparently this is one of the top and most prestigious schools in the country! 

Oh and it would be teaching secondary sciences. 

Oh and it's a private, wealthy school that could potentially put me in a good position to be sponsored for a second visa should I wish to extend my stay. I've learned through Sam it a difficult/expensive process to extend a Visa.

Fingers crossed for me!! I think my first impression went over well! The topic of my lesson is definitely more intense then Grade 10 science back home. Providing evidence for evolution including DNA similarities of cellular organelles. I've a little prep to do haha.

Anyways, I leave the interview feeling pretty happy and make my way home to finish packing and head out for some drinks with my new Canadian, teacher friends Amber and Robyn. We went to a cool little pub called, "Day of the Dead St. Kilda." Well, Kate had a few drinks and decided to arm wrestle the bartender. This led to his (preinjured) shoulder popping out of the socket and he had to go to the hospital. Oops... is that not how you make friends? I had a great time with the girls and the bar was a really funky and fun. There was an awesome young performer who did really unusual mash ups including a TLC/Ed Sheeran performance that I was really into. 

 

June 9, 2017- Day of Departure: 30 years old 

So I wake up an hour after I had planned on and have to call an Uber to catch my skybus to the airport. 

Katelyn does not feel good at this time. I hadn't quite finished packing so I haphazardly threw some crap in my bag and hopped in my Uber, who thankfully did not talk to me.

 Five stars ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

I get to the airport- which is devastatingly far away- only to find out my flight is delayed by two hours. 

So I check in and go grab a beer (hair of the dog?) and grab some brekkie in a packed pub in my terminal. Here, I met an interesting, older, Tassie man who told me of his travels to a number of countries that I can't remember. He actually was going to be traveling to Canada 🇨🇦 in July! 

We cheers-ed, he wished me a happy birthday, and we went our separate ways. 

Following this, I spend a long drawn out 2 hours waiting for my gate to be announced and half sleeping on my purse like the champion that I am. After a small, shitty bit of Mcdonalds, I'm finally able to board my plane. My seat wont recline, so I slept for an hour and twenty minutes with perfect posture. 

I arrive in Sydney far too soon. 

I wasn't done napping yet. 

I leave the plane and text Sam that I've arrived. I quickly followed that up with a specialty juice from the airport food court. I then walked away from the airport to save a 5$ Uber surcharge. As I'm walking aimlessly, a Chinese lady asks me for directions. I tell her that I can't help her, yet she persists. So we walk together toward what appears to be a main road. 

The Sydney weather is SO much warmer than Melbourne. Melbourne gets chilly and with that moisture in the air, it feels colder than it is. 

Anyways, I'm collected by an Uber and pull into Sams apartment a short time later. So weird! Two small town girls meeting across the globe. 

I mentioned Sam was a phenomenal host right?

After a quick shower, Sam calls an Uber and takes me to the most iconic spot in Sydney. The Harbour Bridge and the  Sydney Opera House. 

 

Is this real life? 

We meet up with Justin and their friend Tianna and indulge in some cocktails under heated umbrellas in the pouring rain, all the while, taking in a light show called vivid.  

 

Oh and my hair, which was straightened, is at its pre-fro stage.

Cocktails are so expensive! Eighty dollars for a round of 4! They were delicious.

We followed up this by going to a German bar in the Quay. We shared a couple tubes of beer and some big German sausage platter, complete with Pork Knuckle. The bar had this hip groups of old dudes that belted out some classic hits as well as some Justin Bieber. Sam and Tianna became part of the show. Tianna rang a bell and Sam got to honk a way on a big tuba thing. Both did an outstanding job. I won't even mention Justin claim to fame that night. 

Me, I slowly got fro-ier and "happier" as the night went on. 

Tianna then found a door near the ladies room where you could hear the classic bass of the club scene. So we headed next door to a club called, "Argyle." 

Luckily, you didn't have to be wearing argyle to enter. We danced, drank, and laughed into the early hours of the morning. 

A successful 30th birthday, I'd say.

June 10, 2017- Day of Bouncing Back: 30 years and 1 day old

Woke up around 9:30(?) on a very comfortable couch. We shower and head to breakfast. 

Oh, yeah, you can see the ocean from Sam and Justin's apartment, which makes up for the fact you have to climb a million stairs to get there. 

After a 5 minute walk, we decided on a nice, little breakfast place near Coogee Beach. We shared teaching and traveling stories, while the rain wore itself out. 

Justin then had some laps to swim at a pool located near Bondi beach. Icebergs*****

Sam and I take on a coastal walk through a few beaches to get to the iconic Bondi Beach. Surreal to say the least. 

 

 

I have more photos hidden in Snap Story videos that I'm going to montage together after notable increments of time. 

We stopped at Bondi Ink to look at possible tattoos that I could get to commemorate hitting a milestone birthday in a highly sought after international destination.  The woman gave us some $20 vouchers and I made the decision to return the following day. Was I chickening out? I didn't "feel great." 

So we grabbed the vouchers and met Justin for drinks at a cool little place called, "Bucket List." 

We return to the apartment and I'm treated to the gourmet stylings of this lovely couple for dinner. Justin then pisses off to make some money Ubering around Sydney for the evening, leaving Sam and I unsupervised for a night out. We spent our night split between two bars just a stones throw from her place. 

Oh, Sam drove me back to the apartment! Two small town Canadian girls cruising the streets of Sydney on a Saturday. Despite a navigational error (that's on me,) and a couple accidental windshield wiper turn ons, we made it unscathed. 

The first place we chatted on the patio and enjoyed some beers. After making a quick exit to avoid some intoxicated, fist bumping enthusiasts, we made our way to the rooftop patio at the Coogee Pavilion. 

This place was bumping. We cut laps like Olympic marathoners in order to find a seat. People are really drunk and feeling each other up  enjoying themselves at this place. My favorite part was when we had to move downstairs and found a large basket swing (is that what you call them?) to sit in together. 

Word to the wise, it's a great way to make friends. We got pushed and rocked by so many strangers.

There was a hilarious, tipsy Australian girl who chatted us up. We knew we liked her after she introduced her friend by saying,

"This is my friend. He really hates being my friend."

We also got to bear witness to some hilariously dressed people that had come from a 90s party. Our favorite was a mullet-donning, cellphone belt clip-wearing fella that we affectionately called, "Wisconsin," due to the tshirt he was wearing. It was yellow. It had pictures of cartoon cats and dogs on it and had, "Wisconsin" written largely above a second bout of text that said, "Party Animal." 

He actually pulled it off some how. He attempted to share our swing the subtle charade movements and backing his big, old, juicy butt at us. No words. Nonetheless, we were surprisingly impressed. 

We capped the night off by dodging some creeps and running into a group of European expats. Two British, two Irish, and a German.

I talked to the one Brit for a while. Him and his friend were amazing dancers and I'd been mesmerized by them for a while. 

Amazing dancers from London who were in Melbourne studying medicine and neuroscience. Cool.

Oh, we actually capped the night off by getting crummy "loaded" gravy fries at McDonalds. Really quite disappointing. 

We saw many familiar pub faces at McDonalds. 

June 11, 2017- Day of Reckoning: 30 years and 2 days old

I wake up in Sam's roommate's bed, who was kind enough to let me stay in her room while she was away for the weekend. 

I'm rested? 

Again, I'm treated to a wonderful meal by Sam and Justin. Bacon and eggs :)

We then treated some rainbow lorikeets to a meal of honey on their patio.

 

 

We then made our way to the Harbour to catch a ferry to Manly Beach. Highly recommend. Ten dollar return trip. The beach is gorgeous, there's loads of surfers, and a number of cool restaurants and shops to check out.

 

  

We enjoyed some lunch at an Italian restaurant called Critinis, I think, at Justin's heavy recommendation.

I've never seen a restaurant with a menu that size. I took me forever to decide.

Ended up getting 4-cheese gnocchi. Every bite was so sinfully good. I'm not kidding. So rich and decadent. 

I can still taste it. It's currently made itself at home against my waistband. 

Damn 30 year old metabolism 

Delicious. We made our way down the beach and enjoyed the sights. Please remember, it is winter here. 

 

 

Every time I catch myself whining about the cold, I look at the above picture.

Sam and I went for one last coastal walk. This is where I realized the constellations are different here. You can't see the North Star! Whoooaaaaa. There's a whole slough of new ones that I need to check out. That, coupled with the beauty of the Sydney coast line, is enough to send a small town prairie girl into a constant state of shock and awe.

 

I'd planned on getting a small flash tattoo, but the shop had the incorrect hours posted online, so that didn't happen.. yet. A bare canvas for now. 

Seeing as I had to fly out early (7 am,) we kept it pretty tame and just had dinner at a cute little Thai restaurant in Coogee. A successful trip; such an understatement. 

What a way to enter my dirty thirties!!

June 11, 2017- The Day of the Return to Reality: 30 years and 3 days old. 

The alarm goes off at 5:00 am. I shove my possessions carelessly into my backpack, eat some candy, and put in my activewear to make my journey back. 

My ever-so-generous hosts graciously offered to drive me to the airport. I really can't thank them enough! 

 

June 12, 2017- The Day of Resurrection: 30 years and 4 days old.

Here, I sit, a small town girl, on a bus to teach a grade six class in Melbourne, Australia. 

This is my reality right now. 

Talk about a shake up.

Punctuality, punctuation, and perseverance

Another successful week of full time work has gone by. I can't believe that of my twelve months here, two have come and gone. Time really does fly as you get older. 

I cannot stress how badly I needed this shake up. I've learned so much since the first moments of this adventure. Most of these lessons are reminders of things that I already knew about life and myself and had simply forgotten or pushed to the bottom of the priority pile.

 I've been compiling a mental list of little life lessons/reminders that I've been encountering. 

Lesson/Gentle Reminder #1

Punctuality. In my teenage years, I was always on time/early. It was an ingrained part of life. Being late wasn't an option. As life progressed, many of the people that I interacted with didn't seem to value punctuality as I had been taught to. I absorbed these habits and they followed me into my adult reputation. All the way to the point that my lack of punctuality became a joke among my peers. I owned that rep for a while, but in actuality, it's embarrassing and disrespectful. 

Without a car and having to rely on public transport, I've been nudged back to my temporarily retired punctual habits. That bus driver just doesn't give a damn if I'm running a little behind. I've had a couple of mad dashes to the bus already haha. Of course, one of those days I was wearing heels, like some kind of chump. 

Being late once in a while is one thing (sandwiched by a preemptive warning and copious apologies afterward), but being habitually late is now a thing of the past for me. 

I promise!!

Lesson/Gentle Reminder #2

Punctuation. Now this one takes on two different meanings. 

"Quotation marks, how are you today, question mark, quotation marks, asked Johnny, period."

"Miss, why do you keep saying period?"

Here, they call a period a "full stop." 

I have never heard of that before!! As similar as Canada and Australia are, these little details are really just fascinating to me. These two countries are like two cousins that share similar mannerisms from the related parents, but evolved independent, intriguing quirks. 

And here I am at the family reunion. 

Punctuation, in the non grammatical sense of the word, is imperative to a life well lived. Punctuating life with the big explosive moments, but still acknowledging the smaller, less splashy daily occurrences. Riding the wave, no matter the size. 

I really needed this big shake up to remind me of what I truly value and cherish in life. 

Like two of your very best friends having a baby, but being 15000 kilometers away and not able to celebrate with them.

 

Too often, proximity leads to procrastination. 

Not this weekend, maybe next.

Then suddenly, in the blink of an eye, its next year and the kid is walking. 

Then you turn around and the kid is driving. 

Honestly, since I've been gone, I've been in closer touch with most of my friends and family. 

Even more honestly, I've been in closer touch with myself as well. 

Monotony can be mind numbing. All the time I spend on the trains and buses gives me ample time to think. 

I mean, sure, I muck around on my phone a bit, but I've got limited data, so, at some point, I gotta rely on my old school imagination techniques to conquer boredom.

Doing more of this thinking and indulging in the things I forgot I loved, has allowed me to reconnect with that old part of me in a brand new setting.

Today I walked around in a suburb that was new to me called Caulfield. I google mapsed (yes, I just used that as a verb,) parks near me and this one Caulfield turned up. I recognized the name because I make a transfer at the train station. So I ventured on out.

 This park was massive! Three soccer games going on, a giant dog park, a tennis walk thing, basketball court, cricket batting cages, 

playground, some other field of sorts, an aviary garden, lush running paths, and historical monuments. 

I laid out my yoga mat (which I'd expertly fastened to my back pack in a MacGyver like fashio), head phones in, listening to John Butler trio, and didn't do yoga. 

 

I started writing. 

Not in a book. To passerbys, it probably looked like I was being sucked into social media. I started writing this blog on my phone.

Outside, in a beautiful park, 15000 kilometers away from where I first discovered my love for thinking and writing. 

In the shade of a palm tree, 15000 kilometers from where I first proclaimed (with some doubt in the back of my mind) that I would maintain this blog and asked my friends to hold me accountable. 

 

Then my phone started to die, so I had to pause my writing and grab a tram to the grocery store. 

Ah, the never ending monotonies of the adult existence.  

I came across another park on my way. Super cool. To my friends with kids, you should come visit and check this place out.

 

 

 

 This place was bumpin'. 

Lesson/Gentle Reminder #3

Perseverance. Life takes time. You cannot give up on change too quickly simply because it's uncomfortable. It's those moments that breed character growth.

 

I love the comparison of stress initiating growth to the shedding of the lobsters exoskeleton. Science meets philosophy. I dig it.

Resilience and perseverance are two characteristics that lead to the development of a fulfilled person. Supporting actors: Curiosity and Drive.

I knew of these ideologies and could couple these words together into poetics stanzas beyond my years when I was in high school. Now, I feel like I truly understand them. I try to inspire my kids (students, but they are my kids. I even let them call me mom) to feel these words in a real and visceral way. Incorporate them into their daily lives. 

As a coach, nothing makes me happier than seeing one of my players embodying resilience. Fighting through the pain, be it physical, mental, or emotional, to get to the other side. Rising to the challenge. 

I sometimes get a little misty listening to, "Eye of the Tiger." 

I'm not kidding. 

Continuing on a serious note, it's hard for kids to truly wrap their head around their own potential. 

I didn't reach my full potential as a kid. I was lucky that I was "pretty good" at "most things." I simply didn't do what I wasn't good at. I didn't fight through things that were really difficult for me. I was just really lucky that I had natural abilities on my side.

I worked hard during practices for the various sports I played. I didn't go home and practice what I wasn't good at. I didn't dribble the basketball in my down time or practice my passing in volleyball- both things that I wasn't good at. As a basketball player, I was too small as a post to move on to a post secondary level, but never developed my skills as a perimeter player. Had I, maybe my post secondary experience would have been different. 

I've learned the art of perseverance in the last few years. It's certainly not something that I'm great at. One thing that has been monumental in the development of my ability to persevere, has been Crossfit. 

I am no where near a natural at Crossfit. There are little to no movements that I'm naturally good at. I'm pretty good at the farmers carry, which is just because of my lack of good judgment when buying it comes to the quantity of groceries that I buy. I can carry SO many grocery bags at one time. It's on my resume, under special skills. At my new gym, I discovered I'm pretty good at a sand bag carry. If you haven't seen it before it's this: 

  

Every Wednesday, Schwartz Crossfit has a focus on Gymnastics training and Strongman movements. This movement was the last thing we did. Having never done it before, I tried the lighter bag, which was 100ish lbs, I think. The women were using this bag. Wasn't horrible. The trainer told me to take the bag the men were using the second time. I didn't know if I was going to be able to. Turns out the 150 pounder wasn't too bad either. 

I'm actually reevaluating my line of work. I think I might just move bags of stuff for a living. Dog food, soil, fertilizer... it's a versatile skill. 

Anyways, it's a very humbling sport for me. I have no desire to compete or make huge gains. I just want to be technically sound (something I didn't care too much about as an adolescent,) and make improvements. It has been a slow, slow play for me, but I've been getting marginally better. However, the points of perseverance that really stand out to me, is in the actual workouts themselves. Pushing myself further than I thought I could. Moving faster while maintaining technical standards. So hard to do when all you want to do is get out of the work out. 

If you're gonna doing something, do it right and do it well. Even if you suck at it. 

As much as I want to throw a kettle bell at the coach's head when they tell me to keep my elbows up when performing my 50th thruster. Stupid coaches looking out for my best interest and trying to improve my overall abilities while keeping me away from injury...🙄

But, hey, I need to practice what I preach. I tell my students/athletes that if there is never a point in the semester/season where you don't want to throw a book/ball at my head, I'm not pushing you hard enough. I'm not doing my job. 

Perseverance and patience.

 That whole "trust the process" notion. These concepts are applicable in all avenues of life. 

So there you have it, a little look inside my brain during the process of creating a new life in a foreign country. 

I actually kind of want to keep writing but I'm getting a little sleepy. 

Five days until the big 3-0 and my trip to Sydney to celebrate. 

Milestones Down Under.