New Hair and China

For those of you who don't know, I work once a week as a teacher's aid in the prep to approximately year two class of my old primary school.

This provides me with something to laugh about every  week, this week there were two particular moments which I loved.

The first came from a little prep girl called Billie, I love her name, she is one of the sweetest children always very concerned for others and such a pleasure to work with. When Billie saw my new hair cut (which is a short shaggy bob, very different to the long hair I had previously), she said that at first she didn't recognise me but then she heared my voice and knew it was me. Then Billie leaned close to me and said that she thought maybe I got my hair cut because I saw her hair (which is also newly short) and really liked it... Of course she was completely right, I love her hair.

The second wonderful moment came from another prep student Jaspa. Jaspa is a very little prep boy, and he gets so wonderfully excited about everything that his body shakes with enthusiasm. This week he brought into school a new soccer ball. He was showing me how it was a special socceroes ball and exclaiming "look it says made in China! I don't know how it got here?!" obviously some poor kid in China is missing his Socceroes ball. China is obviously too far away for such a little boy.

I love my job!

This is going to me in your will!

Dear Mum,

when you write your will there's one thing I want!*

It is beautiful and I want it!

Here's why:

This little sewing machine reminds me of the hours we have spent sewing, when Louisa and I made soft toys to go in Santa stockings,  when we made skirts just the other weekend, well when you made skirts for us the other weekend.

But mostly I decided I want this cute sewing machine because it belonged to Grandma Walker.

Grandma Walker is one of the people that I almost remember. I remember her coming to visit us at Jubilee Terrace, well I remember a little old lady standing on the footpath, but that's all. I feel like I almost know her, she seems lovely and just a perfect 'Great Grandmother'.

She seems just out of my reach...

So I want this part of her!  

* (morbid implications about death not intended).

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University has officially started! While most universities around Queensland went back to classes last week, the pretty buildings of the University of Queensland opened its' doors to learning today. while this has meant a wonderful extra week of holidays I am very happy to be back.

-OK, so I lied, UQ actually had its' orientation week last week, but I decided that I was a super mature second year student that was far too cool to mingle with the first years and learn about where the toilets are.-

So I arrived at Uni today at 12.10pm which left me a roomy 50 minutes to find where my lecture would be at 2pm and where on campus institute would be at 1pm. I looked at my time table and saw that my lecture was in a theater where I had lectures last year. Unfortunately it was a rather poky place so I ambled around and eventually found it again. By this stage I was like a feeling pretty confident second year University student. Then I easily found where my institute class would be and even found a toilet.

Having achieved all I needed to before my institute class I decided to wander over to the Union Complex and see if there was anyone I knew.

Suddenly I no longer felt like the mature second year student I thought I was... Not only could I not find anyone I knew in the heaving mass of students, it turns out that over my 100 days of holidays, the university had been transformed. with all new refurbishments I certainly felt just like a first year student again.

There is however one difference between me and me as a first year student, I now know the benefit of a good time table and just how quick you have to be to get the tutorial that you want. That is why I have been waiting in the library for the past hour for my tutorial signon to open. Which should be in five minutes.

Wish me luck!

Of holidays, the future, and Russian Caramel...

100 Days! tha's how long university holidays run for, My last exam finished on the 19th of November and I start university again on the 1st of March. That's a LONG time, so surely things have changed?

Well I guess they have, and here's a list:

Alec went on his misssion over these 100 days. Everytime someone goes away our home feels different,I'm glad he's on his mission but I can't wait for him to come back home (I also know i'll have to wait a while).

I bought make up! foudation, powder, EVERTHING... I even wear it occasionally... Very occasionally (I have a goal to use it before it goes bad).

I went to my first national YSA convention... hmmm enough said.

Pine hired a teacher.

Said teacher quit 3 weeks later.

I became an emergency teacher's aid. This is fun although completely exhausting. Sometimes i'm so tired I can hardly do anything in the afternoon.

I rediscovered how much I like teaching children, they are so much fun, and nothing really beats six year old friends.

I thought about my future. I think i'll finish my Arts degree with honours and then a diploma in education so I can work with development NGO's.

I chose my subjects for this semester.

I found the best onlive book store,it's called the book depository and i'm in love with it.

And I made lots and lots of Russian Caramel. a recipe my great grandmother gave me when I was little. Delicious cold and irresitable warm.

What a great 100 days.

Accomplished Women

I recently watched Pride and Prejudice. Perhaps my favourite scene is where Elizabeth, Darcy and Miss Bingley are discussing what makes a women 'truly accomplished' and comprising a great list that seems almost unachievable. I find this scene humorous and great fun. However this scene settled a question I have had since the middle of last semester.

In my tutorial for The rise of the Roman Republic we were given three Latin words that were used to describe a good women: Castitas- Chastity, Mosetia-Modesty; and my personal favourite: Pudicitia- This is a hard term to explain, some words that may be applied to this are, Purity, self restraint and a sense of shame. Pudicitia my tutor said was very hard to define, I struggled with this concept until Pride and Prejudice settled my confusion. Pudicitia is just as illusive a Caroline Bingley's definition of an accomplished women.

I think about all the wonderful women that I know who have such different talents and achievements, and realise that even now the definition of an accomplished women is as elusive as it has ever been.