This is AFL not NFL

Not too much has happened the past two or three days, hence not too many posts on this end. School has been pretty normal. Yesterday I was on duty for morning recess which means that while the kids are outside for morning recess there has to be two teachers on duty to watch them while the other teachers have a cuppa (cup of coffee/tea) in the staff room. So I was doing my duty outside and on the oval the year 6 and 7 boys were playing footy but some of them had taken their shoes off. I went over there to tell them that anyone who didn’t have shoes on needed to put them back on. Most of them obeyed straight away but one of them said, “This is AFL not NFL” I said, “it doesn’t matter what type of football they both wear shoes so put yours back on” (in my serious teacher tone voice) and he said, ‘yea, but I’m just saying this is not NFL that we are playing.” Haha even though he was still talking back I think he just wanted to point out that our football was different or something.

Yesterday instead of doing our normal boot camp in the afternoon, we all went to the oval in the neighborhood to play rugby. I finally caught on to the rules by the end of it but you can only pass the ball behind you which was really hard to do because you are trying to run forward but your teammates have to stay behind you so you can pass it to them without getting tagged since we were just playing touch. It was a lot of fun playing out there and a lot of running too!

Last night at bible study, Ash made some Turkish bread and it was so good! He put butter and garlic on it and it was like ciabatta (sp?) bread or something like that but a little thinner. I love most of the foods here but my teacher had me try cheesemite which is like vegemite but with a cream cheese type base. Two words: not good. I think that it is an acquired taste and I do not like it at all. It is very salty and I didn’t taste much cheese at all. 

Hope everyone has a great rest of the week! Peace and blessings, oh and I sent some more postcards yesterday so you may get one soon! Also, I noticed that I bought one that has already been written on! I cant believe I wasted 30 cents on a postcard that I cant even use! Ha I am trying to decide if I should keep it for a scrapbook because it is written in Swedish or something like that or if I should send it off because it is addressed and stamped already. What do y’all think I should I do about it? it’s a beautiful postcard so it would be a great thing for my scrapbook but I bet that person is looking for it in the mail from their friend that is in Perth! Thoughts?

Proverbs 3:5

Swan Valley Tour

I feel so cultured! I went to three wineries Sunday and it was really cool! Sunday morning after church, Tracy dropped me off at the train station where I met Catie and we rode the train into the city. It took us a while to find the coach tour bus stop but thankfully we got there and had an amazing time. My favorite wine since I have been here is called Houghton and I was so excited when we got to go to that winery. It is the biggest winery in the swan valley area. Swan Valley is a part of Perth that is along the Swan River, no surprise there. Anyway, the tour that we signed up for took us to three wineries: Houghton, Charlie’s Estate Wine, and Jarrah Ridge.  Then we went to a brewery called Elmar’s and that was pretty good too. We had some time to sit in the restaurant and we ordered some hot chips with aioli which is now one of my favorite dips! Then we went to the best part of the tour – the chocolate factory! They had the best dark chocolate and don’t worry, I brought some to bring back home! We met some pretty cool people on the tour as well. There were two girls from Ireland and they asked if I had some Irish background because they know so many Kathleen’s in Ireland and said it is a very popular name there. I said I didn’t but that my last name was German. And there just happened to be a girl from Germany on the tour, too! She asked what my surname was so I said it and spelled it for her. She said it is really pronounced Boomah and sometimes they spell it Böhme because the oe digraph can also be written as the o with the two dots on top. She said her sister is friends with a girl who has that same last name so maybe she is like my cousin or something! The brewery had lots of German beers too so that was pretty cool!

All in all, Sunday was a good day and I felt very sophisticated by the end of it! There were also lots of cool cheeses that we got try. There were meant to be eaten to cleanse our palate between the wine tasting but I was eating them because they tasted so good and I was getting hungry!

Starting week 9 tomorrow which means I only have about 3 weeks left and there is still heaps that I want to do! Seriously, cannot believe it.  Hope everyone has a great week!

Romans 12:2

Rottnest Island

Saturday was absolutely beautiful! Catie and I had to wake up early to catch the bus to get to Hillary’s Boat Harbor but it was well worth it! We met Erin and Whitley there and took the first ferry out to Rottnest Island at 8am and we stayed until 4:30 trying to do as much as we could. They have these rodent type things on the island called quokkas. They are extinct everywhere except that island. They look like a cross between a huge rat and a small kangaroo. They were cute in the face but they have a rat tail that looks pretty gross. Anyway, we hired some bikes and snorkeling gear to take with us to the island. Good thing we did because it was a lot bigger than I thought it would be and if we didn’t have the bikes we wouldn’t have been able to see nearly as much as we did. I was pretty much the fastest bike rider out of the group. Haha jk I think I just had a fast bike. But yea, we rode for majority of the day trying to see as much of the island as we could. It is a huge holiday spot for every one of all ages. They have cabins to rent, places to set up tents, a grocery store, shops to buy things, restaurants, pubs, a movie theatre, bus tours, lots of bays to go snorkeling and it’s a historical place. They have old cannons that were used during WWII and we went up to Oliver Hill which I think was the highest point of the island, in the middle. That was one massive hill and it has hard riding the bike to the top but it was heaps of fun riding down! We biked for the majority of the day taking a few breaks to snorkel and lay out at the beach. Everyone was so nice and helpful as usual because all Aussies pick up on our accent and are so kind to offer help and ask us about our trip and why we are here. I really love the people here because, apart from some of the bus drivers, everyone is always happy to stop what they are doing to help you out!

When we were ordering our lunch Saturday I didn’t really know what was going on at this bakery/deli so I just ordered what the person in front of my ordered which was a chicken and avocado roll. Turned out to be a sub sandwich with baked chicken, tomato, and avocado. Well, Erin ordered the same thing except instead of saying ‘roll’ she just said chicken and avocado sandwich. They brought here a sandwich on white bread with the same thing as me except mine was a foot long which gave me lunch and a snack before we left but her little sandwich only filled her up for lunch. So if you are coming to Australia and want a sub sandwich say you want a roll. Also they call cookies biscuits and granola bars Museli bars. I think I may have already told you that but just in case, there you go. And TimTams are the best cookie/biscuit ever created. I will be starting a business to import them to the states if anyone wants to help. Forget teaching, I will earn enough by introducing TimTams to the Americans.  That alright with you, pops?! :)

Hope all is well with everyone back home. I will be home in 26 days and I am so excited to spend time with all of you again. I have been missing everyone so much and I can’t wait to hug your necks when I am back! I got lots of postcards this weekend and plan on sending those out soon so if you haven’t received a postcard please make sure I have your address so I can send you one!

Lamentations 3:24-26

Perth City Festival

Every Friday night in March the city of Perth has lots of food stands set up and street entertainers performing downtown. Catie and I met Erin there on Friday for dinner and I am so glad we went. They just have it open from 5 to 8 and it was a lot of fun going into the city. I have been there once before when we went searching for that Mexican restaurant but this time we went when it was still daylight and got to see more of the city. I saw the famous Bell Tower and it changes colors at night. It looks much bigger on postcards but it was still very pretty. I also saw

London Court

which reminded me of London, imagine that! It was just a little side street downtown that had that England type architecture and lots of little shops, too bad were there after they closed. Hope to go back sometime during the day so have a look around. We saw a street entertainer that did a juggling show. He was probably the funniest guy I know, besides Peter, of course. But yea, he was hilarious and I was laughing so hard at his jokes as he was performing. At the end he asked a volunteer (actually it was Erin) to put him in a straight jacket and he would get out of it in one minute. So before we started the timer he said we would count to 3 and then say go. He said, if you aren’t from here, this is how you count to 3 in French…Chinese... those were both legit then he said, this is how you count if you are from America, 1….another one…..a bunch. This is how you count if you are Roman I….I, I…. I, I, I. haha that was my fav, get it, like Roman numerals?! He had tons of jokes up his sleeve! His name was Bruce. A few times he was juggling he dropped them at the beginning and I felt like calling out from the crowd, “You can do it Bruce-y!” for those of you who have seen Matilda, I hope you are laughing right now!

That was pretty much my day. Oh and another thing they say a little differently is ‘short sighted’ and ‘long sighted’ instead of near and far when talking about vision.

1 Corinthians 10:10

Two Birthdays

Today was another easy peasy day. Because the kids have swim lessons it is pretty much a half day for the next week! I cannot believe how fast the time is going, sorry, I know I say that pretty much every entry but yea, it is flying! So, yesterday was Alazer’s birthday and today I asked him how it was and if he got anything special. He walked closer to me and whispered, “I got KFC for dinner” I started smiling and was like, “Wow! I bet that was good!” He said, “yes, it was good but did know I have two birthdays and today is my other birthday.” I said, “What do you mean?” He says, “Well in my country, in Ethiopia, my birthday is on the 24^th which is today. But when I came here my mom changed it to the 23^rd which was yesterday. So today is my birthday where lots of people give me presents but yesterday was my birthday only for my mom to give me presents. Everyone in my family gets two birthdays. That’s just how my family is.” Haha it was so cute!

On the bus ride back to the pool Jade was sitting in front of me and this is our conversation:

Jade: Miss Boehme, what is your favorite color?

Me: Purple.

Jade: What is your favorite animal?

Me: Tiger.

Jade: What is your favorite number?

Me: 3

Jade: You have a purple tiger that has three legs.

Me: ……blank stare, I didn’t really know what to say and I probably gave her one of my looks that many of you know I can give.

Jade: You can go back to America and teach everyone that game now.

Today at school I got a phone call from my wonderful Mama and sister!! It was good to hear their voices even though I was nervous when the registrar lady told me my mom was on the phone! But yea it was a nice surprise and they called during morning tea so it was great timing since the kids were at recess.

I also got a special something in the mail today! It was an invitation to Leah’s bridal shower! I wish I could be there for it but I will be there in spirit! Maybe I can be skyped in? I’ll try to work it out because I miss all those besties from high school! Glad I am still so close with y’all even though it has been 4 years!

Isaiah 41:13

Swimming Lessons

Yesterday started swimming lessons for the kids! I can't believe it is part of the curriculum here but I think it is pretty cool. It will be all of this week and all of next. So after lunch our kids get on a bus and we drive to Craigie Leisure Center for the swimming lessons. The students have to pay $50 ahead of time and if they don't want to pay for it or attend, they can stay at school to do other work. We have 3 groups that go throughout the afternoon and we pretty much have to block off 2 hours of the day for it. The teachers are put on a roster to either stay at school with the left overs (kids who don't go to swimming lessons) have DOTT time which is a planning period or go to the pool with the kids. Yesterday Connie and I stayed at school with the left overs and today we went to the pool. It is an indoor pool and they have all the kids divided up into different levels depending on how good they are at swimming. The kids come to school in their bathing suit with their uniforms over and they are allowed to wear flip flops to school, but they call them thongs and I think its kinda funny! So that is pretty much all that has been happening here. I am going to Rottnest Island this weekend and really looking forward to that! Sorry there isn't more to say, but the good thing is I will be home in less than a month and I can speak to your pretty little faces!

Much love

Matthew 6:25-27

Scarborough Beach

We did not end up going on the boat today but it turned out to be a wonderful day. Tracy, Monique and I went to church and it really hit me that I will miss that church family a lot when I go home. I have gotten to know so many of them and I enjoy their company. Today the reading was on John 13 which is about Jesus washing the feet. The pastor talked about love and the meaning that that word holds. He talked about how it is a choice that you make and should not always be based on feelings. He explained that when you truly love someone that means you will do anything for them just as Jesus gave His life for us, because he loved us so much. The washing of the feet was supposed to be a job for the lowest ranking person in the house or a servant of the house. When Jesus got down to wash their feet they didn’t want Him to do that because that meant He was lower than they were. But He saw it as a way to serve the ones He loved and to show them how much He loved them. There were more things that he talked about, but that was the main thing that I got out of it.  

After church I talked with my friends for a bit but then I went out to eat lunch with Monique and Tracy. We went to a Japanese restaurant called Yum Cha that served Dim Sum. It was very interesting because the way they serve you is that you sit at a table with a ticket on it and the people walk around with trays full of food and you say yes or no. If you want what they have you take a plate of it and they put a little tick on your ticket to show what you have eaten. They were constantly circling the restaurant and bringing out tons of food. It was pretty good food and was very filling!

After lunch I went down to get Catie and we walked to the bus stop. We took the bus to the train station and then went to Scarborough beach. It was absolutely beautiful but it is also one of the most dangerous beaches in Perth because of the high winds and the strong under toe. It was probably the most fun I have ever had the beach because it was awesome playing the waves and body surfing. They were the highest waves I have been in and I know I will be sore tomorrow. At one point it was a little scary because it took us out past the yellow and red flags and you are supposed to always stay in between the flags for safety. But thankfully we got back to shore safely. When we tried to lay out it was not so fun because the wind was so strong it would blow sand in your face. But all in all, it was a beautiful day and I am so glad that it turned out to be such a fun day. When we were ready to leave we had about 45 minutes before our bus came so we decided to go to a restaurant on the beach to have a beer. OMG, it was the best beer I have ever had. It was called Matso’s Mango Beer. It is brewed here in the state of Western Australia in a city called Broome. I normally do not like beer at all and I think it is because the beer we get in America is just not good. Ha, Australian beer is so much better!

I am so happy and blessed to be able to go to the beach pretty much every weekend and enjoy God’s beautiful creation. He is so wonderful and I am so thankful that He is challenging me everyday to grow closer to Him.

Hope everyone has a great week back at school! Only 4 more weeks for me and I don’t want it to end!

John 13: 1-17