I Do Not Need a Clothes Dryer and Things That Can Kill You in Australia!

No Clothes Dryer for Three Weeks, and I am Alive and Well!

with guest contributor, Mitch Hankins speaking on "Things That Can Kill You in Australia!"

Hello Elementary Friends!

I think I told you that there are a few things that we, as Americans think we can not live without that I am proving that we can.  First, we are doing fine without a drip coffee maker.  I love making coffee with the French Press, and it is actually really good coffee!

Next, we are getting used to not having central air and heat.  For now, it is summer, so some days it does get hot in the unit during the afternoon, so we have solved that problem by planning our day to include trips to air conditioned stores, the library (where I am now), a walk down by the water, or just sitting on our balcony with a breeze.  The weather here is interesting.  The temperatures have been averaging in the upper 70's/80's on most days.  Then, there will come a spike into the 90's for a day or two.  Then, a "southerly" comes through and cools things down again.  We will have one more month of summer and then autumn apparently comes quickly.  My principal, Malcolm, put it this way, "We have about 12 days a year when it is entirely too hot, and we have about 12 days a year when it is entirely too cold.  Other than that it is pretty nice!"  That is what we have found to be true so far.  We love walking outside in the mornings and in the evenings - it is very nice.

I wasn't sure about not having a clothes dryer.  I have had a clothes dryer all of my life.  Mitch says he remembers his grandmother hanging clothes on a line when he was a child, but I believe that I have had a dryer from day one.  I have always hung my clothes on hangers on a rod in my laundry room, but always used the dryer for bedding, towels, etc.  So, this has been a learning experience.  I really love the way the towels and sheets feel and smell after hanging on the line.  The towels, especially, are very pleasantly absorbent and actually fluff more than I thought they would.  If someone shows this photo to Helen, she will be pleased to see that we are, indeed, washing her sheets and towels while we are here!

This blog will be my last one before school starts, so next week get ready for me to tell you some stories about teaching and learning in Australia!

Everyone here is still enjoying the summer holiday and looking forward to next Tuesday which is Australia Day!  Several of the shops and restaurants in our neighborhood have been closed since Christmas.  They are all starting to open back up, and we are glad!

In honor of Australia Day, I am sharing a short video with you which teaches you how to speak Australian!  Enjoy!

Click on this link for video:   How to Speak Australian - Abbreviate Everything!

Now - here is the long awaited guest blog contributor, Mitch Hankins with his discussion of the many things that can kill you in Australia!

Three weeks in and I’m having a wonderful time in Australia.  It’s difficult to write about without going overboard with superlatives so I’ll simply say that Sydney is the most beautiful city I’ve ever visited, and Karla and I continue to be amazed at the many special places and things Sydney has to offer.

As beautiful as it is, however, there are far too many things here that are simply lying in wait in an effort to kill people.  Perhaps the most prevalent are the drivers.  Every time I get into the car I know that I’m taking my life into my own hands.  I’m pretty confident in backing out of the garage and into the common driveway we share with the other residents of our complex but that ends 50 feet later when I turn out onto the road.  It is a continual learning process, and I’m improving but still have a long way to go.  In an effort to be balanced I’m much more of a danger to the driving public than they are to me.

Moving on to the plethora of other things that are more than willing to kill people I have to mention the wildlife.  It is plentiful and ubiquitous.  We live in an extremely urban area just across the Harbour from Sydney yet there are suicidal kangaroos that live all around us and that may decide to hop out onto the roadway at any time.  Kangaroos are significantly bigger than armadillos and running over a kangaroo is a serious collision.

Other more dedicatedly lethal animals include fish, mammals, reptiles, amphibians and arachnids.  Even critters you would never expect to be dangerous are dangerous - like the Textile Cone (which sounds like it should be available for purchase at a fabric store).  This is a snail armed with a harpoon than can be fired out in any direction.  The harpoon contains a deadly neurotoxin that will paralize an individual's respiratory system.  They are also called a cigarette snail because if you are stung by one you have time to smoke one cigarette before you keel over dead.  A snail!

Next we go on to our avian friends.  In particular, there is the cassowary.  It’s as large as a man, looks like a deranged turkey with the head of blue buzzard, can run 30 mph, and has an attitudinal problem.  Oh, that and a 5” long middle toe that is as sharp as a razor.  With its size and weight, along with that toe, it can easily sever a person’s limb or disembowel an individual. I’m becoming very sorry for any bird I’ve ever killed while hunting and hoping that cassowaries are not aware of the concept of karma.

Not to be left out, the fish have contributed to the parade of horribles.  In particular, there is the stone fish.  It’s called a stone fish because it is perfectly disguised as an underwater stone and also because the name “absolute butt ugly fish” must have already been taken.  This guy waits around all "rock like" on the ocean floor for someone to step on it.  The dorsal fins are tipped with a neurotoxin (there is just a lot of neurotoxin down under) which causes incredible pain and death if the antitoxin isn’t quickly administered.  Of all the ways to go, death by ugly fish is not particularly romantic.

The Sydney Funnel Web spider is also on the list.  You may have noticed that it is the SYDNEY Funnel Web spider and isn’t named in honor of anyone named Sid, but for its home.  Which is also our home.  This guy isn’t as well known as the red-backed spider (also Australian, also deadly) but he is more aggressive.  Just what the world needs - a venomous spider with an attitude.  The neurotoxin this guy delivers is twice as potent as cyanide. Oh yeah, and fangs.  Fangs that can penetrate fingernails and/or shoe leather.

Cuteness is deceiving.  There are few animals I’ve ever seen that are more cuddly or lovable than a Koala.  However, there is one type of koala known as the drop bear and it does just that.  When agitated, it will simply let go from its hold up in a eucalyptus tree and bomb whatever is annoying it, and by so doing stun whatever it has landed upon before biting it in the neck. Luckily, it has no neurotoxin.

Not to be outdone by animals with vertebrae or exoskeletons, there is the blue ringed octopus.  They are usually quite good at hiding in coral reefs in a camouflaged condition.  Until it gets angry.  Then it turns bright yellow with blue circles and pulsates which I’m pretty sure I saw once on an episode of Star Trek.  This is all done in preparation to bite you.  The bite is 1200 times more potent than cyanide.  There’s no antivenom.  However, if you can be reached for treatment quickly enough you can be immediately placed on life support and kept there until the venom wears off.

Not to be outdone by its boneless cousin, the box jellyfish is also out there…in the ocean, mostly around the Great Barrier Reef.  Each one has enough venom to kill 60 humans, and people still go diving in areas where these guys frequent.  There are wet suits that can be worn to protect against the box jellyfish but wearing them makes you look like a Teletubby.  Looking like a Teletubby can cause you to die of embarrassment so I suppose you can chose your poison.

Now we can move on the the usual suspects, the first of which being sharks.  They are sort of everywhere.  On a recent day it was reported that there were 65 shark sightings off of Sydney’s southern beaches.  Sixty-five and only the southern beaches.  There are beaches everywhere.  Yesterday we went to Bondi beach and I was fully reminded that I am not a beach person.  I’m too old to be a beach person and every hard-bodied kid that was there was more than happy to remind me of that fact.  I didn’t mind too much because I never even took off anything in an effort to get down to my swim trunks (which I did wear as a result of a momentary lapse in judgment).  When we got home from the beach I read a report that a Great White Shark had been spotted off the beaches in Adelaide and it was estimated to be over 7 meters (almost 22 feet) in length, making it the largest shark ever captured on camera.  Adelaide is about 1400 km from Sydney but I am glad I didn’t take the chance.

Snakes!  Lots and lots of snakes and the worst of the lot is the Eastern Brown Snake.  Fast, aggressive and deadly and found in the populated areas of Sydney and Melbourne.  Before the development of the antitoxin there was an 80% death rate.  The good news was you didn’t have to suffer long as death usually occurred within the first hour after being bitten.

Finally, there is the salt water crocodile.  What can I say?   Well, for one thing, the name is misleading as the crocodile (which happens to be the world’s largest reptile) is equally at home in the ocean, a swamp or a freshwater river.  Also, these crocodiles don’t just wait for a person to get too close.  They will purposely hunt you - or tigers, or elephants.  Just last week a woman was attacked by one which was later killed. Her arm and hand had yet to be digested.

So, as we explore the beauty of Sydney and of Australia as a whole, I tend to keep one eye on the scenery and the other on the lookout.  These were just the top 10 animals that are potentially deadly.  There are over a hundred others.

Thanks Mitch for your contribution - I will now try to go to sleep!

A Few Activities and Excursions Since Last Week

On Monday, January 18th Mitch was thrilled to be able to watch the Broncos game live (on-line) - of course it was 8:30 AM here and 2:30 PM Sunday in Denver.  Even better was the WIN!

Later that day we took the ferry from Woolwich (about 5 minutes from our house) to Sydney Circular Quay (pronounced key).  It was a nice transport showing us where we live in comparison to the city.  We then had a fifteen minute walk to the Sydney Royal Botanic Gardens.  It was magnificent!

Here is some information about the Royal Botanic Gardens that you may find interesting:

The Royal Botanic Garden Sydney is a major botanical garden located in the heart of Sydney, Australia. Opened in 1816, the garden is the oldest scientific institution in Australia and one of the most important historic botanical institutions in the world. It is open every day of the year and access is free. Its stunning position on Sydney Harbor and immediately adjacent to the Sydney CBD, the Sydney Opera House and the large public park lands of The Domain ensure it is one of the most visited attractions in Sydney.

We walked through the gardens for a couple hours and were amazed at how many different gum and fig trees there are.  In addition, the Rose Garden area was especially delightful!


Tuesday, January 19th we headed south to see the famous Bondi Beach.  We decided to drive ourselves instead of taking public transportation.  If we do it again, we will probably make a different decision.  Traffic in the City is really something - with narrow streets, driving on the left, so many round-a-bouts, etc!  Anyway, I can see why the beach is famous - it is huge and beautiful with a large half-circle of beautiful sand.  It was already packed with people at 9:30 AM.  Here are a few photos of Bondi:

Yesterday, Wednesday (20th) I spent the day at the school wrapping my head around how things are done here with class lists, schedules (they call them "time tables"), what next week will hold for the beginning of a new school year, etc.  I also received the names of my students!  I am so excited to be able to start thinking of and praying for each child by name.  I sincerely hope that I am able to provide what each of them will need during this remarkable school year.  In addition, I learned what the role of "teaching assistant principal" actually means for my duties at the school.  This will be such a learning opportunity for me - I am definitely on a VERY STEEP learning curve, so please be thinking of me!

That's it for now - next week I hope to have some fun student stories for you about the first day of school!  Take care, dear friends!