So, so much for making any effort to upload things or keep in touch, gee Mel.

I realised there was news that I should have shared with people through a journal a few weeks ago, so let's amp it up a little first.

I've been a 'teacher' for a year, registered, but with very little work. I've had nothing permanent all year. I've had a couple of contracts, all of which were very difficult. I had quite a few interviews that stopped me from thinking I should just get a non-teaching job, but ultimately they all produced nothing. Constant hope rising and disappointment has left me very shaken.

For the last term I've been working at a school on the south/east side, and it's been going rather well and it's been very regular, but they haven't ever been able to guarantee me a position for next year. On a semi-whim, I applied for a senior english teaching position at a school in Bundaberg (400km/250miles north of where I live now). They liked what I had to say, and I started to take the thing seriously, which involved Rohan driving me there for an hour interview. Thing about Christian circles: small world. One of the teachers there used to be my science/maths teacher in grade 9. The head of secondary was Rohan's music teacher when he went to Bundy High. The principal used to play tennis with my mother before I was born, when my parents were still married and living in Dululu.

Which apparently they were intrigued by, resulting in a call back. I should point out, this is a Christian school, and I'm a Christian, and I realised that if I wanted this job, I needed to have my heart in the right place, and I had to realise everything I was getting with it. I was going to be a new place, with people I don't know, and would have to start my life again with Rohan to help me. I was going to be somewhere where people expected me to be Christian, where I would have constructive pressure to better myself professionally, spiritually and personally. So both Rohan and I went to the call back, and they interviewed us both...for 2 hours.

After a year of disappointment and effort and loss and low money and debt and searching...Bundaberg Christian College offered me a job. A reasonably paid teaching job, where there are good conditions, good resources, good facilities, good prospects for happiness.

I'm moving to Bundaberg to start a new life with Rohan, and we're very excited, I guess that's the short version.

Um...for anyone who's interested...despite the fact that I haven't written a thing in so long...

I think I'm officially on hiatus until I get my graphics tablet. It's coming to me as a birthday gift, hence the wait.

That is all.

Four years was a long time. I feel that I only just scraped through in the end, and watching people walk up and receive levels of honours made me feel like a bit of a pleb...but ultimately I felt excited, and relieved of course.

I suppose it's a bit of an anti-climax after spending 3 weeks actually teaching...and with the strain of still not knowing what I'll be doing next year.

But really, I feel achievement. My family gave me lovely gifts and showered me with congratulations. Let's hope I can hack it from here on out.

Graduation has stopped being the light at the end of the tunnel and has become the light I see when I look behind me.

So in short, I'm not flooded in.

Brisbane has been experiencing it's worst storm in 25 years and my area seems to be the only one that's alright. The school I'm working at (I'll get to that in a minute) resides in one of the most affected areas. People have lost their houses, flooding, they're still bringing power back on, trees are everywhere, and due to tree loss, the second lot of rain caused mudslides, and I've heard there have even been deaths. It was so bad they even cancelled school at the start of this week (cancelling school is a big deal right?).

Last night, the rain was coming in sideways everywhere but where I live, inner city areas had hail and trees blown over the bypass...insanity in general really. Rohan and I spent that time finding an undercover park for half an hour, then shopping. I am incredibly spoilt.

So yeah, I finished my internship, passed uni, and the school I did my internship at has asked me to work there til end of term. I had a grade 8 class while I was there, and their teacher suddenly took ill (I say suddenly, but she has been constantly taking time off), so they frantically got me in, registered, and teaching within a a few days. I now have two grade 8 English classes and tutoring sessions. One grade class is the lovely one I had on internship, the other one is feral due to not knowing to how to behave having had a terrible teacher all year.

So I'm here for the rescue. I've never shouted in a classroom like this, they make me so angry, they're so rude and ridiculous, but I don't have time to train them cos their assessment is due next week. So I just need to brave the storm I guess (oh wow, what a terrible pun).

So, to sum up:
- not flooded
- paid teaching job
- .....I've done pretty much nothing artwise unless you count painting Necromunda figures.

Hope you're all well, hopefully I'll see you around.

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