For parents: Leaving Sydney United flight 9800 at 4:15 pm March 28 (March 27 for you) Arriving in Philadelphia at 9:40 PM (March 28) Arriving in Pittsburgh at 12:15 AM (March 29 - Friday night/Saturday morning) See you at US Air Baggage area for flight 1443 Nancy will call you if there are any changes.
Some of us woke early to catch the sunrise over the ocean - BEAUTIFUL!!
Sunrise from my balcony!!
We had a wonderful breakfast buffet at the condo restaurant then headed out to the pool for an early swim. Some students stayed at the condo pool and some braved the ocean (with lifeguards).
Playing in the sand
Catching some rays
The condo and pool
After having lunch, we headed back to the airport to a delayed flight, not returning back to RIDBC until 9:00 PM. We are now all packing and getting ready to leave to come back to the states.
SAYING GOODBYE
Students wrote messages on each other’s shirts :
Ashlyn and Andrea
Samantha
Charlie
We will surely miss all of the great people we have met here in Australia. Our hosts have been fantastic and have given up their last 2 weeks to give us the experience of a lifetime. We will never forget the time we have spent here and the people we have met. It will be a tearful goodbye tomorrow morning but also a great reunion with our families upon our return to Pittsburgh.
THANKS TO ALL AT RIDBC and TPS, especially:
The kids:
Alannah, Shirley, Hayley, Rachel, Marilyn, Lydia
Lachlan, Andrews, Andrew, Manny, Poreia, Omar
The staff:
Peter, Louisa, Adrian, Karen, Di, Amanda, Sue Ann, Sean,
Kathy in the library, Chris and Amanda, Gavin, Clint, Madeline,
Claire, Barbara, Lynne, Vince, Geoff and Kerri (Adrian’s parents)
AND everyone else here at RIDBC/TPS who have pitched in one way or
another to make us feel welcome!!
ADDITIONAL THANKS
to the WPSD Board of Directors for supporting this exchange program and
to Don and Cathy Rhoten for their encouragement and trust in us.
Tuesday morning we woke early and left for the airport at 6:30 AM to fly from Sydney to “The Sunshine Coast” in Queensland - a 1.5 hour flight but a 16 hour drive!! When we arrived we dropped our things off at our ‘hotel’ which turned out to be a beautiful condominium resort with our rooms all facing the ocean!! Off to The Australian Zoo, home of the late Crocodile Hunter, Steve Irwin. We were met by two different TV station news crews and had interviews and filming while the kids had a private appointment with Edna, the koala, and some kangaroos!!
TPS and WPSD staff and students
Yes, we will be bringing Adam back….he was saved by Kurt, Brian and Tony!
Rachel with “Edna” and her handler
A good way to get your arm bit off!!!
Adam and Brian with a friendly kangaroo!
Our two ‘devils’….Shirley and Rachel
The highlight of the trip for some students was a chance meeting with Terri Irwin, Steve’s wife, when she happened to walk out of her office as the kids walked by. Wow - they were excited!!
Excited kids!! Jeremy, Charlie, Jimmy, Mary Ann and Andrea posing with Terri Irwin.
No end to the fun together
We dined outside at Vitos Pizzaria, filling up on a variety of pizzas and pasta. Then it was back to the hotel to swim and relax before calling it a night.
Having fun at Vitos!!
What a beautiful day it was today, not only with the weather but with meeting many of our Australian friends’ families and graduates of TPS. We began the morning tying up some loose ends with some students going souvenir shopping (one more time!!) and some students fighting with ATM machines to try to get some cash. (If anyone wants to travel internationally, call me for tips on the easiest way to carry your money!!)
Tony got up close and personal with this cockatoo!!
We all assembled at the pavilion by the the pool to participate in a variety of games and activities. The first was a scavenger hunt in which 3 groups of kids had to hunt all over the campus for a variety of objects, including dead bugs!! The relay race that followed was a blast!! There were 7 different ’stations’ at which students had to complete activities such as eat a cracker without water, blow up a balloon, eat a half of a tomato, and roll a golf ball with your nose.
THE RELAY:
Eating crackers…..
Rolling a golf ball….
…and bobbing for apples!!
The winning scavenger hunt team!!
Lunch was an outside ‘barbie’ complete with the Australian version of kielbassi, hotdogs and steak. YUM!! Many friends and families of RIDBC/TPS joined us and it was very nice to meet parents of the kids we have been spending so much time with!!
The cooks: Vince and Geoff
The feast……
After lunch we played a rousing game of ‘kick tennis’ and some tug of war. Of course, after all the excitement, we put on our swimsuits and played around in the pool the rest of the afternoon.
Hayley, Ashlyn and Samantha cooling off!!
Charlie and Jimmy cooling off!
Learning the rules of the game.
Sabreen and Emily
Believe it or not, the girls won this one!!
It is off to Queensland and the Australian Zoo tomorrow. We will be staying overnight in a hotel and I will not be taking my computer with me so there will not be an update on the blog until the following evening, our last evening in Australia 
Some miscellaneous pictures for your enjoyment:
Amanda and Daisy
Steve, Louisa, Peter, Sue Ann and Di relaxing by the pool.
Against the rules…..
A Steeler bug!!!
Stellena and Jack
We began our day with an inside Easter Egg hunt with several dozen chocolate eggs hid around our lounge and kitchen area. While it may have taken 15 minutes to hide all of the eggs, it only took the kids a minute or less to find all of them!!
Kurt and Sabreen BEFORE eating their eggs!!
We then had a wonderful big breakfast of eggs, bacon, hash browns, toast and cereal. Some students and staff headed off to church while the others lounged around through the morning.
Celebrating Easter!!
Shopping on Easter?? Yes, although all grocery and department stores were closed, the Parklea Market was open for business. And did they get the business from us!! There were several souvenir stores around with everything and anything that a person would want to buy. Many of us came home with several bags full of goodies. After shopping, it was back to campus for some much needed rest and relaxation, cleaning rooms, doing laundry and snoozing!!
Souvenirs galore!!
Jeremy and Derek cruising the shops
Tony, Adam, Derek and Kurt with their bags of goodies!!
Rain + Mud + More Rain = RUGBY!! That’s how our day began with the boys (and some of the girls) learning the sport from some members of a Deaf rugby team. The team stopped by before their game to share a few playing tips with a group of VERY EAGER players. After everyone got cleaned up (and the rain stopped), it was off to the Aquatic Centre. What a wonderful place to spend a relaxing afternoon. With a variety of pools, the slide and the spa - there was something for everyone. There was no better way to spend the day with a little bit of swimming and a whole lot of friends!
Yes, it is very different from football!!
Still smiling and no broken bones!!
Back at TPS, we enjoyed a taco dinner and it was off to movie night! Everyone got to bed early, ready for an Easter Egg hunt and church services for some in the morning.
Stellena, Rachel and Emily sharing a happy moment together.
A view of the Olympic Aquatic Centre
A happy group!
Relaxing in the spa….
The smiles keep coming!!
What do you get when you combine a whole lot of animals with rides, exhibits, shows, vendors and thousands of people? The Royal Easter Show. Held at the site of the historic 2000 Sydney Olympics, this was truly an experience for all of us. Billed as the event where “the city meets the country”, it is like our Pennsylvania Farm Show, only on a much grander scale. We took the entire day exploring and visiting all of the different things that the Show had to offer. Even after a full day, it was clear that there was still more to see and do.
At the carnival
Lots of fun!!
Kurt, Adam, Brian and Jimmy pose in front of the huge ferris wheel.
The site of the 2000 Olympic Flame
We did save the best for last – Show Bags. Everyone got the chance to visit a huge pavilion and purchase a bag full of “goodies” all centered on a different theme. From Elmo and Sesame Street to High School Musical everything you could possibly imagine was on the front of a show bag and the gifts inside seemed endless.
Show Bags!!
After the Easter Show, it was a quick dinner and off to the football game - The Bulldogs vs The Rabbitohs. It was quite evident as the players took the field that this was not Steelers football. After an hour and a half of hard hitting, quick running and skillful passing of what looks a little like an American football, we got a new appreciation for this sport. You should all notice a few Aussie football jerseys and t-shirts around the WPSD campus after Spring Break.
The group in front of the Olympic Stadium
The ANZ Olympic Stadium
Great seats at field level!!
Ashlyn
Brian, Derek and Jeremy
The girls with the Rabbit-Oh mascot
Action!!
Well, tomorrow promises to be another busy day, so everyone is getting ready for a good nights rest. Until tomorrow, as they say here in Australia, “no worries”…
Samantha and Andrea with some Birds of Paradise
Another busy day in Australia – and we mean BUSY! Everyone got up bright and early for another day on the go. After a great start breakfast, we boarded the bus to Darling Harbour – WOW – what a site! Then it was off to the Sydney Aquarium. A wonderfully educational trip. We got a chance to get up close and personal with many animals who really are from “down under”. We saw baby penguins learning to swim, a mother seal frolicking with her calf and everyone’s favorite “the shark tank”. It was amazing to see so many sharks so close.
The entrance to the Sydney Aquarium…
Ashlyn and Jeremy were awed by the shark tank.
Don’t worry moms….everyone was safe!!
From the aquarium, it was a short walk to Pontoon for lunch. We ate outside while watching the boats and yachts dock for the afternoon. Up the hill we went for a short walk (to walk off our lunch) to the Queen Victoria building and some SHOPPING! And did we shop – you should be expecting some nice souvenirs.
Shopping in the beautiful Queen Victoria Building….
Charlie had a hard time choosing!!
Then on to Centre Point Tower and its awesome view. We began with Oz Trek and some short presentations about the history of Australia. The elevator ride took us to the top and we had fun looking at the city from various points.
Centre Point Tower - 304 meters tall
Jimmy standing on the observation deck.
We then joined the many Australians as they left work for the day and boarded a ferry for home. We got yet another view of the city as we rode the ferry and stopped at various wharfs before returning to RIDBC and TPS for a delicious dinner. To bed early to get ready for the Easter Show tomorrow. Until then….G”day Mates!
Charlie, Ashlyn and Jeremy
Rachel, Adam and Emily
Stellena on the ferry, passing by the Opera House.
It was another early start to the day, leaving the school to drive to the Blue Mountains, about an hour and a half west of Sydney. It was amazing to see the terrain change from coastline to a mountainous region in such a short time period!! When we arrived, the mountain was covered in fog so we took our time with our morning ‘tea’ and looked around the souvenir shop, spending a few dollars along the way!!
Charlie, Jeremy and Derek enjoying a snack.
Andrea with a stuffed kangaroo in the souvenir shop.
The Three Sisters are the highlight of the Blue Mountain. They represent an Aboriginal folktale about three sisters who didn’t want to be married to neighboring tribesmen. The local witch doctor turned them into stone but was later killed in the ensuing war, leaving the three sisters to live forever in the rocky cliffs of the Blue Mountains.
Shirley, Rachel, Emily and Rachel with The Three Sisters in the background.
Barb, Mary Ann and Tony with The Three Sisters!
Andrea and Kurt
We had the opportunity to ride the Skyway 270 meters above deep ravines and beautiful waterfalls. The students were thrilled with the world’s first Electro-Scenic Glass Floor, which became transparent as we traveled across the ravines!! I have to say that some of our group refused to look down!!! We then rode the Scenic Railway, which is the steepest incline in the world, traveling at a 45-degree angle, 415 meters through a tunnel into the rainforest. We walked on beautiful pathways through the rainforest arriving at the cable car, which took us back up the mountain to our bus. What a wonderful journey!!
Sabreen in front of the Skyway.
Stellena, Louisa and Ashlyn enjoying the scenery!
The bottom of the tramway…..
Brian in the rain forest.
The cable car coming to pick us up.
Peter, TPS Principal, on the cable car.
Lunch in the revolving restaurant at the top of the mountain.
Back at school, we had some time to relax, play a quick game of rugby and take a swim before a delicious dinner of roast beef, lamb and pork, along with grilled zucchini, sweet potatoes, white potatoes, carrots and green beans. Yes, we are REALLY being spoiled by the Australian hospitality!!!
A friendly (?) game of rugby!!
Cooling off!!
We started early again today, visiting the Hills Grammar School, a private school that partners with TPS for mainstreaming. We were treated to a beautiful tour of the campus and were able to observe in many classes. After an afternoon game of rugby and some swimming, we boarded The Boomerang, a wooden boat built in 1903. We toured through the waterways of Sydney, into exclusive bays with multi-million dollar homes and past the Opera House. We spent 3 hours on the boat enjoying the view and companionship!! All students are having a great time but are missing home. Tomorrow we make our way to the Blue Mountains for more sightseeing of this amazing country!!
The Boomerang
Ready to go!!!
Andrea and Samantha enjoying the ride!
Charlie, Jeremy, Derek and Mary Ann having a great time!
Hayley, Alannah and Emily posing for pics!
A fun group!!
Rachel, Adam and Lydia with the Opera House in the background.
Ashlyn, Mary Ann, Stellena and Sabreen
Brian in front of the Opera House.
Derek in front of the Opera House. And a GREAT picture I found of Rachel surfing!!!
More tomorrow………