Tasmania

Tasmania was my first trip to explore Australia when I studied in Melbourne. I went there with four Taiwanese friends for one week trip. This was my first trip as a backpacker and I have been loving with it since my first trip in Tasmania.

Tasmania is an island and it is located southeast of mainland Australia. There are lots of activities you can do there such as fishing, cruising, hiking, camping, diving,cycling and mountain biking. We actually took a mini-bus tour with a local guide. The first day, we flew to Hobart which is the capital city of Tasmania,from Melbourne. My first impression of Hobart was quiet and less people compare to Melbourne city. We stayed there for one night and then we started our tour in the next morning. The first day of tour was very unlucky because we almost stood up by the travel agency. Fortunately, we had an assistance by another travel agency and finally we started our adventure. We visited lots of national parks, towns and famous spots in one week. The most unforgettable places are Wineglass Bay of at Freycinest National Park, Dove Lake park of Cradle Mountain-Lake St Clair National Park and Tahune Forest Air Walk.

After one week tour of Tasmania I fell in loved with this beautiful island. It was a very short trip to me. We only visited some national parks and towns, and we didn't have enough time to explore each place. There is too much beautiful landscape attracting me; especially, the view is different in four seasons. I would like to go back there again and plan a long vacation there.

Being an English Teacher

Being an English teacher is one of my dreams and I came true it four years ago. English is my favorite subject and I have been studying it since I was a junior high student. I spent a lot money and time on it and I got a repayment from it which is making money by teaching English.

I got a new job as a full time English teacher after I quitted a job at the travelling agency four years ago. I was very happy to get a new job not only it's my favorite but also it didn't take a long to find it. At beginning I wasn't confident to take this job because I was worried about my English although I had been studying English in Australia for a year. After few weeks training I had much confident of teaching English because of my co-workers' helping and my hard working. I remembered my first class was a high level class and I was very nervous to teach them although they were just in grade 5 or 6 students of elementary school. Few months after, I felt I had much confident to teach them because I had well prepared lessons when I thought them. To be honest I had a lot improvement of English grammar,too, by teaching them. I teach and I learn, too.

One year after, I quitted a full time job to be a part-time teacher. I think I just simply like teaching. As a full time teacher not only teaching but also lot of paper work, telephone tests, planning big activities and cleaning. The most important thing is that I get a bit tired of pushing students studying. I think this is the problem to every teachers and I am still struggling it, too. Being a teacher I think we should be patient and enthusiastic but some how there are always some students make you lost your patience even worse you feel disappointed of you and students, too.

Be a teacher is not a easy job. I think all depends on your passion and patience. This is the job what I had dreamt for years and I am doing it now. It brings me some happiness and unhappiness, too. I just hope I can still teach with my passion and enthusiasm without worrying losing patience.

Studying Abroad

Few years ago, I had an opportunity to study in Australia. I had been studying English and living in Melbourne for a year. It has been a quite unique and an unforgettable experience to me so far. I learned a lot not only English but also life experiences which made me get more knowledge and mature, too.

I wasn't very nervious at Melbourne airport alone at the first day of Australia but excited and tired after a long flight. I lived with a single family and another oversea student who was korean. My homestay monther was very nice to us and she helped us to get used to living here a lot, such as opening an account in the bank, introducing environment and showing us locations. I adapted living in Melbourne soon without homesick but I still missed taiwanese food much especially I missed hot soup, hot noodles and hot pot the most in the winter. After few months I moved out and I lived with an Austrailian guy and a Chinese girl in a share-shouse. I was a bit sad to move out because of a tight budget and I was a bit nervious to live in a share-house because it's the first time I live with strangers who I totally don't know them at all. I didn't live there in a long time because they had a different schedule from me which was very annoying. The most serious problem was that my landlord's son had some mental problems and he was getting serious. I remembered the day I moved out there were few police officers trying to persuade him to go to the hospital. I think I was lucky to move out earlier otherwise I really didn't know what will happen to me. At last, I moved to live with a Thai couple who were friendly and they were students, too, so it made me feel confortable to live with them. I liked to live there becasue it was in a quiet area although it was a bit far to go to school by feet.

I had been living in different placese in Melbourn and each place gave me different ideas and feelings. I got a lot of experiences that I had never had when I lived in Taiwan. I think it is a good opportunity to learn and to experience different lives by studying abroad. No matter good or bad things what I had or learned which help me to grow up and to be more independent.

An unforgettable August

I had some bad news in August which were quite sad and shocked to hear. I was also sick ,too. It was a terrible month to me and it was unforgettable, too.

The beginning of August, I felt uncomfortable because of eczema of my hands and it has been annoying me for few weeks. The worst was there were some bubbles appearing on left waist of my body which was killing me. I went to see the doctor and I knew I got herpes zoster. I think I was very unlucky that time. It took me almost a month to cure it. I didn't sleep well, too, because it hurt my nervousness and made me weak. Now, I am paying more attention to my health. I don't work hard but I push myself hard. AS a teacher I get angry easily because of students' bad attitude of studying. After it, I learn I shouldn't push myself too much and I just need to do my best.

Near the end of August, I got a call form my friend's friend and she told me that my friend who was my classmate of vocational school, passed away few days ago. To be honest, I was totally shocking and speechless. I knew my friend get a blood cancer and she was in the hospital and she was giving a medicinal care. I still remembered our last conversations few months ago were I am waiting for her to go back home and I will visit her again. Losting a close friend is sadness, moreover, she's the only child of her family. I also feel sorry to her parents. I still think of her sometimes and I think of all encouragement she gave to me and her faithfully friendship and her justice but no sadness. I would be happy she is away form illness but I will miss her forever.

Three days after the bad news, I got another phone call from my college's classmate and she told me another bad news about our best friend. she got a gonad cancer which is the first period and she removed the gonad few days ago. What another shocking news to me! I only have two college's classmates we still keep in touch with each other because we all live near to each other then we become best friends. Now she is still in the hospital and she is fighting with illness. We still keep in touch with sometimes and she is much well than before. Luckily she doesn't lost her faith and her family stands by her. I wish all the best to her and hope she will get well soon.

After all the bad news, I realized that health is very important to us. We have so much pressure form our work, families and society or yourself and we should take it seriously. I think if we aren't healthy not only our physical but also our mind then we might not be able to live, not to mention to work or to make money. The most important thing is to be happy and thinking positive then you might keep away from illness.

Introducing Myself

Hello, I would like to introduce myself to you. My name is Irene
Zhang and I am from a big family. I am the third child of my family
and I have three sisters and two brothers. I used to live in
Taoyuan where is very near Lunghwa University of Science and
Technology but I am living in Xinzhuang now. I have been working
at travel agency as an accountant for several years but I am a
part-time English teacher now. My major is accounting but I am
interested in English very much. Few years ago, I had an
opportunity to study English abroad. I have been studying in
Australia for 40 weeks of ELICOS, so I become an English
teacher at Hess now. I like to read novels and watch movies,CSI
and travel channel in my free time. But I have been falling in
love with games of Facebook recently, especially farming and
running the restaurant. I like to play it not only because it is
creative and interesting but also I can practice English. My short
goal is to get a university diploma in two years and I can improve
writing and reading skill in order to succeed in scoring 800
TOEIC test. I am still working part time now, so I also hope I can
find out what I want to do or I can do as my career in the future.
My long goal is to study TESL abroad and to become an English
teacher of teaching adults. I hope I can achieve it someday.