Kristen's Page
Hi! I’m Kristen, as most of you probably already know. During the 5 years since we moved to Australia, I’ve tried heaps of new things, so now I am going to tell you about them.
First of all – netball! It is my favourite sport. Netball is similar to basketball but you can’t dribble the ball and there are limited ways you can move with the ball. I usually play WA, which is short for Wing Attack, but my coach, Suki, has been trying me out in GS - Goal Shooter - lately. Last year I tried out for the State Netball Representative Team. I made it to the final selections but didn’t quite get in. I’m trying again this year.
Another sport I play is mod-ball. I started off at t-ball and worked my way up. I also got into the school softball team. We made it to the finals this year, but lost in the last round by one run in a tiebreaker.
Last year I made it into the school dance troupe for the first time and got in again this year. Last year we danced in the Eisteddfod, which is an annual competition where people from Orange and the surrounding area compete for a place in lots of different categories. Other than dance I have competed in the Eisteddfod for drama, choir and violin. I have been playing the violin for almost 5 years now and I’ve been in the Eisteddfod for it every year.
I started bowling on a league with Bry on Monday nights almost as soon as we got to Australia. We thought it was pretty cool that there was a bowling alley in town because the closest bowling alley to us in Bagdad was the one in Prescott (about an hour away). We started in a gutter-stopper division where we got 1st place. Then as we got better we started in a non gutter-stopper league on Wednesday nights where we got third. Our team name is US Kids (which can be interpreted as ‘Us Kids’ or as ‘U.S. Kids’)
Last year I unexpectedly had to bowl in Pennants, a competition which comes 4 times a year where people from Orange represent it when they bowl against neighbouring cities. I had gone just to watch Mum and Dad but I had to bowl in the Junior Girls team because one of the girls didn’t show up. I was really nervous, but since then I’ve been doing it regularly.
On some weekends, Dad takes us to a place called Totally Tennis where (of course) we play tennis. Usually Bry and I play against Dad, then Dad plays against both of us in turn, then we play against each other. And afterwards we always get a milkshake from Burger King, which always tastes good after running around heaps.
One difference between school in Oz and school in America is that we have to wear uniforms! And at my school the principal takes ages choosing the teachers for the students. She doesn’t bother doing it on the holidays so when the kids get back to school we swap around through all the teachers of our year until the principal figures the classes out.
I remember when I was just starting Yr. 4. Everyone was afraid of getting Mr. Adams because he always seemed so mean and strict. When I was called out for his class, everyone in my class moving around the teachers looked at me with a face that said, “Good luck!” But by the end of the year I thought he was the best teacher I have ever had!
In Yr. 5 the teacher never could understand me at first but she eventually got used to my accent. Whenever she talked about something overseas she always made a point of talking about me too! She still does because now she’s my library teacher.
Now in Yr. 6 I have Ms. Hughes. She’s a pretty good teacher because she’s strict when she needs to be and nice the rest of the time, except when she moves the well-behaved people to sit next to the badly-behaved people to “set an example for them.” That is one thing that really, really bugs me. She’s done that to me twice!
For awhile now, I’ve been working on a comic book version of the Harry Potter book. I started awhile ago but I never really felt like doing it because it took such a long time. But now, during the holidays, I got 3 chapters done. That may not seem like a lot but with all the work that goes into one, it is really quite a lot in 2 weeks. I really want to try and finish it (though it will probably take me years since there are supposed to be even more books coming out!)
One of the main highlights since we moved to Australia was when we got to feed some little baby kangaroos (called joeys) with bottles. One of Mum’s friends had them and we got to go see them. She also had some native birds like galahs, and we got to feed a hungry (and very noisy) magpie.
Another highlight is when Dad, Bry and I finally made it to the top of Mt. Canobolas, the highest point between here and the Indian Ocean, on our bikes. We got there in January, 2000 after ages of training.
The most recent highlight was one of my favourites. We went horseback riding! I LOVE horses! It was the first time I got to ride without my horse being tied to the instructor’s. We had a lesson first and then we went out on a trail ride. We had to watch our horses carefully because they were trying to test us to see what they could get away with since we were beginners. They seemed to like walking under trees (especially the ones with low branches!) But it was really fun and a great experience for me.
That’s probably about long enough. It’s funny because when I started writing this I didn’t know what to write and now I've probably written too much! So, that’s it from me! Bye!
April, 2004....Hi! Kristen here, once again. A lot has happened since I last wrote my update. I'm in year 8 now at Orange High School and I have a small group of friends that I hang out with. I have one good friend named Sam who I especially enjoy hanging out with because we have so much in common.
I'm not playing netball this year. I tried yet again to get into the State Representative Team and failed once again. I decided not to participate in my school netball program because of the events of last year. I had three terrible coaches who didn’t turn up to practices and decided to go shopping instead of turning up to the weekly games. Near the end of the year, the team came together and practiced on their own and, with a lot of help from the parents, made it to the finals and came runner up.
I have stopped playing softball because of the bad attitudes of most of my team mates towards the less talented of the group (including me.)
I have stopped bowling in Pennants but I am still bowling with Bry on Wednesday afternoons. We decided tochange our name to 'Fire and Ice' because that was the name that Mum and Dad chose for their team all those years ago.
For Christmas a couple of years ago, Mum gave me a gift certificate that gave me two lessons at the stables. That quickly led to regular lessons. I had a friend who rode at the same stable and she invited me to come out early every Saturday before my lesson to work at the stable. Of course I jumped at the chance. We would go out at about 8:00 am and get the horses ready for the first lesson. After the first lesson we would get the horses ready for the second lesson, which was the one that I participated in. We would do the same for the third lesson and then we would do whatever needed doing until our parents came later that evening. It was great being around horses and I was learning as I went, which was even better. Unfortunately, with netball on Saturdays I could no longer go out and even when netball finished I still didn't get back into it. I am really hoping that I will be able to go out sometime this holiday for a trail ride.
Now that I've told you all the things I'm NOT doing, I'll tell you all the new things I am doing!
I completed another chapter of my Harry Potter comic books the other day, which I was very proud of. It is my best so far. It seems that the chapters keep getting better and better as I learn more about the more technical parts of a comic book.
I've also entered into a very small string group that my music teacher started up. I'm in Violin 1, which is good because I get the more challenging part in the music we play. Hopefully the group will grow quickly. Along with violin, I have started playing the piano. Since I started the violin first, learning the piano was made a bit harder. Whereas on the violin you need poised hands, on the piano you need softer hands, which I have found very difficult to remember.
Last September I got braces. I had to have a lot of dental work done beforehand and I think the braces are the best of all the processes. My orthodontist says my teeth are going quickly so that is good.
My favourite achievement recently was the completion of the movie that a group of my friends from primary school and I have been working on since the end of year 6. The last few weeks have been spent editing it and next month I am planning to have the premiere with all the parents coming to see it. It will be down in the garage with a rented big screen t.v. It was a huge relief to have finally finished it because it was a bit stressful trying to get everything done!
Dad and I have been working on some wood projects lately. We design what we want to make and then he helps me to put it together. We have finished one project so far and are almost done with our second.
Bryan and Kristen with their bowling awards - December, 1999
Kids with their pumpkins - October, 2000
Ashleigh & Kristen ready to play t-ball - November, 2000
Year 4 Awards - December, 2000
(Junior Girl Citizenship Award)
(Principal's Award for Academic Excellence)
New School Year - January, 2001
Dance Competition - 2001
End of Year Dance - December, 2001
Year 6 awards - December, 2002
(Western Area State Music Camp Representative)
(Western Area School Spectacular Dance Troupe Member)
(DUX Award - #1 Academic Ranking)
(Principal's Gold Level Achievement Award)
Year 6 diploma - December, 2002
Year 6 dinner and dance - December, 2002
Kristen Colouring Easter Eggs - April, 2003
Kristen with "Player of the Week" Netball Trophy - June, 2003
Christmas - 2003
First Day of School - Feb, 2004
Kristen's 14th Birthday - February, 2004
Kristen's 14th Birthday - February, 2004
March, 2004
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