"How are you going?" and Other Confusing Sayings

      I am halfway through my first week at Trafalgar Primary School. Needless to say it is completely different from schools at home! For one, school start at nine! All of the students wear uniforms and are required (as are staff) to wear hats outside during recess due to the UV rays. I had to run out and buy a

My big floppy (mandatory) hat

big floppy hat on my first day here so I would be allowed outside during recess. They also don't have cafeterias here. Every student brings their lunch to school along with a fruit snack, which they eat mid morning. They have 80 minutes of recess (a half hour mid morning and fifty minutes after their ten minute lunch).
    The school is composed of three or four buildings with different rooms in them so the students have to travel outside to go to the gym or the library, etc. They all take their shoes off when they are inside so they are constantly taking them on and off. Also, the rooms have partial walls or none at all so in our

My classroom is the one in the middle, you can see
one on the far left and there is another one on the right.

classroom we can hear two other classes, which I find distracting but the students are used to.
     All of the staff at the school are very friendly and everyone has been helpful as I am getting used to the big shift. For example, I had no idea how to make coffee here (they have a completely different system). On the first day I was confused as everyone kept saying, "How are you going?" I quickly learned it is the same as, "How are you doing?" but it still sometimes makes me pause. Also, an eraser is called a "rubber" (rubb-ah) and sneakers are called, "runners."
     The students have been so hilarious. At first they didnt know what to make of me. One little girl assured me that she has heard my voice on an audio book before. Even though I tried to explain the accent, she very seriously told me, "No, I'm pretty sure it was you." One group of girls at recess today realized that I sound different and continued to ask me to repeat a random collection of words they could come up with to hear me say it. "Can you say. . . unda cova?" (undercover- where they have shade) Then I say, "un-der cov-er". Then the girls giggle hysterically for a few minutes and repeat this process many times.  They told me I couldn't "say words properly!" I have taken a bunch of pictures, but I dont know the rules on putting pics up of the school/ kids up yet, so I will wait on that one.
    Their music program is quite awesome. I was in a prep classroom this week, which is like

Managed to find a drum set on my first day

kindergarten here. The music teacher is teaching them the ukulele. I was able to sit with them and learn a few cords. He teaches grade 3 how to play the bass, guitar, drum set, piano, and sing popular songs on the radio. A long way from the recorder I played in third grade! I ended up rocking out with them on the drums and I float in the music room during my lunch break and play with a group of kids. The music teacher mentioned putting together a staff band for some sort of festival they have in December.
     I am going to be putting together a cultural lesson for my students about America and how we do things at home and a little about our country. I haven't decided what to put in it yet, so suggestions are welcome. Next week I will be in "Grade 1" which is the same grade I taught at home. It has been an interesting few days and I slowly getting used to how they do things here. It will be hard to go back home and have school start at 7:50 again!