What not to talk about

So, I’ve been missing in action a little. Part of this is that I picked up a long term supply gig that should take me until Christmas, and am consequently, extremely busy. The other part is simply that I really, really dislike said job and I didn’t want to put a negative post up.

I’ve taken some notes though on things I find intriguing about London.

1. The trains leave a minute before they are scheduled. It actually says on the signs that the doors will close 30 seconds before departure time so that the train will stay on time. I’ve missed trains though because they pulled away a full minute before scheduled.

2. It is VERY hard to find brewed coffee. You have costa and Starbucks but outside of London, (which is where I am currently teaching), brewed coffee is impossible to find. I’ve PAID for a cup of instant thinking it was brewed coffee. And you can’t buy a simple drip coffee machine ANYWHERE! Please if someone knows a place to buy one let me know. You can get them for $20 at home

3. It’s acceptable for someone to ring you through for you purchases without ever acknowledging your existence. I’ve gone through whole transactions without a word from the other person, even after my friendly remarks. Strange.

As promised, it has rained and been very foggy for as long as I can remember. I’m always cold or wet and often both.

What else is new? I’ve gained 5 pounds but I don’t regret a single ounce… The chocolate here is divine. I might have to do a post on half term about food. (Half term is a week off next week yay).

Ok. That’s it for now. I promise not to be too much of a stranger. Soon my laptop will arrive and I will get wifi in my flat and then I’ll never shut up. 🙂

Teaching in England- First impressions

Ok so I’ve had three days of teaching and I thought I’d do a little first impressions post. Don’t take any of this as a well founded opinion because it clearly isn’t.

Day one- Orientation (year 5/6) tough school near Lambeth north tube station in central London

This was my orientation day so I didn’t get paid but it was a good learning experience and I definitely needed it because I hadn’t worked with younger kids yet. They were very chatty, and I will need to learn how to manage that a little better if I’m going to be successful. The class bully took to me right away which happens a lot when they are preteen girls for some reason. She was so naughty though and hard to manage. Worst moment- the same girl ending up with a bloody lip right before the end of class (i almost made it) which luckily no one made a big deal about (apparently that happens a lot). Highlight- two sweet girls drawing a picture of me for a gift. Also the class bully asking me how to stay out of fights.

Day two- first paid day, a tough school in ramsgate. Year 8,9,10

Yay a high school!!! But a really tough one and 3 hours away by transit! I saw the North Sea!!! Much too far to go everyday which is unfortunate because they wanted me to come back! Which is amazing right off the bat. I was working in the English department teaching students ages 13-15 and many of them had elementary school reading level. The year sevens had a reading level of year 3 (grade 2 in Canada). Unbelievable! But the staff was amazing!!!! I would have definitely stayed if it wasn’t so far away. Worst moment? A student bullying another so badly she cried and being late twice in the same day- I need a watch. Best moment? hanging out with the head of English and some students asking me to be their teacher for good.
I snapped this picture out the train window… Running though my head was, “Where AM I!”

Today, oh today… Day three, great school, great staff, great and close location… Year? Nursery!!! (Age 3!!!)

I feel so sorry for the nursery attendant who is like a Canadian ECE teacher because she did far more work than I did today as far as keeping the routines going for the kids. I basically babysat and was an extra set of hands. They need a qualified teacher in the room so that’s what I was. I had never even been in a nursery class. I had NO idea what to do or what the kids were capable of. I learned quickly though. Worst moment? Nothing really, just feeling useless. Best moment?
“You talk funny.”
“That’s because I’m from Canada, it’s very far away.”
“You should move into my house then.”

First impressions:
-schools are much more strict (no exceptions, harsher punishments)
-behaviour, so far, is worse than in Canada.
-they have adorable accents 🙂
-literacy has been a problem at all the schools I’ve visited.
-The buildings are very nice, modern with lots of technology.

Week One; Adjusting

So I wanted to do a little update about what living in London has been like.

-I’ve been in my house share for a few nights and I really dislike not having a living room (lounge). This would never have bothered me before but I think I’ve become much more social in the last year and I think I would have enjoyed that.
-I really like my house mates, 2 so far, both guys my age. One is from Nigeria but has been in London for 8 years and the other is English but just moving into London now.
-since my house has just been completely renovated there isn’t much here and “the boys”, as I’ll fondly refer to them, have no interest in stocking up the kitchen with essentials. I might ask them to pitch in anyway though since both of them have expressed interest in homemade cookies haha.
-On that note, I’ve been grocery shopping a couple of times and here is what I’ve noticed so far. Dairy is insanely cheaper (which sucks because I can’t eat most of it) and the quality varies a lot more. I also keep my butter in the fridge but it is still spreadable. I’m not sure how that’s possible but that’s how it is. I’ve also discovered soy yogurt which is delicious. Yay! Another thing, they do not refrigerate their eggs. That is going to take some getting used to!!! Weird!!! Finally, the availability of Irish Soda bread will probably be the downfall of the size 4 I’ve maintained for the past couple years (I’ve had 3 pieces today, with butter, Nutella and peanut butter).

This is turning into quite a long post. Ill have to update more often so they can be shorter.

I also wanted to mention my first night on the town. Myself and 5 other Canadian girls went out last night to celebrate a birthday and it was quite fun. Before we went out I was drinking red wine mixed with lemon fanta (a good way to make a four dollar (£2.50) bottle of wine taste good lol). One of the girls learned this while she was in Spain haha. We then left to go out at about 12, as you would in Canada. This was far too late here apparently. We had heard this but it felt weird to go earlier. When we arrived at the first pub they had last call already. So we decided to go dancing but the first place we went had closed their doors to new people already. Finally we found a place open late. It was playing terrible music, quite dated as well, but we went with it and had a good time. We even figured out the night busses to get home safely and had some great conversations with some locals. It was a fun night anyway.

I’m enjoying London quite a lot, though when I come home at night I get very homesick. I’m starting my job tomorrow officially so there should be a “teaching update” tomorrow or the next day. I have to travel 2+ hours to get to Kent tomorrow to teach so it is going to be a long day. I hope everyone at home is well and enjoying Thanksgiving. I’m thankful for opportunities to grow and the people who love me.

Quick update

Alright so just a quick update because I am very tired. (I’m not sure if its the weather, jet lag, lack of good food or all the walking but I am tired ALL the time.)

I found a place to live, there are a lot of good things and a lot of negatives. It is very close to a bunch of transit routes so it will be easy to get around. It’s in a safe, nice, young, clean neighborhood with a tescos and asda quite close. The place has just been completely redone inside so it’s clean and new. I really like the landlord. The negatives are that there is no common living space or even a kitchen table. It’s £600 a month inclusive so it’s a bit more than I wanted to pay and parts of it are still being finished up. All in all though I’m happy with my choice and I get to move in tomorrow! Pics to follow, once I get settled.

I also met another Canadian today who just arrived and we have a lot in common. She is from Halifax and both our families are from Cape Breton. She also worked at Starbucks for a while. It was nice to talk to someone going through all the same things and she even introduced me to some other Canadians tonight. (One of them went to my very small University and was even in my year; small world).

Tomorrow I’m going to meet my employer and find out about working. That starts on Monday. (Some well needed sleep and exploring needs to happen first).

So I guess that will be it for now. That’s what I’ve been up to. I’ve walked close to 40 kms in the last few days and the shin splint and blisters are my trophies.

I’ll leave you with a mobile pic of Cutty Sark in Greenwich. I promise better pictures in the future but I’ve been too stressed about finding a place to live to break out my good camera.

Flight and first 24 hours

So my flight was fairly uneventful. I sat next to a nice couple from London (from Africa originally). The food was better than expected and traveling on Air Canada is so superior to Air Transat. In so many ways it was way better.

Arriving in London was not that stressful and I didn’t have any problems at customs. I had a shower at the airport which was really nice and then made my way to South East London.

The tube was far cleaner than I expected or remembered. Other things I noticed; they have squirrels here, big grey ones, I wasn’t sure they would. Also, Greenwich is quite beautiful and right by the Thames it is so touristy. The further away you get from the Thames the less busy it is, and then it turns a little sketchy; not too bad, just a little. Also, big spiders. I thought I was free of those.

What else… Finding a place to live has been very difficult. I saw only one place yesterday and I am seeing two places today. Hopefully something pans out soon.

It’s nice just being in a new city and exploring.