Fingers crossed

Since coming back to London to teach I have only been at 3 different schools, each more lovely than the last. I truly can't believe the luck I have had so far this time around. Last time I was constantly in schools with terrible children and rude staff. Mind you, there was the odd occasion that I would go to a good school and have moderately well behaved children, which in comparison to the devil's spawn I was used to, they seemed like angels.

The past couple weeks I have made a regular appearance at this one school working in the Years 5 and 6 classes. The headteacher liked me so much that she requested to have me in for the entire last week of school, which was brilliant considering that was going to be a very slow week. I definitely considered myself fortunate for that opportunity, especially after talking to my other supply friends and finding out that they worked 1 day the entire week. Yikes!

Throughout the week I had access to all of the resources that a regular teacher would. I had the plans in advance and was able to design smartboard lessons to go along with them. I taught, built up relationships with the students and staff and marked a whole lot. I was there early in the morning, took time out of my lunch to help rehearse a group for the Christmas Assembly and stayed late marking and planning for the next day. Although it was only a week it felt like I was actually back to proper teaching.

The experience really made me long for my own class when I get back home. It even made me consider taking on a position here for the next term. There are times when I feel out of practice and I worry that if I were to get my own LTO I wouldn't know what to do or where to start with the planning and marking. Having a week like the one I just did helps me to put things in perspective and remember that I'm capable of doing this and when my chance finally comes I will do it brilliantly. Now all that's left is to keep my fingers crossed that the elusive LTO will come sooner than later.

Travel woes

Back home the longest amount of time I would have to commute to work was around 25mins. I was often unimpressed when they called me for schools in Whitby or Oshawa, especially when there are many schools in Pickering and Ajax that I would have gladly gone to.

Being back in London makes me miss those "long" 25 min commutes. Now not only are my commutes a minimum of 45 mins but I am faced with so many more obstacles. Driving in the suburbs was a synch! I was always going in the opposite direction of traffic and rarely ever had to use the highway. When there was traffic I would navigate myself around the back streets as I found a new route to work. I really never had much of an issue unless I was running late. I long for the simplicity of those drives.

Commuting in London is a constant battle with temperature, timetables, and ridiculous people. Let's run through a typical morning commute to work. Fortunately I work in the same area everyday so I've become accustomed to this route and the exact times I need to be at places. For this reason I have been able to minimize some of the annoying factors along the way. I start my journey to Central London around 7:17 when I leave my place in Catford. I have a short brisk walk to Catford station, always leaving myself extra time in case the train decides to come early (not likely). I never know how to dress because some mornings it feels like 15 degrees and others it feels like 5. The days I forget to bring my scarf are always the cold ones. I get on the train at 7:32 and am immediately faced with tropical temperatures as the heat is cranked to the highest setting. Like many other commuters, I open up my jacket and loosen my scarf at this time. Arriving at London Bridge around 7:47 I step out onto the platform where I then face the cold once again. Oops, I forgot to do up my jacket. Better get that in check as I hustle through the crowd to get inside to the underground. At this point I begin the battle with ridiculous people (if I haven't already encountered them on the train).

One of my biggest pet peeves in slow walkers, especially in crowded areas. These places are crowded because you walk so slow! I do not include the old or handicapped in this anger because they cannot help it. However, I have absolutely no patience for the average person who decides to hustle to cut me off when walking and then decides to slow down right in front of me and ultimately boxing me into a slow walk. As we all herd our way down the platform and into the station I am then faced with the challenge of getting across the hall with people coming from all directions. I must dodge and weave my way through annoying slow walkers, people reading train schedules, teenagers on their cell phones (who are they talking to at 8am?), and tourists who have a blank and lost look on their face. Get out of my way people, I have no time for this!

Once I finally make my way onto the underground I am again faced with the tropical heat. This is compounded by the bajillion people who are trying to cram into the car rather than wait for the next train which will be along in a minute or two. Once I was actually so squished in between people that I couldn't even move my arms to hold on. Fortunately the pressure of the other bodies against me kept me from stumbling when the train came to a stop. When I finally do get to my stop I squish past people to exit the car and join the mess of people making their way to the other lines. On some days I can zip over to the other side as that train hasn't come in and I can go up those stairs. However, on most days the trains arrive at the same time so there is no hope as I climb the stairs behind a thousand people who all need to get to the Central Line. My luck does change a bit once I reach that train as most people are going Westbound, further into the city, and I head Eastbound to my lovely East London schools. After two stops I reach my destination and begin my 10 minute walk to whichever school I'm at that day. Again, I must remember to do up my jacket and prepare for whatever temperature awaits me outside.

The journey home is quite similar to my morning adventures. The only difference is that my departure time is constantly changing depending on the amount of marking I have to do. This makes it difficult when I reach London Bridge and I try to find a train back home. One of the biggest annoyances during this time is when people don't adhere to the escalator rules. There are signs that clearly say "stand right." As I struggle to either run up the escalator quickly to catch my train I am more often than not having near collisions with people who don't know how to stand on the right. Or there's the people who walk exceedingly slow up the escalator; if you're going to be that slow you may as well stand on the right. Once I finally reach the top I quickly check the board to see which platform the next train is on (it's never the same one) and frantically race through the crowds coming the opposite direction to make my train. If I'm lucky I actually make the train, am able to get a seat, and will be back in Catford in 15 mins. If not then it's back to going against the current, checking the boards, and racing to the next platform.

My journey finally comes to an end after another 10 min walk home and I get to rest. I leave the cursing of stupid people for another day and put begin my relaxing evening.

London Take Two

I decided that since I'm heading back to London that I should continue with my blog. First edition of a brilliant adventure take two is brought to you from my lovely British airways flight. 

Packed up many of my belongings into my new Heys suitcases and headed off to Pearson to catch my 9pm flight. There was a bit of traffic but nothing my mom couldn't handle. Got through security super quick as there was no line and easily found my gate. Of course, this was after I hit up the duty free shop and picked up some Canadian alcohol which I couldn't pass up as I would miss it in England. I also bought an over priced sandwich and juice as I was starving. To kill time I played on my phone, sent texts, and exchanged some money. They finally called us to board around 840 and that's when the nerves set in. 

Once on the plane I easily found my seat and to my delight the man sitting beside me was already half asleep with his shoes off (no, they didn't smell) and his eye mask on. Bonus! I had looked up the seat online so I already knew I had extra legroom but it was really cool to see how much. I can fully stretch out which is lovely. 

As I'm writing this we have only been in the air for about half an hour. I'm in world traveller plus class which is in between first class and economy. Seats are comfier, there's more legroom, and they have a leg rest that comes out. Pretty neat. As I'm sitting here reading my free paper an attendant comes over to hand me a fancy dinner menu. What service! There's a salad to start, choice of Alberta beef or pasta main, and cheesecake dessert. Despite the mushrooms I'm going with the pasta. Details to follow on how it tastes. A few minutes later another attendant comes by and offers me a hot towel. I had a complete "Wedding Singer" moment because I had no idea what the heck to do with it. Haha. Then I remembered the part in the movie and I patted my face a bit. I'm still silently giggling about it. Don't want to wake up my neighbour! Now I will read the paper and wait for what I hope will be a decent airplane meal. At least this time I'm not dying so I can actually eat my meal. 

The meal was actually quite delicious. It came with proper cutlery and a cloth napkin. I had some red wine too and watched a movie from my pull out tv. The rest of the flight was uneventful. I couldn't sleep so I watched "Horrible Bosses" and some random rom-com with JT and Mila Kunis. It was terrible. I did attempt to sleep a bit and probably managed to get 20 or 30mins. The time seemed to pass quickly though so it wasn't too bad. 

The best part of the journey was when we arrived at the airport. We got there about 15 mins earlier than expected which was a bonus. Since I was in the middle section I got off the plane right after Business class so it was fairly quick. I hurried my way to customs where there was a relatively short line in front of me. From previous experience I know not to get too excited about that because once there were only 5 people in front of me and it still took 45mins to get through customs. Not this time! I was out of there in 9 mins! That was the fastest time I've ever been through when entering the UK. I was quite impressed. I made my way to the baggage collection section. The bags weren't there yet (as expected) but I only had to wait 10 mins before they started showing up. It was just my lucky day because mine were part of the first batch. I quickly grabbed them and got out of there. In total I spent less than 30 mins from getting off the plane to exiting the airport. =) 

I was absolutely exhausted by the time I got into London and crashed out for a few hours. That night I went out for a friend's birthday and then tried to correct my sleeping to get over jetlag. I spent Sunday and Monday getting things organized and doing grocery shopping and whatnot. It was very low key as I wanted to get back onto London time in preparation for work on Tuesday. 

The work week went amazingly well! I worked 3 days, 3 schools and all Year 5. All of the classes were wonderful. The kids were so well behaved and helpful throughout the day. I didn't have to raise my voice or send anyone out. I couldn't believe how well it went considering I was a little apprehensive about teaching in London again because of the many bad kids I had encountered last time. I hope the rest of my time continues to be like this week. Fingers crossed for more work and good work. 

Spontaneous is my middle name

Growing tired of the boredness I decided to bite the bullet and made last minute plans for a short holiday. On Thursday afternoon I booked a weekend trip to Rome and was off on the plane early Friday morning. The only good part about leaving at 4am was listening to the taxi driver sing along to his 90s compilation album which included songs by Nelly, Brandy, and Usher. I felt like I was back in '98.

Since my trip was last minute I couldn't do the usual budget airline and hostel route because that was actually more expensive. Instead, I found a great deal through lastminute.com and ended up flying with British Airways and staying in a 4 star hotel. How's that for a change in holiday style? Not only did my flight have a preassigned seat, a luxury I have not experienced since moving to London (thank you Ryanair for herding us in like cattle), but they also offered breakfast and coffee! It was brilliant! The hotel was just as awesome. It was modern, clean, had a jacuzzi tub on the top terrace, and a wicked free breakfast.

The hotel was located only a couple blocks from the main train station which was a great location. I had only walked for a few minutes outside of the station when an Italian man in a nice car gave me a wave and nod of approval. Oh those Italians! The hotel provided a city map and Martin and I quickly chose which sights we wanted to see and planned out the weekend. Since we only had a couple days we weren't going to waste any time and got right out there.

Friday we managed to see the Spanish Steps, Trevi Fountain, Piazza Navona, and the Pantheon. We did sooo much walking but it was completely worth it. You really don't even notice how much you're walking because there is so much to see. Rome is absolutely beautiful with amazing architectural details on every single building. Everything was so grand and looked important. It's a shame I didn't know the purpose of half of the buildings but they were stunning to look at nonetheless. As I walked throughout the city I thought I was going to melt away because the heat was quite intense. I know Toronto summers are quite hot and humid but this was just a blistering constant heat. I'm just lucky that I covered myself with SPF 50 sunscreen before leaving the hotel. I would've been a lobster otherwise.

Woke up a little late on the Saturday and almost missed the free breakfast. I couldn't understand why the room was so dark. I went to investigate the window and realized there was a blackout blind right on the window. It must have an automatic timer because I did not put it on there (both nights). I went to take it off and it snapped open really quickly which completely caught me off guard and I ended up jumping away from the window in less than a second. I wasn't about to give the streets of Rome a free show.

After the amazing free breakfast we headed down to the Colosseum. Had to navigate the many tiny streets on the way there. After what seemed like forever and just as I felt we might be lost we turned a corner and there it was. One minute you're walking down these quaint streets in Rome and the next you're seeing this massive historical building. It was VERY impressive. I had a view from atop a hill and I could already see the massive queue to get in. I was forewarned about this but you never truly understand the magnitude until you see it for yourself. Once down there with the other masses of people we were approached by a lady selling guided tour tickets which cost more than the entrance fee but you got to skip the line. Time was clearly more important than money because we snapped up that offer within a minute of considering. The inside of the Colosseum was spectacular. It's just so surreal to stand in these ancient ruins and know that so much history has taken place there. I tried to imagine what it would have looked like when it was originally built and used and I can only wonder how people felt about it then. The fact that it still stands today in rather good condition, given the pollution that destroys the outside and the massive traffic it sees every day, is a testament to the great craftsmanship of the ancient Roman people. If only we could them to teach our builders a thing or two about quality.

***Side note about the Colosseum.  That is actually a nickname for it. It's proper name is the Amphitheatrum Flavium. Outside of the theatre is a the Colossol statue of Nero, Colossol for short. People would say to meet there and eventually the amphitheatre acquired the name and people forgot about the statue. Another interesting historical fact that we learned is where the word Arena comes from. In Latin arena means sand. This is what was put down on the floor of Colosseum and the gladiators were called out to fight on the arena. The word caught on and now our sports stadiums are referred to as arenas despite their lack of sand.

Following the tour of the Colosseum and a little bit of free time to explore it, the tour continued to Palentine Hill and many other ruins. It became slightly overwhelming as we explored these ruins and learned of their history. No matter where you go in Rome there are random ruins strewn about. There is still so much to be discovered. The city keeps trying to create a third Metro line but every time they start digging or get any progress they run into more ruins.

Between the intense amount of walking and the blistering sun I was pretty beat by the end of the tour. We headed back to the hotel to have a little relaxing time before dinner. On the rooftop terrace there was a jacuzzi tub which was so lovely to go in after a long day in the sun. After a nice rest we went back to the Colosseum to get some night shots and have dinner. Dinner was disgusting and overpriced (as everything is in Rome) but was in a prime location and I was starving so I can't complain much.

The last day in Rome meant heading to the Vatican. Quite possibly one of the most hilarious parts of the trip was when we got out of the Metro and were headed up the stairs to the street. We were in a pretty packed crowd (it's Sunday at the Vatican!) and as we went up there was an old Italian lady coming down who upon seeing the crowd exclaimed "Mamma Mia!" It was absolutely priceless and we almost doubled over in laughter. When we actually got to the Vatican the queue to get into St. Peter's wrapped around almost the entire perimeter of the square. However, it moved rather quickly which was impressive. That wasn't the case for the cupola which we opted not to see since there just wasn't enough time. The inside of St. Peter's Basilica was just as impressive as everyone said it would be. After looking at my pictures I noticed they really do not do it any justice. It is something you not only need to see but experience for yourself. I could have spent hours in there just looking at all of the many extravagant details.

With a little bit of prodding Martin agreed to sit through mass with me. I had gone to mass at Sacre Coeur last year in Paris and felt it was an extraordinary experience so could not pass up mass at the Vatican. That would just be sacrilegious. Although the entire thing was in Italian and my knowledge of the language extends to saying hello and good-bye, I really felt a part of the service. I was trying hard to understand the homily and I think I recognized a few of the words. As many know, I'm not terribly religious but being there and taking part in this mass felt like a special experience. It amazes me to be part of something that has the same customs and process across the globe and has spanned centuries. Regardless of people's opinions on religion, when you break it down to the simple basics of attending mass it seems quite incredible.

Time was ticking away quickly and we had to rush back to the hotel so that we could get our bags and head to the airport. We left the Vatican, had an expensive lunch nearby and then carried on down the road to see the Castel Sant'Angelo. I only took exterior shots as there was just not enough time. Some people might remember this fortress from the movie Angels and Demons. It is said to have a secret passageway to the Vatican. The next time I am back in Rome, which I really hope to do someday, I will explore this place.

Although it was a very quick trip I did get to see and do most of what I had wanted to in Rome and consider the trip a success. Next mini trip: Berlin.

Must be going out of my mind

The school year ended on July 22 and for the last week and a half I have been bored out of my mind. I could never do the stay at home thing. I'm a go-go-go person and having all this spare time is driving me mad.

With all of this time off I have managed to accomplish a few things and procrastinate others. I sent off a request to my board to stay here longer. Still waiting to hear back which is quite annoying because I can't change my flight until I know how long I can have off. That also means I have to wait to decide how long I'm going to stay here. I have no intention in losing my coveted Canadian teaching job but would still like to continue this adventure. In the meantime, I have applied to a bajillion temp jobs here so that I have something to do during August (and some cash flow). No luck as of yet which is quite frustrating. Why I can't get a simple temp admin job when I have two degrees is beyond me. Fingers crossed that something will turn up soon!

Since I have no job, no money, and no return date to Canada clearly the best thing for me to do is research my next travel adventure. **please note my sarcasm for those who don't know me well enough to spot it** I may have caused my head to spin a few times as my travel ideas/plans start to spiral out of control. It really does not help when Groupon and Travelzoo send me deals on various trips. I start thinking about going to Italy which spirals into Greece, then a sailing trip, then Eastern Europe, then all of Europe, then India (I blame Groupon for that jump of continents in my thought process). I've come back down to earth a tad and have made tentative plans for the following trips: Berlin (end of August), Oktoberfest (end of September) and Italy (half term break in October).

Unfortunately, until I get word back from the board, a temp job, or win the lottery I will spend my time sitting around at home. I swear I will lose another five pounds just from sweating it out here and my attempts at working out at home or long walks around the neighbourhood. It's great to have this lovely weather but I'd really like the humidity to take a hike. Stay tuned for my next exciting blog which will likely be about cleaning the kitchen if I don't find some free entertainment soon!

Eurotrip!

Disclaimer: Yes, this is QUITE delayed and I apologize. It really is hard to keep up with all of the fun things I'm doing and write about them all. Also, it is a bit of a long one as it was a special trip with my sister so deserved a proper recap. Enjoy!


After coming home from Spain and Portugal I had 1 day to recover before having a 3 day work week followed by a National holiday for the Royal Wedding and a Bank holiday on the Monday. I know, what a rough week that was going to be! Tina was to turn up on the Thursday and as luck would have it that happened to be the only day I got work that week. I had sent her directions to my house and left my key so that she could get in and nap while I worked. Fortunately she made it safely with only a few minor hiccups and encounters with rude Londoners. That night I took her out for dinner in Blackheath, a cute little posh area not too far from me, at a restaurant called Giraffe. It's a chain restaurant that I've been to a couple times before but absolutely love. We had an excellent dinner (which Tina paid for as a birthday present, thanks again sis!) and then headed back to Lewisham to get ready for the next day which was the Royal Wedding.

The whole house dressed up in fancy gear and left with champagne and orange juice to help celebrate with the happy couple. We took the rail into Central London and were immediately faced with the jam packed crowds. Eventually we made our way up to a park where we camped out, drank champagne, watched the horse guard go by, and saw the WWII plane flyover (which was really neat). After it was all over we headed for drinks and dinner. Later that night Tina and I went out to see my friend's band play in New Cross. It was at a dodgy venue but the bands were great so we had a wonderful night.

On the Saturday I took Tina on a tour of the city. We walked for hours and she was able to see all the major things: Buckingham Palace, Big Ben, Trafalgar Square, Westminster Abbey, etc. We then headed up north to the Camden market which I hadn't been to yet so it was something new and exciting for the both of us. The market was massive and if I didn't have to keep a tight wallet for the trip I probably would've splurged on many items I didn't need. We did however have some super yummy Indian food for cheap which was very satisfying and kept us full for hours. After we tired of Camden we headed back into Central London and went to Tower Bridge to get a few pictures.

Sunday was another day of sight seeing but also included some shopping. Tina and I headed to Oxford Street and I took her to the massive Primark. This is one store that I will definitely miss when I go back home. It's got loads of really cheap clothes that look pretty decent. We shop there pretty often. The quality isn't the best but what can you expect when you pay pennies for clothes? We headed back to Lewisham around dinner time because we had to pack for our trip as we had an early flight to Paris the next day.

Our time in Paris was pretty exciting, a little less for me because it was my second time being there but fun nonetheless. We navigated our way to the hostel with relative ease. We were too early to check in so we left our bags in the luggage storage room that was so overflowed with bags that it's a wonder I made it out of there alive. This trip to Paris was going to be a little different than the last one because not only was I with Tina but I wanted to make sure I saw some of the things that I missed the year before. After dropping our bags we headed to the centre of the city to meet up with the free tour which lasted for around 3 hours and took us all around the main parts of the city. It was great for Tina to see all of these places that I've already seen and learn some of the history of the place. I even learned a few new things which was expected. After the tour we headed back to the hostel to officially check in and have a little rest. Once we started resembling our normal selves we took to the streets for more touring. We headed to Champs Elysees and all the way up to the Arc de Triomphe. We took some lovely photos, visited the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier and then headed back to our hostel. Not quite ready for bed and wanting to catch up with those at home we stayed downstairs at the bar that was attached to our hostel. We had a couple drinks and checked emails before Tina headed to bed. I wasn't quite ready to crash so went exploring with a fellow hosteller that we met. He showed me this really neat lion fountain. While we were there we got to watch a car commercial being shot and were then thrown out by an agitated security guard who yelled at us in French.

The second day in Paris was just as jam packed. We started the day at the Catacombs which I didn't get to see the last time I was in the city. For those who don't know, the catacombs are essentially an underground cemetery in the tunnels of what used to be a stone mine. It was quite creepy as we descended a staircase that seemed endless and walked through these kilometers of tunnels seeing bones beyond bones. There were skulls and bones everywhere. There were many placards around the place, most in French, and I had to test out my language skills which were a little rusty. I managed though, as I did throughout the rest of the trip when communicating with Parisians. After the Catacombs we headed to the Royal Opera House. This was not something I would've anticipated enjoying but seeing my sister light up when she got in there was priceless. She was like a kid in a candy shop. The interior was breathtaking though so it made sense. There was not one corner that wasn't full of the most beautiful details. If you're ever in Paris it's something I suggest seeing because it is stunning. After staying at the Opera House until it closed we made our way across the city to the Eiffel Tower. Originally I wasn't going to go up again because of the cost but I decided it was an experience with my sister that I couldn't put a price tag on. Just as the last time, the views were stunning. We went all the way up to the top and took loads of pictures. Afterwards we went to the base and took some silly shots of the two of us. With our remaining time we decided to forgo the pub crawl that we had planned on joining and went out for dinner and saw Moulin Rouge. Unfortunately there was not enough time or money in the budget to see an actual show but it was still neat to see.

Our third day was essentially a travel day. We checked out of the hostel, headed to the main bus station, and bought tickets to Brussels. Our plan was to spend a couple hours in Brussels and then catch another bus to Amsterdam. Unfortunately by the time we got the bus and into central Brussels we had just over an hour of exploration time. We took the metro into the heart of the city and stood there looking lost with a map that we got from a random hotel I popped into. A very lovely older man saw us and after telling him that we had 1 hour to explore Brussels he sent us in the direction of Grand Place where we would see everything worth seeing. He was certainly right! We headed down there and found a chocolate factory, Mannekin Pis statue, live bands, and the stunning architecture of the Town Hall. We grabbed a tasty waffle and scarfed then down as we hustled back to the bus depot to catch the last bus to Amsterdam. We met a really nice Finnish couple on the bus and had a laugh at a drunken French lady who kept rambling on to us.

After a little difficulty we were able to locate the hostel. The check-in process was slightly strange as the hostel is on top of a bar and the bartender doubled as the receptionist. Since we had turned up so late as soon as we got into the room we locked our stuff away in the lockers and crashed out. The next morning we met up with the free city tour and spent the next three hours exploring Amsterdam and learning things that we might not have discovered on our own. One of the most important tips we were given was to beware of bikes. The city is absolutely filled to the brim with cyclists and they will run you down if you're in the way. We were fortunate enough not to get destroyed by them.

Once the tour was over we made our way across the city to what would become a highlight of the trip for me: the Heineken Brewery. Yum! Heineken is one of my favourite beers so I was pretty excited to tour the brewery. The building and self-guided tour reminded me of the Guinness Brewery in Ireland which was decent but this one was cheaper and provided more beer samples. Since Tina isn't much of a beer drinker I not only got my samples but also some of hers. Thanks again for that sis! Being in Amsterdam we felt the need to experience some of the scandalous things the city had to offer. Naturally, we headed to the sex museum. It was only 3 or 4 euro to get in and was great for a laugh. We saw many things that I'm sure our parents would not approve of and took some inappropriate pictures as we acted like children. It was good fun.

<3

Before heading back to the hostel to prepare for our night out with the pub crawl we stopped at a frites shop and bought these large cones of fries. They were absolutely massive and we couldn't finish them at all. Super tasty nonetheless. The pub crawl itself was interesting and fun. It started off at the bar under our hostel and brought us to about 5 other clubs/bars throughout the night. There were endless free shots and silly behaviour from us and the other crawlers. Tina and I ended up being the only ladies on the crawl (and in most of the bars) which was amusing as the men continued to flock to us and were continually disappointed when we turned them down. The other crawlers were a riot and great to hang out with all night.

The last day of our trip arrived and we finally got to Anne Frank's house. This was another highlight of the trip for me because when I was in elementary school I not only read her diary but I saw a production of it put on by the Young People's Theater in Toronto and it really stuck with me. It was quite surreal to walk into her home that has been preserved and see where she hid with her family for those years. Although all of the furniture was removed you could see get a sense of what it might have been like to stay there day in and day out in complete silence and fear that you might be discover.

The rest of our day was spent touring the Red Light District and taking in the city as the weekend crowd turned up. The pub crawl people were back at our hostel bar and tried to convince us to come out again but we had an early flight the next day that we could not miss. We turned in early because we were exhausted after a week of go-go-go travelling and wanted to be well rested for our flight the next morning.

Although our trip was only a week it was such an amazing experience and I'm so glad that I got to do that with Tina. We had talked about backpacking Europe for years and finally making it a reality was something I will never forget. Thanks again sis for coming out to visit and making our mini Eurotrip such a blast. Love ya!

I need me some Oxegen

Went to bed at 11pm on the Thursday after procrastinating packing with Natalie. My alarm went off at 1:15am telling me to get up so I could shower and change before heading to the airport. Got the night bus at 2:15, got the coach bus at 3am, and finally arrived at the airport by 5am for our 6:30 flight. It wouldn't be a proper trip if there wasn't some issue at the airport. I get through security just fine while Natalie ends up being patted down for 10 minutes. We thought we were in the clear and then one of our carry on bags got redirected to be inspected. It was a good thing we got there well early because we certainly would've missed our flight. Those guys take absolutely forever to check a few bags. When it was finally our turn he removed some items, rummaged around, wanded it for a bit, and then sent us on our way.

Once we finally got to Dublin and into the city centre I decided to buy another pair of wellies because I knew it was going to be nasty and Natalie would get destroyed by mud and rain. BEST IDEA EVER! By the end of the weekend she was very grateful to say the least. Anyhow, we got our bus tickets, did some grocery shopping, sat in a cafe for awhile and then finally boarded the bus to the festival. As the bus trudged on through the Irish countryside the sky opened up and it started chucking it down. The rain was so intense that when we were actually able to see out of the bus windows all we saw were mini lakes forming on the motorway that somehow the bus managed to get through.

Fortunately when we got to the festival the rain had stopped. It was still spitting on and off a bit but nothing we couldn't handle. We made our way to the campsite and just as we were trying to scope out a good spot it started pouring again. We chose the closest open space in the sea of tents and started the fastest tent pitching job ever. We had that baby up within a matter of 2 or 3 minutes. Despite getting it up so quickly we were still soaked as was our stuff. We changed into dry clothes and decided to take a nap through the rain, especially since the concert wasn't starting for another few hours.

The actual festival was absolutely amazing. I never thought I'd see so many bands in such a short amount of time. I'm not going to go through the entire list because that's nearly impossible. You can check out the full line up on their website: http://www.oxegen.ie/line-up/  Some of the big names that we saw were: Black Eyed Peas, The Strokes, Weezer, Noah and the Whale, Foo Fighters, Arctic Monkey, Bruno Mars, The Vaccines, City and Colour, Coldplay, Beyonce, Slash, Kesha and Jimmy Eat World. There were a few bands that I wanted to see but missed because they were playing at times that conflicted with others but overall it was a great success. Absolutely every show was amazingly done. I was impressed by them all.

Camping was a whole other experience. The spot that we chose ended up being beside these 19 year old Irish kids who were an absolute riot. We loved them and hated them at the same time. They provided much amusement as they ripped into each other, taped each other up, put makeup on men, tried to climb the light post, and had an ongoing feud with the Norwegians on the other side of us. Natalie and I could not believe how much energy these kids had. They were up drinking and partying every night until 5 or 6am and then were back up at 7 or 8 to start it all over again. I swear some did not sleep the entire weekend. We offered them smores on the last night in order to avoid our tent getting trashed which proved to be a good idea as the Norwegians tent was tossed over the fence.

Breakfast of champions: coffee and peanut butter sandwiches

 On the Monday morning we packed up our stuff into the two backpacks and made our way back to Dublin. We met up with my friend Peter, who I had met in Edinburgh, who let us leave our bags at his place and then took us for a tour of the city. I'd been there before but it was nice to see the city again. After touring for a few hours we sat down for a proper meal where I had a Guinness. It really does taste better in Ireland. We lost track of time and almost ended up having an amazing race to the airport to catch our flight back to London.

Helpful tips for an enjoyable camping festival:

• Wellies are an absolute must! They will save your life. Bring comfy wellie socks too. 
• Make sure to have proper rain gear. Jackets, umbrellas, ponchos, tarps for inside the tent. These were so helpful and I'm glad we thought about these when packing.
• Showers are open stalls. Bring a bathing suit unless you're comfortable in the nude or your undies. 
• Get there early to scope out a good spot. Or alternatively, if you can afford it, rent a pod pad for luxury camping. You don't have to worry about pitching a tent, the crowd is a little quieter, and cleanup is easy. 
• Bring ear plugs or an ipod to listen to at night if you get stuck beside loud young people.
• Have your camera at the ready at all times. You never know when you're going to see some people in fancy dress.
• Bring a variety of snacks. Food is not terribly expensive but it adds up if you're buying something every time you want to munch.

Showing off my festival gear

Enjoying the rare bit of dry weather and sun

And the winner is...

Despite the heavy rain shower forecast, the Felday house set out for a day at the races. We were dressed to the nines in our fancy dresses, fascinators, and suit carrying bags with wine and snacks for a lovely picnic at the race. Next came the journey to Ascot which was delayed almost an hour than we had planned due to the ridiculously long lines at the station to pick up our pre-paid rail tickets. Luckily enough we were able to get seats for the hour long train ride and Monica even found a People's magazine for us to peruse.

As luck would have it though it was raining when we arrived in Ascot. We all brought our umbrellas which helped immensely as we made the trek from the station to the grounds. Deciding to be rebels we walked on the road on the outside of the barrier and beat much of the well dressed crowd that were also walking towards the gate. Everyone looked fabulous and it was great to see all the different dresses, fascinators, top hats, and tails. For some reason it made me feel as if I were in a Victorian movie.

After a couple phone calls and texts we located Fletcher, Jade, and their friends who had a prime spot right by the track. We quickly got settled and opened up the bottles of wine. We were about to go make our first bet when the Queen hit the track. We stayed put and got the see the Queen go by in her carriage and do a little wave. She even smiled!

Those who know me know that I'm not much of a gambler. I've been to a casino maybe 3 or 4 times and each time I've spent no more than $20 each time. So, betting on horse races wouldn't seem like my kind of thing. Nevertheless, I got right into it and chose my first horse named Self Centered to come in either first, second, or third. He had 18-1 odds which I didn't find out until after I had bet but I was feeling lucky! The race started and we watched most of it on a big screen until finally they came zooming by us. All of a sudden I started hearing my horses's name being called out repeatedly and I got super excited because he came in 3rd! I brought my ticket back to the counter and I won 3 times my bet! I only bet 4 pounds so it's not like I was in the millions but I didn't care. I was just excited that I had actually won. I wasn't as lucky the rest of the time but it didn't matter. There was great wine, snacks, and company. Just the recipe for a wonderful afternoon at the races.

Return from the blog hiatus....Spain and Portugal edition

I know, I know, it's been ages since my last post and I haven't told everyone about my travels yet. I've just been so exhausted and frankly didn't feel like spending time trying to recap all of the details of the trips. However, I'm going to persevere and attempt to give a shortened version of my trips.

First off...I absolutely love travelling. It can be quite exhausting, especially the way I do it (quick visits to many places) but it is always fun and totally worth the money I no longer have. The first big trip was over the Easter holidays where we had 2 weeks to travel. Susan, Monica, Chris and I went to Spain. We ended up doing 2 days in each of the following cities: Madrid, Granada, Malaga, and Sevilla. Each city had its own charm, positive aspects, and unfortunately things we disliked. I'll break it down rather simply by city.

Madrid: Our trip started off here and we were sooo excited because we were leaving London for a lovely hot country. We were a little wary since we didn't know the language but we took a Spanish language book that I found in the lounge with us and it helped a lot. We learned the correct phrases to be polite, ask for things, and excuse ourselves. This definitely came in handy for the rest of the trip. The highlights of Madrid were the 3 hour walking tour that we took (guided by a man from Blackheath which is 10mins from my house in Lewisham). We learned about the history of Spain and saw many neat places that we never would've seen on our own. Another highlight was the tapas tour where we went to various bars and got free food when we ordered drinks. What I disliked about Madrid was our hostel. Unfortunately there was a large group staying there and they were ridiculously loud. The only positive that came out of that experience is that now when booking hostels I will make sure that they don't allow large groups.

Granada: The next stop was about 5 hours south in Granada which was absolutely beautiful. I would definitely go there again as the people were great and the tapas was much better than in Madrid. Highlights of Granada include the medieval tapas bar, our gorgeous hostel (Oasis Backpackers), the Alhambra, and learning that Spain's partying doesn't kick off until about 2am. If you were ever to go to Granada I would suggest staying at the same hostel. We paid a little more but it was certainly worth it. Our rooms were clean, beds comfy, breakfast delicious, and we even had a wicked view from the rooftop terrace. The Alhambra, a 14th century Moorish palace and fortress, was spectacular. It was a little bit of a journey to get to the palace and it was slightly overpriced for what you got to see but is something you cannot miss if you ever get there. Finally, we met some young British lads who were teaching English in Madrid and hit the town with them. When we arrived at the club around 11:30pm we were the only ones there. The place was packed by 2 and everyone partied until 6am! Somehow I managed to stay up (yes, me who goes to bed by 10 usually) and discovered I could power through most nights out like this for the rest of the trip.

Malaga: We headed south to the coastal town of Malaga which touches the Mediterranean Sea. It was here that we found out about Semana Santa (Holy Week) and the devotion of the Spanish people to their Catholic traditions. During Semana Santa many cities across Spain have religious processions across the city. People are dressed up in religious costumes, carrying huge statues of Jesus or crucifixes, and playing music through the streets. These processions go on all day and night and people line the streets to see it. At first it was really neat to see this because I had no idea that this happened but by the end of our trip we were frustrated with them because there were crowds and road blocks everywhere you went. The weather in Malaga wasn't as cooperative as we'd like which meant we didn't spend much time on the beach which our hostel was right across the street from. We wandered around the city on our own taking in the sights and climbing to the top of a giant hill to get some great views of the city and coast.

Sevilla: This was the last stop in Spain and was my least favourite part of the trip. Sevilla is essentially the capital of the processions for Semana Santa and most of the city was closed off which proved difficult for us to get around. Highlights include the Flamenco night and the Plaza Espana. Our hostel arranged for a large group of people to see a Flamenco show where we got to see the traditional dance in an intimate setting while drinking sangria and Spanish beer. On what was supposed to be our last day we walked to the Plaza Espana which was a palace in a Star Wars movie so Susan and Chris were super excited to see it (they're Star Wars geeks, haha). It was quite an impressive place and we ended up paying 5 euros to take a little row boat around the water in front of it. Monica and Chris left to go back to London and Susan and I puttered around a bit more before going to catch our overnight bus to Lisbon. Unfortunately this did not happen as some jerk pick-pocketed Susan at the bus station and stole her passport. Luckily it was recovered but it was a crazy ordeal with a roller coaster of emotions right up to the end when Susan practically attacked the police man with excitement when he showed her it was recovered.

Lisbon: After a little bit of a delay because we had to take a bus throughout the daytime we got to Lisbon. Our hostel had a great homey vibe to it and the people were so nice to us. It was such a relief after the ordeal we went through in Sevilla. Highlights of Lisbon include the awesome hostel, walking tour, and our day trip to Sintra. Although our walking tour was mostly in the rain we had a great guide who showed us around many of the cute places in Lisbon and told us about much of the country's history. I didn't know much about Portugal to begin with so it was quite informative. We met a really nice Canadian from Alberta who came with us to a cafe where were discovered an amazing Portugese dessert (we liked it so much we each had two). On advice from everyone who had been to Lisbon, we took a day trip to Sintra which is a small town about 45mins away. We got to see the Pena Palace which sits atop of a hill surrounded by forest and vast gardens. The palace was impressive but the queues to get in and the way they organized the visit were irritating. What was more impressive were the remains of a 9th century Moorish castle which were also atop a large hill. Only the walls remain but that is just a testament to how well that fortress was made to protect the King. It was very foggy and a little rainy when we visit Sintra but it gave it a little bit of a mystic element to seeing these historical sights. After our touring we stopped at a little restaurant for some dinner and met a lovely waiter who insisted on being our own personal tour guide and proceeded to give us all of his contact details. Sorry Bruno, I think your card ended up in the bin.

Porto: This was the last stop on our trip. At this point we were pretty exhausted but totally in love with Portugal because of how friendly the people were and how beautiful it was. We had terrible directions to the hostel but eventually made it there after many stops and finally running into some boys who run a pub crawl at night. Highlights of Porto include the late night tour and finally getting to put my feet in the ocean. We were easily convinced by the boys to join their late night tour which started at a bar outside our hostel and ended at 6am. A guy we met on the bus to Porto ended up coming out as well which was neat. We went to a bunch of different bars, played drinking games in the park, and met some really fun people. It was definitely an awesome last night out. The next day by some miracle I did not have a hangover and Susan and I hopped on a bus and went to the beach. It was too cold to go swimming and too cloudy for tanning but we had fun nonetheless. I was like a kid in a candy shop and got all giddy and excited as we got closer to the water. I was so excited in fact that I didn't even realize how fast the tide was coming in and got drenched almost up to my waist. After a couple hours taking in the last of the city we headed to the airport to go back to London.

Although I was exhausted from my travels I had 3 days to prepare for my sister's arrival and the next European adventure which was to start the following week. =)

Hands in my pockets

Between all of the trips I want to take, the wicked concerts and festivals coming up, and the lack of work my bank account is looking quite sad. I'm used to keeping a decent amount of cash in my account as an "in case" fund but that's just not possible here. I'm finding I'm spending loads of money but for once I'm not too worried about it. It's all going to a good cause and I'm having an awesome time.

Spain and Portugal are pretty much all booked. Just have to pay for the bus rides between the cities, our day trip to Gibraltar, and have cash on hand for spending on food and fun while there. I haven't even gone on this trip and I'm already starting to think about the next half-term break and where I'd like to travel. Currently I'm thinking Krakow, Auschwitz, and possibly head to Prague and Budapest. OR I might do my Italy trip.

On top of all of that Tina is coming to visit at the end of the month and I've decided to bite the bullet and go travel with her for a few days. It will set me back a bit but it will be worth it because there will never be another time in my life that I can backpack around Europe with my sister. Plus, we've been talking about doing that for years anyway. That trip hasn't been finalized yet but I'm hoping to have the details worked out before I head to Spain next week. Look out world, here I come!

Let the real travelling begin!

I'm getting SUPER pumped for April to start. We go on holidays starting April 9th and don't go back to the schools until the 26th!! It's a long freakin break. It kind of reminds me March break back in the day when we actually got 2 weeks. Oh how I miss that.

My original intention was to do a few days in Spain with the flatmates and then head to Italy on my own and end up in Rome for Easter. However, the prices to get into Italy from Spain and then back to London from Rome were ridiculously high so I chose to forgo that idea and do more Spain and then Portugal with Susan. I'll go to Italy some other time. I'm sure I can find a lovely church in Portugal to go to mass at on Easter Sunday.

We've finalized our plans (of where we want to go) and have gotten most of the hostels booked. Just need to decide on what we want to see/do while we're there. We're not leaving until the 13th but I'm already mentally checked out of working. Although, I did get up today in hopes of work but there was nothing. Susan and Monica had to take nursery assistant jobs just to get work. Unfortunately I am not brave like them and I can't handle babies, nor would people want me around their babies. haha.

The big 25

Since my birthday happened to land on a Tuesday this year I kept things low key because I was hoping for work the next day. Unfortunately, I also woke up with a sore throat that day so chose to stay home and just relax which was well needed anyway after the fun weekend beforehand. I started my day off with a nice run around Lewisham. I found this great park not too far from home so ran the streets to it and went through the trails and then back home. It was definitely a challenge because the entire trip there was uphill. It felt so good to get out there though because it was a beautiful sunny day and I've been feeling sloth like lately without the gym. I thought about joining one here but they want far too much money and I just can't afford that. Anyway, when I got home from my run I was feeling so pumped up that I did an ab workout too. The rest of the day was very relaxing. I stayed in and had pizza and wings with the flatmates and skyped with friends back home. =)

The real fun happened yesterday when I took a bus tour to see Stonehenge and Bath with the flatmates. It was about an hour and a half drive outside of London. Stonehenge was really neat because it was a lot bigger than I thought it would be. No one really knows how the rocks got there or their true purpose but there are certainly plenty of myths and suggestions about it. In any case it was something cool to see and I really enjoyed it.

After Stonehenge we got back on the sweltering hot bus and headed to Bath. On the way there we went through this area that is used by the military. There were tank crossing signs and you could see the tracks left by them. We also passed this small village that we were told was requisitioned in the 1940s by the British military. They gave the people of the town a little notice and some money to leave the town and then they used the village as a training grounds. They recreated a German village and practiced different strategies on how to take the town in order to ready their troops for battle in Germany. The town is still used today for that purpose and the townsfolk have never been able to return.

We got to Bath and had a few hours to explore the Roman baths and the city itself. The Roman baths were really neat too. You couldn't touch the water though because it was a nasty green colour, probably full of bird feces, is super hot, and comes through old lead pipes. We go to explore the whole museum which included the large bath area as well as many ruins that have been excavated. We got to see where the Romans would have lounged when they came to the Baths, the private rooms for the wealthier Romans, and loads of artifacts that were found there. On both the Stonehenge and Roman baths tours we used these audio guides which tells you many facts and the history behind the places. It was a lot to take in but really interesting stuff.

We spent so much time in the baths that we barely had time to explore the city. We ended up just going to a pub around the corner for some lunch. While we were there we saw on the telly that there was huge riot going on in Central London at the time. People had started a peaceful protest in Hyde Park because of the spending cuts but then some anarchists decided to ruin things and took to the streets and destroyed shops and banks along Oxford Street and Piccadilly Circus. The images reminded me of the riots that happened in Toronto for the G20 Summit. Since these fools were causing raucous in the centre of the city our tour bus had to make some new stops on the northern end of the city because access to Central London was closed. It turned out better for us in the end because we were able to get dropped off at a station closer to home.

Once we got back home we relaxed for a bit then headed out to the Fox and Firkin down the road. Some of my friends met up with us there for some pints and good times to celebrate my birthday. There were some live bands playing which turned out to be awful. Despite the terrible music from the bands the whole night was awesome. We drank, danced, played ukulele and boggle late into the night then headed back to the house where we sang silly camp songs. All in all it was a great birthday!

Living the London Life

I can definitely say I'm all settled in now. I've been here for just about a month and I've become fairly well acquainted with my surroundings. I've always been good with picking up directions and figuring out where I need to go which has been helpful in trying to navigate myself around this city. I'm even starting to memorize street names and bus routes for places I need to get to.

The past two weeks have been quiet at times and then super busy. I enjoy the busy times because it doesn't give me a chance to think about things that have been bothering me. However, the quiet times which often lead to reflection have certainly been helpful in figuring things out. So far I've come to the conclusion that this was definitely the best move for me. I'm enjoying myself out here and getting to create memories that I will carry with me forever. Now if I can only just remind myself of that more often.

Supplying has been pretty decent. I haven't worked as much as I'd like to but that's mostly because I'm not as open to different grades years here as I am back home. Still haven't taught secondary here yet but maybe there will be something this week. I've been going back to the same primary schools I've taught at which is great because I know the routines, see familiar children, and end up feeling more confident when there. I really think the kids pick up on that and respond better. If you're on the ball then they don't have the opportunity to act out or you can at least call them out on things much quicker which puts that to an end.

Of course, kids will always be kids and no matter where I am there will be those little buggers who like to test the boundaries or my patience. One thing that I've noticed a lot here, in comparison to kids back home, is that they LOVE to tattle tale. It drives me mad! Everyday I have a handful or more of kids coming up to me to say "Miss. Crawford...so and so said this....so and so did that...so and so..." I have to address the major things, such as fighting, but mostly it is just useless rubbish that eats up so much of my day. I can't count the amount of times I've had to give kids lectures about minding their own business and worrying about themselves. I just have no patience for that. Ah!

Since I haven't been working a ton I have had loads of opportunities to explore the city some more and have some fun! On one of my day's off I decided to check out the British Museum which holds many ancient artifacts from the Greek, Roman, and Egyptian peoples. Of course, the one thing everyone flocks to when you get there is the Rosetta Stone. For those of you who aren't history dorks this slab of rock has writing in three different languages including Greek and Hieroglyphics and was essentially the key to discovering how to read hieroglyphs. It was pretty neat to see something up close that I had learned about in high school and university. Although ancient history was never my favourite of the histories to study it is quite interesting. Seeing those artifacts definitely makes me more excited to see more in their original locations when I visit Italy and Greece later this year. Anyway, the museum was jammed with foreign school groups who were getting on my nerves so I decided to leave. I ended up meeting up with Chris (one of my flatmates) who works in Covent Garden area and was on his lunch. We had a good stroll around the market and watched a performer. It was a lovely afternoon.

As I'm sure my sister is dying to know, the nightlife is pretty good here. Those who know me well know that I'm definitely a pub kind of gal but I also like a little dancing here and there. London is definitely not short on pubs so that's right up my alley. Only problem is that many of these places close at 11 or 12. This is great for catching the train/bus home but not so great when you just want a late night out with your friends. If you want to stay out later you have to go to the clubs.

Last weekend Monica, Chris, and I went to meet up with their friend Jenn who lives outside of the city. We had dinner and then decided to head to Gordon's Wine Bar in Covent Garden. On the way Monica's friend Charlyn joined us and when we got to Gordon's we were lucky enough to actually get a table. This bar is really neat because most of it is underground in the cellar with these low ceilings and small candlelit tables. Unfortunately we were only able to get a table outside on the patio but it was under heaters so at least we didn't freeze. The night was awesome because the wine was tasty, the conversation was flowing, and there was great company to enjoy it with.

The next day Monica and I decided to check out a local theatre in Catford that was putting on a production of The Diary of Anne Frank. I saw this done once before when I was younger at the Young People's Theatre in Toronto. It had a great impact on me back then and maybe is what sparked my love of history. Anyway, this theatre is soo tiny. It probably seats about 50 people and the seats descend right to the floor of the stage so you are as close as can be. We sat up front which allowed us to feel like we were right in the play. It was so well done and definitely worth the 14.50 we paid.

So basically that's what I've been up to the past few weeks. This past weekend we also went to a club for Fletcher's gf's birthday which turned out to be a fantastic night. The club closed at 12 so we headed across the street to another one that closed later. I'm really lucky to have awesome flatmates that are great to hang out with.

My plans this week are hopefully to work (today is day 2 of nothing) and then on Saturday we're heading out to Stonehenge and Bath on a tour as a little birthday present to myself. It should be just as exciting as my other weekends here. =)

Diary of a supply teacher in London

The week was pretty slow, as I figured it would be since they were just coming off of half-term break. I spent Monday and Tuesday doing some errands and I decided to head to the Imperial War Museum for an afternoon because it's free and I needed something to fill the time. It was great! I took my time and looked at as much as I could. It was nice to go to a museum by myself because I didn't have to rush or feel like I was boring anyone by reading basically everything. I watched a video on Crimes against humanity which talked a lot about genocide (particularly in Rwanda). It was really interesting and terrifying because they showed actual footage from the time and it was quite graphic. Part of the film was actually narrated by Michael Ignatieff which made me giggle a bit because I recognized his voice before they put his name on the screen. How dorky am I? haha. Anyway, because I took my time with each exhibit I didn't even see the whole museum. But that's ok because I can go back whenever I want. Even though I didn't see the whole thing I would definitely recommend it for anyone who is a war history lover like me. The Holocaust exhibit was incredible and includes many artifacts, videos, and even a model of Auschwitz.

Got my first work call on Wednesday for a Year 4 class near Elmer's End which isn't too far from my place on the rail. I got to the school and the Deputy Head Teacher (essentially the vice-principal) and the secretary were away so the Head Teacher was trying to figure out what to do with me. Turns out the teacher I was covering for was actually only there in the morning because she had prep in the afternoon. I had to wait for the Year 4 team to arrive so they could tell me what I'd be doing. I had the feeling that the Head Teacher had no clue what he was doing which made more sense later when I was told that it's the Deputy who coordinates supply teachers.

The other two Year 4 teachers arrived and finally figured out what I'd be doing for the morning. They both seemed quite disorganized which was funny considering that in England each grade follows the same lesson plans and teach the same thing. This is helpful because then if I have questions I can just ask the other teacher and they will know how to explain it. In Canada you're often left to your own devices because each teacher makes up their own things (to a certain extent). Anyway, the kids were awesome! All my fears of bad English kids were thrown out the window. They were a little excited because I'm a supply teacher with a funny accent but they were still good. I had two TAs in the class which was a big help because they helped with discipline (which there wasn't much to do in the first place). The morning went well with a lesson on databases in the computer lab, spelling, and writing a free-verse poem on an animal. The other teachers didn't know what to do with me for the afternoon (because one takes over the class that I had) so at the end of lunch I found out I would just be helping out in the other class. I listened during a science lesson and then worked with some small reading groups to see what level they were at in terms of reading skills. I marked the worked from the morning at the end of the day and that was it.

The next day I got a late call to go to a school called "Charles Dickens". haha. It was for a Year 5/6 class. When I arrived the other Year 6 teacher went over the day plans with me. Looked like it was going to be another decent day. The kids were already working on a literacy assignment where they were writing out instructions on how to defeat a monster that they created. I was supposed to stretch that out for 2 lessons, then do math (fractions), then read from Coraline in the afternoon. My class had a TA and a girl doing work experience so lots of help for me. The TA was much more vocal than the ones I had the day before which was great with discipline. These kids were pretty chatty and needed constant reminders to stay on task but were otherwise good. The Head Teacher popped in at one point to introduce herself to me and lectured the kids about working hard and representing the school well. She even talked with me at lunch to find out if they had completed their work and ask about their behaviour. Again, the day went well and I marked the instructions (which were really creative) at the end of the day and then went home. So far so good.

I didn't work on Friday but I'm not too disappointed about that. I definitely enjoy days off. However, I hope that next week is pretty busy because I will need the cash for all of the trips I'm planning on taking. Fingers crossed that I continue to have lovely kids and don't have to experience the dreaded evil spawn of London.

"Are y'all from America?"

What a whirlwind the past few days have been. I knew that settling in would take some time, especially with getting oriented with the city, adjusting to the time difference, and setting up my London life. However, I forgot to factor in how inconvenient it is to use public transportation when you're trying to lug around groceries or go to places in multiple areas. I spent the first day and a half here running around trying to get things that I knew I couldn't bring with me (ie. cell phone or groceries) and attempting to remedy the unexpected (ie. super uncomfortable bed and cold bedroom).

I met with the people at Protocol (the teaching agency I'm working for) on Wednesday and that went well. I got myself all set up to start work on Monday. Hopefully I get a call for work. No more automated Smartfind system like back home. Now I actually get to speak to a human being and they're actively going to look for work for me. =) After my meeting with Protocol I headed to HSBC to set up my bank account. On the way I thought I'd pop into the phone store to buy a mobile and since I saw online that it was close to the tube station I thought it would be quite convenient. Unfortunately I completely missed it and ended up taking a nice long detour walk around the area trying to find it. I'm not even sure where I was walking but I popped into a Tesco Express and bought myself an A-Z (basically a London map book) which will come in handy as I start to supply out here. I found the high street and just as I was about to give up my search and go back to the station I saw the phone store. Yay! Turns out the phone I wanted (cheapest one there) came with a credit so that was a bonus. I headed to HSBC and got my bank account set up with no trouble, just took an hour because the guy was training someone. After HSBC I was going to head to an Argos that was nearby to pick up a mattress topper (my mattress is really springy so I have an air mattress on top which is just as uncomfortable). Unfortunately, the streets were jammed with tourists and other people and I didn't want to deal with crowds so I just went back to Lewisham. Before I got on the tube I stopped into BK because it was right there and I was starving. Turns out they have multiple versions of the chicken sandwich and some come with cheese! Yum. It tasted the same as back home but made my stomach feel ill later (hence why I don't usually have fast food).

The next morning Monica and I got up super early and started our adventure to Edinburgh, Scotland. The plan was to take a bus to Victoria station to catch a coach bus to Stanstead Airport to get our flight. However, we missed the first bus which ended up changing our trip into the Amazing Race. We got to the airport with less than 10 mins until our gate was closing. We rushed through the airport, waited in security and then ran to the gate only to find that there was a giant line because they hadn't even started boarding. We flew with Easyjet which is a budget airline but it was decent and quick.

When we got to the city centre we headed straight for the hostel. First thing we noticed is that everywhere you go in Edinburgh you're either going up or down a steep hill. At this rate I don't think I'm going to need a gym over here. On our way to the hostel a lady stopped us and asked "Are y'all from America?" This is something I'm going to have to get used to as apparently our accents are quite similar (or not easily distinguishable). Anyway, we all walked towards the hostel and then the woman realized she was going to the wrong one so left us. We dropped our stuff at the hostel and headed straight for the Edinburgh Castle. The castle has a very rich history and is a must see if you're ever in Edinburgh.

After a 2.5 hour tour of the castle (we saw EVERYTHING!) we headed for some lunch. We ended up at a tavern on the Royal Mile and had yummy sandwiches, salad, and a pint (cider for Monica). We headed back to the hostel so we could put our stuff in our room since we could now check-in and we relaxed for a bit before heading out for our Underground tour which was awesome! Roxy had told me all about it from when she went to Edinburgh and highly recommended it which helped me to not get too scared when down there. I don't want to go into too much detail about it in case anyone wants to go. Basically, there are a bunch of underground tunnels and vaults where the poor, criminal, and witches used to live. Each vault has a different story about the type of people who lived there and the terrifying things that happened to them. For example, in vault we were separated, ladies on one side and men on the other, because women have experienced a presence or been touched on the one side. The story is that there was a big fire above ground and the people (men, women, and children) were put in the vault to keep them safe. However, the fire had gotten so outrageous outside that it started heating the stone vault, made the wooden door expand and become impossible to open, and the people inside essentially cooked to death. We went on the regular tour but the other ones are supposedly full of more spooky stories (perfect for my family who loves that stuff).

After the tour we decided to wander around the city and tour things on our own. We went to Calton Hill and got wonderful views of the city (which I'm sure are even prettier in the day time). We explored some more, took photos, ate some dinner, and then headed back to the hostel because we were exhausted. We met a nice guy in our room (we were in an 8-bed mixed dorm room) and got to talking. He mentioned that he was going on a tour of the Scottish Highlands and Loch Ness the next day and we thought it sounded so neat that we decided to do it too! Spontaneous change of plans for our trip which was totally worth it in the end! We couldn't get on Peter's tour because it was booked but were able to get one with another company. Before heading to bed on recommendation from Peter the 3 of us went to get a deep fried Mars bar. It was soo sweet but delicious.

The next morning the 3 of us set off early to get some breakfast at the convenience store before heading on our tour buses. The tour was 12 hours long, most of it spent on a bus, but was really awesome. We saw castles, the highlands, saw some whisky distilleries, took a boat ride on Loch Ness, and learned a lot about the history of Scotland. If you ever go to Scotland I definitely recommend going on a tour of the highlands (either on your own or through a tour company). Words and pictures cannot do them justice. There were many snow capped mountains and waterfalls running down them as the snow melted. We had a lot of rain throughout the day so most of my pictures (taken through the window of the bus) are not as lovely as they could have been.

After the highlands we went to take a boat tour of Loch Ness and searched for Nessie. We actually met up with Peter on the boat as his bus wasn't far behind ours. We also met another Canadian who was from Etobicoke. The small Canadian patch on my bag not only distinguishes me as a Canadian and a tourist but is also a conversation starter piece! While on the boat it started to rain which was fine since I had my umbrella. All of a sudden the rain started coming down really hard and was like a tsunami so we decided to go under for cover. Unfortunately we were already pretty wet at this point. Nonetheless, the boat ride was fun and I get to say that I saw the Loch Ness monster who you can see on my video below!

Click here if you want to read more about where exactly we went on the tour. The website has a link to a flikr account with pictures that our tour guide Brian swears he took. They're beautiful nonetheless.

When we finally got back from the tour we were pretty tired but hungry. We relaxed at the hostel for a bit, went for dinner, and then to a pub for a couple pints before heading to bed. The next morning we got up early again to catch our flight back to London. We got the wrong directions from the guy at the hostel which caused us to miss the bus (again, I know!) and arrived at the airport 5 mins past our gate closing time. Fortunately our flight had been delayed 1.5 hours so we weren't late! We got some breakfast, relaxed, and then took the long journey back to London.

You may have thought after my multiple early morning days that I would just stay at home and relax. Nope! I did some errands, had dinner, then went out to karaoke with Nicole and some friends who were visiting from back home. The night was great until I missed the last tube by a few minutes and had to text Monica to find out how to get home. 3 buses and 2 hours later and I got back to Lewisham around 2am. I slept in the next day until 10am and went to the Portobello Market with Monica and Chris. The market is in the Notting Hill area which has very cute houses and is quite posh. There were many stores with things out of our price range. Sundays aren't the best for the market because not all of the stalls are open but I was able to get two nice scarves and Monica bought a cute bag. We'll have to go back on a Saturday to see what it's really like.

So now it's Monday and my official start day for work. I got up at 6:30am and got ready just in case there was work but unfortunately there was none. Oh well, maybe I'll experience London kids tomorrow.

Planes, Trains, and Automobiles

I will preface this post with I got to London safe and sound with relative ease. If you'd like to read the long detailed version then proceed. I blame my love of history and literature for my detailed account. =)

A 4:30am wake up call by my alarm after going to bed at 2am was very unwelcome. I hit snooze once, maybe twice. When I finally pushed myself out of bed I quickly gathered together my things, woke up Mom, and did my online check-in for my flight. After a quick good-bye to Dad who was still sleeping we went out to the car (which I had to uncover from snow) to drive to the airport.

The morning didn't start off the best at the airport and I was hoping it wouldn't be an indication of how the rest of my travel day would go. To begin with, the electronic signs were malfunctioning so I couldn't see which line I was supposed to go to. I proceeded to the nearest one where I showed my boarding pass and asked if I was in the right place. The Air Canada employee said yes so I joined the long winding line only to find out when I got to the agent that I'm in the domestic line. The plus side is that because that line took up so much of my time I got to by-pass the giant line at the international booth and go right to the front.

On I went to security where I had to finish the 3 sips of my Gatorade before they would let me into the line. No problem. I took off my bag, jacket, scarf and placed them in the bins and walked through with no issues. Then without explanation a security person says I will have to wait a few minutes and calls over her colleague. She says I have to come with her and to leave my belongings with the other attendant. Knowing that I had a fair amount of cash and Mom's camera in my purse I refused and asked if she would be responsible for my belongings if something went missing. They agreed to let me take my purse with me. I was brought over to a giant electronic machine and was motioned to go inside. I can only assume that it is one of those body scanners and I refused to go in. I told her that if she'd like to search me that's fine but I'm not going in that. She said 'ok' and directed me to follow her back to where my other belongings were, told me to hold out my hands, then put them in my sweater pockets, then hold them out again where she waved some magic wand over them. I asked what it was and she just smiled and said I could grab my stuff and go. WHAT!? So my options are go into some giant electronic radiation machine or magic wand? I've been searched a couple times before at the airport which is fine because they're doing their job but at least they answered my questions. I would've been less annoyed if this lady had just responded, it wasn't 6:30am, and I had my coffee. Rant over.

Finally through security I continued to my gate which was quite the distance away. Before I got there I saw a Tim Horton's and despite the super long line I knew I wouldn't function without a coffee. I didn't know until I received my cup but Roll up the Rim had started and it was just my luck that I won a coffee as I'm leaving the country. =(

The flight itself was great! There weren't enough people on the flight so they had to shuffle some around to even out the weight. I had a window seat and no one beside me so I was able to stretch out and had extra pillows for behind my back. I watched 3 movies: Due Date, Never Let Me Go, and Score: A Hockey Musical. I fell asleep part way through the last one though because I was pretty tired.

Getting through customs was fairly easy but the line was ridiculously long so by the time I got to the luggage carousel there were only a few bags left, including mine. I gathered them up, went to the taxi stand and found out that it would cost me 80 pounds to take a taxi to Lewisham. That's equivalent to around $125 Canadian so I opted for the longer and less expensive route- the tube. Trying to carry all my luggage up and down the stairs to get to each station (I had 3 transfers, including the bus) was not easy. I think that makes up for the week of not working out before I left. haha. Finally, just after midnight I made it to my new house to be greeted by Monica and Chris who waited up for me.

So it was a long journey but relatively painless. A few bumps along the way but nothing I couldn't handle. I'm glad to be here and now I just can't wait to get over my jet lag.  =)

Time to go!

I figured this link would be appropriate as I head off to the airport.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=v7RLcq4Kn3Y

Current mental/physical status: slightly hungover (thanks Mom, Tina, and Gordon), tired, excited and ridiculously nervous!!!

Stay tuned

I'm leaving for London in exactly 1 week and I thought it might be a good idea to get a blog up and running so that everyone back home can be updated on my adventures. I hope to update it regularly with details of my teaching and travel experiences so make sure to check back often. =)