Surprises in the Mail

I absolutely adore my sister!! She is so amazing, and funny, and smart, and just wonderful! I woke up this morning to a package outside my door from my sister - that silly girl! Her birthday is in three days, and yet she's sending ME packages! It was full of all sorts of goodies: blister band-aids, pencils that say "I'm cool," lots of snacks, two CDs (UK bands, I believe, I didn't recognize the names), Starbucks coffee, an announcement for a show that she's been helping the artist prepare, and two magazines (People & Time Out New York). I spend my morning drinking Starbucks coffee and reading People magazine cover-to-cover while listening to the Postal Service. I can't remember a time when I've EVER read a People magazine all the way through, but when you're away from it it's fun to catch up on all of the celebrity gossip. Later, I ate a bag of Cheetos with my lunch while reading the TONY (Time Out NY) and listening to The Streets. It was a good way to spend the afternoon. London has its own Time Out magazine that I am going to pick up tomorrow - they have a pretty comprehensive list of all of the "happenings" in town.

I had planned to see a Rugby Match today, but the weather was nasty, so I chose to load some pictures instead (it too much longer than I thought it would - I have been spoiled by a cable modem!). I have not linked them here, but if you would like to see pictures of the house where I am staying, my trip to Greenwich, or my weekend in London, just shoot me an email and I will gladly pass them on.

I spent yesterday running errands. I had a pretty extensive list of things I wanted to do and was able to complete most everything on the list. The National Insurance appointment only lasted about 15 minutes (they make it sound SO bad, like going to the DMV in Charlotte). Then I tried to find something interesting in Dartford, but didn't have much luck, so I hopped a bus to BlueWater.

I splurged on a hair cut. Funny how the littlest things make you feel so much better... a haircut, a beer and a cheesy movie on a Friday night (not to mention sleeping in past 10am the next morning) equals one happy girl!

A Very Strange Week

It hasn't been the easiest week. Not that it's been bad, just more and more crap that in the end is really not important, just extremely frustrating.

I've had two dreams about Rob in the last week. Once at the B & B, and now again last night. I'm really not sure what they mean, considering I haven't spoken to him in three years. And, frankly, I'm a little weirded out that this has been happening. The one last night was even more disturbing because we were sitting on scaffolding, watching a concert, when the top began to tip forward and at first I thought it would stop, but then it just kept going and hundreds of people began falling in front of us. We were somewhere in the middle (like maybe there were five levels and we were on the second or third) and didn't actually fall, but it was pretty scary. I woke up when I was being attacked by a dog...

Today is my Friday. I am not going into work tomorrow. Instead I am taking the train to Dartford for an appointment to get my National Insurance Number. This should be interesting - they've asked me for about a million documents. It was quite an ordeal to even get the appointment, I had to call the appointment line almost every day for two weeks. Finally able to get through, the guy on the other line was quite entertaining... "You came all the way from the States to live THERE?!" Let's hope the people at the Job Centre in Dartford are as much fun!

We had a New Teachers' meeting yesterday and I sat in that room listening to a man speak about observations and lesson planning, and I thought, "Oh my gosh, I can't believe I am really here." It's only taken a month for the reality to hit that I am in another country, living out a dream!

Just when I think I have it under control...

I've mentioned how hard work is here, haven't I? Well, I guess I can't really say it's hard because I think I was pretty spoiled last year and didn't have a whole lot of outside work to do for school. Anyway, in addition to the four preps that I need to have ready for each lesson, it was brought to my attention today that I need to be grading notebooks regularly, giving homework regularly and basically eat, sleep and breathe school... Ugg!

On a happier note, the French Assistant arrived yesterday. She seems very nice. Her friend from Brittany is working at a school the next town over - she seems nice, too. They are both pretty young, but the other girl says that she is staying with a Geography teacher who is closer to my age, and she mentioned going out and hanging out together. Of course, with the pile of work from school that I will be buried under, I won't have much time for a social life. Forget weekends, or at least both days of the weekend... boy does this suck!

A Weary Traveler

I have learned quite a bit from my night in London:

1. Don't plan to use money that you [technically] don't have. (I forgot that checks take time to clear - I've been spoiled with direct-deposit for so long! So when I left town on Saturday, I had no money in my account - thank goodness for credit cards.)
2. Have SOME idea where you are going or what you are trying to find. (Walking in circles around Victoria Station, looking for a particular street should not take an hour and a half!)
3. Don't leave your "London A to Z" at home! (Despite what you think, you really do need it!)
4. Don't be too proud to pull out your map and use it! (You look silly walking in circles for an hour and a half!)
5. Always carry a book with you when you are alone for dinner (staring at the wall sucks!)
6. I SUCK AT READING MAPS!!

I won't call it a bad trip. I really did enjoy myself... Just learned a lot in the process!! Saturday I took the Bus Tour - you really do see a lot of the city that way! By the time I got off the bus, I was starting to get hungry, so I thought it'd be smart to find a place to crash for the night and freshen-up for dinner. I knew Belgrave Road was on one of the sides of Victoria Station, but as I walked around the perimeter, I could not for the life of me find the street! I found lots of neat shops that I stopped in, but no Belgrave. Finally, after an hour and a hour of wandering, I took a long, hard look at my map and found the street. Now, as you walk down this street in London, there are hundreds and hundreds of hotels, B & Bs, even hostels. But, if you walk down the street on a rainy Saturday at 6:30 in the evening, you MIGHT have a hard time finding a room for the night. I walked about 8 long blocks until I got to the end of the street, thought I'd try the opposite side of the Road and finally found a place. It was a cute little B & B. The catch was that the room, nicknamed the "closet," was tiny! It was literally the size of a full-size bed (with a twin and a small television table - that's all that would fit!). It did have a bathroom en suite, so at least I didn't have to stumble down the hall in the middle of the night.

I had dinner at a pub around the corner. I was so happy to have a beer and a hot meal, but when you're eating alone, you can only look at the menu for SO long. I had just bought a book at Victoria Station when I was wandering around earlier, WHY did I not bring it with me!? No matter how much fun you think you want to have, always carry a book with you, just in case the place is dead. Instead, I finished my meal and stopped in the corner market for a bottle to drink while I watched the tele, laying in my tiny bed, in my tiny room. Now, mind you, I am not complaining about any of this, because in all honesty I was as happy to watch TV as I was for a wild evening in a London Pub!

I woke up this morning (7 AM) and had a nice Continental Breakfast at the B & B (met some nice Tennesseans that shared a table with me - Nashville), then found the Radical travelers Office. I hopped on the tube and found an Arts Festival at Trafalgar Square, then found Oxford Square (lots of shopping) and Piccadilly Circus, then took a bus to the millennium Bridge where I walked across the Thames to the Tate Modern Museum. The bridge was really cool, as was the museum. By the time I finally found the London Bridge Train Station (around 5 PM) I was ready to come home. My backpack was starting to feel heavy on my shoulders and I was ready to sit for a while.

It was a definite learning experience. Would I do it again? Hell yeah - that's what I'm here for, mistakes and all!! I couldn't have spent more than £100 this weekend (including £45 for the room). For as expensive as London is, you can get around here pretty cheaply, if you try. I also took lots of pictures with my new camera - I'll share them soon.

This morning, waiting to check out of the B & B, the owner made a comment about "what a nice day" it was going to be. I looked out the window and I'm sure the look on my face must have said it all - the skies were gray and there was not a spot of sunshine. the guy next to me leaned over and said, "In England, this time of year, a day without rain is a nice one!"