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!"

10:30 Greenwich Time:
Happy Friday everyone!! I've had a pretty decent last-few-days and am feeling extra chipper - or is it the coffee that I just drank?! Either way, it's Friday and that's all that matters.

Things are starting to make more sense at school. I still don't feel that I'm at the top of my game, but at least now I feel like it is achievable. Another week under my belt and things are starting to feel more comfortable. I also observed a seasoned teacher's class today and it made me feel better about the chaos that takes place in certain classes of mine. I still have a lot that I want to work on, but I'm okay with that.

I got my long-lost package from my mother on Wednesday - Yea!! She shipped it on the 1st of September and I didn't get it until the 22nd. I'm very thankful to have my fleece and some sweaters, it's getting colder here. Today, I got the digital camera that she sent for my birthday. Perfect timing, too, I am heading to London for the weekend tomorrow morning! I'm not entirely sure what I am going to do or even where I am going to stay, just figured I'd get myself there and worry about the rest later (of course, if worse-comes-to-worse, it's only an hour on the train to get back here for a place to lay my head)... I know I definitely want to do the cheesy Bus Tour (that way I can get some of the things out of the way - the things I know I'm not really going to want to see other than a quick, "look kids, there's Big Ben..."). I also want to see the Tate Modern Museum: Monet, Matisse, Dali, Picasso - it sounds like heaven. Other than that, I figure I'll let the weather and my mood guide me.

I found the coolest website - www.radicaltravel.com. They have tours throughout Britain, Scotland and Ireland. They call them "backpacker tours," advertising anywhere from 3 to 7 day tours across the countryside. The prices cover travel but do not include accommodations, however, they guarantee you a place to stay (you just pay for the Hostel when you arrive -usually £13-16 a night). They have itineraries that seem pretty packed and sound like a lot of fun for people looking to travel without too much expense. They have holiday specials - "Spend the night in a Scottish Castle" over Christmas and some others that sound like a lot of fun. They have an office in London, so I think I may check it out and get more information tomorrow, since I'll be in the area. I'm also tempted to try a three-day trip before I sign up for a big 7 day one. Anyway, it sounds like a lot of fun and I have a half-term break coming up soon!

Oh! I also found out that there's a group that goes to the Pub on Fridays after school. I was shown the secret meeting place, but could not go with them today (I had to run to the bank and deposit my first pay check), hopefully next week... Yea! I may actually start to have a social life here. :)

Have a good weekend, all. I'm off to get some shut-eye for my big day tomorrow.

8:45 Greenwich Time:
I have come home the last two days absolutely exhausted... Those kids are wearing me out! Never again am I allowed to complain about student behavior in Charlotte - the kids here have them beat!! Ugh!

I had a conversation this morning about a certain class' behavior with their Head of Year. Do you know what he said to me? He said, "well, if you have them after lunch, that's when you pop in a video or give them a word puzzle to do!" So my smart ass said, "So if I have the class five times in a fortnight, and three of those lessons are after lunch, you want me to give them a word puzzle?! How are they supposed to learn?!" He blew me off with some comment about how, I'll learn... Prat! If I had wanted a job babysitting in the UK I would have applied for one of the many nanny positions I saw online!!

I tried an old trick that worked today in one of my crazy, after lunch classes. I can't say it will work EVERY time (they're smart and will catch on quickly), but at least they were slightly manageable today.

I got paid today and now I am trying to figure out how I want to spend my earnings - forget savings, my goal here is to do and see as much possible (and that takes £££)!! Maybe I'll spend the weekend in London. I'd be nice to pamper myself with a hotel room. Last night I started looking at Guided Tours through certain cities. I kept thinking about "Under the Tuscan Sun," but at least it would be a good way to see Italy or Greece on my own. I wouldn't go until spring, anyway, so it's something to think about...

The new girl will be here on Monday. She is driving from France... I hope she's cool.

8:30 Greenwich Time:
Greenwich was nice on Sunday. They were having a "Car Free Day," so it was very crowded, but I hung in there (I really can't stand crowds - unless I am distracted by a good band at a crowded show) and I'm glad I did. They have preserved the town to look old and reflect its history. They have a great Maritime Museum and an old ship you can climb aboard and wander through. (I didn't have enough time for either of those attractions, but in case you ever want to go - I've heard they are nice.) There is also a foot tunnel that takes you from one side of the Thames to the other - under the river. My focus was the Observatory and finding the Prime Meridian - So I walked past the Old Royal Navy College that the Queen had built in two parts so that it did not block her view of the River to the Greenwich Park. And, then up a HUGE hill to the Observatory. The view from the top was breath-taking, and all I could think was What was this like in the 1700s? The original house was built in the 1670s and there were Astronomers recording the sky from even that early on, scientists like Halley... It really was something else to be there and know that there is just SO much history. This whole country is full of history, the "before 1492" kind of history that just makes me feel miniscule (in a good way) and remind me that there's so much more to life than just my day-to-day drama... Anyway...

After the Observatory, I found the Market and spent the rest of my day there. They had some really great booths - lots of jewelry, crafts, foods, sculpture, etc. Mostly I bought notecards and things to send in the mail. Speaking of which, if you would like a postcard or something in the mail from England, send me your mailing address and I will gladly post something your way. They just had such nice things at the Market and in the town shops - very unique things. I guess there is a strong artist community there. On my way out of town I stopped for "Fish & Chips," wrapped in the brown paper - it was very nice with vinegar and salt. I think next time I'll skip the chips - the fish was much better...

All-in-all it was a nice day. No such luck on finding the picture in the US textbooks with the Prime Meridian cut into the town sidewalk and street. The part of town I was in is a little west of where the Meridian passes. I did get some nice photos of the millennium Clock at the Observatory, and they had the Meridian drawn there... Of course, if I can make it back to Greenwich this year I'd like to find it. Call me silly, I know...

10:15 Greenwich Time:
Well, this week has not been entirely horrible - my lesson have sucked, but at least I didn't spend all of my time running back and forth between the two buildings. This next week is another story, though, back to the marathon schedule. Let me just say that it is very hard to complete a lab practical in a science class in 50 minutes. And, it is very frustrating to set up a lab practical, get almost ready to start, then look at the clock and have to ask the class to pack everything up because we don't have enough time. Luckily, I didn't have many Geography classes this week, but it is entirely too much to expect a Science teacher to do practicals in 50 minutes AND have her classroom cleaned up so that she can RUN to the other building in time to start her Geography lesson on time - AGG!!!

Enough about school! Friday night I played trivia with the people I am staying with. Their church, every once in a while, puts on a "Quiz Night" and a bunch of people get together and play. It ended up being very similar to RiRa's "Pub Quiz:" tables, answer sheet, picture round, very obscure questions, alcohol... I felt like I was at home. I even answered some to the questions - correctly! They had a handful of American questions - "Name the four states that begin with the letter 'A', Who was Ronald Reagan's VP?" I really had a good time. Plus, it was my first Friday night out in forever!! Oh - and we WON (I forgot to mention that) - a bottle of wine each!!!

Yesterday, I had planned to go to Greenwich, but when I woke up the sky was nasty, so I stayed in bed until noon. By the time I got out of bed, the weather had completely changed and it was a nice day. So, it was too late to go to Greenwich, but not too late to hit the mall, so I hopped a bus to BlueWater. It's one of those things that if I am bored, I go to the mall. I can spend hours and hours there and not spend a dime (pence), just wandering around. I found the Cinema and watched "The Terminal." It was a very cute movie. How about they assign seats in the theaters here (or at least the one I went to)!? I sat in K 17. They also sell two kinds of popcorn - sweet and salty!! I had gotten a Coke and forgot that fountain drinks are FLAT here (the bottles/cans are "fizzy," but the fountain drink are not). I'll have to remember to get an Icee next time - wonder what they'll say if I ask for one instead of a "frozen drink?"

Today, I've decided to try Greenwich again. It is a very beautiful day outside and I am curious to see whether or not the Prime Meridian really is drawn on the sidewalk through the town.

11:11 London Time:
I got my first two pieces of mail here today: a letter from my sister (posted Sept 10 - not bad for snail mail) and something from my bank here. School's school... Not a horrible day, but not a great day either... Gotta go plan for a busy day tomorrow. God, I wish my life were more exciting!!

Yesterday I rode the train in to London to meet the other Americans here. The trip to London was nice. I started off around 11 am (so that I could have some time in London before lunch) and made it to the train station without a problem. I bought my round-trip ticket and had a seat to wait for the 11:37 train. At about 11:45 (when I hadn't seen the 11:37 or the 11:40 train), I found a notice board that explained there was work being done on the tracks September 12th and that I would need to catch the bus to Dartford, then catch the train the rest of the way into London. I wandered outside and found the bus and the rest was smooth sailing, it just made the trip twice as long.

I made it to Charing Cross Station without a problem, but when I got off the train I realized that I had forgotten my "London A to Z" and wasn't sure how to find the pub. I did have a smaller, less detailed map, so with some help (the street vendor at Trafalgar Square) I found the pub with no problem... A little late,but I couldn't help the train problem. [See, even when I try to be early, something happens!]

There were about 15 to 20 people at the luncheon. Everyone was really nice, and most of us had similar first week experiences, so it was nice to talk to people going through familiar situations. Because I was late, I took the only empty seat I found - which happened to be across the table from two people from Charlotte! The guy even lived right down the street!! Too weird!

It's funny how you exchange emails with a person and talk with them on the phone and you expect them to look a certain way. I had my recruiter pegged as a much older man (I even gave him a family in my mind)... I thought of him as a "father figure." Dude! He's my age (if not younger) and could be even called "cute." Not at all what I had imagined!!

One of the other recruiters' girlfriends was there - she was really nice. She is an actress and is about to start filming a mini-series with Luke Perry about the end of the world - the sun is supposed to be crashing into the earth. She'll play Luke Perry's wife, so keep your eye out for the show (and tell me how it is)...

Overall, it was a good chance to meet others who are going through some of the same things.

4:47 London Time:
Well, I've got the whole place to myself and listen to the crazy things I've done... I've watched the tele, done some laundry and talked on the phone. WOW! MY LIFE IS WILD AND CRAZY HERE!! All joking aside, I would like to have a bit more interesting social life. I'm sure it will come, just not quite fast enough as far as I'm concerned.

Yesterday, I high-tailed it into town to open a bank account. It has been a much more difficult process than I thought it would be. Because of money laundering, they have very strict policies for opening an account here. And, because I am staying at a private residence and do not have utility bills coming to this address in my name, most banks have turned me down. I found a bank that was willing to work with me and now I am the proud owner of a current (checking) account. After I finished at the bank, I thought I would have dinner at one of the pubs in town, but 5:00 seemed too early, so I thought I would head home and worry about dinner later. By the time I got home, I didn't feel like walking back into town. [Not to be gross, but my feet are not used to this much walking, so I now have blisters on the bottom of them and holes in the back. It's really not a pretty sight.] So, I remembered that there was a pub just down the street. I packed my bag - umbrella, book to read if I was bored, change purse (since most money is in coin form) - and I was really looking forward to a pint and some fish and chips! Well, I get there and they don't serve food, so I walked a little further to the Chinese Take Away and placed an order. While I was waiting, I walked to the supermarket (not much larger than most NYC badegos) and bought two tall-boys. And that was my nice, British meal - Chinese food and a German beer (The Scottish one is still in the fridge). I top-off the evening with some British tele - I watched "Queer Eye..." And "Friends." I'm really getting the hang of this British life... :)

I was disappointed that there were no Crab Rangoons on the Chinese Take Away menu, but I ordered the Dinner for One... Chicken with mixed Chinese vegetables, Egg Rice, Spring Roll and Prawn Crackers. It was very good!! I miss egg rolls - never really been a big fan of the spring roll, but the prawn crackers were really good! They seem kinda like rice cakes, but flavored... Mmmm!!

This morning, I made myself a cup of coffee (they mostly drink NesCafe' here - the crystals that you add to hot water) and thought how much I missed my flavored coffees that used to fill the apartment with yummy aromas. Then, I ran a load of laundry and just finished hanging it on the line (they don't use dryers here, most people hang their clothes - even towels, so they become scratchy and stiff when you first use them). I talked to my parents for a while. My mom sent a package of light sweaters and some other things that I'd asked for, but she realized today that she sent them to the wrong address - she added River to the street name - so hopefully, the package will still make it here. My parents are sending a digital camera soon (my birthday present), so I will be able to start taking pictures - yea!! I also talked to Krissie today - got the scoop on all of the Charlotte happenings. I'm so jealous that I'm going to miss Will Hoge tonight!!

Today is my day to take it easy. Tomorrow I am heading into town to catch a train for London. I want to get there early so I can wander around the big city a little. Boy I hope I meet some nice people... (so my year here does not seem so dull and boring)...

Almost midnight:
It has been an exhausting week and unless you want to hear about a bunch of school stuff, I won't bore you with details... It's almost Friday and next week is a new week (one with a little better schedule, too) - Yea!

Today, after work, I went to BlueWater (a mall that everyone has been talking about). I figured since everyone was making such a hype about it (and my schedule tomorrow is an easy one) I would go check it out. I rode the bus (that was a first for me - by myself) and when it made its last turn - I felt like I was heading into Mecca!! It really is something special! It is huge and all of the stores are like boutiques. I didn't really buy anything - there's nothing that I need right now, so I just wandered around and looked at all of the pretty things.

Sunday I am heading into London to meet others who are in England through the same company. We are meeting for lunch and drinks. Hopefully I'll meet some cool people who are interested in doing some UK traveling while they are here.

I just thought I'd leave you with some funny little differences I've notice in the last two weeks:

1. There are no Door Knobs on front doors here.
2. Bathroom lights dangle from the ceiling and you have to pull them like a ceiling fan (but only once) to turn them on.
3. Everything is smaller! Even the bottles of soda, shampoo, etc.
4. Coke does not taste as good (it tastes flat).
5. Kids call erasers "rubbers."
6. Paper is a completely different size!
7. My keys at school look like old-timey keys!!

Post started at 8:36 PM: (finished around 10:50 PM)
Okay, so I spent all weekend getting ready for the first day of school. Friday I worked for about 6 hours, Saturday I worked for a couple of hours before I went to bed and Sunday I worked for another 6 or 7 hours. I say worked, but I don't really feel like I got a lot done, just tried to get myself organized and ready for the first day...

That said, It was an interesting first day of school. Not entirely bad, not entirely good. Lots of opportunities to improve, and I'm not ready to start running for the airport either...

I started the day fairly well prepared, I thought. I got there early enough to make my copies and have a cup of tea before things started to get crazy. Then, we spent the first hour with our Form Tutor Classes (Homerooms) and sitting there, I started to get sick to my stomach. I quickly pulled myself together and decided that it was probably the tea I had this morning - the pot looked a little less-than-clean. Then, I met my first class - a large group of year 7 students. To put it mildly,we had some issues. I asked them to take out a sheet of paper and they just stared at me. So I asked again and they replied that they didn't have any paper. "No paper," I questioned, "then what is in your bags?" It went on..."If I asked you to empty out your bag on the table, what would I find?"Come to find out... The school provides them with Exercise books (i.e. paper) and truly, they do not carry paper with them to class... Go figure! I'm not sure if this is a UK custom or just at the school that I am at, but it left me chuckling the rest of the day. Well, chuckling until I met my class from hell - a very large geography class! This class meets after lunch (I think that may have been a factor in their behavior today) and they were completely out of line: constant talking, disrespect, all the things that I won't tolerate... Long-story-short the class ended up "copying lines" on the first day!! Ugh - they put me in a mood! The year 9 class that I had today was a little talkative until I put them in assigned seats. One boy I had to call down twice, then I saw him sitting with his back tome, mimicking me as I spoke! Grr! I sent him into the hall, made him sit out there for 5 to 10 minutes (threatened his life, but only a little - kidding!), when I brought him back in, he was much better... Now I just have to figure out how to handle that geography class!! I came home, had a cup of tea and wrote out about 30 quiz questions - figure maybe I can get them to behave by threatening their marks(grades), we'll see tomorrow!!

I got a lot of "Where are you from?" questions today. They were funny. The year 7 kids that I have said, "we love your accent!" Too funny!! (Partly because that's what I'd say to one of them!)

It's not quite as easy as I'd hoped it'd be. School ended and I SO wanted a beer! Instead I settled for some hot chocolate... Not quite as exciting as my life in Charlotte...

I took some time, relaxed, checked my email and had a cup of tea. I sat down to evaluate how I could make the situation better and this is what I came up with: In a two week period, some days are bad, others are heaven (one lesson and the rest either free periods or study hall supervision). The good make the bad bearable. Overall, I teach three different sections of a 7th grade science class, one 9th grade science and one 10th grade science. I have two sections of 8th grade geography and one 11th grade drama class. That's 5 preps, which is not too bad, it just means I have to stay organized and well-planned!! On the days that I teach drama, I have study hall supervision or free periods, so how can I really complain that they want me to teach drama?? Moving back and forth between two buildings won't be too bad - especially if I set myself up so that I have everything I need in the department offices. and, the 12 year "form" shouldn't be too bad either... They are old enough that they can lead the Catholic prayers, themselves, and I can add in other character building (non-denominational) type stuff.

5:15 London Time:
This was my second day of workshops and I feel completely overwhelmed. Not discouraged (let me clarify), just a little out of my comfort zone (okay, A LOT). I am going to take some time tonight and try to sort through it all, so I'll feel better about everything in the morning. Just want to check my email and have a cup of tea before I try to tackle it all. Right now, I do not have a set classroom (I was expecting that), but they've also given me a "form" class (a homeroom where I am expected to lead prayers each morning - Catholic prayers!!). On top of that, they have scheduled me Science and Geography, but I can only see one place on the two-week schedule where I teach the same subject back-to-back! I won't even get into the various grade levels within each subject!!! Then, looking closely at my schedule, they want me to teach a DRAMA class!!! AGGG!!! Like a said, a cup of tea, then I'll sit down and make the best of it all!!

9:48 London Time:
I've been busy and yet it feel like I have accomplished nothing in the last few days! I have added a little bit more to my cheesy website - nothing special. Unfortunately, I need to be able to download a couple of things and have not had access to the internet through my own computer. Hopefully, soon, so I can start using my Yahoo! Messenger. :)

We had an off-campus staff development day today. It was cool. Let me start by saying that the school I am teaching at is a Catholic school, so today, as part of the staff development, we had a Mass. Technically, I have been to two Masses in my life (one of which I can barely remember), that's it. I was raised a Jew, for those of you who don't know, so Christian religious ceremonies are not my specialty - I tend to follow what everyone else is doing, skipping the "Jesus" parts... Well, in this Mass, there were Hymn books, but as far as the other prayers (that everyone else in the room seemed to know by heart) I was lost. Then, they had communion. I seem to remember being told (in the one Mass that I actually remember attending) that if you are not Catholic, you shouldn't take communion. So, as everyone around me was getting up, the woman beside me leaned over and asked, "are you going?" Well, the woman beside me is new to the school, too, and she had been teaching in Malaysia for nine years. She also is obviously Hindi (I can't think of a PC way to say this, but she had the "dot" on her forehead), or at least NOT Catholic. When I explained what I had been told, she said, "are you sure?" Well, no, not really, but I just kept thinking of the Priest's face when she walked up to take communion. Oh my!! There were other people in the crowd that did not get up, so I held my place on the bench. Later, I learned that I should have been kneeling, but I took my cue from the rest of the group and the only people kneeling were the ones returning from the communion line... I'll know for next time (Thank you K! :) )

I met the most of the Science department and the head of the Geography department - everyone seems very nice! Tomorrow we'll go through my "timetables" and start talking about curriculum.

(Back-dating this a little, sorry!)
I saw a little of the school today. It was an administrative day, so not many people were around. I was told that they would walk me through my "timetable" on Thursday - that's my daily schedule. It seems that Geography is taught in a different building than Science, so I'm curious to see what my timetable entails. There wasn't much for me to do at the school, so I headed into town to get a bank account set up. Well,not quite as easy as I thought. The first bank that I went to was very pushy and they basically said that I couldn't open an account unless I had a bill addressed to me at my address in the UK. When I asked if a letter from my landlord would be sufficient, she hurriedly replied "NO" and ran to help the next customer. So I tried the next bank (there are about 4 or 5 in town), it's actually where my sister and brother-in-law have accounts in NYC. The guy couldn't open an account today, but all I have to do is get the school to write a letter for me, explaining that I am employed there and it needs to have my residence listed on it as well. I also found out that I can only open their most basic account - no checks, no check card, but I can schedule debits (like rent payments) and get cash from the ATM.

I stopped in the DSS office (Department of Social Security) to get an National Insurance number. They gave me a phone number to call to set up an appointment...

I checked on a mobile phone, but when I explained that I was looking for a phone to make primarily international calls, she smiled and said to invest in a phone card. She said they charge typically £1.5 per minute on international calls. That's almost 3 dollars a minute!!

I also did a little shopping today - the weather has been much cooler than I expected. So, I bought a pair of khakis, a jumper (a sweater) and another long sleeve top. The pants were a bit expensive, but the jumper, top, and a sweatshirt I found cost me a total of £13 (that's less than 26 dollars total)!! I'm very happy with my find!! I think these items will hold me over for a while. Once school starts up, too, I'll wear more of what I've brought. I walked the other way home and found an area of shops, etc. Its about 5 minutes from the house, in the opposite direction of the school.

11:41pm London Time:
Okay, click on the link on the right-hand side "My Adventures in England." It will take you to the "Under Construction" page...

11:25pm London Time:
Okay, so if you click on the link, an error message will come up. I'll work on it...

Sunday I took a walk into the town of Gravesend. I live on the outskirts, about 5 minutes from the school, but the town itself is right on the river and is about 15 minutes from here. The town is just how I'd imagined it - old buildings that have been modernized on the inside, but hold their character on the outside. There are a ton of shops, many clothing shops (yea!), at least 5 different banks, etc. I didn't find the train station, but I wasn't really looking for it either. I'll probably go there tomorrow to set up a bank account.

Today I went with Chris and Jenny to the Codham Fete. Codham is the village where they go to church. The Fete (or party in french) is a fair with lots of games and rides for everyone. It was nice. After we walked around for a little while, we walked up to the church - they were having a painting auction there. The church was absolutely breathtaking!! First of all it was built in the 13th century. It was small (or at least small compared the the places we have in TN/NC) and it just looked old, well-kept, but you could just tell that it had a history! It may have been the gravestones that had been worn and weathered in the front yard. Jenny took me outside to the old college - it used to be associated with the church many years ago, then it became an alms house. Now, it is a retirement community. We walked through a walkway and into the prettiest courtyard. Jenny says that the rooms are never vacant and that they've built a new building to accommodate all of the people who want in. Afterward, we walked down to the new cemetery. We walked though this nice wooded path, which opened up to the cemetery. Outside of the gate for the graveyard is an apple orchard (which overlooks the Kent countryside and rolling hills). It was truly beautiful! I need to start looking for cameras soon so that I can document some of these things.

11:21pm London Time:
One of these days, I'll get around to changing the time on my blog. Actually, I've been debating about changing a lot of things. There are only a few people that know about this site and even fewer that actually read it. I want something that my family can read and see pictures, so I am thinking about my own .com. Quite frankly, some of the things I post here my parents/grandparents would not be able to handle. I'll keep posting here for all of the "fun" stuff, but if you'd like to read about my experiences here, check out www.myadventuresinengland.com. It's under construction now, but I hope to have it up and running soon. All I need now is a digital camera to post pictures. I'm working on that.