Home from the whirl-wind Tour

Where to begin? It was an absolutely amazing trip - lots of fun!! We saw SO much and did SO much in the short amount of time that we had - it was a blast!! I met some really cool people and enjoyed spending time with Krissie and her friends!! Good times and lots of memories!

Day 1: Met Krissie at Victoria Station, London approx. 4:15 pm. We made our way to Luton Airport. After riding the tube, a train, a bus and eventually a plane, we arrive at Paris' CDG airport. Then we made our way to the Hotel Mayet. A train ride and two metro transfers later we check in, eat some cheese and crackers and fall fast asleep.

It was exciting and a little weird to see Krissie standing at Victoria (like it was normal for her to be in London or something). Somehow, the reality of our trip still had not hit me. We caught up on gossip and swapped stories, just like old times.

Day 2: Paris: We woke up and made an attempt to use the funky French shower (it was a tub with a hand-held piece, no curtain). We ate breakfast and met Emily and Nico in the hotel lobby. Nico drove us to Sacre-Coeur for the start of Emily's wonderful tour. Here was our day in Paris:

• Sacre-Coeur: We climbed to the top of the tower and could see the whole city - such a beautiful sight!!
• Hotel de Ville and Notre Dame: Very cool buildings! The figurines carved into both buildings were very detailed and very beautiful! Don't know why I was obsessed with Notre Dame, but I took a ton of pictures of it.
• Lunch: Take away sandwiches on good French bread - Mmmm!!
• The Louvre: We walked through the courtyard (not enough time in the day to see the inside) - such a huge and amazing building!!
• Jardin de Tuleries: Winter and a little rainy, but I can see why it is such a neat place.
• Angleina's: Famous for hot chocolate, we enjoyed the specialty and dessert - Mmm!!
• Champs Elysees: We walked along the well-known street and even did a bit of shopping (or at least tried to).
• L'Arc de Triomphe: We climbed more stairs to see the city!! I never knew you could do that!
• Eiffel Tower: Bad weather kept us from going to the very top, but we saw plenty from the second level.
• Bataux- Mouche: A river cruise along the Seine - very cool!!
• Dinner: St. Germain area for dinner at La Boussole and drinks later.

A very cool day! It was great to meet Emily and to spend the day with her in Paris! Hard to choose a favorite sight, but I loved looking down on the city from at least three different places. The restaurant where we ate dinner was spectacular! I have found myself dreaming of the salmon with coconut sauce... Guess I will have to find my way back to Paris soon.

Day 3: Nico and Emily drove us to the airport for the second leg of our trip. I can't say this was the BEST travel day, but we made it and that's all that matters. First, the airport had only one line to check in for the flight to Barcelona (while other destinations had at least two lines) which meant that the line itself was rather long. Passengers started to get anxious about making the flight, so there were a lot of angry/stressed-out people in line... Never a good thing. Then, when we finally checked-in and hurried to the gate expecting to board the plane immediately, it hadn't even landed yet! The company probably could have saved quite a few customers from stressing -out if they had only informed us while we were waiting. We made it to Barcelona without a problem and caught the train to Estacio Sants where we were expecting to catch a train to Alicante. Unfortunately, there were no seats on any train to Alicante... Uh Oh!! The guy told us we could either take a bus or catch the 7am train the next morning... We opted for the bus and arrived in Alicante at 2:20am.

I am sorry for that, K. I really did try to book tickets in advance, but the website wouldn't let me and I NEVER expected the trains to be full!! It was a long ride from Barcelona, but was cool to see the Spainish coast (well, at least until the sun went down). The bus was a new, fancy one that had a toilet on it (you actually stepped down to get to it). We even watched a movie - too bad neither of us know Spanish... Caroline and Lee met us at the bus station at 2:20am and took us to their house in La Marina. We drank champagne and ate strawberries and didn't go to bed until 5 o'clock.

Day 4: La Marina, Spain We woke up around noon and got ready for the day. Unfortunately, by the time we were ready to leave the house, it was time for siesta, so we went to the beach and enjoyed a picnic along the Mediterranean. It was a beautiful day, a little chilly, but lovely and bright. I was thrilled to be able to wear sunglasses. About 4:00 we headed into Torrevieja. Siesta is a new concept for me - the idea that people take a break in the middle of the day to go home and spend time with their family is cool. They slowly make their way back to work sometime between 4 and 4:30ish to open shop and continue with the rest of the day. It was very odd to walk around the town of Torrevieja and see the shops closed in the middle of the afternoon... Just a very different way of life. We left and headed back to La Marina for dinner. We had a few drinks at two of the local bars, then enjoyed a huge Chinese feast. It was great. I think we were all a little drunk by the end of the evening, I know I was! We walked home and sat on the roof-top terrace for a little while before heading for bed.

Caroline and Lee were great fun! I have loads of admiration for them to leave Wales and move to Spain where the life and the language is completely different. I really liked the Costa Blanca region. There is such a completely different way of life in Spain, so mellow and relaxed. It would take a while to get used to life there, but I think it could be a lot of fun.

Day 5: We woke early so that we could attend the San Fulgencia Market, hopped in the car and drove to the town only to find that the market was not quite what was advertised. It only had about 8 stalls, mainly fresh fruit and veg. We decided to drive to Elche, the shoe capital of Spain. We wandered around the town looking for shoe shops but had no luck. We found a really cool bridge and snapped tons of pictures. We ate lunch at a cute little Spanish restaurant. We left Elche to find orange and lemon groves and snapped more pictures. We spent loads of time in the car, seeing a lot of the area. It was really cool to see the salt lakes and citrus groves - such a beautiful area!! Then it was back to the house for dinner and then off to the Alicante airport. We were in the immigration line at Gatwick with some really shady characters. Caught the shuttle to the hotel and crashed by approx. 1am.

Elche was really cool. It is a good-sized city and you could get a good feel for Spanish life. Compared to Torrevieja, where tourists frequent the area, Elche did not speak much English. So it was especially nice to experience. Driving through the area with Caroline and Lee was nice. We have some fun pictures where we stopped to photograph ourselves with the San Miguel sign. I can see why they are such a special couple for Krissie, they are just really great people!! Lee bought Krissie and I stickers and magnets and even a box of Sangria!! Caroline insisted that I take a juice-box sized wine home with me as well!

Day 6: London, England We caught the 8:15 shuttle to Gatwick. Big hugs before Krissie went through security to find her gate and I caught the Gatwich Express to Victoria, then the Green line to Embarkment, walked to Charing Cross and finally caught the 10:02 train back home.

I had a blast K! Thanks for coming!!

Krissie and I in front of Sacre Coeur

Caroline, Krissie and I enjoying a San Miguel along the Mar Mediterraneo. 

Pancake Day

"Did you know today was Pancake Day?" That's what I was asked on several occasions today. In the UK, since tomorrow is Ash Wednesday, today is the day that you clean out your cupboards. They call it Shrove Tuesday. It seems that traditionally observing Lent meant abstaining from all dairy products, including eggs (in addition to meat), therefore you would indulge the night before... Kinda like Yom Kippur where you enjoy a feast before you fast for twenty-four hours. Pancakes here tend to favor crepes rather than the pancakes I grew up on, but they still taste nice nonetheless. In the British Isles (and some other parts of Europe) Shrove Tuesday is also a festival-type day with Pancake Races (where women run through the streets with frying pans, trying to flip pancakes as they run) and other games. Forget Mardi Gras beads and wild parties, bring on the pancakes! Somehow it just doesn't have the same effect.

Anyway, Happy Pancake Day all!!

Monday

A pretty boring week. A pretty boring weekend... But not for long!! I am getting more and more excited about the trip to the continent - it's going to be a blast!! I just have to make it through the week - Ugh! School is really stressing me out and keeping me really busy. This trip is a welcomed escape. Are we down to only four days, K?

This was a conversation I overheard between two 17 year old boys today:

Boy 1: Did you watch the SuperBowl last night?
Boy 2: Nah. I can't get into American Football.
Boy 1: Yeah. It's like when they film matches here everything looks a little gray. Over there it's all lit-up and has a bright haze, kinda like a Hollywood movie. So I watch it, but it is dull. I keep looking for a plot, but there isn't one.

Could Be Promising...

I recently had a conversation with the Head of Science about a going on a training course for a program we are using with our year 10 and 11 students. At first she was a little apprehensive, it seems that the program will be replaced in 2006. But then she said, "Well, you'll be working with the program next year, so it would be beneficial." Is this a good sign for a job for next year?

Nightmares

I had two disturbing dreams on Friday. The first was about Ofsted. I was in the middle of an absolutely horrible lesson to find an Ofsted inspector at the back of my classroom. The school has me so worked up that I am now dreaming about the visit - Agg! I couldn't wake myself and was almost late for work... The second dream was early evening when I was napping. It was about being beaten and abused. I can't remember exactly what happened, but the most disturbing bit of the dream was waking up and feeling like it was not the first time I have dreamt it...

I just purchased my ticket to see REM at Hyde Park on July 9, 2005!!

I wish I had taken my camera with me...

I didn't think I would need it. Most museums don't allow you to photograph things, anyway, so I thought I would save some room in my bag. BIG MISTAKE!

Yesterday I went to the Museum of Natural History, which was rather disappointing. I guess, living in a town without major museums, I had high expectations. Everyone said, "Skip the Science Museum, it's boring, instead go to the Museum of Natural History." I guess we have different opinions of what is boring... It was a lot of animals, sprinkled with some bones: in other words, it was taxidermy heaven with a Darwin exhibit here and a Dinosaur exhibit there. I can see where people might enjoy it, it was much like a zoo except with perfect views of the animals, they weren't hiding and they weren't sleeping. I'd prefer to see the animals at the zoo - alive!! But that's just me. Even the Ecology exhibit had loads of animals, like the museum had SO many that they just put they wherever they could... I can just imagine their basement piled high with the leftovers...

The museum itself was a huge maze and it was very difficult to get from one section to another. I think that added to my frustration. Before leaving, I decided to give it one last go, and found the Earth Room, which was really cool. It was an exhibit on volcanoes and plate tectonics - more my cup of tea. Plus they had a huge room full of rocks and minerals, and even a special exhibit on Meteors which was cool. Not that it was a bad experience, just one I will skip next time... I will say that the Museum building is absolutely gorgeous!! It reminds me of a building in a Sherlock Holmes movie, just large with a breathtaking design. Inside, the detail was wonderful. The first room was three stories high and there were small monkeys carved along each of the arches, everywhere. It was fabulous!!

Leaving the museum, I decided to try and find Harrod's (hugely expensive, well-known department store). I remembered driving past it when we returned to London on my trip to Wales, so I was trying to find the right block... I walked around the exterior of the entire museum, but could not find the right street. Somewhere along the way, I got distracted my the impressive buildings I was passing, until (in the middle of the block) was this spectacular one that was round and had many stairs leading to the entrance. Overtaken with curiosity, I immediately crossed the street and started to climb the stairs. Come to find out, it is the Royal Albert Hall. That's where Cirque du Solei is performing now and where many operas and symphonies take place. Across the street is Kensington Park, where there is a beautiful monument with spectacular sculptures. Nearby is Hyde Park, but I was getting short on time... It took me a while to find a tube station and get back home...

Long-story-short, I now will have to go back to this area and snap loads of pictures, because my words do not do it justice. OH DARN, I am so upset that I have to go back to something that just completely impressed me... :)

Books, books and more books...

I have been spending a lot of time reading since I have been in England. I can't say that I have always enjoyed reading, but in the last few years I have tried to do more and more of it. My problem is that when I walk into a bookstore I freeze up. I panic. I stress about finding a new book to read. It seems to take hours and the stores make me claustrophobic.

Long story short, I am looking for suggestions for books to read. Any suggestions? Please share.

Here is my most recent: The Time Traveler's Wife Audrey Niffenegger - This was such an easy read. The story was interesting and different - a love story with a twist. I loved this book!

Sisters are always good for a laugh...

I got a package today from New York. My sister always sends the silliest stuff. This one contained a box of Kraft Macaroni and Cheese, a luggage tag (bright orange with a NYC tube map on it), two notecards (one says "My driving is fine but I walk like a maniac."), and a People Magazine. So, I have spent my afternoon reading about Jennifer and Brad. That is until I had my tea (my dinner) and watched ER.

My sister also sent me a "grow a boyfriend" - I guess she worries about me here. According to the package, he grows 6 times his original size (wouldn't it be nice if they all did). Apparently he will reach full size in 72 hours, but will slowly shrink when out of water, "then you can grow him again and again." God, that girl makes me laugh!

Why is it whenever I visit London my boogers turn black?

Just got back from a day at Windsor Castle. It was just what I needed: a nice day out to remind me why I am here. I have been so caught up in school and what's been going on in the house that it was starting to get me down. After today, I am energized. The town of Windsor is great and the castle is just amazing, especially because it is still used on a regular basis. Hard to imagine that something THAT old is still actively used by the Queen today. The rooms were great, all very ornately decorated - very gold.

I guess the only thing I have to compare it with is the Biltmore Estate. (My sister and I toured the White House when I was 8, but I can't remember anything about it...) The tour was similar, view the rooms/view the grounds, but there's something to be said for a piece of architecture built in 1080 that the Biltmore can not be compared with... And the artwork, each room was covered in beautiful paintings. The most impressive room was St. George's Hall, an enormous hall with a vaulted ceiling that is covered with coat-of-arms for all of the members of the Order of the Garter. This is where the Queen holds State Banquets.

Entering Windsor Castle...

Random Bits of Information

The last two weeks have been... Well, I guess the best way to describe them is shite. There have been some things happening around the house that have caused me to spend more and more time in my bedroom, out of the way. Unfortunately, in retreating to my bedroom I am becoming more and more of a hermit and am starting to feel sad about not having a social life. Nothing is in place yet, but I am working on getting myself out of this "downer" situation. I am thinking that a change in scenery is in order. We'll see...

At school, there's a big push to be prepared for our Ofsted audit in March. Ofsted is an government agency that evaluates schools and publishes reports based on these evaluations. My school did not get a very good report the last time they were audited, so there is a big push to be successful this time around (otherwise, I've heard they shut down your school or something). They are in and around the school for a week, visiting classrooms, assessing teachers and auditing the overall success of the school. It seems to be a highly stressful time and preparations have already begun. This being my first Ofsted visit, I am especially concerned how things will go. If it is anything like today, I am screwed.
(On a sidenote, I am concerned as to why an Ofsted audit is announced. There is so much time spent in preparation, that all the auditors end up seeing is a big song-and-dance. How is that REALLY evaluating the success of a school - how well they can bullshit?)

My weekend, overall, was uneventful. Friday, I picked up a couple of movies to watch: "Bend it Like Beckham" and "Italian Job." Saturday, I rode into London hoping to hit a museum, but I had a late start so I just wandered around. I have my favorite places that I always go, but there's still so much more to see. This time I thought I would just get on the tube and explore another part of the city. I ended up on the Bakerloo line, and rode it to Paddington Station. The area was mainly residential, but very cute. Next time I will consult my guide book and make sure the area I choose is a little more interesting. Not wanting to leave London too early, I made my way to Trafalgar Square with a chai tea in hand. I figured that I could sit and watch the people for a little while. It turned out that there was a huge Russian Festival and the square was packed! So, I watched some band perform and watched the people while I drank my tea - it was wonderful! Maybe I'll try Notting Hill next weekend.

This is my horoscope for today:
The authority figures you've been dealing with lately are quite happy with you -- not only with what you've done, but with the reputable qualities you've displayed. They're not quite ready to show that to you just yet, however. So you'll need to be patient, or at least fake it for just a little while longer. You won't have to pretend you're happy once they offer you a bit more responsibility, though -- and that's what's coming. Oh, admit it. You just love this. Get some sleep. You'll need it.

The Smart Car

r
It's just TOO cute!! Of course, I'd hate to be in it on the highway.

I don't think I am adjusting well, this time around...

Well, all of my luggage has finally made it back. And, I made it through another week of school... Then, Friday the bug hit and I've been in bed ever since...

It was a lot harder to get on the plane this second time around. All of the adventure was gone, I knew what was waiting on the other side of the ocean. So, the saying "goodbye" part was a lot harder, especially the saying "see you in 7 months" because that seems like such a LONG time.

Then, the luggage crap happened and I was greeted with some bad news about my living situation. Plus, I had to dive right into school (which was both good and bad). So, by Friday I was completely worn out and was starting to feel sick. I came home and went straight to bed and have been there ever since.

Problem is: Because I have been sick and in bed, I have spent this weekend back on American time - get up at 5pm (noon at home) and go to bed at 5am (midnight at home). Which, unless I can correct tonight when I go to bed, will set the stage for all of next week... Ugh!

Luggage Update

One bag has been located. It arrived in Paris this afternoon by mistake. WTF!?! It should arrive in London tonight and will be delivered tomorrow... This sucks!

We missed you Little A!! 

I'M BACK!

The trip home was nice. I can not think of a single thing that I wanted to do and just didn't. Of course there are many, many people I wish I could have had more time with. But at least I got a visit in, even if it was only for a couple of hours. I got to spend some time running around with my sister in NYC - that was fun! I love that city!! I got to spend lots of time with my parents and Sassy - that was nice! I spent time in Charlotte and hung out with friends - not enough time, but it was worth the trip. And I got some good time in with the grandparents - that was important. So, all-in-all, not a bad vacation.

Of course, I arrived at Gatwick yesterday morning, completely exhausted, to find out that my luggage did not make the flight with me - ugh! That is half my life right there - all of my gifts, all of the items I'd purchased with gift money, and almost all of my underwear that I have (TMI, I know)!! I had gotten rid of so much when I moved, that the items I kept are truly my favorites and, unfortunately, they were all packed in two bags heading from Atlanta to London that were somehow misplaced along the way. Needless to say, I am very unhappy about it all! They told me I would hear something in 24 hours - it has been 28 and no word - Grr!

All my bags are packed, I'm ready to go...

Well, not exactly. I still have a few more things to shove into the suitcase. I had a brilliant plan to only pack a carry-on so I could get in and out of LaGuardia easily tonight (and then again in and out of LaGuardia tomorrow night), but that plan went out the window about 8:00 last night. So, instead, I have my trusty rolling suitcase. I will check it... Everything will work out okay...

So, in approx. 15 hours I will be hugging my sister and diving into her new futon to get a few hours of shut-eye before we tackle NYC shopping. I know, I know... What am I thinking? I just finished complaining about London crowds... But crowds are much more bearable when you have company.

I have survived my first term...

Only two more to go! It has been an extreme learning experience. And I chose to celebrate it by sleeping for almost 18 hours. I slept through the staff party last night and probably could have slept all today, as well, but there were Christmas presents to buy. So I forced myself out of bed to fight the huge crowds on Regent Street. Ugh! Why do they make crowds look so nice in the movies? No one ever seems to bump into anyone else. No one ever seems to just stop in the middle of the sidewalk.

Hooray for British Pubs!

Haven't had much of a chance to be out and social, but tonight was the Science Department Christmas Dinner... I was not banished to the "boring" part of the table (always a good sign), they were cunning when they made the seating plan. I enjoyed my sea bass and my John Smith pints. At one point I was feeling a bit tipsy (I've lost my tolerance over the last few months), but recovered (graciously, I think) and continued with my glass of wine... Can't wait to visit Charlotte, where I have (or used to have) a fun social life. Until then I am just going to have to meet some REAL drinkers in town (other than the students at my school)... Six days and counting, not sure if there's time before the new year...

Maybe that should be a New Year's resolution...

So far, my resolutions are pretty lame:
#1 - Lose weight (I could sound like Bridget Jones and start talking about the number of stones, but I'll spare you)
#2 - Make some friends (because YES, I am really THAT pathetic)
#3 - Work on classroom management (I have some ideas for the new term)
#4 - start working on what I want to do with the rest of my life...

Bruges Christmas Market

Woke up early Saturday morning to catch the bus - we had to be at the stop at 6:54am. Ugh! Everyone at school said that the coach would have tea and coffee, not my coach, so I spent the first part of the trip sleeping. In Dover we boarded a ferry and made our way across the channel to France. I finally got a cup of coffee on the ferry. Of course every British person on the boat was drinking beer or "spirits" (at 8:30 in the morning!?!) It was an uneventful ferry ride - too cold to go outside, too foggy to see anything and too early to do much else. So, Catherine, Claire and I just lounged around for an hour and a half. Once in France we had about another hour and a half to get to Bruges - more bus time. Finally, around 12:30 (1:30 local time) we made it to Bruges. We were given four hours to see the market and the town and buy as much chocolate as we could...

There are so many things that I loved about Bruges and I don't even know where to begin. First of all, there are tons of bicycles (people ride bikes instead of driving cars) and you'll be walking along and pass a bike rack with hundreds of bikes attached. Next, the architecture is interesting. You can see the German influence - all of the buildings, houses, etc. Look really cool. Then, you have the river running through the town and all of the houses and buildings are built along-side it. There are four languages spoken in the town: French, German, Flemish and English - and most people who live there can speak 3 of the 4!! I could go on and on. My point is that it was a wonderful town.

We made our way to the Market Place - very big, with a large church/clock town on one side and many stores all around the sides. We were trying to find a place to eat - a place with "good French bread" - and decided on sandwiches, to go, so we would have plenty of time to explore. Catherine and Claire were so excited to see all of the French influences in the town. They were thrilled that they could speak French in almost every store we visited. After lunch, we decided that we needed chocolate (since Belgium is so well known for its use of the cocoa bean). We found a store that sold waffles and ordered ours draped in chocolate - it was heavenly! We spent the rest of our time shopping. Then rushed back to the bus for the four hour trek home - (it was a long ride home and we slept most of the time).

The bus stopped in Calais at a huge beer and wine warehouse. We were given 45 minutes to shop and the majority of the bus filled their carts. I would have much rather had the extra 45 minutes in Bruges. But if you say "France" then the British start to drool - there are so many huge shops like this all over the French coast and the Brits go nuts over cheap beer, wine, cigarettes and groceries. So many of them haven't seen past Calais or these huge mega-marts. Um, hello, there's so much more to see than a neon sign!!

Anyway, getting back into England was interesting. The bus stopped at the Border Partol gate and replied "all British" to the patrolman when he asked, "What nationality are your passengers?" The patrolman decided to spot-check our passports and when he found an American and two French girls on board he got a nasty attitude (myself, Catherine and Claire). He looked at my passport and started drilling me, "What are you doing here?" When I showed him my Work Permit, he started drilling me, "Where do you work? What do you teach? Where is your school? How long have you been here?" It was a little disturbing.

I really enjoyed myself, it was just a very long day. The funniest part of the trip was when Claire and I decided that we wanted to learn how to say 'Hello' and 'Thank you' in Flemish. We met this very nice vendor and asked her. It turns out that the way to say 'Thank you' in Flemish sounds like the way you say 'take it in the ass' in French.

I don't really know what to say about the Christmas Market, we kept wandering around the town trying to find it. We'd find a little area with a few booths set up selling t-shirts or food, and say, "Is this it? This can't be it." Turns out that when we got back to the bus, our driver said that the market ended at 1:00 (and we arrived in town at 1:30). So, I missed the Christmas Market, but I really couldn't care less - I loved what I saw of Bruges. It is a great town - with or without the Christmas Market.

I don't even want to think about the time...

It late and I am exhausted, but am feeling pretty happy about what I've done this evening... Check it out for yourself: http://www.myadventuresinengland.com

It's not exactly what I had it mind (and I really don't think it is all that nice looking), but at least it is something more than I had before and I can always go back and change it when I want.

My plan is to use it for communication with family and friends, and update every-so-often. My blog I'll keep updating regularly - it's for the things I don't want my grandparents to read. Of course, with the way my life has been lately, I FEEL like a grandparent myself.

I am heading to Bruges (Belgium) on Saturday and I am counting down the days until I get a break from school. It hit me this evening that I will be on a plane to New York in a week from Monday! Then it hit me that I only have two weekends left to do my Holiday shopping - agg!! I just have to make it through next week with school, then I can go crazy with the gifts!

Rochester, twice in one weekend...

Friday night I went with Chris and Jenny to see the second Bridget Jones movie. I've heard good and bad reviews, all-in-all it was a good film. Mostly, everyone just said that it was "more of the first." And that it was. I still love Mark Darcy, though, and hope I can one day meet someone who will love "all of my wobbly bits" and love me "just as I am."

Enough sap. Moving on...

We drove to Rochester to see the flick - nice town not far from where I am. It was a new area that has been built-up and looks quite familiar to many complexes I've seen in Knoxville, Charlotte or any other American town. There was a Mexican restaurant, an Italian restaurant (advertising its 'American Italian' cuisine) and the movie theater.

Saturday, I took the train to Rochester for the Dickens Christmas Market, described as:

An hour south-east of London, this compact city beside the River Medway,
celebrates its links with Charles Dickens - he lived and wrote there for years -
with a Dickensian Christmas celebration. The free annual event includes a High
Street parade of his fictional characters, with top-hatted gents, ladies in
bonnets, chimney sweeps and the ultimate Dickensian character: the street
urchin. There are also carol singers, ice-skating, roast chestnuts and mulled
wine to enjoy.

It was nice. Historic Rochester is beautiful! The old streets and buildings were amazing. There is even a castle, right in the corner of town! I'd love to go back and explore more, but as for the Dickens Christmas Celebration, it was too crowded to really enjoy too much. There were lots of people dressed up and lots of people selling mulled wine and other treats. There were carnival rides one the grounds in front of the castle and there was fake snow drifting around in the air. They even had a night-time parade where everyone sang carols and carried candles. With the 'snow' and the candles, it really was magical.

I've heard really nice things about Rochester, even as a place to live it is supposed to be very nice. I am impressed with how there is plenty of old stuff, even with the amount of new stuff that is being built-up in the area. The reason I haven't made it to see Rochester until now has to do with the fact that they've been doing work on the railway since January 2004 and that you have to take the train to Higham, then a bus from Higham to Strood (that's the part of the tracks they are working on), then catch the train from Strood to Rochester. It was not horrible, but I think I will wait for the train to start running again before I attempt to explore the rest of Kent. Guess Canterbury and Dover will have to wait until the tracks are fixed and running again...

I'm off to daydream about meeting my own Mark Darcy... You never know, it could happen.

All I Can Do Is Smile...

This was my practical in class today:

I teach three year 7 classes (a high ability class, a middle ability class and a bottom set). I have limited the about of experiments or practical I do with my bottom set because (although I absolutely adore the students) they tend to get a little over-excited, don't follow instructions and break things. Today we started a new topic, energy, and the first lesson is to practice using a thermometer. So, I decide to keep it simple with this class and we'll measure the energy loss when hot water cools... Basically they measure the temperature of the water throughout a 10 minute period and record their results in a chart.

I drew the chart on the board for the students to fill in: two columns - very simple: minutes and degrees Celsius - I even filled in the minutes for them (1 min, 2 min, 3 min, etc). So all they had to do was watch the clock and write down the temperature of the water...

Once the students started, I walked around the room, monitoring each group to see if they needed help. This one group of girls caught my eye because they were talking and laughing and not really concerned about time. So, when I checked with this group, they assured me that they were watching the clock. It seems that they recorded the temp after one minute without a problem. Then, they watched the clock for two minutes and recorded the temperature. And then three minutes before they recorded the temperature, etc... They were up to five minutes when I spoke with them...

This is usually how I feel by the end of the day on Monday... You? 

March Vacation Plans

So, I booked a tour for March. Here's the 14 day itinerary (see picture below). I'll have two nights in Paris, two night in Antibes (French Riviera), two nights in Rome and two nights in Amsterdam, along with many other cities throughout Western Europe.

It is a bit less expensive than the 12 & 16 day tours I was looking at before, but we will be staying in hostels and I will need to bring a sleeping bag. I asked the Travel Agent about her thoughts between the"Time Out" tours (the ones I was originally looking at that stay in B & Bs and Hotels) and the "Concept" tours and she said that the "Time Outs"tend to be older (28 to 35) and tend to be couples. She said that if I was a young 28 then I would enjoy the "Concept" tour better. So I took her word for it. It means that I get to see the cities in France that I wanted to see for a lot less money... As long as I can handle community showers for two weeks!!

Contiki European Highlights 

The Dinner...

So, Thanksgiving dinner was a success. I altered the pie recipe and it tasted much better for Saturday. And everything else turned out okay. Not as good as when my grandmother makes it, but the French & British guests wouldn't know that! After dinner I went out with Catherine and Clare for a drink. We were suposed to meet some of their assistant-friends but they never showed, so I was home by 10:30. What an exciting way to spend a weekend - cooking (which I'm sorry to say, just does not do it for me) and home before the bars close around here!! Considering the bars here close at 11, it was a really pathetic night!!

Pumpkin Pie...

I made my first-ever pumpkin pie (from scratch - they don't have canned pumpkin here)! It was quite an experience. This one I made for the people at work. I will be making another one on Saturday, along with the rest of my Thanksgiving Day menu, for the people at the house. I'll try and take pictures (since I don't usually do things like this, I want proof that I can cook).

Not a particularly special day, some of my kids made an effort to wish me a Happy Thanksgiving - that was sweet! Otherwise, just a typical school day...

Hope everyone had a nice holiday! And for those of you shopping tomorrow - be careful - "Day AfterThanksgiving" trips to the mall are hard-core! I've seen the sweetest looking ladies take others DOWN for sale priced clothing. It's a dangerous world we live in... (and suddenly I'm stuck with Genesis' "Land of Confusion" in my head.)

Happy Hump Day!

I have almost made it through another Week One timetable. You know it's bad when the guy who hired you says, "Yeah, you've got the worse timetable in the whole school!" So, in addition to having a full timetable (when other unqualified teachers have more free lessons for planning, etc.) I also have the worst in the school - thanks a lot! It's a wonder I haven't completely lost it yet... or maybe I have and they are just humoring me...

I had a good conversation with the acting Head of Department yesterday. She asked me about next year, and what my thoughts were (I seem to remember having this conversation with her once before). I told her that I'd like to stay. Of course, wanting to do something and being asked to do something are two completely different things in the world of employment. I've been reading up on expectations for getting my Qualified Teaching Status and it is going to take some serious work. Plus, the big, bad OFSTED will be paying a visit before the end of February.

There's a lot riding on performance right now...

Triple Challenge... And Now I'm Pooped!

It was an uneventful weekend. Nice, peaceful, but uneventful. I worked on school stuff, tried to make stuffing (but was missing some ingredients) and chatted away to various friends and family. Sunday night I played a game of Scrabble with Krissie - that was fun (even though I am convinced that Yahoo! tries to give you the worst letters for fun, just to see what you'll do with them). We played checkers, too, but she beat the crap out of me, so I wasn't going to mention that right away. Kristin caught me online in the wee hours of the morning and we chatted for a while.

Today, I went to the gym with Catherine and Claire. We joined the "Triple Challenge" class: step aerobics, weight training and conditioning. It was a good class, but I am worn out now! It was a nice way to forget about the crap that goes on daily in the classroom! I came home, worked on some school stuff, and just finished an online conversation with Laura. I haven't spoken with her since the trip to Wales, so it was nice to catch up.

Everyone is getting ready for Thanksgiving there. Here, it's just another week. Of course it's one week closer to Christmas... one week closer to a break... one week closer to my trip to Belguim... one week closer to my trip home. Someone asked me if I was homesick, and really I'm not, I just miss my old life (the social one) and am ready for things to pick up a little around here. Plus, school is stressing me out and I am ready for a break. This work-thing is getting in the way of my having a good time...

Kids exhaust me!!

Try arguing with a mentally challenged 11 year old that just because I have no boyfriend, does NOT mean that I have to like women. The poor kid just could not rationalize it. And that was a conversation I SO did not want to have...

Time to Look for a New Place to Live...

What ever happened to being embarrassed to see a teacher in public?

Every weekend I walk into town and every weekend I see the same four year 10 students. They are sweet girls, but they really drive me nuts in class. Every time I see them in town, they always say "hello." Then I say "hi" and Monday I get to hear, "Miss, we saw you in town on Saturday." It's always the same routine.

Today, in addition to seeing my four regulars, I got to see two of my year 7 students (who are not at that embarrassed-in-public age). I heard "Hi Miss" from the older girls, then "HI MISS!!!" from the two younger ones who insisted on RUNNING up to me. One little darling decided to follow me down the street and attempt a conversation. I indulged her for a while, until she just became silly and wouldn't leave me alone. I'll say it again, what ever happened to being embarrassed to see a teacher in public? Instead, I was the one feeling embarrassed... Can't a woman be left alone to shop???

I need to get out of this town!! I need to live somewhere closer to the city where there is a nightlife and where I can walk the streets on the weekend and not fear harassment from an 11 year-old child. Ugh!!

Plans, plans and more plans

I am not usually a "plan" kind of girl. I like to see where life takes me, but lately it's been much more fun planning than working, so this is how I've spent the last few days:

Thanksgiving Menu:
Turkey (duh!), Cranberries, Cornbread Dressing (my grandmother's recipe that rocks! Plus, no one here knows what cornbread is...), Sweet Potato Casserole, Campbell's Green Bean Casserole (not my favorite, but very American Turkey Day tradition) and Homemade Pumpkin Pie (they don't have the canned stuff here, so it will all be from scratch).

Nothing spectacular, but I tried to keep it very traditional considering my "guests" have never enjoyed a Thanksgiving meal. Have I mentioned how little I actually cook/bake? This could get interesting...

Christmas Holiday:
Things are starting to come together for my trip home. When I originally booked my ticket to the UK, I could not get a hold of anyone at the school to get specific holiday dates, so I assumed that they would be out for the week of Christmas (it being a Catholic School and all)... Nope. I was wrong. So, I have been approved to miss the last two days of school (without pay) so that I can fly home to the States... Whatever! I will arrive in New York late on the 20th, spend Tuesday with my sister (who is off from work that day!Yea!), then fly to Tennessee on Wednesday to spend the holidays with the family. I am trying to plan a little trip to Charlotte on the 27 - 29 to visit friends and maybe get my RiRa Trivia fix for another 4 months. Then, it's back to the island where the skies turn black at 4 o'clock in the afternoon.

February Half Term Break:
The plan is to visit Paris and AliCante, Spain. So far, I have found that Eurostar is too expensive, so I have been looking at flights. I have found a flight from Paris to London for 9.49 Euros (£7.90/ $14.22) and a flight from London to AliCante for £47.99 ($86.38), but no flights from AliCante to Paris... By train, it will be 11 hours and we could travel overnight, but I haven't been able to confirm a price (website difficulties). It's still early in the planning stages, so there's other options to research. This is much more fun that grading papers or planning lessons...

March Break:
This is the break that I'd hoped to be touring the Mediterranean, but fate had its way with me and I had to find colder places to visit. So, I've narrowed my choices to two tours. The first lasts for 12 days and explores 8 countries. The second (which I would love to do if I can pull together enough cash) lasts for 16 days and explores 10 countries. These are my options: Tour One - Amsterdam, Rhine Valley (Germany), Munich, Tyrol (Austria), Venice, 2 nights in Rome, Florence, Lucerne (Switzerland), 2 nights in Paris and back to London; Tour Two - 2 nights in Amsterdam, Rhine Valley (Germany), 2 nights in Engleberg (Switzerland), Innsbruck (Austria), Venice, 2 nights in Rome, Florence, 2 nights in Nice, Avignon, Lyon, 2 nights in Paris and back to London. They are similar, but the second spends more time in France. :)

Guess I should really make an attempt to get some work done... I'm out of things to plan. Of course there's always lists to make: Thanksgiving shopping list, things to pack for the States, etc... I am the queen of procrastination.

Poppies Make an Impression

It's been a quiet weekend. Friday I watched tele all night - it was wonderful! Saturday I slept in, did a little cleaning, chatted with some friends (I love Yahoo! Messenger) and went to Bluewater. Chris & Jenny (the couple I am renting the room from) were having people over for dinner and I didn't want to intrude, so I thought I'd go see Bridget Jones... Somehow, when I got to the ticket counter and asked for my ticket, "Finding Neverland" came out instead. And, I am so glad that it did!! It was an absolutely WONDERFUL film!!!

I went to see a movie with Catherine and some of her friends Thursday night. We saw "Alfie." It was good, but I'd really like to see the original so that I can compare. The group that I was with consisted of three French girls, one German boy and one boy from Chile (I say boy/girl because they are all 21). They were all very nice, but I don't think they completely understood the film. That's gotta be hard to sit in the theater for two hours and not really understand what is going on... The three girls kept talking in French all night, which is cool - I know it is their first language and is much easier for them to communicate, but it left the rest of out of the conversation. When I am with Catherine and Claire, the same thing happens, but Claire makes a point to translate everything and keep me included. It's just a nice thing to do.

Anyway, a couple of interesting things about my two trips to the cinema: 1) they really do assign you seats in the theaters here, 2) every trailer I saw was for a Hollywood (i.e. American) film, and 3) I learned that American English is easier for international people to understand. They say that the British accent is hard to understand (I agree to an extent - especially the area that we are all working in is tough).

Today is Remembrance Day, A day to honor all of the people who have died in war. About a month ago I started to notice all of the red Poppy Appeal signs appearing around London and on the train. I didn't realize the significance the Poppy had in England, until I heard that they only grow in distressed earth and that after WWI areas (that saw lots of fighting and lots of death) were completely covered in poppies (and again after WWII). The Scarlet Poppy is the symbol of this day. On Thursday, November 11 (11/11) the school (along with the rest of the nation) has a two minute moment of silence. This weekend there have been parades in London. Today, churches had special ceremonies. The BBC some some great information about Remembrance Day, if you're interested check it out: http://www.bbc.co.uk/religion/remembrance/history/index.shtml

My day yesterday absolutely SUCKED!! Here's why:

1. My lesson for Geography sucked... I planned to show a video, but the recording was horrible and you couldn't hear it at all.
2. So, when I taught Geography for the second time that day, I had nothing planned and my "wing-it" lesson sucked...
3. In that class, my students were absolutely horrible...
4. In that class, the classroom assistant decided to "take over" by writing things on the board, giving students answers and doing one girl's homework for her (the homework that she hadn't turned in two months ago and was reprimanded by the Head of Dept to have it in TOMORROW!!)
5. I didn't get to eat lunch because I was tutoring...
6. I didn't get to eat breakfast because I was running late...
7. I didn't get a break because I was running around between the two buildings...
8. It's time for grades and everyone is in a panic...
9. I've got a TON of stuff to mark (stuff that I have been told to wait and test them this week), so its not even like I've had it and have just been lazy about grading it...
10. My week ones are rough, anyway...

If you add to it the fact that the computer network died two weeks ago and I have not been able to use my laptop since before I left for Wales. The guys came out Tuesday to fix the problem, and it was working fine when they left, but somewhere between 5:30 and 9:30, my laptop connection pooped-out!

Then, I found out yesterday that the Mediterranean Highlights trip has been cancelled by the company that runs it. I'm sure I can find something else to do, but I was really looking forward to that trip!

It was a very disappointing day all around, but I survived. I layed on the couch and watched "Sex and the City." And today, I still have plenty of marking to do, but my computer is up and running (for the time being) and I don't have to teach any classes tomorrow!! Yea!!

Good Week at School

It's been a pretty good week:

• My year 10s actually behaved themselves long enough for us to have a "proper lesson" on Wednesday - I was completely amazed!! Then they were little shits again on Thursday.
• The classroom assistant called in the special forces on Thursday for a unit test I had with my year 7 class (the one that has lots of special needs children in it). There's usually two, sometimes three of us in there. I had approx. six extra teachers in that class - it was wonderful!
• I was asked to cover a lesson for a science teacher that was out on Friday. The class was a low-ability year 9 class that only had about 12 students in it (and two assistants). We did the work given, I made a few adjustments to the lesson, made it more my style... It was a rough class, but we made it through without any major problems. At the end of the day, I was passing an administrator's office and he complimented me on how I handled the class. He said he poked his head in twice during the lesson and was impressed. YEA!!!

I'm feeling much better about the things that are going on at school. The teacher that I was continually comparing myself to has made some really serious mistakes (some REALLY serious mistakes) and I no longer feel the need to compare myself to her. I can only do so much and just continue to try... Good news is that it is getting easier and I am feeling much better in my (many) classrooms.

I am coming home for Christmas. I looked into extending my airline ticket and just traveling around Europe for Christmas, but it would be less expensive to fly home. I may try and fit in a visit to Charlotte while I am in the States. I also booked a 13 day tour in March called "Mediterranean Highlights" which goes through Spain, France, Monaco and Italy - along the Mediterranean Sea. That should be fun!

Wales...

It's been a very busy week and somehow Monday turned into Thursday... That's okay considering most of you saw the pictures and got the story, here's the stuff I couldn't tell my Grandparents:

The trip to Wales was awesome! The countryside is absolutely breath-taking and the people on the tour were a blast! I caught the 6:30 train on Friday (that's AM) into London and met up with the rest of the tour participants at 8. Everyone was talking and laughing and I knew right away that this would be a good time! We boarded the bus and I sat beside a nice Australian named Anne. Our tour guide, Frazier, insisted that we all go to the front of the bus and introduce ourselves, and lucky me, I had to go first. I gave my little spheel, then had to tell an embarrassing story. I told about my first month teaching, when I had a HUGE split in the back of my pants and I didn't know until I went to the loo about half-way through the day. No one had said a word and I had been walking all around school with bright red undies showing for half the day!! (I figured that would be a safe "I barely know you" embarrassing story for the group) Anyway, as soon as I mentioned Tennessee, Frazier said that his favorite place he'd been in the States was Knoxville, TN. First, let me say that Frazier is Scottish and has this wonderful accent. Then, he tells me his favorite place is Knoxville... I was instantly smitten. Everyone else did their intro. song-and-dance and their embarrassing stories were lame! Not that mine was great, but one girl said "I walked to the wrong car in a parking lot!" There's gotta be better embarrassing stories than that!! Anyway, from everyone's intro. I found out that the majority of people on the bus are from Australia/New Zealand. There were two people from Canada, two people from South Africa, two Scotsmen (Frazier being one of them), one Italian and five Americans. Four of the five Americans had ties to Tennessee. I can't get over the fact that everywhere I go, here, I meet Tennesseans!! There were a handful of 19 year old girls. Most people were 22 to 26. I was on the upper end of the spectrum at 28, but there were a couple of others that were older than me. There were also a good handful of people living and working in London, and everyone else was doing the backpacking-across-Europe-thing.

Frazier announced that our Saturday night hostel is attached to a nice little pub that will be having a Halloween party, so sometime before Saturday night we had to pull together a Halloween costume. Our first stop was Stratford-upon-Avon, where most of us found Halloween duds - thankfully, because we really didn't spend much time in a place where we could have bought anything after that. We all split up, but somehow found each other at Shakespeare's house and a group of about 10 of us when to search for Anne Hathaway's cottage. Anne (the Australian) had her Lonely Planet: Britain and told us it was only a mile away. We were given an hour and a half in this town and by the time we finally made it to Anne Hathaway's cottage we had about 15 minutes to high-tail it back to the bus (plus find some lunch on the way). I was not smart enough to use the loo before getting back on the bus. However, I was smart enough not to be the last person on the bus. Poor Reagan and Olivia had to sing to all of us their favorite 80's song.

Three hours later we stopped at the Pontcysyllre Aqueduct. At that point I was absolutely dying, and before he let us off the bus, Frazier announced that the toilets are on the OTHER side of the aqueduct. I tried to enjoy the beautiful scenery, but gave up and power-walked the rest of the trail to the loo - which ended up being a port-a-john in the parking lot. Every once in a while I would stop to take a quick picture and then start walking again. Not the best way to enjoy the beautiful Welsh scenery!

The first day was our longest day on the bus and we were all getting restless. Frazier stopped at Conwy Castle and gave us a little while to walk around. In the town of Conwy there is the "world's smallest house," so we walked down to take some pictures. One girl, Jo, wanted her picture taken with the sign. She's probably 5' and she was as tall as the door. Then, Mark (the 6'8" Australian) wanted his picture taken with the sign - THAT was hilarious! We got back on the bus, heading to [the city with the longest name] to watch the sun set when we got stuck in a horrible traffic jam. Two hours later, when the traffic started to move again, we decided to bypass the town and head straight for our hostel in Caernafon.

By the time we reached the hostel we were all starving, so we quickly unpacked our bags from the back of the bus and found our rooms. The landlord just counted us off into groups of 4 or 6 for the bedrooms, so I ended up in a room with Anne, Olivia, Mark (three Aussies) and Brent & Austin (with myself that makes three Tennesseans). We spent most of the night laughing - I feel sorry for the other rooms, we were quite loud! Olivia and Anne decided that they loved Austin's southern accent and went on and on about it. They were pretty damn funny about it, too! Both nights I ended up in a room with the three guys. Two nights in a row I got to see a HOT 6'8" Aussie in his tiny boxers, I was in heaven!!

I won't bore you with details of everything we saw on Day 2 or Day 3. I will say that Northern Wales is beautiful and that Snowdonia National Park is breath-taking! Saturday was a gorgeous day and we hiked part of Mt. Snowdon that morning, then spent time at Castle-y-Bere that afternoon. The ruined castle was especially cool because of its location. It sits in a valley and the view from the castle is amazing. Day 3 we hiked in Brecon Beacon's National Park (in Southern Wales), but it was rainy and hazy. Just wasn't as nice as the day before. With everything we did, there was a chance to talk to the various people on the tour. It was nice to meet all sorts of people from all over the world. I wish I would have been one of those people that just packed a bag and flew to Europe when I graduated from high school or even college. The stories these girls had were amazing!!

Our second hostel was in a town called Abergavenny. The pub was literally "just down stairs" so most of us started drinking as soon as we put down our bags. At 9:30 three girls on the tour had to perform for us (they were late getting back to the bus in Dolgellau and this was Frazier's punishment). They had choreographed this whole skit to "It's Raining Men" - they were great!! Then the pub started kareoke and that was it for the rest of the night!! Anne was the kareoke queen, she had everyone up with her at least once during the night - including me. (It's a good thing that you can't hear yourself sing with kareoke... I'll never know exactly how bad it was!) Frazier and Mark sang a duet - they were great - imagine a cute, nearly bald Scotsman dancing like he's in the 80's - I wish I had taken pictures!! At midnight, the bar closed down, so a group of us went wandering into town to see what we could find.

This is usually my favorite thing to do: wandering around at night, looking for trouble. We found Abergaveny's Castle and the kebab shop (only thing open in town after midnight). We noticed security sensors in time to not scale the castle walls (getting arrested in Wales would have been a bad thing). We met a couple of "locals" - two Belgium men who were drunk and trying to find their car. Oh! And we flashed a few cars driving down the main road...

Sunday was another long day on the bus, but we exchanged email addresses and the London group exchanged phone numbers. Not really sure if anything will come of it, but it was a great time!! I am ready to sign up for the tour of Scotland, maybe Frazier will be the guide...

Two months to the day...

And I FINALLY have my own computer up and running. This may not seem like much, but it really means a lot to me. I purchased the laptop back in August. I had been needing to replace my old desktop for over a year - the modem died right before I moved in to the apartment with Krissie. At that point, I couldn't afford much and I started to think about going abroad. Obviously, going abroad would have affected my decision between desktop or laptop computer, so I put it off, waiting for a green light on my future residence (among other things). When I ordered my laptop I really didn't think about HOW I would use it, only that I wanted one. (A decision made in haste, now that I think about it). Arriving in England, I was disappointed to find that there was no phone line in my bedroom - not for a phone, but for my computer. So, it has been a long two months of only using my own computer to play music... And, finally, I am up and running with my Yahoo! Messenger and my Microsoft Outlook... I am such a happy girl.

France

We have just unpacked the car from our trip to France. It was late last night and we figured things could wait. We left the house at 8:00 yesterday morning and drove to Dover to catch the train. We had to line up (like you do for the ferry) and drive on to a double-level train. Once all of the cars were on, they closed the doors to each section so that it looked just like a subway train. It only took 35 minutes to get across the Channel (it would have taken 1 1/2 hours by boat) - it was cool!

Once we arrived in France, we drove to St. Omer (approx. 45 km) to wander around the town. Driving was neat, we mainly passed small villages and lots of farms. In a lot of ways, it reminded me of back roads I've been on at home. However, at home they do not have fresh game - rabbits - hanging outside of Butcher shops! Agg! That was a shock!! Once in St. Omer, we walked through the Cathedral and had lunch at a nice little café. Then we drove to Arques, to the glass factory, ARC International. There were so many beautiful pieces and all I could think was,"I wish I could carry these home with me!!" Of course everything I liked was either too big or too heavy to take on a plane - grr!! After Arques, we drove to Boulognes for some grocery shopping at Achaun (think Super Wal-Mart, only bigger) and then into town for dinner. I bought some beer and some stuff to make Taco Salad for dinner (I've been craving Tex-Mex and that is the only thing that I know how to make). The town center in Boulognes was beautiful, I wish we had time to explore. There is a wall around the city and cobblestone streets. :) The streets were dark and they had soft yellow bulbs in the street lights - it was amazing, I felt like I was in a movie.

On the way back to Calais (for the train) we drove along the coast. The moon was almost full and the sky was clear- you could see everything!! We stopped at this one spot, had to drive up a hill to get there. There was a monument, a large cross, and you could see England across the Channel. I can't remember the name of the place, but I am sure it had something to do with WWII. I'll have to look into it more...

I enjoyed the day-trip to France. There is so much more I wish I could have seen - guess that means I have to go back... :)

Not your typical Sunday afternoon...

I have two new favorite places in London, both involve shopping. How sad am I?

I took my time getting out of the house this morning (the sky was gray and the streets were wet), but as soon as I walked out the door, the sun started to come out. Of course, I was dressing in full wet-weather gear (including a warm sweater under my parka and a scarf in my bag - in case it got even cooler). I knew I had made a huge mistake when I passed several people in town wearing t-shirts, but I had no interest in turning around, so I shoved the parka in my messenger bag and rolled up the sleeves of my cotton sweater. I was determined to get out of this town today!

Camden Market is an absolutely wonderful place - crowded, but wonderful!! Where else can you find fetish booths right next to hand-knitted sweaters and jewelry that spells out your name? It is this huge market of absolutely EVERYTHING and caters to every sort of client imaginable. If I took my grandmother and the Goth kid next door, we'd all be happy campers, finding all that our different tastes desired. Oh! And the food was amazing, imagine every ethnic cuisine you could possible think of - Mmm!! I don't really know how to describe it other than UNCC's International Festival meets hippy festival meets any UK town market and multiply it by 1000. Needless to say, I was in heaven. I didn't really buy much, just a few Christmas presents, but I loved the atmosphere and the people-watching. There were moon boots and purple hair galore, and scattered between the London postcards and "Mind the Gap" t-shirts were fuzzy handcuffs and crotchless panties. My favorite product was the "Magic Mushroom." There were several booths that were selling these fungi. They had varieties from Thailand, Hawaii, and many other exotic places, but they were packaged like the mushroom you'd buy in the grocery stores and all I could think was, "What poor sucker bought the magic mushrooms, hoping for something 'exotic' and got the fancy pizza variety?" Because they can't really sell the 'exotic' kind on the street corner, or can they? A place like that, they probably could, maybe... I'm really not giving this place justice - it really just blew me away!! The ONLY draw-back was the crowd. It reminded me of Adams Morgan (remember Robert & Ashley?), just massive amounts of people everywhere!!!

When I left Camden Market, I found my way to Covent Gardens (which I have been trying to find for some time now). Covent Gardens was much quieter than Camden and not nearly as quirky, but I have a feeling (considering it is so close to the Tube Station that I frequent) I will be making it a permanent "when-I-go-into-London" stop. There were many street performers, as I have been told there would be, and most of the shops were of the Bluewater variety, but it is still a WONDERFUL place to visit.

I made it home in time for dinner. A German assistant that stayed in my room last year when she was here, was in town and had dinner at the house. She invited a friend that is teaching at one of the other schools in town. Both girls were extremely nice and I REALLY enjoyed meeting both of them!! We've exchanged numbers, so (for those of you that are worried that I have no friends here) my social life may actually start to pick up soon.

If you get a chance, check out this artist's work: Tina Maas. I saw her booth at Camden Market and her photographs are really amazing! I especially liked her polaroids and the effect she uses - it almost looks like the image is projected on a silk scarf or a piece of fabric - really cool!!

I love NOTHING days!

I have done nothing all day and it has been wonderful! I slept in until noon, finished reading another book and have been daydreaming about how to spend my holidays. [They don't call it a vacation, here.] Around 2:00, when I finished my book, I wandered into the study to check my e-mail and see what has happened on the other side of the Atlantic (I read Krissie's site daily, along with other favorites). To my surprise, her journal entry was a message to me, "Please send e-mail with number so that I can call you!" It made me chuckle. We chatted this afternoon - I'm afraid we chatted for much longer than we should have, but is was so nice to talk that I didn't want to hang up. We used to talk everyday, multiple times a day (and that was BEFORE we became roommates!) - I miss you, K!! All-in-all, it was a very relaxing day.

Tomorrow I am going to London. I was thinking about Canterbury, but the weather was so nasty today and at least in London, there are lots of places (out of the rain) to explore. I'll save Canterbury for a nice (i.e. dry) day. Tuesday is my day-trip to France - Yea!! I'll probably spend Wednesday or Thursday at school trying to get myself organized. And, Friday morning I leave for my tour of Wales - :) !! I should have lots of pictures by the end of the week.

I watched "A Night With Rod Stewart" on BBC1 tonight (that's the second-most exciting thing I've done today). I'm such a lazy bum!

Just in case you didn't know...

I'm a bitch! Or at least that's what I was told today in class. It doesn't phase me, really, I've been called a lot worse. He did it in a quiet classroom, just called out "bitch" because he didn't like the way I was handling a particular situation his friend was involved in. I had a sneaking suspicion it was him, but didn't have proof, so I played it cool, moving on with the lesson. When I made mention of the comment in passing to the class, he was one that started questioning and just wouldn't let it go, "... Do you mean when I coughed, Miss?" After about the fifth time, I sent him into the hall. As soon as I got out there, he said, "I said it. Don't get the other boys in trouble." So I asked him if that's what he called his mother or his grandmother? By the time an administrator got to the class, he was already starting to change his story. Weak little prat! This is why I am pissed... I've been called a bitch before, but never did the story change. Two administrators stopped me today to investigate the situation saying that the student says that he "just coughed" and that I mistook what he said. I am a twenty-eight year old woman who KNOWS the difference between a cough and the word "bitch," it was clear and it was loud. There was NO coughing going on in that room and some snide little prick thinks he can get out of calling his teacher a bitch in a classroom! Arrggg!! Hell, if you've got the guts to do it why change your story at the last minute? Did you really think you could get away with it? Have you gotten away with it before???

That wasn't the end to my day. Let's just say that something metal came flying at me from across the room in my last lesson. Call me a bitch all you want, but don't try and cause me physical harm. Hell, if you're going to do that, then BRING IT, don't hide behind the rest of the class!!! The joke at my old school was, "go ahead and hit me, it'll give me some time off from this place!"

(In my head, I keep seeing Kirsten Dunst and that stupid movie, "Bring It On.") I've got too much aggression built up right now. I need to go find a wall to climb or something physical to do. Sex would be nice, but sadly it is not a possibility at the moment...

If I spend all of my time complaining, I'll just put myself in a horrible mood, so I'll leave things on a positive note. I had an observation today that was not-so-horrible. Of course, as someone in the department said, "that observer is always positive." I know she may have meant it as encouragement, but that kinda took the wind out of my sails as far as feeling good about what the observer had to say... Oh well, only two more days before half-term!! And, boy do I need it!!!

Happy Days Are Here Again...

I can't really say that the "skies are clear again" because that just doesn't seem to happen much this time of year in the UK, but I am feeling much better (both physically and mentally). I have spent a lot of time this week on the phone, probably doubled the number of calls I've made since August, but sometimes you just gotta reach out and touch... Ya know? I've tried to keep myself from feeling too lonely here, but I've been on a downward spiral and it finally hit hard this weekend. My grandfather went into the hospital early in the week and had a pace-maker and defibulator put in to his chest. He's fine, but it made me realize exactly how far away I am right now. I caught a nasty British bug that knocked me on my ass for a few days. I'm better now, but those are the times I wish I was in familiar territory - I know the right drugs to buy at the store to get better, I know the good television programs to watch when I am laying on the couch and bored, I can hop in my car and run to the store without it taking much work (instead of packing a bag with an umbrella and rain coat and trekking into town), I also have a box of movies that I like to watch when I am bored or sick, but they are in an attic in Tennessee... You get the point...

So, instead of feeling sorry for myself, I have spent the weekend thinking about Holidays and vacations and trying to prepare for this trip to Wales. Today, I bought good trekking shoes and a larger pack. And now I have a list of a few smaller items that I "need." The most important being flip flops for nasty hostel showers. In December there's a bus tour that leaves from town and goes to Brugges. The French assistants (Catherine and Claire) and I are talking about joining that tour. It's only one day, but I've never been to Belgium before... Then, there's a Half-Term break in February, which I may have some company that week, can you say "Krissie and Andrea take Paris by storm?" I am also looking at a big trip in March (I have 18 days between Winter Term and Summer Term) and there's a company called Contiki that has these GREAT itineraries: Barcelona, Nice, Florence, Rome... I can't remember them all, but it sounds wonderful!! They are a little on the expensive side, but it includes all accommodations and some meals... Can't hurt to look (and start saving now!) In May my parents are talking about coming to visit and they've mentioned an interest in visiting Scotland. That leaves the summer, which depending on what happens I may or may not be packing a suitcase to head back to the States... Either way, I have found a tour of Morocco that I am just dying to join, so I may have to stick around long enough to travel to Northern Africa... Lots of ideas, lots of possibilities, who knows what I'll actually follow through on there's a lot of time between now and the end of July.

This Sucks!

I have spent the last three days in bed and miserable. I was miserable with a cold on Wednesday and Thursday. Friday I was miserable for being stuck in the house for so long. And now I am facing the same dilemma that I do every weekend: I want to get out of the house and do things but I also have about 12 hours of school work to do. Do I work today so that I can enjoy a Sunday afternoon out and about? Or do I go out today (because the thought of staying in just one more day irritates me) and just hope I can get everything done tomorrow? The problem is that I usually choose the later and I never seem to finish all that I need to do... Ugh!! This sucks!!

Half-term break is coming up. It's the week after next. If I can just make it through next week, I'll be a happy girl. The couple that I am staying with have invited me to go on a day-trip to France with them on Tuesday. The next Friday I am leaving for a "backpackers tour" of Wales. There's a pretty jam-packed itinerary for the three days, but it should be fun.

Day 1 London - Caernarfon : We leave behind the hustle and bustle of the big city and fill our lungs with fresh air en-route to the quaint little town of Stratford-upon-Avon, where Shakespeare was born and finally laid to rest and where historic and medieval English history comes to life! Then we head straight for the Mountains and Valleys of Britain's only Principality, the majestic Wales. We'll wander along the spectacular Pontcysyllre aqueduct, stop off for a walk in the forests and hills, and even try to teach you a bit of Welsh along the way -some say Europe's oldest language! After passing the magnificent monument of Conway Castle, we'll take you to the famous ''Llanfairpwllgwyngyllgogerychwyrndrobwllllantysiliogogogoch', arguably the longest place name in the world, get your passport stamped and we'll not be leaving until all of you can pronounce it perfectly! We end an action packed day in the walled town of Caernarfon, which sleeps in the shadow of one of Britain's most spectacular castles, built by the invading King of England, Edward I and where the original and current Prince of Wales was inaugurated.

Day 2 Caernarfon - Abergavenny : We leave the amazing castle town behind and head into the Snowdonia national park, home of Wales' highest mountain, Snowdon. We'll take in the spectacular (and eccentric!) village of Portmeirion, home of many television shows, the spectacular coast-lines of the Cardigan heritage coast with its long golden beaches, and tiny mountain railways. Lunch is in the ruined Castle y Bere built by the last Welsh Prince of Wales, Llewellyn the Great. We then enter the Brecon Beacons National Park, which contains some off this country's most dramatic scenery. Tonight we stop in the historic town of Abergavenny, where we'll hear about the Ogre,and the brutal murders he committed. You also have the chance to try some traditional Welsh food!

Day 3 Abergavenny - London : Before we start making our way back to London, we'll stretch our legs and hike around the Brecon Beacons, then drive down some of the industrial valleys of Wales where the coal and steel industries once thrived. We then head for Caerphilly, home of the largest ruined castle in Europe, with its famous leaning tower. We'll then explore the Wye valley and visit the romantic Tintern Abbey, inspiration to poet William Wordsworth and one of only six cathedrals to survive the wrath of Henry VIII during his battle with the Church. We then drive up the border through the Forest of Dean and cross over into England arriving back in London at approximately 5.30 - 6.00pm.

I'm excited about Half-term and want to find something to do the first weekend, before we leave for France. I am also starting to worry, when will I find the time for the 12 hours of school work I'll have do before we start back...

I had every intention of going to the Rugby match today.

I went out last night!! Woo-hoo!! God, I miss that! There were about 6 of us that went to a pub close by. Two were French, two were British, one was Swedish - we were the International table in the pub. We drank five bottles of wine, ate bags of crisps (potato chips) and just talked and talked. It was wonderful! Afterward, we went to one of the girls' flat (which was right across the street) and had late-night chips (French fries), more wine and some SALSA dancing lessons. Catherine and I stumbled home around two in the morning. I don't think I could do that every weekend, but it was nice to get out of the house on a Friday night. I should have taken a B12, though.

This morning I slept in until 11, or so. Then decided to march myself to the infamous ASDA. ASDA, it seems, has been bought-out by Wal-Mart (and I love aimlessly wandering the aisles of Wal-Mart, so it could have meant trouble). I'd heard so much talk of this UK version that I had to see for myself. ASDA does not compare. Its main focus is groceries (which is never my main focus), so I was disappointed. The electronics aisle is about 6 feet long - that's it!! I looked at the signs labeling each department and they were right on top of each other, not miles and miles away like in Wal-Mart. Meaning, there is little to no selection of anything (other than food). I used to spend hours walking up and down the aisles, contemplating life and whether or not I really needed the microwavable egg poacher. The stores in town close at 5:30, the Pubs close at 11:00. Guess it is probably a good thing that the ONLY 24 hour place in this town sucks. I'll have to find somewhere else to contemplate the meaning of life.

In my running around town this afternoon, I missed a second opportunity to see a Rugby Match. One of these days I'll make it. There's always next Saturday...

Follow Up

Thursday I asked to speak with the (acting) Head of Department and asked her for some feedback. I explained that she is the only person that has spent any time in my classroom and was just wondering how things looked from her perspective. She was positive and didn't mention anything about subject knowledge, but I also don't feel she was being completely honest with me. Instead of feeling miserable about it all, I wanted a chance to confront her and say "I hear a lot of talk about this other teacher, if there are issues or concerns about me, please bring them up now." I don't like to be talked about, I'd much rather have someone in my face because, hopefully, things can get worked out that way. At least I said something... Maybe it will open a door.

More Happy Mail!

Got a package from Krissie today! :) She sent two Dexter Freebish CDs. The live one I have been listening to all night. Thanks, K!

It has been a rough few days. The kids have not been especially bad, they are who they are and you can't exactly fault them for being kids. Unfortunately, adults can behave like kids and that's where I have issues.

The problem starts with the fact that I am not the smartest individual in the group. I know enough to get by, but I don't know (if I had grown up in the UK) if I would have been accepted to a University here. Only a small percentage of students go on to year 12 or year 13, and those are the students who are considering college. A-Levels and GCSEs, I'm not sure what all is involved, but I have doubts as to whether or not I would make high enough scores. I have a degree in Middle Grades education, which allowed me to take a variety of classes within my two concentrations: science and social studies. I did not major in Biology, Chemistry or Physics which makes it difficult to be a "subject expert" in any of those topics. My most-recent experiences in Science were in Environmental Studies and Geology (which I won't get to teach here).

One of the other new Science teachers is having some real difficulties in the classroom. It started to become the topic of conversation in the break room whenever she was not around. Now, while her problems have mutiplied in the classroom, that is about the ONLY topic of conversation in the break room. Being a new teacher, myself, I can sympathize with her problems, but in all honesty she is really making some BIG mistakes. Kids are out of control in her room, and while I feel that way about my room, I know that it is not the same. We are now into Week Four of school, and the complaints in the break room have turned to subject matter knowledge. I understand that I may be a little sensitive to this issue, but I draw the line at citing her for that! Number One: Subject matter is the last of your worries when you are trying to manage classroom discipline and lesson planning, etc. Number Two: Sometimes people know more than they realize and only experience and confidence will let that show through.

It finally dawned on me last night what was happening in the Science Department. There has been so much talk about this particular teacher, but I am starting to wonder if (when I leave the room) my name doesn't get replaced for hers. It's sad, really, we are all adults and yet we are acting like children. Last night at Open Evening I met the new Head of the Science Department (she'll take over in January) and her first question to me was, "So how are you feeling about this subject content?" Hello and it's nice to meet you, too. If that didn't give it away...!!! I went home furious, but can I really fault them? I am not a subject expert... Of course, I've never claimed to be one, so why should I be made to feel stupid?

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.