So . . . . I work hard all week, go to sleep, get up early, ride the train, etc. Finally, when every Friday rolls around I find myself excited. Not only because I get to spend some quality time with John, but because every weekend I am here always sees me discovering something new about London. A few weeks ago we went to an Indian Festival in Central London on Regent Street. There was another festival, the Singapore Chili Crab Festival, going on near Brick Lane at the same time. I also visited the famous Spitfields market and bought myself an over the shoulder purse made entirely out of one long zipper. It was so neat and only £12. I like it because I can strap it across my shoulder and walk with both hands free, which is a great benefit on the tube and streets of London.
The following weekend I found myself out with friends and walking through the Spanish part of London. We walked into this pub and there were a flamenco band and dancers, perfectly in time with each other, dancing and playing incredibly for a good half hour. Now I have seen the movie Strictly Ballroom, so I was familiar with this form of dancing. I have also seen Folklorico dancing in California. But I have to tell you, words cannot describe how amazing, how breathtaking, how absolutely awesome these dancers were. And I mean awesome in its original sense; believe me I was in AWE.
The next day John and I bought a bunch of picnic stuff and went out to Hampstead Heath to have a picnic and hang out. It was beautiful, peaceful, and restful. We were on top of a hill, under an English Oak, overlooking one of the larger ponds. There were people around but they were so far away in their own little areas that we were undisturbed. There were almost no buildings, trees everywhere, a light breeze, and blue sky. John and I read, ate, talked, and just enjoyed each other's company. I walked around on the cool grass with my shoes off and just listened to the silence, the birds, the peace. I can't wait to do that again.
This weekend John and I met up with Steve and Nat to attend our friend Chris' birthday barbeque out in the country. Now John's friends are mostly made up of school friends and their wives and girlfriends. Fortunately for me, I have been able to hit it off with all of the girlfriends and friends. I enjoy hanging out with them, even without John, and am thankful for their acceptance, inclusion, and care. It truly is a greater experience because of all of them. Thank you. You know who you are!
So after the barbeque, which was fun despite a certain group of people who were rather quiet, we headed back out to central London and the West End. We walked along the Thames, past theLondon Eye, St. Paul's behind us, and were coming up on Waterloo Bridge. As we passed the National Theater we noticed a bunch of people sitting around and staring up at a wall. On the side of the theater they were playing Wuthering Heights with Laurence Olivier and Merle Oberon, complete with loud speakers so all around could hear. I wanted to stay but Steve knew of this incredible bar, down in an old cellar, where you actually walked into carved cave-like areas lit by candles to sit and drink wine or sherry. So we left Cathy and Heathcliff to their own destruction and walked across Charring Cross bridge to see about this pub. It truly was incredible, especially all the war and royal memorabilia around. There were also antiques, old casks, and funny workers with great personalities. John and I want to go back there when it isn't so crowded though. Here is the link, check it out! http://www.gordonswinebar.com/
Finally Natalie and Steve had to go home so John and I ended up in the Boston Arms, the Irish pub across the street from the flat. Did I mention that of all the areas of London, I am living in the "Irish" section. How funny is that? Anywho, we went into the Boston, listened to an Irish band perform a combination of country, Irish, and classic rock and roll hits. It was amazing. What another great weekend!
Every weekend something new is discovered, learned, or experienced. I am truly living life and taking everything it can give me right now! Natalie said this weekend that life is going to be over for her when she turns thirty. I looked at her and said, nope, life doesn't really begin UNTIL you are 30. Look at me, I am living proof!
Next weekend John and I are taking a trip to the National Gallery and the Sherlock Holmes museum. Requests for anything Sherlock . . . anyone . . . . anyone . . . Bueller?
Sunday, 23 September 2007
Thursday, 13 September 2007
Parks in England
Hello all,
Every day that I am here I truly realise how blessed I am. I have to tell you how happy I am. This place is everything I could have imagined and more. I don't think I have ever been this happy or content with life. I ride the tube and read my books. I work at an easy pace compared to Los Angeles. I still have time to enjoy life and explore. I think the English have something over here! There is something to the saying, " Work to live not live to work!" I miss you all but so far, words can't express how much I am enjoying myself.
This past weekend John and I went walking through Highgate, which is only a five minute bus ride from the flat. In order to reach the cemetery gate we had to walk through a park to reach the gate. But what a park it is. Imagine flowers, trees, walkways, hills, and a pond. You walk so far in that you cannot hear the street noise, nor see any buildings. The closest thing I can compare it to is the Huntington Gardens, without as many people, and it is FREE!. I can't wait to go back and just sit in that park again, John and I are planning on having a picnic soon. Once we got to the cemetery it was an adventure too! I enjoyed the towering tombstones, the ivy, the trees, the peaceful atmosphere. We walked for a while, ducking under low branches, walking through grown over alcoves as we explored the historical cemetery. The East cemetery, the one we were exploring, is considered the more modern one dating back to the mid 19th century, . . . .ha ha ha. You won't find too many mausoleums amid the celtic crosses, pillars, and plain shaped tombstones. The West cemetery is notorious for those ominous large enclosures, but requires a guided tour. Meanwhile, in the East cemetery you will find John Singleton Copley, George Elliot, Douglas Adams, and many other famous scientists, engineers, and notable figures. Most notable of all is Karl Marx. John and I were wandering for a while, randomly looking at World War One tombstones, of which there were many, when we decided we might as well visit old Karl while we were there. After a while of searching we became quite annoyed with ourselves at our lack of progress. As we came to a fork in the road I turned to the right and pointed, suggesting that it may be down that way. John grabbed my hand, said my name, and turned me around. Immediately to my left was the largest bust I think I have ever seen. I swear, Karl's eye must have been as big as my head! We stared for a few moments, said, "Okay, good enough," and went to the pub for a pint with friends.
Yesterday we went after work and visited the other park that is closest to us, Hampstead Heath. It is about a ten minute walk away from the flat and is the largest thing you have ever seen. Again, comparing it with Huntington Gardens, it doesn't have as many flowers but the trees, meadows, and rolling hills go on so far that it makes my California mind stagger as I realise I am walking through this for FREE! There are about five or six ponds, two of which are for swimming . . . one for men and one for women, separately. I told John, "How English!" There are ducks, geese, and all other sorts of water birds. By the way, did you know that geese growl? I swear they do! We heard a huge territorial argument between a group of geese and the growled at each other! Scouts honor! We walked forever, into the forest, got lost in the trees, took gravel trails, walked across meadows. At one point I ran through the grass doing a great impression of Laura Ingalls as I sang the "Little House on the Prairie" theme. :-)Okay, I couldn't resist! The park energized me with its beauty and vastness. We also sat under a willow tree and just drank in the peace that this park gives. I didn't want to leave but night was closing in and we hadn't eaten yet. But just think . . . it is 10 minutes from where I currently live! Tomorrow I plan on trying out the women only swimming pond. Will let you know what happens!
Hope you all are well and happy. I miss you, but God I love it here!
Every day that I am here I truly realise how blessed I am. I have to tell you how happy I am. This place is everything I could have imagined and more. I don't think I have ever been this happy or content with life. I ride the tube and read my books. I work at an easy pace compared to Los Angeles. I still have time to enjoy life and explore. I think the English have something over here! There is something to the saying, " Work to live not live to work!" I miss you all but so far, words can't express how much I am enjoying myself.
This past weekend John and I went walking through Highgate, which is only a five minute bus ride from the flat. In order to reach the cemetery gate we had to walk through a park to reach the gate. But what a park it is. Imagine flowers, trees, walkways, hills, and a pond. You walk so far in that you cannot hear the street noise, nor see any buildings. The closest thing I can compare it to is the Huntington Gardens, without as many people, and it is FREE!. I can't wait to go back and just sit in that park again, John and I are planning on having a picnic soon. Once we got to the cemetery it was an adventure too! I enjoyed the towering tombstones, the ivy, the trees, the peaceful atmosphere. We walked for a while, ducking under low branches, walking through grown over alcoves as we explored the historical cemetery. The East cemetery, the one we were exploring, is considered the more modern one dating back to the mid 19th century, . . . .ha ha ha. You won't find too many mausoleums amid the celtic crosses, pillars, and plain shaped tombstones. The West cemetery is notorious for those ominous large enclosures, but requires a guided tour. Meanwhile, in the East cemetery you will find John Singleton Copley, George Elliot, Douglas Adams, and many other famous scientists, engineers, and notable figures. Most notable of all is Karl Marx. John and I were wandering for a while, randomly looking at World War One tombstones, of which there were many, when we decided we might as well visit old Karl while we were there. After a while of searching we became quite annoyed with ourselves at our lack of progress. As we came to a fork in the road I turned to the right and pointed, suggesting that it may be down that way. John grabbed my hand, said my name, and turned me around. Immediately to my left was the largest bust I think I have ever seen. I swear, Karl's eye must have been as big as my head! We stared for a few moments, said, "Okay, good enough," and went to the pub for a pint with friends.
Yesterday we went after work and visited the other park that is closest to us, Hampstead Heath. It is about a ten minute walk away from the flat and is the largest thing you have ever seen. Again, comparing it with Huntington Gardens, it doesn't have as many flowers but the trees, meadows, and rolling hills go on so far that it makes my California mind stagger as I realise I am walking through this for FREE! There are about five or six ponds, two of which are for swimming . . . one for men and one for women, separately. I told John, "How English!" There are ducks, geese, and all other sorts of water birds. By the way, did you know that geese growl? I swear they do! We heard a huge territorial argument between a group of geese and the growled at each other! Scouts honor! We walked forever, into the forest, got lost in the trees, took gravel trails, walked across meadows. At one point I ran through the grass doing a great impression of Laura Ingalls as I sang the "Little House on the Prairie" theme. :-)Okay, I couldn't resist! The park energized me with its beauty and vastness. We also sat under a willow tree and just drank in the peace that this park gives. I didn't want to leave but night was closing in and we hadn't eaten yet. But just think . . . it is 10 minutes from where I currently live! Tomorrow I plan on trying out the women only swimming pond. Will let you know what happens!
Hope you all are well and happy. I miss you, but God I love it here!
Saturday, 8 September 2007
First Impressions of School
Dear All,
I miss the rain! It hasn’t rained for two weeks and I am missing it everyday. AND, it isn’t suppose to rain for another week! Believe it or not it has been in the mid to upper 70’s for over a week! Now most of you Californians are probably saying, “What is your problem, that is great weather?” But please remember to add two things to my weather report; the humidity and the lack of air conditioning anywhere in London. This makes up for a very sticky and stinky trip home everyday. Oh people have deodorants and use them, but they don’t have the air conditioning to keep them constantly cool like we do in America. Think about it, we go from our air conditioned cars to our air conditioned workplaces everyday. I am afraid that even with my American super-deodorant, I still get pretty sweaty on the underground. Oh, I know I am better than most people I see, but I honestly don’t think it has anything to do with a lack of deodorants, it is a lack of strong air conditioning that makes people so sweaty and sometimes stinky. Oh, and please send me my American deodorant, I don‘t like the sprays they have here, I am picky. Secret Platinum Protection Unscented . . . That is the best deodorant and does very well in the London Underground! J
Okay, onto my school. So last week I went and visited my school, met some of the teachers I will be working with. It is a ten minute walk from the station but I do pass a coffee, breakfast place, and two ATM’s. I love the underground ride, I am almost finished with a book that is over 800 pages. I just put my iPod on, open my book, and read until it is time for me to get off. Anywho, so back to the school. Very nice, colourful school, it has a pond, grass, and neon painted playgrounds. It also has a smaller library than my old school, a computer lab, an Art Room, and a cooking room. The students also are given music lessons once a week, and French once a week. I don’t have a key to my classroom but I do have a security tag I hold up to a code panel next to each building door to unlock it and let me in. The staff is all very nice and laid back. They are mostly women in their late forties, married, with children of their own. There are three male teachers, all in relationships, all in their late thirties. Overall the atmosphere is fun and there was a comment made, “I hope you are as mad as us or else you won’t fit in here!” After that I knew I really liked this place . . . Whoever said I was sane in the first place!
So last Thursday and Friday I went to a TimePlan, the agency that hired me, orientation. I met a lot of teachers from America, Canada, and Australia. I tried talking to the Americans but as you all know, Americans don’t like Californians. I have said this before but it was hard to experience it yet again. Here we are, in a foreign country, having a great conversation, and they ask me where I am from. I say the Los Angeles area and they immediately start to scoot away from me. My new Canadian friends noticed it right away. One of them in particular said she noticed it twice with different groups of people. All I can say is, the New Yorkers, they weren’t afraid to talk to me. I love New York! So anyway, I really clicked with this one girl named Kyla from Ontario. She and I have the same interests, the same feelings about teaching, and the same ideas about life in general. She actually came and stayed with me and John last Friday and went out and partied with us. The next day |I took her around to Buckingham Palace, Parliament, Big Ben, St. James Palace, Westminster Abbey, Piccadilly Circus, and Green Park. She was so excited but amazed at how well I knew my way around London. I told her it is easy once you master the underground, plus John helped me a lot. She told me I was very lucky to have John. Trust me, I already know that, he is lovely. We are getting along famously, a few run ins about my need to clean and keep things tidy but I think overall we are doing very well.
Anywho, so I get to school on Monday and go through two more days of teacher training at the school, what they call Inset rather than Staff Development. We learned about the new Numeracy and Literacy Strategy, which is what they call their Content Standards. It was fun, I got to decorate my classroom a little, meet my TA, and start learning about how the school works and what is expected of me. It is SO very different. I may not be able to describe it all in this blog but I am sure I will bring up the differences throughout the rest of the year.
First off, the students are given little journals for each of their subjects. Then they are given work folders for each of their subjects. The LEA or Local Education Authority(school district) has written out all the lessons for us on every subject. I have to teach English, Math, History, Geography, Science, Religious Education, Physical Education, Information Technology, Art, and French. They are also going to be learning a musical instrument this year and I have the option to learn with them. I am going to be learning to play the Fife people! How cool is that? There is a parent who can come in and help me with the pronunciations but the actual French lessons are going to be taught non other than by Moi! Lord, thank you for making me take French in high school after all! I am really excited about teaching all of these subjects, and yes, you actually HAVE to teach them, you can’t just brush PE under the rug, you have to actually follow the lesson plans and units provided by the LEA. Oh, and for this half-term my students are learning how to swim on Fridays, it is a requirement in school. They are all in 3 ring binder rather than teacher books so you can pull the lesson out and deal with it then. I also have 2 hours of planning time every Friday, while the students are learning to swim, with my colleague Jackie, who has taught year 5 for a number of years. She is lovely and so helpful. I am just doing what she is doing so far. It is a little daunting, the lessons are kind of boring, but she says I have the ability to change and adapt as necessary to meet the needs of my students. I am introducing math games that they have never heard of and ideas for projects that were common in Los Angeles, the teachers so far are enjoying my imput. My TA is very motherly, has been a TA for 20 years but never desired to become a teacher. Her name is Lynn and oh how I love having her there.
Onto the students. How the school introduces the students is by having the teachers meet with the previous teacher and discuss each students beforehand. There are computer files I can look at, old work that has been passed on, but to get the real dirt they require us to actually sit and talk with the previous year teacher and take notes. It was interesting. I really got to know about the behaviour issues, family history, and peer relations of every child. I felt better prepared for each of these kids from day one, even though my room was not decorated, I had no idea really what I was teaching yet, or how I was going to make it from 9 am to 3:30 that day. Granted, the first three days are assessment days but still, I wanted to make a good impression with the school and the students. Not to mention that there was an underground strike and I had to take an alternative 2 HOUR route to work for the first two days of school with the students. That was very tiring and not fun. I was happy when they resolved it and I could get back to my normal one hour trip and short walk.
The students are very much like the movie To Sir With Love. Not that bad behaviour-wise but they definitely have the tough English accent, coarse language, and possibly will become those kids someday. But right now they are nine years old and so far so good. They have lovely personalities, each and everyone. They make me laugh and help me out when I don’t understand that a full stop in England is a period in America. They also informed me that a swimming costume in the UK is a swimsuit in America. We get along pretty well and they like my way of teaching, it is very different from the other teachers. The other teachers are very strict, no personality, and definitely no personal caring for the students, very professional, to the extreme I think. I sit there and listen to the students, encourage them, tell them I care about them and want them to enjoy school. They look at me like I am someone from another planet, but overall the response has been positive. That is when I realized that a lot of what I had learned from their former teachers was great, but at the same time, what their teachers found annoying or bothersome, was just the kids personalities. They were just being little boys and little girls. It bugs me but I am going to just continue to do my thing and connect with the students as best as I can. I went back over the notes I took today and I can see some of what the teachers said in each of the students, but again, that is just who these kids are.
Other than that, I am looking forward to next week when we really are suppose to start teaching the lessons, handing out homework, etc. I am starting to feel like a real Londoner now. When my belongings arrive on the 17th and my Gidget on October 14th I will really feel like my life is completely here now. Well, that is all for now, hope you are well, enjoying your dry hot weather. Think of me in this humidity, with no rain, walking everywhere. Oh how I miss Air Conditioning!
I miss the rain! It hasn’t rained for two weeks and I am missing it everyday. AND, it isn’t suppose to rain for another week! Believe it or not it has been in the mid to upper 70’s for over a week! Now most of you Californians are probably saying, “What is your problem, that is great weather?” But please remember to add two things to my weather report; the humidity and the lack of air conditioning anywhere in London. This makes up for a very sticky and stinky trip home everyday. Oh people have deodorants and use them, but they don’t have the air conditioning to keep them constantly cool like we do in America. Think about it, we go from our air conditioned cars to our air conditioned workplaces everyday. I am afraid that even with my American super-deodorant, I still get pretty sweaty on the underground. Oh, I know I am better than most people I see, but I honestly don’t think it has anything to do with a lack of deodorants, it is a lack of strong air conditioning that makes people so sweaty and sometimes stinky. Oh, and please send me my American deodorant, I don‘t like the sprays they have here, I am picky. Secret Platinum Protection Unscented . . . That is the best deodorant and does very well in the London Underground! J
Okay, onto my school. So last week I went and visited my school, met some of the teachers I will be working with. It is a ten minute walk from the station but I do pass a coffee, breakfast place, and two ATM’s. I love the underground ride, I am almost finished with a book that is over 800 pages. I just put my iPod on, open my book, and read until it is time for me to get off. Anywho, so back to the school. Very nice, colourful school, it has a pond, grass, and neon painted playgrounds. It also has a smaller library than my old school, a computer lab, an Art Room, and a cooking room. The students also are given music lessons once a week, and French once a week. I don’t have a key to my classroom but I do have a security tag I hold up to a code panel next to each building door to unlock it and let me in. The staff is all very nice and laid back. They are mostly women in their late forties, married, with children of their own. There are three male teachers, all in relationships, all in their late thirties. Overall the atmosphere is fun and there was a comment made, “I hope you are as mad as us or else you won’t fit in here!” After that I knew I really liked this place . . . Whoever said I was sane in the first place!
So last Thursday and Friday I went to a TimePlan, the agency that hired me, orientation. I met a lot of teachers from America, Canada, and Australia. I tried talking to the Americans but as you all know, Americans don’t like Californians. I have said this before but it was hard to experience it yet again. Here we are, in a foreign country, having a great conversation, and they ask me where I am from. I say the Los Angeles area and they immediately start to scoot away from me. My new Canadian friends noticed it right away. One of them in particular said she noticed it twice with different groups of people. All I can say is, the New Yorkers, they weren’t afraid to talk to me. I love New York! So anyway, I really clicked with this one girl named Kyla from Ontario. She and I have the same interests, the same feelings about teaching, and the same ideas about life in general. She actually came and stayed with me and John last Friday and went out and partied with us. The next day |I took her around to Buckingham Palace, Parliament, Big Ben, St. James Palace, Westminster Abbey, Piccadilly Circus, and Green Park. She was so excited but amazed at how well I knew my way around London. I told her it is easy once you master the underground, plus John helped me a lot. She told me I was very lucky to have John. Trust me, I already know that, he is lovely. We are getting along famously, a few run ins about my need to clean and keep things tidy but I think overall we are doing very well.
Anywho, so I get to school on Monday and go through two more days of teacher training at the school, what they call Inset rather than Staff Development. We learned about the new Numeracy and Literacy Strategy, which is what they call their Content Standards. It was fun, I got to decorate my classroom a little, meet my TA, and start learning about how the school works and what is expected of me. It is SO very different. I may not be able to describe it all in this blog but I am sure I will bring up the differences throughout the rest of the year.
First off, the students are given little journals for each of their subjects. Then they are given work folders for each of their subjects. The LEA or Local Education Authority(school district) has written out all the lessons for us on every subject. I have to teach English, Math, History, Geography, Science, Religious Education, Physical Education, Information Technology, Art, and French. They are also going to be learning a musical instrument this year and I have the option to learn with them. I am going to be learning to play the Fife people! How cool is that? There is a parent who can come in and help me with the pronunciations but the actual French lessons are going to be taught non other than by Moi! Lord, thank you for making me take French in high school after all! I am really excited about teaching all of these subjects, and yes, you actually HAVE to teach them, you can’t just brush PE under the rug, you have to actually follow the lesson plans and units provided by the LEA. Oh, and for this half-term my students are learning how to swim on Fridays, it is a requirement in school. They are all in 3 ring binder rather than teacher books so you can pull the lesson out and deal with it then. I also have 2 hours of planning time every Friday, while the students are learning to swim, with my colleague Jackie, who has taught year 5 for a number of years. She is lovely and so helpful. I am just doing what she is doing so far. It is a little daunting, the lessons are kind of boring, but she says I have the ability to change and adapt as necessary to meet the needs of my students. I am introducing math games that they have never heard of and ideas for projects that were common in Los Angeles, the teachers so far are enjoying my imput. My TA is very motherly, has been a TA for 20 years but never desired to become a teacher. Her name is Lynn and oh how I love having her there.
Onto the students. How the school introduces the students is by having the teachers meet with the previous teacher and discuss each students beforehand. There are computer files I can look at, old work that has been passed on, but to get the real dirt they require us to actually sit and talk with the previous year teacher and take notes. It was interesting. I really got to know about the behaviour issues, family history, and peer relations of every child. I felt better prepared for each of these kids from day one, even though my room was not decorated, I had no idea really what I was teaching yet, or how I was going to make it from 9 am to 3:30 that day. Granted, the first three days are assessment days but still, I wanted to make a good impression with the school and the students. Not to mention that there was an underground strike and I had to take an alternative 2 HOUR route to work for the first two days of school with the students. That was very tiring and not fun. I was happy when they resolved it and I could get back to my normal one hour trip and short walk.
The students are very much like the movie To Sir With Love. Not that bad behaviour-wise but they definitely have the tough English accent, coarse language, and possibly will become those kids someday. But right now they are nine years old and so far so good. They have lovely personalities, each and everyone. They make me laugh and help me out when I don’t understand that a full stop in England is a period in America. They also informed me that a swimming costume in the UK is a swimsuit in America. We get along pretty well and they like my way of teaching, it is very different from the other teachers. The other teachers are very strict, no personality, and definitely no personal caring for the students, very professional, to the extreme I think. I sit there and listen to the students, encourage them, tell them I care about them and want them to enjoy school. They look at me like I am someone from another planet, but overall the response has been positive. That is when I realized that a lot of what I had learned from their former teachers was great, but at the same time, what their teachers found annoying or bothersome, was just the kids personalities. They were just being little boys and little girls. It bugs me but I am going to just continue to do my thing and connect with the students as best as I can. I went back over the notes I took today and I can see some of what the teachers said in each of the students, but again, that is just who these kids are.
Other than that, I am looking forward to next week when we really are suppose to start teaching the lessons, handing out homework, etc. I am starting to feel like a real Londoner now. When my belongings arrive on the 17th and my Gidget on October 14th I will really feel like my life is completely here now. Well, that is all for now, hope you are well, enjoying your dry hot weather. Think of me in this humidity, with no rain, walking everywhere. Oh how I miss Air Conditioning!
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)
