I have worked TWO days and already gotten sick! Granted, 90% of England is sick right now (including my house), plus jet lag and drinking on Saturday night probably didn't help, but still... I think I really need to develop a stronger immune system. They say that as a teacher, you get a stronger immune system after like three years of teaching. You get sick ALL the time those first few years and then you become SUPER immune. I wish I had that super power right now.
I worked in a nursery as an assistant on Monday, starting my job off easy and simple. I was with the Under 3s, but luckily for me, there were only two babies and the rest were two year olds (the best age! They are so hilarious!). I.e.
Kid holding a toy saw: "I am going to make you something"
Me: "Oh yeah? What will you make me?"
Kid: "A Sandwich"
It was a long day, but at least it wasn't very hard. I didn't have to do any planning or marking and just played with the kids. Yesterday, I went to a Year One class at one of my favourite schools. The kids were pretty wild. well, 5 out of 20 of the kids were wild. The rest were great and I felt SO bad for not paying much attention to them. That's the problem as a supply teacher. You learn all the bad kids names (Lily, Mustafa, Chelsy, Dylan) but none of the good kids names because you don't HAVE to learn their names. :( Its a shite role for them. They slip through the cracks. I did make note of some of their names though, so that at the end of the day when I wrote a note to the teacher, I could praise them for helping me out. Also, three kids lost their teeth that day... whats up with that? They wanted to join the trend after one kid lost his? Good thing I'm okay with blood!
However, after I came home, I was exhausted and starting to feel shitty. Fell asleep early (for me) and called in and told them I was unavailable for work today. Slept til 1:45 but I am starting to feel a bit better. Hopefully I can get back into the hell of the classroom tomorrow!
Wednesday, March 30, 2011
Sunday, March 27, 2011
Stones and Baths!
I have only been here two days and already gone on a mini-trip! We (Monica, Chris, Melissa and I) went to Stonehenge and Bath for Melissa's birthday!
It was a lot of fun and I'm glad we finally did it! Monica and I had tried to go to Stonehenge about three times last year, but the early morning departure time on a Saturday always deterred us from actually doing it! We left our flat in Lewisham around 7 am and headed to Victoria to catch the tour bus. The trip there was about 2 hours and of course, I fell asleep.
Stonehenge was much more impressive than I thought it would be. The rocks were HUGE and it was pretty interesting to hear how they transported them there from Wales and the theories behind their use or why it was created. There were a lot of "theories" but not a lot of evidence which I thought was still interesting. With all our archeological tools and scientific methods, we still can't fully understand it. Some things will remain a mystery I guess. Until we develop Doc Brown's Delorean at least.
Next, our tour lead us to the city of Bath where the main attraction was the Ancient Roman Baths (Hot springs and temples). I thought this was much more impressive than Stonehenge and I got a lot more out of it! We had audio guides that explained everything and were able to walk around the ancient waters and structures and actually see them CLOSE UP (unlike Stonehenge where you had to walk around a circle so far away!). We couldn't touch the water though because the pipes were made out of lead, they do not treat the water, and pigeons / seagulls do their business in there. It was pretty grimy and green, but nevertheless, I had such a strong desire to touch it. However, my sense of "I get sick from everything" overcame my curiosity and I had the common sense NOT to stick my hand in the water.
We were there for so long wandering about, learning things which I won't reiterate here (as I know history is not necessarily as exciting to others as it is to me). When we were finished, we went to a pub and I had some lovely fish and chips (my traditional bangers n' mash wasn't on the menu). We also bought some amazing delicious sweet buns from the world famous Sally Lynns next door to eat on our bus ride home.
While we were in the pub, we noticed that there was a television on that was showing riots that were going on in Central London! During the day there was a peaceful march to protest the British Coalition Government's spending cuts (from social programs and services like education, daycare and health care) and 250,000 people showed up to march!! IT was so impressive!! However, just like with the G20 thing, there were splinter groups the broke off and started rioting. They were upset about the fact that a lot of major corporations don't pay tax in the UK, so they started vandalizing shops on oxford street! TopShop got its windows smashed in, 150 people did a sit in at Fortnum & Mason, HSBC in Covenant got vandalized, and apparently the Ritz was on fire!! It was pretty intense and when we came back to the city, we couldnt' get dropped off at our pick up point because it was in lockdown. Luckily, we ended up at a closer spot (London Bridge) and got home safely, but still... a very eventful day!
It was a lot of fun and I'm glad we finally did it! Monica and I had tried to go to Stonehenge about three times last year, but the early morning departure time on a Saturday always deterred us from actually doing it! We left our flat in Lewisham around 7 am and headed to Victoria to catch the tour bus. The trip there was about 2 hours and of course, I fell asleep.
Stonehenge was much more impressive than I thought it would be. The rocks were HUGE and it was pretty interesting to hear how they transported them there from Wales and the theories behind their use or why it was created. There were a lot of "theories" but not a lot of evidence which I thought was still interesting. With all our archeological tools and scientific methods, we still can't fully understand it. Some things will remain a mystery I guess. Until we develop Doc Brown's Delorean at least.
Next, our tour lead us to the city of Bath where the main attraction was the Ancient Roman Baths (Hot springs and temples). I thought this was much more impressive than Stonehenge and I got a lot more out of it! We had audio guides that explained everything and were able to walk around the ancient waters and structures and actually see them CLOSE UP (unlike Stonehenge where you had to walk around a circle so far away!). We couldn't touch the water though because the pipes were made out of lead, they do not treat the water, and pigeons / seagulls do their business in there. It was pretty grimy and green, but nevertheless, I had such a strong desire to touch it. However, my sense of "I get sick from everything" overcame my curiosity and I had the common sense NOT to stick my hand in the water.
We were there for so long wandering about, learning things which I won't reiterate here (as I know history is not necessarily as exciting to others as it is to me). When we were finished, we went to a pub and I had some lovely fish and chips (my traditional bangers n' mash wasn't on the menu). We also bought some amazing delicious sweet buns from the world famous Sally Lynns next door to eat on our bus ride home.
While we were in the pub, we noticed that there was a television on that was showing riots that were going on in Central London! During the day there was a peaceful march to protest the British Coalition Government's spending cuts (from social programs and services like education, daycare and health care) and 250,000 people showed up to march!! IT was so impressive!! However, just like with the G20 thing, there were splinter groups the broke off and started rioting. They were upset about the fact that a lot of major corporations don't pay tax in the UK, so they started vandalizing shops on oxford street! TopShop got its windows smashed in, 150 people did a sit in at Fortnum & Mason, HSBC in Covenant got vandalized, and apparently the Ritz was on fire!! It was pretty intense and when we came back to the city, we couldnt' get dropped off at our pick up point because it was in lockdown. Luckily, we ended up at a closer spot (London Bridge) and got home safely, but still... a very eventful day!
Thursday, March 24, 2011
Second Time's a Charm!
Well, here i am, en route to London to teach and travel for the second time in my life. I wasn't sure if I was going to return though as I had lost my way for a bit, but I really feel ready now. Ready to go on a new adventure.
This time however, i will be flying over by myself. Left airport around 11:30 pm instead of the original 9:10 departure due to snow removal on the runways, a backup of other planes waiting to fly AND then bc we were waiting so long, the fuel tanks melted the snow that should have easily blown off the wings but now turned to ice and we had to de-ice. Yeesh!!
I have a great window seat (perfect for the view of the de-icing process!) and a nice Indian woman beside me ( yay for no fatties!). Had some small talk and watched the first few episodes of 'community' (thanks for the recommendation Bao!).
Ate half my meal but wasn't too hungry, watched half of 'Sex in the City2' and then fell asleep uncomfortably for most of the rest of the trip. We finally got here around 10:30am in London times...
More to come.... Get ready for the SECOND EDITION OF SUSAN IN LONDON!!!
This time however, i will be flying over by myself. Left airport around 11:30 pm instead of the original 9:10 departure due to snow removal on the runways, a backup of other planes waiting to fly AND then bc we were waiting so long, the fuel tanks melted the snow that should have easily blown off the wings but now turned to ice and we had to de-ice. Yeesh!!
I have a great window seat (perfect for the view of the de-icing process!) and a nice Indian woman beside me ( yay for no fatties!). Had some small talk and watched the first few episodes of 'community' (thanks for the recommendation Bao!).
Ate half my meal but wasn't too hungry, watched half of 'Sex in the City2' and then fell asleep uncomfortably for most of the rest of the trip. We finally got here around 10:30am in London times...
More to come.... Get ready for the SECOND EDITION OF SUSAN IN LONDON!!!
Friday, June 4, 2010
Half-asleep on the bus between Barceolona and Valencia, Spain.
Listening to my music when ¨Run¨ by Snow Patrol comes on.
And then my phone rings.
My Nana passed away at night (it was 5am in Toronto) and my Dad called to give me the news.
The girls were really supportive, but crying on a coach bus is rather embarassing. Thank god I had 2 more hours where I didn´t have to talk to anyone.
Thank you to everyone i txted that day that offered their love and support. To my family. To Monica, Jen and Michelle. And to Nick and Emma and Gavin, who although they were many many miles away (and in Nick´s case, even farther), were there for me the whole time.
Light up, light up
As if you have a choice
Even if you cannot hear my voice
I'll be right beside you dear
Listening to my music when ¨Run¨ by Snow Patrol comes on.
And then my phone rings.
My Nana passed away at night (it was 5am in Toronto) and my Dad called to give me the news.
The girls were really supportive, but crying on a coach bus is rather embarassing. Thank god I had 2 more hours where I didn´t have to talk to anyone.
Thank you to everyone i txted that day that offered their love and support. To my family. To Monica, Jen and Michelle. And to Nick and Emma and Gavin, who although they were many many miles away (and in Nick´s case, even farther), were there for me the whole time.
Light up, light up
As if you have a choice
Even if you cannot hear my voice
I'll be right beside you dear
Tuesday, June 1, 2010
The rain in spain is in my head.
So after getting home from the lakes last night at 11pm, Michelle and I had to pack up all our stuff for Spain, shower, and then leave for the bus from Victoria at 2 am... Our plane flew out at 630 am! So basically we got about 1 hour of sleep before jetting off on our next adventure.
After a long long way to get to the airport, we clamboured aboard a lovely Ryan Air flight (yeah right) that took us to Barcelona! Well, more specifically, Girona Barcelona.. 1.5 hours outside of the city centre. We got in, then took lie a 45 minute travel to our hostel (very nice hostel though) and met up with Jen (who had been here for one day already and will be traveling the rest of spain with us).
Now we were exhausted, but also hungry... and since our hostel is in the outskirts, we ventured into a little cafe where NO ONE spoke english (well, except for a like 14 year old boy who helped us out a bit). Now THIS is a traditional traveling experince... one that I had actually never came across before because normally SOMEONE speaks English. Basically, we relied on Michelle´s awesome grade 10 spanish, the broken words of a 15 year old barcelona boy, and lots of miming and bringing out dishes off other peoples tables to show us what they were!!
Somehow we ended up with some delicious food. I had some grilled chicken (super salty) and chips (err, fries) and Mon-Jen-Michelle had some rice with warm gespacho and an egg (?). They also gave us a free bottle of water, bread and then some yummy ice-cream dessert. All for 5 euros... which was cheaper than we thought. They were SUPER nice and it was amazing to interact with locals... and made us realise how awful we are at spanish.
...now for the unpleasant news.
My Nana is not doing very well. She has been sick for the past little while and now is back from the hospital, in pallative care, and such. My sister wrote me a msg explaining it better than I can so I´ll just copy it here:
¨She’s now refusing to eat anything or take her meds and she’s only drinking sips of ginger ale occasionally when her throat is dry or she coughs. The doctors think there is probably actually something going on in her body that is making her not want to or unable to eat but she has kind of given up her will to fight/live anymore so there isn’t much they can do anyways. She’s under palliative care now which means that they won’t send her to the hospital for anything but they can administer what the doctor orders which is good bc that means she can stay in her room (which is all she wanted when she was at the hospital) and they’re making sure she is comfortable.
Basically, I feel really guilty. How can I have fun and be on bloody holiday while my family is in so much pain! How can I go and drink sangria when my nana is so sick. I feel awful. I cried a bit here in the hostel and talked to my sister a bit so I know there is nothing I can do. But I just feel guitly. I won´t be flying home because of the logistics and timing, and it doesnt make much sense for me to fly home for a few days and then fly back to London when I´ll be back in under two months. But still. I feel pretty shitty.
The rain in spain is in my head.
But I know my Nana and my dad would want me to push on and enjoy my holiday. The girls know (monica is telling them) so they understand if I´m a little quieter... but the most I can do is love the life my Nana has always wanted me to have.
It´s still pretty awful to deal wtih all this without my family right by though.
Love you all.
After a long long way to get to the airport, we clamboured aboard a lovely Ryan Air flight (yeah right) that took us to Barcelona! Well, more specifically, Girona Barcelona.. 1.5 hours outside of the city centre. We got in, then took lie a 45 minute travel to our hostel (very nice hostel though) and met up with Jen (who had been here for one day already and will be traveling the rest of spain with us).
Now we were exhausted, but also hungry... and since our hostel is in the outskirts, we ventured into a little cafe where NO ONE spoke english (well, except for a like 14 year old boy who helped us out a bit). Now THIS is a traditional traveling experince... one that I had actually never came across before because normally SOMEONE speaks English. Basically, we relied on Michelle´s awesome grade 10 spanish, the broken words of a 15 year old barcelona boy, and lots of miming and bringing out dishes off other peoples tables to show us what they were!!
Somehow we ended up with some delicious food. I had some grilled chicken (super salty) and chips (err, fries) and Mon-Jen-Michelle had some rice with warm gespacho and an egg (?). They also gave us a free bottle of water, bread and then some yummy ice-cream dessert. All for 5 euros... which was cheaper than we thought. They were SUPER nice and it was amazing to interact with locals... and made us realise how awful we are at spanish.
...now for the unpleasant news.
My Nana is not doing very well. She has been sick for the past little while and now is back from the hospital, in pallative care, and such. My sister wrote me a msg explaining it better than I can so I´ll just copy it here:
¨She’s now refusing to eat anything or take her meds and she’s only drinking sips of ginger ale occasionally when her throat is dry or she coughs. The doctors think there is probably actually something going on in her body that is making her not want to or unable to eat but she has kind of given up her will to fight/live anymore so there isn’t much they can do anyways. She’s under palliative care now which means that they won’t send her to the hospital for anything but they can administer what the doctor orders which is good bc that means she can stay in her room (which is all she wanted when she was at the hospital) and they’re making sure she is comfortable.
Basically, I feel really guilty. How can I have fun and be on bloody holiday while my family is in so much pain! How can I go and drink sangria when my nana is so sick. I feel awful. I cried a bit here in the hostel and talked to my sister a bit so I know there is nothing I can do. But I just feel guitly. I won´t be flying home because of the logistics and timing, and it doesnt make much sense for me to fly home for a few days and then fly back to London when I´ll be back in under two months. But still. I feel pretty shitty.
The rain in spain is in my head.
But I know my Nana and my dad would want me to push on and enjoy my holiday. The girls know (monica is telling them) so they understand if I´m a little quieter... but the most I can do is love the life my Nana has always wanted me to have.
It´s still pretty awful to deal wtih all this without my family right by though.
Love you all.
The Lakes are lovely (said in a british accent)
I had a wonderful weekend up north.
My night in Manchester was a blast. Met up with Dave (one of the british exchange students that lived with us in Bates in first year), had some pizza, played some drinking games, and headed off to a club to celebrate his roommates birthday. Craig met up with us too which is always a pleasure. :)
On Saturday, we (did I mention Michelle - a friend from Toronto - is visiting?) along with Dave and his gf, drove up to Dave´s childhood home in the Lakes District. He lives in Ambleside... and the town is as cute as its name implies. A small village in England´s national park. Surrounded by mountains and near the biggest lake in the lake district, it was out of a postcard of English countryside quaintness. Not to mention Dave´s family owns a toystore and THEY LIVE ABOVE IT. I have always had a dream of living above a store and this was pretty much my dream house, lol. We went for hikes and had picnics, wandered around the town (there are sheep EVERYWHERE), and enjoyed the local pubs and nightlife (although we had to travel to the next town for that). Then on Monday... we went on an alpine high ropes course in the forest. called ¨Go APE¨.. Basically, we got strapped to carabeeners and wires, climbed huge ladders and did all these cool apline tree things...like wobbly bridges, swings, jumping off the edge and flinging yourself onto a net... and ZIP LINES. I have always wanted to go on one and I went on FOUR. SO MUCH FUN. I had a blast there! Totally reccomend it to EVERYONE. There are about 18 different branches across England, so if you come visit, you should go here! ... unless you are afraid of heights. (monica)
My night in Manchester was a blast. Met up with Dave (one of the british exchange students that lived with us in Bates in first year), had some pizza, played some drinking games, and headed off to a club to celebrate his roommates birthday. Craig met up with us too which is always a pleasure. :)
On Saturday, we (did I mention Michelle - a friend from Toronto - is visiting?) along with Dave and his gf, drove up to Dave´s childhood home in the Lakes District. He lives in Ambleside... and the town is as cute as its name implies. A small village in England´s national park. Surrounded by mountains and near the biggest lake in the lake district, it was out of a postcard of English countryside quaintness. Not to mention Dave´s family owns a toystore and THEY LIVE ABOVE IT. I have always had a dream of living above a store and this was pretty much my dream house, lol. We went for hikes and had picnics, wandered around the town (there are sheep EVERYWHERE), and enjoyed the local pubs and nightlife (although we had to travel to the next town for that). Then on Monday... we went on an alpine high ropes course in the forest. called ¨Go APE¨.. Basically, we got strapped to carabeeners and wires, climbed huge ladders and did all these cool apline tree things...like wobbly bridges, swings, jumping off the edge and flinging yourself onto a net... and ZIP LINES. I have always wanted to go on one and I went on FOUR. SO MUCH FUN. I had a blast there! Totally reccomend it to EVERYONE. There are about 18 different branches across England, so if you come visit, you should go here! ... unless you are afraid of heights. (monica)
Wednesday, May 19, 2010
Zurich Recap
So I have completely neglected my blog over the past two weeks and I apologize!
Quick Recap of Zurich:
- Clean, quiet, peaceful city.
- They have a trolly car that goes up a hill for only three minutes to commute the university students from the main street to the university up on a hill. I was very excited by this trolly car and made Gavin take me on it.
- Very pretty river and lakeside.
- Grossmunster church has very beautiful, but very "different" stained glass windows. No huge jesuses here... but cool art pieces.
- Gavin was a wonderful tour guide and host :) I will return the favour in July.
- Sprungli chocolate = AMAZING. Even better? these things: Luxemburgerli
- Gavin cooked me a wonderful dinner each night. Saved money AND was delicious.
- Went on an amazing hike up a steeeeeep hill to get a wonderful view of the city, Swiss countryside and far off Alps. Complete with celebratory half-melted ice-cream and beer at the top.
- Party scene in Zurich = dub-step club and student bar, not as wild as London, but not bad either... the walk home however, was VERY enjoyable.
- Naps on the grass in a park by the lake = a wonderful idea
-....and ASH CLOUD STRIKES BACK!!! A small eruption canceled my flight (mine was the ONLY one to London from Zurich that was canceled -- what are the chances!?) so I ended up crashing at Gavin's another night and heading home in the morning on Monday. Apparently London doesn't want me to return? Okay by me, I'll travel some more!
So there you have it... Three days in Zurich in a nutshell. It was great, I got a patch, and can check another country off the list.
Quick Recap of Zurich:
- Clean, quiet, peaceful city.
- They have a trolly car that goes up a hill for only three minutes to commute the university students from the main street to the university up on a hill. I was very excited by this trolly car and made Gavin take me on it.
- Very pretty river and lakeside.
- Grossmunster church has very beautiful, but very "different" stained glass windows. No huge jesuses here... but cool art pieces.
- Gavin was a wonderful tour guide and host :) I will return the favour in July.
- Sprungli chocolate = AMAZING. Even better? these things: Luxemburgerli
- Gavin cooked me a wonderful dinner each night. Saved money AND was delicious.
- Went on an amazing hike up a steeeeeep hill to get a wonderful view of the city, Swiss countryside and far off Alps. Complete with celebratory half-melted ice-cream and beer at the top.
- Party scene in Zurich = dub-step club and student bar, not as wild as London, but not bad either... the walk home however, was VERY enjoyable.
- Naps on the grass in a park by the lake = a wonderful idea
-....and ASH CLOUD STRIKES BACK!!! A small eruption canceled my flight (mine was the ONLY one to London from Zurich that was canceled -- what are the chances!?) so I ended up crashing at Gavin's another night and heading home in the morning on Monday. Apparently London doesn't want me to return? Okay by me, I'll travel some more!
So there you have it... Three days in Zurich in a nutshell. It was great, I got a patch, and can check another country off the list.
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