Four Days in Amsterdam

I have just returned from spending four fantastic days in Amsterdam over half term break. It was a great change of scenery, and we were away for a long enough time to feel comfortable in the city. Our accommodation left a lot to be desired, but it was cheap, in a good location, and they had a sandwich grill to make delicious grilled cheese sandwiches for breakfast.

One thing that I immediately noticed about the city was the buildings.  They are all relatively narrow, and all attached to each other.  The reason they're so narrow is because when the city was being developed, there was a 'width tax' on houses.  The buildings are all relatively similar looking as well, with large windows and similar brick work. Our tour guide mentioned that Amsterdam has not been destroyed in either of the wars, giving it a real 'old world' feel. I've put pictures up on my Facebook page, so feel free to check them out.

Another thing that I noticed when walking around the city is what a difference a lack of cars makes. It's much quieter and calmer when people are on bikes instead of cars, making it much more livable.  Although you really do need to get out of the way when you hear a bike bell - we saw a biker collide with a pedestrian and it looked painful. We didn't rent bikes because it was pretty cold and wet, but definitely will on my next visit.

I really like the tolerant attitude that Amsterdammers have towards all of these issues that other cities have such a tough time dealing with. 'Live and let live' is a sentence our tour guide kept saying when talking about legalizing prostitution and the drug culture.  It's definitely a city that I'm glad I was able to spend some time in, and will definitely look into visiting again when the weather is warmer.

25 Random Things

I'm taking a page out of Facebook's book, per se, and am copying a note I wrote. Currently there is a lot of buzz about this note, where you are to write 25 random things that people might not know about you.  Then, you tag friends in the note, they write their own note and tag more friends, and it spreads like wildfire.  I've really enjoyed reading notes that people have written about themselves, and writing my own, although it took me a lot longer than I had anticipated! Here, in no particular order, are my 25 random things:

1. I will not wash dishes without rubber gloves
2. I have been accused (mostly by my sisters) of being a 'grandma' when picking nail polish colours
3. I hate baths
4. I have a ridiculous collection of pencils and pens
5. I have actively (read: costumes, face paint) celebrates St. Patrick's day for the past 3 or 4 years, despite not having a drop of Irish blood in me
6. As I kid I hated all fruit, except strawberries
7. The only romantic comedy worth my time is "Pretty Woman"
8. I love mail. Sending it, receiving it, whatever.
9. I have recently acquired a taste for red wine, but know nothing about it
10. In my books, a good mug is defined by: a. being able to fit all four of my fingers in the handle and b. being large enough to hold at least a cup and a half of coffee/tea
11. My first 'major' purchase in London was a pair of purple, patent Mary Jane shoes.
12. I like watching the news
13. I want new glasses, but can't decide on frames
14. If I'm in my house between September and April, there will be slippers on my feet
15. I sneak things into the cart if I'm grocery shopping with my mom
16. I like tv on DVD better than tv on tv
17. I love family gatherings. Any size, any occasion
18. Folding and putting away clean laundry is my most despised chore
19. Makeover shows (How to Look Good Naked, What not to Wear) are my guilty pleasures - but not Extreme Makeover. That show is psycho.
20. I always have a book on the go
21. I desperately want to have a dog in my life
22. I hate morning radio personality banter. With a passion.
23. I am amazed at the power that stickers have over young children
24. I love train travel
25. I am wildly curious about my life, and am always wondering where I'll be/what I'll be doing in 1, 5, 10 years from now

A Weekend in Glasgow

This past weekend, I was in Glasgow with my flatmate Holly. I booked this trip on the second day I was back after Christmas, and it has been something to look forward to since then.  Her reason for going was to visit her great aunt, and I was merely tagging along. She found a fantastic deal on a return flight - 45 pounds! - you can't say no to that!

Friday after school, we grabbed the bus to the airport, and checked in with lots of time.  There was a bit of worry that our flight would be delayed or not go at all, because London had received some more snow that morning.  We grabbed some food and drinks, and kept our eyes on the monitors.  I couldn't see it clearly, and Holly informed me that our flight was delayed. "No worries" she says, "we have loads of time for another drink". Of course, as soon as we sit down with new drinks, the flight status changes to 'Boarding'.  I drink back as much of my pint as I could, and then set off to find the gate. Holly is walking a few feet ahead of me, and as we pass by other set of monitors, she turns back - panicked - "Final call! Run!!" We sprint to gate 85, only to arrive and realize that it was actually another flight to Glasgow leaving from gate 84 about 15 minutes before ours. Whew. 

Saturday was perfect. We stopped in to see Holly's aunt, in her flat in the West End of Glasgow.  She lives in one of the old tenement buildings, which used to be an really low income/slum area of the city.  Now, it's well off, trendy and hip. It was really neat to see the inside of the building - lots of cool old features. After we had some tea, they dropped me off in the city centre, and went off to lunch together.  I spent the day exploring the city on my own and it was fantastic.  It was a cool, but bright day and I saw a lot of the city.  Went in the Gallery of Modern Art, saw the City Chambers and did some (window) shopping.

Holly came to pick me up later that afternoon, and we went out to Loch Lomond for the night. Walked down to the water in the evening, and marveled in the beauty of the scenery.  Then we found this stunning 5 star hotel right on the water, and had some drinks. After looking at the menu, we decided to spring on a fancy 3 course meal. I had a warm goat cheese tart, steak and chips and finished with a delicious dark chocolate fondant.  The best meal I've had in a while - totally worth it.

Then we went back to our hotel which definitely wasn't stunning, and definitely wasn't 5 star. It was nice at one point in time, and full of character (read: old, and not kept up properly). There were no more than 5 steps together, so there were all these half floors/flights of stairs. The heating wasn't turned on, so we had a early night in snuggled under the duvet to stay warm. In the morning for breakfast and found no hotel staff.  Anywhere.  Two people finally came in, and were visibly hungover/still drunk.  They assured us that we'd have our breakfast in no time.  So we waited in the (still cold) dining room for our food. An experience an a half.

All in all it was a fantastic weekend away. I really enjoyed the change of scenery, as well as the city of Glasgow itself. The people were friendly and welcoming to a foreigner, and I can't get enough of the Scottish accent. I definitely want to see Edinburgh and other areas of Scotland.

Next trip - half term break in Amsterdam! Crazy!!

The things you hear in a day....

Being a classroom teacher puts you in an interesting and entertaining position in your day to day life.  This is because you are surrounded by children all day long. And, in my humble opinion, children are hilarious. Below are some of the hilarious things that I've had said to me as a teacher, or heard from other teachers.

• Shelby, a reception (kindergarten) student comes up and gives me a big hug at the end of the day. She says with enthusiasm "I love you Heather!" With a smile on my face, I reply "Oh, thanks Shelby! What a nice thing to say." Shelby "Oh, don't worry. I say that to everyone!" She skips off, without a care in the world.
• A male Year 1 student is leaning on a table, breathing deeply with a pained expression on his face, while the rest of the class is going out for playtime. Teacher goes up to him and asks 'Are you alright?' Student replies, between deep breaths 'Oh Miss...I hit my bits!"
• A Year 6 students are handing in their homework.  A student doesn't have theirs. Me: "Why don't you have your homework to hand in Dylan?" Dylan: "My mom didn't put it in my bag. I'll talk to her about it tonight."
• The teacher is attempting to get the Reception class lined up to go to the hall for lunch. She announce to the students "We are going to play Simon Says to make sure everyone is lined up nicely." Hope, a student at the front of the line says to a student behind her "I'm really good at playing Simon Says. It's because my grand dad's name is Simon."
• I'm looking through some magazines with Nursery (JK) to find pictures to add to a collage. Isabelle points to a picture of a blonde model, points to it an says "She looks like you Heather. Only you've got more spots, don't you?"
• A Year 3 student is in the library area trying to pick out a book for quiet reading. He appears to be frustrated, and does not have a book when the rest of the class is inside reading. Teacher "Duvontae, can't you find a book to read?" Duvontae "Nope...*shrugging shoulders *... they're all fucked."

This is only a small sample of the witty remarks I've heard since being in a classroom since September.  I'll do by best to keep track of particularly funny remarks in the future to I can do a follow up post on this topic. Laughter is the best medicine, right?

Walking in a Winter Wonderland

London has been experiencing some Canadian weather recently.

It all started Sunday, when it was colder than usual, and there were flurries on an off throughout the day. Later in the evening though, it actually started to snow heavily, and accumulate on the ground. Holly and I went to one of our pubs near by for a drink and the whole walk over Holly was going on and on about how beautiful the snow was, and was so amazed that it was actually staying on the ground. I, however, wasn't phased by the white stuff. I grew up in Southern Ontario. We have snowfalls like this in late October. Snow falls. Stays on the ground. And is generally annoying.

In Holly's defense though, it was that really pretty 'snow globe' snow that fell, when the flakes are really big, and since it wasn't windy it appeared to be falling really slowly.  Once at the pub, it was interesting to watch people staring out the windows with these looks of amazement on their faces, heading outside to take pictures of the snow and also taking pictures of friends as they came in to the pub with snow on their coats/hats etc.

Our conversation at the pub was centered around snow. Holly asking what kind of coats you wear to keep warm in Canada (for the record, the 'winter coats' here in London are fall coats back home), what kind of footwear you have to wear so your feet stay warm and dry and so you don't slip. It was an interesting experience having to explain things that are such a standard part of life in Ontario. I was telling Holly that snow on it's own is fine - it's just when it's bad enough to affect what you need to do is when it's annoying.  Like being storm stayed somewhere because of a snow storm, or having to drive through really yucky weather or having to shovel driveways/sidewalks again and again and again. 

But there has to be some good things about snow too, right? Of course. Skiing, skating, snowball fights, snow forts, tobogganing and of course building snow men.  This got us/me on the topic of snow days - probably one of the best things about winter weather as a kid. I explained that when it's bad enough that school is cancelled and the school buses aren't running, because it's not safe to get to school. Snow day!

Monday morning. Holly wakes me up. "Heather. It's been snowing all night. I mean ALL night." I think - 'Ok, whatever.' I look outside. There is about 5cm on the ground. Still snowing lightly. No biggie. Holly carries on "The buses aren't running, and the Jubilee line is suspended. How are we going to get to school?!" I'm still half asleep, and can't imagine that all of the buses in the City of London are not running because of a bit of snow. I check online, Holly calls the Head Teacher at our school. The website confirms Holly's claim. "Due to adverse weather conditions, all bus routes have been suspended until further notice" Almost all tube lines have sections suspended, and major delays. Holly gets off the phone with the Head Teacher, and tells me we don't have to go in. Snow day! In London!!

I go out later in the day, and everyone is outside, loving life. There are snow men everywhere. Snowball fights break out amongst strangers in the street.  People are taking pictures and videos of the snow.  The Deputy Head Teacher calls, and informs that school is closed Tuesday as well. This decision is made at about 9:30am Monday morning. Two snow days - fantastic. Two days without pay - not so fantastic.

As much as I understand that London is not equipped to deal with snow, it still is crazy to me, that about 10cm of snow is enough to bring such a gigantic city to a grinding halt. For two days, apparently.