Heather in the U.K.

They Just Don't Call 'Em The Same Way

2010-03-07T14:58:00.000-08:00

I'm back! Apologies for the delay between posts. I blame The Olymipcs, moving to a new flat and parents evening at school. A hectic couple of weeks to say the least.

Now that I've settled in my new (bigger, brighter) room, I've got a minute to spare for this quick post about watching the men's gold medal hockey game here in London.

The only way I could get my kids really interested about this game was to promise them maple cookies if we managed to win the gold. Since both men and women got gold, and Canada generally kicked butt at winning gold medals, I went all out and gave them Canada pencils as well. Cookies were a huge hit, and I had parents telling me their kids were demanding maple syrup for home. Ha!

Anyway, we tried to go to The Maple Leaf pub (Canadian pub in Covent Garden) to watch the game, but since we were only 3 hrs ahead of game time, the was a huge line, and it was a 'one in, one out' situation. I guess people had started lining up there a few hours before the pub even opened.

Luckily, we found a sports bar that had loads of t.v.'s, space, pitchers of beer (yay!) and more importantly, a pro-Canada crowd. It was such a blast being around Canadians and having a hockey game on t.v. It was also great, because whenever Canadians are together, inevitably people either know each other from somewhere, or there is some sort of common person/place that comes up. Case and point: A new friend Karen came to join us, and the people at the table next to ours were her previous co-workers from a day camp in Toronto they all worked at. They hadn't seen each other since working together over a year ago. Crazy.

Anyway, as previously mentioned, hockey games are just not called the same way here. This was made very apparent last Sunday night. I actually took notes. Here are a few of the better quotes from the BBC commentators:

"He was hanging his stick out to dry."

"We are seeing plays with a lot of impulse and forward thinking ideas"

"Not so much of a rush, more of a considered move."

"They want to get the puck out, because there is danger luring near the net."

"The puck was sitting there obligingly waiting for a touch"

"The puck was bubbling and babbling about"

Now, I don't want to paint myself out to be a hockey buff, because I'm not. At all. But I know that if you ever turned on a game at home, this stuff would never be said as a game is happening. Ever.

Either way, it was a great game, even though I gave myself a heart condition when the States tied it up. Felt great to be a Canadian, doing a very Canadian thing in a totally different place. There are some great pics of that night as well - I'll get mine up on Facebook sometime this week, so have a peek.

Lastly, if you want to re-live the Olympic experience there is a great video essay put together by a Globe and Mail journalist, Steven Brunt about what the games meant to Canadians. Definitely worth a trip to Youtube for a look. There were tears in my eyes at the end, and have never felt prouder to be a Canuck.

The More Things Change...

2010-02-17T04:24:00.000-08:00

...the more they actually change.

Had a bit of a moment of clarity on the bus home last week. Was feeling a bit homesick for my friends, and looking forward to being home and getting to re-connect with them and 'go back to the way things used to be'. Then I really started thinking about it, and I'm not sure I have all that in common with my friends at home anymore.

Reason #1: They are all in pretty serious relationships, if not married. I am, and have been, perpetually single. And with the way things are going right now, may always be.

Reason #2: They all own houses. I am 'homeless' (my choice, as I will be traveling) as of the end of July and am not sure when/how I'll find an appropriate place to live in Toronto.

Reason #3: A bunch of them have/will have kids in the next little bit. For reasons #1 and #2, I'm no where near pro-creation.

I know these aren't major things, and friendships aren't determined/based on that kind of stuff, but it is going to be a bit tricky re-adjusting. I think it was a bit silly of me to assume that after two years, I could just return and everything would be frozen in time as I had left it. It gets a bit tricky for me when I realize that they've all changed and I've changed, but their changes have all happened together, and the changes I've made/gone though have been with/because of my new-international-traveling-living in a different part of the world-friends.

All of my friends back home are amazing, supportive and fantastic in ever sense, and I do look forward to being in a place where I can just stop by and hang out with people that I've already got a history with (in some cases, a crazy long history that goes back to primary school!) and just kind of 'be'.

The Olympics have started, and being 8hrs ahead has never felt more out of place. It's always been tricky to figure out a good time to call my sister living in Vancouver, because of this time difference, and our schedules. It's also tricky to watch Olympic stuff happen live, as it all occurs from 11pm through to 5/6am London time. It's fine right now because I'm on half term and can stay up a bit later than usual, but next week is going to be hard. Would feel really out of the loop if something happened to my internet connection/computer.

I did stay up late the other night to watch the women's hockey team play (and beat) Switzerland, and had a realization that the sports commentators for BBC really don't know how to call a hockey game. There were no 'HOLY MACANAW'S!' happening. At all. I will definitely need to find some North American/Canadian coverage for the medal rounds. Which is something I will definitely stay up late and watch live. Fatigue the next day is a small price to pay.

Go Canada Go!

The Cultural Divide

2010-02-07T09:25:00.000-08:00

Believe it or not, there are some cultural differences between Canada and the U.K. This was made apparent to me this week at school when we were talking about some of the winter Olympic sports. I think I've mentioned that my topic this term is The Olympics, so we were discussing some of the winter events since the Vancouver Games start in less than a week - Go Canada!

The first one we started with was curling, and to get things going I asked my kids what they already knew about curling. A bunch of them were convinced that the brooms were used to sweep the snow out of the way as the stone goes down the ice. Others thought the whole point was to see who could throw the stone down the length of the ice the fastest.

Now, I'm not pretending to be a curling expert by any means at all. I've 'played' a grand total of two times and was by no means exceptionally gifted at the sport. However, I do have a bit of background knowledge about curling, and would like to think I knew a bit about it as a kid also. I'm sure there are Canadians who know less about it than the kids in my Year 4 class in east London, but I found it a bit surreal to be discussing the surface curling happens on (others thought it was snow, because it's white) and going over the basics of a sport that's pretty well known at home.

The next sport we discussed was hockey. Again, you have to specify 'ice' hockey over here, or else people think it's field hockey. I showed them how the rink is marked, and tried to relate it to a football pitch (crease = penalty box, goals at either end etc.). Then I said how instead of a kick off in football, the start of a hockey game is called a face off. This, of course, had everyone thinking you tried to take your opponents face off at the start of the game. Once everyone was calm, I explained that it's called that because you are face to face with your opponent.

It's funny, because when living in Canada, I never thought that this stuff was important to me (am still not really sure that it is), especially since I don't play either of these sports, but it's just the kind of stuff that everyone knows about and it's assumed that people have some sort of background knowledge about. It's a bit weird when you have to explain it to people.

It goes the other way as well. The other day in the staff room, people were talking about shows they watched on t.v. when they were kids, and I had no idea who/what they were talking about, and wasn't really able to participate in the conversation. Postman Pat?

One thing that is cool, for someone in my position, is to be able to tell my students about hockey, maple syrup and blizzards and expose them to stuff that they wouldn't otherwise necessarily have a first hand exposure to. And also to be able to adopt cultural stuff here that I never thought I would - like drinking loads of tea, and going to the pub on a Tuesday night without a second thought. Live it, learn it!

Hats off to ... me!

2010-01-31T12:16:00.000-08:00

Last post I ended saying that I was going to carry on knitting a hat that I had started.

Well, I had a very domestic day last Saturday, and actually ended up finishing it!

I had some major knitting difficulties before Christmas, (which usually ended up with me wanting to put the needles in my eyes out of frustration), so it was really really satisfying to start and finnish a project and have it turn out the way it's meant to. Mine is a little bit short (was worried about running out of wool) so the next versions will be longer. However I was able to do the ribbing and reducing correctly on my own, and only had to call on Youtube to learn how to cast off.

It's been good for me as a teacher to be back in the 'learners seat' with this knitting and Spanish stuff. Learning these new things has really made me think about the instructions I give my kids and the way new information is presented. Hopefully it's translated into some more engaging and interesting lessons for my Year 4's.

January is over and done with (well, tomorrow) so that's always good. It's such a 'blah' month. I've got a feeling February is going to fly as well, with our half term break right in the middle of it.

It's funny how different I feel about the whole London vs. Toronto debate now compared to a year ago. At this time last year, I was trying to figure out if I'd be interested in a second year overseas and felt torn because I really missed people/things at home, but was worried that one year away wouldn't be enough. I didn't want to end it, and then regret it once back in Toronto. This year, things are much more for sure in my mind. I know that I love London, but I know in my heart there is no way I could live here permanently. Which I guess makes it that much easier to say, "Yup, it's been great, but time's up." and carry on. Having said that, it's going to be really sad to leave and I'm going to miss loads that I've gotten used to here, and will most likely be crying on the plane at Heathrow at the end of August.

I suppose I'll have to come up with a clever, new blog title once back home. If I continue blogging that is. Suggestions welcome!

Gym Snob

2010-01-23T08:02:00.000-08:00

Never thought I'd be one, but am now, most definitely a gym snob.

This past week I joined the Virgin Active Gym near school. A teacher friend at school is always going on about how amazing it is, and the great classes and whatever else. Having cancelled my Fitness First membership (I never went, it's small, always had to wait for a machine, no classes I was able to attend), I decided to take a tour of this Virgin place to see what my friend is always going on about.

Well, so say the least, it's an amazing place. Brand new cardio machines, an extensive group exercise schedule, stunning pool that overlooks the Thames, sauna, steam room, jacuzzi, spa - the works basically. There is a cafe area where you can check your email and grab a coffee, Molton Brown lotion and soaps in the change rooms and everything is generally really nice and beautiful and makes you want to be there.

It's definitely out of my price range, but I feel like it's worth it, and I deserve it. Location is ideal and since taking the tour on Wednesday, I've been twice. Might as well pay more for a place I'm happy to go to, and will spend time at.

Spanish went well this week - we learned the days of the week, months of the year, and did some grammar stuff. I'm definitely considering spending some time in Spain to put my (very limited) vocabulary into use. Barcelona? Madrid?

London has been exceptionally grey as of late. Since I've been back, there has been one sunny day. One. Last Sunday to be exact. Otherwise, it's quite grey and dull all the time. When living in Ontario, I always said I preferred a bright, blue skied -20 degree day to milder grey days. This holds true today. On the bright side, the days are ever so slowly getting longer. The sun does not rise and set while I'm in my classroom anymore, so that's a bonus.

This coming week is the last full week of January - yay! Always the toughest month of the year to get through, especially so for me last year. This year, definitely not as bad at all. I was able to get my sleeping on track almost immediately (take that jet lag!) and was coming back to a more familiar place compared to last year (had only been in my flat for a couple of weeks before Christmas last year).

Am particularly excited that this has been a super fast 6 week term, and we've only got 3 to go before half term in February. I'm going calm my travel bug this break, and hang around London and be a normal person and relax a bit. It will be good to save money for upcoming trips, see some more of London (the list of stuff I haven't yet seen here is long and embarrassing) and actually take a break.

As for the rest of the weekend, I hope to finnish the hat I've started knitting (first 'real' project to date - so far so good!), spend some time in the local pub, and of course, continue to increase my feelings of 'gym superiority'.

Don't Stop Believing!

2010-01-18T11:22:00.000-08:00

I have always had a soft spot for 'Journey's' Don't Stop Believing. When I hear the lyrics 'Just a small town girl, livin' in a lonely world...' I can't help but sing along, at the top of my lungs for the rest of the song. I've recently discovered the Glee cast version of the song, and it's been playing on my ipod on repeat ever since. I can't wait to watch the show.

Other than that new addition to my playlist, this past week hasn't been very eventful. School carried on as usual. My students now get Tae Kwon Do instruction on Monday mornings, and are enjoying it so far. Lots of jumping and co-ordinating punches and kicks. It's good, because listening to instructions is key to learning the new moves, so it's interesting to see who is paying attention and who isn't.

I've been thinking about my plans for next year, and am trying to get myself geared up for leaving the U.K. which I think will be quite an adjustment, both good and bad. It's going to be great to be around friends and family again. I can't wait to be a part of people's lives in a more real way than phone calls, emails and blog posts. However, I'm anticipating that it's going to be a bit of an adjustment leaving the exciting, energetic atmosphere of London, and the people I've grown close to here. I also know it's going to be hard to be on the 'other side' of the adventure - there was so much build up and preparation to moving over here, it's going to be a little surreal to be back home again. It's all shades of grey: not rights or wrongs, which makes it that much more frustrating.

One thing I am feeling a little homesick about right now, is missing all the build up to the Vancouver Olympic Games. I'm doing 'The Olympics' with my students right now (we to topic teaching, so all the subject areas are taught through a central topic) so it's cool to think about all the things that have to do with the Olympics with a group of kids, and listen to the interesting questions that they come up with. I saw some cool stuff on the Canadian Olympic Schools website I've signed up for - a medal counting board, a 'Go Canada Go!' banner and a bunch of other resources that would be extra fun to have in a class in Canada.

I've got Spanish again tomorrow. I haven't really practiced too much, so I'll have to brush up a bit at lunch time. We've got a few of the main phrases and sentences down now: What is your name? My name is..... How are you? And some basic counting. It's a bit tricky with the pronunciation, but hopefully next week I'll get some more practice in, and things will sink in a bit more.

Until the next post!

Blogging again in 2010!

2010-01-10T12:45:00.000-08:00

Hello! Apologies for the insane months long delay between blog posts. I don't really have any real excuses, other than getting caught up in the craziness of the last half of the term, Christmas etc. and I kind of forgot about posting.

However, after a few subtle and not to subtle questions about the blog ('Heather, what's the deal? If you don't update soon, I'm just going to stop checking. Forever.') I figured I should get back on the ball. I also watched 'Julie and Julia' on the flight back from Toronto and it reminded me that I do enjoy writing my thoughts down and sharing them with those in cyberspace. I thought a new format would be fun too.

A quick recap: October half term my mom came to visit and we went to Budapest (amazing!) and then to visit relatives in the Czech Republic. My Christmas season started early, as I teach in a Catholic school. Lots of carol singing and nativity play practice happened in December. Was lucky enough to head back to Canada for the holidays, and had an excellent visit with friends and family.

Have a few exciting things coming up this year. After a 'knitting intervention' from my very experienced Aunt Marie over the holidays, I now am doing things correctly, which is nice and much more satisfying. There is a knitting store that opens it's doors on Wednesday and Thursday nights for people to stop by and work on their projects. They sell wine too! (Although I'm not sure I can handle alcohol and knitting at this point) I've got some chunky wool and plan to make some hats, and really cool wool my flatmate Holly doesn't like, so am going to attempt a scarf with that.

I've also signed up to take some Spanish courses on Tuesday night after school. A school in our borough is offering courses for free, so I feel as though I should take advantage. I'm hoping that my knowledge of French will help me out. Right now I only know how to say 'hot' and 'water' in Spanish.

That is all for now. I do plan on posting more frequently/regularly in the future, so check back when you can!

International Celebrations, Round 2

2009-10-12T14:16:00.002-07:00

I'm writing this post on Thanksgiving Monday at home, and just a regular old Monday here in London. This year, Canadian friends and I decided to make the most of being ex-pats, and had our own Thanksgiving meal on Saturday. By all accounts it was successful.

I was in charge of pies, and set my sights on pumpkin and apple. Equipped with recipes from my Aunt, I was on a mission to get ingredients, and the most 'exotic' of them being pumpkin puree. I lucked out, and got the last can from a girl who had it in her hands at Waitrose (snazzier grocery store), and insisted on me taking it, after we got to chatting while the store clerk was looking for more. Thanks so much to her, for making the pumpkin pie a reality for us on Saturday!!

Despite my amazing pastry making skills (ha!), I decided to go with frozen pie shells. Little did I know, that they don't exists here. The man at Sainburys (another grocery store, not as posh) actually said "I've never heard those two words together....hmm." Cue panic. I did find some frozen pastry rolls, which worked, but was a little heavy for the dutch apple. I think it's pastry that's meant for meat pies, which are an integral part of British cuisine.

Now, instructions regarding measurements and temperatures need to be followed to produce pies. This is fine, when baking in a country you are familiar in, with equipment you know, and recipes you've used before. However, all previously mentioned situations were not my reality on Saturday. I was converting measurements given to me in cups, to grams; temperatures in Celcius to gas marks on the stove. I used my calculator as much as a mixing bowl, and have no idea where I'd be without the internet.

All my trouble and strife was worth it though, as both pies turned out beautifully. The pastry for the apple pie was a bit heavy, but definitely edible. Pumpkin pie was amazing. I can't believe I didn't like it as a child.

We were quite a spoiled bunch on Saturday, enjoying delicious juicy chicken, creamy mashed potatoes and squash, stuffing to die for and a yummy veggie bake. Probably the best brussel spouts of my life (maple syrup?! amazing!) and green beans. In addition to cheesy potatoes and broccoli/cauliflower/cheese bake makes for a very satisfying night. I do believe the terms 'food coma' and 'food baby' were thrown around.

Two weekends ago it was Jetherdan 2009, where we celebrated my birthday along with my friend Jordan's. It was an amazingly fun night out. We went to a really cool bar near Liverpool Street station, that used to be a Turkish Bathhouse, and still had a lot of the building designs and decorations. It was a rock-a-billy 50's night, so they played great oldies music all night long that everyone was dancing to. Everyone was in a mood to have fun, and I think we were there until 4am - a success in my book! Thanks so much to Jaime and Jess for organizing.

It's funny, but celebrating my birthday and Thanksgiving for the second time in London, has make me re-evaluate the year, and consider all that has happened since moving to the UK.

It's made me think about my friends at home, and how incredibly important they are to me, despite the distance and my infrequent attempts at contacting them.

It's made me think about the relationships I have with my family members, and how lucky I am to have people who support me and are interested and value what I've chosen to do over here. It's made me realize how close I've gotten to the people I've met over here, and how weird it will be not being in the same city as them next year.

It's made me realize how much I've grown to love this insanely intimidating, big, loud, messy city, and how excited I am to get back to the familiarity of Toronto.

Things That Remind Me I'm Foreign

2009-09-21T12:28:00.000-07:00

Despite feeling really comfortable and excited to be back in London when I arrived just over a month ago, there are things that I notice every once in a while that remind me I'm a Canadian living in the U.K.

My favourite London 'rag' newspaper (free ones that get handed out on the street weekday evenings for your commute home) The London Paper has just recently gone bankrupt - tear! - and I really related to one of their columnists final articles. Here are some of my favourite parts of what she wrote:

You know you're a foreigner living in London when....

Asked "Alright?", you answer "I'm fine, why?".
You've learned never again to sit upstairs on the number 38 bus at night after breathing in the secondary crack smoke from the junkie behind you. ( *Personal Note* Night buses are an experience and a half over here)
You're amused watching Londoners tell off tourists who stand on the left... after learning the hard way yourself.
You find yourself prudish about Page 3 girls (*Personal Note* It's honestly unreal the pictures that are in daily papers, every day.)
People think you are the local crazy lady when you fleetingly smile at them in the street. (*Personal Note* I AM that person in my neighbourhood. People are ok with it now that they know I'm Canadian)
It takes you a while to learn what people are talking about when they refer to "the city".
You discover that sanitizing hand gel exists and learn that you'll die without it.
You keep falling for Ryanair's 'free flights' deal - even though they're not free - and then bitching about the 10 pound credit card fee
You discover drugs are cheaper than at home - unless you're from Columbia
You can't believe you have to bag your own groceries... and be the one offering the friendly greeting (*Personal Note* This means that you are at the mercy of the people in front of you in line. Cashiers won't start the next customer until the previous one has all their stuff bagged up and off the counter thing.)
You find it fascinating that riding on the Tube turns your snot black (*Personal Note* Totally true!)

Written by Kirsty Ross (www.kirsty-ross.com).

This may have been more entertaining for me to read than people not in London, but it's a bit of an insight to what it's living somewhere new.

Things are going well at school. It's crazy busy, but the kids are great, and I'm enjoying it. I'm having a bit of trouble understanding what I did last year with all my free time, but I'm not sure I'll find an answer to that, ever.

Back to Blogging

2009-09-03T13:52:00.000-07:00

Greetings!

It's been a while, and my apologies for that. I was back to my home and native land for 4 weeks this summer and it was a fantastic trip back. Did a lot of catching up, visiting, partying and relaxing. One of my best friends got married, which was a beautiful, thoughtful and fun celebration that I was lucky enough to be a part of. Another bestie back home and her hubby are expecting their first baby (any day now, right J?!), so it was great to see them and 'the bump' in action.

Now that I'm back in London, oddly enough, it doesn't feel like I even left. Coming back to my familiar flat, neighbour hood, school and most importantly local pubs felt strangely comfortable compared to all the anxiety and 'every thing is new, and I'm not sure I know what's going on' of last September. I'm really glad I gave myself a bit of time to adjust back to London life, and not worry about work straight away. Speaking of work.....

I've just completed my first 2 days teaching in my own classroom, and it's been fantastic! I love so much that I'm the person that gets to set things up they way I like, and that work for me instead of working within someone else's framework that works for them. Granted, I saw and learnt a lot of new things while doing PPA last year that I will definitely use, but there are just as many that didn't make the cut for my Year 4 class this year.

My class is full of really great kids, and I'm really excited to get to know them over the year. I'm sure it will result in a teary goodbye at school come July, but oh well. There are two new students in my class, one with CP and she's in a wheelchair, which made classroom set up quite a challenge. We are still working things out so she has enough room to get around, and it's a trial and error process. Basically, inclusion and team work and understanding have been my middle names and will continue to be for the next little while. I really want the classroom environment to be welcoming and positive for the two new ones, as well as everyone else.

It hasn't all been sunshine and lollipops however. I've always been a little bit nervous about planning, and now that it's actually time to plan, I've been stressed. It's difficult to get started, because I'm not sure about basic things, like what the documents I need look like, or are located. I'm not sure about obtaining resources. I have no idea how to set up ability groups, or if I even should. Assessment and leveling work is beyond me. What types of records should I be keeping? How do I plan lessons that are interesting and informative, yet still encourage independent thinking and problem solving? I also have 2 TA's in my class - which is fantastic, don't get me wrong for a second - but I'm in a position where I'm a 'superior' to women who have been TA's for many years, and am finding it awkward to 'manage' them, if those are even the right terms to use.

When you think of all the uncertainties, and things that need to be done, and things you don't know about at once, it's incredibly intimidating and daunting. I was in that frame of mind at the end of the school day. I had arrived early and stayed late and still felt like I had a million things to do. I probably gave myself 3 new wrinkles with my furrowed brow the whole tube ride home.

Good thing my mother had telpathic powers. When I arrived at my front door, I was greeted by a dozen pink roses, with a little card that said 'Congratulations and Good Luck. You will do an excellent job. Love Mom' How amazing is that?! How AMAZING is my MOM?!?! I think we'll need to visit the tea room at The SoHo Hotel when she's in town next....Needless to say, I've shifted my thinking into a more positive light, and am feeling like things are at least manageable now. Thanks again mom!

I need to wrap up this epic 'first post of the new school year' now, so I can get to bed. I'm going to make an effort to blog regularly about teaching and life here in London. We've also got wireless broadband at school, so hopefully I can get my act together and post some pictures for your viewing pleasure.

Summer Hiatus

2009-07-14T15:22:00.000-07:00

Well, I've made it.

I've moved to a new and strange country, travelled to new and exciting places, and taught in a new and different educational system.

I don't want to come off as some kind of self doubter, but I'm a little surprised that I've been able to accomplish all this. I just never thought that I'd be 'that' person to have the guts to pick up and move to somewhere new, and make some kind of life of it. It's also a bit of a surprise how quickly this year has flown by. It does not feel like 10 and a half months have passed since I've moved here; but at the same time, my life in Toronto feels like a lifetime ago.

Either way, I'm home tomorrow for a whirlwind summer visit. I'll be home for four weeks in total, and will spending some time in Vancouver/Victoria, attending one of my best friends weddings, and catching up with friends and family all over Ontario - Toronto, Kingston, London, Elora and Haliburton.

I won't be able to post regularly during this visit, so have decided to take an 'official' break from blogging for the summer. Look for regular posts once I'm back in London and am back to 'normal' life. Have a great summer :)

An Eye Opening Week

2009-06-21T08:06:00.000-07:00

This past week was the first week that the Year 4 teacher had off for maternity leave. It was also the week that the teacher taking over the class for the rest of the year was away with the Year 6 class on a week long camping trip. This meant that I was covering Year 4 all week long.

I wasn't really worried about covering the class for the week. They're a good group a kids, and there aren't any serious behaviour issues. The teacher they've had all year has some great systems and routines in place so it was easy to pick up where she left off. The medium term plans were completed by the teacher who will be in there for the rest of the term, so I only had to worry about getting the weekly plan done, and sticking to what had been laid out.

It was great to be in the same place, every day for the week. As a PPA teacher, I'm all over the school, every day so it was a great change to be able to put my stuff down, and not have to lug it at lunchtime to the class I'd be covering in the afternoon. It was also really nice to be with the same group of kids for a week and getting to know them a bit better. I also liked that when I came across an extra 15 mins here or there, I knew of some other, relevant work they could use the time to complete, instead of getting them to do quiet reading, or extend what they had been working on like I would do if I was in there for PPA coverage.

I did have a few panic attacks throughout the week though. One being that next year, I'm responsible for everything that happens in my class - behaviour management, displays, assessments, the topics we cover, how the room is set up, general class routines, planning, field trips, assemblies etc. Another reason I had a bit of panic attack was that I'm also responsible for my students learning what they need to know and progressing up through the levels. This may sound stupid, but right now when I'm in a class, my concern is that the behaviour is where it should be, and that I have gotten through what the class teacher has left. If I'm marking the books, and I see that a few kids aren't totally grasping changing percentages into decimals, I'll leave a note for the teacher and that's that. I'm not the one responsible for re-teaching, or differentiating the work or changing what ability grouping they're placed in.

Yet another minor freak out surrounded whether I'd be physically/mentally able to take it. At the end of everyday this past week, I was exhausted. When looking at the plans on Wednesday morning for the day and then the rest of the week, I definitely thought - 'How the hell to people do this day after day, and week after week?' And it's not that I'm not tired after covering someone else's class, but there is a bit of a detachment there. Once the books are marked (if even necessary) I'm out the door. I'm not prepping the lessons for the next day, making sure that the reading books are changed, checking over the class list to make sure everyone has their permission letters in or looking for a good maths lesson started on 'espresso'.

Although there are many things that I found myself to be really excited about for next year as well. How I'm going to re-arrange the classroom to make it an exciting and inviting place, the different displays that I'll be in charge of putting up, picking some amazing topics that my students are interested in, and taking pictures of my students throughout the year doing their best. Having behaviour management systems in place that will help my students be motivated to learn and respectful towards their classmates and other students. Helping them to become independent learners and problem solvers.

These are all fantastically lofty and 'dream world' type goals for next year, and I'm sure that not all of them will be achieved, but I don't think it hurts to be optimistic and excited for the opportunity to achieve some of these things. I'm also a realist, and know that when push comes to shove, there will be some days when my lessons are a total bust, and times when my Year 4 students are not motivated in the least to act in a respectful way towards others.

I'm just planning on taking it one day/task at a time, do my best, and hope for a good year.

Travel Addict

2009-06-12T11:52:00.000-07:00

The UK school system is now in it's last term of the year. There are around five teaching weeks left until a fantastic six week break for the summer. I'm finding it hard to believe that I've been over here for nine months already, and have a full time classroom of my own awaiting me in September. It's fantastic, but definitely mind boggling when I sit down to think about it.

As I reflect on this past school year, I can't ignore the places that I've been lucky enough to see on school breaks. In October, my mom and I did a whirl wind tour of Milan, Venice, Lausanne, Geneva and Paris. In November, I took a long weekend and went to Berlin, and learned a lot on a free tour in a snow storm. February half term break saw a bunch of friends and I head to Amsterdam for four days of legal mayhem; in addition to a weekend in Glasgow with my flatmate. At the end of March, I spent a fabulous long weekend in Paris with my cousin, taking in the sights and sounds of a city I definitely plan on visiting again next year, as I won't live 2.5 hours from Paris for my entire life! On the April Easter break, my cousin Jeff came over, and we spent 5 nights in Ireland, enjoying the accents and beer, but not the prices. And finally in May I took a relaxing three night trip to Ibiza to soak up some sun, sand and to generally unwind.

If someone this time last year would have told me that I'd be going to all of these places, I would not have believed one word of it. Not a single one. Probably because in June of last year, I was busy preparing for coming over, and making sure that all loose ends were wrapped up. Things like deciding what to keep/bring with me/throw out were filling up my brain, in addition to saving money and making sure I had all the documents in order to move to a city I hadn't even visited before. I also think it's a cultural thing as well. People at home generally have a different way of spending (usually very limited) vacation time. Often it will involve a trip somewhere south in the winter to get away from the snow and cold, and then spending summer holiday time at a cottage or at a beach not excessively far from home. Whereas people over here will easily spend a week in Spain, or southern France or Greece without giving it a second thought. Not to mention taking 'city breaks' and visiting a new and foreign city for a long weekend. This is most likely because all of these new places are so much more accessible, because the countries are so much smaller than Canada, and they are all closer in proximity. When at home, you can drive for 24 hours before you are out of Ontario. We Canadians have a much bigger task when it comes to being familiar with our 'entire' country.

One thing I definitely want to take back with me is the idea of visiting the great places that are close to home. Living in Toronto, there are many cities that are much close to the places I've been this year, like Montreal, New York, Boston, Chicago etc. Hopefully when I'm back I'll be able to keep a bit of this travel bug and see some neat places closer to home.

Either way, now I find myself looking to the year ahead and thinking about the places that I want to see on the half term breaks next year. One thing I can tell you is that my weeks off are already filling up quickly. I want to spend more time in Italy and I would love to spend the February break next year skiing. Croatia is also on the top of my travel wish list. As mentioned previously, more time will be spent in Paris, with Barcelona and Edinburgh being other cities I feel are 'must do's' before heading home. Portugal is also appealing, as is spending more time in Germany (I visited Frankfurt and Munich two summers ago), or possibly visiting distant relatives in the Czech Republic.

I'm not sure if one year will be enough!

Techie Teacher

2009-06-05T13:40:00.000-07:00

First of all, apologies for such a delay between blog posts. It's been a crazy fews weeks. My cousin (who's living in Paris) came for an extended long weekend visit and my sister (from Vancouver) came for a super long visit. Luckily, their holiday times overlapped, and we were able to have a mini cousins reunion in London. In amongst there, the last half term break of the school year came and went. I was able to spend 3 nights in Ibiza, which was relaxing and beautiful.

I thought I'd do a blog post on how technology is used in the classroom here in the UK. I've been preparing for having my own class next year, and am realizing how integral technology will be in my planning, lessons and general classroom life.

First of all, all classrooms have a SmartBoard/ Interactive White Board (IWB) as standard equipment. This is a projector that displays the computer desktop on a screen that can be manipulated using the IWB pens. You can show your class articles/videos from the internet, power point presentations, teach lessons using EasyTeach (like power point, but made for classroom lessons) and anything else you want your class to see. There's also a program with the IWB that's a blank screen, that you can write on using the IWB pens and save for later use.

My school just recently purchased a class set of laptops to be used to further ICT lessons. The school has also just been fitted with WiFi, so that they can use the internet on the laptops.

Schools may use a 'scheme of work', which is like a set program for a particular subject, complete with teachers guide, student textbooks and sample lesson plans. My school uses the Abacus maths scheme and recently we had a staff inset on using their software program. With this program, you're able to differentiate your lessons between high, middle and lower ability; see what activities require TA support and track your students attendance, to ensure that they are taught the concept when back at school.

We also had an inset recently on using the 'espresso' software, which is a cross curricular program for Foundation, KS1 and KS2 students/teachers. There are videos and activities on here that students can do on their own, as well as news reports geared at children, handwriting practice and differentiated news articles that can be used on the IWB for the whole class. They also have a 'Staff room' icon, that contains ideas for topic planning, field trips and assessment. This program is totally geared to teaching, and is very user friendly. They don't have anything on there that takes more than one minute to download.

Lots to know for next year!

Dressing the Part

2009-05-10T14:13:00.000-07:00

I have a mission to accomplish here in London before I'm home in Ontario in July. I need to find an awesome dress to wear to my friend's wedding. I'm well aware that all eyes will be on the couple exchanging vows and on the wedding party, so it's absolutely not essential or appropriate that I am the centre of attention with whatever I'm wearing. However, I do want to take advantage of the shopping opportunities that I have here in London. And if I'm making an appearance at the wedding, I might as well look good while being there, right?

Londoners definitely have a fashion sense that isn't really seen at home. It's hard to describe, but I remember noticing the way people dress when I first arrived in September and feeling quite inadequate with the items that I had carefully chosen to bring with me. It is much more eclectic than home, with people combining all kinds of prints, colours and styles in one outfit. I personally don't feel like I can pull that type of look off with any kind of confidence, but that could be my boring, standard, no frills Canadian fashion sense rearing it's un-trendy head.

Accessories are a much bigger deal here. Men and women frequently wear hats and scarves (not the scarves that protect your face from frostbite, but trendy ones with patterns and fun colours) much more than people at home. Women wear necklaces, ear rings, bracelets with more frequency, and they are often a bit bolder and brighter. There's a fantastic store here called 'Accessorize' that sells only accessories. Bags, necklaces, rings, scarves and headbands - with and without feathers attached. It's a great place, and I'm definitely going to stock up before I'm home permanently.

It's great though, because there are definitely the trends that people follow, but if you're confident in what you're wearing, whether it's 'in' or not, it's not a big deal. That might have to do with the fact that London is so big, that you see all types of people wearing all kinds of things on any given day.

There are areas in London that have a definite 'look' to them. In The City and Canary Wharf, which are the two big financial centres of the city, 99% of the people you see on a weekday will be in a suit. Around Camden, it's a definite alternative/punk look, with pink spiked mohawks, leather jackets, facial piercings and ripped jeans as the norm. In East London, the chav look is predominate - think velour track suits, baseball hats with straight beaks tilted to the side, and big sneakers with the tongues sticking out.

I've been looking around for the past little bit to find a dress that is flattering, trendy, in my price range, and not too casual. I've had no luck yet, but will continue to search through the 'shops' of London in hopes of finding something appropriate. Wish me luck!

Time flies when you're having fun

2009-04-30T14:21:00.000-07:00

Every time I've had to write the date recently, I shake my head a little bit. How can April be over? I feel like this month barely got started, and now it's over. I think a lot of that has had to do with the extended Easter Break (2 weeks!) that happens in London schools. Even with that break accounted for though, I don't feel as though it's time for May yet.

This super fast passing of time is different to how I perceived the time to pass in January/February. During those short, grey, wet days and long, dark nights, I felt as though every day lasted about a day and a half. Now that the days are longer and brighter, and the temperature has gone up a bit, I feel like each day lasts about half a day. It's also quite crazy to me that I'm going to be back home in Ontario for a visit in just over 2 months. Even crazier is that I've been here for 8 months now. At times it feels like I just got here and am still figuring things out, and other times living in Toronto feels like an entire lifetime ago.

One thing that has been interesting is experiencing spring in a different climate. Winter weather wasn't that far off the mark, just more rain instead of snow. The warmer winter temperatures were a welcome change. Short days (very short!) and long nights, similar to Ontario. Spring, however, has been a little bit different. In Ontario, I would spend a good deal of time paying attention to weather reports - being excited as the temperature slowly creeps up, and depressed when surprise spring snow storm hit. Always watching for the snow banks to melt and disappear, and the trees/grass getting greener as well. Here though, since the temperature is much more moderate, it hasn't been such an extreme change. The trees have been a little bit green with buds for a while, and then about a week and a half ago I was walking down my street when I realized that leaves were out in their entirety.

I feel like the rest of this school year is going to fly by as well. My sister is coming for a nice long visit from mid May to the beginning of June. We've got another (yes, another!) half term break at the end of May, and I'm going to spend a bit of it in Ibiza. There is some talk of my parental units coming over in June as well. No slam dunk plans from them yet though. School life is going to be kicked up a notch as well - Year 6 SATS tests, Sports Day, School BBQ night, Talent Show and a whole school trip to the beach in Joss Bay. Whew!

Decisions, Decisions

2009-04-23T12:53:00.000-07:00

After spending a long weekend in Paris at the end of March, I returned to school on Monday expecting a normal, run of the mill day. I was in the Nursery out on the playground when the head teacher came and found me. I thought there was a schedule change for the day, or something like that. I was a little bit off. Here's how our conversation went:

"How long are you planning on being in the UK, Heather?" she asked.

"I was planning on coming back for the fall, and then going back to Canada at Christmas, and staying there permanently then" I reply.

"Hm, not sure if that's going to work for me" she replies.

"Why is that?" I ask.

"Well, I was thinking about offering you Year 4 for next year. But you'd need to be here for the whole year" she explains.

"Oh wow"

After telling my head teacher that I'd need a few days to think about it, I was in definite shock. I had never expected to be offered the opportunity to have my own class here in London. I had made my previous decision about when to head home, based on staying as the PPA teacher at my school. I carried on as usual, because I had to continue teaching for the rest of the day.

It wasn't until I was at home, that the enormity of the decision that I had to make became real. I was perfectly happy with my plan to come back for the fall, because I know that if I was staying home in July, I wouldn't be 'done' with London and traveling around. I figured it would be a perfect compromise, since I'd still be able to get a bit more of London life and then head back, to reconnect with friends and family, move back to Toronto and the job I had before moving to London.

However, the offer of having my own class in a school that I'm familiar in, really changed all that. Especially knowing that the opportunity to have my own class in Ontario in September is pretty much not possible at this point, as there are very few jobs.

After considering all of my options, I've decided to take the job, and stay in London for another year. I'm apprehensive, because I know it's going to be a very different year than this year, and I know I'm going to learn loads. I'm also really excited to do the things that I've always wanted to do in my own class, and have some ownership over the class. Plus, it's going to look great on my resume.

I'm nervous and excited for next year. I think it's the right decision for me right now. It'll be great to fully take advantage of my visa being valid for 2 years. I can't wait to travel around to the places I won't get to this year. It will be a lot more work than this year, but I think it will be worth it in the end.

Here vs. Home - Educational Edition

2009-04-04T04:12:00.000-07:00

I posted a while ago about some of the general differences that I noticed between Canada and the U.K. This post is the same kind of idea, but with a specific focus on the things I notice are different in schools here vs. home. Not an all encompassing list by any means, but a bit of a heads up to the adjustments I had to make when I arrived. Enjoy!

Paper sizes have different names. Normal, letter sized paper (8.5 by 11) is called A4. Bigger paper (11 by 14) is called A3. Don't ask me why the bigger paper is 3 and the smaller paper is 4.
Periods (as a form of punctuation) don't exist in the UK. They're called 'full stops'.
Erasers do not exist either. They're called 'rubbers'. This also means that the verb 'erase' does not exist. When asking a class of Year 4 students to 'erase your white boards', expect them to look at you like you have 3 heads.
There are Learning Intentions with every lesson that you teach. This is written right after the date, in their workbooks. e.g. for a literacy lesson a it could be 'L.I. I am learning the features of non-fiction text.' followed by the work for that lesson.
It's not math. It's mathS.
In mathS, when multiplying a decimal by 10, 100, 1000 etc. - instead of moving the decimal point to the right, you move the number to the left. When I taught a lesson on this, the teacher had a power point slide that said "THE DECIMAL POINT DOES NOT MOVE!!!" This shook me to the core.
Don't expect to be the only adult in your class. Each class has a teaching assistant (TA), and depending on the profile of your students, you could have some people in for one on one support.
The date is written differently (all over the UK, not just schools) - the number of the day comes before the month. eg. April 3, 2009 is 3 April 2009.
Teachers get specific time out of class to do planning, assessments and marking. This is called PPA (planning, preparation and assessment). If you are the PPA teacher (like me this year) you are the one that covers the class while the teacher is out. Plans are left for you.
Smart Boards, or Interactive White Boards (IWB's) are standard in all classrooms.
You never have more than 7 weeks of school without a break. I've mentioned this before, and I totally love it. Breaks are longer as well - like the Easter one. We break up on Wednesday the 8th (a little odd, something to do with being in a Catholic school) and aren't back until the 23rd. Whoo hoo!

Re-Visiting London

2009-03-21T02:00:00.000-07:00

This past week has been March Break back home in Ontario, and I was lucky enough to have some friends who spent it in London this year. It was great to visit with them and reconnect, but still carry on with my day to day life here.

Kyla and Brent were here with their high school's March Break trip as chaperones. Their schedule was pretty jam packed, but we managed to meet up for drinks the Friday they got in, and then again briefly on Monday before they were off to Paris. I'm not sure if chaperoning a group of high school kids would be my number one way to travel, mainly because there seems to be so many opportunities to get annoyed with people. You are also really stuck to a schedule/the whole group and can't necessarily wander off and explore something you see that's interesting, which is how I've ended up seeing some of the neatest stuff while in new places. They were coping well though, and definitely saw loads of stuff while in England.

A big thank you to Kyla, for schlepping over some treats from my mom. I can only imagine what else she could have packed instead of bringing over insane amounts of red licorice, coffee crisps, and jujubes.

Lindsay, a friend from teachers college, was here with her sister and met up with their cousin who is doing an exchange in Italy. Their schedule was much more flexible, and we were able to hang out a few times during the week. On Wednesday we went to see The Phantom of the Opera, which was amazing. It was my third time seeing it, and honestly the best. I've been singing the songs all week, and think I will finally cave and buy the CD.

It was definitely interesting to hear about the differences that my friends noticed from home while over here for the week. I've gotten used to lots since being here for the past 6 (!) months that just seem normal now. A lot of the things were the exact things I noticed when first over here as well, such as: night life happening about 4 hours earlier than back home (pubs are often closed before 12am), few garbage cans on the street, crazy crowdedness on the tube and people walking on the opposite side of the side walk.

Having people from home here also made me realize that there is loads in London and around that I have not done yet. Some things that I definitely want to tick off my list, and that were recommended to me by Kyla/Brent/Lindsay include: Windsor Castle, Bath and Stonehenge, Westminster and The Tower of London. Hopefully I can see those places with my next round of visitors.

And next weekend, I get to be a visitor, as I'll be staying with my second cousin who's doing an exchange in Paris to wrap up her degree . I should start seriously reading up on the things I want to see/do, since I leave right after work on Thursday. Yay!

A Drunken London Weekend

2009-03-09T14:34:00.001-07:00

Well, another weekend here in London has come and gone. And much too quickly I might add. Luckily, I did my best to soak up take advantage of the London life and spent a good portion of the weekend consuming alcohol. Not good for the waistline or wallet, but quite fun every once in a while.

Friday started out well. I went to 'The Space', which is a pub that is no more than a 5 minute walk from school. It was good to hang out with people you spend every day with in a more relaxed and social setting. It was also nice because we were able to vent about work stuff, which I'm not always able to do with people that know what I'm talking about, since my Canadian friends all work at different schools. Learned that one teacher is/was a palm reader (she hasn't 'read' in 5 years), so we were all examining each others hands. Also found out that our deputy head is turning 38 this year, and has a list of '38 new things' to do before her birthday. After 3 pints with them, I went up to North London, and meet my friends Jess and Jordan in a pub near Angel station for some more drinks. We talked about how glad we were that it was Friday, and how annoying work is. We also spent a significant amount of time discussing whether Michael Jackson is talented or just more of a freak now. Either way it was unanimous that we'd all love to see him live (just announced 10 dates in London in July). After 3 more pints (!!) I made my way to Angel station and caught the last train home.

Saturday started out a little rough, no surprise there. It was nice to relax and veg out for a bit though. I managed to catch some 'Scrubs' on t.v. which was nice, because there can be some pretty horrendous daytime t.v. programming here (think Snooker, horse races and Antiques Road Show, a show that I will never understand the appeal of). Then I got myself together and met up with friends for a bbq in Canada Water (area of London, where a lot of Aussies, and South Africans live, oddly enough). It was great to hang out with people in a house party setting, which I'm used to from back home. We ate some great food (I was missing yellow mustard on my burger, but survived), and played a great game that I know from home as 'The Bowl Game', but the person who was teaching it calls is 'Names in a Hat'. Either way, it's awesome. It was a bit tricky for him to get the instructions out though, as some members were already a few drinks in. The game has 3 rounds, and we barely made it through the first. I'm looking forward to playing again, in a more 'serious' setting. I'm also a bit psycho when it comes to games, and not playing them properly. I realized that about myself Saturday night. We had an interesting bus ride home, where we were on the top level of the bus, at the front, trying to show the whole bus we were having way more fun than them by cheering and laughing, pretending the bus was a roller coaster, and lifting our arms up and then not talking and shushing each other at red lights. Not sure how that came about. Then the bus broke down (not the first time, thanks for the reliable transport London) right outside London Bridge station, and I hopped on the second last train again. Whew!

Sunday, I went to Clapham, which is an area more south of the river than where I live. It was nice to wander around a new neighbourhood, and see what's there. There is a huge park/green space/open field area there, and when I was there, the sun was shining and the sky was blue and everyone was taking advantage. One of the great things about London is the frequency and size of parks and also in how they're used. In Toronto I would gladly walk through the parks in the downtown area, but would never really spend any significant amount of time in them. Here, people pack lunches, bring blankets and frisbees and make a whole day of it. Then, I met up with Jess and Jordan again in Shoreditch which is a trendy area in East London. We had some drinks at a bar called 'Ziggy von Underbelly'. Really cool bar in a neat square, with lots of other cool bars around. About 2 pints in we renamed Sunday, Funday.

So thats about it. Exciting things coming up include visits from Kyla and Brent, and Linsday from back home, who are visiting over March break and my long weekend in Paris at the end of the month. Looks like Cousin Jeff will be visiting over the Easter break in April, and we're thinking of hitting up Ireland while he's here as well. I'm having a hard time believing that after this week, there is only 4 full weeks left until the Easter holiday.

Until next time!

One week down, five more to go

2009-03-01T08:27:00.000-08:00

Well, it's been one week back at work since the half term break. Surprisingly the week went back quickly, which was nice. We had an inset training day (no kids at school) on Monday about building learning power, which was interesting. The whole focus was to thinking about learning as a process and building independent learners instead of just getting work done. Some interesting points brought up about the language teachers use, and what it conveys to the students.

I really like how the school system is set up over here, with the breaks spread out more throughout the year. This means that I've only got 5 more weeks until the Easter Break, which is two weeks long. Because I'm teaching at a Catholic school the two weeks are somewhat split up; our first day of the break is April 9th, and then our first day back is April 23rd. Then it will only be 4 weeks until the half term break in May. I know the summers off school are longer at home, but I almost think they're too long. Kids get bored with 8 weeks off and forget a lot of things taught in the previous year.

I don't have any definite plans as of yet for that time off in April, but do have some ideas. My cousin Jeff is planning a visit over, so he will want to see all that London has to ofer, but we have talked about possibly visiting Ireland during that time as well. Details still need to be worked out.

I'm really looking forward to my long weekend in Paris, coming up at the end of the month. I'll be staying with my second cousin Erin, who is doing an exchange to wrap up her degree from Ivey (at Western). Her apartment is very close to the Garre du Nord, which is the train station I'll be arriving at on the Eurostar. I plan on doing the free walking tour - have done one in Berlin and Amsterdam and both were great, as well as consuming baguettes with brie and red wine!

I've also got some visitors from home coming over in March as well, which is exciting. My good friends Kyla and Brent are traveling to England and France with their high school's March break trip, and will be in London around March 13th. Another good friend from teachers college is coming over on her March break as well, so it will be great to connect and catch up with familiar friends.

Can't wait!

Four Days in Amsterdam

2009-02-20T13:59:00.000-08:00

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

2009-02-13T13:36:00.000-08:00

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:

I will not wash dishes without rubber gloves
I have been accused (mostly by my sisters) of being a 'grandma' when picking nail polish colours
I hate baths
I have a ridiculous collection of pencils and pens
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
As I kid I hated all fruit, except strawberries
The only romantic comedy worth my time is "Pretty Woman"
I love mail. Sending it, receiving it, whatever.
I have recently acquired a taste for red wine, but know nothing about it
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
My first 'major' purchase in London was a pair of purple, patent Mary Jane shoes.
I like watching the news
I want new glasses, but can't decide on frames
If I'm in my house between September and April, there will be slippers on my feet
I sneak things into the cart if I'm grocery shopping with my mom
I like tv on DVD better than tv on tv
I love family gatherings. Any size, any occasion
Folding and putting away clean laundry is my most despised chore
Makeover shows (How to Look Good Naked, What not to Wear) are my guilty pleasures - but not Extreme Makeover. That show is psycho.
I always have a book on the go
I desperately want to have a dog in my life
I hate morning radio personality banter. With a passion.
I am amazed at the power that stickers have over young children
I love train travel
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

2009-02-11T11:51:00.000-08:00

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....

2009-02-05T09:51:00.000-08:00

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

2009-02-03T03:43:00.000-08:00

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.

Three Weeks Down...

2009-01-28T13:55:00.000-08:00

Well, I have been back in London for three weeks now since Christmas, and am glad to report that I am feeling much more settled. I suppose it just took me a while to get over:

jet lag,
getting back to work,
adjusting back to being in the UK,
getting used to the idea that close friends and family are far away.

I also am getting used to:

exploring new and cool areas/aspects of London,
looking forward to half term break trip to Amsterdam, and other school breaks
figuring out other places that I want to see that are within reach and reasonable (Paris, Dublin, Rome and Edinburgh are 'must do's' for me right now; wish list includes - Dubrovnik, Lisbon, Athens, Barcelona, Budapest, Brussels.....)

Now, I am focusing on 'what's next'. I don't want to appear as though I'm wishing this all away, or counting down to the end already, because I know what a fantastic opportunity it is to be here, living and working in another country. It is a little disconcerting though, to have a big question mark for what you're going to be doing with your life in 7 months.

On one hand, I can head back to Ontario and attempt to get a job in a school board, which has always been a dream - to have my own classroom. Be in same time zone as most friends and family. Not be stressed about exchange rates and sending money back home. Enjoy familiar Canadian culture. Travel to other areas within Canada I have yet to see - which is quite a lot. Get an apartment, a kitten and a keyboard (New Years/Life resolution to get back into piano playing).

On the other hand, I could stay here until my Visa expires (Sept. 2010 - eep!) and knock off many places that I want to see from my list, and many more. I would become more of a London local and feel more familiar in this huge metropolis. In the grand scheme of my whole life, 2 years isn't really that long. Since I don't think I'll pick up and live in another country again, once I decide to go home I will stay. I would become more familiar with the British school system and different teaching styles.

Obviously, this is a decision that will take a while to make. I also need to do some research about both sides (Stay - Where will I work? Live in the same spot? Go - How easy is it to get a job? Where will I live?) which will hopefully make things clearer. I am also aware that whatever decision I make, if I turn out to be miserable I can always go back. Hmmmmm

Until next time

Laundry in London

2009-01-24T05:06:00.000-08:00

A whole post on doing laundry in London? Yes. The struggles surrounding having clean clothes to wear are outlined below:

Machines here tend to be much smaller, which means that your loads are also much smaller, and you have more of them.
Washing machines are almost always located in the kitchen, under a counter top, like a dishwasher would be.
Dryers on their own are quite rare. You can dry your clothes on a drying rack, or by putting your stuff on radiators. I do this with the majority of my clothes anyway, but it gets tricky with towels and sheets.
Washer/Dryers in the same machine exist here. You switch the knob to change the function.
Dryers (or the dryer function) take an extremely long time, and you clothes are never really dry. You pull them out and they are steaming, and hot to touch, but still damp.
Washing cycles also take forever. The shortest cycle that I've found is one hour.

All in all it means that getting to the bottom of my laundry hamper takes an extremely long time. It's not that big of a deal, but it does make doing laundry extra annoying. Who knows, I could have extremely high laundry standards and maybe this wouldn't bother someone else.

Half Term Break - Sorted!

2009-01-19T11:45:00.000-08:00

Fantastic news to report - it appears as though I have figured out what to do with myself for the half term break coming up in February! More on that later, first a recap on this second full weekend back in 2009.

Friday night I went out for drinks and dinner with colleagues from work, which was a lot of fun. First we stopped at a pub right near school for a few pints. It was a really cool spot with a nice relaxed feel - nice wood ceiling, neat lighting, and a big fish tank at the bar. After that we went to a new Thai restaurant down the road from the pub, which was really good. There was a bit of drama between the receptionist and the Year 2 teacher, so that was somewhat awkward. After a smaller group of us stayed at the restaurant bar for some drinks to debrief the events that happened over dinner. It was really nice to hang out with some different people, and to spend time with work people socially.

Saturday was fantastic. Went to Greenwich Market with Jaime, Sheena and Erika. What a cool spot! Lots of really neat stalls - one was full of old bottles, one was these cool little doorstops that you fill with rice that are shaped like all kinds of different animals, and another was these really cool flower/herb pot holders. I definitely want to get one of those at some point. We then walked up to the Royal Observatory, and saw a really great view of London on the way up. Once at the top we saw the Prime Meridian and took pictures, and then checked out the gift shop. In the evening we all went to April and Kiran's flat for a belated house-warming.

Sunday Jess and I went to Hampstead Heath, which is a really posh area in North London. There is a really big park there as well. It was a cool, but bright and clear day - perfect for wandering around. It was great. I came home, called my mom, wrapped up my laundry and did some research for half term.

And now onto the title of the post - half term plans. The school system in the U.K. is set up differently, where you aren't at school for more than 6 weeks in a row before a break. This means that we have a week off from Feb 16 - 20 off - excellent! I originally was planning on Portugal for somewhere sunny and warm, but once I started looking into flights and accommodation it was out of my price range. Also, the temperature at the end of Feb. is only about 15 degrees, so not all that hot. Anyway it looks like Amsterdam will be where I'll be spending 4 nights of that week off, which I'm really excited about. It's a city that I've heard rave reviews about, and have always wanted to visit. There are lots of things I want to see - Anne Frank House, Heinekin brewery, Van Gogh Museum - in addition to checking out the coffee house experience, and possibly renting a bike to ride around. I've found return flights for 30 pounds, and accommodation for about 15 pounds a night, which is much more reasonable. I hope to have everything booked by the end of the week.

Until next time
~h

p.s. A huge thanks to Crystal for mailing me my Christmas present - a wonderful surprise! Thanks again :)

Here vs. Home

2009-01-13T10:39:00.000-08:00

I'm going to dedicate my second blog post to the differences that I have noticed as a Canadian living in London.

Driving on the opposite side of the road/car. Obvious, I know, but this also means that people also tend to walk on the opposite side of the sidewalk. This took me a while to figure out, as I was walking into people and wondering why they were running into me when in fact it was the other way around.
Money - coins here are much heavier than at home, and there are more of them. This makes my wallet very heavy
Everyone goes to the pub all the time. There is definitely a pub culture where it is totally acceptable/expected that you stop off at the pub for a drink or two on your way home from work at the end of the day.
The mail comes/goes on Saturday. If a packages are delivered to your house, and you're not home (i.e. at work) you can only go pick it up between 8am-12 Mon.-Fri., and between 8am-1pm on Saturdays. This means that I have to wait until Saturday to pick up the 'mystery' package delivered here on Monday (Mystery because I don't know who sent it. I gave credit to my mom for it, but she won't claim responsibility for it. Hmmm.)
Cupcakes are called fairy cakes. Don't get it.
It's somewhat difficult to obtain a decent cup of brewed coffee. Most places offer espresso based coffee drinks like lattes and cappuccinos, but no one seems to care much about just plain old coffee. If anyone wants to start a Second Cup franchise over here, I'd be all for it!
Streets do not run parallel/perpendicular to one another. This made travel by foot difficult initially because I was under the 'Toronto grid system' mentality. I now carry my trusty 'A-Z' which is a map book of London that even Londoners need and use. (Holly has one as well)

The First Post!!

2009-01-11T12:45:00.000-08:00

Greetings!

One of my resolutions for 2009 was to start a blog so that I could easily let everyone at home know what I'm up to over here in jolly old England. I'll do my best to keep it interesting and to post on a regular basis.

Quick update for those of you out of the loop:

I moved to London, England on September 5, 2008 to teach. I had registered with an agency in Canada that helped me get set up over here - bank account, place to live, job etc. I have been working at the same primary school since I got here back in September - St. Edmunds Catholic School. There I am the PPA teacher. PPA stands for 'Planning, Preparation and Assessment' so when the regular classroom teachers have time out of class to do those things, I cover their class. It's great because I don't have to worry about planning and marking and all the extra work that's involved with having your own class, but I'm always at the same school, so I know the kids, staff, routines etc. I live in a great flat with one of the teachers from my school, Holly, who is a Londoner.

Back to the present day. I just returned on Tuesday from a great (and busy!) Christmas vacation at home. It's been a tough transition back into London life. I was ready to turn around and hop on the next plane to Toronto for a little while, but am feeling somewhat better now. It took me a while to get a decent nights sleep at night, and my stomach was also quite upset and not feeling right for a few days, making life somewhat miserable. I also was coming back from vacation to go back to work, which is never fun, no matter where you are. It's been tricky because it was so easy to get back into familiar routines with familiar people, and then coming to a place where everyone who is important in your life isn't with you has been an adjustment. I don't know what I'd be doing at home if I was there, so it makes sense to stay in London for the next little while (July 2009). I'm just not sure when and how I will figure out what to do next will happen. I suppose I have some time to figure things out... ;)

This past weekend has been good though. After seeing a Pantomime of Mother Goose (a play, where the female lead is always played by a man, and there it lots of audience interaction) with the school on Friday, I meet up with Jess and Jordan (I know Jess from teachers college in Toronto) for some drinks in North London. We stumbled upon a house full of jukeboxes, and the man invited us in to see them, which was surreal. He had about 10 on the main floor, and getting us to listen to the difference between the 1954 and '55 Wurlitzer's. Crazy. Saturday I slept in a bit, and watched some t.v. before going over the Jaime and Sheena's place to hang out. We caught up after the holidays, and shared feelings of being back, made some dinner and watched a movie. Today Jess, Jordan and their friend Aaron and I, met up at the Victoria and Albert Museum. It was great - lots of different things. I really like the jewelry and ironworks exhibits. The glassworks one was closed for some reason today, which was disappointing. We plan on seeing the Natural History Museum next weekend.

Until next time!