My first Euro-trip...Followed up by less-fun induction.

I have to start off by thanking Sarah & Kristian for an amazing visit to Norway and all the hospitality that they showed me during my stay. I had such an amazing time, it was so much fun.

Thursday night, landed around midnight so went to Sarah & Kristian's and went to bed. I went to school with Sarah on Friday and got to experience a day in the life of a kindergarten teacher. Two words: never ever. Sure, the kids were pretty cute and they were really funny, but I don't think I will ever ever have the energy--or patience--to step foot into an elementary school classroom and teach children anything productive. After school, we picked up some groceries and headed home to BBQ for some of Kristian & Sarah's friends that were visiting. It was nice to meet the people that I've been hearing about for so long. After some drinks and epic Wii battles, we all head downtown in a taxi van, which is better known as the Maxi Taxi...everything is better in Norway. The club we went to was 24+ and, just having turned freshly 23, I was worried I wouldn't get in. So, taking full advantage of my not-so-full height, I walked in between Kristian, 6 feet, and his friend Per, 6'3. Basically, I was invisible.

Saturday started off with a late breakfast and then followed by cake & coffee with Kristian's parents in the afternoon. I got to meet Kristian's parents and brother, about whom I've been hearing for the past 5 years, so it felt strange to just be meeting them for the first time. It was so nice to meet them and they were really great. I tried out the (very) basic Norwegian that I know and they all were very appreciative. How do I know? They all cheered. No quicker way to make me blush to my hairline. We went to the mall & my wonderful sister bought me a beautiful sweater to help ward off the damn (oops...I mean damp) English cold. One of Sarah's colleagues, her husband, and Per came over for dinner followed by drinks and a serious Google Earth party.

Sunday was exciting!!! Out comes the geek in me. Sarah & Kristian took me to all these wonderful places in Stavanger...we started off at a beach with WWII bunkers still standing from the German occupation during the war. Kristian & I went inside...him crouching down and almost crawling, me waking in and wondering what there was to hit my head on. Next, we went to a church that is one of the most popular to get married in in all of Norway. Some of the stones have gone missing throughout the various rebuildings over the centuries and have been replaced by glass "stones" so a good part of some of the walls are see-through, including the back of the church that overlooks the oceans. One thing that is needed to be know about the Norwegians: they take their views seriously. If you don't have a good view of the water, you have a problem. After that church, and my uncomfortable encounter with the building where bodies are prepared for burials, we headed to a church in downtown Stavanger that is over a thousand--that is 1000--years old. It's a huge stone church with architecture that blends Pagan & Christian traditions (at least that's what I was told) and has artifacts there that are centuries old. The carvings, plaques, pews, pulpit, sanctuary...everything was so beautiful. We walked through Stavanger, along the waterfront and through old Stavanger before heading to a huge monument on the shores of Hafrsfjord where there is a huge monument--3 stone swords, at least thirty feet tall each--commemorating the Battle of Hafrsfjord, when Norway was united under one ruler for the first time. It was awesome...the view, naturally, was beautiful. The picture is Sarah & I in front of the swords. The landscape, architecture and scenery is so beautiful there. If anyone reading has not been to Norway yet, you need to go. Now. Well...finish reading this first and then book a ticket over. It's just amazing. I can't wait to go back.

A short plane ride and not-so-short coach ride later, and a very few hours sleep, I was back in Northampton and ready for my first day of induction yesterday. Heading to Luton on the train, I was 1)trying not to fall asleep and 2)wondering what the day was going to bring. We met the other teachers from the area and had a good, but long, day of talking, hearing stories about previous Timeplan teachers and learning all the things we needed to know about our school. Today brought a more relaxed day of induction where I learned that I have my first day of staff training at the academy tomorrow...so we'll see how that goes. I could be teaching as early as Friday. Go go gadget panic button. I imagine the day will go something like..

--Get to school

--Greet the students

--Panic, feel like quitting

--Teaching, somewhere along the way

--Go home and crash.

Repeat for the next 190 days.

At least I'm remaining consistent.

Takin' this Birthday to International Proportions

It's my birthday! :)

While I have celebrated my birthday away from home before, this is the first birthday that I have celebrated away from home while on a different continent. According to Canadian time, it's not my birthday for another few hours...but I still count it. Sarah & Kristian have been amazingly kind enough to invite me to their place in Norway to celebrate my birthday for the weekend--I'm so excited :). I fly out tomorrow evening and, if all goes according to plane, will arrive back Sunday evening, tired and hopefully ready for orientation Monday morning.

On another happy note, I do believe that we've found an aparment! Joel & I went to view it yesterday afternoon and, for the cost of rent, bills, etc, all included, it's a great price and a really good location. 2 bedroom, both with ensuite bathrooms (score! No sharing my bathroom!!) and fully furnished. I'll post pictures if (hopefully when) we move in...the letting agent still had a couple viewings yesterday afternoon, I just hope, hope, hope that it wasn't let after our viewing.

I haven't had any more embarrassing blunders that I know of. Oh, wait. I was trying to buy a bottle of water the other day, and it cost 46 pence, or something along those lines. Instead of having just pennies, nickles, dimes, quarters, etc, there is also a 50pence piece here. Mistaking them for my more-familar Canadian quarters, I tried to hand 2 of the 50p pieces to the clerk and couldn't understand him when he kept telling me, "too much! Too much!" It turns out that I also cannot pronounce the names of streets. There is a street just up from our hotel called Leicester Parade. Reading it and pronouncing it as I would normally, I assumed it was pronounced along the lines of "Lie-kester"...oh, I couldn't have been more wrong. Chatting to the guy who was selling me my mobile phone, I was informed, amidst his many chuckles, that it was pronounced "Lester." Oh. Obviously. Lester.

Other than that, things have been going exceedingly well. Although I did walk out into traffic last night when we were coming back with supper. Oops. Uncle David's mantra of "look right, look right, look right" just doesn't seem to be sticking.

Looking forward to seeing Sarah & Kristian, meeting his parents & seeing some of the Norwegian landscape this weekend! Here's to hoping I 1)make it to the airport on the train successfully--it's my first trip solo and my first trip on the train system, period and 2)by the time I return, I'm living in my own apartment! Also...if I have an address, it will be much easier for my parents, and loving friends, to mail me some decent coffee. I'm still holding out hope I can find a decent cafe around Northampton. Stay tuned for updates. Trust me. When I find a decent cup of coffee, my shouts of joy will be heard across the Atlantic. If all else fails, I will have to replace coffee with Irish cider for my morning wake-up.

Hello, my name is Jessica, and I'm a Gleek.

I may be cursing myself in just a few minutes (I'm quickly realizing how suddenly the weather can change here in Northampton) but today is the first day since arriving in England that it hasn't rained. Not one single drop. It's been beautiful and sunny all day. Unfortunately, I'm slowly going a little crazy in the hotel we're staying at. I'm very anxious to get an apartment and have a little more room to move around.

The past couple of days have been tame (AKA boring as sin) and consisted mostly of me watching the entire first season of Glee--I am now addicted to that show. It is just wonderful. I don't like walking too far since I'm unfamiliar with the area and there is really no sensible pattern to the street grid...that I can figure out. Knowing me, I could get myself lost and end up walking to Scotland. I guess I should keep in mind, if I start to see kilts, I've gone too far. Other than that, I can probably figure the rest of it out. I also got a cell phone for the time that I'm living here...I have no idea how to read the phone numbers I'm given...usually North American numbers can be read 459-4242, or whatever, with a certain rhythm to it. The numbers here are about 10 digits long, all grouped together with no dash in between to break them up. I'm going to 1)have a hard time remembering my phone number and 2)learn how to read/say a phone number aloud.

There is some absolutely amazing architecture in this part of England so I plan to spend a lot of the morning/afternoon tomorrow just walking around to see some of the sights. Of course, weather pending. I can't get over how old some of these buildings are. In the market square area, there is a church, All Saints, which dates back to the 13th century. Just up from market square, there is a building dating back to the 1700s that now houses...a Subway restaurant.

Aside from enjoying the beautiful buildings and Glee, I have also fallen in love. Yes. I realize that I have been here less than a week, but my life has been changed forever. Actually, my love & I were introduced my second night in England, and we had a second meeting last night.

Obviously, I'm talking about steak and Guinness pie.

Joel & I went to an Irish pub last night, O'Neill's, that had a pretty amazing steak and Guinness pie served by a waiter with the thickest cockney accent I've heard so far here. There is just so much to see while I'm living here (the rest of Northampton, England as a whole, the larger UK and, ultimately, as much of Europe as I can), I have no idea when I will find time to work. I guess if I want to keep steak and Guinness pies a part of my life, I will need to work to provide myself pie money.

There are so many people from back home that I know would just love it here. I wish that so many of my friends could be here with me, exploring and having fun. Again...I extend an open invitation to all who wish to take a quick trip across the pond.

If I don't post again for awhile, it's most likely because I am begging in market square with a sign saying "will teach Canadian slang for steak and Guinness pie."

Please, Sir, Can I Have a Room??

I have to begin on a on a sad note, I extend my condolences to the Cole family on their loss late last night/this morning. Rest in Peace, Brian. You will be very much missed.

Today's adventure began with my first encounter with a "full English breakfast." It, Victoria may be sad to read, did not include any form of pudding--which made me rather happy, as I wouldn't enjoy throwing up my poached egg all over the nice dining linens. However, this "breakfast" was so generous that, after eating at 8:30 in the morning, my next meal was supper, at 6:30 this evening. The rest of the morning took Joel & I on a flat-viewing expedition around town. The first apartment that we looked at was rather far away, not conveniently located to...anything...and, I doubt, will be our first option. The second flat was in an amazing stone building, a former hotel, and had actual chandeliers in the hallway, "reception room" and the master bedroom. A little exorbant for a first-year teacher's budget, but it is definitely an option. After frantically searching most of the afternoon, we have discovered some more lettings that are available to look at...hopefully very soon. And hopefully they are not very expensive. I will not be sad to say goodbye to living on a student budget.

Tomorrow will hopefully bring a viewing close to the fantastic pub we ate at last night, the Thomas Becket. It's close to the train station, (did I mention close to the pub?), located near a lot of primary schools for Joel and, most importantly, located close to the pub. Also on the agenda is getting mobile phones...I don't think the hotel is going to appreciate all of the letting agencies calling us to book viewings.

Some little cultural things I'm starting to realize I should have looked into before moving here include:
--Tipping in pubs
--Traffic laws
--Ordering in restaurants
--Asking for directions (a woman on the sidewalk this morning apparently thought I was ready to mug her when I asked, "Sorry, could you please tell me where Upper Priory street is?")
I'm sure there's more that this little Canadian is culturally ignorant of, but I'm sure those fun little lessons will be discovered in time.

I love listening to the pouring rain outside my window. Hopefully I don't get sick of it over the next year or so, but I guess we'll see. I'm missing my family & friends back home, but am starting to get excited for the, hopefully great, experience ahead of me. Lots of (mis)adventures to come.

Yeah, We're Canadian...eh.

Well, it has been a couple of hours since my last (and first) post, but already I've had another great experience. What experience?

The traditional English pub experience.

Joel & I went to the Thomas A Beckett pub for supper (tea? dinner?) tonight and it was, simply, wonderful. We had a very, very friendly bartender--so friendly we sat at the bar to eat and talk with him during our meal--who was very helpful in choosing a nice mild beer, Greene King, for me to drink. I ordered the steak guinness & mushroom pie while Joel had the fish & chips. My life will never be the same. The food was amazing.

As we were waiting for our meal, I happened to glance up and see a man across the bar pointing directly at me. Now, I'm thinking, "So. This is how I die. I am about to be abducted by a bunch of Scottish men." Turns out, I was being a bit dramatic (no kidding, eh) and a man named Dennis walked over to introduce himself. He is moving to Canada in a couple of weeks and wanted to chat for a bit. He's travelled through Canada and had nothing but nice things to say. He told us the best places to live, the places to avoid altogether and lots of other helpful tips. He said it was his "fatherly side" coming out and wanted us to do well. He gave us his mobile number to contact him if we want advice or any of our questions answered. He invited us back to visit anytime or to call him if we needed anything.

The bartender & I chatted for a bit and he made my entire night when he said that he could probably get NHL games during the hockey season. I have found my second home. He also invited Joel & I back to watch the socc--I mean, football--match on Saturday afternoon and plans to teach me the rules...as it is painfully obvious that I am completely clueless when it comes to the rules. Or the teams. On the way out. another man stopped us and offered us a viewing of a house that he just bought and plans to rent out.

A successful second day, with high hopes for the third.

The Adventure Begins

Well, our adventure and life in Northampton, UK, has begun.

Joel & I survived our flights with some interesting memories to take with us..
--In Boston, we had to take a shuttle bus from one terminal to another and this is around the time we realized that American drivers (maybe just Bostonian drivers?) are nuts! All I'm saying is I'm glad I wasn't the one driving and the drive was, thankfully, short. While getting off the shuttle, I bumped into someone and apologized. He looked at me and asked "Are you Canadian??"...glad to know that one Canadian stereotype holds true.
--One of the qualifications to work at Logan International Airport in Boston seems to be a thick accent. Think the stereotypical Boston accent portrayed on TV...times that by 5. You will now understand the thickness of 95% of the accents I heard while on our layover.
--The flight to Reykjavik, Iceland, was uneventful and I was sitting next to an Icelandic woman, who told me a bit about the country and the things to do there. We had a short layover, so we didn't have time to look around. But, from the view I got while the plane was landing and taking off, the country looks beautiful.
--On the flight to London, I was sitting next to a young guy who was from Dublin. I didn't care if he read the in-flight safety manual, I just wanted him to keep talking. I loved listening to his accent. He was a very nice, just returning home from 7 weeks at sea.

We landed at Heathrow, got our luggage and took a bus to Northampton. We went through customs & immigration and, thankfully, the UK let me in. I am now a resident of the United Kingdom...woah!

I wish I had been able to stay awake for the bus ride, but the 24 hours of travel caught up with me and I fell asleep for a good part of it. While I was awake though, I saw some beautiful buildings, some great landscape and some places that I would love to visit...if I ever get my bearings around here. I slept for about 14 hours on my first night here and probably could've slept longer without too much trouble.

Today, our second day, Joel & I went and walked around Northampton for a bit, trying to locate a place where we could buy a power converter for my laptop. We walked to the market square, stopping for lunch on the way. While trying to order lunch, my "accent" was apparently so hard to understand, I had to point to what I wanted on the menu, and the waiter couldn't understand me when I asked for more water. While paying, the cashier asked where I was from and told me that my accent was difficult to understand. We found a power converter, which made my laptop happy.

Tonight's adventure is going to take us to a pub I saw on the way to town center. In the days to come: find a place to live, find where I will be teaching in a couple weeks time and try not to get run over by cars and double decker busses.