Dublin.

Ireland. Where to even begin? My holiday was the most amazing experience and the best trip that I have ever taken. The weather was wet, the cider was cold and the welcome from the people we met was warm. The people were so friendly and so helpful. It was fabulous...there aren't enough adjectives to describe it. So I'll get down to business.

Our hotel, The Arlington, was right in the heart of Temple Bar, Dublin's pub and nightclub district--score! Angela and I arrived around 9 pm Saturday night. Just enough time to throw our bags in the room, get ready and see what Dublin had to offer by way of Saturday night entertainment.

Holy. Hell.

Night one consisted of Temple Bar, one of the most popular pubs, which was incredibly packed and then Farrington's, this great little pub that played lots of acoustic and traditional music...it also consisted of 3 old men demanding to know where we were from and then talking to us from an uncomfortably close distance. Follow this up by meeting Tom, a French engineering student from Paris who is studying in Dublin. Best part? It was Tom's father who introduced us. He said we were looking at them alot--which, granted, is true. Tom looks somewhat like Sidney Crosby (no lie) and was dancing up a storm. He drew some looks.

Late to bed Saturday night, up relatively early on Sunday. Breakfast at the most amazing cafe called the Queen of Tarts--we had passed it the night before and I thought it was some type of sleazy bar. Their scones beg to differ. Sunday consisted of a tour of Dublin Castle and Christchurch Cathedral. This country takes their cathedral's seriously. It was absolutely gorgeous. Dublin Castle was slightly disappointing--more of a parliament building than a big tower & turret castle. But, that was to come later in the week.

Sunday night--back to Temple Bar following a great performance at our hotel. The hotel we were staying at has a bar in it that has a live Irish dancing show and live music playing every night of the week. Angela & I decided to check it out and see what it was like. It was, again, awesome. The dancing was great and the music was even better. We headed back to Temple Bar and there we started chatting with a couple guys, one from Australia and one from New Zealand--I think. Neither of them were exactly coherent enough to tell us where they were from or how old they were (their age ranged between 18-25, depending on which one you asked). After a quick chat, the boys were off to dance.

Another late night, another relatively early morning. Breakfast at Queen of Tart's (seriously. Their scones are worth the trip from England--from Canada--alone). After breakfast, we headed to Dublinia, an exhibit showing the Viking history of Ireland. It was pretty awesome seeing how Ireland changed throughout the course of history. At the end of the exhibit, we got to climb up a tower and look out across the whole of Dublin...another awesome thing to see. After that, we went for a general wander around Dublin, stopping at St Paul's, another fabulous cathedral. We walked around, stumbling across the oldest pub in Dublin, the Brazen Head, established in 1198 AD, then across the River Liffey to the Four Courts. We headed slowly back to our hotel, stopping at Trinity College, where the book of Kells is on display, and the Dublin public library, which is beautiful. Out again that night...a (tough) early rise again Tuesday morning.

Tuesday brought a trip to Kilmainham Gaol, a famous jail built in the 18th century. It's been turned into a museum with guided tours through the jail and a great lecture about its history and the importance it had in Irish history. Following our tour of the jail, serious retail therapy followed. Damn Dublin and its cutesy tourist-trap shops. We wandered around O'Connell street and then Tuesday night took us to the Auld Dubliner, followed by Farringtons, Temple Bar (we had to leave after a middle-aged man tried using the line "now where do I know you from, sweetheart?") and ending the night was The Quay. There, at the Quay, thousands of miles from home, I saw NHL hockey for the first time since Christmas. I had got chatting with the bartender and once he found out I was Canadian he, naturally, mentioned hockey and then turned on the TV. Promptly, I asked him to marry me (blame the cider). We needed our official engagement picture so I ended up behind the bar, which was another fun experience. With a light head (and wallet), headed home after another late night.

The early rise on our last full day was a painful one. We didn't do anything too strenuous. Following our routine of Queen of Tart's breakfast followed by me moaning about my head, we went on a tour of Drimnagh Castle which isn't very busy in mid-February apparently as Angela and I were the only people to have a tour that day. So, we had a personal tour of the castle followed by a walk around the city and then it was time for our last night out. Hitting up our favourite, Temple Bar, we had a fantastic last night. We met two English guys at the pub, Adam and Ben, who were on holiday; Ben is a student and Adam a chef. We sat around to chat most of the night...which turned out to be a difficult feat because of the loud music, huge crowd and cider-induced brain-fuzziness. They were nice guys and great to meet.

A very late night made for a very painful start to our last morning. I discovered on our first night in the hotel that our window opens up quite wide...certainly wide enough for me to hop out and onto the room. Seemed safe enough! So, out onto the roof for a last look of Dublin and then it was time to go. Still feeling the night before, it made for a long flight and an even longer coach ride back to Northampton.

Today consisted of laundry, errands, more laundry and desperately wishing that I could be back in Ireland again. Pictures soon to come via Facebook (sorry random Internet fans, FB-friend privilege only). The trip was a great experience and I can't wait for the second trip. Long weekend in April?...Watch out.

Until next time, Ireland, keep the cider cold and my stool at Temple Bar waiting.

And Where to Go From Here...

Happy 6 month anniversary England! It's been 6 months ago today that I stumbled off the plane at Heathrow and took my first look around at my new home. It still doesn't exactly feel like home, but definitely more familiar to me now.

That blissful, care-free week I was hoping for in the run up to mid-term break? Yeah, as if that would happen.

I've had both up's and down's this week. One of the up's (actually more of a weird but funny question) was when one of my quietest boys asking me what kind of toothpaste I used. No joke. Another really positive note is that I am taking off for Ireland in less than 48 hours. Definitely looking forward to a holiday. A positive postscript to add to that is there will be lots o' cider available to me when I reach the Emerald Isle. Sláinte!

That brings me to my down's of the week...today, I recieved a timetable change, along with most of the other staff in my department. I'm expanding my teaching into Year 10 now and, while I realize I will have full support from my colleagues, I will be totally out of my comfort zone until I adjust. Which I fully understand is going to take awhile.

Sadly, as well as marking my anniversary of moving to England, today also marks the anniversary of a classmate's death 6 years ago today. I still think about you, and I miss you. Wherever you are, in whatever form, I hope that you are happy and at peace.

Everywhere I Look Around...

Happy Valentines Day! Oh love is in the air....and all around my school. Honestly..I know it makes me sound old when I say "back in my day" but...back in my day, I really don't remember showing that much affection in public. It honestly looks like some of the young couples at my school have one day left to live and are determined to suck enough face to last a lifetime. Gross.

"Luckily" (...I'm still undecided on this one) I wasn't left out of the Valentines spree.
The card is from my Nan & Gramp...which is fine. The roses, on the other hand, come to me from a boy in my tutor group. Some students were doing a fundraiser selling roses for Valentines day and I made a joke in front of my tutor group saying how I was so wonderful I expected them to buy me roses...and then little so-and-so actually showed up with these. Yikes.

--On a side note, I wore my hair straightened and in a ponytail today for the first time all year. I don't usually bother straightening my hair for work as it's easier to let it go curly...well today I walked in with straight hair and 90% of my students almost lost it. I had a Year 7 girl start petting my hair...a Year 9 boy tell me I looked 14 and about 25 kids walk in and go "woah! What the hell?!"...apparently, I need to start making my students aware that I am going to make a slight change to my hairstyle. I did have a kid ask me if I straightened my hair because of Valentines day...(still can't figure that one out).

One thing I'm still not quite accustomed to here in England is the mild climate. Save for that stupid snowstorm at Christmas time (Heathrow, you are still on my black list), the weather here has been amazingly mild compared to home.

See? This is what it looks like in mid-February! (Not the best shot, but I didn't want to rile up the seagulls you can see on the field)

No snow on the ground, not even a hint of frost. And the trees are already starting to bud out!! I can't believe it. It's still the middle of winter at home and I'm walking to school with just a light spring coat on. Granted, my colleagues still think that it's frigid out and laugh when I comment on how mild it is, but this is April-type weather back home! Having it +7 or +8 everyday is wonderful :)

Heading to Ireland this weekend and I couldn't be more excited!! Here's to hoping the last week before mid-term break goes by fast and without incident (yeah, right, as if that will happen...but I can still hope)!

Beyond the Town Limits

This has been an incredibly busy week, news-wise. Starting in Northampton, we have the appearance of "Super Granny"...a 70-odd-year-old pensioner who saw a robbery happening here in town in broad daylight and ran (literally ran) into the middle of it, swinging her handbag. Hilarious and amazing all at once. To see it for yourself...

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WfvUO-FlED4&feature=related (I tried saving the Youtube video to upload but...it took too long and I want to go to bed)

Meanwhile, beyond the borders of Northampton, Egypt is in the midst of a revolt. I spent a good part of the evening listening to AlJazeera and watching the coverage of the Presidential speech. The President has said that he is not stepping down and it looks like Egypt might be on the brink of a revolution. A commentator said that it could be "the bloodiest revolution in world history"

What a scary thought. This is a once-in-a-lifetime story that we are witnessing. I have to say that, both in amazing and horrifying ways, my generation has seen many history-making moments. The fall of the Berlin Wall (sure, I was 2 when it happened, but I was still around!),Tiananmen Square (again, something I lived through at the ripe old age of 2), 9/11, the first black President of the United States, the war in the Middle East, and now Egypt is possibly hours away from revolution. It's times like these that really awe me at the way global communication and global relationships have shrunk and changed throughout the last 20 years or so. What do the next 20 years hold? What will our next generation live through and witness?

One day away from the weekend, one week away from Ireland. It's so easy to become so accustomed to my routine that what's happening outside my own world just tends to slip by. It's time to start paying attention, apparently.

On a side note, I was watching the NHL highlights from last nights Habs-Bruins game...what a wild game! 180+ penalty minutes, a goalie-on-goalie fight, sticks and gloves flying every which way, high scores (sadly, Montreal was on the losing end)...Good Lord I miss hockey!

The Top 10

The top 10 things I've realized since becoming a teacher (in England)--in no particular order:

1. Remembering the students name when making a phone call home often helps.

I recently had to make a phone call home to a parent regarding her sons behaviour in English.. Since September, I have been calling her son by his last name, which is what he goes by. I introduce myself and then start to explain why I am calling...and I completely blank on the students name. Oh. My. God. I recovered and thankfully remembered and only managed to sound slightly moronic.

2. Students will pick up on any little tick.

Anyone who knows me knows that I can't sit still or keep still for any length of time. That has carried over into my teaching job. While I am in front of the class, I'll fiddle with my necklace or walk circuits around the classroom. Another little tick that I've had since I was little was that I adjust my earrings or touch my earlobe when I'm thinking (weird, I know, but I've been doing this since I was a baby. There are home videos of me at a year old to prove this). The students notice every. little. thing. And then ask why I decide to do it. And THEN point out every single time I do it. That's not distracting at all.

3. A teenager is the most relentless judge and jury you will ever meet.

Any slight--either real or imagined--inflicted will be called out and immediate compensation will be demanded. It doesn't even matter if they are the one to be "disrespected"--all teenagers will stick up for their friends. Oh. Also, all teenagers have decided that they know the rules. And you (the teacher) better follow them.

4. The parents that you want to talk to the most will be the ones you can never contact.

I recently survived my very first parent-teacher night. While I did get to meet a lot of parents (and then could say "now I know where it comes from"--both in good and bad ways), the ones that I really had wanted to talk to, mostly to discuss the students need for progress, were the parents that were least interested in attending. Funny how that works.

5. No matter how many times you tell students that you are from a different country, and therefore have a different accent, they will, every time, correct any "mispronunciation"

Every. Single. Time.
It has gotten to the point where I need a "translator" in when I am doing spelling tests. I say the word and then a British teacher has to repeat it using the "correct" pronunciation.

6. There will be about 1/3 of all your students whose name you can't pronounce

And sound like an idiot when trying. The names I find the toughest mostly originate from Eastern Europe (the last names are a flippin' nightmare!) or are Indian.

7. The success of the class does not depend on the amount of planning you do (although that helps). It depends on the mood and temperament of the students.

And whether they are hungry, sleepy, cranky, if the weather is windy, rainy, snowy, sunny, if it's the beginning of the week, end of the week, first thing in the morning, class before lunch, class right after lunch, period before the end of the day...

8. Teaching is actually a small part of my job.

When I take into account the hours of lesson planning, marking, meetings, co-curricular, preparation, detentions, phone calls home, reports, and general preparation, I find that the hours I spend working include only a small few hours of actual teaching in front of the class.

9. The worst day in the world can be made better by colleagues

I am so lucky to have such a great department and great colleagues. They have helped me out in so many ways and I'm so happy to have them all. The English department is really supportive and spends time together outside of school. That's pretty awesome. No matter how stressful the day is, my colleagues can have me laughing in a matter of minutes. And, on a side note, they have gracefully overlooked the fact that I'm not technically an English teacher.

10. All that useful training that I paid thousands of dollars for to get my Bachelor of Education?

Useless. The difference between theory and practice? I imagine it's somewhere along the lines of landing a jumbo jet in a video game and actually landing a jumbo jet....in turbulence...on fire...with engines that failed...during a blizzard.

Despite the very steep learning curve, I do like my job here. And, even on my worst days, it gives me some really great stories to tell!