Friday, August 24, 2012
Thursday, July 26, 2012
Sunny Days!
It's been a week since I have left England and it feels like much, much longer than that. I've spent the last week relaxing, taking care of the gardens and talking to the cats an alarming amount. I've also spent the last week unwinding from one of those travel experiences that makes me want to take a canoe back to England next month.
After school finished, Tom was waiting to take me down to Heathrow. Thankfully, there was no traffic on the road and we made it to the airport with a couple hours to spare. No issues with check-in, security and I was lining up to finally board the plane to get home. I was sitting in the back of the plane--second row to the back, to be exact--and realized I had a window seat. Not too bad. Then I saw the women sitting beside me--a mother and daughter duo, the mother in her 50s or 60s, mother in her 80s or older. The women were Israeli, spoke very little English and seemed to have brought their entire lives with them in the form of carry-on luggage: stuffed in the overhead, piled on my seat, piled under all the seats in the row, including mine, and more on the laps of both women . What the hell happened to one piece per passenger? Nevertheless, up they get, the luggage is shifted and I'm squeezed in next to mama--and mama is one hefty woman.
As soon as the in-flight entertainment was switched on, Mother gets me to bring up the map of our flight on her screen (which isn't an easy thing to do when you can't see the damn screen) and then Daughter wants the same. I tried explaining I couldn't see her screen but told her step by step instructions, through which she kept shaking her head, saying "no, you--you, no me--you" and pointing to her screen. Around this time, the in-flight service started and, ignoring the looks the dynamic duo gave me, I was more than happy for an in-flight drink.
Every time I tried watching a movie, Mama would slap her large arm down on my armrest, effectively turning off my screen and making me want to pull my hair out. About four time, I tried delicately shifting her arm which just led her to really take hold of the arm rest and I gave up. It seemed like I wasn't destined to watch The Lorax after all. Well, turns out I was wrong.
Mama removes her arm from my armrest and I gleefully switch my TV back on. In the 30 seconds between turning my TV and my movie starting, I hear a sound. Crying. Not the usual screaming-baby-on-an-airplane-crying. But definitely crying. I look over and see Mama just wailing. Dear God. I lean forward and then seen daughter with a veil over her head, hands over her eyes and she is rocking back and forth, praying--loudly. The racket was drawing attention from, well, everyone. The cabin crew took turns coming and asking if they needed anything and were effectively ignored. I always got a sympathetic look...which didn't do much to stop the staring. The dynamic duo finally quiet down just in time for dinner. God knows that they didn't want the kosher meal specially prepared for them and they wanted to have a picnic at 37,000 feet. What a stink! I don't know if the food was prepared when Mama was still a young woman or what they put in it, but the entire back of the plane started smelling like their food...and it was not haute cuisine...just saying.
The remaining 5 or so endless hours of the flight didn't see much improvement. There was no personal air-flow control on the plane and both Mama and Daughter seemed to overheat quite quickly. So they were up about twice an hour. Every hour. And all that baggage had to go somewhere. Onto the seats, under my seat, on my lap. Good God. I couldn't get off that plane fast enough.
So, I've made it home for the next six weeks. Aside from a trip to Halifax for my Visa, I plan on relaxing at home and catching up with friends and family. I'm finally getting to enjoy some proper summer weather; it's not going to be much fun when I have to start wearing makeup or shoes again. Well...33 days left to enjoy it. Excellent.
After school finished, Tom was waiting to take me down to Heathrow. Thankfully, there was no traffic on the road and we made it to the airport with a couple hours to spare. No issues with check-in, security and I was lining up to finally board the plane to get home. I was sitting in the back of the plane--second row to the back, to be exact--and realized I had a window seat. Not too bad. Then I saw the women sitting beside me--a mother and daughter duo, the mother in her 50s or 60s, mother in her 80s or older. The women were Israeli, spoke very little English and seemed to have brought their entire lives with them in the form of carry-on luggage: stuffed in the overhead, piled on my seat, piled under all the seats in the row, including mine, and more on the laps of both women . What the hell happened to one piece per passenger? Nevertheless, up they get, the luggage is shifted and I'm squeezed in next to mama--and mama is one hefty woman.
As soon as the in-flight entertainment was switched on, Mother gets me to bring up the map of our flight on her screen (which isn't an easy thing to do when you can't see the damn screen) and then Daughter wants the same. I tried explaining I couldn't see her screen but told her step by step instructions, through which she kept shaking her head, saying "no, you--you, no me--you" and pointing to her screen. Around this time, the in-flight service started and, ignoring the looks the dynamic duo gave me, I was more than happy for an in-flight drink.
Every time I tried watching a movie, Mama would slap her large arm down on my armrest, effectively turning off my screen and making me want to pull my hair out. About four time, I tried delicately shifting her arm which just led her to really take hold of the arm rest and I gave up. It seemed like I wasn't destined to watch The Lorax after all. Well, turns out I was wrong.
Mama removes her arm from my armrest and I gleefully switch my TV back on. In the 30 seconds between turning my TV and my movie starting, I hear a sound. Crying. Not the usual screaming-baby-on-an-airplane-crying. But definitely crying. I look over and see Mama just wailing. Dear God. I lean forward and then seen daughter with a veil over her head, hands over her eyes and she is rocking back and forth, praying--loudly. The racket was drawing attention from, well, everyone. The cabin crew took turns coming and asking if they needed anything and were effectively ignored. I always got a sympathetic look...which didn't do much to stop the staring. The dynamic duo finally quiet down just in time for dinner. God knows that they didn't want the kosher meal specially prepared for them and they wanted to have a picnic at 37,000 feet. What a stink! I don't know if the food was prepared when Mama was still a young woman or what they put in it, but the entire back of the plane started smelling like their food...and it was not haute cuisine...just saying.
The remaining 5 or so endless hours of the flight didn't see much improvement. There was no personal air-flow control on the plane and both Mama and Daughter seemed to overheat quite quickly. So they were up about twice an hour. Every hour. And all that baggage had to go somewhere. Onto the seats, under my seat, on my lap. Good God. I couldn't get off that plane fast enough.
So, I've made it home for the next six weeks. Aside from a trip to Halifax for my Visa, I plan on relaxing at home and catching up with friends and family. I'm finally getting to enjoy some proper summer weather; it's not going to be much fun when I have to start wearing makeup or shoes again. Well...33 days left to enjoy it. Excellent.
Wednesday, July 4, 2012
The Home Stretch
Well, I've finally made it to the home stretch. I am barely 2 weeks away from home and the end of my second year of teaching. It's been a long year, full of all kinds of new experiences, both the good and bad. There. That's the most reflective that I'll be in this post.
I'm proud to say that I am able to cross another place off of my bucket list. I visited Tintern Abbey, just across the Welsh border, a few days ago. To explain why this place drew me so much...
In my third year of university, I was taking an English Literature course and we had a 5 pound textbook...I'm not even close to exaggerating (I weighed the sucker). In this textbook were all of the texts, poems, extracts, sonnets, passages, soon and so forth, that we needed to have in our possession to be a successful English student. One such poem was Wordsworth's poem, aptly named "Tintern Abbey." Alongside the poem was a beautiful picture of the Abbey. At that moment, I knew that I had to see this place in person one day. It was such a beautiful, ethereal and almost too beautiful for words.
If I thought a picture of the place was spectacular, being there in person is almost indescribable. It was beauty beyond words and a wonderful way to spend an afternoon. So, another country and another site off my list.
Not much else to report...I think everyone is in countdown mode now, students and staff alike. Roll on summer.
Oh. I suppose I must now eat my words. Not only have I reconciled with Tom (we all remember Tom)...we're dating. True story.
Damn.
The British men finally got me.
I'm proud to say that I am able to cross another place off of my bucket list. I visited Tintern Abbey, just across the Welsh border, a few days ago. To explain why this place drew me so much...
In my third year of university, I was taking an English Literature course and we had a 5 pound textbook...I'm not even close to exaggerating (I weighed the sucker). In this textbook were all of the texts, poems, extracts, sonnets, passages, soon and so forth, that we needed to have in our possession to be a successful English student. One such poem was Wordsworth's poem, aptly named "Tintern Abbey." Alongside the poem was a beautiful picture of the Abbey. At that moment, I knew that I had to see this place in person one day. It was such a beautiful, ethereal and almost too beautiful for words.
If I thought a picture of the place was spectacular, being there in person is almost indescribable. It was beauty beyond words and a wonderful way to spend an afternoon. So, another country and another site off my list.
Not much else to report...I think everyone is in countdown mode now, students and staff alike. Roll on summer.
Oh. I suppose I must now eat my words. Not only have I reconciled with Tom (we all remember Tom)...we're dating. True story.
Damn.
The British men finally got me.
Thursday, June 7, 2012
Lazy Norwegian Days
It's a tough life, this holiday stuff. It's my last half-term holiday of the year and I'm back in Norway for one last visit before heading home for the summer in just over a month. Sarah and Kristian have settled into their new house and I've been busy unpacking. Well, that is a slight exaggeration...I have unpacked when I've been told where things go. Otherwise, it's mostly been me hanging out with Kristian's parents St Bernard puppy, watching movies & relaxing. It's tough.
We went out for a joint birthday celebration on Saturday night for several of Kristian's friends. Sarah & Kristian said it wouldn't be a late night. So, at 3:30 AM, we arrive home and dig into some early-morning snacks. It was fun to see all of Kristian's friends and I had a really good time.
The sun never fully sets here this time of year so it is really hard to judge the time of day (or night) by how light or dark the sky is. Sarah & Kristian have a beautiful new home with lots of windows so I can follow the sun's progress throughout the day. Yes, that is how busy I am on holiday. Well, I have found time to do some cooking, break the cable that provides signal to the TV, almost put a few holes in the wall from opening a door too quickly and smacking into closet doors but that's just par for the course when it comes to me.
Back to school next week and then a roll-over two weeks following that. That is when all of the current year groups move up into the next year group: year 7 students move into year 8, year 8 into 9 and so on. I have a brand new timetable with new courses on it, so it will be interesting to adjust to. I'm sure I'll come round.
Based on the decibel level of Tanja's (the St Bernard) snoring, I can assume she is having a day just as relaxing as mine. I've said it before and I'll finish with it: it's a tough job, but somebody has to do it.
We went out for a joint birthday celebration on Saturday night for several of Kristian's friends. Sarah & Kristian said it wouldn't be a late night. So, at 3:30 AM, we arrive home and dig into some early-morning snacks. It was fun to see all of Kristian's friends and I had a really good time.
The sun never fully sets here this time of year so it is really hard to judge the time of day (or night) by how light or dark the sky is. Sarah & Kristian have a beautiful new home with lots of windows so I can follow the sun's progress throughout the day. Yes, that is how busy I am on holiday. Well, I have found time to do some cooking, break the cable that provides signal to the TV, almost put a few holes in the wall from opening a door too quickly and smacking into closet doors but that's just par for the course when it comes to me.
Back to school next week and then a roll-over two weeks following that. That is when all of the current year groups move up into the next year group: year 7 students move into year 8, year 8 into 9 and so on. I have a brand new timetable with new courses on it, so it will be interesting to adjust to. I'm sure I'll come round.
Based on the decibel level of Tanja's (the St Bernard) snoring, I can assume she is having a day just as relaxing as mine. I've said it before and I'll finish with it: it's a tough job, but somebody has to do it.
Monday, May 28, 2012
One Last Hurdle
One more half term holiday and then we're really on the home stretch until the end of the year. It's incredible, how fast time has gone by. Before I know it, I'll be writing yet another oh so sappy post about how wonderful my colleagues are and so on, blah blah blah.
Mary, Hannah & I went out for dinner last week, as is fast becoming a weekly habit, and visited a nice Mandarin restaurant that we've been to a few times before. Everything was great, had a lot (too much) to eat and headed home for an early night. A couple of hours later, I started feeling a bit off. Over the next few hours, the pain progressively got worse, to the point where I headed to the hospital. Verdict: food poisoning. It wasn't a very fun night. The only bonus was that I felt it was completely acceptable to drink apple juice in bed all day the next day.
Roll on Friday..I've a staff dinner on Thursday. Let's avoid the mussels this time, shall we. I don't think Norwegian air will cater very well to my food poisoning.
Mary, Hannah & I went out for dinner last week, as is fast becoming a weekly habit, and visited a nice Mandarin restaurant that we've been to a few times before. Everything was great, had a lot (too much) to eat and headed home for an early night. A couple of hours later, I started feeling a bit off. Over the next few hours, the pain progressively got worse, to the point where I headed to the hospital. Verdict: food poisoning. It wasn't a very fun night. The only bonus was that I felt it was completely acceptable to drink apple juice in bed all day the next day.
Roll on Friday..I've a staff dinner on Thursday. Let's avoid the mussels this time, shall we. I don't think Norwegian air will cater very well to my food poisoning.
Sunday, May 13, 2012
Dear Readers
I appreciate each and every one of you. Truly, I do. From South Korea to Brazil and everywhere in between, I am very appreciative for all the readers I have in the 25 countries that this blog has been viewed in. I never expected it to be viewed as many times as it has over the last year or so.
I checked the stats this morning and found that a couple referring sites were google.com and google.co.uk with the search terms of my name + Northampton and then my name + Northamptonshire. Definite dedication. I either hope that I know you or...
Let's just leave it at 'I hope that I know you'...mysterious Googler.
I checked the stats this morning and found that a couple referring sites were google.com and google.co.uk with the search terms of my name + Northampton and then my name + Northamptonshire. Definite dedication. I either hope that I know you or...
Let's just leave it at 'I hope that I know you'...mysterious Googler.
Monday, May 7, 2012
Drip Drop
It has been raining here for two weeks. Three weeks. ETERNITY. I realize that England is known world-wide for its drizzly weather but this is taking stereotypes to a whole new level. While I'm sure all of this rain will make everything oh so beautiful in the summer, I won't be here to enjoy it and so I would greatly appreciate seeing the sun every once in awhile. I'm pale enough as it is.
I've found myself lying in bed, listening to the rain falling on a very lazy bank holiday Monday. It has been a pretty uneventful couple of weeks, incredibly busy at work with lots of long days involved. It was Hannah's birthday this weekend, so we all went out to celebrate and have a few drinks. Mary, Hannah & I went to Birmingham yesterday and that sums up my very laid-back weekend. There is nothing too exciting looming on the horizon for the next few weeks...in less than a month, it's another half-term holiday and then it will be the final countdown to my return to Canada.
As excited as I am to go home, it will involve a lot of headache and stress, for part of the trip at least. I'm in the middle of gathering paperwork for my Visa and I am quite worried that the 5-6 week window I have at home won't be long enough to have the papers processed and my passport returned to me on time before I head back to England. If I have to delay my trip, that could be a costly extension to my vacation. But, pointless to worry about it now, so I'll deal with that when the time comes.
As the school year slowly winds down, I'm getting ready to say goodbye to my current classes before getting a new timetable for next year. One group, however, will be moving on and moving out of the school. My group of Year 11 students have been, above and beyond, one of the greatest perks of the job the past 18 months. I took over the group last winter, shortly after Christmas, and I've fallen completely in love with this group. The students, all of them, are absolutely hilarious and they have made my job so much better. I don't think I will ever be able to forget them, any of them. From the boy who gave me a bracelet made out of paperclips and...actually, I'll stop there. No point in becoming too introspective on what should be a wonderfully laid-back day. Sorry, lazy. Lazy day.
I sadly do have to drag myself out of bed and out into this damn rain...it's much less soothing when I'm walking in it rather than listening to it from the comfort of my big bed and warm duvet. I watched The Avengers last night and, going a little backwards, I realize I should watch all of the other movies that make up the Marvel series. What an arduous task. I do hope I'm up for it.
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