Progress Report

The roommates

I suppose you'll want to know how England is treating me. I wondered to myself if my lack of homesickness and enthralled feeling of acceptance and, well, HOME-y-ness had to do with the amount of work I've been doing as of late. I do usually have 12-13 hour days, but I think that has more to do with my internal pressure than the actual job pressure. I'll get to that in a bit.

You've worried about the weather. Well, up until today (tonight actually, since the ride from the car park was just fine before dinner), the weather has been quite amenable to me. It's sunny and bright, warm and perfect for the 30-minute walk to work. Granted, we don't walk as much as we had planned, since Enith from down the street drove us last week, but we are doing it this week. The walk is LOVELY. The countryside (well, it's a HEATH...sort of like a conservation area that just happens to run alongside a freeway) is GORGEOUS here. The grasses are green, forests are lush, and though we don't run into much in the way of animals, we do certainly see a lot of LIFE here.

We have a small garden out front (my father would go nuts: there is just enough room for the BINS [garbage]. He used to say that makes you look like a renter. Note to dad: EVERYONE here looks like a renter), and a large backyard. It's just gorgeous. Though we mainly use it for hanging clothes on the line (no dryer here either, unfortunately), we do at times sit out there and contemplate how good we have it.

The roommate situation is going swimmingly well, though I do question this at times. Ryan and I work together in the same department, with dichotomous strengths and weaknesses, and I wonder just how long the honeymoon period will continue. Only time will tell. For now though, life is pretty amazing at 9 Spring Vale North. Loves it!

Work is demanding. For the first time in my life, I have a job that requires my FULL attention for the ENTIRE time I am at it. I get to work at around 7:15 when we have a ride; 7:45 when we walk. The whole place is quiet until about 8:30, which is a half hour before classes start. I teach first period everyday, and I get five prep periods. I teach 20 classes per week (that's 4 per day, on average). Wednesdays I teach the whole day. The WHOLE DAY. It's exhausting. But I must say, invigorating. Though at times I wish I could hurl a child out the window...actually, that's not true, I really don't ever feel like that. At times I wish I could pull him out of class, sit him down, and talk to him about why he's being a SHIT...that's about as far as it goes. We deal with children with very difficult lives and though at times it is trying, I do adhere firmly to the philosophy that they all just want attention and acceptance (or hugs, as I like to sum up). I give them boundaries, set expectations, and keep my cool, and we'll all be okay. Right? Let's hope so anyway.

School day ends at half three (3:30) and we usually get home between 6 and 7. That's a LATE day, friends. Long, rather. It's a long day. But again, I'm invigorated. I've chosen this profession: it didn't choose me. And the kids keep showing up...I appreciate that.

I teach math (well, here they call it, "maths") to grades (here they call that "year") 7-11. I have a brand new Mac Book that won't let me blog on it, and my very own classroom. It's warm...it's cozy...it's calm. I do like it. Have I mentioned that? The kids are rowdy. They talk aloud, they misbehave, they often don't use proper English. But I like it like that.

Dartford is lovely. The town has about three health food stores, a HUGE bingo hall, countless (literally) pubs, and a really rich community. The farmer's market in the town centre on Saturdays draws in most locals, and it's so nice to be able to walk down the street and spot a neighbour or another teacher. We all live locally, so we run into each other frequently.

We are a family at school. Compared to what I've heard from others, this school is especially supportive. The staff work well together and pull for each other instead of being catty about things. There is talk about us getting hired on full time as real staff (right now we are considered casual employees and as such, get paid shite compared to the real teachers). We will find out more about that as the module continues. The end of this module is at the start of our October break (the last week in October). I'll be Austria-bound and I might just have a full time job (with resultant full time [high] pay) when I return. Nice-uh.

Speaking of which, I've spotted one (ONE!) Asian kid at my school. What a different world this is.

I have yet to prepare for my rugrats in one period tomorrow. I have a phone and the internet now at home...how lovely, but I do have to get to work, then get to bed.

Miss you all, my Lovelies.

Oh, Laura! I'll endeavour to get back to your email tomorrow. It's been a crazy day and I want to respond to you and your exciting Montreal escapades.