**If you hadn't guessed, posts are returning to a fortnightly thing unless I go somewhere particularly incredible and just have to shout about it :) It has been a busy past couple of weeks with birthdays, outings and shenanigans aplenty. Just a couple, for example, my recent Instagram feed, for those who don't follow or don't check Facebook very often. (Hover for captions!) Catch-upsSummer JobsSo progress... maybe. I've got a phone interview booked for a job during the summer, working at a Summer Camp as a coordinator- basically a teacher role so I supervise and entertain the children each day. Definitely something in my ballpark! Wish me luck! First Night Out in LondonLast Saturday (21/5/16) I got to (finally) spend my first real night out in London. We tubed it to The Old School House in time for half price cocktails at happy hour! Well planned. We were actually there to celebrate Zahra's birthday and we did so fantastically, might I say. I don't remember mixing so many alcoholic drinks in years but it was totally worth it! Everything was delicious and the place was really cool, filled with lounges, Mario Kart on the old Nintendo system, Foosball(?) and 90's music. It was a great place to start the night and so many people came out to see Zahra. I got to make a heap of new friends, thankyou Zahra... and alcohol. From there, we went to an Australian bar called 'Walkabout' where we basically overtook the dancefloor- Sam started it, really, please acknowledge that :) and the DJ took requests all night. Unfortunately, Weebly won't let me post videos which is a shame because I took some winners that I would absolutely NEVER post on Facebook! Haha. I really think a good night was had by all. I certainly enjoyed myself! mid-term break!I can't believe how many holidays these British kids get. They only ever work for maybe six weeks, after which, they're on break again. That isn't even counting the Bank Holidays, which I have to assume are like public holidays back home, without the sketchy reasoning behind them- they just want a day off and class it as a 'Bank Holiday'. No one has been able to explain to me what this means yet... Anyway, this means that I get a whole week off, to myself, to explore London. I'll get right on that. Happy birthday Renee & Ricky!
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Tour Company: TopDeckDuration: 6 Days (4 Day Tour)ACCOMMODATION Type:Hotel & CampingDay 1
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I'm glad I did Gallipoli but Turkey is probably not somewhere I will be going back to. I might sail the coast at some point if it is cheap (and politically stable). It's a nice place to see and it is certainly an experience but I have done it now and can say it has not been my most comfortable or favourite new country. Still, live and learn. It has been a short while since my last post due to travel, illness and work. If you have me on Facebook, no doubt you will have seen a few posts and/or kept up to date with my roamings. Good news is, I have my Surface back so posts will become more regular again, including a brief post re Turkey, which was a great experience but certainly a different adventure to what I am used to. Also, check Facebook and Instagram for trip pictures, park pictures and random posts from throughout the week. 1 Month Down It has officially been a month since I started working in London! I cannot believe how fast it has gone. I have been doing mainly day to day work with one full week of booked work. It isn't all that different from home, to be honest, there are good and bad days, easy and tough classes and different types of staff. The system is largely the same except for this frightening entity called Ofsted. Apparently, Ofsted come into a school at least once a year to monitor how teachers and students are going. They look at work samples from every class, observe lessons, take note of display boards and even comment on the neatness of the teachers marking and comments in the student books. Every teacher I have spoken to is terrified of this unknown, all powerful organisation. Apparently they can remove a teacher from their role if their work and the class levels are not up to scratch. How crazy is that? I have a feeling the Australian system is headed that way with potential watchdog organisations already hovering. It's a terrible idea considering the stress on the staff, however, I will say that the students work is incredibly tidy and organised as a result. I would definitely tweak the system but luckily for me, I am in neither education admin nor politics and have no say! Haha. Summer Jobs Due to recent tax changes in the UK schools are being 'encouraged' to hire less supply (casual) teachers per year which means that the agencies are starting to find daily work for us is getting scarce. I've been lucky so far and only had a day off for illness but I know more than a few people who have not been phoned for a day and had to settle for half day. I've started applying for weekend and holiday work to cover my own behind and the rent that is due every month. Italy & Paris with Nessa Its getting near to 50 days (sounds like a lot but it's not really!) before Nessa comes over to Euro-land to join me tripping around Italy and Paris. Payments have gone through so we are officially booked on this trip with only a couple of flights and a train ticket still to book. I'm getting just a little excited about the trip but even moreso to see her and hear about everything happening at home. Saturday Fitness Sooo I was talked into a fitness class called 'Bums, Tums and Thighs'. It was definitely that. The instructor is a terrifying woman that reverts to a sweet tempered thing once the CD player is turned off. Before that, though, she's an army drill officer in a teeny tiny body. I couldn't walk properly for at least four days after. Granted, she didn't laugh at my flailing around as I tried to kick my leg out and not lose my balance. I appreciated that. I am thinking of going back again, though. Haha. Last Sunday It was literally 25 degrees here in London and sunny. I actually got sunburnt... well slightly warmed. It doesn't sound like a lot but considering the temps have been an average of 8-10 degrees, a 25 degree day was heavenly. I was lucky enough to be in Hyde park for Stephanie's birthday and we got to lie around in the sun most of the day, like ninety nine percent of the rest of London. They use their parks here like beaches at home. Bikini's and swim shorts were out- no speed-o's thankfully but it wasn't far off. We saw people roller blading and hula hooping in the park. Puppies were out aplenty. There are so many burnt English people right now, all red backed with strap tans. It's funny to see them all on the subway during the week. National History MuseumI have a pretty cool job. Not only do I get to meet new people just about every day, I get to see new things and one of my days in the past couple of weeks was supervising a class excursion to the National History Museum of London! The teachers apologised for the disrupted class schedule but I was (not so secretly) delighted. I intended to go when I first arrived but the school holidays meant there was a two hour wait in line. We got to walk straight on in and I just got to follow everyone around. How good is that!
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AuthorMy home is Australia, with my family and their many, many animals. I have travelled all around the world with my family and by myself where I have made too many friends to count. |