London Life, cont.

So today is the one month mark of my being in London. I am sitting up in my bed in my little room - which I have grown to love despite its small size (that's what she said!) - and I can't find the words to express my feelings about this adventure. I suppose that's why it has taken me so long to update this blog. I have sunken into the routine of (almost) daily work, and so the honeymoon stage, if you will, of this whole adventure has sadly come to an end. Instead of that vacation-y feeling I had for so long, I now feel like a part of the fabric of London, like I have been here longer than a month. The cold morning walks to the Tube, reading the Metro, grocery shopping, living paycheque to paycheque...With all of these things now routine, I really feel fully immersed in this crazy, uncertain, wonderful new lifestyle.

Last Wednesday I had a pretty bad cold, and so I decided to take care of myself and avoid work. I slept in, but then got an invitation from a couple other teachers to accompany them to Brighton. I was feeling sick, but I wanted to see the ocean, and so I agreed. We trained to Brighton and the city was unlike any I have ever seen. Whitewashed buildings peppered the coastline for miles and the Brighton Pier was almost surreal. It's a massive pier that extends out into the ocean and is covered in rides, arcades, shops, and casino-type games for adults. It was really neat, and it felt great to throw some stones into the ocean. There is something meditative about that. I also got a phone call from Classroom asking me for an interview for a permanent grade six teaching job. It was a fantastic offer, but I had to pass it up because I only intend to stay here until May, and this job would have extended into late July. Still, it's nice to know the agency has my back. We wandered back through Brighton, (which has a really cool Bohemian feel to it,) and into a guitar shop. I had to buy a guitar, or I would go insane here, and I found a cheap, decent one, so I bought it. We hit up a pub and then trained back into town.

London is expensive. The groceries are cheap, but that seems to be it. Though I work fairly often, it seems nearly impossible to make any financial headway. Luckily I don't have to pay rent again until January, and I have four more paycheques before that expense. Still, it is discouraging and a bit disconcerting. Maybe I won't be able to afford life here beyond April anyway. I sort of arrived with the expectation that it would be expensive, but my main goal now is to just break even. I don't have money to travel in December, and my parents are arriving during the February break, so I won't be traveling then. I plan to do a bit of globetrotting at the end of May, so fingers crossed I can sustain a comfortable life here with money to spare to travel Europe a bit before flying home. November was an expensive month, but now being set up with everything I need to last me, I think I should be able to pocket more of each paycheque.

Yesterday I met up with Katie and Stefan, a couple friends from Victoria who are visiting London. Katie and I wandered Oxford and Regent Street before meeting up with Stefan and going our separate ways for dinner. After dinner we reconvened at a nightclub where an old high-school classmate (Alissa, for all you St. Andrew's people) was throwing a party for her boyfriend. They are also living here temporarily. A few other teacher-friends came along, and we had a GREAT night. We hung out in a lounge for awhile, drinking gin & tonics and free champagne before heading to the club downstairs and dancing the night away. Some random girl at the club grabbed me and started undressing me. Hilarity ensued. It was a wicked night that I will remember for a long time to come.

Well, I think that's about it for now. A friend is coming over soon to play some guitar with me, and then it will be time for my Sunday routine of laundry and cleaning and skyping with my parents.

Take care.

10 Pubs in 2 Days

I bought chips from Tescoes and they're disgusting.

So begins my newest set of musings on London life. Today marks the two week point since my arrival in this beautiful city and I think I've finally "settled." Well, almost. I still need to figure out some paperwork and register with a doctor, but besides that everything is squared away. A lot has happened since my last post. I've had fairly steady work, seen Alexisonfire live, and, as the title suggests, seen the inside of many, many pubs.

Work:

Everyday I wake up at about 6:30 and get ready in case I get called into work. I log onto facebook, and chat with the other teachers who are doing the exact same thing every. Most days I get lucky, and Classroom phones to offer me work. Of course I never refuse, and then it's a mad scramble to negotiate the tubes, buses, and otherwise convoluted public transport system. Actually, it's not so bad. The tubes are easy. So are the buses. And the Classroom people give excellent directions. Most schools are gated, so I usually look for an opening, register at the office, and then get lost in the hallways on my way to my classroom. So far I've mostly been teaching primary, but I did do a half-day in an all girls' secondary school. The discipline is far different in these schools than it is in Canada. The kids can be little terrors, but others can be hilarious. Some noteworthy things that have been said to me in the past week:

1)"Sir, have you ever been bitten by a bear?"
2)"Sir, do you have kangaroos in Canada?"

And, my personal favourite, said by some kid who I swear I had never seen, let alone taught:

3)"You are the crappiest teacher in the world."

Yeah, someone said that. Then he ran. Like I said, I had never taught this kid anything. I had never stepped foot into his classroom. I guess he just had it in for me. Luckily I didn't have time to stew on this particular insult, because at the very same moment some kids were running around the room, others were throwing things at each other, and others were seconds away from a full-on brawl. Yep, teaching.

Substitute teaching has its own particular challenges. You don't know the kids. You don't know their names. You don't know the school. You don't know the other teachers. You don't really know anything. And the worst part of it is that you have very little time to prepare for the lesson. You're told what to do, and while you're still decoding the regular teachers' chicken-scratch writing the kids are coming in and causing chaos. Yep, teaching.

Don't get me wrong, though. There are great moments too. It's fun to approach a new group and the challenges they present. It's fun to be at the front of the room leading a discussion with a bunch of little kids with English accents. It's fun when you're teaching, and a look of realization dawns on a kid's face as he or she understands a concept for the first time. It's fun to get paid. And even the difficult days aren't so bad. When the bell goes you ride the tube home and can let off steam by going for a run around Regent's Park. Or else you can sit in one of the cozy, 300 year old pubs that seem to line the side of every street, drinking local draft beer with great friends.

Pubs:

The pubs are ridiculous. Ridiculous. They are everywhere. I passed one the other day that was RESTORED in the late 1600's. RESTORED. It's called "Ye Old Cheshire Cheese", and supposedly it's the oldest pub in the UK. Other funny pub names: "Ye Old Cock," "The Crown and Sugar Loaf," and "Pig In The Pound." (The Pig In The Pound was especially good!) I've been in about ten pubs in the last two days. There is a core group here who loves pubbing as much as I do, so if we're ever in need of something to do we just wander streets and get half-pints wherever we go, until we run out of money or energy...whatever comes first.


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I woke up today to my building's fire alarm. Everybody went outside in their pyjamas and waited for the fire department to give the all clear that there was no fire. I crawled back into bed and watched the new episode of The Office, made a hardboiled egg and ham sandwich, ran around Regents Park, and am about to set out to Epsom to have dinner with a distant relative and fellow Londoner. It will be good to have a home-cooked meal.

I hope everyone at home is well. I miss you all.

Take care, readership.

-Tom

Oh yeah, I threw out those chips. Disgusting.

The first day....

Well, it's been a whole week - a crazy, wonderful, stressful, unbelievable whole week. I'm now in my cozy little nook in downtown London awaiting a fridge and my friend to come down to share some of her poetry and music with me. Tottenham is playing Bolton this afternoon, then I'm skyping with my parents and checking out the town tonight. It's going to be another great day in London.

I had trepidations about settling in but they were completely unfounded. Everyone here is so friendly, social, and willing to lend a hand. The good people at Classroom Canada are supportive and helpful, and even good at giving directions! (My worst fear was - and still is - getting lost on my way to school in the morning.)

Friday was my first day teaching. I had a Year Five class, which is equivalent to grade five in Canada. I walked into the school feeling a bit jittery, but ultimately confident. I picked the students up from their play area and lead them into the class, unsure, really, of how the whole thing would go. Their shy smiles and inquisitive looks were amusing and comforting, but for all I knew they could have been plotting sinister, manipulative schemes behind their young cheerful faces and neat accents. It turns out they were not. At all. We had an awesome day that went by in a flash. I left the school feeling confident and waited for the bus for the long commute home. The bus finally came, only to stop running mid-route. I then negotiated the tubes towards the Classroom offices to drop off my pay sheet. I got there in the nick of time and dodged people on the street as I very nearly ran to my flat. It was Guy Fawkes Day after all, and I didn't want to miss the fun! A group of us went to see the fireworks, and then had a bite to eat in a downtown London restaurant. We returned to our building and shared some wine as we discussed life and teaching and this whole new adventure we were all a part of.

Well, I should really grab a bite to eat. My fridge did arrive but I haven't had a chance to buy groceries yet. I guess I will defer that chore until tomorrow, if the shops are open.

Stay tuned for next week's update!!

-Tom

First Impressions of The Old Country

A very cheerful good morning to all you readers out there!  At this time I've been in London for almost 24 hours, and with each hour I'm getting increasingly amped to live in this beautiful city.  When I landed I was exhausted, hungry, and I felt sick - not a very positive start, but it could only go up from there!  I met up with another Classroom teacher (Classroom, or Classroom Canada, is the name of the teaching agency that hired me) and together we explored a bit of the city.  I purchased a cheap cell phone, and we visited Trafalgar Square where the San Francisco 49ers had set up a massive promotional event.  It was strange and exciting.  I met Dunja (pronounced Doon-ya) and the three of us meandered through the crowded streets towards my accommodation, as of Monday.  Justin and I left Dunja there and came back to his place, where I'll be staying tonight as he is out of town visiting a friend.

General musings on life:

It's hard to say exactly what went through my head as I sat on the plane on my way to London.  I considered why I decided to take this trip.  It was difficult leaving my friends and saying bye to my parents as I set out into the great unknown.  I definitely had the thought that it would be much easier and comfortable to stay in Victoria, where everything is familiar and I have a good network of friends.  I also turned down a pretty promising job teaching a grade eight class because I was coming here.  Was this the right decision?  Was this a big mistake?  All of these thoughts coursed through my brain as I squirmed in my seat and watched crappy movies on the tiny airplane screen.  In spite of all these reasons for staying, I had the wishful, sort of predictive idea that heading to London was the right decision.  I figured that there are some times when being too comfortable can be a negative thing.  I needed to try out a new niche.  Ultimately I figured that teaching and living in London would be a good opportunity for professional and personal growth.  Years from now I would look back on my "London days" with a smile, and reflect on how the experience shaped me into a more worldly, independent, and experienced person and teacher.  If I hadn't taken this chance, I would likely spend the rest of my life wondering what  it would have been like.

..............

"To Sir, With Love" is the title of a famous movie from the sixties that tells the story of an inexperienced African-American teacher who travels to London to teach a notorious class of delinquents.  The formula is familiar enough that I don't feel bad revealing an ending I'm sure you could easily predict yourselves: the teacher reforms the class and the school, and the students who at first mistreat him begin to see the error of their ways, and as a result they succeed in school and post-secondary life.  I don't know if I'll have a class of miscreants, or even if I'll have a teaching assignment that lasts longer than a week, but I do know that I will take this opportunity to strengthen my teaching muscles.  They say that if you can teach in London you can teach anywhere.

This whole blogging thing is a bit unfamiliar.  It's been awhile since the glory days of Killer Donkeys, but in time I will get the hang of it.  Stay tuned for updates on my accommodation, local watering holes, and teaching experiences! Oh, and my Skype name is tomhayward123. Add me, yo.

In a shameless display of copying Sean, here is my "end of post video."