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.
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