Sunday, November 29, 2009

Hey Everyone!
Seems like I am beginning to be on a mid-week and Sunday evening blog writing schedule!

What is everyone doing for the BIG game! I totally wish I was at home to watch this all unfold again. I remember last time I had THE time of my life..something I will NEVER forget! I will be thinking of everyone at home during the game and the atmosphere that Saskatchewan is in! whew! I am going to try see how much of the game I can see. I'm thinking about going to bed then waking up around 2:30-3 to see what the deal is. The time change major sucks in times like this!

My week was great! The last time I wrote I was sick but I seemed to have diverged it as a result of all that sleep I got. Thank Gosh it went away because here you have to register with a doctor before he will help you. Meaning, I would have had to made an appointment to get all registered...I think they just check you out for the registration..then I would have had to make ANOTHER appointment to get some medication for the illness. By this time I probably would have lost my nose or something crazy.

The rest of my week I was at my favourite school so it was wonderful! This week I was even put in charge of "opening the gate" to let the parents in and out in the morning. It was really cool to see the parents to all the kids. Some were very shocking! I feel right at home in that school so hopefully I keep getting work there. They have been practicing their Christmas play and the songs are literally STUCK in my head 24/7. I wake up singing them....I go to bed singing them. I LOVE how schools still put on big productions here! 16 out of 21 kids are Muslim in the class and they still go ahead with the play. The children who are Muslim are involved in the parts that are non-religious (like being a snowflake) Its pretty cool.

On Thursday I got home to see presents for me sitting on the table! YAY! I got a great little care package from Don and Betty. In it was a pair of awesome Canadian Olympics mittens and some Kraft Dinner. The Mitts are proving to be a hit already! I was wearing them on the tube and me and Marlee got into this 40 minute long conversation with another couple. It was hilarious!! They were AWESOME, they turned out to be both teachers and they knew where Saskatchewan was and everything. ALSO, I got a birthday present from Chantal in the mail to. It was a great day, I LOVE getting snail mail here!

This weekend I had a weekend full of adventure! On Saturday me and my friend Blair decided to check out the "Parkland Mall" of the UK. Calling this mall MASSIVE is an understatement. It's full of stores.....and mostly full of people. Me being the curious cat that I am checked out some information on the mall and their are 300+ stores, 80+ restaurants and 96 elevators. It was so busy that when we were going down the elevator I panicked looking at all the people. We checked out a few stores but it was so busy that to actually buy or try something on would have just been a stupid idea. At the UGG store there was a line up like one that you would see at Preeceville Credit Union on a Friday to get into the store. All nicely marked off with rope and everything. Probably had to stand in line for about an hour just to get into the store. No thanks! After the mall we decided that we'd head down town to Leicester Square to score us some sweet musical tickets. It was about 3 so we thought we'd for sure get something good. Jokes on us, the only thing we got was NOTHING. We tried getting tickets for..We Will Rock You, Grease, Dirty Dancing, Pricissla, The Lion King BUT they were all sold out already. No luck there, we settled for the cinema to see A Christmas Carol in 3D. We then waited in line at Pizza Hut for 40 minutes to get a table! haha crazy. Here there is a queue for everything. If you want to use the ATM, you stand in line, if you want to get a coffee there is a line, if you want to use the toilet there is a line. Hell half the time there is a line to get into the line.

What else is new here.... hmm...It's been raining here for days again. What a surprise. I am beginning to think I look HOT in the "wet dog" look. I do this thing with my hair to dry it that involves me sort of headbanging..ya..its hot. I soon need to get a new umbrella, mine is getting worn out and is starting to flip in any sort of wind.
Me and Marlee are addicted to the show X Factor. I have recently met my boyfriend, Olly, on there. I really really hope he wins! X Factor is the UK version of like American Idol but on a much more extravagant! It's great!

Tube News as seen by Crystal Ward

Nail Painter on Tube

Girl decides to freshen up her finger nails on tube. Yesterday, I was minding my own business reading the paper and I smell something that smells like nail polish..clearly no one would paint their nails on the tube, thats a dumb idea. BUT again, I underestimated the power OF stupid people. I look over and sure as hell this girl is sitting their painting her nails as if she was sitting in the comfort of her living room. Jeez. I bet she had fingernail polish all over hands.



Alright! Well I hope everyone is having the time of their lives watching the game! I'm sitting writing this, tuned into an internet feed watching the pre-game!
Go Riders Go!!!
Talk to you mid-week!!!

Tuesday, November 24, 2009

Hey!

Hope everyone had a good weekend! WOOOHOOO Riders! How exciting that they will be in the Grey Cup. I am going to see if we can get the Maple Leaf to play the game because it would be a SHAME to miss it!

I had a good weekend even though I was played out from working all week! Friday night we went to see New Moon at the cinema! It was great! In order to get to the "cinema" aka theatre we had to walk over River Thames. Marlee hadn't been over the river yet so it was a great first experience. It is really nice at night because all the lights reflect onto the water. New Moon did not disappoint. For all those who are familiar with it, I was MOST pleased with Jacob. I'm a TOTAL team Jacob fan, he deserves to be with Bella! I can't wait until the next one comes out next! At the theatre we got some "5 cent candies" except they aren't called that here. Here you buy them by the weight rather than 5 cents each. 5 cent candies here are not as satisfying as at home. The fuzzy peaches do not taste the same, the cherry blasters are huge, there are NO hot lips, the sour soothers are not sour OR made out of the same thing and the list of 5 cent candy gone-wrongs continues. We still just HAVE to get some even though they are not as good! At the theatre you can also choose whether you get sweet popcorn or salty. The sweet isn't good at all. Just like at home, a night out to the theatre isn't the cheapest but it is still a nice relaxing time!

On Saturday I was supposed to babysit so I got up at 7:40 and left the house around 8:30 to get to Giaan's house in time. I got there and the poor guy was soooo sick. So, I was home by 10:00 AM. I was excited to do some Peppa Pig paintings, but I guess they will have to wait! Since I was home and Marlee was up we decided to head out onto the town for some more exploring. We did not know what we wanted to do, but after consulting our "London Bucket list" we decided to hit up the London Aquarium. The London Aquarium is right alongside River Thames and right beside the London Eye and Big Ben. We hadn't seen them up close yet so that was pretty exciting! Despite the rain and the crowds of people we took lots of pictures of both! (see Facebook Photo's) There were SOOOOO many people alongside this street and I bet 98% were tourists because everyone had their camera's out snapping pictures. I wonder how many I am in! The London Aquarium was fantastic. It was a great way to spend Saturday afternoon. There were all different kinds of sea-life creatures in there such as HUGE turtles, sharks, clown fish, star fish and the list goes on. I was a bit disappointed NOT to find any jack, walleye OR perch in there though! The place is so relaxing and I could have just sat and looked at the fish all day. There were lots of people in there, so I'd recommend going during the week rather than a weekend. I took some pictures and have posted them on Facebook. I made sure I got a picture of a Nemo Fish and a Dori Fish for Ian, Logan and Emma and all the other children checking out my pictures. :) After the aquarium we walked outside and it was dark. The London Eye is SOOO amazing at night! It was pouring cats and dogs so we couldn't take TOO many pictures but we managed to snap a few. We then met Rochelle for supper and ended up sitting in a restaurant for 4 hours visiting and catching up! We went to a place called "My Old Dutch" where you eat anything and everything on a crepe. They were so yummy especially the dessert crepe which had ice cream and caramel sauce and bananas and nuts. Definitely a place to hit up again!

It was literally been raining here for 1 week. Enough already I say! I am beginning to realize how much i under appreciated snow.
Good things about snow:
1) It snows for a day at a time then stops.
2) When it rains you get wet, when it snows you simply wipe it off of you.
3) When it rains the humidity does weird things to your hair, when it snows your hair does not suffer.
4) When it rains you are chilled for the whole day, when it snows you freeze outside, but then come inside and warm up really quick.
5) When it rains you have to mess about with an umbrella. I hate umbrellas, what a hassle! When it snows you throw on your toque and off you go.
6) There are SO many fun activities to do in the snow...someone name me ONE fun thing to do in the rain (except puddle jumping..that's the exception)

Anyways, I worked yesterday at my favourite school and once again had a great day! It's so nice to go into a school where you feel comfortable with the staff and feel as if you are totally welcome. The kids who I taught for a week were very excited to see me so it was great to see them so happy! :) I could go there everyday until I leave and I'd be a happy camper!
Today I did not go to work because I was so sick! I got home last night from school and felt as if I could not walk or eat or anything. I went to bed around 7pm and woke up this morning at 9. After 14 hours of sleep i am finally feeling a bit better. I bought some medicines to aid in my recovery. It's tricky here because they call all their med's by the ingredients in them. There is no tylenol or dristan so most of the time I stand in the isle looking like an illiterate dummy because let's face it, I don't speak doctor. Lindsey helped me out and I got some good stuff that will hopefully help! I also took Lindsey to the airport this morning to see her off to Canada. Unfortunately, the agencies she worked for failed her miserably and she hardly got any work, forcing her to head back to Kingston. :( Heathrow is only 16 minutes by tube, how nuts is that. Visitors.....fly to Heathrow if you can! I must look like I know what I am doing now in London because I got asked for help TWICE! First a young good looking boy beside my tube station who I was HOPING was looking for my house but rather was looking for the road he was already walking on! Next was by a family who happened to be from the USA needed some help on traveling into Central London. I was actually able to help both of them, I was proud!

Tube News as seen by Crystal Ward

Girl sports daisy dukes

My favourite of the week BY FAR has been the girl who thought wearing jean cut off's in the rain was a good idea. Now you see me say "jean cut offs" and think of jeans that used to be long cut into a shorter version to be worn as shorts. These do not fit that category. Imagine cutting your jeans off right under the back pocket. about 2 cm from your back pocket. These shorts should NOT be worn in public, you could literally see her bum cheeks. What was even funnier was the crowd of young and old men alike to check this spectacle out. All the guys were strategically standing behind her, stealing glances and trying to be sneaky. Better luck next time boys...

Live performances on tube

If you were traveling on the tube between Heathrow Terminal 3 and Boston Manner today, you were fortunate enough to be witness to the lovely performance of no name. No Namer decided that it would be OK to loudly sing "Everybody in Love" by JLS while listening to his Ipod. No Namer..if you are reading this..I would NOT buy your cd, so please let JLS sing it, and leave YOUR singing for the shower rather than the tube!

Thats all for now!
Talk to everyone soon!

Thursday, November 19, 2009

Howdy!

Happy Thursday! It's so hard to believe that it's already Thursday! This week has FLOWN by. If this keeps up, next thing I know I'll be on a plane home!

I have been a BUSY beaver teaching this week!
On Monday I was in a reception class. The kids were all really good but it was tricky because there were THREE separate buildings for the school. I spent half the day asking everyone how to get to different places for lunch, for P.E. for computers and the list goes on. I managed ok and didn't get lost TOO much!
Tuesday I was.....to be honest I really don't remember, schools are starting to all mesh together. Wednesday I DO remember. I was in a school that I had been to before and I didn't get called until around 7:50. I left the house immediately because I knew it was about an hour and a half to get there. I rolled into the school all pumped because it was 9:15 BUT then the principal got smart with me for being late! He was yelling at me! LoL, what the heck, so wasn't my fault! Started off my day not so well! grrr! hahah. Today I was in a nursery class and I LOVED it! The kids were SO cute :) Tomorrow I am in a school very close to our house so I am VERY excited for that!


Since I have not done one single fun thing this week to write about I decided to throw in some stories about general life in London.

Let's talk about the tube. The tube is a GREAT way and perhaps the only logical way to get around London. If you were to drive everywhere I think you would have worse road rage than my auntie Gwen at Christmas. (Auntie.....I KNOW that you always wish EVERYONE a MERRY CHRISTMAS from your car..this is JUST an example) Anyways, the tube. It is cost efficient, most days costs around 6 pounds to get to school and back. The tube is the most perfect place in the whole entire world to people watch. Everyday I see:
1) 13 1/2 make out sessions. I think the tube makes people want to touch each other..like a magnet almost. I think the magnetic force is different on the tube then in other places in real life? Hmm...
2)I see/hear someone talking super loud to someone on their cell phone. They are fully engaged in their conversation as if they were in the comfort of their own home. I would like to tap the shoulder of one of these people and say "excuse me, but no one else cares that your bread was moldy this morning."
3) I always see people peering over reading their neighbours paper. I enjoy watching this go on to see how long it takes the person with the newspaper to get freaked out they are being stared at.
4)I get to enjoy someone else's musical selections from their ipod. It is great, since I don't have an Ipod, I too can enjoy music on the tube. Today, I enjoyed music in another language, what a multi-cultural experience.
5) I enjoy looking at people's outfits. Just yesterday I saw someone sporting Cheetah print pants and a pink frilly top. This is NEVER a good choice. I have to wonder where the heck these people are going dressed like this. You can't tell me that it is ok to wear that to a professional job, unless you work at the zoo or something.
6) My favourite BY FAR is watching people sleep. I literally have a burst out everyday as people bob their heads in their seat reading their papers. Some choose to fall asleep standing up, some choose to fall asleep leaning their head on a pole and some people choose to keep their head up so that every bump you hit it looks as if their head is going to pop off their socket. Literally, it's hilarious.

I am glad I have so many things to check out when on the tube, otherwise the ride seems as if it takes FOREVER. I think I should make a checklist for each day of things to find. Kind of a "Where's Waldo, Tube Edition." For example-- Find three people reading a dirty novel--CHECK....Find one person with a mullet--CHECK...Find 1 person talking to themselves--CHECK. Do you think I could market this game?

Alright! That's all for now! I think I have a weekend planned out so I'll have something to say next time!!

Things I've Learned...

1) A Vacuum is called a HOOVER. No matter the make, no matter the model, it is a Hoover.

2) The importance of a vacuum. We FINALLY got a vacuum this week! Our awesome blue carpet has not been vacuumed since we moved in and it was so gross! We asked our landlord to bring us one ages ago but FINALLY we got one! Probably spent 2 hours vacuuming. There was a pet living in here before that's for sure. I felt SO satisfied after this vacuum. Dumped out about 3 loads of nastiness and dust from the vacuum.

Talk to everyone sooon!!!!

Sunday, November 15, 2009

Hey Everyone!!
Hope everyone had an exciting weekend!

I haven't really been up to much since I last wrote but thought I'd better at least write SOMETHING!

Since I didn't work Friday (seems like a bad pattern, I know) me and Lindsey decided to hit up another free lunch time concert in the church St.Martins-In-The-Fields. This time we made it in time for the brief introduction about the church. It is the 4th oldest church in London and used to actually be in the outskirts (hence the name.) However, it is now in the dead centre of London right next to Trafalgar Square. They said that when they were doing renovations recently they found some old burials from the Victorian time, so it's old! Today we saw this girl named Harriet Stubbs play the piano. I was expecting this older lady to walk into the room and play. Instead this girl who was knee high to a grasshopper rolled in. She was probably still had a bed time and had to be forced to have a bath once a week. So this tiny 14 year old started playing and holy cats was she ever good. I've never seen such a thing! She got her grade 8 music when she was 7, so she's bit of a prodigy I'd say. She played Beethoven and Liszt and some others. This girl could sure hit a note or two!
After the concert we decided to get some grub Even though the baby-bel that Lindsey packed in her pocket to eat during the concert was filling, we hit up pizza hut. Pizza Hut is yummy here, and if you go between 2 and 4 in the afternoon you strike this deal where you can get a pizza, garlic bread, AND a drink for only 4 pounds. That's dirt cheap!
During lunch we had a great discussion about....seeing a musical! Although I sometimes think of my life as a musical, I hadn't had the chance to see one LIVE in London yet! No day but today right?! So we wondered down to the discount ticket prices and purchased 3 tickets to HAIRSPRAY for that evening for 24 pounds. This is compared to the regular tickets for around 45 pounds plus. I was stoked! After we had some time to kill so we walked around Oxford street and checked out the Christmas lights. I found out that just nights before that Jim carey had lit them himself during the Premier to his new film. (Has anyone seen a christmas carol yet?? Is it deadly) We also went to "Hamleys." Ever walk into a place and feel your mood change? WELL..I walked into this place and immediately felt enchanted! It was like in the movies at those HUGE toy stores at Christmas! This store is seven floors of toys, toys and more toys! They have little booths where kids and adults get to try out the toys before they buy them, how sweet is that?
Now, lets talk about HAIRSPRAY! It was ah-maze-ing. From start to finish I had a huge grin on my face. All the characters could sing and dance and act..a triple threat..something I always wanted to be. The story line is similar to the movie, but the movie definitely strays from the true story. My favourite was Seaweed, he had this room shaking voice and could dance like nothing I've ever seen before. Motormouth Maybelle was WAY better in this than the movie..sorry Queen Latifa! All in all, I LOVED it! I've decided that I'm NOT going to party anymore and instead spend my money on Musicals (one heck of a plan I think)

The rest of the weekend was pretty low key, just enjoyed some down time. I finally caught up on One Tree Hill and Grey's Anatomy. Since I'm all caught up on that I've decided to start watching Glee! Needless to say..I'M HOOKED! It's so entertaining! I also bought a backpack to haul around my life from school to school so that's great. Hmm...thats the weekend in a flash! hehe.

Now taking a small ride in the time warp machine back to Thursday Night, which is also known as the day I turned into a old hen. I forgot to mention last blog about Marlee's hamburger. Since silly silly Marlee pigged out on the buffet at The Harvester the poor little girl couldn't finish her hamburger. So, she thought it would be a great idea to simply ask for it to be wrapped up so she could enjoy it for lunch. She asked for a "take out container" and the flirty waiter told us they do not package things up, BUT for Marlee he'd "cling wrap" it for her! So he rolls out of the kitchen with a perfectly wrapped up burger in saran wrap. The curious cat in myself had to ask WHY the heck they don't package it up. Apparently because if the person takes it and lets it sit in the back seat of their car for a week then reheats it and dies from it, they could in reality sue the harvester. hahah. funny we thought!

I taught today (Monday) in a school near Marlee's work. They were a good class of Reception kidlets. The school had three separate buildings so I spent most of the day trying to navigate! I'm prebooked tomorrow in a private school so we will see how that goes!

Things I've Learned....

1) It gets damn windy here- for the past 3 days it is more windy than it is after Christmas dinner with Uncle Leonard. I didn't think it would get windy here due to all the tall buildings! BUT I've almost been blown away on multiple occasions.



Alright! Talk to everyone soon!

Thanks Jessica for the birthday card AND thanks Ian Logan and Emma for the package of great treats!!! :)

Thursday, November 12, 2009

a message from an older..wiser..more beautiful me.

Hello Everyone!
I hope everyone is doing just lovely on this special Thursday November 12th 2009.

I have been teaching both yesterday and today. It was a school close to Heathrow Airport and I saw the airport! We live VERY close to the airport, I knew this but never realized it was literally only 20 minutes. It's so nice to go somewhere where you do not have to spend 3 hours on the tube! I taught year 2 and it was good. There was 25 kids so we were definitely busy the whole time. Yesterday the 11Th, the school had a little Remembrance Day service so I greatly appreciated that. At eleven we stopped what we were doing to join in on the proper 2 minute silence. I was surprised that kids sat so well without saying anything!


Today i celebrated the day of my birth. My day was perfect. I woke up to see the birthday fairies had decorated the house for my special day. i was surprised they found me all the way in London but I guess they must be something like the Easter Bunny or Santa. Marlee spoiled me rotten this morning with a present! She gave me a children's book, a big girl book, a London change purse, some Lodon pictures and these VERY VERY cute finger puppets that she got from a craft show. I absolutely LOVED it! We also went for supper tonight at the Harvester. It is this amazingly cheap place for food by our house with delicious food. It is almost something like you'd expect from a small town restaurant mixed with Bonanza. All the meals are 4.99 before 6:30 with free salad bar! Delicious! Now i am just spending some time reading ALL my face book messages. I feel so loved and it warms my heart to read every single birthday message! Thank you grandma W and Aunt Thelma & Co. for sending me a birthday card!

Things I've Learned....
More word conversions!

1)"pudding" NOT instant or no name tapioca in a container but rather any sort of dessert. "Would you like pudding for dessert"

2)"pram" I have literally never used this in Canada..but it is a stroller for a young child. "You have to sit in the pram until we get to the park"

3)"queue" I have used this in French class and I know it means "line" but it is their MAIN word. For example, there are signs everywhere that say "please queue here"

Alright! Have a wonderful day! love you all!

Tuesday, November 10, 2009

Hey Everyone!
I just checked the weather and it is WARMER there than it is here right now! (Probably because it's night here and only afternoon there) but STILL! brr. It's only 7 here and 10 in Saskatchewan!

I have not worked Monday OR Tuesday yet this week, so I am getting a bit nervous once again about work. I'm sure it will all work out though and I'm just being silly. SO, I have had some time to do some exploring around the city. Unfortunately Marlee is working so I've really been missing my adventure buddy :( I guess someone has to be the breadwinner. Marlees...join me soon please!

Yesterday (as in Monday) I went to the Museum of London. I'd never even heard of it, but Lindsey said it was free, so why not!!! At this Museum of London is literally the history of London! hahaha. It has all the history of London starting in the medieval time. It goes into great detail of the Great Fire of London in 1666. I learned a lot of interesting facts such as: It started in a bakery; it burned something like 1400 houses and like 90 churches. It also burned down St. Paul's Cathedral but never did reach Westminster Abbey. It was a pretty crazy fire especially without fire trucks even though it was RIGHT in front of the river! Seemed like mass chaos that's for sure. The other exhibits were all about the Roman times and such. Right outside is part of the London Wall that still stands. It was too dark so never got a picture! After Museum of London we wondered across the millennium bridge, so I walked over River Thames! Pretty cool!! The good thing about visiting this museum is I refrained from falling onto something important. I'm always so uneasy in these places with 2348324 million year old things. Everyone knows that I'd be the dummy to fall into something!!

Since I never worked today, I and Lindsey decided to hit up this free concert in a church! It was at St. Martin-in-the-fields Church located in Trafalgar Square. To the delight of Mr. Lisitza we watched an amazing string quartet called "Kallisto Quartet." They are no Eastland Lakes School Division Band but they did a nice rendition of "String Quartet No. 7 in F major Op. 59 No. 1 'Ramsumovsky'" Bryce...this is your secret question..Who composed this piece???? Walking into the Church I was slightly worried that we were walking into some kind of church service for some religion that I'd never heard of and blah blah blah! BUT I was safe, I wasn't asked to give my life to something! The church was beautiful. It was of course old with amazing architecture and high roofs and big windows. Underneath the church in the Crypt is a restaurant that Lindsey said serves an amazing lunch. We're going to go there around Christmas to see it all decorated and to watch some Christmas carols! Sounds amazing to me! After our cultural music experience we decided to head to the Imperial War Museum. WOW. That is all I can say about that place. It is a must see-amazing. You walk in and first thing you see is different air craft’s, tanks and missiles used in all the wars. Although there are many different exhibits we decided to take in the one about the Holocaust. It was put together in such a strong way. They had people who survived the Holocaust in little video's all around the exhibit and it added so much power to it because you could see real people who actually experienced this horror. They had so much to look at, so much to see, and so much to think about. I'm still thinking about it some hours later about the effects it has had on the world. Crazy. Then we ventured into the World War II exhibit to go "Through the Blitz" which is an interactive course of what it would be like if you were in a location of a Blitz. It is so interesting all the stuff that went on during the war. When I was in there I just couldn't believe my eyes. It's so hard to believe that my own grandpa was there. He saw these things first hand; he used the machinery that this museum has. Pretty powerful stuff for me. I also bought some Poppies from here to send home (they are much different in England than at home)

All of this stuff I have been doing is absolutely FREE! It is awesome! There is so much that you can see and do here in London without spending a penny. I LOVE IT!

Things I've Learned...
(I've decided to now switch it up a tiny bit..It’s now going to be word translations for a bit! Chlorisa...I hope you find this just as exciting and entertaining)

1) "Jumper" - NOT an animal that can be found in any field or bush or small town in Saskatchewan but rather a sweater worn to keep warm. "Miss I forgot my jumper at school yesterday"

2) "Snog" - I have never even heard this word in Canada but it means to make out. "The couple was snogging on the tube last night"

3) "Nappy" - NOT a slang term for a napkin but rather a disposable diaper. "I need to change you're nappy before we go outside"

4)"Plimsole" - A running shoe children wear to physical education class. "Miss we have to wear our plimsoles to p.e." Seriously I had no clue what the heck they were saying I would just say..Of course you need to wear it/them...uh whatever to p.e. I had to ask Andy what they were called. eesh!

Alright!!! I shall write another very soon I'm sure..for now I drift off to sleep thinking of other words!!

Monday, November 09, 2009

Live from the world wide web!

Good news! I'm STILL living! You'd never know since it took me 8 3/4 years to write a new blog. tsk tsk on me. BUT on the positive, I am typing this from the comfort of my own bed! WOOHOO yes after a month of creeps at an internet cafe we are FINALLY connected to the world wide web at my house! yay! We have a phone line, interweb as well as some tele. It's very exciting, however we still do not have a house phone because they are as hard as finding a beer in the fourth quarter at a Rider game.

My past week has been very very busy, but also very exciting!!
I got a call on Monday to teach a reception class (kindergarten) for the day and possibly for the week. I was super pumped! I got to the school and just had the best day ever. The kids were all very cute and the staff were amazing and helpful! The school then asked me to stay the whole week! It was so great to have the same group of kids for five days straight. I actually felt the need to learn their names, their personalities, etc. The whole week went flawless and I even got to go on a trip with them. My first big field trip in London and let me tell you it was no walk to the vet clinic in Carnduff. We first of all had 38 4 year olds. We had to take two city buses and then walk a fair distance to get there. WHEW, I was played out making sure everything was well before we even got to the destination. We went to a place called the "Aspley House" It is also known as London #1 because it is the first house number in London apparently. This massive house was the house of the Duke of Wellington's. It was decorated the same that is was back then and yada yada. The Duke of Wellington faught in a big fight called the Battle of Waterloo and fought Napoleon..it's a big deal. Even a BIGGER deal, he is the man, the hero, the legend for the creation of "Wellington Boots" or "wellies in slang term." I'll send a pound to the first person who actually knows what these are. I had no idea, all the kids knew though..i'm just the stupid teacher! After they told me I of course knew. We looked at some art, we drew some art and then we had lunch before heading back to the school. On the way to the school we went on a walk into Princess Diana's memorial walk park. A kid had to pee, so he peed on the tree, I guess thats ok EVEN in London! We made it back to the school and I was completely tired and played out. I was glad to go on the trip because I probably wouldn't have gone there otherwise, a little tourist attraction, WHILE getting paid!

On Thursday (5th) is Guy Fawke's Day in England. I had no clue why this dude got a day named after him and why the heck it was such a big deal. I asked some people and found out that in 1605 there was a group of people who wanted to blow up King James 1 along with the Paraliment building so that the Catholics could take over (DAMN YOU CHANTAL) So on November 5th Mr.Fawkes himself was caught in the cellar of the building with 36 barrals of gunpowder just waiting to blow up the place! Thus, people of London celebrate the Kings great escape and the death of Guy Fawkes. So in celebration that he didn't blow things up, they blow things up. This day is also known as bonfire night and all around the city there are HUGE MASSIVE firework displays. We went to one at Clapham Common. I have never seen such a thing in my life. The grand finale of Sturgis Rdoe was equivelant with the first measly one they shot off to see if it was working. They went non stop for about 45 minutes and had music in the background. It was breathtaking. Me and Marlee were like little girls who just saw two grade twelve kids kiss in the smokers pit at school. We couldn't stop giggling and smiling and looking. After the fireworks we realized that there was probably a million people there. Thats no exaggeration. It was chaotic, nuts,crazy. Made me realize that coming out of ACDC at mosaic stadium was like a walk in the park. As we tried to figure out how to get home in these masses I noticed things about the general public. 1)Everyone was prepared. Both parents and children had bottles in their hands. Everyone had some sort of open liquar in their hands right in the streets. 2)people are crazy. 3)Everyone packs their own sparklers to light after the fireworks are done. It was really fun. We got home 2 hours after the fireworks where it would normally take baout 45 minutes.

On Saturday i started job #2.I decided to pick up a side casual babysitting job. I mean, what would i do if i wasn't babysitting! The people's house is only around half an hour away so its nice and close! I am so glad i decided to do this because i had such a great day with little Giaan. He is two years old and so funny and cute. There is something about funny kids that I like! We had an awesome day of playing in the park, feeding the ducks, reading books (Peppa Pig), having tea parties with biscuits and other fun activities. Next I am going to make some playdough to take with me..the legacy of the playdough queen WILL continue. The family who i am babysitting for is also great. So nice and so helpful and funny as well. At the end of the day i walked out with 56 pounds. yes, that is about 110 bucks! woohooo!

Saturday night we had a housewarming/my birthday/meaghan birthday party at our house. It was SO much fun! It's hard to believe we actually have friends here! I'd say there was around 15 people here mostly all from Canada. I'm really enjoying meeting all these canadians from other parts of the country. it's lovely. We enjoyed playing some Moose and having a good time.

On Sunday, it was "Remembrance Sunday" because they do not get the 11th off for normal remembrance day. Me and Marlee wanted to go but ended up not going. I have literally never been so dissapointed in myself. We watched it on tv and it was wow. It was live from downing street. The queen laid her wreath as did other important people. The last post was played beautifully and i couldnt help but to feel upset that i was not there. How stupid of me, to be here and NOT go! ugh! I guess the matter of it all is that i did get to watch it on tv and was able to have a remembrance day service of some sort. Not a total waste.


Thing's I've learned....

1) Rubber means eraser. Thus, if a child is to erase some pencil work he/she simply "rubs it out"

2)Tea IS tasty. I've taken a liking to it. With milk and sugar please! How British of me!

3)there are tons of people here. (I mean i knew that but didn't really fully realize the amount until the fireworks

4) It is ok and NORMAL to shoot of fireworks anytime anywhere here. I nearly shit the bed everynight due to fireworks going off in my street. Whew. I wonder if they have a permit?

Alright, I will start doing this more regularly! I promise!!!

Seriously thank you to everyone who takes the time to read this. It means a lot to me. I am always interested to see who is reading! I love you all!

Sunday, November 01, 2009

Hey Everyone!
How was everyones Halloween?! I hope it was good!
Happy one month to being in London for the chick!

Seems like these blogs are getting far and few inbetween! JJEEZZ! To be honest, it's completely due to the fact that we still do not have internet. I do not know what is up with it, they were suppposed to come out on Friday morning but then called to cancel, now we don't get it until NEXT Saturday!! UGGH! They are no Sasktel thats for sure ;)

Anyways, I really have not been up to a lot this past week. Since it was the half term break, the kids had no school meaning I had no school too! So this week consisted of reading, venturing, sleeping, eating, reading and playing spider solitaire. Do people still play Spider Solitaire?? I got addicted again, first time since 1998 when it was the latest rage on computers. My records aren't so hot, I have played 72 games and have only won 5! HAHAH! Jokes on me, but I just can't put it down. Does anyone share this addiction or am I the only one...don't lie!

One day last week I went to the Canadian store. What a treat! They have this store dedicated to Canadian things. They have all the Canadians favourite such as Ketchup Chips, Kraft Dinner, Tim Horton's Coffee, Peanut Butter, Nibs and CLAM! I bought a few things, but it's pretty damn expensive. One box of KD is £3.20. If you quickly do a math equation (which i'm sooo goood at) you'll realize that this delicious box of badness for your body is close to 6 bucks Canadian! HOLY cats. I don't care how desperate, thats a little bit ridiculous. Clam on the other hand. I couldn't help myself. I keep moping around the house telling everyone how I wish I had clam. And guess what...I didn't even think they'd sell it at this store. BUT after looking into this cooler, the angels began to sing and a beacon of light shone from the god's. There in this cooler was a perfectly perserved bottle of CLAM! I asked how much it was..£1.15. Thats like 2 bucks..SOLD! I now have my own little perfect bottle of clammy goodness for a special occasion! LUCKY! After the Canadian store we ventured down to the Maple Leaf for some poutine and Coors Light. Yummy! It's so funny to find myself all the way in London where I could be trying 23482092348098 different sorts of foods, but rather I find comfort in the things I know.

On Friday night we ventured down to the Maple Leaf for some drinks with other Canadian's who are here teaching too. We made a new friend named Kristin from BC. We then went to some pubs before heading home. It was nice to see and nice to hear some accents I could fully 100% understand. Sometimes I find myself just agreeing with english people because I have no idea what they are saying. They could be saying, "Girl..you have a large amount of bird crap in your hair" and I would simply answer "cool! I know!" JUST because I don't want to go through the steps of figuring out what the hell they are saying!

Saturday night, Halloween! WHOOP WHOOP! Halloween is much much different here. It is more of the crap-your-pants-scary rather than omg-you're-such-a-cute-little-bunny kinda deal. Any kid we saw dressed up was a witch, or something gory rather than a Pumpkin. Once for Halloween I was a lamp. What a stupid idea. Anyways, we didn't have any kids knocking on our door all day until we were getting ready to go out. I'm assuming you don't trick or treat until dark here. We were getting ready and Meaghan made the mistake of answering the door to about 6 kids. We had to dig through our cupboards to find 6 treats. We gave one a can of mushroom soup, one an apple, two got boxes of noodles and one got some leftover chili we had. Pretty sweet Halloween treats if I must say so myself! (We actually had a few treats for ourselves that we gave them) The dads were lined up behind these kids and were pretty stoked to see that we were from Canada. They said that you give the kids treats and the adults beer. Sweet deal I figure. Nothing like the dad walking down the street with their kid completely drunk while trick or treating. We finally got dressed into our costumes and went to our friend Kristin's house for some pre-drinks before heading out to a pub. While walking to the tube stop beside our house we had people honking at us, yelling at us, just being overall excited that we were so dressed up! I felt the whole night we were one big conversation starter with "OHH you're from Canada" my response wanted to be "NO, why would you think that!" People are crazy! It was an awesome time out and we met lots of really cool and funny people. Adults also dress in gory gross outfits rather than cute ones. LOts of facepaint and less creative costumes. Lots of witches, goblins, etc..boring! We never got home until about 4:30 AM so it was a good night!

I'm excited to get back to work tomorrow. I hope I get at least a few days this week! Hopefully we will by some chance get our internet sooner than NEXT Saturday, what a long time to wait!!!

Rather than writing the normal "things i've learned" I'm opening the floor to you's guys. What do you want to know! Ask and I'll see if I can answer it. Post a total random question!!

Alright! Have an excellent week everyone!
love you all!