Last week was a very busy week! Tuesday night I organised an "Australian Night" at Guides to celebrate Australia Day, we made vegemite sandwiches, read Possum Magic, had a competition to see who could draw the best Australian map, played games about Australian animals and learnt the chorus to 'Home Among the Gum Trees'. It was a fun night and nice to share some things from home with the girls.
Wednesday was Australia day, and obviously not a public holiday over here... quite a shame! Unfortunately I really didn't have any energy to go out and celebrate at a pub, but was there in spirit! On Thursday I turned 25... a quarter of a century! It started off with a bombardment of messages on my facebook, which were heartening to read as I walked through the freezing cold dark of morning to the tube. When I reached school they informed me that they were giving me two hours of PPA time (PPA time is when another teacher takes the class and you get time off to do other work as you please, a full time teacher is entitled to 2 hours a week in Australia). This was a nice surprise and quite unexpected, as a supply teacher they don't have to give me any PPA! They didn't realise it was my birthday, but had some extra supply teacher time and thought I could do with a break. The class had a really good middle session in maths, which was nice, although back to their usual in the afternoon! A lot of them had made me cards and gifts, which was really sweet. I felt very loved! That night one of the teaching agencies was having drinks to celebrate the start of the term, so I went along and met some other teachers and had a great time. Catching the tube after a couple of drinks was a new experience!
It was a challenge to drag my tired body out of bed for Friday, my last day at the school I had been at for three weeks now. I was exhausted and definitely ready for a break! Somehow I made it through the day and that night collapsed onto the couch with a glass of red and a wood fired pizza (theres a great little place on the walk back from the tube, 5 pounds for a pizza!). It has been a very interesting and full-on three weeks, but definitely a valuable learning experience. However, I look forward to some experiences in different schools in the coming weeks. I have two days prebooked for the week coming, then a full week and a half booked after that in schools that are closer to home on the North side of London.
Saturday I went out to dinner with some new friends to Giraffe restaurant, which was great fun and good to get out of the house. The conversation was largely classroom based, as we are all teachers, but it was good to have a good chat about our different experiences both in London and back home in Australia.
I don't really have any photos to share, I haven't been anywhere photoworthy lately! I am aiming to do some more exploring this weekend, not sure where yet but watch this space! Have been keeping track of things back home, receiving lots of photos from mum showing the aftermath of the floods. I bet a lot of places are a bit smelly with mud, and I hope everyone is recovering ok. Stay safe and stay in touch!
Caitie xo
