motivation

I seem to be missing it at the moment.

I haven't been for a run in over a week - but that's mostly because I've been working 10-12 hour days for the last eight out of nine, and I am (understandably) tired after that. But, I'm off today and I just can't seem to find the gung-ho to go running in the rain. Probably because it's actually raining. Anyway, I'll see if I feel like it a little later on, and if not, then will force myself tomorrow. I'm just a little worried about what this has done to my schedule. I'm not sure I can do week four again... I'll try but might be stuck on it for another week. It was hard last time, and now I haven't been in ages, it's going to be even harder!

So, I haven't got much to update, because (as I said) I've been working like a madwoman. Monday to Thursday, Friday off, and then Saturday to Tuesday. I'm finally off today and I don't want to do anything - but I'll have to go to the grocery store later as we're out of just about everything!

Tomorrow I'm making Kimchi fried rice - I picked up some kimchi a couple of weeks ago when I was in Tottenham Court road, and Tom has been bugging me to make it... But I just haven't had time. If you don't marinate the pork for a few hours, it just isn't as good. I've also looked up a few other Korean recipes and am planning on trying my hand at them again in the near future.

I guess that's it for now... just a quick update... until we meet again!

uh, sorry.

I suppose I should have written something here in the last nine or ten months. Lazy? Bored? Uninterested? All of the above? I guess some and all of those and much more. Hopefully I will start writing again... I just kind of fell out of it, really... I probably don't even have any followers out there anymore, so I'm not sure who I'm writing this for... myself?

Anyway, I'm sorry for falling off the face of the internet.

For now, have been listening to Amy Winehouse Back to Black on repeat... can't get enough of it... Her best song by far.

goodnight and good luck.

where has the time gone?

Well, I'm not sure where to begin. I DO know it's time I had a little word with this blog though... so here I am, in the last moments of 2008 trying to make up for four months of ignorance.

In a nutshell... the big moments of my life for the last four months, would be... in mostly chronological order...

My new job as a video journalist. Love it. Simple as. Not going to say more as don't want to get in trouble for writing about work on a blog... it's been known to happen.

I went to Canada to get a new visa so I can stay here for the awesome job and at the least the next five years. It was easier than they make it out to be (thanks to my grandma being born in Scotland almost a hundred years ago).

I've been living in a new flat since August... but am now on the hunt again, for reasons which I can't get into without being here til next year!

I have a new man in my life. It's still very new so am not going to say much other than he's really sweet, makes me laugh like no one else and puts up with my non-stop whinging! We'll see where 2009 takes it.

I know there were a lot of little things here and there, but really I've just been living life to the most. It doesn't leave much time for writing here. I know that's a bit of a cop out, but really... I haven't even been keeping up with my emails. (sorry guys!)

SO. If I actually still have anyone out there that reads this, I promise to get better with this in the new year... new year, new start all that jazz... and I hope that 2008 was as great for you all as it was for me.

Here's to 2009 being just as fab!

ghosts

I was a tourist for an evening this week. We have a sort of social group at work, where everyone pays £2 a month and you get discounts on massages, gyms, and free Christmas and summer parties. The summer party was last week, and this week they had organised a London Walk for whoever wanted to come. We only paid £4 instead of £7... the monthly payment has already paid for itself...

Anyway, on Thursday after work a bunch of us headed down to Embankment tube station to meet out guide, Russell, who would be taking us on the 'Apparitions, Alleyways and Ale' ghost walk.

The work group...

Russell, our 'scary' guide

The first stop, home of Samuel Pepys who haunts the office workers in this building.

The sign on the building.

One of the thousands of gas (yes they still use GAS) lamps that light the alleyways in the West End.

The sign outside the Adelphi Theatre where William Terriss was murdered.

The ALE part of the walk. Tom Cribb still lives in his pub... apparently pulling pints for himself in the middle of the night...

The gravestone of a dog whose ghost supposedly caused hundreds of car crashes by running in the street.

It was an interesting fact learning evening walking around the West End theater district. It wasn't too scary, but he did make a disclaimer at the beginning that it would be up to us what we got out of it. I think it would be a better tour later in the year when it's actually dark at 7:30 PM... It only got dark at the very end when we got to St James's Park.

Anyway, I learned a lot about the area and had a nice long walk, so it was £4 well spent. I would recommend these walks anywhere for a fun evening out... I did one in Edinburgh a few years ago that was amazing... next on my list is the 'Jack the Ripper' walk...

***

In other news, I am moving out of this pit that has been home for the last 7 months, on Wednesday. Thursday I am flying to Greece for R's wedding... SO I won't be posting for a few weeks... but promise a BIG FAT GREEK UPDATE when I get home... that's be somewhere around the 15th of August.

Also, for those of you who don't know (and still read this) I'll be home for a week or two in September... I have to present myself at the British High Commission in Ottawa on the 15th... so keep the weekend of the 19th free for me!!!

two weeks

is too long without an update.

I seem to have lost the art of writing about daily life. I feel most of the time like I'm just living... not that interesting... though on second thought, it might be to you, dear reader.

I've been at my new job for a little over three weeks now and things are going well. I'm itching to get my hands on a camera and be a VJ... but I know it will come in time.

Other than work, I've been going out like crazy on the weekends, wearing shoes that are too tall, dresses that are too short and make up that makes me feel like I'm 20 again! My confidence has been at an all time high, which might explain the few dates I've been on... though they haven't developed into anything, they've been learning experiences.

London is a strange place when it comes to meeting people... especially romantically and I've been learning a lot. I've actually had text message relationships that didn't go beyond a night out because of them. Weird. Nobody CALLS anyone here, they message. This means that your vocal intonations are irrelevant... people here don't "get" my Canadian-ness. Though I've heard we're a bit of a novelty, it seems to end at that. Anyway, I'm out there socialising and having a good time, and that's the important part!

In other news, I've booked my flight to Greece for the big wedding in August. I'm looking into the visa issues that I need to and will be home to Canada before the year is out to sort it all out... I can't leave... not yet anyway... not with the rest of the UK and Europe to discover!

PS... if anyone wants to send me a few small things that I'd like from Canada, then PLEASE email...while there is much more selection here than in Korea, some things are sorely lacking from my life... like microwave popcorn...

The English language

When I moved to Korea I knew that I would have a whole new language to contend with. So, in preparation, I learned Hangul (the alphabet, or written Korean) and a few handy phrases. I learned a lot more when I was there.

I am discovering that anywhere you go language will be different, even among countries that speak the same language. I already knew that British and Canadian English had differences, as does American, Australian and South African, but I have been surprised at the number of different and new words I have learned.

These are words that I would never (or very rarely) use in Canada that have become a regular part of my vocabulary. I've been compiling this list for a few weeks with the help of a friend at work... He loves it - it makes him feel like he's teaching me English!!!

1. queue - we all know this means 'to line up', I just never used it before.

2. trousers - as opposed to 'pants', which in England means 'underwear'.

3. post - as in 'the mail'

4. handbag - no, it's not a 'purse', that's where you keep your money, not in a 'wallet'.

5. yob - the closest translation is 'thug', but they're much worse than that, google it.

6. loo - or sometimes lavatory, but not the 'bathroom'.

7. lorry - a 'truck'. ;)

8. hoover - not a 'vacuum'.

9. lift - as opposed to 'elevator'

10. crisps - mmm... my favourite 'chips', but not the french fried kind...

11. chav - closest translation 'white trash', google it.

12. whinge - kind of like 'whining' but more serious.

I have a few more, but they're kind of obvious... packet, corner shop, tube, football, courgette, mobile... I will share more as they come. In the meantime, you can google some of them and see what comes up... 'chav' is kind of fun, where 'yob' is kind of scary...enjoy!

**
On an aside, I still haven't sorted out what I will do about the visa situation. I am working on getting all the documents together so that if I want to get the other one I have the option. I'm starting to think about doing other things though... more on it when/if I sort it all out. Think Asia though... I'm not through with it yet...

a home

It’s official. I’m a Londoner! I have my very own room, in a flat, in Cricklewood. I don’t really know much about my neighbourhood yet, but as in Korea, you’ll learn about it as I do.

My room is nice. It’s big. That’s the important part, right? It’s actually about the same size as my apartment in Korea was… minus the kitchen and bathroom. I have a double bed (that will require some kind of mattress cushion, or something to make it more comfortable), two dressers, a wardrobe, a “comfy” chair, a coffee table, a side table, and a plastic patio chair (which might actually belong outside…). It also came with a free webcam and headset, and space heater, which I can only assume were left by the previous tenant. Did I mention the (non-working) fireplace?

The carpet and curtains a little ugly, but things can be done about that… Someone is coming in next week to super wash the carpet, and I can always hang other things over the curtains.

I’ve just unpacked my bags and slightly organized things – it could change. I’m still not sure I like the positioning of the furniture, so I’ll have to wait and see. I’ll need to get something to hang on the walls since they’re bare, and a room only ever really starts to feel like home once there’s something on the walls. I’m thinking of getting some of my photos done at the snappy snaps photo store that I work at on Saturdays.

What? Yeah. I work five hours a week at a little photo shop. There’s so much catching up to be done on here, I apologize for the lack of posting of late, it’s something I can only really do when I have my own space to sit and think, and now I do.

The flat doesn’t (as far as I know so far) have Internet, so I’ll be posting this from work tomorrow. So again, I apologize for the shortness of this and the lack of real information, there will be LOTS more very soon, with pictures and all, until then, be well, happy new year, and stay tuned for more of my adventures in London… there is just SO much to catch up on…

quick update

Hi all. Sorry for not posting for a while, I've been super busy here in London... and while that's no excuse, I'm sticking to it!

I just want to wish you all a very merry Christmas since I won't have time for a real post until after that (and probably a while at that!).

I DO have lots of great wonderful things to write about, so stay tuned... Check back in about a week for something interesting! Coming up: the London Eye, my work Christmas "do", Christmas in Feckenham, Worcestershire, my new job, work experience at The Times, and looking for a flat.

So, see? Lots of news, but no time to write about it all....

stuff

It's been more than a few days, I'm sorry. I haven't felt like posting much and oddly, I still don't, but I am anyway.

I've been searching for a job all week. On the internet. With agencies. On the street. It looks like things may be looking up now, though I was pretty discouraged earlier in the week.

On Monday I met with my first agency. I had to take a bunch of tests. Word. Excel. Typing. I scored intermediate on all of them. What did I learn from that? I thought I was better at all of them than I actually am. The agency told me it was okay and that I'm employable, but that didn't mean they had anything for me.

I think I've applied to about 25 or 30 jobs online as well. Some of them I've heard from and some not. I got really discouraged when one guy told me to never mind when I told him that I was on a working holiday maker visa. That means that I can only work for 12 months, so who is he that he thinks he's so important that I'll still want to be working there a year from now?!

Anyway, I hit the streets in the area yesterday applying at all the pubs, restaurants, and cafe's that I could find. I also applied at a small photography store that was looking for someone. My job at York International wasn't on my CV since it was quite some time ago, but I worked in a retail photo store for about three and a half years. I was also sent on a Fuji Film Canada lab technician training. Oh, and did I mention that I studied photography for a number of years and worked as a photographer for a summer? They called me today. I'm going in tomorrow to see what it's all about and so they can meet with me and see if they like me.

I also got another call from a temp agency today and met with them this afternoon. They said that I have highly transferable skills and am highly employable - much nicer than the first agency. They might have something for me starting as early as next week, which would be nice.

After meeting with them I went to Paddington Station (wish I'd had my camera!!!) to get my tickets to Cambridge to visit Anna for the weekend. I'm really excited about it since I haven't seen her in a couple of years and I've known her for more than half my life! She's studying for her PhD there. Very cool. So, after the weekend I should have some nice updates about partying in the Uni town of Cambridge for you! See you then!

In the meantime here are two pictures of fuzz that grows all over the place here... everything is covered in green moss...

a month is too long...

So sorry it's been so long since my last post... I guess I just haven't felt like there has been anything interesting to put here. I've been back in the Montreal region for a month now and I will hopefully be getting out of here in the next month! Destination: England.

I'm working on getting my visa right now and then I just have to wait. They've told me the turn around is about 10 days... not sure if that's working days or not, but it probably is.

So that's the plan.

Other than that, I've been playing house with Alexia out in Otterburn Park, about an hour outside of Montreal. It's nice sometimes, but I miss the city and all the conveniences that come with it. I feel very isolated out here.

Being home is strange. It isn't really "home" anymore. It just a place that I know really well, and I'm ready to experience new things, not the same old, same old. Keep your fingers crossed for me and I promise lots of exciting tales from the UK and Europe...

I promise to write again soon... I still have to finish the Tales of Thailand... I have one more post on that and I haven't yet written about my travels from Korea to Canada... but maybe that's a story better left untold, we'll see.

update

sorry it's been almost a week since my last post. think i'm going to lose all my readers if i keep this up for much longer. just haven't been in a posting mood... sorry.

last weekend was spent with friends - friday was the wine and cheese night with a bunch of lady friends... only got in after 3am... it was good times.

saturday a bunch of gimhaens headed out to changwon - the next city over - to celebrate a couple of birthdays - kimbirdy's 25th and lois' 60th. again, good times were had by all.

the last couple of days have been particularly hot and muggy - which makes me lethargic, thus the non-posting all week... guess i've just been lazy about it. i keep thinking of things that i want to post about, but by the time i get home from school/the gym/meetings at the office of education/after school classes/banking...etc... i just don't feel like it.

some good news this week - my flight home will be paid for by the office of education on a "government travel request" - meaning i don't have to shell out the bucks and wait to be paid back! woohoo! we reserved my flight yesterday - i'll be leaving korea on september 2nd at around 7 am local time... which means i'll be in montreal in time for dinner (or breakfast in korea).

i'm flying busan - seoul - chicago - montreal. the last flight will be with air canada :( boo. i hate air canada... i'm expecting my luggage to get lost since i will have to pick up my luggage and re-check it in chicago... and i know from experience that AC has trouble with this concept... apparently you have to do this in the states now... the long haul will be with korean air... which should be nice. i had a great experience with them on the way over...

what else? ...hmmm.... oh ya, i think the laryngitis is back. haven't been feeling great for the last couple of days and now it hurts to swallow, i have no energy and was cold all day despite it being over 25 degrees and humid... no fever, but it felt like it... and of course, this in time for canada day on the weekend! i'm supposed to be going to busan to celebrate... we'll see how i'm feeling... in the meantime, i skipped the gym today - actually came home early and slept for most of the afternoon... i just have no energy.

i'm looking forward to thailand with ranya in just over a month!!! i've been doing research on all the places i want to go, things to see and do... before i know it i'll be lying on a beach in the gulf of thailand drinking a mojito and watching the clouds float by... i can't wait. the next two months are going to fly and before i know it i'll be home and job hunting!

update over.

the guy down the street

a few months ago i was enjoying a peaceful afternoon in my apartment. i may have been reading, or watching lost, or some such activity. it was winter. it was cold out.

all of a sudden i heard a voice - no, not in my head - outside my building (so much for good insulation!). i figured it was someone getting in their car or just passing by. the voice didn't go away though. after about twenty minutes i popped my head out the window to see what the raucous was.

there was a guy standing in the alley one building over, yelling at nothing. i'm not a stranger to mental illness, i'm sure everyone knows someone who has dealt with mental illness... so i shrugged and went back to my book. a while later i heard a different voice yelling something in korean and then the guy stopped and went inside.

this has been a scenario that has occurred many times since then. i'm writing about it, cause it's happening right now. even though it's raining, he's out there - with an umbrella - yelling at the plants, or talking to the crowds of adoring fans, i'm not sure, but i wonder what he must be seeing there. who could he be talking to? what's going on in his head?

even more than that, i wonder who is supposed to be caring for this man? why would someone let him stand in the rain (even with an umbrella?) and talk to the alleyway. korea is a very closed society and you don't often see this side of it. for example, i've only seen one kid with downs syndrome in almost ten months. i think that most mentally or physically ill koreans are sent to live in institutions. at least this guy has someone who cares enough to let him live at home.

he's still going, no one has stopped him yet, like they usually do. i hope he goes in soon though, or he might get sick standing in the rain... if only i spoke korean.

stuff

well, i've already fallen off the daily posting band wagon... sorry. this is just a quick post to say that there will be lots soon as i'm off to ulsan... we all know that means more adventures of kat and liz... so hopefully, no, definitely will have something interesting to post soon... so stay tuned. we might head up to gyeongju, of winter camp fame, to check out more of the "sights" than i got to see the first time around.

anyway, it's raining right now. the thunder was so loud it set off a car alarm down the street three times! when the lightning flashed i thought a power line had exploded outside my apartment from the flash of light. this, after a sunny day of 25 plus degrees... anyway, how boring am i that i have to write about the weather?

have a good weekend everyone.

**
a little shout out to kassandra - CONGRATULATIONS on the new job!

memorial day

i spent the morning running errands and the afternoon basking in the sun on my rooftop. i didn't really think much about why i had the day off until i came to writing this post.

today is memorial day in korea. a day to remember the sacrifice of soldiers and civilians who lost their lives during the korean war. there's a big televised ceremony at the national cemetary in seoul, just like we have in canada on remembrance day. i didn't watch it. in fact, i didn't know about it until about an hour ago... oh well.

for me today was just another day off. it didn't seem like anything was different today except banks and schools were closed. something familiar in a land far away. remembrance day in canada is very similar. we take one minute out of our day to think about the lost. same here. at 10 am you're supposed to stop and think.

i kind of feel like it's become so routine in our lives to just accept that countries go to war, and inevitably there is a loss of life. canada has been feeling this even more of late, with the loss of almost 60 soldiers in afghanistan - the highest number since the korean war. why should we only think about these people once a year? why isn't everyday a day to remember? is it maybe too hard to think about? does the pomp and parade of the day make us feel differently? or maybe we just can't come to terms with death like that on a daily basis. i know there are people out there who do think about it everyday- the parents, children, siblings, and spouses of those who are overseas fighting.

so though today isn't a day of remembrance for me (as i know it), i'll still take a minute of my time to think about all that has been done on my behalf in the name of freedom- so you should too.

happy birthday to...

my school? yup. today is school #1's birthday, which meant another day off. you might remember school #2 had it's birthday a couple of weeks ago... and school #3 had their birthday today too... how come the schools' i attended never had birthdays? and even if they did, it didn't mean having a day off!!! just another crazy (good) thing in korea!

so i spent the day cleaning my apartment from top to bottom - literally. i killed a cockroach the other day. it was the second that i've seen since september... so i'm not worried about an infestation, but i also want to make sure that i don't have to. some interesting facts about cockroaches:

- Cockroaches are some of the most ancient insects. Fossil records show their relatives have been around, virtually unchanged in appearance, for over 350 million years.
- The popular Latin American song "La Cucuracha" means The Cockroach.
- The common German Cockroach can survive for over a month without food, but less than 2 weeks without water.
- Cockroaches have been found to carry, on their bodies, the pathogens that cause tuberculosis, cholera, leprosy, dysentery, and typhoid, as well as over 40 other bacteria or viruses that can cause disease.
- Cockroaches will feed on people!! They feed at night when people are sleeping, consuming protein materials such as
eyebrows and fingernails.

this is like the one i killed

and don't forget, they can survive a nuclear explosion!

given these facts, i certainly don't want them to live in my house, so i spent the day cleaning to make sure they know! i'm also gonna get a couple of roach trap thingys next time i'm at the store... just to be sure.

tomorrow is memorial day, so everyone has a day off... thinking of heading down to the beach... i promise to update more regularly... i've been getting really lazy about the blog...

see sand, feel sand, enjoy sand

SAND! that's right, this weekend was all about sand. the haeundae sand festival was on so a bunch of waegooks headed into the big city. i made plans with kat (of the amazing adventures of kat and liz fame) and deb (a good friend from orientation i hadn't seen in 6 months) to meet for the occasion. i spent much of saturday afternoon wandering around the beach on my own as all the other waegooks headed to the baseball game... i had to meet kat an hour after the game started so i didn't go. still had a good time though wandering among the various activities on the beach.

no smoking campaign

a mermaid!

volleyball tournament

lots of kids and families playing in the water

the sun and clouds didn't really co-operate with the organizers of the festival, but it was still warm out (25ish). when the sun did show itself it was really nice, but the best part was the sand! no, seriously, i LOVE sand... the feel of it squishing between your toes... nothing beats it! well, almost nothing.

saturday night i forgot my camera at the motel, so i have no pics, but it was a good chill evening. we sat on the beach for most of the night after meeting some waegooks visiting from seoul. one of them was so drunk by 11 pm that his friends were trying to get him back to their hotel so they could go out clubbing.

this guy kept telling us that he had a hot tub in his hotel room and that he was having a hot tub party... and would we pleeeeeeeeeeease come? eventually we all ended up at a bar called U2. his friends explained to me that they just wanted to put him to bed and then go out and would i please agree to go to the hot tub party just to lure the guy back to the hotel. so we did.

the "hot tub" in question, was actually just a really big bath tub with jets in it. he kept saying you could fit 8 people in it, but i say two, maybe, three (if they were tiny koreans). it was hilarious. anyway, we got to the hotel room, and then said "oh, we have no beer! we have to go get beer!" the guy knew what was going on and kept saying "aww, they're not coming back..." i felt really sorry for the guy, but he was really drunk and it was probably for the better that he just pass out.

as we were walking down the street a few minutes later a cab zoomed by. a hand stuck out the window and i heard "thank youuuuuuuu" screamed out the window. guess the guys got to go out like they wanted.

just a totally random thing that happened. a story to tell the grand kids maybe! haha...

sunday was spent lying on the beach trying to get a tan... if only the sun and clouds would have properly participated... or maybe i just shouldn't have put on that sun block... oh well, better to be safe than get skin cancer!

all in all, a good time was had. it was great to (in no particular order): see kat and deb; eat indian food; see the sand; play with boomerangs, kites, and frisbees; meet some crazy waegooks from seoul; dip my feet in the water; see some awesome fireworks; feel the sand; sit on an office chair on the beach; eat turkish food; drink sake in a japanese-style bar; get outta gimhae - even only for a night; enjoy the sand.

back to stage two

They say culture shock can last for years. I believe them. I was having a good run of things, despite all the 'crap'; I was feeling pretty good, in general, about being here. The last week has seen a resurgence of my culture shock. I’m not sure what triggered it, but everything i do makes it worse.

A friend of mine recently wrote a post on her blog about how when you’re far away from home emotions are heightened. When you’re up, you’re really UP, and when you’re down, you’re really DOWN. I’m in the latter at the moment.

I think it may have something to do with the realization that I’ll be going home in about three months; then what? I’ve been thinking too much about the future and it’s freaking me out. It’s also making me feel like I'm wasting my time here... I just want to get on with it.

It may also have something to do with having gotten out of here and seen something different in Japan. It just brought home a lot of things about Korea that I don’t like.

It’s also partly realizing that Koreans don’t trust foreigners. Everywhere I go I get sidelong glances and dirty looks from the Koreans I see. They look at me like I’m about to steal the candy out of their babes’ mouths. Last night was the clincher, I won't go into details, but a bunch of us were out for the night, and the Koreans kept treating us all like criminals; searching purses, accusing us of not paying, and guarding us like inmates about to break out. Compounded with how I've been feeling all week, it made for a VERY bad night, and an increase in my hate-on for Korea.

All I wanted to do was come to Korea, teach their children some English and have an experience I would never forget. Well, I certainly won’t forget the past eight and half months, and the next three are bound to be just as memorable. Korea, as I’ve said many times before, is a homogeneous and xenophobic society, that is unwelcoming to anything from the outside. I just can’t deal with it anymore… I’m sick of pretending like everything in Korea is so fantastic and wonderful. Yes, there are good things about being here, but right now I'm having a hard time seeing that side of things.

I guess this week the bad stuff is just playing center stage in my head… I feel like I’m back in October again. Stuck in stage two culture shock with no way out but to sit and wait for time to pass. Hopefully the next few months will pass as quickly as the last eight have and I’ll get through it. I know I can, I just can’t see how right now.

let's take a walk

so i've told you before that i've started going for a walk on my lunch break. today i (finally) remembered my camera so we can take a walk together!

this is the wall below the playground when you leave my school. the kids aren't allowed to leave school grounds, but when a ball goes over the fence one of them has to run down here. there are always trucks parked here - i assume their drivers are eating lunch at one of the restaurants across the street. we turn left at the end of the wall.
these are the bottom steps of the climb up to gimhae college. you'll get a better view of that soon.
this is the school (fourth floor) from up the steps. i caught a kid climbing on the fence here last week... looked like he was going to jump the four storeys down to the field. but i made him go back to school...
when we get to the top we turn right towards the college. it amazes me that they have any students! with a hike up like this... the nearest bus stop is still an eight minute walk from school... all uphill... where the two roads join, if you look to the right:
there is this really nifty area with rocks. there's a river down there, i can't wait to see it in the rainy season! right now there isn't much more than a trickle. these formations are all over the place. i guess to keep the water in check and not flood everyone's houses... even though basements don't exist here.
a little further up above the rocks, we have some pretty trees. the leaves are still all growing, this place will be gorgeous in a week or two.nah, don't go up there, it's just another building... keep going to the right and we can see some nature!
walk down this path for a bit, but don't go too far... it's a dead end. but there are some pretty flowers. and though you can still hear the screaming kids (even this far away...voices carry in a valley...) it's rather peaceful. at the end of the path, turn back and we'll come upon another of those rocky areas...
kind of pretty isn't it? the water is really dirty... and i sometimes wonder if isn't sewage... at least it doesn't smell bad.
this is the lower part of the rocky area - across the water... you can walk across a strip of cement and climb up the rocks. keep going and turn back onto the road.
just before we hit the first rocky area, we turn left down this path. looks like a path to nowhere again, doesn't it?
well, it isn't. it leads to some stone steps that take us down here. walk along the path to the end and turn right.
then it's down the stairs (hard on the knees - they're pretty steep) and back to school!
and when we get there we have our regular welcoming party "teacher! teacher! hello!!" these girls meet me everyday and we chat for a bit.
they always cover their faces... it's supposed to be so that their faces look smaller... ya... ok... anyway, they're sweet if a bit loud... they try.

hope you liked the walk. it takes me about twenty minutes... probably just about how long it took you! see you next time! on thursday i'll post the walk i take at school two... there's less nature, but a very interesting neighbourhood.

miscellanea

i didn't think that i had anything to write about today, but there are a couple of things that i found out about my upcoming school year. at school #1 i will only be teaching first grade (the equivalent of grade 7 in canada)!!!! this is great. it will give me the chance to really get to know the kids and create some kind of rapport with them. it means a lot of extra lesson planning - something i thought i had finished yesterday - but that's ok.

at school #2 i will be teaching only second grade. this is all right - at least i can use the same lesson plans as i am in school #1.

school #2 is moving my desk so that i will no longer be sitting directly in front of the vice principal. though, on second thought, he won't be there for the next few months, so it doesn't really make much difference. i will be closer to the door though...faster, easier escape route!

i leave you now with some random photos from the last little while...

what is "job's tears tea"? is this some kind of weird biblical reference?
and what's with the "frim coffee"? there are some things i'll never understand...
our waiter at junco last weekend. these hats are best when seen on grown men in business suits... but this shot will have to do!
mark and ben 'chicken fighting' in the subway - they learned this in their martial arts class...
sorry it's blurry - i had to be fast (crappy camera doesn't help)