Thursday, May 24, 2012

What Am I Doing Here?

A lot of you have probably been wondering what exactly I do with my time here in London. I have to say, that teaching here (as it is anywhere, I suppose) is hard work. It's especially more difficult when you are not used to the system and are unsure of what is expected from you. Right now I am in a long-term position in a reception class (that's preschool to all you non-British types) and boy, do they learn A LOT!!!! These kids are brilliant! They're reading words like "chasing" at an age when all I thought about was tasting my boogies (Ew. Gross. Boogies!)

Trust me, these kids also think about eating their boogies but they're just a little bit better at reading.

I wash my hands constantly.


But I digress (as always). From Monday to Friday, my morning starts out at 6:45 (I'll push it to 7 if I can) and then I rush to get ready. I usually leave the house around 7:30 and then board an express bus that is about 10 minutes away. My place of work is about an hour away --- and NOT in London. I constantly find myself walking under Hanwell station overpass and looking up to make sure there are no pigeons above me. There is a LOT of pigeon poop on the sidewalk and my greatest fear is that one day, it will land on my head. Trust me, it'll happen. I just dread the day.


"Alright, men. The target has been spotted. She is an East Indian Canadian by the name of Tanisha. Wanted for scaring our brothers by jumping in front of them and laughing. Target must be eliminated. Or pooped on."


On Mondays, I usually chillax at night (and by chillax, I mean spend over 8+ hours at school ensuring I am ready for the coming week and am too tired to do anything else other than come home and sleep). On Tuesdays, I have pastorate in East Putney (that's Bible-study for you non-HTB folk). The interesting thing about Bible studies here is that every few weeks, we have a "social" that occurs in a pub. No joke. I can't make this stuff up. Good times abound. (In context: England has a pub culture. People go to the pub casually as we would go to a restaurant or park to meet and hang out).

Fancy a pint?

I have now officially joined a London Ultimate Team (Whoo!!!!) and our games are on Wednesdays. Boy, do I need to practice, practice, practice. It's so great when you play with people who are 100x better than you. :D Thursdays, I usually go to the gym or just hang out. Friday's and Saturday's are usually a mixture of socializing, planning and gathering resources for the upcoming week, and resting. On Sundays, I play Ultimate with Couch Surfers (yes, you read that right) at Hyde Park (my new stomping grounds!) and then go to an evening service at HTB.

This is what takes up most of my time. I love life here, but I do find being in charge of a class (even if I am co-teaching) exhausting. I think the weight of the responsibility has finally started to sink in and I realize that I am entrusted to the welfare and well-being of other people's precious children --- this is not something to be taken lightly. I find myself constantly thinking about lesson-plans and resources and how to get things done in the limited amount of time that I have before the end of the school-year. I guess that's what every teacher goes through.

I know our supervisors told us that it doesn't become easier until you've had 5 years of solid teaching experience. I just wish there was an easier and less draining route. I guess there's a reason why teachers get so much time off. We'd be burnt out if we didn't.

Oh yes, the title of my post. I called it "What Am I Doing Here?" because I have found myself thinking about British Columbia a lot. I think about the fact that I come from one of the best-rated cities in the world, and I find myself wondering "Wow. WHAT are you looking for in London? WHAT do you want from this place? WHAT are you doing here?" I look at pictures of BC and long for the majestic mountains and the sweet smelling green firs, the sparkling blue ocean and the never-ending hikes. I guess I took all of that for granted. I know that if/when I move back, I will be doing a lot more hiking and camping and travelling within BC than I ever have before. I haven't even begun to explore what the province has to offer.

Who in their right mind would actually walk away from this?

Meanwhile, I have to figure out what I came to London for. I've always wanted to live here... but, there's got to be another reason other than "well, it's always been my dream."

Well, that's my blog for today. I had hoped that I'd get another one up sooner, but it just takes me forever to write one. I am constantly editing and trying to figure out what exactly to write. Anyway here are some blogs that I am going to write about (so something to look forward to): Rehashing my wonderful 2-week trip to Italy; "Kat and Tani's Misadventures in Wales"; and "The Story of My Life" (an anecdote of what I always seem to deal with living here); plus English people VS Vancouver people.

Cheerio, mates!

Truly,
Tanisha

PS: For your viewing pleasure, I have just taken a picture of myself at 11pm at night. I call this pose "peace out, Vancouver."

Peace Out, Vancouver.

PPS: Nathan, I can't believe you're gone. This is depressing. Come back SOOOOON!