It hasn't been all work since moving to Perth. I managed a Monkey Weekend camping down south in September, which was its usual hysterically funny, good for the soul, full of filth extravaganza of fun. Yes, I was in a tent, but it was surprisingly lovely weather. I got a bit of a tan. It was great.
I also went to London to see Maria for a few days last week - gotta love teaching for the holidays, if nothing else. Did a load of cultural stuff and a little bit of shopping too - curses to Hamleys! Maria and I went to an exhibit at the National Portait Gallery about the development of photography in the press. Then we were seriously traumatised by an art istallation about women brought into the UK and forced to work in the sex industry. It was produced by the Helen Bamber Foundation and was truely distrurbing. It was meant to be, and it certainly did its job. Much wine was required after it.
We also did some pleasant things...like go on the London Eye, saw Wicked - which is AMAZING - and I went to the V & A and went to their Couture exhibition, and watched a very funny production of The Merchant of Venice at The Globe.
I'm now half way through the second week of the holiday, the puppy and Fonz have finally come up to Perth from Mum's, with any luck Sky is getting installed on Friday - what a saga that's been! - and it's pretty much life as normal. Except now I'm living in a town with hops, pubs, clubs, cinemas, and it doesn't require a twelve hour boat ride plus train to get to the bright lights of Edinburgh town. Woohoo!
Wednesday, October 10, 2007
Updating: The Short Story 3 (Perth High School)
I started my new job at Perth High School on August 13th and spent the vast majority of the first term just trying to keep my head above water, dealing with
1. A new HUGE school
2. No classroom, resulting in me lugging boxes of folders and books around a total of 11 different classrooms on various floors around the school each week. You should see my biceps!
3. Teaching Higher. Eek!
4. Once again having the bammer Third Year class - why me?!?
5. Finding a flat - I was in a B&B for the first three weeks of term
6. Getting my stuff down from Shetland - complicated by an untimely death. Honestly.
7. Being shipped off on one of the school's S1 Residentials. Fun...I got to rockclimb, and climb trees, and randomly met a friend of Jenny's...but I could have done without having to sort out two days of cover materials for my classes
8. Just generally wondering what on earth I'd let myself in for and if working in an office or in retail was really as bad as I remembered.
I decided that yes, it was as bad as that, and I could cope with teaching. Probably. And that's where I am at the moment. Trying to get sorted for next term and working my way through the monstrous pile of marking I had to bring home with me for the holiday. Why couldn't I have been a maths teacher, or something else with minimal marking?
1. A new HUGE school
2. No classroom, resulting in me lugging boxes of folders and books around a total of 11 different classrooms on various floors around the school each week. You should see my biceps!
3. Teaching Higher. Eek!
4. Once again having the bammer Third Year class - why me?!?
5. Finding a flat - I was in a B&B for the first three weeks of term
6. Getting my stuff down from Shetland - complicated by an untimely death. Honestly.
7. Being shipped off on one of the school's S1 Residentials. Fun...I got to rockclimb, and climb trees, and randomly met a friend of Jenny's...but I could have done without having to sort out two days of cover materials for my classes
8. Just generally wondering what on earth I'd let myself in for and if working in an office or in retail was really as bad as I remembered.
I decided that yes, it was as bad as that, and I could cope with teaching. Probably. And that's where I am at the moment. Trying to get sorted for next term and working my way through the monstrous pile of marking I had to bring home with me for the holiday. Why couldn't I have been a maths teacher, or something else with minimal marking?
Updating: The Short Story 2 (Fiji)
Dave left me in Sydney and I headed to Fiji, which was DEFINITELY the best part of my trip - no offence to Australia.
I had one night on my own in the main town of Nadi and then it was off to Tribewanted to live the dream: a week on a beautiful desert island. And it really was. It was absolutely amazing. The island of Vorovoro is beautiful, the Fijian people are wonderfully friendly and welcoming, really treating as a member of the community rather than a tourist who is passing through, and everyone in Tribewanted, staff and lowly 'tribey' alike was lovely.
Granted...giant spiders, cockroaches, compost toilets, and Roland the Rat (who I only ever glimpsed as a tail vanishing around a corner but who was particulalry troubling to those sleeping in the Vale) aren't exaclt my cup of tea, but they strangely added to the experience. Although I suppose I should probably stop bitching about camping in the UK where there's proper plumbing and hot showers now...
Whilst on the island, I snorkelled, sunbathed less than I'd expected and still ended up with comedy tan lines, learned three mekes (traditional Fijian dances that involve lots of hip waggling if you're standing, and very quick hnd movements if you're sitting) for the Chief's Handover, and learned to appreciate kava - it might taste like puddlejuice at first, but you soon learn to love it. Well...maybe not love...but you will Get Your Grog On!
I was absolutley gutted to leave at the end of my week, and am definitely planning on going back. I have two weeks on the island still included in my membership and I'm tempted to pay to spend longer, maybe a full month, there next time. Of course there is the small matter of the air fare out there...bugger.
Another night in Nadi and then a night in Brisbane and it was back home. And yes, the shower in Singapore was just as good on the way back. I finally returned home with three days until the start of school and no luggage - joys!
I had one night on my own in the main town of Nadi and then it was off to Tribewanted to live the dream: a week on a beautiful desert island. And it really was. It was absolutely amazing. The island of Vorovoro is beautiful, the Fijian people are wonderfully friendly and welcoming, really treating as a member of the community rather than a tourist who is passing through, and everyone in Tribewanted, staff and lowly 'tribey' alike was lovely.
Granted...giant spiders, cockroaches, compost toilets, and Roland the Rat (who I only ever glimpsed as a tail vanishing around a corner but who was particulalry troubling to those sleeping in the Vale) aren't exaclt my cup of tea, but they strangely added to the experience. Although I suppose I should probably stop bitching about camping in the UK where there's proper plumbing and hot showers now...
Whilst on the island, I snorkelled, sunbathed less than I'd expected and still ended up with comedy tan lines, learned three mekes (traditional Fijian dances that involve lots of hip waggling if you're standing, and very quick hnd movements if you're sitting) for the Chief's Handover, and learned to appreciate kava - it might taste like puddlejuice at first, but you soon learn to love it. Well...maybe not love...but you will Get Your Grog On!
I was absolutley gutted to leave at the end of my week, and am definitely planning on going back. I have two weeks on the island still included in my membership and I'm tempted to pay to spend longer, maybe a full month, there next time. Of course there is the small matter of the air fare out there...bugger.
Another night in Nadi and then a night in Brisbane and it was back home. And yes, the shower in Singapore was just as good on the way back. I finally returned home with three days until the start of school and no luggage - joys!
Updating: The Short Story 1 (Australia)
Ok...I'm officially crap, and I just can't really be bothered going into a blow-by-blow account of the summer, so...here's the short story:
1. I finished up at Aith Junior High School and left the Islands of Shetland on a ferry on the 7th of July. I spent the next few days on the mainland running around like the proverbial blue-backsided flea and left for Australia.
2. My god that's a long flight, and the shower in the BA lounge in Singapore was TOTALLY worth the money the Qantas Club cost.
3. On arrival in Brisbane I hooked up with Dave and we spent the next few weeks doing a whistlestop tour of East Coast Australia. On our way we took in Tangalooma Wild Dolphin Resort, went up north to Cairns and snorkelled on the Great Barrier Reef, headed out to the Atherton Tablelands where we stayed with Dave's wonderful aunt and uncle and I picked up Harry Potter 7 (more on that later), then flew to Uluru - where I slept in a tent! - and finally headed to Sydney.
4. Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows. Despite all mocking from Dave, who thought I was kidding when I said that we'd be going on a three hour round trip drive to Cairns if I couldn't get a copy of it in Atherton, I fired through the book and, despite all my fears, it really did live up to all my hopes. Smaltzy-but-neccessary-I-suppose epilogue not withstanding.
5. Sydney was probably my favourite part of Australia, and I took in all the usual sights including the Opera House where I saw a very good performance of Othello, visited the Botanic Gardens and saw the fruit bats, and spent a day wondering around Taronga Zoo where I learned that a baby duck-billed platypus is called a puggle.
1. I finished up at Aith Junior High School and left the Islands of Shetland on a ferry on the 7th of July. I spent the next few days on the mainland running around like the proverbial blue-backsided flea and left for Australia.
2. My god that's a long flight, and the shower in the BA lounge in Singapore was TOTALLY worth the money the Qantas Club cost.
3. On arrival in Brisbane I hooked up with Dave and we spent the next few weeks doing a whistlestop tour of East Coast Australia. On our way we took in Tangalooma Wild Dolphin Resort, went up north to Cairns and snorkelled on the Great Barrier Reef, headed out to the Atherton Tablelands where we stayed with Dave's wonderful aunt and uncle and I picked up Harry Potter 7 (more on that later), then flew to Uluru - where I slept in a tent! - and finally headed to Sydney.
4. Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows. Despite all mocking from Dave, who thought I was kidding when I said that we'd be going on a three hour round trip drive to Cairns if I couldn't get a copy of it in Atherton, I fired through the book and, despite all my fears, it really did live up to all my hopes. Smaltzy-but-neccessary-I-suppose epilogue not withstanding.
5. Sydney was probably my favourite part of Australia, and I took in all the usual sights including the Opera House where I saw a very good performance of Othello, visited the Botanic Gardens and saw the fruit bats, and spent a day wondering around Taronga Zoo where I learned that a baby duck-billed platypus is called a puggle.
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