things iv learned about: being a foreigner working in a totally new environment
1. always be enthusiastic and positive, people will respond.
2. make as many friends as possible where ever you go, and don't be afraid to contact them.
3. always look at the bigger picture when something gets to you and then decide whether its worth worrying about or not.
4. ALWAYS think before you speak and act.
5. use your 'weird' accent to your advantage, people are very likely to help you as soon as you ask.
my year in england.
Wednesday 6 February 2013
Tuesday 5 February 2013
one month in..
dear blog..
so today is my official ONE MONTH in England. im trying to decide if ive settled in or not but that's a tough call.
you see i remember leaving home (Cape Town, South Africa) and arriving in London like it was yesterday. Running for the check in because we (my friend who im living/ working with this year +Nicola Moskoff ) thought we were late - standard - and babbling on with excitement to really anyone that would listen; we were going to England for a year and it was the most exciting thing we'd ever done. the loonnngg flight but at the same time having that feeling of not really wanting to get off the plane because it meant facing reality. and then touch down.. getting off the plane and finding our way around heathrow which proved more difficult than expected, it really was huge. but eventually we found our luggage and called the couple who were picking us up. cue entrance of two important characters, lets call her Mrs Boarding house and her husband Mr boarding house. they were in charge of our lives now.
the long drive back to the town that would soon become home, Andover in Hampshire. now one thing you need to know about andover is that its small. im guessing youve never heard of it. well theres a reason for that. but thats okay. we'll work with that. it only takes a few minutes to walk to the train station and a little further to the 'town' which supplies all the basic necessities.
so what can I say after a month,? well the work we do isnt too bad. looking after children for about 6-7 hours a day has its pros and cons but really its not too terrible. the people we work with are mostly really great (emphasis on the word mostly but thats a story for another day) and our pay is okay. we should get by. so why exactly have I chosen to do this for a year? everything seems pretty average right now but as soon as school holidays arrive the real fun will begin. we have already booked our +Paddywagon Tours to ireland. these travels are why i have a blog and ill be sharing lots of what we already have done (london, bath, salisbury, reading) here too.
so heres to my new home and blog
so today is my official ONE MONTH in England. im trying to decide if ive settled in or not but that's a tough call.
you see i remember leaving home (Cape Town, South Africa) and arriving in London like it was yesterday. Running for the check in because we (my friend who im living/ working with this year +Nicola Moskoff ) thought we were late - standard - and babbling on with excitement to really anyone that would listen; we were going to England for a year and it was the most exciting thing we'd ever done. the loonnngg flight but at the same time having that feeling of not really wanting to get off the plane because it meant facing reality. and then touch down.. getting off the plane and finding our way around heathrow which proved more difficult than expected, it really was huge. but eventually we found our luggage and called the couple who were picking us up. cue entrance of two important characters, lets call her Mrs Boarding house and her husband Mr boarding house. they were in charge of our lives now.
the long drive back to the town that would soon become home, Andover in Hampshire. now one thing you need to know about andover is that its small. im guessing youve never heard of it. well theres a reason for that. but thats okay. we'll work with that. it only takes a few minutes to walk to the train station and a little further to the 'town' which supplies all the basic necessities.
so what can I say after a month,? well the work we do isnt too bad. looking after children for about 6-7 hours a day has its pros and cons but really its not too terrible. the people we work with are mostly really great (emphasis on the word mostly but thats a story for another day) and our pay is okay. we should get by. so why exactly have I chosen to do this for a year? everything seems pretty average right now but as soon as school holidays arrive the real fun will begin. we have already booked our +Paddywagon Tours to ireland. these travels are why i have a blog and ill be sharing lots of what we already have done (london, bath, salisbury, reading) here too.
so heres to my new home and blog
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)