Photos

Hello All,

After a lot of nagging from many of you I have finally got around to publishing some photos on this blog. Below are photos of Lou (our very cute cat), Matt (taken on one of our cycle rides home from work) and two of Southend seafront - which we cycle along every day. Above are some photos of our apartment so you can get an idea of where I am living now. Also photos of Matt and I taken in France at the wedding of friends of my parents.

Matt and I are very happy. I am now working at the same school as him (I have just finished my first week). I am really enjoying it. It is much better than Flightline that is for sure!!!

Life is good for us. Time is flying too - I have been living here with Matt for almost 6 months now.

Well... More soon,
Take care all
Lots of love
Laus
xxxx

Southend and cool bikes

Finally I have got around to updating this blog site!!! Sorry it has taken me so long.

I have now been living in the UK for almost 5 months and it has totally flown by. Matt and I moved to a new apartment quite a while ago and we are very happy here. The apartment is beautiful and we are working hard to make it as hoemly as possible. We also have a little cat called Lou. She is black and white and very funny. She is always scrapping with the other cats in the area and extremely loving to us.

Work at Flightline has been driving me a little crazy – it is really not for me. I have managed to find work as a teaching assistant at the same school Matt works in – I start work there next Monday (10/09). The job is basically helping ‘statemented kids’. These are the kids with behavoural / learning / mental difficulties. I will go to their classes with them and help them with the work – in an aim to helping them gain some qualifications. The pay is terrible so I am hop;ing to find work in the evening for a couple of nights a week – in a supermarket / bar or something.

Matt and I are on a big health kick now – the school is around 5 miles away. We both bought bikes and did a test run yesterday – it takes 30 minutes to cycle – and the route is along the seafront – so we intend to do that every day. My bike is ace! It is called a beach cruiser and has a wicker basket on the front. I went out today and bought a wing mirror and an old style horn! What a poser eh.

Well that is it for now – more soon
Love
Laus
xxxx

Basildon, air hostesses and car seats

Hello All,

I thought it was time to update you all again on what has been going on in my life. I want to say sorry first as many of you have written me emails and I have been very bad about replying. I just never seem to have the time to sit down and reply to you all. I hope that by writing this update I will answer most of your questions.

I have now been in England for well over a month and time has really flown. Matt and I are moving house next weekend and we are both really looking forward to it. At the moment we are in a small studio apartment in Basildon but we have found a lovely apartment in Southend-on-Sea, which is in the perfect location. We can both get to work easily and we are walking distance from the sea and the cafes and the theatres and bars etc. The apartment itself is lovely – once we have settled in I shall take some photos to show on this site.

I started doing various temping jobs when I arrived here – firstly envelope stuffing (big yawn) and then working at a call centre for barclaycard. So enjoyable having people call you up to complain all the time!! Haha. Anyhow, I finally heard back from the airport and they officially offered the job of ‘Crewing Controller’. I have been working there for two weeks now.

It is a company called Flightline which is based at Southend Airport. They have 14 aircraft and around 250cabin and flight deck staff. My job is to make sure that every flight is fully manned by the appropriately qualified people, that they are in the right places at the right time – arranging flights and hotels as needed, and basically ensuring that the flights can run with the correct manpower. It is a bit like pulling rabbits from a hat at times – when a contract comes in for an extra flight and we have to find crew at very short notice – or 6 air hostesses go sick at the same time, or a plane has technical problems etc etc. I am hoping it will prove to be an interesting job.

Matt is working at a high school, teaching ICT (computers to the rest of us). He is good. We are both looking forward to living in Southend and getting away from the area we are in now.

We have a car now. Matt’s dad got a new car so we inherited his n reg rover. Makes life much easier for commuting. The drivers seat doesn’t move forward so if I want to drive it I have to take a cushion off the sofa to put on the seat so I can reach the pedals!!

Well, that is all for now, as I said before – when we move I will take lots of photos to put on this site. In the meantime… take care!!!!

Lots of love
Laus
xxxxxx

Back in England

Hello everyone!

Well this is my first ‘English’ update. I have now been here for almost two weeks.

I would like to begin by saying that the area around Basildon is beautiful! Really! Matt and I have done a lot of walking - around parks and in the country. It is lovely. It is really not far until you are walking in country areas and I love the parks here. When I was overseas I really missed just chilling out in parks and reading books / having picnics etc. We have certainly made up for that over the last couple of weeks.

Matt is working every day at the school and I have been job hunting. I have just been given 6 weeks temporary work – at a credit card / bank card company. It doesn’t sound awfully exciting but it is certainly better than sitting around getting frustrated. I am still waiting to hear back from a couple of interviews and applications I have completed so hopefully something better will turn up soon.

Life here is very good. We have quickly settled down and it feels like I have been here for much longer than a couple of weeks.

Some things are strange – every now and then I hear a loud English voice and turn around – then I remember that everyone speaks English!! Doh! Also crossing the road is a bit of a nightmare – I have no idea which way to look, luckily I haven’t been run over yet.

I haven’t had chance to meet up with any of you here in England and I am sorry for that but hopefully when things have settled down and I have money coming in I can travel down to Hampshire and visit. I can’t wait to catch up with you all after so long.

Thank you for all the support and emails – it is nice to know that you haven’t yet forgotten about me!

I will update this again when I have more to say. In the meantime…. Take care everyone!

Love
Laus
xx

Hello everyone,

Spring is here. I don’t know about you but Spring makes life better just by arriving. The sun, the blossom on the trees and the rise in temperature does wonders for me.

Life here has been good, bad and in the middle over the last month or so. After a lot of soul searching and umming and arrhing, I bit the bullet and gave a months notice to leave here. I was staying purely out of loyalty and several things have happened to make me feel that was misplaced. It is hard to leave but also not.

I am finishing work here on 30/3 (at the start of the Easter holiday) and am returning with my parents to France, before moving, mid April, to live with Matt in England. He was over for a few days a week or so ago and we had a great time again.

I am working hard to tie things up here – writing reviews of all my classes and individual students for the guys that are taking over from me (my work is being shared out – no new teacher is being employed). I am also beginning to write exams for the end of term.

I am still going to do the DoS job in the summer – the early return to England will give me more time to prepare and gather materials that I feel were lacking last year.
I will look for temping jobs in the interim and full time work afterwards.

Life is changing for me yet again. But I feel positive and hopeful.

I will keep you posted.
Love
Laus
xxxx

Cold Cold February

Hi,

Well, it has been great to hear from a lot of you, letting me know your stories and experiences.

I am good. Matt came out 3 weeks ago for a few days and is back on Saturday for a week. Neither of us can wait. I am learning the true meaning of the word 'impatience'. Things are going so well, I have to pinch myself sometimes to make sure I am awake and isn't just a dream. I can't wait for you to meet him. He is a great person and is very good for me.

Work is going fine. We are now approaching 'Matricula'. This is the time when the students who will take the Cambridge University Exams pay their money. It is a tough time for us teachers as we are running the final mock exams and evaluating the levels and capabilities of each student, deciding whether the option to even take the exam should be open to them. It means a lot of pressure. Especially faced with students that desparately want to do the exams but are just not good enough for it. A time of patience and diplomacy for sure!

The guy that worked with me last year (Eugene) is over to visit next week. I am looking forward to catching up with him and his news (he has been working in Ireland).

I seem to be in a bit of a rut these days, generally. I am trying to lesson plan and am suffering from a lack of motivation. I am fine in class, the kids (and the adult classes) are fun, but I am getting weary. I know that it is the start of what the Navy call 'RDP' which is 'Run Down Period'. I know that I have this whole new life to try out, just around the corner. Makes life here difficult to focus on!!

Last weekend (I think - time is merging right now) was the Martos carnival. I went with my friend Abi to see what it was all about. It was basically the population of Martos, converging on the main square of the town in fancy dress. Quite interesting to begin, but it quickly became boring. They didn't do anything, or go anywhere - just gathered and stood around!

My sister is at my parents at the moment, with Ben and Abi. It sounds like they are having a nice relaxing holiday. I am very jealous though as she cooked my parents a Chinese meal last night to celebrate the Chinese New Year. I was talking to a friend in Beijing yesterday and he was hiding in his apartment - trying to stay out of the way of the badly aimed fireworks going off everywhere! Bless him!!!!!

I got my contract through from Buckswood the other day and am in the process of building up the energy to walk up the hill to the post office to send it. I am definately being employed as the Director of Studies - from the 28th of June till the 12th of August. I am looking forward to it but also a little worried. I know I am capable but it is a new thing, thus a little scary!

Well that is it from me. I am looking forward to a great week with Matt next week. I am going to Granada on Saturday to meet him at the airport, we will get a hotel again and then come home on Sunday. Just a shame I have to work next week!!!

Love to you all
Laus
xxx

January

Hello again everyone!

I promise this entry will not be as surprising for most of you as the last one! I don't have a lot of news really. Spain is unseasonally warm at the moment - clear skies and temperatures up to 20 degrees most days. I have been told, however, that winter will hit us next week. I am not looking forward to that!

Work has been really tough over the last couple of weeks. I am finding it hard to settle back down into the lesson planning etc - nothing is 'flowing' at the moment, and so I seem to spend much of my time either lesson planning or thinking about lesson planning. Doesn't make for much of a chilled life!!

In the last couple of weeks I have been able to talk a few times with a couple of close friends in Thailand (Jill and Penny) for quite a while which has been very good. I miss Thailand, and them, a lot. Jill has an amazing new job which she will be starting next month (flying to Mexico for a month's training). It seems we have all now moved on. This time in two weeks none of us will be at the school we met and taught at. Penny was sick over Christmas but seems fine now - just frustrated with lesson planning (sounds familiar).

Matt, of course, has been a godsend. We talk every day and usually succeed in getting totally frustrated about living in different countries! Anyhow, he is coming here next weekend and we are planning to be tourists in Granada before coming back here to Martos for a couple of days. We have booked a few flights now for the next couple of months, - back and forwards, so I know that we have lots to look forward to, prior to me going back permanently. Not easy though. Sometimes I wish I wasn't so caring about my students and their exams. If that were the case, I would go to him right now.

My big new news is that I had an 'interview / phone chat' with the recruiter from the English Summer School (http://www.buckswood.com) I worked at last year, and I have been offered the position of Director Of Studies. I am very excited about it. Being DoS will be a good experience, and also good for my CV. I think the job will be quite tough but a natural progression to my career. First time for anything is always the most nerve wracking isnt't it? I am postive I can do the job well though.

I don't have much more news. Work work work and not much else!!

I hope you are all well, and thank you for all the emails and phone calls, re Matt and I, and the support. Good to know you are all happy for us!!

Love
Laus
xx