Amy... this is for you

The Wheat Sheaf, Shrewsbury location. I wonder if Al was transfered....

an afternoon in Shrewsbury

what do you get for free at a "free house"?



a windy street, with dr. seuss's crooked home



a medieval castle... with a wall and a tower, and fabulous view of the town.

what i like...

lemon curd. canals. tea. fish shops. german markets. cobblestone. pedestrian streets. chips with curry sauce. roundabouts. churches. old things, like medieval towns. visitors from home. british street names. "normal" guiness...

Down in Digbeth

Jewellery Quarter in Sepia

Please don't call me "Ms."

Teaching in Birmingham has now begun for me, with 5 days of supply under my belt. I will first make a note of the fact that I use the term "teaching" very loosely, as there is not a ton of teaching that gets done when one does cover work. As much as I feel bad about the fact that I may have "low expectations" with regards to how much will get done when I am covering a class, I am trying to be honest about it with myself - every day I go in I simply hope for the best, but prepare for the worst. Let's face it, it hasn't been that long since I myself was in a high school classroom as a student, and I remember well the amount of work that got done with supply teachers. Even the "good students" tended to do very little work. At this point I am happy to have an incident free day.

The schools here are much different than at home. The system is different, the curriculum is different, the teacher's are different... and I have yet to do any real curriculum planning or marking. Where to start... So far, the two schools I have been to are quite big - something that I didn't have to experience at home. The youngest students in a secondary school can be as young as eleven - which is quite a few years younger than I what I am used to. To be honest, the little guys are so young and so small - they look to me like they should still be playing on school yard jungle gyms. I have found that I need to remind myself of their age while teaching, and adjust my expectations accordingly. The senior students in secondary are only 16 - which to me seems to young to be finishing high school (although many go on to 6th Form - sort of like CEGEP in Quebec, I guess).

I am well aware of the fact that relationships between students and teachers vary greatly, depending on the individual teacher as well as the school. However, what I was not prepared for, what I am not used, and what I will not get used to is the nature of the student-teacher interaction here.... speaking very generally, the differences seem stem from the focus on the tradition of formality and the ideas of manners and respect that surround that tradition. It is not something I am accustomed to, to say the least.

Different habits for different rabbits, as they say. I am excited to see how this teaching year progresses. I know I have much to see and learn and think about. But I will say this: in this situation, I will not be going along to get along... "When in Rome..." will not happen with regards to much of the teaching practice as I have seen it so far...

Jewellery Quarter

B'ham Jewellery Quarter

or, le quartier des bijoux... I spent an afternoon wandering around this part of town. It's quite nice - however city planning is an interesting thing here. I won't say too much - as I don't really know much about the history of this city or the development etc. - but... while they are begining to spend tons of money on rejuvination projects etc., a lot areas tend to be mostly residential, or mostly commercial, rather than mixed. The Jewellery Quarter was lovely during the day in the middle of the week, but I had a walk up there one sunday and it was virtually deserted... I guess people don't really shop for engagement rings on Sundays.

Sir Rotton's road?

Blue Skies in Birmingham

in and around b'ham

my hood...





and... the west midlands canal system... the Canal side is a favorite place to take walks. My two favorite pubs (so far) are both on the Canal. but you have to watch out for the geese - the Canadian geese are much more brave than they are at home...

a place to hang my hat...

Brigitte is in B'ham - and this is her blog... Truth be told, I never expected myself to ever start a blog, never fancied myself that kind of girl... whatever that kind of girl is. And now, here I am, scribbling away at this electronic travel journal for those of you back at home, waaaay across that great big pond. I don't even know where to begin...

It was over three weeks ago now that I found myself sitting alone at the bar in Pearson airport, discreetly crying as I poured over a little package put together for me by my best friend, wondering what the heck I was doing getting on a plane with a one-way ticket to a city where I knew no one, in a country that wasn't mine. It's been a long three weeks - but a long three weeks that have flown by. I have had my good days and my bad days, had my ups and downs. And although I frequently pause for brief moments of disbelief at my being here, I am settling in. I found a flat in the first week, where I have been for over two weeks now. I live on Thimblemill Road, in a house with great flat-mates. Lesson about myself: I am not a good vagabond unless I have a place to hang my hat... and that isn't really a vagabond, then, is it?

I suppose I should include in this little journal the reasons behind my temporary (but indefinite) move to Birmingham - or rather, to the UK. Reason number one (aka the superficial one): teaching. As many of you know, I recently fiinished teacher's college. I needed a job, and the UK likes to recruit us teachers from Canada as they are in dire need (for reasons which I may touch on another time...). Apparently I was not needed in Toronto, so here I am. Experience is a necessary thing... so why not get some here. Reason number two (and honest answer): un 'tit adventure.... or, travel. I thought if I was ever going to do some traveling alone, I might as well do it now... time's a tickin'. Travel is great, and if teaching allows me to do that from here, than great. I might as well take advantage. Reason number three (the real McCoy), has to do with my dad. My father came and lived and worked in England when he was 25... for some reason - whatever it may be - I have always wanted to do the same thing. Perhaps it is an attempt to get closer to my father, an attempt to get to know him better by experiencing something similar to what he experienced, an attempt to connect to something... While I acknowledge the extreme cheesiness of the whole thing, I am only being honest (and how easy that is when I don't have to face those to whom I am "talking"... ha). I am also aware, in all of this, that I may be chasing something I may never find... I may be attempting to fill a void that cannot be filled - as the physical presence of one person once gone cannot be replaced. I thought of this at some point prior to my departure, and breifly worried that I was making a mistake, fearful that I would be disappointed if I didn't feel that gap - or that void - was going to be filled. But a good friend of mine reminded me that some people go on living without chasing anything at all... and so even if I don't find that thing that set me off, I know that it will be a trip well worth taking for the experience in itself... and I will likely find something worthwhile. and so the journey begins...

more later on mushy peas, curry sauce and bacon fries.