Frustrations?

An anonymous commenter said, "I'm sure you have a lot of frustrations." and went on to advise that I don't air those on a public forum like this blog.  Fair enough.  I can see how one might interpret my last post as implicating that the teacher who shares my room has strong body odor. May I say now that is NOT the case? 

It got me to thinking again though about how we lose so much by communicating in this fashion.  I was not clear enough in my writing, and so this reader felt strongly enough to warn me I shouldn't write about certain things, yet this reader didn't see fit to tell me who he or she was.  All bits of the puzzle that would have been addressed if we were speaking face-to-face. The misunderstanding would have been cleared up immediately, there would be no need for correction, and in any case, I would know who was chastizing me.


Alas, that is not the world we live in.

We do our best, and hope no one's feelings get hurt.  I don't have lots of frustrations here (apart from Virgin Media, but that's another story).  I have lots of new experiences, and I'm feeling challenged in a way that's good for me.  As I said before, like exercising muscles for  a new sport; it's not always easy, but it feels as if I'm growing. That's why I'm here.  To grow and learn.

The whole point of the Fulbright Scholarship and Teacher Exchange program is to promote peace through understanding.  That's also why I'm here.  It's not as if England or Great Britain and the United States are ever going to be at total odds with each other, but... we do do things differently.  Not better or worse, differently.

And that's the key word.  Anyone who has tried something new, knows that it's tempting to fall back into old ways; it's easier.  But, at the same time, it can be quite boring.  My life here is never boring.  Every thing, from taking a shower (well, I don't have a shower) to the marks/grades/levels used at school for student assessment, is different.  


I will say though, that the most challenging part about being here, is knowing that how I act reflects on Americans in general.  I try (not always successfully) to be on my best behavior at all times.  I don't want a careless remark I make, or an unclear blog post, to confirm a belief that Americans are selfish or spoilt, or expect too much.  Of course I have difficult moments, and of course, I will make mistakes, but at home, it's just me that others are judging.  Here, it's bigger than that. 

end of first half term

Okay, so body odor. Or, according to my British spell checker, odour. I’m not an absolute freak about it, no one likes it, but it is part of being human, right? I do have my limits though.


I share my room on Wednesdays with another teacher. During my planning period, she has her class in here. Well, I walked back in and nearly fell over. This isn’t your basic, I’m-sweaty-and-need-to-use-more-deodorant kind of stink, this was enough to peel paint. It’s been pretty cold outside the past few days, but that didn’t keep me from opening all the windows. I’d rather freeze than try to teach in a room with that stench. I don’t know how to describe it; something like the way vinegar assaults your tongue was the way this smell assaulted my nose. No way to get around it, and it made my eyes water.

I’ve smelled this same rankness on the bus. Twice now. The other night it was as if it had permeated the seat I chose. Again, I couldn’t get away from it. It’s not a dirt-like or earthy smell, it’s not mildew, or wet wool, it’s just pure hideousness for one’s nose.

Enough. Beginning of half-term here. That means a week off. Thank goodness for that, although I will have plenty to do. I’ve not yet started a bank account here, and that limits some of the choices I have. Here they use a chip and pin number when you use a credit card, and so at times, I’m not able to use my card from the states. I also have no credit history here, so that’s one of the reasons it was so hard to get internet service.

Oh, how’s it going, you ask? Well, they sent me a router, and a set-up CD, but my little netbook doesn’t have a CD reader on it. Right. So, I’ve copied the CD to my flashdrive, and I’m hoping that works. If not, it’s another call to Virgin Media. Joy of joys. I’ve also had my Skype account hacked, and two different phone line subscriptions charged to me. They can’t actually get my money, and my bank is aware there may be a problem (so far my account at home is fine), but I’m out 50 bucks so far, and I’m getting phone calls from businesses that sell credit card machines. Shady stuff. I’ve also been informed that Skype will not refund my money because it’s up to me to make sure my computer is safe. Shit. This is because I’ve been using unsecured internet for two months now. Bad. Who would’ve thought that Skype would be hacked?

They’ve still not cancelled the two phone lines either. Even if I don’t get my money back, I sure don’t want those phone lines. Skype is great until you want customer service. Then forget it.

Going to a show tonight with a couple other English teachers; then to dinner afterwards. Should be a nice way to end a pretty rough week. Then… a week of no responsibilities. Maybe even more postings?

You never know...

You know...

I really thought I'd be writing much more often. I can only blame my lack of internet for so much.

Now, don't get your hopes up, but it appears I will be getting it hooked up finally.  Called Virgin Media for the 4th time and told them if they couldn't do it to tell me, and I'd go somewhere else.  It's been two months as of tomorrow that I've been here, and I have to sign up for a 12-month contract.  Oh, there are some 1-month, and even a 9-month contract out there, but most internet services here require a landline phone; something I don't have, and don't care to also hook up.

They've taken my 35 pound deposit, and are supposedly sending me my modem and all next week.  Due to arrive on Thursday, which is the first of a two-day postal strike here by royal mail.  Which means it could end up in a box in a warehouse somewhere.  Oh, they said they could send out a technician, but not until the 30th of October, which is the day I'm going to Stratford-upon-Avon for a Fulbright weekend, meaning both choices are poor. I'm taking my chances and hoping the mail somehow comes through, and my feeble little brain can figure out where the BT box is that I have to hook aforesaid modem to.  Argh.

Did go to Paris last weekend.  Now that was quite a trip.  Left Friday night from school, and by 9:30 pm, I was in Paris. Had a very cool dinner at a creperie (gosh, that doesn't look right, but it's not in my dictionary),

and this beautiful concoction was what we shared for dessert.

Something different about this trip was that we didn't ride the metro except to get to the apartment where we were staying and to get back to the train station.  We didn't take any cabs either, so we only went to places we could walk.  I think I may have lost another stone just with the walking.  Both of the women I went with simply did not want to ride the Metro, so we didn't. 

With three people, it's always a democratic vote of what to do and see, but unfortunately, I seemed to often be the odd man out.  Of course it was Paris, so  it was great, but I didn't really get to see anything new.  We went to Notre Dame and an evening boat tour, two things I did with my friends the last time I was in Paris, and because we only went where we could walk, we were pretty limited in choices.  We did spend a good part of Saturday poking around in little shops, and I got a darling, much-too-expensive hat to wear when it gets really cold here.  The weather was fabulous, the sun shining most of the day,and the only bit of rain was when we were in a cafe having lunch.  Good timing!

On Sunday, we went to the Left Bank, but most everything was closed.  We walked on to the Luxenbourg Gardens, and had a moment to sit and watch the kids play with their boats in the water.  I was happy to relax.

We also went to a market;  there was fruit:

And fish:

And flowers..

Oh, the flowers...

I so wanted to buy them all up (the flowers, not the fish) and take them home with me.  Alas, the pictures will have to do.

Next week is a  big one, end  of the first half-term. Lots of student work to mark.    Hopefully I'll keep you all up-to-date better, once this internet gets sorted out.

Cheers.