Life with the Limeys: August 2014

What makes a year?

In the words of Rent: 525,600 minutes. To me, it’s much more than that. It has almost been one year since I left Canada and made the journey overseas. I have seen more of the world than I ever expected and gained a lifetime of experiences. I have changed incredibly since I left Canada- my perspective and scope on life has broadened as I think any traveller can agree with. I have seen and experienced things that have changed my life—for the better. The purpose of this blog is to sum it all up. What has made a year for me?

As a Traveller:

I have travelled to 12 countries and experienced many cultures over the past year including:

London, England

Luton, England

Brighton, England

St.Albans, England

Bath, England

Liverpool, England

Greenwich, England

Milton Keynes, England

Dublin, Ireland

Wicklow, Ireland

Cork, Ireland

Cliffs of Moor, Ireland

Galway, Ireland

Krakow, Poland

Katowice, Poland (airport only)

New Delhi, India (airport only)

Kolkata, India

Bihar Province, India

Paris, France

Barcelona, Spain

Brussels, Belgium

Brugge, Belgium

Utrecht, Netherlands

Zwolle, Netherlands

Giethoorn, Netherlands

Amsterdam, Netherlands
Budapest, Hungary
Bratislava, Slovakia
Vienna, Austria
Prague, Czech Republic

Most memorable---India. This year I had the great opportunity to travel to India and work Impact Teachers to train teachers in the province of Bihar. I had never travelled to a place so far away from Canada or with such a different culture than Canada. I had the most amazing experience and came away a better teacher. The teachers were so keen to learn and valued every tip or lesson you taught them. The teachers and staff at all the schools were the most gracious people I had ever met and the students were amazing. It definitely renewed my energy for the remainder of the school year. I love India and would go back any day!

Most unique--- Giethoorn. I didn't know that places like this existed. I wrote about Giethoorn a lot in my Belgium/Netherlands blog but for those who missed it, Giethoorn is a canal town. There are no roads and every house is on its own island connected by bridges. People get around with small motor boats and canoes/kayaks. It was the most beautiful and quaint place I have been and am so glad we made the effort to get out there.

Favourite City- Prague. After being in Prague for half an hour I knew I was in love. The city has a great mixture of historical and 'tourist' attractions' with an amazing town square and atmosphere. The town square has musicians playing all the time and great places to grab quick street food, sit down at a nice restaurant or grab a cheap beer.

As a Teacher

As a first year teacher I was doomed to be overwhelmed. Add a whole new curriculum, teaching standards and system—and the word overwhelmed doesn’t begin to describe how I felt at points this year. I started off the year with a huge learning curve and to be honest, I wasn’t mastering the system yet. I was struggling to come through with lessons that my school thought was good—even though in Canada they would have been amazing lessons. However, I never gave up and finally I figured it out. To be honest, I don’t think I can pinpoint anything down to determine what I was doing differently, I think at one point in the year you just get it. There are still times that I doubt the British school system or find flaws based on my training in Canada with the system but I have found some positives and things I will bring back to Canada with me whenever I return. I started the year off struggling but by the end of one year I was given a promotion as a coordinator for History—I clearly figured something out.

Upsides of the Year

· All the travelling- I never thought I would get the travel bug, but I did. After one week in Ireland, I couldn’t stop and I don’t know if I ever will.

· The people I met-My transition to the UK was made a lot easier when over 15 Canadians joined me in Luton. I have become extremely close friends with many of them.

· Family Visits- I was very luck this year because I had many visits from family including my grandparents, dad/stepmom, my mom and of course having my sister come to the UK with me to help me settle in for the first week and a bit.

· Doing what I love- I have always wanted to be a teacher—ever since I was a young child. Having the opportunity to be a full time teacher has been amazing. As hard has leaving home was, I would never have been able to have this experience if I did not leave Ontario.

Downsides of the Year

Saying goodbye to home- When I left Trent University I thought it was the hardest goodbyes I would have. I had to say goodbye to a lot of amazing people and close friends, many of which I knew I would not see on a regular basis anymore because of distance in our hometowns. The goodbyes I have said in the last year have been far most the hardest. Leaving Canada in August I not only had to say goodbye to many of those people from Trent, but also to my family. My sister is my best friend and knowing that I wouldn't be able to text her every day and complain about pointless things or go to the mall with her whenever we were both free was hard. Even though for the last few years I did not see my parents every day because I was gone at school- saying goodbye and knowing it would be months before I saw them was a difficult thing to accept. Thankfully Skype exists.

Saying Goodbye to UK friends- Not only have I had the difficult experience of saying goodbye to home, but not all the amazing people I met this year are staying for another. I have had to say goodbye to some of my closest friends and have shed some tears over it in the last few weeks.

Missing major events back home- The downside with travelling is that life back home still goes on. During my year in the UK, I have had friends and family get engaged, married and pregnant. Events which I always thought I would be a part of, but unfortunately am overseas. Don’t get me wrong- I love living in England and having the opportunity to work full time, travel and pay off debts is incredible but I do wish I could be there for those key events in my family and friends lives.

Overall

This year has had many ups and downs but overall I have loved every minute of being in the UK and the travelling I have been able to do because of my new location. I have been reunited with family from England that I had not seen in years and have met the most incredible people and experience the most incredible things. I am looking forward to my new position next year and the new places I will get to travel to.