 | Sunday, December 31, 2000 Well my trip home is coming to a close. It's still
strange to think that I was only back for a *visit*!
I need to back up a few weeks before I start on my Christmas visit. Shortly I came home from Bruges I got sick with a cold. It lasted a long time and turned into a terrible cough. I actually didn't feel as bad as I looked or sounded! My school even had me stay home one day. Around that time I started to get an intense pain in my chest when ever I coughed (I thought I just pulled a muscle). This continued to get worse until it hurt every time I breathed.
So the weekend before I left I was in a lot of pain and I started to get a very nervous about what exactly I had and when it would go away. So since it was Saturday and I didn't have my own GP yet I had to go to the local hospital (to get antibiotics and anti-inflammatories). I arrived at about 9:30 pm and was seen by an Emergency doctor shortly after 10 pm. I thought, great, I'll be home by midnight.
However he thought there was a slight chance that I may have a P.E. (blood clot in my lung). To make a long story short... I was kept in Casualty until 5 am and then admitted to the hospital at 6 am. There I stayed until Tuesday afternoon. No blood clot, just pneumonia and an irritated pleura.
I left for home on Thursday!
My parents were especially happy to see me as we didn't know until Tuesday if I'd be able to come home for Christmas.
I was still very weak and in pain when I arrived so the jet lag really hit me hard and I spent most of the first 3 days at home resting.
Christmas was very nice. We were all spoiled of course! We had a quiet morning and then had the Mondor clan over for dinner.
Then wedding madness started. For those who don't know, my cousin asked me to be a bridesmaid. We had fittings, a dinner rehearsal, a stagette, a spa day, hair and make-up sessions, and of course the wedding day itself.
Despite being waxed, polished and painted... the bridesmaid experience was enjoyable. We had sleeveless and strapless dresses but the venue was sooo warm that this was an unexpected asset. Saturday, December 9, 2000 Let's see....
Last time I wrote I was on my way to Covent Garden to see the lighting of the Christmas tree. It was a great evening. I met up with Wendy and we watched the concert they had set up... it was FANTASTIC. It has Christmas carols, youths dancing, funky young classical groups (a real hoot, makes classical music really fun to watch!) and then the famous opera singer Russell Watson (I'm not sure if I got his name right?) and that was also really good. He was presented with his platinum record there too. Cool, init? He only sang two songs (he had to wait a minimum 60 seconds or something in between due to his contract!). They also had fireworks galore and the tree had these flaming
fire things on it that came on (and burned out) before
the lights actually were turned on by the opera singer.
After a nice dinner, we went to the Maple Leaf after. It provided entertainment as everyone was 18-something and on the hunt. The Oilers were playing the Flames, which made the visit to the overcrowded pub worthwhile for me.
Last week I had an "interview" with a school in Roterhithe (East London Line for those who are curious). I was offered and accepted the position. I will be working there on Mondays, Tuesdays and Thursdays. In the morning I will be taking 10 year six students for their literacy and numeracy time. Then in the afternoons I will be covering off, on a regular rotation schedule, the senior staff co-ordinators for their release time. That includes Nursery one afternoon a week! Eekk.... snot, pee and tears. Despite that, the position is perfect (in theory at the moment) for me. It gives my my Fridays free, if I want, for long weekends to travel. I don't have major classroom responsibilities, such as major planning, marking, etc. Granted I will have some take home work, but not as much. I plan to supply on Wednesdays and Fridays, hopefully at West Thornton (my current school) mostly. They also offered me a job, or to extend my current position, but while I really like my kids, I don't want a full time teaching position right now.
Last weekend I went to Bruges... mmmmmmmmmmmm. Fun. I went with Wendy. We had a fun trip.... involving waffles, beer and young boys... :-) I'm tired of typing, so I'll leave that story for later. | |
