Brussels, also known as Bruxelles

Okay, I am sorry if this sounds stupid, but I was unaware that in Brussels they speak mostly French and also that Brussels is the capital of Europe.  Just some fun facts for those of you who are as unaware as I was.

First off, gettng to Brussels was not fun, epecially lugging around a rucksack (I know, stop complaining Jennifer).  We arrived in the train station, bought tickets, waited and waited and waited for food, ran and I do mean ran to our platform....only to find out, train ariving at a different platform!! So we of course clip it to the next platform and wonder if we will find a seat at all, everyone is trying to cram themselves in to these coaches.  However, low and behold, we find an almost empty one with huge comortable seats.  Why isn't everyone in here, we wonder?  That's right, first class and so we remove ourselves from our comfort and drag ourselves down to where the commoners sit. 

Once in Brussels, we wander arounf for a half hour and accidentally stumble upon our hostel.  We grab a quick nap, and then head out to a world famous bar, Delirium.  Here they serve about 400 types of beer, and if you are ever there, trust me the cherry beer is divine!  So, we drink some beer, meet some people who barely speak English and listen to some great live music.  All in all, a good night.

Next day, we decideto do some very touristy things:
-Le Grand Place, which is absolutely beautiful and I cannot describe it, so see picture.
- Atomium, this weird moecule shaped building with various exhibits, but pretty cool (ate a Belgium waffle).
-Mini Europe (Yes, you guessed it, the sights of Europe in mini form! Exciting at fist, but excitement does wear off once you hit Greece).
- Le Mannequin-Pis or the Peeing Boy (a famous fountain in Brussels, not that exciting).
-Supper at a nice restaurant looking out over Le Grand Place.

Next day, shopping!! Bought a few nice things, then headed to the train station for Paris, which of course will be my nex blog. Stay tuned!

Amsterdam!!

Okay,

Again, I know I haven't blogged in a while and there is a lot to say, so I will try to give the short version! Here goes:

Amsterdam:
- Arrive in Eindhoven, take train to Amsterdam, check in at our hostel (which surprisingly enough turns out to be a Christian hostel complete with Bible study and everything hahah).
- Put our stuff away, head out on the streets to the fair where I rode a ferris wheel (more like a viewng wheel) with amost no fear!! I know, fear of heights diminshing maybe?
- Next, of course, we hit the first coffee shop we saw.  Very nice people, delicious space cake.  Once we had our fill...
-  Red Light District (anther surprising tidbit, right next to our Christian Hostel, I guess they are trying to save the heathens or is it harlets?).  This is somewhat depressing during the day.
- That night, we hit a sex show wth one of our roomates from the hostel.  Yes, we had to experience everything.  The show was actually quite fun but disturbing when the 'actors' look as if they would rather be anywehere else doing anything else.
- Leave the show with some people we met inside, I know sounds creepy but they were actually quite nice and explore the Red Light District at night, which is a lot better than the day!
- Next morning early rise, we hit the town for a walking tour which was very interesting despite the freezing cold rain. 
- Again, meeting new people we hit another coffee shop and then decided we were sleepy so we returned to the hostel for a quick nap. 
- Three hours later... we meet up with the people from the night before, plus a new friend from the hostel (a Canadian) and we head out for supper and then a strip club.
- I was given a lap dance which I din't want nor did I pay but it was an experience in itself!
- Head back to the hostel, shop the next day and then hit our train to Brussels (with our new Candaian friend, Chantal).

Okay, that was the quick version, next blog....wait for it....Brussels.

Wow, Teaching in the UK is very different from Canada!!

Wow,  I can't believe I have not written anything in over a month!!!  That;s because I started my job since my last post and have been too tired and busy to post!! I know, I know, no excuse.  Okay here goes......   Since you last heard from me I went to the Thames Festival where we experienced lots of different cultures, and food.  I got a beautiful bracelet made from a fork, and I watched it being made!!! You have to see it to understand its uniqueness!!

Okay what else??  Oh yes,  I went out to a Timeplan social which is the company I work for and met a lot of new people.  I also met a very nice girl at work.  Our circle of friends are branching out which is great because there is always something to do! 

.....Then of course, I got sick.  You know just your basic flu, went to he doctor, got penecillin.... and then wham!! Guess who's allergic to penicillin? That's right folks, a major allergic reaction that out me off work for a week!  Only this would happen in England, away from my mom, hahhah.  Am feeling better now though, I blame my sickness on the kids in the first place, :)

So how does teaching here differ from home??Well, forst of all, the kids all wear uniforms.  Everything is very strict and structured, right down to morning assembly, to how they organize themselves to eat lunch.  Kids are expected to have perfect presentation in their books, and pages are ripped out if they are not up to par.  There are no text books so all resources have to be made up by the teachers.  Yelling is somewhat more acceptable here and the kids expect it when they are misbehavng, even though I don't normally yell at them.  I think this is why they are so chatty hahah!  I teach Year 5 which is the same as grade 4 back home.  They are all very interested in Newfoundland and they now want to listen to "The Islander" every day!

I have mad a lot of new friends since I have been here, and we are planning a lot of fun things in the future.  Thursday we are going to see "Priscilla Queen of the Desert" which is a musical and then this weekend, another social for my teaching agency.  Next Friday, myself and Ashley head out to The Netherlands, Belgium, and France.  Can't Wait!!!

That's all for now, will post again after my trip!!

Covent Garden, Stomp, and a night out!

Okay, so I haven't blogged in a while and I know you are probably wondering what I've been up to!!  Its been a pretty good week.  On Monday, me and Ashley went to Harlow and visited with Ashley's friend from high school and her boyfreind.  We got to see the MUN campus and it was beautiful, small, but beautiful.  We also did some shopping and I had to indulge in a coat and a top.  Oh my!! It has begun!!!!   Also, another new roomate moved in, Sarah, yes another Sarah who is also from Canada and really nice. 

The week was pretty laid back, but on Thursday, we decided to see Covent Garden which was awesome!!!  There was so much to see, and people everywhere!!! There were statue people, street performers, stores, flea markets, you name it!!! One day was not enough and we will be going back, but we had to quit early and rush back to our house.  Sarah, our first roomate's family were leaving the next day and we had a big supper with them and a few of Sarah's friends, Amy, and Jacob, and two new ones, Marren, and Jacquelin.  All nice peopl, and great food. 

The next day me and Ashley were torn on whether we should go out to the pubs with the girls or go to a show.  We chose to go to a show and we saw Stomp!!!! It was fantastic, those people were so talented.  They used brooms, garbage cans, and other household items to make the best kind of rhytm and music.  I suggest that anyone who comes to England, see that show!!!!  Afterwards, we walked around the streets for a while and heade to the Tube Station where heard over and over again on the announcement that a station was closed due to a person under a train!!! I was shocked that this was actually announced over the loud speaker and was more shocked to learn that this kind o thing happens more that I would like to think. 

The next day, yesterday, we lazed around for most of the day and then myself, Ashley and new Sarah got dressed up and headed out to meet other Amy and her friends at The Maple Leaf, a local Canadian pub.  I know I know, I am in England and go to a Canadian pub but hey it was fun.  Apparently however the only Canadian beer they serve is Moosehead.  I heard a couple of British guys talking about ordering a beer from Canada and one said he wanted one from Newfoundland, and of course I had to comment!! He was in the air force and had been to Gander, hahah but I told him there would be no Newfoundland beer at that pub!! We barely exist to the rest of Canada!!!   

Our next stop was O'Neils, a bar with three floors, a pub, one with live music, and a dance floor.  We danced the night away to BonJovi, Lady Gaga, Rhianna, you name it!  My feet were killing me by this point, note to self, never wear heals in London!!!  We had met up woth other Sarah and Marren by this point, and we had been on the go since 7 or so.  They start early here!!!  By 1:30, we called it a night, headed to McDonald's for a feed, and got a can home.  We had a fun night and we all slept in this morning, me the latest of course.  Today we sat around chatting, eating, and drinking tea, and I have to say it was great.  School starts this week so hopefully I'll start getting Sub/ Supply days soon!!  Don't know what's on the agenda next but stay tuned!!!

The Church!!!

So I went to church yesterday.  Yes, keep reading, I know you are shocked.  Sarah, my roomamte from Canada, has her family visitng.  We woke up around 9, got dressesd, and then there was a big breakfast of eggs, bacon, french toast, and Tim Horton's coffee!!!!!! We were well fed and ready to spend the day at the Church.  Ashley in a leather dress, fringes, teased hair, black make-up, and funky jewllery, me in a short jean dress, black tights with holes in them, bright pink make-up, crazy eighties hair and wrist bands.  Yes, this is the kind of get up you wear to the Church in England.  The Church is an Australian bar that has a big party every sunday from 12-4, hence the name the Church.  Everyone dresses in costumes, has a few drinks, listens to some great music, and yes, watches some strippers, and since it is a long weekend here, there was a male stripper for the girls as well!!!

There were smurfs, bananas, pirates, santas, Hannibal Lecter??? can't spell haha, and many more.  There was always something to see.  By 4, we were exhausted but Sarah had some plans for us, we were dragged to the Walkabout which is a bar where everyone goes after the Church.  Craziness reigned again, and I tried a Snake Bite which is half beer, half cider, and a splash of black current.  Sounds gross, but was actually quite tasty.  We enjoyed a few beer baths, because apparently here it is okay to throw your beer around and soak the crowd!! 

Where else can you go out, dressed like you are from the eighties and start partying at 12 on a sunday?? I was getting some weird looks on the Tube, but by the time we reached our destination, I was the least of anyone's worries!!! I found Where's Waldo, Wolly over here!!! I also found some football players.  The costumes were hilarious and we had a great time.  We then hopped on the tube, met some random British guy, Sarah invited him along to the pub where we had some burgers and fries, sorry chips I mean.  By this time, 8:30 or so, myself and Ashley were absolutely exhausted so we decided to head home. While waiting for our bus we bought some Ben and Jerry's ice cream and ate it with smurf spoons which is the only way to describe the so-calle dutensils given to us by the store clerk.  Once home, we immediately got into bed, but couldn't fall asleep after our eventful day!!!

Today was a very lazy day, tomorrow, who knows??? Anything's possible.  Keep reading to find out!!!

Buckingham Palace and 1st Night Out!!!

So, I knew the Palace was going to be huge, but wow!!! Its really hard to describe and since you are not allowed to take pics inside, I cannot show anyone what it looks like!!  The rooms are big, and decorated beautifully, even the visitor bathrooms, which I did take pictures of!  Basically it was four hours of walking around looking at paintings and furniture and wondering why these people get to live in a place like this! Also they charge about 30 pounds for a tour, you think they could just let everyone in for free  but nooooooooooo!

Anyways, after being told we were not allowed to eat in the grounds, walking around for hours, feet and backs killing, and trying to find guards to take pictures with, we decided to head home.  This is a lot easier said than done, for you see, we live in "Greater Londond" and it took us approximately an hour and fifteen minutes to get from the Palace to our house.  As most of you know, I usually am horrible with directions, but for some reason I was able to naviagte our way home quite easily.  We just hopped on the James St. Park tube, switched at the Victoria station to get on the Victoria line, switched at Oxford Circus to get on the Central Line, got off at Leytonstone to switch to the right tube to get to Redbridge Station, hopped on a bus after waiting for ten minutes, got off the bus at Cranbrook Road and walked the five minutes to our house.  Simple right??? Hahahah, and yes, I found our way home!!! Don't ask me how, I am just getting better at directions, and Facebook apparently since being here. 

Once home I had to take a nap, after we ordered two large pizzas, one each, and I ate half of one, yes me, ate half of a large pizza.  Ask Ashley if you don't believe me!! And it was delicious, from Domino's.  Once up, it was out for the night, with Sarah, our new roomate from Toronto.  Again, we had to get a bus which was detoured due to construction, so we had to ride the bus for about forty minutes into Redford?? I think!!  We then went into the pub, The Edge??  for some live music and pints!!  The music was fun, we met some of Sarah's teacher friends, and Ashley met some British boys!!  We were all talkking, and having a laugh, making fun of their accents, and then they tried to teach us how to speak properly, when all of a sudden things turned sour.  They were telling us that we lived in a horrible neighborhood, where he used to be in a gang.  I asked him whether it was the Bloods or the Crips (don't know if that's spelled correctly)  and he did not like that and started calling us names.  Then Sarah came up defending our neighborhood, and things got worse.  Apparently we are Mangy, French, American Cunts,  Who Knew?? Not me, I guess you learn something new every day!!!  Hahahah

Anyways, we tried not to let those guys ruin our night, and carried on to a gay bar where we danced to the Spice Girls!! That's right people, the Spice Girls.  We stayed for a bit and then me and Ashley decided to go home.  Sarah had told us where to get the bus so we followed her lead.  After another thirty minutes of waiting in the middle of a dark street, with very few people, our bus shows up.  We end up going past our stop, and then being frustrated I decided to hail a cab.  I guess I can only navigate during the day!!

Long story short, long day and night but funny experiences to write about.  Slept till four today but hey, that's pretty good, seeing how I haven't been sleeping that good.  Tomorrow, London, kareoke? Anything's possible here in England.  Stay posted!!

First Week in England

It's hard to believe that I have already been in England for five days!!!  It seems to be flying by so fast.  Everyone seems to be hounding me for details, so I thought this would be the perfect way to let you all know what I am up to!

Night flight-what can I say, stuck between two people you don't know can be overwhelming, especially when you are afraid of flying!!!  It all worked out though.  With little or no slepp, me and Ashley arrived in Heathrow and headed through madness to meet our cab driver.  He was equipped with our new cell phones (or mobiles) and our duvets and pillows which actually looked and felt more like tissue poaper than anything else.  The house is beautiful and me and Ashley have big rooms, with double beds.  Ashley says my room is nicer but hey, she has a freaking sink in hers!!!

Met two roomates so far, a fellow Canadian and a South African.  Both seem nice, but the Canadain is who we will be partying with I think!! She has already invited us to an afternoon Aussie party this sunday called The Church.  Apparently everybody dresses in costume, so we have to think of something original!

So far, we have settled into the new house, scrubbed it clean, bought duvet covers, towels, etc... and basically made it feel as homey as possible.  We have explored our area and it is great that we have a lot of stores nearby, including a grocery store and a dollar, pound? store.  We are also very close to bus stations and tube stations. 

We have only been into London once and checked out Oxford Street.  I used great self control not to buy every article of clothing I saw!! I am sure I won't be able to hold out for long though.  :)   Today we visited our agency, TimePlan and met the people who will be finding us work.  Three hours later we left, after pretty much signing our lives away.  Tired again, now we have been sleeping terribly!!  That's all for now, tomorrow Buckingham Palace!