Making time...is hard

So I feel as though we should change our blog name to something along the lines of..."We only post when we take days off"...but obviously shorter and more catchy.
Yes its Friday, its beautiful out and I taught some pretty...lets leave it at 'difficult' kids yesterday so I decided that today would be my day off. I am therefore taking this opportunity to write/post...

I have a feeling that I am doing something wrong...T and I have a pretty awesome thing going right now...We work til 4pm everyday and then have the rest of the day off to do whatever we please...The only problem is that by 5:30 I am ready to pass out...like actually, curl up on the couch and die...I can't say that the kids here are any different than the ones back home. The schools are great and teachers typically leave you with a full plan of what needs to get done...Really so far London teaching has proven to be quite a breeze...a supply teachers dream. So why am I soooo super tired when I get home??? I am working on solving this mystery, perhaps I just need more days off...That seems like the great solution for the time being.

Other than being tired...a lot...which sucks...everything else is amazing. The weather has been beautiful, flowers are blooming all over the city. Grocery stores/flower markets sell daffodil bunches for 1 pound. There are pink blossom trees on every street and people just seem generally happy. We have been really into the whole market scene...perhaps a little overdone and cliche, but in reality there are some really cool treasures to be found. Here are some snap shots from several different markets that we visited...

BIG NEWS...T and I finally moved into the most perfect apartment ever. We lucked out with our wonderful landlord who left us with her books, her paintings and her plants. Our little place is cozy, feels lived in and has a super comfy couch for anyone who is planning on visiting :).

That is it for now...I want to get some sun...Stay tuned for some pictures of our lovely home.

V.

Snap Shots...

So I took a day off...yes I have only worked 3 days this week, but I feel like 3 days is better than none...The school was wonderful, the children a pleasure and the experience overall positive.

Even though we work for 8.5 hours a day and finish by 4:30...We have found it quite difficult to get anything done after work. By "getting things done" I mean exploring, taking time to enjoy and just do things that we normally have time to do...One of the things that I have been meaning to "get done" was to go through some of the pictures that we have taken and post them...so here they are. Just a few...London is beautiful, in the morning, in the rain, in the cold and obviously at night. So here are some of my favorites...

Buckingham Palace...It could be/probably should be a little more grand...

Street lights...everywhere...

Ben...he is quite big.

As cliche as it might be, the Eye and Ben are quite the sight...

A little cousin bonding...

Out door markets...so delish...

When the sun sets the palace turns pink...

St. Paul's on a beautiful/sunny/warm day...

St. Paul's...

Trafalgar Square...Ben is peaking out.

London China Town...small but they sell sriracha!

An ally way with lots of map stores...

T with a tree...in the park...there were lots of birds...

 Also just wanted to add this song...I have been listening to it on repeat today... originally by the Fleet Foxes but sung here by a 15 year old girl, I am blown away.

P.s...Happy International Women's day ladies...


V.

Londinium

Wow.

That is the first thing I say when asked about London living so far. The sights, the crowds, the weather, the architecture, the art, the culture.....one word, Europe. In the week and a half that both V and I have been here, we've taken the opportunity (the non-working variety) to explore as much as we could, and to see as many things as possible before work kicks in to high gear this week. We have also gotten many things accomplished from the time we've arrived, highlighted in V's previous post regarding London. I will not re-hash what has already been made public in terms of what our first days were like, but will instead highlight some interesting observations I have made during our time here so far.

1. Bathroom is called the loo. Why...not sure, it just is.

2. London is not an expensive city....flats can be expensive, but everyday spending in some cases can be even cheaper than back home. (ie. cell phone plan, cheese, wine, etc)

3. Pubs close early...11 pm usually.

4. Sunday nights are dead after 8:30-9 pm, especially when looking for food.

5. Every part of the city is a "bad neighbourhood" (except for maybe central London), depending on who you ask. Exploring and living in areas, are the only ways to know for real.

6. Red tape and paperwork always cause delays....not matter how well you prepared.

7. Coffee is very different from back home...the notion of a filtered coffee (aka regular coffee found anywhere and everywhere) does not exist here. The closest equivalent would be an Americano, a fusion of drip coffee and an espresso.

8. The notion of public wi-fi at cafes and restaurants, is not a common one here.

9. The tube is incredibly efficient, especially when compared to the "rocket" in TO and the Metro in Mtl.

10. Passion for football and £3 pints makes for an interesting atmosphere come game day. 

That's it for now, many more observations will undoubtedly continue to be made throughout our time here. Enjoy!

T.