A MisAdventure

I have been lucky enough to experience my first MisAdventure here in the UK.

Friday during one of my classes I had to run out of the room - I thought I was going to faint/throw up. Another teacher ran into my classroom and took over. I went to the nurse and told her I was going to be sick. I ended up on the floor in the women's restroom with an awful pain in my side. I was freaking out about my class. The nurse ended up getting my department head, Keith, and he had to drive me to my doctor. So here I am, shaking while they wheel me out of school and down the front steps....luckily all of the kids were in their classes.

We get to the doctor and Keith wheels me in and I am thrashing around - in unbelievable pain - and they just say "Room 9" as we go in. Go right into room nine and this woman starts asking me questions. Gets me on a table. Does the whole Scale of pain from 1 to 10 think - I say 9. She says there is nothing she can do and I have to go to the hospital. She calls ahead and Keith drives me up the road to the hospital. GOOD thing I registered at that doctor like two days earlier...This came out of nowhere - fine one minute and then BAM - the worst pain you can image the next.

I don't remember any of the ride or going to the hospital. Keith just gets me another wheelchair and I end up in the surgical assessment area. Once again, they saw me right away and were fiddling about - I, in the meantime, decided to throw up. Keith is sitting there confused as all hell. I start thrashing about some more because I just can't get comfortable or control myself. Finally Dr. Jack comes and does a line in my arm and gave me a huge injection of pain killers and nausea medication. Eventually, I just stopped moving and passed out.

Long story short, I had kidney stones. How lovely. I'm told it's the worst pain you can have, a 10 on that nice little pain scale. They say childbirth is less painful. They take me for an MRI and XRay - yep - a stone. In the meantime I'm on 2.5 IVs before I can use the loo. Dr. Jack tells me "Well, you're a bit dehydrated..."

So they admit me into the hospital somehow and put me on tons of medication. I can't feel anything, which is a good thing. Mary came to check on me and then Amy came to sit with me for the night. Keith came back and brought me some toiletries and towels - and he even went and bought me some panties. That's a great Department head for you.

They wouldn't let me eat or drink anything by mouth for 24 hours. Friday night was ok - mostly me lying awake because it sounded like the nursing staff was playing hockey in the hallway with a toolbox - so bloody loud. Amy brought me up some PJ pants (the gnome ones) and slippers, so at least I was a bit comfy.

Saturday the pain came back, so we doubled up on Meds. Amy ended up coming back up to see me, and they moved me down to the Urology section -- ALL men in a smelly ward - I was lucky enough to get my own little room. Carol, the school nurse came up and brought some flowers, fruit and squash (for flavoring water) -so that was much appreciated. Amy and I just sat BSing the entire time. Eventually I was given soup and jelly (jell-o to us Yanks). Amy went home and Patricia, one of the ladies who worked at the Hotel came to see me. We chatted a bit and then Richard, one of my flatmates came bearing chocolate and flowers. Bless him.

Sunday morning I woke up (after a great sleep) not needed any pills. Took a shower and was told to move again. They moved me to the end of the smelly ward - by myself. I was very unhappy. The ward was really yucky and there was an old man screaming out in pain every so often. Amy ended up coming to visit - never abiding by the visiting hours - which is really funny. We did some cheerleading prep and then she waited for me to be discharged so she could drive me home. After six hours, they finally let me go - giving me plenty of pills to take and instructing me to remain cautious.

I still have this kidney stone - have no idea where it is in my system - am not sure about when I can return to work. Pretty much, it was the worst release ever. I was very happy to be let go though. They still hadn't let me eat any actual food, so Amy and I stopped at Pizza Hut on the way home and got ourselves a pizza.

And now, here I am. Not allowed to go into work (Mary's orders) until I see my GP. The pain is coming back so I've taken a pain killer. Gotten a number of messages from school people - my mobile ran out of credit so I couldn't tell anyone anything. They will all learn tomorrow, I suppose.

Overall, quite an experience. Explains why I was sick on the plane. I now know what Squash is...love it. Amy is a lifesaver - and I'm really happy to say that I found a great group of people here. It will be nice to be able to use the toilet without worry, so hopefully this passess quickly. And to top it all off - the hospital stay is part of National Health Insurance. One bill I don't have to pay. Very nice.

Something Brewing...

I've noticed over the past few weeks that the children at school are a bit - well - horrid. Yes, I believe that would be the correct term. They are just very rowdy - which makes it very difficult to teach a lesson. I believe it's the old "testing the new teacher" thing which all students feel obligated to embark upon when school starts. One boy actually said to me today during class "Miss, we thought you were leaving." I said "Leaving for where?" "Leaving school because you couldn't handle us."

Excuse me?

I informed the little angels that I wasn't going anywhere. And despite how they were taught in previous years, I am their teacher now. They need to trust me and cooperate and we will have a fun, productive class. There's no reason why we both can't get what we want.

Of course - my ideas sound great, but will they actually work.

I think I need to re-read The Secret - a spiritual lift is in order.

..::A Happy Revelation::..

I'm moving on

I've dealt with my ghosts and I've faced all my demons
Finally content with a past I regret
I've found you find strength in your moments of weakness
For once I'm at peace with myself
I've been burdened with blame,
trapped in the past for too long
I'm movin' on

I've lived in this place and I know all the faces
Each one is different but they're always the same
They mean me no harm but it's time that I face it
They'll never allow me to change
But I never dreamed home would end up where I don't belong
I'm movin' on

I'm movin' on
At last I can see life has been patiently waiting for me
And I know there's no guarantees, but I'm not alone
There comes a time in everyone's life
When all you can see are the years passing by
And I have made up my mind that those days are gone

I sold what I could and packed what I couldn't
Stopped to fill up on my way out of town
I've loved like I should but lived like I shouldn't
I had to lose everything to find out
Maybe forgiveness will find me somewhere down this road
I'm movin' on

I'm movin' on
I'm movin' on


What is it -- I move to the UK and start listening to country?

Sunday Sunday

An Ode to Sundays:

Ahem.

Not Waking up to the BEEP BEEP BEEP of an alarm
A Uniform of a Hoodie and Fuzzy Slippers
Messy Hair
Coco in Bed (while wrapped in a wool blanket)
Friends on T4
iTunes free downloads
Cleveland getting their butts kicked, but not having to see it
Looking at the week ahead -- possibilties --

And then, of course:

Finding out what everyone did while they were drunk last night...

...Yea, that's still my favorite.

Friday

Survived my first full week of school. I'm tired! I suppose I'm just drained after having the summer off -- but then again I worked Monday through Friday this summer being abused daily by little children. I suppose it's the same feeling, I just had a two week intermission from exhaustion.

I love teaching drama - I have a LOT of kids, but it makes for a great variety of personalities. I love drama too -- it's so much fun, even when the kids are like "Drama is supposed to be practical!" and they don't understand that you have to master the little things to be able to do the big things.

I don't think these kids are used to my teaching style yet either. I just stop if they are talking. And then I start warning students - "do not talk over me, it's rude." If they do it again, they are in the hall. Again? They go to referral. It's a tough system to get used to because it's so different. I'm used to just writing up a detention,

Learning. Part of life, right?

La la la la la

I've officially survived almost a whole week of school. I absolutely love the school - the faculty, the kids, the atmosphere. It's just like the world that I left two years ago - but it's perfect. Even the imperfections are perfect.

There are things that I miss, of course.

Aghem.
Things that I miss but can kind of deal without:
1. No dryer - air drying my clothes is awful (hate it)
2. No Vh1 - I understand that it's on Sky - but I don't have Sky. I just miss morning music videos.
3. Dad's cooking - why is cooking for myself suddenly not good enough? And why does my food taste like crap?
4. My Toyota. I miss my baby. My poor feet are starting to feel life without a car....training for the 10 K...psh.

Things that I really miss and can only have back home:
1. My family and friends. Mom, Dad, Ron and Bro -- oh geeze. And Jen, Jeff and Nick. Double geeze.
2. Those Friday Night Lights. No High School football on Friday nights is actually really difficult. That's one of the things I love about being a teacher - the school spirit! Supporting my students! And I *love* football!
3. Arabica. I miss my coffee shop. I loved going, especially around Christmas, and just staying there all night working on stuff for school and watching the snow fall past the lights hanging outside.

Out of fairness, I must compose a list of things I can only get here:
1. Chocolate. Especially Swiss Rolls. Oh wow -that's heaven in a chocolaty formation.
2. Dancing in the Pub! FINALLY! And everyone does it! And I feel like I am still the best one out there!
3. Colleagues -- LOVELY. They don't steal ideas or make me feel inadequate either.
4. Fanta. I love it! I don't even like soda, but I heart Fanta.
5. Commercials. The Walker Crisps one is my personal fav.
6. Public transport. I don't have to drive anywhere! The bar? Walk. The city? Take a train? It's perfect!

I'm sure given more thought I could come up with some better items....but this works.

5 out of 7

Today was a brilliant teaching day. I have a full day - all 5 classes - and four of them were brilliant! We all have those rough classes, I happened to have two rough classes within the past two days. So that's not bad. One a day! Other than that I thought that the kids were charming. They actually sat and listened to me, participated, didn't make fun of me (too much).

I did learn that it's not a "trash can" - it's a bin.
I also learned that you have five first days of school! I have my kiddies once a week - so it's the first day of drama for five days. Pretty nifty.

The school is smashing when it comes to friendly people, and the tea break and lunch break are at perfect times! I love it! Right when I need a break, there it is!

Now, I only have to figure out how to make it to school earlier. I need to get myself out of bed a little sooner than 45 minutes before I need to be at school....

Schoooooool

Today was my first staff day at school! Here are the details:

We met at 8:30 for an all staff meeting. I did my little stand up and smile bit and felt like a huge ass when the other bluewave girl (from Jamaica) stood up and delivered a speech about how happy she was to be there.

I met with the drama department - myself and Keith, and then a part time lady named Marion - they are FAB! Totally consistent with my style (well, as close as you can get!) - they are cool, casual and have great attitudes. Keith, the head, is leaving at Christmas - he said I could be head and I went "HA - no." Marion wanted to know if I was single. And THEN they said there was going to be a musical - A MUSICAL? Oh, this is good.

I befriended a French teacher, who is also new, named Stefanie. She lived in Paris - very cool, we got coffee together.

My "buddy" is Lucy - she was new last year - helping me out along the way. We ate lunch together - it was really nice - Vegetarian pie, Baked Potato, salad (don't get me started on the concept of "salads" here).

I also met my pigeon hole buddy - Ross - we're the two Mc's right next to each other on the top shelf. He introduced me to four other PE teachers as they past, but I don't recall anyone's name. He said he was in America to teach football. Our exchange:

Me: "Now, when you say football you mean...."
Ross: "SOCCER. I'll give you this one, but we call it FOOTBALL here."
Me: "Oooo, well I'm an American Football girl - I don't know if this is going to work out."

Overall, it was a nice day. I got a lot of info, I need a lot more. Tomorrow I get trained on the computer system....hopefully we will also go over the curriculum... All in all, everyone is so nice, the school is beautiful, and I feel like I can actually fit in!

Now - I must just move into my house and befriend those individuals. World Domination. Woo hoo!

Punting

And I've decided that I want to go PUNTING in Cambridge next weekend!

I figure if I go somewhere new every weekend I might be on the right path for World Domination.

Where's my travel book....I've got some planning to do...

Ah ha!

My navigation skills never fail to impress me. Yesterday, I caught a mid morning bus to Norwich (the smokin capital of Norfolk). Not only did I figure out which bus it was and get off at the right stop, but I also managed to find my way around town WITHOUT a map! Score one point for me.

I bought a pair of shoes (which I think are lovely) - even though I really don't need any more shoes.

Norwich is actually a really nice place. LOTS of places for shopping. I wasn't feeling very well, but I still managed around just fine. I was brilliant a second time and found my way home - isn't that great?

Today, armed with the little bit of knowledge I have of town, I decided to trek off to the catholic church. I knew the order went Pool, Police station, Library, KFC, Church. I made a wrong turn at the pool (BECAUSE it's on a corner - seriously, how was I to know which way to go?), and ended up in the little shopping area. I ended up making another couple of turns and found myself at the library. I continued onward and was jumping up and down when I finally ended up outside the church - with time to spare.

I must say, the mass was the most dry thing I ever attended, but it got interesting when I figured out that I was about to faint. Trust me, I've fainted enough times to KNOW when I'm going to faint. So I sat down, eventually it passed, and I made my way back home (with no wrong turns!!).

I'm thinking about asking Debbie if I can do some laundry....I condensed the pile, but seriously....I have to do something.

TOMORROW I have teacher day at the school - I am super excited! Wednesday I am hoping to move into the flat as well. Granted, it's like three doors down, but it will be nice to be unpacked!