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Published: September 18th 2010
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I've been living in Bangalore for almost 2 months now and before I head to bed I thought I'd try and write a little bit as I have had no time at all to write about my time here so far. I could go to sleep right this second but think this may be the only point I'm motivated to write so better do it now!
I'm sitting in my bedroom at 11pm on a Saturday night (it's a training weekend this weekend, so I have to be at school all weekend, so no Saturday night fun for me) with a vanilla candle burning, my cup of vanilla white tea (so yum) steaming next to my bed and my ipod murmuring in the background..Tori Amos 'Spark'. Outside it's quiet save for the odd dog barking. Loads of people here in the apartments around me have dogs so it's an inevitable part of life, as is the occasional 'TOOOOOOT' of the train that passes near here every so often. I have mostly got used to it but may consider earplugs for when I want more of a lie-in..
So, how to sum up 2 months in Bangalore..I'll just write what
comes to mind. So far, it's not like I've gone around snapping pictures of amazing things; I've been too busy. My working day starts with my alarm going off at 6.10am, getting the school bus half an hour later, arriving school at 7am, having a cup of tea and getting ready for first period at 7.40am. School ends at 2.55 but twice a week we have extra-curricular activities and I help run the choir and the art and craft club with the really small kids for the latter, and at least twice a week try to go riding at the horse-riding school opposite school, so I'm pretty busy. I leave on the school bus at 4.30 usually, get home, often work non-stop frequently without eating tea as I can't be bothered until going to bed at about 11pm. I try to go to bed earlier but it never happens! So I calculate I am working over 80 hours a week these days but that's how it's going to be until I get my head around teaching 2 out of 3 subjects I've never taught before and to 4 age groups I never have before. At the moment I teach English
to 11 and 14 year olds, Humanities to 11 year olds and Music to 5-10 year olds. I've never taught Humanities or Music and I've never taught primary. And trying to get to grips with the IB curriculum. Phew.
It's tiring for sure, but I'm nowhere near hating my job like I did in my teacher training year. The IB is so much freer which is daunting at times when you are supposed to create whole units of work and concepts when there is no scaffolding or resources in place, but at the same time liberating not to feel under the microscope like I felt the National Curriculum was. I have a long 'to-do' list of things I need to do work-wise, but there are only so many hours in the day, so at the moment, I'm just trying to do my best and hope that I catch up with things at some point!
So what about the rest of Bangalore..so far I think it's a really great city. The traffic is surprisingly not that bad especially compared to e.g. Dhaka or Bangkok, which is what I was expecting. There are loads of cafes and bars to go
to although it is like UK old opening hours; everything shuts at 11.30pm! I can get several versions of an iced coffee (my favourite) at Cafe Coffee Day or Barista to name a few..eat a fabulous Indian meal at Saaga a 10 min taxi drive away and go shopping and have a salon trip at Big Market a rickshaw-ride away. The fabric shops are amazing and you can get M&S and Body Shop stuff, even Lush if you want..but I choose not to as their prices are ridiculous and there's nothing you can't get the equivalent of in local shops. I went to City Market the other weekend where people were so friendly, giving me flowers as I wandered around the wonderfully fragrant flower market in the basement and just wanting to wave hello and ask 'your country?' which of course I never know how to answer. I went for Iceland last time!
The October half term is not tooo far away and we have 10 days off so I'm planning on spending a few days at home here working before heading off somewhere..can't decide where though as there's the entire country to choose from..aah there are worse decisions
to have to make I suppose!
For now, here are my favourite and not-so-favourite things about my new home 😊
-trying a cup of hot sweet strong chai at a stall near City Market
-seeing mountains of flowers at City Market
-deciding how I can possibly buy and use all the silk and cotton I see everywhere..I want it all!
-the monsoon rain from my top floor balcony
-horse-riding
-riding a rickshaw in the dark with the wind in my hair
-seeing the shake of the head from side to side meaning 'yes' or 'ok'..I end up doing it myself!
-the food, local and international
-every day is a blue sky day
-having my own flat all to myself
-colour, colour all around
-getting used to power cuts - they don't last long but they are annoying
-remembering to swill out all the ants that gather in my kettle every time I want to make a cup of tea
-there's no hot water from the tap or in the washing machine so you have to boil your own first
-the odd mosquito..although they barely touch me, lucky me!
-slightly crap TV
-not having my own transport. At the
moment I'm reliant on colleagues' cars and the school bus..and taxis which I can't hail but instead have to book an hour in advance..it's hard to be spontaneous at the moment
-I really like having small classes. Largest class in MYP (secondary) = 14 Largest in PYP (primary) = 18
-making new friends and the possibility of more
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