Blogs from Luton, Bedfordshire, England, United Kingdom, Europe - page 2

When Jodi invited me to go out with them tonight, she said, "Just come by the house. We're going to have a few drinks before we head out." I thought it would be about five people, the usual suspects. But this, is a full-fledged party! Loud music pumping, alcohol flowing, and I don't even know most of the people here. "Hey!" Jodi shouts over the music. "Would you like something to drink?" "No, thanks!" Honestly, I'm not a big drinker. I don't like the taste of most alcoholic beverages, and I don't like the heaviness in my stomach, like I'm dehydrated. I usually opt out of alcohol. When I do have drinks with friends, it's Jack and Coke, baby. I find a spot on the couch and start munching on Funyons, which I probably haven't had ... read more

When I switched from teaching science to humanities, I also inherited four business classes. Actually, the course is called "enterprise", which is a combination of citizenship and business. Upon completing the coursework, the students will receive two GCSE's, which are basically qualifications in a certain field. I've seen job ads in the paper that say, "Applicant must have a GCSE in maths and science" or "Must have GCSE in food technology." Anyway, I'm completely unqualified to teach this class. You might as well ask me to be the new CEO for Microsoft or a senator. I don't even know where to start! I've never taken a business class in my life--not in high school or college. Furthermore, I don't fully understand "coursework". We don't have that in America. I know I'm supposed to teach them some ... read more

One of the ladies who works in the front office at school has cancer from asbestos. It's all over the school and in practically every building in England. At home, schools are condemned, torn down and rebuilt if they have asbestos. Here, they'd have to tear down the whole country to get rid of it. It's just everywhere. So we've been planning a fundraiser ball for Nicky to raise money for asbestos cancer awareness. I had assumed the fundraiser was for her and her family, because cancer treatment is expensive. Then I remembered, Oh, yeah! Universal health care. They don't have to pay for her cancer treatment. So the money is going to charity. Megan, the beautiful music teacher, has been assigned the task of recruiting teachers to sing a couple of songs for the ball. ... read more

I don't think I can take this school for another seven months. I hate this job so much, it's like destroying my soul. I've never been treated with such disrespect in all my life. I've never felt so powerless. I feel like a loser, but I have to get out of here. And I don't ever want to teach again. I just want to curl up in a ball in my mommy's bed, completely hidden under the covers, and stay there for like three months. I call my mother and tell her I'm coming home. "Oh, thank God!" she says. "I thought, what's it gonna take!" Problem is that I have no money to buy a plane ticket home. I used it all up during my Christmas break, plus I didn't get paid for that two ... read more

I emailed the airlines last night to see if I could change my ticket so I can fly home sooner. I haven't heard back from them, so I call. No answer. I leave a message on the machine. Slipping my cell phone into my pocket, I take a deep breath, trying to clear my mind. Stay calm, Alicia. Stop stressing about this. It's in God's hands. BUT I HAVE TO GO HOME!! You'll get there. Stop worrying and enjoy the day. I spend the next hours trying to stay focused on the world around me, taking deep breaths, striving to stay in the present moment. One thing is for sure: for the past few months, God has been giving me lessons in surrender. I have a hard time letting go. ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ The students and faculty are ... read more