The Christmas Adventure: Part One

It has been ages since I've posted anything, but what can I say? School requires more time than I'm properly giving it, and in between homework and sleep I try to shove in some kind of life. In the last month (or since I last updated), Yves and Ozzy have gone back home; Sam, Natasa, Lee, and I had Thanksgiving dinner at the convent hostel; we celebrated Bonfire Night on the Heath; and practiced our drinking skills whenever we had money. I also changed rooms and have gotten no sleep because Rachel and I have waaaay too much fun together, lol.

School is over for winter break now; I got a surprise ticket home for Christmas, which is why I am currently sitting on the floor in SFO waiting for another flight. I should've been home last night but they canceled our flight due to fog - and not even San Francisco fog, IDAHO fog. Idaho fog? Really? Luckily, I was able to spend the night at Grandma's, but I've now been awake for 5 hours after 23 awake and just a couple of sleep. I'm ready to pass out, but there's still another hour to wait before my flight boards.

Also, Montanna doesn't know I'm coming home, as far as I know. I'm looking forward to seeing her face.

It snowed on Wednesday before Sam and I left! We had a perfect day out in the snow. Well, minus the fact that I had no boots or gloves and was absolutely soaking, but still...

I'm so excited to get back to Boise. I need to see the dogs and Thomas, eat good real Mexican food, cook, wrap presents, visit with Allison, and go to the dentist (woohoo).

Noteworthy: I kept saying "home" referring to Boise. The second the plane left London, I began calling it "home" too. But it's true, I have two homes, and it depresses me that I can't be in both at the same time. Can someone figure out how to do that?

Thanks.

Happy Christmas :)

xoxo

Half-Term Adventures

Okay, there aren't any. Yet. But there's still four more days! Have hope!

It's been a while since I blogged but things have been more than crazy. Schoolwork is piling up, teaching practice has me up at 6am or earlier and that is just not fun for anyone.

Half-term couldn't have come at a better time, I tell you what.

But nothing new or exciting to report, I'm afraid. No new London adventures, unfortunately. I'm just a plain old boring student whose life is ruled by the iron fist that is education.

Boooooo.

xoxo

Rule #4: Always wear sturdy heels.

Tash's 18th club party was Friday and oh - em - gee, I can't feel four toes and my knees are killing. Thank god Simona let me borrow her flats because all night in those heels and I think I'd need a wheelchair.

Last week I went on observations and it felt a little creepy. Also I got sick. But tomorrow I'm due to start actual teaching practice and I'm so ridiculously nervous! I can't remember any songs or practical life presentations, and the directress wants to see my anthology but Vikki hasn't given it back to me yet. Plus, it's not finished. So I'm sure she won't be pleased about that but whatever.

In other good news, my cold is going away, hurray! Still coughy and a little achey, but I feel well enough to actually be a real person. Plans for this week include seeing Where The Wild Things Are with Noah and possibly Daniel, going to the Heath, shopping for school supplies, and who knows what else. Going to bed early? Probably.

xoxo

Birthday Fun

Last night we had a birthday shindig on Parliament Hill. So fun! It was pretty small - just me, Vix, Tash, Lee, Simona, PJ, Ozzy, a girl whose name I don't remember, and Jemma. Eventually Steph and two other new Hyelm guys joined us, as well as Jemma's boyfriend, Jeppe, and one of his friends (girlfriend??). It was a perfectly dry evening, even though it was so cold! But what do you expect in October?

But it really was the perfect way to end a horrible week and start a new one that will, hopefully, be better.

Pictures will be up on Facebook :)

xoxo

My life sucks.

This week has been the most terrible week ever.

Friday, Bea took off to Kent to start her end-journey home. So, sadness, obviously. We had a huge study group on Saturday that went on until about 3am. I worked endlessly on my Poetry Anthology and barely made a dent. Lee has just about the most amazing anthology and I am very jealous, but she pulled longer hours through the week then I could ever dream of doing. Still, I was up close to 2am every night until Thursday. And still nothing got done. Ridiculous.

What else? Well, I got sick of my high-strung bitchy neighbors knocking on my wall (they think I'm loud? Try living around dancers) and we had some words. And then management told me I could've gotten kicked out for harassment. WTF????

I had two anxiety attacks, Dad had another surgery, I didn't complete either of my assignments for the week, and I chipped one of my teeth on another tooth while eating pizza. And I probably won't be able to treat myself to a birthday peircing because all of my money has gone to food, school supplies, and laundry.

And it's been raining all week. Which means, since my birthday party is tomorrow.... well, you get it.

On the other hand, we got our placements for Observations and Teaching Practice, and the school I'm sent to is only a 30min walk. :)

Ah well. Nothing much else has gone on worth talking about. Hopefully next week will be better.

xoxo

"Driving's fun!"

I love girls' nights. Last night, Bea, Helen, Tash, Kiri, Steph, and I had too much fun (but only half a bottle of wine... really should've taken up Juliane on that second one) listening to the Beatles and singing along to Tenacious D. And apparently my arm and shoulder are fucked from a variety of things and are full of knots. Hurrrraaay!! Luckily Bea beat the hell out of them so - although I am very sore - hopefully it'll feel better.

Also... possible trip to Australia over Christmas break? We'll have to work out the finances on that one...

Plans for this next week include starting and finishing an essay on Human Tendencies, starting an essay on the Planes of Development, starting and finishing a poetry anthology, doing laundry, paying rent, getting my tragus pierced (which apparently has no nerve endings... trivia for the day), and collecting more leaves to press for my leaf folder. Also must buy school supplies.

As for this weekend, Helen's going away party is tonight at the Heath, and Juliane is having a joint birthday party with her boyfriend in Kensal Green. Hamish is having a going-away paintball thing tomorrow at some ridiculous hour of the morning - needless to say I'll be sleeping in and hopefully (finally!) heading to the Unitarian church down the High Street.

Half-term in three weeks!! I'll be spending it doing work, most likely. I'm getting nervous about our teaching practice, as the only things we're able to do at this point are sing songs and recite poetry, and I can't think of any! I know they're somewhere in my brain but they just don't come out when I need them.

Okay, enough procrastinating... time to do some actual work. That is why I'm here, after all. Right?

xoxo

"Cheerleaders are dancers who have gone retarded."

It's been five days since my last blog... whoops! Okay, in reality I wrote one and then the internet went down and it didn't post. Hyelm's internet is shit, truly.

School's been taking up a lot of my time. There's a lot of reading to get through, and projects are starting. Vikki has spent the last couple of days teaching us botany and getting us ready to make our leaf books. I have to figure out how I'm going to press mine... and also where to get the rest of the ones I need... ha ha...

Lynne, the director of our school, taught our Songs and Poetry lesson - amazing! We're doing children's songs and getting packets of poetry about every subject. It's very cool. Hopefully I'll be able to actually remember some of them.

This weekend has been good in terms of, "I haven't been sitting on my ass inside for three days". Friday, Bea and Ozzy and I went to some fancy bar in Trafalger and then headed to Brick Lane. Lots of walking + fancy heels = feet that hurt even two days later. Bad news. Saturday was fun and chill, considering I couldn't walk to save my life. Although I did manage to win a bottle of wine off Juliane because she dared me to eat a disgusting spoonful of chicken and bacon that was in our soup at lunch. Totally worth it.

Spent the day watching movies, first with Bea and this guy from the hostel; then Jennie from Wales and another dancer whose name I can't spell. And then another movie with some guys downstairs - with the wine. Awesome.

So if you've been checking up on this blog, you might've been thinking, "WHERE THE HELL HAVE YOU BEEN?!" Well, I have been good about updating, thank you very much. It's just that the internet at Hyelm is terrible. So. This whole entry, prior to this paragraph, was written two days ago.

School has been good, though the lectures are long. Theory is tough when you want to get straight to the hands-on work. But, theory first. We're stocking up on poems, stories, and songs so that when we start our observations and teaching practice in real Children's Houses, we'll have something to do with them. Tomorrow I need to have a story and I have noooo clue what that's gonna be. Ohhhh well. Such is life.

I've also finally gotten around to leaf pressing, which has taken over my Sherlock Holmes, Volume One :( I can't read it anymore as it is full of plants. Sad day, indeed. I am also currently doing laundry. Woohoo!

Life, for the most part, is gettin' on as it normally does.

On a side-note: I LOVE GLEE!!!!!!!!!!!

xoxo