It has been a couple of weeks so I guess that I should update this little thing. I feel quite overwhelmed. I have been pretty busy these last couple of weeks though when I look back at pretty much any week since I arrived back in the UK I have been pretty busy.
I didn't make it to the Notting Hill carnival on the Monday of the bank holiday weekend. But we did manage to fit in a quick trip to Ikea instead so another English bank holiday tradition was observed so that is OK.
Tuesday began a week of silliness. Daniela, one time student long time friend, was heading back to Brasil that week so we had to go out and give her a damn good send off. Should have known that going out with a twenty year old Brazilian who starts the evening with the words 'I want to get drunk and I have £150 to do it!' that it was never going to be a quiet one.
Mind you, even given the headache the next morning I had no idea that we had had so many tequilas until I looked through the photos on my camera on the way to work the next day. Yikes! It did explain why I had had to have aspirin for breakfast.
I am not going to lie to you, that day was hard, but we still had to actually say goodbye to Daniela but on Wednesday we contented ourselves with eat enough pizza to make us sick instead.
Thursday was my Spanish class which usually sees me getting home around 10ish and on Friday I left work and went straight to Paddington Station.
I was off to Plymouth for the weekend for a reunion with some people I met in Vietnam. Clare had not only masterminded the whole plan and bought my ticket but also provided ample food and drink for the long journey. She joined me on the train in Reading and off we went.
Saturday was a rainy day but it started well with a great cooked breakfast, courtesy of Avis. There was a lot of slobbing around all morning before heading across Dartmoor and out to visit an old house to do some brass rubbing. At least I think that it was Dartmoor, could have been anywhere with that mist to be honest, though we did see some ponies so it could have been!
We had a proper Devonshire cream tea too before going back to the house to order enough Indian food to feed the whole of India and it even manged to turn up shortly before bed time.
The next day we went into Plymouth and walked from the barbican round to the ho- which has quite a different meaning in that part of the world. It was a lovely day and we celebrated with a 99 each. And then back to the house for a gorgeous roast dinner before getting back on the train to London.
It is always good to see Clare- and I am not just saying that in case she is reading this (though there is an element of that, of course, hi Clare!) When I met her and Vicky in Vietnam it was an enourmous relief to have met some people to spend time with during what was a very difficult time for me. If it sounds ungrateful to say that being in Vietnam with all its many and varied delights, flit back through the archives to see what had happened just before the trip. I ddn't really want to be on my own and then to find two people that I immediately fell into a relationship with as if I had known them forever was a true delight. And while I haven't seen Clare much since she got back we just fall straight back into those roles- easy and pleasurable.
Monday night we had to go and see another Brazilian off- though this guy promises to be back in a month. I don't know what made me think it but shortly after meeting Sarah I said to her 'Victor is going to make us go to the Intrepid Fox, I just know it.' Which was kinda weird because he has only ever mentioned it once.
For those not in the know, the Intrepid Fox is Soho's premier goth bar. As such it is dark inside with lots of skulls and skeletons around. The barstaff have either long dark hair or bits of it shaved off in no particular pattern. I have never been there before don't really know why I know about it, to be honest, and it turned out that it was the last week of the Fox before it closes this week, probably to be replaced by an O'Neills, Walkabout or some such other horror.
So while I was pleased to have finally entered such a landmark while I still had the chance, me and Sarah couldn't help but notice that we appeared to be about twenty years older than anyone else- and the only ones not drinking snakebite and black. We waited for Victor's mates to turn up from the tattoo parlour that they work in(!!) They were all lovely, Hello Kitty tattoos and all, but we didn't really feel up to that level of gothness and so left around 10. Sure that Victor's mates were wondering why he had brought his two old straight-laced teachers along.
Tuesday night I was heading straight home but got waylaid by some students on the way so didn't really get home that early. Wednesday I went to see 'Volver' with Sarah to have a chance to listen to some Spanish.
Thursday was my Spanish class. I am loving the whole learning another language experience. I have a little notepad which I carry in my bag all the time so I can write some Spanish anytime that I feel the urge. I have another notebook next to the computer for when I am chatting online to my Colombian students in Spanish or if they say anything that I want to remember. I still don't know if I can have an actual face to face conversation in Spanish but I read a lot and Baby Alex has given me some music to listen to. (Spent the trip from London to Plymouth last week with a dictionary and some Shakira lyrics!)
Yesterday I became Colombian! Well, actually I just have a bracelet in Colombian colours but all the other Colombians have them so I assume that it works as a passport in a similar way to the Canadian flag beig tattooed somewhere on your body or sown onto your backpack. I am just jealous really- being proud of the Union Jack is not something that it has been possible to do since the coronation, I believe. Slowly but surely the English part of the UK has started to rediscover its pride in the St George Cross as a uniting thing. Which is why I was so angry when we get a leaflet from the British Nationalist Party (BNP) last year with the St George Cross on it. Leave our flag alone!
I also discoverd that Colombians have a kneejerk reaction to teletubbies the other day. Not a 'oh that is for kids' sort of a reaction but one more like you have just killed their mother or criticised Shakira's dancing. Very amusing for me and bewildering for the Koreans who are still keen teletubbies fans.
I finished the week with a picnic in the park with my students- is it any wonder that I love my job!
Right, I ought to decide if I am going to put some photos on here or just get on with my Spanish homework- while I am loving the Spanish thing, not too happy about this new tense we learnt the other night- imperfecto- haven't got my head around it yet. Maybe today is the day!
