My apologies for not having written for a while. I was on half term holiday last week, and have heaps to write about that - but it might end up having to wait until next week…

Today the school was closed at lunch time because it was snowing! Beautiful, soft clean snow - it actually makes the place look attractive. That is, until the kids got out into it at break time. It very quickly turned into a murky grey mush! And needless to say, the students were impossible between break and lunch. It was such a relief to get rid of them! In addition it gave me a chance to catch up on my emailing! In a minute I will head home, where hopefully there are a few piles of white fluffy snow (and yes, it really is fluffy!) to play in. Unfortunately I am in the middle of my second cold for the year… This is just a mild sniffle though, not the disgusting lung disease I had last time!

Last Friday night I braved Friday evening peak hour and took the train into London then out again to St Albans. Now I know what it feels like to be a cow on a semi-trailer, although I was going somewhere much nicer than an abattoir! I arrived at about 7pm after a 2 hour journey, having reassessed my values regarding inappropriate body contact with strangers… I can’t believe how close commuters are prepared to get!

My friends Beth and Vish and their small son Sebastian live in a small terrace house in St Albans. Beth and I were friends during our uni days. They have been living in England for about 6 years.

On Friday night Vish offered to stay at home with Sebastian, allowing Beth and I to go to the local cinema to see Ocean’s Twelve, a mildly entertaining, very indulgent film! Ah well, at least I got to see Brad Pitt in a very nicely fitted shirt! The next morning after a bit of a sleep-in (or a lie-in as they say here), Beth and I walked into town to see the sights. We walked into the market place which was full (but not seething, as it sometimes can be) of people selling and buying fish, vegetables, and clothes of indifferent quality. A battle during the War of the Roses was supposed to have occured near here, but it was hard to imagine it… From there we walked past a medieval clock tower and a Tudor inn that some dead queen’s body stayed at over night on her way to be buried in London!

Of course, the feature of St Albans is its cathedral. The church dates from 1077, but a Benedictine abbey was founded on the site in the 8th century. It is named for Alban, a Roman soldier, who was martyred for sheltering a priest in 209. The cathedral grew over time, and you can see each stage clearly as different building materials (including Roman bricks) were used. An interesting feature were the murals from the 13th century painted on the columns. They had been whitewashed during the Reformation and were not rediscovered until 1862 when they were very nearly cleaned right off! The choir ceiling was amazing; it was decorated with the red and white roses of the houses of Lancaster and York. Just beautiful. Could have almost lain right down on the (beautifully) tiled floors and stared for hours… if it hadn’t been so cold! I did take loads of photos, until my batteries ran out, but hope to get back to take more.

From there Beth and I walked past a lake, where there was a section of a Roman wall, and on to a small cosy cafe where we ate waffles. I have to say, I love waffles! Very tasty. We also wandered past reputedly the oldest pub in England, although it is not the only one to claim to be so. It also claims that Oliver Cromwell once spent the night!

Beth and Vish graciously drove me home. It only took about 45 minutes (a far cry from my 120 minute train trip) so now that I have done it once in day light I will drive next time!

I am in the middle of planning for my half term holiday which begins in a week. I am planning to go to Winchester, Lyme Regis, Bath (all of which are a part of my Jane Austen pilgrimage), Hay-on-Wye (which is apparently full of second hand book stores - can I resist?), and then on to Liverpool, mainly to see a performance of Dr Faustus starring an obscure British actor I quite fancy! I am really looking forward to my first trip away.

This weekend, I will spend most of the time going through the coursework folders of my Year 11 GCSE English class. The poor darlings have been a little neglected through many changes of teachers, so I am hoping to help them out and improve their grades. I am beginning to feel like I am connecting with them which is nice. It makes life so much easier. So it will be a quiet weekend, probably with not much to write about next weekend!

I took myself off to the theatre again on Saturday. I wasn’t sure if I would do anything much as I still wasn’t well, and walking in the cold air was doing nothing for my cough. However come Saturday morning I decided I was up to a train trip into London with minimal walking!

I went to see a matinee performance of ‘Journey’s End’ a play written by a veteran of World War I, based on his experiences. It was set in the two days leading up to a major offensive by the Germans and the only set was a bunker where a group of English soldiers were living only fifty metres from the front line. It was quite a powerful performance. Of course, they allowed us to get to know the characters, and sympathise with them, then… well I won’t give away the ending! However the most remarkable thing was the sound effects used at the final scene. They completely darkened the set and audience, and assaulted us with bomb blasts to the point where the floor vibrated. For the first time I was able to glimpse what it might have been like to have been a soldier on the front. It left me quite shaken…

On Sunday afternoon I went for my first drive out in the countryside. Yes people, I finally escaped the confines of Basildon by car! And it wasn’t anywhere near as scary as I had feared! A bit like driving in the Adelaide Hills! I am getting used to the English love affair with roundabouts (honestly can’t remember a single intersection with traffic lights…). I aimed for the medieval town of Saffron Walden. I didn’t spend much time there as it was getting late and I was anxious about getting home before dark, but intend going back to have a good look around and take some photos. I also drove through a tiny village called Thaxted. The houses were extraordinary - terraces all different shapes and sizes squashed together and in lolly pastel colours! All crooked doors and leaning walls! I will make sure I return to take photos here too!

This weekend I am off to St Albans to visit an old uni friend and her family. I am really looking forward to spending time with some Australians, and once again being a tourist!

I had the opportunity to attend the Prime Minister’s Question Time at the British Parliament on Wednesday 26th (Australia Day, ironically!). The very hard to come by tickets were arranged for me by my exchange partner who organised them through the local MP, Angela Smith. I attended with another staff member.

We were asked to be in the central lobby by 11.15am so we could see the procession of the Speaker to the parliament, a quaint by fascinating ceremony. On our arrival we had to pass through security (scan and body search). We walked through the top end of Westminster Hall which was being prepared for the memorial service to remember the 60th anniversary of the liberation of Auschwitz. As we departed we were able to see the London Philharmonic orchestra rehearse for the ceremony, which was held the day after (I videoed it last night - very moving).

After the arrival of the Speaker we moved up to the Strangers Gallery, passing through another scan and body search - the security was much tougher than for an international flight!

As we were seated (behind glass - no opportunity for throwing eggs…) the Session involving Welsh members was in process. Right on time, the Prime Miinster and leader for the opposition (Michael Howard - Tory leader) got into action! It really was very entertaining! The only time everyone was composed and listened politely was when Tony Blair updated the latest figures for the British citizens killed by the Tsunami: 53 confirmed, 249 in total, 260 unaccounted for). However once that was finished the gloves were off and the repartee was most entertaining! Angela Smith was gracious enough to send me a copy of the Hansard for the session I attended so I now have a word for word record of what was said, complete with ‘Hear, hear!’. I was hoping they would discuss Howard’s proposal that the UK follows Australia’s lead and sets up off-shore processing centres for asylum seekers, and I was rewarded - it was the first point brought up for dicussion! The biggest point of contention seemed to be where these centres would actually be set up - there being an apparent lack of isolated Pacific islands nearby…

We stayed for the statement on ‘Measures to Combat Terrorism’ presented by the Secretary of State for the Home Department, Charles Clarke. This was quite controversial and made it on the news that night (which I videoed). I am looking forward to reading the statement more closely in the light of how it was reported.

All in all it was an amazing experience I can recommend to others. Unfortunately, while it does seem relatively easy to view parliament in session in other parts of the day, getting tickets for the Prime Minister’s question time is very hard to do - you really need to ‘know’ someone (time to get to know your local British MP). I am hoping to find a way to incorporate my visit into future Australian Studies units!

I don’t know what I will do this weekend. I still have my cold, and it has come with a really horrible cough, which cold air does nothing for! I may go for a drive somewhere… Will examine my map tonight!

… when you have a cold! Yes people, I would love to tell you about all the marvellous cultural and historical things I saw on the weekend, but I spent it tucked up on the couch in front of the telly. Frankly weekend television is no more stimulating here than it is in Australia! However I did get to see the exclusive announcement: Delta Goodrem and Brian McFadden are a couple! (He is a former member of Irish boy band Westlife; bit scruffy if you ask me - Rachel, a teacher here, would say that he needs a good tubbin’!) They ‘came out’ before the papparazi could do it! Very exciting stuff… I am sure your lives are richer for knowing this!

However before I get sick I did go out with the English staff for dinner. On Thursday night we went to a groovy place called ‘Back to the 60s’ which had a great atmosphere, and really bad food! Thankfully the conversation was great. Afterwards a few of us went to a hotel near by to see a group of people firewalking for charity, as you do…

On Friday night I went to see a movie with Heather, another staff member. We saw Closer which was … odd! Very intense. At the end I think all I wanted to do was to bang the heads of the characters together and tell them to get over themselves! Its the kind of film you admire rather than actually like!

Today the big news was that it snowed! It was icy on the roads as I drove in (although it had melted on the bits I was on), and as I walked across the quad I kept slipping. It was like walking on an ice rink. During the first lesson it began to snow, although it melted once it hit the ground. Very exciting! The students were amazed that this was the first time I had seen snow fall. Everyone is hoping we get a few inches of snow tonight so we don’t have to come in tomorrow! Of course, I am really not well enough to go out and stand in it… *sigh*

Am off to the Prime Minister’s Question Time at the British Parliament on Wednesday, which should be an interesting day! Will post more about this later.

For the past two weekends I’ve done the tourist thing on London on Saturdays. Last weekend I went to Westminster Abbey, which I thoroughly enjoyed. I was there only about an hour before it was due to close for Evensong, so the crowds were dissipating, and towards the end I was able to hear the men’s choir rehearsing. It was just lovely. Seeing Elizabeth I’s tomb was incredible; sometimes you don’t believe these people actually existed until you visit a place like this!

From Westminster Abbey, I walked to Regent St via Buckingham Palace, which frankly, was a little ordinary! Certainly attracts the crowds though, even on cold windy days! In Regent St I did some shopping, particularly for my cousin who recently gave birth to twins.

This past weekend I wanted to buy some books for school (I am really missing my resources). Two staff members at school recommended visiting Oxford St. Waterstone’s was one shop they recommended, and as it was the first one I found, that is where I went! I spent a lovely 45 minutes browsing, and found the books I wanted, in addition to one or two I hadn’t planned on buying…

From there I walked down to Covent Garden, to the Savoy Theatre. I had been browsing the Theatre section of the paper the day before and had discovered all these theatrical delights! Penelope Keith was starring in Blithe Spirit at the Savoy, so I thought I would wander there about a half hour before it began to see if I could get a ticket for the matinee. I succeeded and spent a lovely afternoon cacking myself laughing! Aden Gillet was also in it, and I had seen him before in the films The Winslow Boy and Under the Lighthouse Dancing, both of which I had really enjoyed.

It is so convenient to see theatre so I think I will go often! I haven’t decided what I will do next weekend; there are a lot of choices, so I will see what I am in the mood for at the end of the week.

I have been teaching at my new school for just over a week now, although it seems much longer. Starting at a new school is always hard work, but starting in a new country is a whole other kettle of fish!

I was expected to teach the very first two lessons of the day, no induction, no information about the behaviour management system, little idea of what to do… and it was a group of year 11s! I did have a class list, although it wasn’t completely accurate! However the novelty of a new teacher from Australia helped me out considerably! We did the predictable, but remarkably useful ‘write me a letter telling me about yourself’, which proved to be very interesting reading, and does help one to get to know the students a little quicker!

Thankfully, the English faculty is brilliant. There are about 10 of them, mostly female, and mostly young. Several are recent graduates. I am finding the heads of faculty really supportive, making sure I have everything I need, and checking regularly that I am coping. The staff are enthusiastic and clearly care about what they are doing, which is a relief, because that is what my staff at home are like! They regularly share what they are doing, so break and lunchtime converstations are always worth listening to (in addition, there are many comments about the most recent episode of Hollyoaks, the one English soapy I think I could become addicted to, and what happened last night on Celebrity Big Brother…).

Each year level is doing exactly the same topic or text at the same time, which is something I am not used to. For example, all the Year 7s are doing ‘What Makes a Story’, a unit on genre; the Year 9s are preparing for the dreaded SATS (more on them later), studying Much Ado about Nothing; the Year 10s are doing a unit on war poetry, with the focus on imaginative and personal writing responses; and the Year 11s are studying pre-20th Century horror stories. However everyone has a slightly different approach, depending upon the nature of their students and their own personal style. The advantage is that the professional conversations we have at break are so much more efficient; we are all teaching the same texts, so we can immediately use each other’s ideas. For me, as a completely new teacher to the curriculum, it is very handy!

After a week and a half, I think I can say that I will enjoy my year here, and will even have some fanastic ideas to take home with me!

I have discovered Basildon library with free internet… so this is my first UK post, and my initial reactions…

The flight here wasn’t anywhere near as bad as I feared. Long and tedious certainly, but I didn’t get a nasty back ache and got to see a couple of films I had wanted to before I left Australia. We were delayed at Singapore for an hour while we waited for someone who was too ill to continue to have their luggage removed from the plane. Delayed again for 10 minutes on arrival while the police came on board to take details from any passegers who were evacuated from the Asian tsunami disaster. (Loads of coverage of the tsunami here - so far about 30 UK tourists confirmed dead, far more still missing. Extent of the disaster is inconceivable…). Loved flying over the Middle East… endlessly fascinating. Europe disappointing though; thick cloud from Turkey until we got to the Channel with just a couple of alps peeking through. England clear and sunny! Who’d have thought? Great views of London as we circled overhead.

My exchange partner’s home is very comfortable, and quite big by English standards (it even has a front and back garder), although snug by ours! I am 10 minutes walk from the local Tesco (supermarket) which is endlessly fascinating. Don’t recognise a single label, except for Vegimite, a few chocolate bars and soft drinks, and Tim Adams (Clare Valley) and Jacobs Creek wines in the alcoholic drinks section.

Have had a few stereotypical English expriences so far! Saw a squirrel frolicking in the back yard from my bedroom window a few days ago and another one in the park near home today. Caught a black taxi at Heathrow (actually have caught more taxis here in a week than I ever have in Australia). The nice young man who sold me a pay-as-you-go mobile phone for £10 (a steal even by English standards) seriously described it as ‘pukka’! Successfully negotiated the underground and went into Oxford Circus on New Years Eve to meet my friend Beth for tea, scones, and clotted cream (how much do I love clotted cream?) at Liberty.

Must finish off… am running out of time on this computer. Thanks to all who have emailed. Will email back as soon as I can find another opportunity!

I am on my way, after months of planning. I am writing this on my brother’s fabulous computer in Sydney, having flown out of Adelaide this morning. And the first thing I did on my big adventure? I slept all afternoon… Frankly, I was knackered!

What exactly am I doing? I am about to begin a teaching exchange in the UK for a year. I swap homes and schools with a UK teacher for the whole of 2005. This is one of the (few) perks of working for DECS, South Australia’s education department. It is regarded as a professional development opportunity, the idea being that you share what you learn on your return. I applied more than two years ago, and missed out on the exchange for 2004 due to the lack of potential exchange partners. I was offered this exchange in July last year, and confirmed the arrangements in January, so I have had all year to plan. Many exchange teachers have only 4 or 5 months to plan.

I am currently employed at a small country high school in Clare, South Australia. My new school, Woodlands in Basildon, Essex, is three times the size! I am really looking forward to reflecting on my practice as an English teacher and learning a whole lotof new ways of doing things!

My exchange partner, Jayne, and her family have just left and are spending a few weeks in New Zealand before arriving in Australia. I fly to London tomorrow night, arriving on the 28th, and starting work on Wednesday 5th January. At this stage it appears that I will not actually meet Jayne and her family, as at the end of the year I will have left the UK to begin a month’s visit to Nepal before they return. We have of course exchanged many emails and spoken a couple of times on the phone, so I feel I know them quite well. However my family and friends will get to know them much better than I will!

And how am I feeling at the moment? Well, mostly buggered to be honest. Far too tired to really acknowledge the significance of what I am doing… and perhaps it is just as well. It wasn’t easy saying goodbye to my parents this morning, and it was even harder leaving my dog behind! My wee precious Nancy, a 10 year old fox terrier-blue heeler cross (?!), has been well aware that something is in the air for a few weeks now, and is no doubt sulking and fasting in protest of my absence. However she usually does rally after a few days and I am sure will have a wonderful year with her doting grandparents!

I am hoping that this blog will be a record of not only my travel experiences but also a professional log of the many things I hope to learn teaching in a very different environment.

Sleep now beckons (again) so I will finish. Tomorrow I begin the day with a Jurlique facial and massage, a gift from dear friends who just moved to Nepal to work in a hospital, and who understood just how I would be feeling at this point, as they felt it too, only on a much more significant scale! Then in the evening it is off to the airport to begin the 25 hour trip to the UK…