October is Over

So this is the end of October, and I didnt get to blog anywhere near as many times as I would have liked to. This has come from a combination of just being so busy with so many things happening in life. This month was the first month when I have found myself teaching full time, my own lessons. I am now a head teacher in first grade, teaching English, Math, Social Studies, Computers, Drama, Library and also Assembly lessons has meant that I have had barely enough time to think about myself outside of planning lessons, teacher meetings, parent meetings and all the other things that go on around the teacher life. This week was a week of, but still I didnt get huge amounts of time to relax. I am still trying to do university via distance education and we also tried one last time to get the, thorn in my side, car registered. On that issue the originality check place told me that it is basically impossible to register this car as there is no previous papers and with two VIN numbers stamped onto two pieces of metal with no-one telling them which VIN to use, the car is unusable. So basically at the moment thats over 2000 euro of mine down the drain. We just have to hope that with lawyers and things something can be sorted about getting my money back from the guy I bought it off. That will be a long process so now I just have to sit back and wait and see.
The best news of recent times that I have heard is that my parents are coming to visit here between December 21st and January 23rd. So I am really looking forward to that, we have already planned a trip that will take in Innsbruck, Zurich, Dijon, Paris, Frankfurt, Munich.. and also some small trips to Vienna and Prague. I cant wait until they come here and I can finally show them where I live, the friends and people I know here. Its going to be amazing to show them this place in winter, even though it will be freezing cold, Im sure they will love it here. After seeing them in Summer, I really thought that it would be a year or maybe two more before I saw them again, and to have this happening to end the year is a real treat. Its going to be amazing.
So next week it is back to the mad house of usual life. The week break has felt like stopping to take a breath of fresh air while running a marathon, its a great feeling, but just before you start to move again all the tiredness hits you. You firmly set your vision on the goals and try not to think about the weariness you feel. That is how we all feel when it is time to go back to work....

Weekend Wonders

This previous weekend has been absolutely great. On Saturday I finally just got a chance to relax at home, sleep in and then relax and watch some tv. Finally after the whole day Lucia managed to motivate me enough to go and buy some extra things to cook a nice dinner. At Terno we bumped into Gudrun and Peter, Its great to bump into friends when you least epect it. What made this chance encounter even greater was that we were then invited back to their house to watch an episode of IT crowd, and also Black Books. Peter also made a delicious soup for dinner, it was lovelly. Today I then got to pick up a new coffee table, only 15 euro's.. A great deal considering it looks almost new and has a glass piece in the middle of the wooden framed table top.. IT is going to go well with my new sofa when I finally manage to get one. By far the biggest news of today is that Lara has returned to Slovakia for a week. Yes our favourite fin has arrived to be back with us. This meant that this evening I journeyed to Farah's place to see her. This also meant that I got to spend time with Lucia, Ludo, William, Nava, Lucia, Imogen, Lua, Mike and Farah... along with many others.. The short time that I was there was very enjoyable. It was great to be able to catch up with such a great bunch of friends and just relax, forget the world outside and just be comfortable being who we are around each other.. Talking about many silly things and laughing at nothing in particular. What an excellent weekend, with excellent people... Now to get back to reality and the week of work ahead....

An Angel Visits

Today while teaching my lessons in grade one, My desk at the staffroom was visited by an unknown angel. How did I know I was visited?.. well the appearance of a jar of coffee and a yellow post-it note informed me... the message on the note read, This is for you... just making sure you wont run out of coffee.. S... I was puzzled. Who could this be? who would be wanting to leave me coffee on my desk. My heart warmed thinking that my coffee needs would be well and truely satisfied for the next few weeks. With such terrible weather outside, this jar seemed to shine, smiling at me, knowing how much I wanted to mix it with some hot water, milk and sugar, and enjoy that tasty beverage the way it is meant to be...
Warmed by the thought that this gift had appeared onto my table, I went to my next lesson, to be granted my next gift for the day. All the students had practiced reading their books overnight, and today they could all read the story easily. I was overjoyed..
Later at lunch, I began to think, perhaps it was a representative from YYYAAAAKKKKUUUBBBSSSS *flem* that had swung past quietly to give me some new coffee to make up for being robbed the other day at the potraviny.. I started to get worried, how could they possibly know where I worked?? I could hear the mission impossible tune start in my head, Shiftily I looked around the corridor, and was about to start my dash up the corridor for the staff room when Sandra, our lovely receptionist approached me and asked if I liked the coffee, with a wry, smile. Suddenly I knew what the S on the note stood for. Laughing I thanked her for her heart warming gift.. Instantly I felt relaxed, changing my mood and having a merry walk up the hall.

So thankyou to Sandra, our school receptionist. Always smiling in the corridor, and now giving me some coffee.... This more than makes up for being robbed the other day..
I guess we have a angel for a receptionist then. :)

Her Gift...

Daylight Robbery

On Tuesday I finally got paid for last months work. Its not the date of the pay that was the problem, I always knew I would be back for over a month before pay came in. The problem is, once I got paid I decided that I needed some food. Ok I admit, I was mostly after more coffee, which I had managed to stretch out until the day before. So I toddled off, with my happy little face on, down to the local potraviny. Now this Potaviny is basically a small store that is run out of the garage of a local elderly couple. Usually it is quite nice to go there, they have a few shelves filled with things, and you have to stand on one side of a counter and use slovak to tell the lady what you want.. On Tuesday I was extremely pleased with myself, I managed to order Bacon, Eggs, coffee, sugar, coca cola and milk Using my slovak.... But then disaster, the total come. 15 euro for the lot. I was stunned. Who is this lady? is she really a nice old lady or some sort theif.. Looking at the top of the coffee jar I found the reason for my high bill. The Coffee, it had cost 9 euro's on its own. This coffee was only 200g worth, not like i was buying gold coffee either, just regular Jacob's.. or YYYAAACCCKKKUUUBBBSS *lots of flem* if you are in slovakia. When I looked up the lady had a balaclava on. I knew it I though, Ive been robbed.. Awkwardly I moved backwards out of the store, the Icy Gaze of over 100 years practice following me out, daring me to say a word. That gaze still haunts me now, so much so that I am slightly scared to mention anything about it now. My only comfort is that im sure the potraviny lady doesnt know my name, nor have internet connection herself.
All the way home I wore my sad face, unhappy that the coffee had cost me so much.. Just to put this all in perspective, I have been managing to do a weeks shopping each week for the past few weeks for only 15 - 20 euro a week. So to spend 15 euro on so few things.. I am sure I was robbed...
The Coffee:


Sad Face :(

Lucky Moment of the Week

Imagine being this guy, your doing 170km/h about to turn into a corner, uphill, over a blind crest with walls on either side of you,, suddenly you loose the rear end,, what happens next??



Not only to miss all the walls, but also be missed by the 30 other cars that are coming over that crest at over 170km/h is an amazing moment...
Thats this weeks winner of Lucky moment of the week :)

Santa Headware

At the end of our trip to Australia over the european summer, ( which you can read about it at http://gotlost-summer2009.blogspot.com/) my parents gave Lucia a present of a Santa Beanni... (for those of you who dont know, a beanni is a woollen piece of headware that you wear over the winter to keep your head warm).. Now while this isnt what most people would think of as being a traditional present to give someone to remember their visit to Australia, my parents thought it suitable for 3 reasons. 1) it was made in Australia, 2) When we were in Australia it was cold and we needed to keep warm, and 3) It is much colder in winter in Slovakia than in Australia and Lucia seemed to find the Australian winter cold enough...

Well tonight while we were out in the sleet and the rain on a cold windy Bratislava night, I noticed Lucia putting on the Santa beani. My parents would be glad to know that Lucia likes wearing it and it keeps her head very warm.. Then I started thinking how could this be? how could a beani made in Australia be more adequate for Slovak winter conditions than the local made headware... It cant just be because we are the most awesome people on the planet... :)... As I thought deeply about this subject, wearing out my bald spot... I came to a conclusion, The beani must have its own absorbtion field, it has somehow retained the warmth and heat of Australian summers inside it, and that means when Lucia puts the Santa on her head it is like putting her head into an Australian summer.. Can you imagine putting your head in a fridge right now? well it would be like the opposite, putting your head in an oven... As I finished increasing the size of my bald spot this idea was clear to me, Australian scientists, cotton growers and wool producers have somehow come together to manufacture the warmest beanies in the world, by capturing some of the Australian warmth and making sure it stays within the headware....
We are without doubt, amazing..
Here is Lucia at Novy Most wearing the great Santa Beani

Crazy Week!!

Well its been such a crazy and intense week that I havent been able to take a moment to write anything here until now. Ive barely even had a moment to think about myself.
So what happened? well just some stuff at school, It all hit as a whirlwind and the changes took effect so quickly that when it happened we were all taken off guard. Unfortunately the changes occured as there were some staff issues that had to be resolved. For me it has meant an increase in my lessons to 25 a week. Which means pretty busy days from now on, I now teach: English, Math, Social Studies, Computers, and grade 1, as well as having to supervise the library lesson (I dont put this as a lesson really taught, though with the walk to the library it becomes more of a lesson in discipline for the kids :D). I also teach 5 lessons a week of Intensive English for the grade 1 and 2 students.
Even with all these changes, I am happy, as It means I get to spend a lot of time with children that I already know and understand from working with them last year in prep, and as I am with them most of the day I am really getting to know them well.
The only downside at the moment is all the lesson preparation I have had to do to get ready for lessons. I knew it was alot, but now preparing for 5 lessons a day takes its toll. Ive already said it amongst my friends before, but Man, one thing this job has taught me over these 2 1/2 years and especially more now is that my Teachers did soo much work that I didnt even know about. It makes me feel bad when I think that most of us half the time couldnt be bothered to finish homework or even really try too hard for it. That is one of the most annoying things for me now, putting all effort in and then the kids not doing something small at home that I ask of them.. So to all my old teachers that I didnt bother to do homework for, or didnt take the homework seriously with, I am truely sorry...
Now I've got to go, Im trying to juggle this full time teaching job and studying university as well as trying to get back into my cycling to train for that race I wrote about previously.. So that means I do not have much time for anything else.
I just read Lucia's blog and I would like to say that personally I am very open to bribes, anyone want an A? just 5 million Euro thanks..