As I approach the final week of my exchange - I still can't believe its about to come to an end - I have been asked numerous times by my new friends and students alike, what I will miss the most about Fairfield and England, and what I am looking forward to doing/seeing the most when I return home. I suppose it is worthy of a blog post; as up to now my life has been an open book - well, almost...
So in no particular order (other than the first two)-
The Things I Will Miss the Most:
The people - I have definitely assimilated myself into the culture of Fairfield and I have made so many new friends, it feels like I have known most of them my whole life! I will miss so much the ladies in the English department, and my good mates in the PE dept., along with the kind ladies in the office and Kath and Josie - there are just too many people to name. Thank you all for your kindness and friendship these past four months; I truly have had a most wonderful experience.
I will miss my students - they have been so good and have taught me as much as I hope I have taught them. I will miss my form group; and I know that somewhere in that group of young footballers is the next David Beckham. My Year 7 group, while the most challenging on some days, have lived up to the expectations I have set for them and they have all adjusted well to high school life. I will miss my Year 8 class; we have come a long way from the start of the school year and I have developed a particular fondness for this group of students. I promise there will be care packages coming your way soon! I will miss the chattiness of my Year 9, but they have been great to teach, as have been all the Year 10 and 11 students that I have had the pleasure of knowing since coming here. Thank you all so much for sharing your school and your lives with me - hopefully you will each get an email partner in the next few weeks.
I will also miss:
...Kath's flapjacks & mince pies - although I won't miss the calories!
...the view of mountaintops and green pastures filled with cows, horses and sheep.
...the Pandy Inn.
...basketball, netball and rugby matches.
...my Year 7 boys win their tournament game in February!
...wild mistletoe, holly bushes and ivy.
...Mel's Christmas pudding and brandy butter (after I eat the one she gave me to take home).
...my neighbors: Debbie, Katie & Lucy and their dogs.
...cloudy lemonade.
...fish 'n chips and chips 'n cheese.
...authentic Indian curry.
...London.
...running to France for a weekend.
...a one hour lunch break.
...the projection screen for lessons.
...my Fulbright friends and the British Council gatherings.
...writing my blog.
...BBC Radio 1.
...Cadbury crunchies.
...the Walsh's and the Kerby's.
...Lucy Hockey hair salon, especially Katie! She gives an awesome cut!
...Tracy and Chloe nail salon, love them!
...cold cider on tap.
...rugby matches in Brecon with Ellie and her friends.
...crashing at Jan & Ian's.
...cranberry cheese and cinnamon apple cheese.
What I Won't Miss:
...the drive to school.
...driving on the left.
... shifting with my left hand; a serious case of neck/shoulder/wrist pain has started to plague me.
...spending money on petrol.
...the exchange rate.
...the smell of putrefying rats under floor boards.
...flies.
...rain, more rain, wind and mud.
...stinging nettles.
...sheep; they're creepy.
...hedge-lined lanes.
...baked beans in tomato sauce; it's just not right.
...AQA mark schemes!
...the chairs and tables in the classrooms; individual desks with welded chairs are my thing.
...registration after lunch.
...Mondays without a prep.
...low water pressure.
...hanging clothes to dry.
...a 3:30 dismissal time.
...the bulletin board with all the crazy notices; please could we use email!!!
...handwriting student reports.
What I Am Looking Forward to the Most:
...seeing Michael.
... seeing Zachary.
...sunshine & snow.
...cuddling with my dogs, Duke & Charlie.
...seeing ALL my friends and family at home and all my students at NHS.
...going to the NHS basketball game on Tuesday.
...my morning coffee stop at the Little Coffee Bean!
...a 7:30 a.m. to 2 p.m. day.
...my car!
...my country music station.
...my tumble dryer.
...the warmth of the coal stove.
...Patriots football games.
...chips & Helluvagood Onion dip.
...pizza.
...Chinese & Thai food!
...margarita's on the rocks with a salted rim.
...the Outback, Longhorns, and Vinny T's!
...Friday afternoon's with the crew!
...having a cold one at the VF, Hawks Nest and the Barn.
...Boston Baked Beans...in molasses!
... my homemade sauce and meatballs.
...the teacher contract negotiations; this exchange has strengthened my confidence- bring it on!
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Love this post! I especially love the bit about registration after lunch. I'm notoriously forgetting!
ReplyDeleteYou'll be missed greatly! Happy re-entry!
Oh! I am so RUBBISH at it after lunch! :) I will miss everyone! So jealous that you will be participating in the January event! What fun it will be... K
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