Thursday, December 28, 2006

By the Way...

I'm home. I'm home. I can't believe I'm home already. December has flown by. Christmas is past, and New Year's is only a few days away. I don't have a job yet, but I am catching up on some sleep. I don't think it has sunk in yet that I don't have to go back to school in January. I'm so used to going to school that this "life" thing will take some work.

I find myself missing Foam Lake. I miss the students that drove me nuts, and the students who became special to me. I miss living with Erin and Adam, Nathaniel, but especially Abigail. I wish I could have seen her on Christmas morning. I bet there wasn't a safe (or dry) piece of paper in the house! I'm looking forward to one more trip north, to pick up my stuff, and say goodbye one more time.

If you need, or want, to get a hold of me, I'm at the farm. I don't have the internet out there (Thank you Brandie for letting me use yours!), but I will be checking the email randomly, likely at the library. How cool am I.

Who knows where this road is going? I'm glad I have a really good navigator.

Thursday, December 07, 2006

Snow and Basketball

I cannot believe that it is already the 7th of December. It feels like just yesterday I was preparing for my full-time teaching block, yet here I am, almost a week after dropping two classes. My final evaluation is due in tomorrow, and, barring an opinion at the university, I have passed. I am all of two weeks away from being qualified to teach...now to find a job.

When I moved here in August, Adam advised me to buy some Sorels for winter boots. Once again, I didn't take him seriously. How could there possibly be enough snow before Christmas to warrant a purchase of a pair of those classy clogs? He wasn't kidding. Once it stopped raining here, it began to snow. On the day (yes, that is singular) that it doesn't snow, it blows. There are now drifts higher than my car. It's one thing to talkto a friend in a foreign, warm country and have them rub in the nice weather, but to have someone from REGINA rub in the fact that they are warmer and dryer than us...that's just wrong.

I am now almost done the teaching aspect of my internship, though I am picking up a grade seven English class next week. I have to get caught up on my marking so that I can learn a bit about this strange sport my seniour girls are calling basketball. I know a bit about the sport, but I stopped playing about the same time the teachers were trying to get us to bounce the ball without looking at it. My ball always got away. I've become the tempory assistant coach to the seniour girls basketball team. This is a nice way of saying I don't know anything, but the girls are willing to teach me. I nearly had them in tears of laughter after my first foul shot the other night. I must add, in my defence, that it did go in the basket the first time. Not the second, third or fourth, but who's perfect? I'm really enjoying the girls on the team as students as well, so this was a good opportunity to learn a sport and support them at the same time.

I'm moving home, crafting up a storm for Christmas presents, and marking. Anyone up for a little marking party? I'll bring ALL the material! RSVP, ASAP, ok?