September 23, 2010

  • This is bliss

    It's amazing how much joy the little things can bring...

    • Being able to have a nice shower without having to hold the shower head as I have had to do in my past two dwellings
    • Looking at the bath and thinking I might actually be able to have one in it! (because it's not rank like the last one...)
    • Being able to lie on a comfy sofa and watch well-tuned TV
    • Being able to boil the kettle in the kitchen to make a cup of tea (much simpler than the tea arrangement I had in Brescia!)
    • Actually not minding spending most of the afternoon ironing most of what's come out of my suitcase because the iron and ironing board were both nice!!

    I'm sure there are other little things which have come up during the day which I now can't remember... just really enjoying it here! I know this may all change whenever a flatmate moves in, but at the moment it's the first place I've lived where it's really felt like I have the whole apartment at my disposal, rather than just my room... I really hope whoever moves in will be lovely and we'll get on well! I think I like it because it's the first time I've ever moved in first. I've always shared
    flats/houses (throughout uni and since) but this is the first time I'm just sharing with one other person and I've got here first, so I can settle in and organise how I like, and feel slightly more in control! 
    It will be nice to get my timetable and see when I'm actually going to be at home!! I doubt I'll have much spare time! I guess my timetable will change a lot as courses change so I'm never going to have a totally fixed routine, but some framework will be nice...

    Earlier today I went for a wander into town. Didn't see much more than what I saw when I came for interview, but it was lovely to be able to wander round at leisure rather than sweltering in 35 degree post interview stress and wanting to get to the station to get a train I could actually afford back to Brescia... 
    Mind you, it's still very warm, and check out the blue sky in this picture! I would actually quite like the cold to come as I haven't really got enough summery clothes that I can actually wear to work... 

     
    Anyway, I think it's so beautiful here. This is supposedly one of the most beautiful squares in Italy, and I have to say I agree. I adored Trento when I lived there, I even loved Brescia, but I think Udine might already be my favourite... which is odd because I didn't think it would be. So far I haven't seen anything I haven't liked, and everyone has been so friendly. 

    I went to the tourist office and asked them for information about the city and the region. The girl was so lovely and loaded me down with about a hundred maps, guides, brochures etc... I will never have to go to a FVG (that's the region I now live in - Friuli-Venezia Giulia - to those who aren't in the know winky) Tourist Office ever again as I have all the documentation for every town/city I'll ever be able to visit in the vicinity!


    (My own personal tourist office...these are all the different guides and maps she gave me (the maps are all different!)

    She was really helpful though and I feel like I know where most things are now...  I've been investigating train times and prices to go to all these various cities, so that as soon as I have time I can start going to some of them! It's a shame I don't have a car to explore some of the smaller places (the ones that will be difficult to get to on public transport), but I will do as much as I can. Anyway, as I said before, I doubt I'm going to have much spare time anyway! Most of my time is certainly going to be taken with panicking over lesson plans and grammar explanations... I guess the first year is always bound to be the hardest (having not built up a "bank" of lesson plans and experience of teaching any particular points). I hope to survive!!! 

    Tomorrow I have my first staff meeting. It's a development session for all staff on "exploiting textbooks and lesson planning". It'll be a nice chance to meet all my colleagues. Bit nervous if I'm honest, but everyone I've met so far has been lovely. Then in the evening I'm observing from 6-8pm - the beginners class I'm going to be taking over which is currently taught by my boss. So, the first day with actual "work". Then nothing again until Tuesday when I have 2 hours of training and 2 hours of observation. Then another couple of hours training on Friday 1st, including getting my provisional timetable... then the following week I start proper teaching - ARGH! 

    Right, I'm going to go and do some more of that novelty lying on the sofa watching TV thing now! Actually the move has taken its toll a bit - I'm really achey today! Calves and upper arms really quite sore, grr! Hope I can walk properly again tomorrow!!