Striking out on my own....

SO, as Jules and Dennis left on the Saturday, I considered my position... all alone in a city bigger than my whole native land, knowing just about no-one - well, make that no-one and thousands of miles from home - it was not a good feeling, I can tell you! I quickly consulted my journal which I had brought for just such an occasion to remind myself why I was here...
I had a dinner invitation for that evening with the couple across the street and they had invited their immediate neighbours - it was a lovely evening and I chided myslef for my earlier feelings!! Then there was church the next day to look forward to...
The ward(congregation) seemed to number about 200 or so - very much larger than home! They meet in a chapel on the temple site and it is big - I felt a bit at home as they have a balcony like you get in old Welsh chapels...reminded me of going to Merchant's Hill Baptist in Pontypool as a very young child with my Great Uncle Bill, who used to pass me peppermints! People were friendly and welcoming and one lady, Alysa, offered me a lift home - she lives abou a 5 minute walk away and was telling me how many ward members live close by. I'm sure the church thing will all fit into place over the coming weeks. This Sunday (5 Sept) Alysa invited me to a block party next weekend - I have no idea what it is but accepted the invitation graciously. This week I met a lot more people, remembered some people's names, even and met a girl who is applying for the Fulbright for next year too...there is a Relief Society social on Thursday evening so that's another opportunity to meet people. It feels like I am being kept pretty busy, doesn't it!?

And so to school.... which after all is the main reason I am here - it was easy to lose sight of some of that over the course of the train trip and my immediate arrival. I rang the principal, Sharon and made an arrangement to go into school. I walked over (so I would know the way!!!) and was pleased to find it took less than 20 minutes - it appears to be much longer when you drive because you have to drive around, walking you take a short cut! hurrah for walking. I think my collagues all think I am balmy and some think it is way too far to walk...I may feel like that after a hard day when it is hot! I had lots of offers of lifts and told them I may well ask for a lift home. Sharon showed me to my classroom , introduced m,e to my colleagues - Gary and Barry - sound like and they act like a double act - they have been teaching Grade 4 together for about 9 years so they know what's what. gary has the adjoining classroom in what they uniquely term a 'bungalow' - it is lovely, light and spacious and has air con! I am still lamenting the lack of an electronic interactive whiteboard but will manage - will be interesting to see how I get by - I have no option soooo... although I do have a great little contraption that is a data projector with a camera arm that I can put a book under and project onto the board and I can hook up my lap top (school issue - no CD drive and no internet access!) All part of the fun..
The classroom was literally all packed away at the end of term so I spent last week unpacking it, finding what I needed, asking Gary a million questions which he patiently answered and getting set for the off - which happens on Wedsnesday officially when the kids arrive. Oh, and cleaning the desks and surfaces - I will miss Leanne my ace cleaner from last year at Severn who EVERY day cleaned the floor, the carpet, the sink and the desk tops! I have stocked up on J cloths and aim to bribe the kids into cleaning. I went to the most amazing school supply shop - where I could have bought a LOT of stuff but restrained myself... i did buy a great bag of assorted buttons for my 'marble jar'. At home, if a child does something good, I tell them to put a marble in the jar, when the jar is full, the whole class chooses a treat of some kind - we have done all sorts of things - tie dye t shirts, extra play time, ice cream sundaes, watched a bit of a video, even had a fashion show! However, marbles are expensive and buttons were cheaper so I have a great little tin and we will have a button tin!
I have sorted out all the text books (a mountain of them) for each child to have one each, along with consumable books that I suppose we would call work books for Maths and 'Language Arts' (literacy) and Social Studies - which will take the sting out of having to teach Californian history -about which I know very little, but then when I move year groups at home I usually know nothing either.. some would say that is a position I continue to be in after teaching the year group! I have spent today getting some other things ready - like the cards for my famous Times Tables running game(should have brought them!) alphabets for the kids to try to pep up spelling lessons - yuck - it doesn't look any better here than home - just the usual really... Gary has been great in supplying lots of the stuff for next week - and we will really only get going on the curriculum on Friday. The school building itself seems really odd to me but then it so much outdoors here that I am still amazed that , for example, their canteen area is outdoors - I wonder how long it will be before I realise how reliable the weather truly is - anyway, there is no real entrance hall to the school just a row of doors leading into ofices and then the classrooms are clustered around a central courtyard, then more portables have been added as the need has arisen - there is loads of open spaces, volleyball and basketball areas, playground equipment, shady spots, seating, grass - it is a lovely environment that is a massive contrast to life at Severn Road where we really do lack space in general. That's the main difference in life here in the US generally tho is the idea of space - homes are spacious even when not large and ostentatious ...just a feeling of openness in general.

I had a friend stay last night who is also a Fulbrighter - she is up in Santa Barbara, she had a friend staying with her from Texas - we went off to Hollywood and did the tacky tourist stuff, then they went off this morning and did the tourist bus.
This evening I went to the pictures to see Amreeka which was a very moving film about a family from Palestine moving to the US - very thought provoking and probably very true to life... made me a bit teary....see it if you can - check it out at Chapter in Cardiff, I would think.
So that's me brought up to date -more or less
I did make it to the temple again this past week to keep my promise to me, I had lunch with my friend Bryn at Santa Monica - caught the bus for 75 cents - so cheap and easy! - lunch was very delicious, the Pier was very tacky - we loved it! Should have bought snow globes! I ate at various places with the people I work with who love to eat out! I went to bar bq at a colleagues on Tuesday and met more of my work colleagues. I went to the equivalent of County Hall to sort out my paperwork and was promised a return phone call on Thursday to sort that all out, which suprise, surprise did not come - see you can change continents but bureaucracy still twists you in knots! I tried to open a bank account and was told that I needed a social secuirty number which I know not to be the case as I know people do not have to have any residency or visa stuff to have an account but think I will have to cave on this matter and go and get one! I pondered why I have not lost any weight when I have been walking everywhere and walking the dog twice a day - the answer seemed to be staring back at me from the cinnamon bun I was scoffing and the number of Cold Stone ice creams I have consumed.
And tomorrow it all begins for real, wish me luck!