London Calling

I moved several thousand miles across an ocean to a new country, abandoning good steak and smiley cookies, and it took me a few months before I realized that I did it for London.  I have had a crush on London for a while, admiring it from afar and Facebook stalking the town.  I've crossed the dance floor to get closer to my crush, but I stopped a safe distance away.  I've been wondering how to really approach London for a while, and I'm through being shy about it.  I asked London out on a date, and London said yes.  It's finally time to see if we can make a relationship work.  

So, yeah, I'm moving to London.  I am still enjoying Ely and enjoying being a part of Hogwarts (i.e. King's Ely), but I could only take so many Sunday trips down to London before realizing that I should put some applications out in the jolly old town to see if there are any possibilities now that I'm far more available for interviews than I was last year.  Lo and behold, I had a much higher success rate.  It took me 115 applications last year to get 3 interviews.  It only took 7 this year.  The first one struck me as "McDonald's presents McEducation!"  The second one struck me as a good school, but not quite my style.  The third one was my Goldilocks.  The area felt right, the staff felt right, the school felt right, and the students laughed at all my jokes during my trial lesson.  So next year, I will be joining the physics department of Notting Hill and Ealing High School.  It's in the London district of Ealing, right at the end of the central line about 25 minutes from the center of the city.  I had lived for 13 years in the suburbs about an hour from the capital of the USA, and this year I live an hour away from the capital of the UK.  I'm finally taking the plunge into the heart of city life.  I'm sure I'll enjoy some things and tolerate others, but this will certainly be an adventure.  

At least three things will be welcome additions to my life.  1) Saturdays are mine again!  This year, I teach classes (and sometimes supervise sporting events) every Saturday.   No more of that.  2) My evenings are mine again! I have boarding house duties once a week this year, and while I love hanging out with and helping my students, I will not complain having my nights off.  3) I can work with the drama again! Technically I could this year, too, but I had required sport coaching duties and just wasn't brimming with extra time.  I am a far better thespian than I am an athlete, so I'll be playing to my strengths again.

Once again, the hardest thing is telling my students. I admit that I didn't really know how satisfied my students have been with the work we've been doing together, but many of them have kicked up a fuss that I'm leaving.  I hate doing that to them, but it actually does feel good knowing that my work is appreciated. 

Now I just have to find a place to live.  That's a whole other adventure in itself.