Sherbert goes East!

So after chillaxing in Bryce and my room and exploring all that Tooting has to offer (LOL) we ventured out to another market on Sunday. This time we went East- to Brick Lane. East is where our new London buddy Cristie is living, and she had been to Brick Lane before so we had a tour guide around the markets. 

The troublesome trio: Cristie, myself and Bryce

It has to be said- I do not know where all these people accumulate all the crap (I mean treasures) that can be found at the markets. Broken ornaments surely have no place but in a tip? However, it is always interesting to poke around what is there and see the 'treasures'. Some people come to these markets with carry-on sized suitcases on wheels. Serious shoppers. 

One of the outdoor markets, where people sell their crap. I mean treasures.

Who says there is never blue sky in London Town?!

There are some wonderful places in the markets where young artists are selling their own designs which is really cool. One guy has a clothing design line called "Sally can't dance". When we asked him about this, he said that Sally was his ex, and she really was a god-awful dancer. Love it! I bought an oyster card holder from him that made me laugh. 

My new Oyster card holder. Tee Hee. I actually LOVE Broccoli. This one is for DAD!

We went to the food stalls and the array of different nationalities was incredible. Ethiopian (!!) to Mexican, they had it all. Cristie, Bryce and I positioned ourselves in different places to scout out a table as it was too cold to eat outside. I could hear a voice calling my name, and looked around- it was Bonnie Smail who I went to highschool with. Such a small world! I knew she lived in London, but London is a HUGE place and she just happened to be in the same market *and* same food court as me. Amazing.

So my purchases of the day were minimal. I spent a total of just under £30 for food and 'treasures' so was well under the £40 budget I gave myself.

I was offered something wonderful on Monday at Townsend. A whole extra days pay for working one-on-one with five students to up-skill them in writing. I will see one student after school each day of the week for an hour. I do the same kind of thing all day on a Thursday and I love that most out of everything I do at the school. So now I get paid 6 days a week equivalent but only work for 5. Awesome. It makes my work day an hour longer- but hey- it's not difficult work and is really rewarding seeing how quickly the students can improve when they have full teacher focus.

My other news is that I woke up on Tuesday morning and went to speak to Bryce to find my voice was gone. I've had a lot of asthma since arriving- probably a combination of having been sick a few weeks back and the not-so-fresh air in London. It actually has an odd smell. I couldn't manage more than a whisper- but feel 100% fine. No way I could teach with no voice, so Bryce called in sick for me. I spoke to the Head teacher (whispered!!) on Tuesday afternoon and she said she doesn't see how I could possibly teach with no voice, so told me to take Wednesday as well. Great. Another riveting day in Tooting and another day I lose a days pay :( ARGH!


I did spend some of Tuesday Googling 'places to see in the UK' and started a list... Bryce, Cristie and I are planning to go for 10 days or so around the UK during the Easter Break... we should be back for the Royal Wedding... 


But... every cloud has a silver lining. I am going to go and fill in some of the day with seeing "Wicked" the musical... very excited!!! And whilst I was browsing www.lastminute.com I came across a musical that costed only £5 to see.... it is called "Million Dollar Quartet" and is the story of Elvis Presley, Johnny Cash, Jerry Lee Lewis and Carl Perkins... and looks AMAZING from the youtube videos I have seen. It is £5 because it is restricted viewing, but hey - it's about what you can hear as well as see haha!


So we are still in the Aparthotel in Tooting (yes.. toot toot...) and actually, it is pretty fantastic. The people who run it are Indian and fall over themselves to help you out and make sure your stay is comfortable. I actually feel more settled this week than I have in weeks. (Did I just say that???!!!!) It is still not home, but it is a step closer. And looking on the bright side, I would never have had a good look around Tooting if I wasn't living here. Lets just say it is not exactly a tourist destination! They do have some funky little stalls and markets though. 


Hopefully we hear from the land agent today regarding our flat, fingers crossed. 


Cheery bye :)