Last blog for 2022

 

I feel so slack for not having done more writing this year. So slack that I feel the need to write & post a blog today, before the year ends! So here we go…

Today feels like a very good moment to look back on 2022. It has been a year for many of us having some serious challenges, but it hasn’t been all bad either.

I started the year hesitant to go back to teaching. I had worked some days the previous year in the first half of 2021, but by the end of June, Sydney went into lockdown & permanents worked, but casual teachers generally did not. I did not mind as I live fairly carefully so I budgeted & did lots of free or cheap stuff, other than buying stamps & first day covers! During lockdown I got into 10,000 step daily walks either at Centennial Park or to The Botanic Gardens, both excellent places to go. I made the most of lockdown, kept to myself mostly, did lots of stuff on the internet, read a bit, watched videos, ate fairly well & got good rest. Schools returned in Term 4 2021, but as I had had two Astra Zeneca vaccines with a short gap, my immunity to Covid was not as sure as Pfizer, which I could not get. I decided to skip on the schools until I had Pfizer as well which I got in late 2021. In January this year, as Omicron took over with generally lesser severity, I decided it was time to go back to some teaching.

It took 3 days to catch covid in a school! In early February, I was relieving on a joint class with 40 students, the other teacher I was replacing was sick with Covid & there were children in the room coughing! Anyway, I got sick over that weekend & did the weeks isolation. I was not too unwell with very little sneezing or coughing. But I did get woozy when I stood up & I got tired easily. But after a week I was mostly fine and went back to teaching. By the end of Term 1, I had taught almost all days. Some days were great & some were atrocious in terms of behaviour. I came to realise that there was so much work that I could be more picky. So I made myself unavailable to a few schools & shied away from teaching older classes. I ended up doing a lot of work at one school in particular, and became the music teacher for Terms 3 & 4 as well as doing science lessons & writing lessons with one particular class. So the work was plentiful & generally very inspiring. I really enjoy teaching if the subject matter is interesting & if the students are friendly and interested. There are always challenges in schools, but behaviour problems are a major reason for dissatisfaction for many teachers. So, it was great to have a year in Sydney working a lot, generally enjoying the work, earning good money, and having a good little place to stay. After having spent a lot of time in the Dominican Republic & the developing world, I am so appreciative of the many things that westerners often take for granted. I teach students how lucky we are to be able to drink water straight from a tap! Something that is not a reality in many places.

Other than working, life can be a bit clockwork based around work. That’s the reality for lots of people. Waking up around 6am, getting ready for work, walking then bussing or training to work, teaching, coming home, having dinner, relaxing, watching tv, videos, messaging etc and then sleep. That was my routine as it is with many others. But it felt like a good year.

A highlight for me was walking a friend’s dog, Max. I have been living in a bedsit the last 2.5 years since returning to Australia in late June 2020, so having a dog there was impossible. So, I kind of lucked out with friends John & Alison, who were only too happy for me to walk their hound! A lovely German Shepherd Husky cross. So that became my Saturday & Sunday morning routine of walking to Rushcutters Bay :-)

As the term came to a close and the school year was ending, I moved my stuff into a storage unit in Sydney. My ex who is overseas has had his stuff there for 3 years. My plan is to spend summer in Nelson, NZ, with my friend Ady, where I have been for 2 weeks now. I will stay here until April. Then I am returning to Sydney for a couple of days and then I am off to Europe via Singapore. Raff, my mate is in Malta, who I will stay with, then I am heading to Morocco for May & June. The rest I will decide after that, but all going well, I will travel for the year. 

I like staying in places & exploring as well as having time to relax & read etc. So its more like being a local. Much more enjoyable than racing through a checklist. And it can be more economical with monthly rentals etc, allowing a longer time to travel rather than work.

Flying from Sydney to NZ 2 weeks ago, was my first air travel since June 2020! I wore a face mask, but many did not. At this stage, things are certainly not as severe as they had been, so lets hope things continues that way.

There are many topics that I have part written on my computer, so my plan is to get stuck into some of them while I am on this 3 month break in NZ & publish them as well.

I am having a quiet NYE. Personally, I have become an early bird. I think work does that to me. Getting up at 6.30am or 7am means you need to go to sleep at 10pm so you get enough sleep. And I love my sleep! So I love going to bed fairly early & then waking up early.

Whatever you are doing for NYE I wish you well. I hope there have been some good moments for you as well in 2022. And looking forward to a good new year with enjoyment, achievement & success for all of us 😊