Cov

Last night, just before 1am, I awoke to the grumblings of what seemed to be an earthquake. I live in a house which shakes a lot. Too much. We live with a huge train line literally in our back yard, fortunately I live at the front of the house but even then my little rickety single bed shudders as the freight trains hurtle by during the night.

Of course the occurrence of an earthquake was more than a little strange with it being the West Midlands of England but anyway it happened, it was exciting, everyone chatted about it.

A funny thing before I went to bed last night I had decided I must write on my blog again, possibly for the last time as I’m considering deleting it for eternity what with the onset of my teaching career I’m not so sure pictures of me drunk, warbling away at Paradise karaoke should be available on the internet for all to see. So of course whilst considering my blog I thought of Japan and all the details of my experience that are slowly slipping away and no longer etched so strongly in my memory and then there was the earthquake last night. In everyone’s excitement today I could only sit back and think about the earthquakes when I first arrived in Japan. Stood in Gooday supermarket in Ohka as the bottles of Aquarius fell off the fridge shelves, as the people ran and the inevitable irashaimasen (which incidentally I had completely forgotten how to write) from the checkout once the ordeal was over. Then three hours later sat in my bed as my new, little apartment swayed around me, not running to hide under the door frame or the nearest table (table? As if I owned a table more than 6 inches off the floor?). Just sitting. Wondering. Realising I actually was in the land of the rising sun …. and earthquakes … and typhoons …. and general insanity.

Then everyday for the next two years promising myself I’d organise an earthquake pack, tomorrow, it was always tomorrow. See I'd forgotten about that until last night.

I find myself so far removed from most of what Japan was for me. My life is now consumed by a different insane world. The insanity of secondary school teaching. When I was thinking I should update my blog I’m sure I considered lots of things to write about but none of it seems very interesting or relevant now. My enthusiasm I think is rather knocked by my rather foul mood today. One of those days where everything builds up and I end up cracking in a completely inappropriate place – the travel claims office – really Helen get a grip but I'll give it a go anyway ...

My training course is made up of two main school placements with sometime in university inbetween. Since Christmas, in the main, we’ve been in university but this period is drawing to a close, from next week I’ll be in school full time until July. It’s a funny time; pondering what our second placements will hold for us, saying goodbye to our university friends, applying for jobs and in my case made worse by wondering where on earth to apply for jobs. Of course as ever I have not made this stressful, transitional time any easier by as per usual getting myself into a ridiculous personal situation (as I am choosing to call it).

This year has been difficult, not least because of my horrid, grotty, old, student house the university so kindly placed me in with the most unsuitable housemates. Spunky is definitely the main problem and cause of woe as she skulks around the house shooting horrid glances as the horrendous bad mood cloud that surrounds her infects everyone it comes into contact with.

(She also sings gospel songs and hoovers at, like, 8am on a Saturday?! Oh and cooks the most disgusting food which fills every room in the house with it's stench)

Then, simply, it’s so difficult to make friends. How on earth do you make friends when you’re older? When nobody is in the same position as you? When everyone already has friends? I have friends, fortunately lots of them, unfortunately they just all live hundreds if not 1000s of miles away. If I was in Carlisle I know for a fact I wouldn’t want to make any new friends, I’m not even that fond of speaking to other people, making conversation seems a pretty pointless exercise when you have amazing friends you can be speaking to and I guess most people are in that position - so why should anyone want to make friends with me here? They already have friends. I think my expectations have been a little too high though, I have made some lovely, wonderful friends and it was hardly as if I was going to stumble across the greatest ready made group of companions! I guess I just miss people a LOT.

Then there’s Coventry, I’ve hated it since the moment I arrived back in September, that is until recently. I’m actually starting to like it, I think there’s some really interesting things about it, some cool places (not an adequate number for a place of it’s size but still) I just need to meet more people to go to these places with. But hey the Enemy are from Coventry and they’re a great band so there must be cool people here, right? It's grotty and outdated but hey I kind of like that. I'm never going to be the cosmopolitan London girl - have I ever even been to London ;)

The fence at the bottom of yard - the only thing between us and the trains

Street wanderings

Westwood Rd

Next door