Don’t Give Up The Day Job….oops, I just did…

Yet another week has gone by and it was far from uneventful. The big news is that I have resigned from work!!! This was a massive decision which in itself required many sleepless nights and countless chats with friends and my mother who were all entirely inconsistent with their advice; probably led by my persuasive arguments which took on a different viewpoint every five minutes. I have enjoyed much of the teaching and was lucky to meet some fabulous colleagues but ultimately it was becoming increasingly hard to juggle motherhood in a foreign country  with the demands of teaching in a private school where I was the only language teacher. I hated having to let my children down by not attending events in their school knowing that Grandma and Grandpa couldn’t take my place and I really hated the fact that I had to bring so much work home as I had to rush off after my last lesson each day to be back in time for the kids’ bus. Trying to get my schoolwork done in the evening whilst cooking dinner for everyone, preparing packed lunches for the following day, helping 3 kids with homework, ferrying them all to their myriad after-school activities, non-stop tidying(I can’t relax unless everything is in its place and this is a plate-juggling style act at the best of times!) and laundry etc just became unreasonable especially given the pittance I was receiving in return for my efforts.  My soon to be ex-students were very upset about my departure(which was good and bad for me) and one mother came to me crying and begging me to stay on! This is all great for my confidence but for once I know I have made the right decision. I have one week to go and I’m not entirely sure how I will fill my time thereafter but I’m sure I won’t be bored. I will return to helping the Daisy Scouts; will pull my weight more on the various committees  have joined; fit in a couple more spinning classes; cook more, buy my new bike and do some real cycling; volunteer for more PTA activities at the kids’ schools (and no, I do not wish to be President!!); be home for my kids; learn Hebrew etc as well as everything I was already doing. I will also have more time in which to write this blog, which at present is something of a rush. I imagine I will also start to do some private tutoring so please inbox me if you are interested. 

On that topic, the high-point of my week was helping at the Saddle Rock Elementary Book Fair. I was slightly panic-stricken when asked to operate the till(cash register) but coped (I think) admirably, thanks to the assistance of my lovely friends Jordana and Simone which was required when I had to void an unwanted item. I now have increased respect for the check out staff at the supermarket which is just as well-I now possess both of the necessary qualifications for a job at one of our local kosher food marts: I can speak Spanish and operate a till!

I am still relishing the luxury of having someone fill my car with petrol(gas) for me. And the service doesn’t end there: they also offer to check your oil, brake fluid, anti-freeze and whatever else is lurking beneath the bonnet(hood) of your car and to top these up if needed 🙂

Thanks to Zara’s exceptional work ethic and mammoth amounts of patience on my part, we are now the proud owners of one replica Iroquois water drum! Making it was rather stressful but my daughter is a trooper and I think it looks rather fabulous. I have also now gained a far deeper knowledge of Native American history and culture for which I am most grateful. 

Benjamin is off on his school trip to Ashoken(this relates to the previous paragraph as I just looked up where it was and discovered that Ashoken is Native American for Place of Fish!) which is in the Catskills and will be gone for four days next week. He is very excited and seems to have engineered the bunk situation perfectly. We spent this morning packing his bag and naming his possessions despite his protest that it was entirely unnecessary given that no one else at his school owns Arsenal clothes, pajamas, towels etc! I hope he has a wonderful time and makes the most of every minute. I also hope that the child he sits next to on the bus for the 2.5 hour trip has headphones- he has no off-switch as I know from experience…

And how could I fail to mention Halloween? We were excited for this year’s shenanigans especially given that our first American Halloween was somewhat muted as we were three days into our 2 week power outage due to Hurricane/Superstorm Sandy and couldn’t trick or treat after dark as the town was in total black out. The kids were also in bed by 7 as there was no heat or light in our house so it wasn’t exactly the best day of the year. (That said, I did enjoy having them all asleep by 7 and can now only dream of such a luxury!) Thank goodness this year’s celebrations were untainted by the weather and we had a fantastic time trick or treating in the main shopping street; where (almost)all of the shops and restaurants give out goodies to the kids in costume; and then in a nearby neighbourhood. We then went back to a friend’s house for pizza and candy swapping! They received a ridiculous amount of sweets and my children did exceptionally well on the swaps given their hatred of Hershey’s chocolate! They know they will never eat all they were given and have decided to donate most to kids in need. Zara actually had some left over from last Halloween! I loved seeing everyone in their costumes, even the dogs!!

We are having a fairly quiet weekend which is just as well as I have lessons to plan (for the last time !!!) but I was glad to enjoy a beautiful and unseasonably warm Saturday in the park with my lovely daughters whilst Dan and Benj were at the latter’s football match. 

That’s all for now folks- next time I write I shall be a lady of leisure…

Have a great week.

x