Christkindelmarkt!

Leeds has a German Christmas market. I went there with some actual Germans and they told me it was exactly like home, so well done Leeds.

Highlights of this magical kingdom included:

1. Bratwurst. The real deal. A huge greasy sausage, folded in half, unceremoniously shoved into a bun and slathered with German mustard and sauerkraut. Christmas indeed had come early, I thought, as I crammed it greedily into my face.

2. Piping hot wine. I released a large quantity of snot after repeated attempts to take a sip of this stuff without the pungent fumes making me snort like a rhinoceros. My stomach liked it but my mouth reluctantly let it pass, so essentially it affected me in exactly the opposite way that eating an entire bag of Cheetos would.

3. A carousel. Germans take things to the extreme. This thing rotated at 250% the speed of an average merry-go-round. It was nevertheless delightful, although I wouldn't recommend eating bratwurst while riding it.

Among these treasures, there were plenty of opportunities to drink German beer, which is actually quite good, that is, if you're used to drinking refrigerated urine. My friend Jade argued that it was better than English beer because it was fizzy, which I quickly rebutted with the fact that urine also fizzes when it's fresh. Speaking of beer, my favourites thus far are John Smith's and Tetley's. Cheap stouts. Guinness really isn't all that special after all.

Guy Fawkes Night

This was my first Bonfire Night. I've snagged some of my friend's photos to stick on here because I didn't bring my camera. The highlight was definitely receiving a text message from my aunt, exactly as the fireworks drew to a finale, exclaiming that I had a new cousin-once-removed - a girl, still unnamed, and born within minutes of firework displays igniting across the nation.

The teaching has picked up and I'm becoming more confident as both a classroom instructor and disciplinarian. I taught at one of the top schools in Leeds on Friday, and I'm burning with motivation to apply there directly for a Maths position and get my career going. Next day off will be spent tweaking my CV and perhaps buying a new tie if I'm feeling sassy enough.

Not a lesson goes by where a voice doesn't ask "Sir, are you American?" as I take attendance.

I've been teaching at a variety of schools. The worst one had a double fence around the perimeter of the school grounds, police officers patrol the corridors during class hours, and the school goes on lockdown at lunchtime. There are security doors at the end of each corridor and mandatory bag searches as students enter the building.

I went to London again over the half-term break and stayed with my friend Naz from university. Then I met up with Beljen in Coventry and spent the day with her and her family. Apparently the Urbas family can't bowl because I ended up with one of the highest scores.

It's come to my attention that this blog sucks. I'm considering neglecting it until something more interesting happens.