The Penguin Has Landed or This Little Piggy Couldn't Get In!

Yo Peeps,

I would like to think that you have been worried about me, crying into your tissues etc, but i'm sure you have had better things to do...

Lets start with the flight... As you may or may not know, I am terrified of flying. This however was a wonderful in the air experience, largely down to the unlimited amount of alcohol, although halfway through the flight I ended up with a hangover. Food was rubbish etc. Was sat next to a very nice Scottish guy who worked in Saudi, he regaled me with wonderful stories. Movies were also a bit rubbish btw. Three quaters of the way through the flight, I overhear people talking about teaching, and hoping it may be my crew I strike up a conversation, turns out that they are teaching at St C's the posh school. Their salary is better, their accommodation is sorted, and they know someone is meeting them from the airport, and they had a buddy system!

However, I tell myself, no, it will be all the ok ones, nothing to worry about. I go to customs, and say tourist visa please, they take my passport scan it and type in my name and say 'No, madam, you are working, not a tourist. You have a No Objections Certificate, you cannot have two visas.' To cut a long story short I spend four hours in a cold lonely room trying to locate my NOC and calling my lovely cons and my super efficient Moo, who in turn contact the consulate and he (very proper, jolly hockey sticks kinda guy) gets me out of my cell. At one point I considered offering my guard some money, or making a run for it in a Indiana Jones stylee, but alas I played it safe. Of couse in England I would have just flashed my knockers...

So Bahrain is ok, a beet hot, am missing the cons a lot, and can't wait to go out when he gets here. Still haven't found any where to live, but have met some very nice people: Helen, from Canada, married to an Italian, 2 kids Alex, 7, and Francessca, 3. Helen is my boss. Samreen, Head of English in the secondary school, 2 kids, Hassan, 5 and Yusuf, 3. They all have maids who live with them and look after the kids, man it is a different world. Hannah and Phillip, married new to the school, English. Schweb, friendly british Muslim.Life here is ok, but I haven't had a drink since I got off the plane. I like a lot of things, but the people are best, even when they stop you entering the country they are very polite about it. Taxi drivers also very friendly but a... rape you! Am starting work tomorrow, very excited am teaching 4th Grade, so they are 8-9 years old, thats going to be a bit wierd, but I will get used to it.

Tea towels, are more like table clotes, or bed sheets, worn long. Men in britain, I urge you to greet people the Bahrani way and touch noses, it looks good, very gentle. I like it.

Love you all, will let you know how work goes later.Miss you all so much too. Now i'm crying.
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Countdown

Hello gorgeous people,

It has finally begun, my last week of living in London for a very long time and today I might share with you my thoughts.

First of all, big thanks to Matt and Sally for last night, and the hangover this morning. It was lovely to spend my last Tuesday night in the Dolphin.

We figured out that we could buy the Observer/Sat Guardian a week late in time for our weekend on Thurs/Fri. Perfect, breakfast on the balcony, fresh coffee, the paper. However, I don't want to read about how wonderful the restaurants are in London, or how I can buy a house on the Isle of Wight really cheaply, or to have Nigel Slater telling me how to cook with root vegetables on an aga. Most of all I don't want the Guide telling me how great the theatre is, a new art exhibition or gig I could go to if I wanted or some new reality TV thing I could get sucked in to. It just makes me think of all those wonderful things you can do in London but can't be bothered to do.

It would give me great pleasure to tell you how I had been making the most of my time off, and how I had been doing things I alway wanted to do. Sadly I can't. I have been watching the o.c. with the cats every morning. I think Arthur and Kofi are having trouble deciding who they prefer too, Seth or Ryan?

Will now update you on the cats, both doing fine, altough Kofi has taken to meowing. Very annoying. Both cats are curled up on the bed.

I have some personal hopes for you. Lane, go get yourself a lecturing job so that I can be jealous of you and moan to Tim about it. Matt and Sally go and take photos of things in Brighton and enjoy the sea and teach the dog to swim. Matt N, get a job save some money and come visit with Gem. Lotte keep drinking. James don't kill anyone. Lewis move to London, look after Mary. Mary, learn to cook and eat properly while i'm away. I'm going to miss you all so much.

Not very important those thoughts really, but I like to share.

Quite like this blogging thing.

See you at the weekend.
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The beginning of technology whizz Heidi

Ok, this is a quick one to see if it works!

Tim, if it does you will be so proud off me, you too Mary...

So, just to thank all of you that came to the party on Saturday and to say that Tim and I have now fully recovered from the hangovers. It took two full on fry ups and a blackforest gateux, but we made it through.

Right, if this works I shall blog (is that the right verb, or should it still be write?) some more.

Fingers crossed...

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