Root Directory:

Huckool.Com HuckoolBlog.Com Blog 2008

Index Menu:

Index Bullet Points Photography

Entries:

January February March April May June July August September October November December

04/07/08 - This week has certainly been a lot busier than the last. I went to Palmers Green on Sunday, and the Sunday School leader, Anushiya, has given me a big promotion of giving me my own Sunday School class! I've been given the four to six year olds, which I have no problem with. They're more in my comfort zone, as I feel any group above would be too much a challenge, as the students would probably know more about what I was teaching than me. But it's not just about teaching Bible stories and about Christianity, Sunday School is also a good place to encourage good values to the kids, and it's quite something that I've been given the position of bringing up kids in their first years of Sunday School.

I'm not sure if I'll be going for any teaching jobs whilst in the UK, but doing Sunday School for young kids can still be classed as valid teaching experience for an English Language teacher. I'll still have to explain certain words and sentences the children don't understand, and I'll still have to plan my lessons etc. It'll basically be like taking an Upper Intermediate English class, accept the main context of each lesson will be religion. It's all good practice!

I've had a full, five day working week, this week, though unfortunately not with all the hours I could hope for. For four days of the week I've been doing salad packing in Sandwich, which is simple enough work, but it's a case of whether it's worth my time or not. I have an eight hour shift, with one hour break, which I don't get paid for. I have to get there by van, which is an hour each way, which I have to pay for, and costs almost an hour's wage, of which is minimum wage. And I have to cycle to and from the agency office to get the van, which is about 20 minutes each way. So I'm giving almost eleven hours of my time for six hours of pay, and I don't get home till about 1.15am... And that's if they don't make us finish early...

I started at Subway on Thursday, I guess doing salad packing gave me some good pre-experience. I enjoyed my first day, and it's nice to be serving customers again, which I haven't done since I worked at McDonalds two years ago. I seem pretty adapt to the tasks I've been given so far, though I was a little reluctant to user the sandwich toaster. They say you always burn your fingers first time and then you get used to it, which is true... So this week as been packing salad in Sandwich, and putting salad in sandwiches. What does next week hold?

11/07/08 - After two shifts and seven and a half hours of work, I'm now no longer employed at Subway. They hardly gave me a chance there, not even half a chance (I'm sure it was a three week probation). Can't think what I was doing wrong, though I was basically told I wasn't lively or fast enough. One thing I learnt from my career advice a couple of years ago was the best thing to get a job was to fit in. I don't think I'll ever fit in to places like this, I've been to more countries than some of these people have been to night clubs; I'm just too interesting for them...

Atleast I still have the salad packing, for now. I wouldn't mind it as a full time job if the pay, hours and location were better, but I have no other choice at the moment. I should get a referral bonus for getting one of Louisa's (from Ashford Baptist Church) foster kids in there last week. I will keep looking hard for work, I'm hopeful some opportunities will come around next week, but I won't jinx anything by bragging on about it.

I watched a Sunday School documentary this week on BBC4, which was very interesting and made me feel very special. It's a shame the Sunday School is a rare and dieing place; they were originally set up in the 18th century to clear the streets of young, feral children, and give them what was their only education. Now the 21st century, they could potentially have the exact same use. I don't understand why so many people are so anti-religious. I can't see what wrong there is in trying to be a respectable citizen and looking good in the eyes of your God. Does it really hurt anyone?

18/07/08 - Another week goes by and I'm really not getting enough work or money in. Only two days of salad packing again this week, which will give me another measley wage packet next Friday. With most the English workers leaving the job, I'm trying to capitalise and take the position of supervisor, which has better pay, but even with that being the case, it still won't be enough, and the stability of work days is really bad. Another agency gave me a job offer today, but the company that sent it changed their mind at the last minute.

I went to an open day with Alliance and Leicester this week. James, who I went to college with a few years ago, told me about it the open day, so I went in and had a short interview. The woman that interviewed me seemed optimistic, but I haven't been called back yet for another interview, so I'll wait on that for a few more days. I hope them possibly being taken over by a Spanish company doesn't make any affect. If this doesn't work out then I may go back to SBE; I liked the hours and location there, and the pay wasn't too bad either...

It was my brother's birthday on Saturday. I gave him a present that I bought in Miri, Sarawak, which was a T-Shirt that says 'Stussy'. For some strange reason, Thabisha, in my Palmers Green Sunday School, keeps asking for Stuart to come to our class. I don't know why she has an obsession about him, she's been asking for the past couple of weeks now. Coincidentally, her sister, Abisha, shares her birthday with Stuart. Also, my class can't believe that Ranjita, after showing them a photo of her, is a girl, but that makes no change as nobody ever does...

25/07/08 - Yet another poor week of work passes by, with only two days of salad packing again; I can barely sustain myself on such a measley income. I'm really hoping Alliance and Leceister get back to me next week; I'm even willing to sell my soul back to SBE, just for regular work and income, though they're only taking people on permanent contracts. I hate the term 'permanent', it literally does sound like you're selling your soul to them. I'd prefer 'long term', but I've heard from a friend that some companies use the term 'established'.

Despite the measley income, location and hours of the salad packing, apparently the pay for their actual staff is fairly good, considering they're packing salad for Marks and Spencers. It's tempting to get a job there, as the travel fares to Sandwich would be made up for by the good wage, but my main concern is not making any friends there. Though I made plenty of migrant friends at SBE, the workers at the salad factory don't seem to have great English, and it's difficult to talk whilst working anyway. I had made friends with a Nepalese guy, Bharat, who was also an agency workers, but he's found other work now, so it'll be officially boring there from now on.

Sunday School at Palmers Green is still going nicely. The kids seem to really value everything they take in and out of the lesson. They've all been obsessed with the memory verse I gave them on our first lesson together, 'Blessed are the poor in spirit; Matthew 5:3'. One of my younger students, Beaulah, even went and found out the rest of the verse. So I'm very happy that my students are taking it in, even if Thabisha did fall asleep on Sunday. They're a really great bunch, so great that I don't even have a favourite amongst them!...

I haven't made any calls to Malaysia for quite a while now. I did try to call Victoria this week, but her number has suddenly become invalid; must be a network error. I did speak with Jyothi though, and got an update from her. Apparently she's not sending Ranjita to a care home now. She's got herself working again, and has other friends that stay in the Jinjang area looking after Ranjita whilst she's at work. So I'm glad she's got herself sorted out, and Ranjita's in better care, though she's not going to church anymore. Hopefully I'll be on a regular income soon and can go out there for a short holiday in December, but I won't get too hopeful again, as I don't like jinxing myself.