little british accents

I had my first day of work last Friday at an adorable little school called Katherine's Primary. I taught the reception class, which in the states would be the same as pre-k. The kids were either 4 or 5. I can't even begin to describe how cute they were with their little uniforms and british accents!

It really couldn't have gone any smoother than it did. I had an assistant in the morning, an hour and 15 minute lunch break (can you believe that?!) and an assistant in the afternoon. I had one child in the class with special needs. He hadn't been diagnosed yet but it was clear that he was mentally not on a 4 or 5 year old level. He was almost like a baby. He was SO sweet though - gave me lots of hugs and held my hand almost all day!

I'm really looking forward to teaching another few days this week. With my visa, I am only able to work a total of 20 hours a week. But between that and my course at university, I know I will be really busy!

Also, just want to say hi to my family and I miss you guys lots! I'm especially missing all the fun in Disney World. Hope you guys are having a blast! :)

Lots of love,
Kristen

Friday Wrap Up

What a week it has been! I'm finally over my jet lag and starting to feel like a Londoner.
I've got my bank account and cell phone in order but like most things in life, it didn't happen easily. It took almost 2 whole days to get my cell phone unlocked and sorted.
My bank account took only an hour to get all set up but I've been told it could take up to EIGHT weeks for my money to transfer from the US to here. Say a prayer that it doesn't take that long.
I've been looking at a few "flats" (or apartments as we call them in America!). I found one I really love but it takes a while to get everything worked out. Until then, I'm blessed to have friends who don't mind having a house guest :-)
Today, I'm having my first day of teaching at Katherine's Primary School in the town of Harlow. I'll be teaching the reception class which is the year before kindergarten. I'm sure I'll have some cute stories to share by the end of the day (and maybe even a picture or two!).
Lots of love from London,
Kristen

Hi ho hi ho, it's off to work I go!

Today is my first day of work. I'm getting inducted at Protocol and learning all about my new job.

I've really missed teaching this summer. It's going to feel really good getting back into it!

Hopefully I'll have a couple jobs by the end of this week...then this blog will get really interesting! ;-)

Across the pond!

Hello everyone! I made it safely across the pond. :)
For now, if you want to chat just send me an email. I'll be getting a new phone number in a few days. Once I have it, I'll share it on here.
Lots of love!!
Kristen

Leaving on a jet plane

Today is the day! My emotions are definitely running high. I'm so excited but scared too. This is an incredible opportunity and I have been so blessed to have supportive friends and family.
My next post will be from London! Keep reading :-)
Lots of love,
Kristen

finally!

great news!

Good morning everyone!
I woke up this morning to a great email. My visa has been issued and it should be here in 24 hours! I'm hoping I will definitely have it by this Wednesday.
I had already changed my flight to this Friday evening and I'm just going to stick with that plan. This will give me a good week and a half to find a flat, do my job training, enroll in my classes, set up my bank account, and get settled! My classes start on October 2nd.
Charlotte friends and family - if you would like to get together this week before I go, I would LOVE it! So give me a call.
xoxoxo,
Kristen

the waiting game

Hi everyone!

So let me start this post with a little background information. I started researching visas several months ago when I first started looking at teaching jobs and masters programs in London. Everything I read and everyone I spoke to gave me different answers about how long the whole visa process would take. After I was accepted into my program at the University of London and got a job with an agency, I was told my visa would take 5 to 15 days from the time I applied. I didn't actually get into my program until the middle of July so everything since then has been a whirlwind of trying to get documents together, bank accounts in order, fingerprints done, pictures taken, etc etc. 

When I submitted my application on August 16th, I thought I was giving myself plenty of time to get my visa in the mail. I went ahead and booked a flight that was supposed to take me across the pond today - September 14th.

Well this past Wednesday (the 12th), I received an email from the UKBA (the UK border agency - they are the big guys who give out visas) saying that they had JUST started reviewing my application. You can imagine how I felt...I was all ready to move to London in 2 days and then BAM! Sorry sister...that's not happening. 

My hope is that I will have my visa by next Friday but it might be another 2 weeks before I get it. 

So for all my Charlotte friends and family, I am here and would love to see y'all a few more times before I go! Keep me in your thoughts. It's stressful not knowing when I'll be moving to another country but I'm trying to stay positive! 

Lots of love,

Kristen

across the country in 5 days!

I got back this morning from a cross country trip with my sister Megan! My sister moved to San Diego for a travel nursing job. We had a great time hanging out in the car for 4 days and saw so many beautiful mountains and plains. Here are a few shots of our fun trip! I will definitely never forget this.

Memphis, Tennessee

Oklahoma’s sign…we tried to discover the excellence but didn’t have much luck!

We drove though just the pan handle of Texas and stayed in Amarillo. I always love a trip to Texas!

New Mexico - we had fun in Old Town Albuquerque :)

Old Town fun!

Arizona - We stayed in Prescott Valley and got to see so many beautiful mountains!

Finally made it to California!!

Mission Bay in San Diego before I had to head back home.

jackson hole and victor idaho

A couple weeks ago, I visited my friend Brittany and her husband Jon out west in Idaho. It was a great trip! I got to see some really beautiful scenery and went to Yellowstone National Park.

Me and B on a mountain top

the famous Million Dollar Cowboy Bar in Jackson Hole

 

Canoeing in Idaho

Old Faithful in Yellowstone

Yellowstone National Park

Thanks Brit and Jon for a great time!