Diving in Langkawi

So we had a 3-day holiday in the middle of the week last week for Deepavali, and what better way to spend it than getting our PADI Open Water qualifications! Jo and I, with some friends, visited a place called Langkawi - an island off the west coast of Malaysia, right up near the border with Thailand. It was a pretty cool place (not quite Phi Phi but close!) with a really long stretch of beach and loads of little clothes and trinket shops behind it. We stayed in a place called 'Rumours', and to say it was basic is a bit of an understatement! Nevertheless, we weren't in Langkawi for the rooms, and soon enough we got to go out and do our first open water dives off an island called Palau Payar, about 45 minutes boat ride away. The water was quite clear - about 10m plus visibility in places - and there were loads of fish, although we still had to go through our skills like taking our masks off and replacing them, hovering in the water without paddling, among others. At one point someone was going through one of their tasks with a small school of curious, bright purple parrot fish swimming around their head! Our instructor got attacked by a fish whilst trying to remove some algae from a sign, and I came very close to sitting on a lion fish during my mask clearing test! We also saw a Moray eel, some pretty big (and ugly) groupers and a huge barracuda, as well as loads of small clown fish (a.k.a Nemo fish!) hiding in their anemones. Fortunately there were no injuries and everyone came through it without any problems. To add to it all, apparently Langkawi isn't even the best place for diving! The east coast and Thailand is where it's at, so the Christmas holidays may take us to one of those two places, and a waterproof housing for my camera has shot to the top of my wish list.
  To no great surprise, I've put some photos on flickr. Hope everyone is well and is enjoying life, whatever they're doing. 

Motorcycling, Phuket and Phi Phi

Last week made for one of the more interesting half term breaks I've experienced.
   The Moto GP was a good start. The circuit (Sepang F1 circuit) was pretty cool. In two of the races there were Malaysian riders and the crowd were going absolutely wild every time they went passed. In the first race (Moto 3), the Malaysian rider was only 21 (it was actually his birthday on the race day!) and he had never finished in a podium place before. He was leading through most of the race, and the sound from the crowd was awesome - you could hear where he was on the track even though you couldn't see him, just from the sound of the crowd cheering him around. He lead until the last corner of the last lap, where he was overtaken! It was his best ever finish but it was kind of bittersweet as it could have been a real fairytale race for him.
   The main event was called of after 13 laps because, in true monsoon fashion, the heavens opened and the track was flooded within minutes! It also made the journey home a nightmare as the place was heaving with people, all running for taxis and lifts. Everyone was soaked to the bone, including me, who also managed to get caked in mud walking across a grassy area!
   Phuket was really relaxing in comparison. We stayed in a small, family-run chalet resort. The people were lovely and drove us to the beach and picked us up whenever we wanted to go. The beach was beautiful and quiet - we had a perfect spot to watch the sunset but again, in true monsoon fashion, it was massively cloudy and we got a tiny slither of pinky-orange through the clouds for about 10 minutes. I'm sure it would have been amazing though!
   Koh Phi Phi had to be the highlight though. After a 2 hour ferry, the tiny island was the ultimate in chilled out holiday environments. We chartered a boat and went snorkeling every day, and there were just so many incredible multi-coloured fish! The driver of the long boat threw some bread into the water and swarms of these fish would come over. When you were in the water you could feel them brushing past you! We saw a sea snake as well, long, thin and black and white striped. I wasn't convinced it was entirely friendly so I stayed a comfortable distance away from it! We went to Maya Bay, which is where 'The Beach' was filmed. It was actually a little underwhelming and jam-packed with tourists. Around the island we went to other, simply beautiful secluded beaches which were much nicer to be on, and generally empty.
   It was hard to leave after only a couple of days - there was so much more we could have done. A perfect excuse to go back I'd say!
   I hope everyone back home is enjoying their half terms - What are you up to?
   As always, check out the Flickr page for updated pics!

Half Term!!!

It's here! I have finally completed my first half term in my new school, and what a term it was! The new class are certainly different to any I've experienced, although they are still year 6's and have a few classic year 6 traits! The lessons are different too - I teach English, Maths and IPC (an enquiry-based teaching that incorporates History, Geography etc. into a project answering a question). No PE, no Music, no Art. Specialist teachers cover everything else which means I have a bit more time, but I do miss them sometimes.
   Tomorrow Jo and I are going to watch the Moto GP which is in KL. One of the children in Jo's class has a parent who owns the company that sponsors the GP and they very kindly gave us free tickets! It should be cool, and it's the kind of thing I wouldn't have thought to do otherwise so it's a bit of a bonus and a nice start to the holidays.
   On Tuesday we head to Thailand for a few days of relaxing on a beach, snorkeling and exploring. We have a night in Phuket and two nights on Koh Phi Phi. I can't wait - I got my camera cleaned especially! Hopefully there will be some good pics - I'll put them on my Flickr page if there are.
   I hope everyone is well - not long until your half term too! I'll try not to leave it too long next time.

Here we go!

   So the new term starts tomorrow! I'm making the final adjustments to the classroom and rehearing my lines for the children when they come in. It's so nerve-wracking!
   I've been to some pretty cool places in the last week. One was called Kuala Selangor - it's a costal town and we saw loads of monkeys and got to feed them which was exciting; they come right up to you and take the food out of your hand! In the evening we went to a river and had a boat ride. 4 of us were in a boat and a guy rowed us downstream and on the banks of the river were thousands of fireflies! It was really serene and some even landed on us! I also saw a street football competition. The players were really skillful and the final games were televised live on ESPN. I even got to meet Edgar Davids (he's an ex-dutch footballer for those who don't know, and a bit of a hero of mine!)
   I've started a flickr account so I can start posting photos. There are only a few up at the moment but when I get the internet at my new apartment I'll upload some more. The address is:
http://www.flickr.com/photos/85459312@N02/
   Good luck to everyone in their new schools or jobs. Let me know how you all get on, don't be a stranger!

I'm here!!

Wow, what a busy and exciting 10 days! I haven't been able to update my blog simply because I haven't been in my hotel room for long enough! So, to fill you in...
   Portugal was fantastic - the weather was nice and the villa I stayed in was beautiful. It was on the side of a huge hill in a valley with a lake at the bottom. There was a swimming pool and everything! The day of my niece's christening was really nice, she was baptised in a small church in the country. Jo and I also spent a day in Porto which was nice and chilled.
   So I flew back to England on the Monday and left for Kuala Lumpur the next morning. We packed too much stuff and so had to throw away loads of clothes at the airport! As a result, we very nearly missed our flight - not the best start! However, since I've been here I have had the best time. The weather is not brilliant (overcast, 32 degrees every day and spells of really heavy rain) but the people and the place are just fantastic! My new school is HUGE and my classroom is on the 4th floor. The other teachers are all really nice and we've been out every day exploring the city and the surrounding areas. I also have a new flat - it's again on the 4th floor of a building just around the corner from the school. The apartment itself is massive (it even has a walk-in wardrobe which Jo loves!) and we have free and unlimited access to a swimming pool, gym, tennis court and basketball court!
   I really think I'm going to be happy here, even though I'll always miss everyone back at home. How has everyone else's summer holidays been? Don't be a stranger and I'll post some photos soon.

And it's from the old I travel to the new...

   So, 3 weeks left. As I pack up my stuff, box up my books, dvds and other things I can't take with me and throw away bin bags of jumpers, jeans and other things I won't be needing in Malaysia, I feel a strange mixture of excitment and sadness.
   I have a lot to look forward to - hot weather and a beautiful location; a new school and new children; and a new way of life and a fascinating new culture to explore. I'm really glad that I'm doing this and I am certain that, whatever happens, it will be life-enriching. I feel anxious as I simply don't even know what to expect from day 1, and I'm there for 2 years!
   But in order to experience something new, something old has to be left behind. I'm going to miss my friends who I am so used to being there and relying on; my family - my sister and my niece who isn't a year old yet; my awesome work colleagues who have been not only incredibly supportive but are great fun; and I'm going to miss my class - possibly the most charismatic and entertaining group of children I could have come across. You guys have kept me on my toes and worked me to the bone this year!
    Thank you all and if I don't see you before I leave, keep in touch.