Ok, haven’t posted for some time ‘cause I’m bedraggled with uni work and just life in general. It’s an exciting time in that I’ve only got three or so months left before I’m finished with formal studies for what may become forever. It’s a frustrating time because the pressures of uni are inhibiting my opportunities to get alongside others. It’s also an uncertain time when what is to come remains abstract in its realisation. I’m a buoy without direction, without any destination, just hitching a ride with the current tide. Every now and then being thrown down by the violent surf. Bobbing back up, giving it another go.

I’ve been studying most of my life. The usual primary and secondary years came and went (even though time seemed to stand still throughout its duration). First year out I ventured straight into nursing. I’m not a nurse. The sterile nature of the work left me feeling suffocated and at a loss. It wasn’t a waste of a year, it just wasn’t me. So consequently I did what many unsure young adults do when they are attempting to work out their future and began a good old Arts degree. I now see this as a bit self-indulgent – years of archaeology, multiple histories, contemporary visual culture, literature studies and Renaissance Art – but damn it was a liberating time in some ways and I do miss the hours spent pouring over books in the old-carpet smelling library carrels.

So it’s finally coming to an end. If I get through these three months I’ll be a teacher. Almost 20 years of learning only to begin the cycle for others. It’s funny how you grow in your thinking over the years. If I had the chance to go back in time I would certainly take another route. I’m not even convinced that I would take on tertiary study. But that’s life isn’t it. Another moment where hindsight reveals a cache of ill-informed decisions.

I’m now at my final school for teaching rounds and have a class of awesome kids to work with for about eight weeks. It’s always good getting to know the characters within a new bunch of children, slowly associating their little ways with the names and finding out what makes them tick. I found myself being talked to 10mins straight on all the car names this one kid wanted to relay to me and then about another 10 on another boy’s grandma’s sister’s dog named Buddy. Yep… But all that stuff is important background info for when I’m teaching them. If cars and dogs will tune them in to the learning, I’m using it. I did have an interesting conversation about flying cars too but won’t diverge.

Okay so enough about my adventures in kiddo land. What I really wanted to write about was something I heard another child say. This little person is moving to the Middle East with family because, “Dad can make three times as much money working a whole lot less.” In fact where they’re moving is not far from Sudan. Not entirely sure what Daddy’s doing over there to make this packet of money not doing much but here’s to hoping it involves helping the country get back on track after the refuse of crap resulting from civil war. The ironic moment came when this little person completed her explanation as to why they were leaving the school then went to sit down next to her friend who had only joined the school last term as a refugee from Sudan. One flees the land because she’s no longer welcome at home, the other is whisked off to the foreign land because this is where the money is for Daddy. It’s a rather upside down world.