Blessings

This week I feel inspired to write about how blessed I have been these past couple of weeks. God has come through big time and I figure it's important to acknowledge the things that are turning out really well. That way, when things get tough, I have this great record to remind me that God is always working for good in my life.

The first bit of good news is that I have found a new flat! I'm not moving until Easter but it is nice to have that to look forward to. The address is Ashvale Road, Tooting Broadway (hilarious name for a suburb I know) and is much closer to buses and the tube than my current place. It has a living room (!), a decent kitchen, a garden, and I will be living with 2 Aussies and another Kiwi. They sound like they are pretty chilled out people who spend some time together while also doing their own thing. I'm sure it will be a definite improvement on the current situation! Oh, and the rent is cheaper which makes my budget a bit easier to manage.

Second piece of news is ... I have a job! A real job! It starts after Easter and is a maternity leave position until the end of their school year (July). I will be teaching English to year 6, 7, and 8 at Eaton House, The Manor. And yes, it is as posh as it sounds! It is another prep school and it looks like my commute from the new flat will be around 25-30 minutes which is a huge plus here. I was rather surprised when they wanted to interview me but figured it would be good practice whatever the outcome. Interviews are quite a bit more involved and stressful over here than I am used to. It started with a half hour tour of the school, (oh such nice facilities!!!!!! including a dining hall which means cooked lunch), then I had to teach a half hour lesson (eek), and then the actual sit down interview part. Whew. And they offered me the job so that is pretty exciting. Thanks so much to the English department at Mahurangi College who made sure I am able to do this job!

Other blessings:

• Many of you will have seen that I met Tom Hiddleston which was just super exciting. I went to see a play he was in on Friday night and then lined up at the stage door. Lovely guy....
• I have been going to a Vineyard church in Battersea with some interesting and welcoming people
• Acro has been great with some fun workshops as well as open jam sessions. I've met a couple of Kiwis and most people have been very friendly. No one to fly with regularly yet but hopefully that will come with time.
• Spring is making an appearance with some pretty cherry tree blossom and daffodils, and even some slightly warmer days!
• The colleagues at the prep school I've mostly been working in have just been amazing. I'm there for a solid two weeks at the moment and people are so friendly. They had an extra ticket to a play last night and invited me along. We went out for dinner beforehand and I felt very included in the group which was lovely.