New Friends

Awe...sleeping in. I'll never take it for granted again. I actually woke up around 6 and felt like I could have got up, and then again at 7. I finally crawled out of bed around 8 and I feel very rested.

So on Thursday night I went out with the girls from work to Ceili's Irish pub. It's sort of close to my apartment so I was able to walk there. After having been there for about a half an hour and half way through my Strongbow, a blonde girl came and sat across from me. I thought she was one of my co-workers friends because I didn't recognize her from the daycare. Everyone was asking her how her holidays were going and asking her if she missed the daycare, so I decided she obviously worked there. Trying to be sociable, I say, "So do you work at the daycare too?" . Everyone started laughing then and told me she was my boss, Kim, who had been on holdiays since I started. It was a very memorable way to meet my boss for the first time.
It was a lot of fun that night and I hope I didn't come across as a huge dork with Kim. I was a little bit buzzed from having a drink on an empty stomach. She actually made a comment about how I said I was shy in my interview, but I didn't seem like it now. She's got a good sense of humour, though, and she's actually just a little bit older than me.

Almost the end of the week

One more day and I will have completed my first week at the daycare. I'm so glad that this job landed on my lap; it feels so good to be doing something that I feel like I was meant to do. I still want to have a home daycare, but this environment is good until then.
I've always felt like I was called to work with children in some form. Sometimes this feeling confused me when I was growing up, though, because there were some children I babysat as a teenager that absolutely drove me nuts and I didn't want to look after. While it is still challenging at times, I've learned to cope with difficult behaviour and I think I'm pretty natural with kids. I've never been one of those loud, crazy babysitters or teachers that run around and dance with the kids all the time. I encourage the kids to do that sort of thing and when I feel comfortable I'll join in. It's part of me being introverted. I admire the out-going type who can be crazy with the kids, though.
This week so far has shown me that I'll be really happy when the time comes for me to have my own daycare at home. Since I am quieter I like to have a small group of kids so that we can get to know each other better and play and learn in an intimate atmosphere. One of the challenges I've faced this week is how loud it can sometimes get with up to 18 pre-schoolers in the room. Both the children and I get distracted by what's going on and its hard to stay focused on each other. I've noticed that the quiet children gravitate towards me, while the more extroverted ones like to play with the louder teachers. That's why I think my future small daycare will be good. It will be an option for parents whose children like interaction with others, but do better in a small group. That's what I was like as a child and still am today.
This is a pretty rambling post, but I was just typing what I thought.

First Day

It's 6:51pm and I have been home from my first daycare shift for half an hour. I'm tired. I forgot how tiring it is to work with children all day. I like it, though. The other teachers are really nice, the parents are friendly, and the kids are fun. The only stressful part was the bathroom time after lunch. I'm still alive and there were no major problems. I've been invited out to have a pint at Ceili's pub on Thursday night. Apparently it's a weekly thing, but this week will be special because the girl that I'm replacing will be saying good-bye.

Phew!

I can let out a big breath of air now. Our stuff is here, we have cable (and internet), I took my first aid/cpr course. Evrything is settling down a little. This morning I went to the daycare to meet my new coworkers and see the place. I have a feeling I'm going to be very happy there. Everyone is really nice and they seem relaxed. I chatted a lot with the assistant director. I think I'm going to "click" with everyone.

Our apartment is in shambles right now. We have boxes everywhere and things aren't in their right places yet. Our bathroom and kitchen are basically set up, but the living room and bedroom aren't functional. The bedroom is ridiculously small and we don't have a storage room so we are having a hard time arranging things. It's mostly going to have to wait, though, because tomorrow night we're taking a red-eye flight to Toronto and we'll be in Kingston on Saturday morning. I'll see most of you on Sunday at Next.

That's all for now. Our computer chair is too high and I can't figure out how to adjust it; it's making my shoulders hurt.

Updates in Edmonton

Just to update everyone on where we're at, we've been in Edmonton for a week without any of our stuff. There was a mix-up and it's going to be late. Luckily, they're reducing the price significantly for us. Nice.

We've been spending our time exploring our new surroundings and catching up with friends. We've spent some time at internet cafes (and Circuit Circus - right now) to stay in touch with our other friends. Our stuff should arrive tomorrow and we should start feeling like we live here instead of being on vacation. More to come later.