Sunsets or Stress?

It's been a strange experience returning to ol' blighty. It's been 6 months now. I can't believe it! I'll be Mrs W in no time at all now (and that's cool) but that 6 months has flown by, with all of its complications, reunions, brilliance and confusion. I still get asked by at least 2 people every day whether or not I'm "going back". I now have a practiced reply: "Oh yes! It's just a question of when". In truth my head is now split and it goes 50/50.

My god I miss it though! The totally different way of seeing the world. But as someone said to me recently, the fact that I can see things differently may be of benefit to those who may be happy to open their eyes too. However, I'm not sure it's my job to do that for others; or indeed whether there is any point! It's very hard to remain inside my new ethos. I am sooo totally exhausted tonight as a result of workplace who actually seemed to have planned to have so many important things going on at the same time that I can't see the wood for the trees!

This week I had deadlines for 120 reports (although, thank god, system outage means only half of that work needs to be done by Monday), I had to prepare a lesson for an annual observation ( and that was important to me), I had to help run two very enjoyable but completely hectic media days and I needed to get on top of a trip I am trying to organise next Wednesday. I stay and I work an extra 2 (unpaid) hours every night. That's 40 hours a month... but the bosses decided that we needed to have two meetings a week every week for a while and they decided to do this at the same time that they expected us to complete all of the above! (!!???!!) I had my after school time taken away by two large meetings on four nights in the last 2 weeks. The result of these meetings meant even more work and most of it all had to be done by Monday 16th (the same deadline as the reports)! LMAO.

I feel that in hindsight, that calendar decision may have been a little unfair to all staff! Granted some of those decisions (the trip for example) are my own doing but CRIKEY! I hate feeling like I'm not on top of things... it's so easy to sit here and give in and become a British English teacher; sit here for hours, in my own time (half asleep and exhausted) marking, writing reports etc to meet these unrealistic time scales. BUT - and that's a big but ;) I'm not going to. I can't and I won't.

Seriously... it's not a good thing to have had all of that... I am drained and knackered and i need to rest. The fact that I am not going to have any free time until Tuesday to complete some of these things is not my concern... It's just the way it is and so I have to learn to relax, accept that and get on with relaxing in my weekend! In truth most of the massive hurdles are already done but trying to keep up this week has been exhausting! lol

Ah well! I could really do with a nice stroll along the beach you see. Maybe to Glenelg. Sitting on the balcony at Starbucks (where they make actual coffee not the crap they charge you 3times more for here that does not resemble coffee at all) and watching the sunset would be just what the Dr ordered. I reckon I'd pop to "Goodlife" for a pizza too. MMMmmmmm that was tasty pizza.

I wonder which lifestyle you would choose?