#StaycationSeries | The Entrance | Unexpected Overtime

 

I unfortunately don't have any other photos than the one I took on this Motel - yes Motel - balcony.

Just a few minutes from North Entrance Beach, Lake Front Motel is a good overnight space for this weekend getaway.

It's close to all the quaint beach town sites and sunbathing spots, this is a great space to leave your belongings and explore the Central Coast of NSW.

Want a beach getaway to slow down?

The Entrance is the place to go!

With Pelican feeding sessions and lots more out door activities for movers and shakers, the entrance offer lots of time in nature spots.

Essentially, if you want to just go for a walk, layout and chill out, The Entrance is the place to kick back and relax.

In all honesty, if you've been, you know; if your want to go, you'll find out 😉

#StaycationSeries | Berrima | Girls Trip

 

South NSW is your quaint getaway.

Berrima is a small little town in Southern NSW what holds plenty of Colonial history.

The Manor is home to a beautiful garden and staffed with well informed locals who love their town.

My sister, cousin and I enjoyed our weekend getaway simple tasting local wine, ice cream and sweets.

We stayed at the  Berrima Motel as it is the ideal location for your stay. It's walking distance from everything in the town. I mean e-ve-ry-thing!

Essentially, if you're looking for a short staycation where you experience a slower pace of life, Berrima is a great option.

Book now: https://berrimamotel.com.au/

2024 | Happy New Year | #StaycationSeries

 

Happy Happy New Year Everyone!

The year ahead is going to be a quiet year for sL. I don't have any plans to travel due to personal commitments and a new role for my day job.

BUT...

I wasn't able to write about my staycation last year!

SO...

My posts will be about various Staycations here on NSW.

#StaycationSeries will be:

• Feb - Berrima
• Mar - The Entrance
• Apr - Hunter Valley
• May - Moss Vale
• June - The Blue Mountains 

July-December will be TBC 🤣

All the best for 2024!

sL

#returntotravel | Koh Samui | Thailand

 

Ever just need to escape?

Well, that's what Thailand was for me this year: an escape.

Much like wanting to go home to Baguio was last December, Thailand was this year's reprieve from the lows of 2023.

Every year brings hardships, and places like Koh Samui are blessings when we need to reflect on the highs.

Koh Samui's Beyond Samui Resort was an excellent place to relax, unwind and recuperate from the stresses of 2023.

Koh Samui in general also offered fun day trips like:

Piggy Island with Smorkling

I was unsure about this when my sister first told me about this experience, but now I'm glad we did it!

As much as the highlight was to feed the pigs on this island, I enjoyed the boat ride and the snorkelling that came as part of this day-trip package.

Koh Mad Sum (Piggy Island) had shallow shores perfect for swimming and relaxing. Neighbouring islands offered snorkelling, kayaking and fishing opportunities for tourist. Overall, it was an excellent way to spend the day.

Samui Elephant Home

I really enjoyed visiting an elephant sanctuary in Samui. I was releived to hear that there were many elephant sanctuaries on the island. Making these protein balls and feeding them to the elephants gave me so much joy!

Marie (above), Hong (her bestie), Bahn and Lucky (Marie's adopted baby) call Samui Elephant Home their - you guessed it - home.

Cared for by individual carers plus educational directors for tourists, these four elephants are well looked after and recuperated. I recommend researching and visiting an elephant sanctuary.

Jeep Jungle Safari

This was a fun tour. 

Picked up by an adventure Jeep and taken to Wat Plai Laem as the initial meeting point, they day is filled with jungle exploration and temple sites. 

I actually wanted to check out temples while I was in Samui and this tour surprisingly had plenty to see! It meant that my sister and I didn't need to add an extra day to visit temples near by. The tour guides took us to so many that I felt like we saw most of the temples on the island.

The highlight of the tour was swimming at the pool end of a waterfall! The freshwater pool was a cool reprieve from the Thai humidity and a really fun experience. Short, but fun.

Another feature was the Tarnim Magic Garden. A hidden temple within the jungle, this garden features its own mini waterfall as well as a series of stone statues that portray Buddhist beliefs.

After lunch, the tour ends at Pra Buddha Dipankara Temple. The highest point of the Island is home to a temple with plenty of stairs for a 360° view of the island and the Samui Museum (which I did not visit, apologies fellow museum lovers, I was too tired after the walk up the stairs!).

Overall, Koh Samui was an excellent escape from my 2023 stressors. I am definitely thinking about revisiting in the future.

sL xxx

#returntotravel | North Island - Auckland, Rotorua and Matamata | New Zealand

As part of the return to travel, my family and I went on our third family trip to our neighbouring country: New Zealand.

As much as we wanted to do both islands, we only had time to visit the North Island. We took day trips to Hobbiton, Piha Beach and Rotorua.

We had no plans, we just wanted to be anywhere else but home for just a moment.

Auckland

The CBD had a beautiful skyline that you need to capture with your eyes and your camera. Auckland was familiar enough feel like we hadn't left Sydney. One quirk we did enjoy was seeing people driving and parking on the footpath...Auckland locals, is this a thing??? Is that normal?

Hobbiton

This was the only pit stop on my agenda. I'm not a big LOTR fan, but I did enjoy the films. Seeing the sets and hearing the stories about the creation of Middle Earth was just a bonus to my NZ experience.

But driving into Matamata itself was just so beautiful! Seas of green with sheep and cows left and right. The drive to Middle Earth was worth every kilometre.

Rotorua

The town surrounded by volcanic spurs is also home to The Redwood Forest. It was a fun tree-to-tree walk with tree routes that fit all adventure levels. It was a fun immersive track.

The sulfur site of Rotorua did smell, BUT as a budding GeoTeacher, I wanted to see and learn more about what I was teaching my students. It was a really interesting site.

Piha Beach

The North Island is beautiful with great spots to just drive to and enjoy. One spot that the weather didn't dappen was Piha Beach. It's known for it magnificent rock formations:

Overall, New Zealand is worth the visit and I cannot wait to see what the South Island has to offer!

Next: Staycation: Japanese Escape in the Mountains 

#returntotravel | Balikbayan - Homecoming | Baguio City, Philippines

After being stuck in the UK during Covid, your roots start to look for their homeland.

When I moved to the UK temporarily, I didn't think my Filipino heritage would be the biggest element that I would miss.

So, when I moved back to Australia and was allowed to get back onto a plane, I booked with a budget airline (Cebu Pacific) and didn't look back - even if they left my luggage in Sydney and didn't return it to me until a week into my trip! (Alas, you get what you pay for I guess...)

I celebrated Christmas of 2022 in true Filipino style: Midnight Mass, Noche Buena and carol singing for days.

I spent most of my time getting to know my dad's side of the family and waking up to this view:

I was a little confused by the excellent weather, but did not complain after a rainy 2022.

When the rains did come, it brought the nostalgic, yet slightly terrifying, asthmatic cough, that - with Covid still around - kept my on high alert.

Alas as 2023 came through, I was truly thankful for the trip back to good old Baguio City.

Baguio was my city. It's my first home. I love my home away from home.

sL

strictlyleisure | Travel Series Return | Upcoming Blogs

2022 was touch and go with restrictions being non-existent in the northern hemisphere and very heavy in the southern hemisphere.

It's August 2023 and we're still hearing about wearing masks when you're feeling unwell.

Regardless, travel is back and, to make up for the three years of no flights, nomads are feeling the pinch in their pockets.

Three Reasons People Are Travelling Again

1) "Staying Home" was (and is) never an option. Some people are just not home bodies. Being elsewhere - or as far from home as they can get - is always a priority. Whether it's to press 'pause' on their busy schedule, run away from their schedules or just not feeling at home in their home, travel is an investment not an expense.

2) It's now or never. People have re-evaluated the need to travel after being "stuck" in one place for so long. Since many companies are taking a hybrid form, travel has become more accessible than before.

3) To keep "The Gram" alive. Social media has also been a place to display portions of life, with opportunities to travel again, gorgeous scenery and oceanic escapes have become party of people's stories and pictorial updates again. It's a moment, in a place, cemented by a tap; a memory capsule of a simple pleasure of life.

Up Next on sL:

SEP - Philippines (Baguio City)

OCT - New Zealand (Northern Island)

NOV - Staycastions (DELAYED - apologies!)

DEC - THAILAND (Ko Samui)

WELCOME 2022 | It's a NEW YEAR | OM-NI-CRON!

 

It's 2022 and it's ANOTHER variant. 

Did we actually think Covid wold go away? No, it lingered on and evolved a little more. Masks, social distancing and some restrictions are back.

Guys, just stay safe for yet another covid-year.

Regardless, from me to you, I say: WELCOME 2022!

2021 Covid Chronicles | Post-2020 Reflection | APR-OCT 2021 (Post?) Covid World

And we're living in a [covid world] and I am a [double vaxxed] girl.

And here we are...slow easing into full freedom. Masks are optional, bubbles non-existent, all business are opened and fully functioning, hybrid office operations and vaccinations for all.

Variants still exisiting: Delta (Indian), Epsilon (USA), Zeta (Brazil 2.0), Theta (Philippines), Iota (USA 2.0) and Kappa (India 2.0).

But here we are and there are two Hamletian™ questions:

• To mask or not to mask?
• To vax or not to vax?

Being brave is exercising wisdom - i.e. wear a mask even if you don't want to - and protecting everyone even though they don't to protect you.

Welcome to the covid (hopefully soon, post-covid) world!

Next: TBC

2021 Covid Chronicles | Post-2020 Reflection | MAR 2021 Easing

As the 8th March came in, schools and offices reopened.

What's the difference?

The Vaccine Roll Out.

The correlation between vaccination rates and freedoms came about. The more jabs the more easing. But as vaccinations were rolled out more people feared the cure than the virus. New, new, new normal. We now live in a world that's divided between the 'Vaccinated' and the 'Non-vaccinated'.

Not that we haven't before, any parent will tell you how difficult it is to get a placement for their unvaccinated child in any day care centre. But now, it's your: work pass, passport and public access ID. In a world of QR codes and online data, vaccinations are the access to the world.

Let's see what the aftermath will be post-post-Covid.

Next: Post-Covid World

2020 Covid Chronicles | Post-2020 Reflection | NOV20-FEB21 Lockdown 2.0 and 3.0

 

As November rolled around, the Alpha Variant (UK) and Beta Variant (South African) were prominent enough to shut down the hospitality industry again. Eventually, a 'Tier System' was introduced to slow down the shutdown of 'non-essential' trade of good and services. This was Lockdown 2.0. Schools were still operating, but it was clear that the mutation of the virus was now targeting the ages that the initial infection did not previously 'attract'. Eventually, as Christmas came through, everyone was shut in and celebrations did not exist.

As the New Year rolled in, there was nothing 'happy' about 2021. Eventually, the rising numbers in Brazil released a new variant, the Gamma Variant, and drove the world into a new panic. The UK went into Lockdown 3.0, shutting schools and re-enforcing the work-from-home mandate, reverting back to Lockdown 1.0 protocols.

It was a very long and uneventful winter. Lockdown was a reality. Lockdown was normal. 3.0 is the post-Covid way of living.

Next: Slow Easing

2020 Covid Chronicles | Post-2020 Reflection | SEP-OCT 2020 Bubbles

 By the time the new school year began, there was another new normal that was introduced:

• Masks in classrooms and hallways,
• Teaching from the front and
• School-Year 'BUBBLES

There was no such thing as encountering other year groups.  Teachers were the ones moving about and navigating teaching outside of their personalised classrooms. For the first two months of the school year, students all saw a handful of classrooms, followed one-way systems and had different timetables. It was insane. 

Outside of my realm of teaching, a lot of offices near my abode were figuring out a hybrid approach to in and out of office presence. I lived near the BBC TV Centre and noticed that no one was eager to be back in the office just yet.

It seemed as though no one as convinced anything was quiet 'safe' yet.

Next: Lockdown 2.0

2020-21 Covid Chronicles | Post-2020 Reflection | JUL-AUG 2020 EO2HO

 

As summer came about, things started to "open" and the biggest turn of event was the UK Government's 'Eat Out to Help Out' scheme to help boos the economy and reopen restaurants around the country. As great as this initiative was, it highlighted two things: the high percentage of restaurants that closed during the first lockdown and the rapid evolution of Covid.

As everyone started to eat out the help that we were giving, unbeknownst to us, was Covid itself. As the public started to mingle, Covid started to mutate and thus brought about the 'British / UK variant'. 

After five months of 'Stay[ing] Home,' the world did not know how to ease into a new, new normal. Summer was all about being outside again, boosting exercise and fitness routines, along with adjusting to wearing masks in any enclosed places. Summer was re-navigating life for the first time with Covid.

Next: Bubbles and Schools

2020-21 Covid Chronicles | Post-2020 Reflection | JUN 2020 Equality

One Cause for All Causes

In the quake of the Black Lives Matter movement, many more inequalities came to the forefront: inequality between the minorities and majorities, LGBTQ+ rights and colonial aftermath. 

Seemingly overnight, everyone had an opinion about the past and present in order to bring a better future. The fight for equality gave many "netizens" the right to cancel anyone who did not fit the new wave of advocating for equality. 

With Covid-19 still keeping most of the northern hemisphere in their homes, it was hard to ignore the voices that came from every social media stream. Between the Netflix, Prime, Disney+ and Hulu binging, most people were also glued to social media to find answers about this pandemic-driven chaos. 

We were very close to a real-life Hunger Games. Who was going to be cancelled next? Which sensitive topic will make us all sit uncomfortably? What will make us rethink our daily reality?

Regardless, every protest and anti-protest showed the world one thing: change is inevitable.

Next: Summer?

2020-21 Covid Chronicles | Post-2020 Reflection | MAY 2020 Black Live Matter, Say Their Names.

Say Every Name (https://sayevery.name/)

• MA'KHIA BRYANT
• MATTHEW "ZADOK" WILLIAMS
• DAUNTE WRIGHT
• JAMES LIONEL JOHNSON
• DOMINIQUE WILLIAMS
• MARVIN SCOTT III
• JENOAH DONALD
• PATRICK WARREN
• XZAVIER HILL
• ROBERT HOWARD
• VINCENT BELMONTE
• BENNIE EDWARDS
• CASEY GOODSON JR.
• AIDEN ELLISON
• QUAWAN CHARLES
• KEVIN PETERSON JR.
• WALTER WALLACE JR.
• JONATHAN PRICE
• KURT REINHOLD
• DIJON KIZZEE
• DAMIAN DANIELS
• ANTHONY MCCLAIN
• JULIAN LEWIS
• MAURICE ABISDID-WAGNER
• RAYSHARD BROOKS
• PRISCILLA SLATER
• ROBERT FORBES
• KAMAL FLOWERS
• JAMEL FLOYD
• DAVID MCATEE
• JAMES SCURLOCK
• CALVIN HORTON JR.
• TONY MCDADE
• DION JOHNSON
• GEORGE FLOYD
• MAURICE GORDON
• CORNELIUS FREDERICKS
• STEVEN TAYLOR
• DANIEL PRUDE
• BREONNA TAYLOR
• BARRY GEDEUS
• MANUEL ELLIS
• AHMAUD ARBERY
• LIONEL MORRIS
• JAQUYN O'NEILL LIGHT
• WILLIAM GREEN
• DARIUS TARVER
• MICIAH LEE
• JOHN NEVILLE
• MICHAEL DEAN
• ATATIANA JEFFERSON
• BYRON WILLIAMS
• ELIJAH MCCLAIN
• JALEEL MEDLOCK
• TITI "TETE" GULLEY
• DOMINIQUE CLAYTON
• PAMELA TURNER
• RONALD GREENE
• STERLING HIGGINS
• BRADLEY BLACKSHIRE
• JASSMINE MCBRIDE
• ALEAH JENKINS
• EMANTIC BRADFORD JR.
• JEMEL ROBERSON
• CHARLES ROUNDTREE JR.
• BOTHAM JEAN
• HARITH AUGUSTUS
• JASON WASHINGTON
• ANTWON ROSE JR.
• ROBERT WHITE
• EARL MCNEIL
• MARCUS-DAVID PETERS
• DORIAN HARRIS
• DANNY RAY THOMAS
• STEPHON CLARK
• RONELL FOSTER
• DAMON GRIMES
• JAMES LACY
• CHARLEENA LYLES
• MIKEL MCINTYRE
• JORDAN EDWARDS
• TIMOTHY CAUGHMAN
• ALTERIA WOODS
• DESMOND PHILLIPS
• DEBORAH DANNER
• ALFRED OLANGO
• TERENCE CRUTCHER
• CHRISTIAN TAYLOR
• JAMARION ROBINSON
• DONNELL THOMPSON JR.
• JOSEPH MANN
• PHILANDO CASTILE
• ALTON STERLING
• JAY ANDERSON JR.
• CHE TAYLOR
• DAVID JOSEPH
• ANTRONIE SCOTT
• BETTIE JONES
• QUINTONIO LEGRIER
• COREY JONES
• SAMUEL DUBOSE
• DARRIUS STEWART
• SANDRA BLAND
• SUSIE JACKSON
• DANIEL SIMMONS
• ETHEL LANCE
• MYRA THOMPSON
• CYNTHIA HURD
• DEPAYNE MIDDLETON-DOCTOR
• SHARONDA COLEMAN-SINGLETON
• CLEMENTA PINCKNEY
• TYWANZA SANDERS
• KALIEF BROWDER
• FREDDIE GRAY
• NORMAN COOPER
• WALTER SCOTT
• NATASHA MCKENNA
• RUMAIN BRISBON
• TAMIR RICE
• AKAI GURLEY
• TANISHA ANDERSON
• LAQUAN MCDONALD
• CAMERON TILLMAN
• DARRIEN HUNT
• MICHAEL BROWN
• KAJIEME POWELL
• MICHELLE CUSSEAUX
• DANTE PARKER
• EZELL FORD
• AMIR BROOKS
• JOHN CRAWFORD III
• ERIC GARNER
• JERRY DWIGHT BROWN
• VICTOR WHITE III
• MARQUISE JONES
• YVETTE SMITH
• RENISHA MCBRIDE
• JONATHAN FERRELL
• DEION FLUDD
• GABRIEL WINZER
• WAYNE A. JONES
• KIMANI GRAY
• KAYLA MOORE
• COREY STINGLEY
• DARNESHA HARRIS
• JORDAN DAVIS
• MOHAMED BAH
• SGT. JAMES BROWN
• DARIUS SIMMONS
• REKIA BOYD
• TRAYVON MARTIN
• WILLIE RAY BANKS
• KENNETH CHAMBERLAIN SR.
• CLETIS WILLIAMS
• ROBERT RICKS
• EUGENE ELLISON
• DANROY "DJ" HENRY JR.
• AIYANA STANLEY-JONES
• LAWRENCE ALLEN
• OSCAR GRANT
• JULIAN ALEXANDER
• MARVIN PARKER
• DEAUNTA FARROW
• SEAN BELL
• KATHRYN JOHNSTON
• TIMOTHY STANSBURY JR.
• ALBERTA SPRUILL
• ANTHONY DWAIN LEE
• RICKY BYRDSONG
• AMADOU DIALLO
• JAMES BYRD JR.
• NICHOLAS HEYWARD JR.
• MARY MITCHELL
• SHARON WALKER
• ELEANOR BUMPURS
• EDWARD GARDNER
• ELTON HAYES
• FRED HAMPTON
• MARTIN LUTHER KING JR.
• ALBERTA ODELL JONES
• JIMMIE LEE JACKSON
• MALCOLM X
• JAMES EARL CHANEY
• LOUIS ALLEN
• MEDGAR EVERS
• HERBERT LEE
• JOHN EARL REESE
• EMMETT TILL
• WILLIAM MCDUFFIE
• DELLA MCDUFFIE
• MALCOLM WRIGHT
• GEORGE STINNEY JR.
• DR. ANDREW C. JACKSON
• WILL BROWN
• LEVI HARRINGTON

And many others.

I want to commemorate the people whose lives matter. Black Lives Matter.

Racism should never be tolerated. When May 2020 ended with a a world-wide uproar, no one could ignore how quickly a life was taken by another life who vowed to 'serve and protect' lives. George Floyd's death reopened the deep wounds of history's bloody ideals. The whole world had one question to answer: "What does it mean to 'matter'?"

We all had to sit in the necessary discomfort in order to see our own ignorances. We needed to face our own ingrained ways of thinking, speaking and acting. As a 'religious' person (i.e. someone 'belonging or relating to a monastic order or other group of people who are united by their practice of religion'), I had to question some of the responses (or lack of) responses I was (or was not) seeing online. I was disappointed to see a lack of advocacy from the people who claim to be 'pro-life'. It made me mad to see that many people how shared my faith were the most adversed to being there for their black friends. I was also confused as to why some POCs in my own circles 'didn't want to get involved' because it's 'not their fight'. 

It became clear that fear was as contagious as covid. 

I learned very quickly that many people around me hid behind their pseudo religiosity and were constantly 'reflecting' upon the issues and were spewing religious jargon to avoid answering the question of what does it mean to 'matter'? As an English teacher, I hated the fact that the Black Community had to reiterate that to have 'all' lives matter 'black' lives should be counted too. It seems like a no-brainer, but when racism is ingrained in all aspects of society, people only seem hear the "unspoken" racial hierarchy being "re-arranged" allowing colonial panic to rear its ugly head. Racism is the Mr Hyde to Society's Dr Jekyll. On the surface, we don't talk about it, but the moment we're told to 'see it from the others' point of view', it's hard to Hyde what we really feel.

There is still A LOT to say, but let's be honest, this blog has already stirred some sh*t in you as a reader (and in me as the author). Let's breathe and eat some ice cream to calm down. 

We've just started this re-journey!!!

Next: Equality

2020-21 Covid Chronicles | Post-2020 Reflection | APR 2020 (Two Weeks?)

Two Weeks to Indefinite

When they said it was going to be a two-week lockdown, Covid laughed in the governments' faces.

The weekly cases and deaths rose at such a rapid pace that there was nothing to laugh about. The reality of cabin fever spread across the world, while streaming service expanded their viewing options. April was the month of, "What the actual f*ck?".

There were so many fingers point at China that there was barely any time to really think about how to properly react. While the northern hemisphere was in panic mode, the southern hemisphere closed its borders. It was like watching an apocalypse unfold before our eyes. Panic buying is still the most fascinating concept to me. The toilet paper hoarding (for no good reason); then the meat pile stocking (again...it's perishable...so, why?); and eventually, the sad pictures of the elderly in front of empty shelves. The escalation was quick and entertaining, but depressing to watch.

Who knew it would just be the beginning of seeing human selfishness?

Next: BLM

2020-21 Covid Chronicles | Post-2020 Reflection | MAR 2020 (Lockdown Birthdays)

 Lockdown Birthdays

I turned 29 during lockdown.

It's not a significant age, but to 'stay at home' was not what I imagined I would be doing on a Friday.

As we all settled into lockdown, no one was sure about anything. In the chaos, I was relieved. I was waking up at 7:30 am to post work for students and was back to sleep by 8 am. My timetable was according to me and I was not working for my birthday.

When my birthday rolled around, I ordered as much food on Uber Eats and watched The Little Mermaid to make the best of the situation.

It was the best, but loneliest birthdays I had ever experienced in my life.

Next: Two Weeks They Said...

2020-21 Covid Chronicles | Post-2020 Reflection | FEB 2020 (Rumours of WWIII)

Remember When We Thought it was World War III?

February was crazy.

Do you remember when we thought we were on the brink of war when North Korea was testing missiles? Almost every 18-35-year-old female was like, "Oh, I'm no longer a feminist because I do not want to be conscripted!" Not to mention the rise of TikTok and the odd flex of showcasing how 'useless' Millenials and Gen Z would be on a battlefield. It was simultaneously entertaining and concerning.

Yeah, we took WORLD WAR III so lightly that karma hit us with a reality shock in the same month.

Governments were confused. They went from preparing for a possible war across seas to suddenly fight an invisible war in their homelands. Suddenly, it wasn't about taking up arms, it was washing up to our arms more than once a day. Eventually, things started to close down and we were counting down to the inevitable: a worldwide lockdown.

But week in and week out, there I was in a classroom with fewer and fewer students waiting for the announcement. I remember sitting in my classroom and the Headteacher came in to see if I was sticking around through this 'unprecedented time'. So, chronologically speaking, this brings us back to...

Why did I stay? After the depressing two months so far, why didn't I take the opportunity to head home?

Simple: it was easier. Staying meant I didn't have to pack up again. I just got here. 

By the time February hit, my backbone was so thick I couldn't recognise the girl in the mirror. I was different. To this day, I don't who that b*tch was, but I can still feel the numbness that she went through when I remember my early days in the UK. That version of me was a robot. I was so unfeeling that I was in the school building by 7:30 am and left at 3 pm. I came in so early I didn't see anyone until lunchtime. I would talk to people, but I kept mostly to myself. By the time the half-term hit, I was just working to distract myself from the hell I was living.

When the news turned from declaring war against a superpower to declaring war against a super virus, I felt like Robin Williams in The Bicentennial Man: I was becoming human again. Yes, 'the new normal' was emerging, but it was very clear that I was a caterpillar getting ready to build a cocoon. This version of me was about to disappear alongside normality.

As the news flooded facts about Covid-19, conversations in the classroom changed from content to our context. From a teaching perspective, I was fortunate to be in a school that was technologically advanced that online learning would be simpler than other schools. Regardless...it was about the when not if.

It was through all this talk that I saw some humanity from the very people I feared. Suddenly, a global pandemic saw the stifling system breakdown to remind everyone that we teach people not content. But the delay on schools closing down was very slow. It was so slow, we still held a parent-teacher evening before there was an official announcement. It was three painful weeks before we closed down. I remember ending the last Friday with five students sitting in my classroom and watching a movie. There was nothing else to do. 

Regardless, the announcement came and my cocoon came in a form of my blanket and the best sleep I had in weeks.

Little did we know, it was just the beginning.

Next: Lockdown Birthdays 

NEW SERIES (NB: Non-travel Related Content) | 2020-21 sL Covid Chronicles | JAN 2020 (Intro)

Do You Remember "1st January 2020"?

That date seems so far ago. 

You might be wondering why I'm posting this reflection 19-ish months late. Well, the simple answer is that I was depressed.

I had just moved to the UK in December 2019 and was learning the ropes in a new country. The first week was a rollercoaster: I got a job three days after landing in the country but found out renting a place was a lot harder than I expected. Essentially, I had work, but I was 'homeless'. My sister and I were sharing a room - emphasis on 'a single room' - in an Airbnb, trying to navigate the rental world without proof of having any 'previous tenancy'. To be fair, the slump was only two weeks - and we were in Hackney - but it was one of the longest two weeks in my life...well, until the real the sh*t show came around the corner.

Fast forward to a week before Christmas where we moved into our amazing little flat in West London. My sister and I were excited for the new year - heck, a new decade! We were gearing up for our first duo Christmas tradition: matching Christmas PJs from Primark, hot chocolate with whipped cream, and a real Christmas Tree!!! Things were looking up. We celebrated the end of the year with a typical British high-tea, courtesy of my sister's former colleagues, and a walk through the famous Hyde Park. It was freezing, but we were loving the new prospects of our new home. As the New Year dawned on us, we were super excited.

So why was I depressed?

Simple, I was homesick.

More specifically, I was routine-sick. I love my mum and dad, but I was video calling them so often it was like I never left Sydney. No. I wasn't home-homesick, I was work-homesick and friend-homesick. The school I was working at was SUPER strict and unloving that I almost quit one week into the Spring Term. I didn't hate the students, I hated the system. I felt like I was being watched 24-7 and I was going to lose my job at any time. I was also really confused with church life. I felt like people saw me, but I wasn't seen. They heard me, but in reality, no one was actually listening. Needless to say, 2020 did not start well for me. professionally and socially. I was ready to pack my bags and head home ASAP.

I missed the friends I grew up with, studied with, and worked with; I missed being familiar to, well, anyone. I felt invisible.

So, why did I stay?

Next: FEB 2020 - Rumours of Wars

MERRY CHRISTMAS | 2020 Poem | Upcoming NEW SERIES: 2020-21 sL Covid Chronicles

The Little Potted Christmas Tree

She was a small tree, cute to see.

She was a unique tree, one of three.

She was covered in faux snow, this tree.

"She's outside the florist's window," she told me.

We walked past the florist; one, two, three.

"We need to get that tree," she said to me.

We walked towards the florist, "Come and see."

We stood and scanned the tree, "I agree."

We had no free hands to carry the tree, 

"Let's come back later," said me.

Later came and went; we kept looking at the tree.

"We need to buy the tree," said she to me.

Rushing, always rushing, when our time was free;

All the while postponing the time to buy the tree.

"I will take these things home with me,

If you can, could you please get the tree?"

"No promises," said me.

I walked and walked, thinking of the tree;

When I was almost near the florist with the tree,

I looked at my hands, then I looked at the tree.

"Oh, what the heck! I'll take it home with me!"

Shopping in one hand and the other held our tree.

The look on my sister's face was filled with pure glee.

"Oh! You got the Christmas tree!"

Only small LED lights were wrapped around the tree.

"I cannot do this, can you please help me?"

So, I untangled the lights operated by battery,

"Ok, leave it up to me."

She stood on a small table between my sister and me.

She stood bright and proud, our little tree.

"And this," said she, "This!

"This is Christmas to me."

- strictlyLeisure (AK)

~ Based on my first Christmas in London ~