Here’s a sneak photo of my next post, which I am not posting yet because I haven’t written it.

It’s me dressed in my Roman costume for a themed garden party.

 

 

The party was last Saturday. The reason I haven’t yet written about it is because I have been busy doing Very Important Things that are Rather Life Changing (which we will abbreviate to VIT-RLC just for the sake of making useless abbreviations).

These mostly involve me sitting on my butt and staring intently at my Macbook.

You see, I made this rash decision five days ago to become a preschool teacher.

 

*theatrical pause for effect*

 

I know, right?!!

 

Well, it wasn’t entirely rash, since a similar idea had crossed my mind during university days when I wanted to apply to read Psychology so I could become a child psychologist. (I had done Psychology at college level and enjoyed the child psychology branch the most.)

 

 

That idea didn’t pan out because I was scared off by the maths component in the course.

So I did Classical Studies instead because history and mythology interested me at that time. In fact history still interests me a lot today. I am always investigating causes and effects in life, such as why I always receive mysterious bruises especially on my legs.

(I tried to pin the blame on Piers by claiming that he kicks at me in the night when he dreams his James Bond dreams, but he refused to assume responsibility. Unfortunately, I have no interest in sleuthing so I had to let it slide.)

While I didn’t become a child psychologist, I remained all this time fascinated with children. I’m always wondering what they’re thinking. I want to get in their heads, see what they see, hear what they hear, so I can make them laugh.

I think a smiling, laughing child is one of the most precious sights in the world.

When I first came to England, I was immediately smitten by cute English children wearing thick winter clothes. They look so cute bundled up, with their chubby cheeks pink with cold.

 

 

One day, after seeing one too many cute bundled-up child, I said impulsively to Piers, “I want to work in a childcare centre!”

I’m often impulsive about things so I thought this impulse would just bubble out and pop like my other impulses.

But it didn’t.

A few months later, I found myself googling for information on jobs and qualifications revolving around caring for children.

Actually, that came about because I’ve been wanting to visit Farmer Palmer’s Farm Park and Legoland but they’re kind of more for children, and a couple of adults visiting sans kids would look very out of place.

So I was trying to find out if I could maybe rent kids in England to take them out for a good time.

Anyway, one search led to another and I discovered the Bournemouth Montessori Centre, which offers courses for aspiring Montessori teachers.

 

 

That gives me just the qualification I would need to work with preschool children! Even start my own Montessori school if I want! And the course only lasts for a year so I can get a useful qualification without bankrupting myself.

And the centre is only a few minutes’ drive away from our apartment.

So, in the last few days, I have been busy reading all I can about Montessori and getting a student visa. I’m liking what I’ve read so far. I mean about Montessori and not about getting a student visa, which is not palatable reading material at all.

What’s left is the complicated, costly and painful process of doing all the paperwork and legwork necessary for getting a school admission and a student visa, involving such crazy procedures as taking an English test and registering myself with the police in UK, then flying back to Singapore to do more paperlegwork, before the course starts in January.

And taking passport photos in stupid photo booths where a recorded voices repeatedly and sternly warn you, “DO NOT SMILE.”

 

 

Yes, rather life-changing.

But I’m sure I was born to turn my life upside-down every so often.

It’s fun.

More fun than iPad games, even.

I’ll blog about the party soon. I’m sure you all can’t wait to see Piers in his costume!

Heheh.