I'm linking up with
Lisa-Jo for her Five Minute Friday series. Every Friday she chooses a theme and challenges everyone to write about that for 5 minutes. No editing, no long screeds, just five minutes, whatever comes out in the moment. This is my first time, and today's theme is 5 years ago...
Five years ago I was twenty five and working as a teacher in rural Northamptonshire. I had a pretty nice life going but one that is so different to my life now. For starters, I lived in the middle of nowhere, so getting together with friends was really tricky.
I lived alone, and was hundreds of miles from friends and family. I didn't drive (instead bombing around on my little yellow moped) and while I got on well with my colleagues, life was often quite lonely. While at times I miss that season of writing loads of letters, I also remember feeling very isolated and alone, where the post or online sites sometimes felt like my only link to the people I loved.
I was in quite a negative headspace too. A lot of the bad things from my childhood and teenage years reared up like spectres and caused me sleepless nights aplenty. Add in a stressful NQT year and a timetable that didn't let up, and it was a recipe for quite a tumultuous time.
Many good things happened during this time as well, however. I learned, perhaps for the first time, how strong I can be. I learned I could look after myself. I learned to cherish the time you do have with friends (previously, I'd always had a bit of a tendency to hide away...now I know how to distinguish if and when this is a negative or positive thing. Sometimes it's healthy and good....sometimes it's me burrowing). I wrote many letters. I learned to be alone without being lonely (a big step, and one that I learned over the four years I spent in Evenley). My faith deepened. I discovered just how much I love to teach. I started this blog.
Such an important time. Such a strange time. Such a happy time. Such a sad time.
Looking back I am grateful for that time, and even more grateful for the life I am blessed enough to enjoy now. I'm a very lucky girl.
Photobomb! Yes, teaching eight year olds makes you act like one sometimes....
The church in Teror.
On our last full day we took a guided tour all over the island (really good, and at times, terrifying what with all the winding mountain roads!). From a church high up in the mountains we could see as far as Tenerife, one of the other Canary Islands.
...and mini golf too!
Matthew on a mountain.
You may remember Fingal Finger-Badger from other visits we have taken. Well now he has a wife, Florence! Here they are at the top of the hill/mountain opposite our hotel which Matthew and I climbed one afternoon. Not a huge walk by any means, but a steeeeep one, and at the top the views, and the sesne of achievement were both wonderful!
Matthew soaking up the sun.
Me, thrilled that my calves had allowed me to get up the hill at all!
I've just realised I've got my boat pics the wrong way round - here is Matthew on the way back from Puerto Rico, the larger resort we headed to a couple of times.
Matthew is pretty good at mini golf.
Hence my crushing defeat. :(
Boy, sea, blue skies. Wonderful.
On the boat in the sunshine.
Puerto de Mogán as we sailed off to Puerto Rico. Please note the beautiful weather and the clear blue sea....
View from the harbour.
Me standing on the harbour as we watched the boats go by.
When I first saw this statue I cried 'Old Man!' At first Matthew thought I was being rude, then he realised I was pointing at this, not some random older gentleman!
Taurito, the next resort along from us. That road high up the cliff face is *fun* on a coach!
Sun and sea. In February. Beautiful.
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