The magic weight changing suitcase

I left NZ with a 17kg suitcase, by the time I left Hong Kong it'd magically gained 9kg, then when I checked it in at Santorini is was back down to 18kg and then when I came over to Ankara it'd gone up to 30kg. Am somewhat impressed by these weight changes since İ haven't actually bought any souveniers. Like Turksh Airlines because they didn't charge me anything for having a 30kg bag, guess their limit must be higher. All good for me.
So far things are going pretty good. Am sharing a flat with 2 Americans, Laura and Pam and the school is a nice one with only teens and adults. No obnoxious little brats! Am VERY happy about this. Funny that.
Will only have about 2 classes a day. This is good. What is not so good is that the shortest is 2 hrs long, the longest is 4 hrs and sınce we teach mainly adults the morning classes are 9.30-2pm for the intensives and then the evening ones don't start til 7.30pm so unless İ have extras I'll have a 5 hr or so break which is probably a good thing since it'll mean I can plan lessons etc.
Everyone should feel sorry for Kat because she's sick. And Kat, regarding my sympathy or in your view lack thereof probably, wouldn't you be just a little scared if I started giving you lots and lots of sympathy? After all I don't want to traumatise you too much. Not all at once at least.

Stupid flights

Am having great fun at the moment trying to get a flight from Athens to either Istanbul where I can get the bus to Ankara or just straight to Ankara that a) is cheap and b)doesn't get in at 1am.
Do you think I can find one that doeas both? Of course not. All the ones get in at midnight or later and all the expensive ones get in at nice normal times in the afternoon. The cheapest one to istanbul gets in at 8.55pm. That's no problem, it's the 5-6 hr bus ride to Ankara which IS the problem. Somehow don't think anyone wants to get up at 2am just to meet me at the bus station. Funny that...
The phone interview with the school today was basically them wanting to know when I can get to Turkey. Since I'm doing nothing at the moment and am only booked into the hostel til the 26th I'm aiming to leave then.
Will have to have a word to Hermes about his handling of flights and gettignt ehm in at civilised hours. Some god of travellers and travelling he is.
Still, I have a job! Finally! So people can now visit me in Turkey instead of Greece.

Don't you start Kaz

Get enough bitching to update from Kat, don't need it from you too.
Still in Athens, still no job, still doing pretty much nothing and still really REALLY hot all day/night. Makes trying to sleep in a non air conditioned room great fun.
Have a ph interview with the school in Turkey so hopefully if that works out I'll be going there maybe next week. Other than that nothing is happening job wise since all the schools in Greece are on holiday and noone checks their emails on holiday in greece apparently. Somewhat annoying.
Kat, emails and MSN work just as well as anything else for working on DB although might not happen til I get settled wherever I eventually end up.
OK, since have nothing else to say I'm going off to find somewhere to eat that has air conditioning since the stupid internet cafe doesn't have any.

Still in Athens...

And still no damn job! This despite Angeliki promising as in a direct quote being " I guarantee I will get you a job" NOT a happy little goddess here people. I mean, I like Athens nad all, after all it is my city but when you have very limited money and have done all the main sights and are rather quickly working your way through ALL the museums purely out of boredom it gets a but boring.
Went to the Cycladic Art adn the Beneki museums to day and the Byzantine museum for the second time yesterday although they did have a new temporary exhibit on ancient China so did get to see something new.
Am currently sending CVs off to any random school that's hiring both in and out of Greece. Had an interview with a school in Poland but need a work visa and have a feeling that I have to get that from NZ not Greece so Poland probably isn't happening. Have to call some director tomorrow for an interview and Angeliki is supposedly still talking to other schools for me... All the idiot directors are on holiday at the moment and Angeliki doesn't seem to comprehend that people from outside Greece don't necessarily come over with heaps of money and therefore have no problem doing nothing for a month while waiting for a) a job and b) for said job to start which is September at the earliest here since they go by the US school year.
The hostel I'm at is OK as far as hostels go but since there's no plugs in any of the rooms can only use my laptop for about an hr at a time before the battery dies and have to recharge it so can't even waste hrs playing suduku or solitare. Am VERY quickly getting through all my books which is very very not good since I didn't bring many with me.
BTW, before I forget and you start bitching at me, happy birthday Kaz. You'll get your pres when a) I buy it and b) I get around to actually sending it when I do buy it. In other words, don't hold your breath for getting it any time soon

In Athens

Figured I'd better update before Kat starts bitching at me yet again.
Course is over!! Is somewhat strange to have a weekend without stressing over what reports I haven't yet done and how I'm going to say the same crap in a different way.
Am currently im Athens with Elaine. Left Vrahati this afternoon and got here a coupld of hrs ago. We're staying at a youth hostel here. Only 12 euro/night which is pretty cheap escpecially considering the next cheapest was 18/night. Since I have to stya here til the end of Aug, 18/night was SO not gonna happen.
Angleliki's given me 3 schools to interview with in Athens and is still trying to get hold of this school in central Greece for me. Only problem is the owner, like most of the stupid school owners in Greece is on holiday. Why the Hades people go on holiday when they're also trying to find teachers to work at their school at the same time is completely beyond me. Should know about a job for sure in the next few days though hopefully.
Kaz, don't get your hopes up for a bday pres any time soon since I have bugger all money. Might just send your bday and xmas pressies at the same time. Too bad if you don't like it.

guess who's bitching yet again?

Yeah Kat, i'm talking to you here.
Went to Euripides' Iphigenia in Tauris on Saturday with most of the group and trainers. Was a really good play with 1 minor problem: it was all in greek and didn't understand a damn word except for occasional names. The theatre was pretty much full and the accoustics are brilliant. We were at the top and could hear everything they said even without them having microphones. Couldn't take any photos because it was too dark. Grrr. Managed to scare Phil on the way home when he thought, for some strange reason, that I hadn't recognised Athena when she cameonstage. A goddess+helmet+spear. Who the Tartarus is she going to be but Athena? Not to mention the little fact that I know the stupid play and was well aware that Athena was in it.
Had an impromptu concert courtesy of Amanda and Petra on the trip home when they decided that it was too quiet and sang random songs most of the way home. Mainly just the first verses and with random comments like "key change here" "this song was written 4/by..." etc. Highly amusing for the rest of us.
Nearly finished the course! Have the test on Thurs. SO not looking forward to that!
Only have 2 teaching practises this week. Both with Patrick - a cute, hypo 8 yr old - which is good, and both with the dickhead of the course which is not so good. At least the other trainees for each lesson are all good (even if they are inferior women)