End of Silence

What a dramatic title for what is about to be a fairly mundane post. I have not felt particularly psyched to give a blow by blow description of anything I have done in the last while because none of it has been particularly spectacular but I suppose now is as good a time as any to get a load of updates in.

Life has moved on and up... well, geographically that may be true but perhaps sideways would be a more accurate holistic description while downwards would certainly be an apt financial description! I have finished go kart riding for the council in Edinburgh, moved to Aberdeen and commenced my PGDE teaching qualification. So far I think things are going fairly well (though the department is doing their best to expose my weaknesses by providing a forum for discussion of education styles, content, etc. I've never yet managed to use a forum without trolling but I guess now is the time to change that). The course requires 2 days a week of lectures when not on placement but we have been sternly informed that it will be an exhausting year with an epic workload... go figure, I guess.

So far the course seems a bit chaotic and I've started well by rubbing my supervisor/director of studies/lady in charge up the wrong way and possibly irking my classmates with a less than professional attitude. While I'm on the subject of professional attitude in fact, I am confused by the paradoxical attitude of simultaneously encouraging us to, on the one hand, be dynamic and think outside the box and, on the other hand, trying to factory press us into the societal "teacher" mold. First placement in a school is only a week from now and I will be spending my time in a very high achieving and well-to-do school, I'm quite worried about whether I will have the etiquette to blend in.

Transition Extreme is the indoor wall at Aberdeen and is quite a good facility. The routes are certainly interesting and most are quite well set but the numbers and letters written after each bear no resemblance whatsoever to the actual difficulty of the routes. As a consequence or arriving in Aberdeen with zero partners immediately available to climb I found myself contemplating the campus board. After 2 sessions of fairly strenuous contemplation I had managed a 1 2 3 and had a blister and a flapper to show for it. I've now been to the wall a number of times, accrued some partners and had a few outside sessions. The only firsts I can really report are my first Brit tech 6b lead which really doesn't could as I simply reached past the move and my first font 7a boulder problem, which does count wahey! Though as it is a 20 metre long traverse it is rather out left field for the bouldering definition.

Finally, I am off to Spain! This is assuredly for purely professional reasons, I would have severe trouble concentrating on my texts during reading week if I was not reading at the base of a sunny Spanish sport spot.