Eish! London 8 June

Monday, 8 June
Today the TC sent me to the High Barnet Scheme. It was very different from the park in Camden. This Scheme was based in a big old Manor House, set in the most beautiful gardens. The learners were sent to different rooms throughout the venue. They began on the ground floor where they were welcomed; then they were divided into groups and sent to the gardens, the top floor, the ground floor or the basement. Natt and I were in the freaky, haunted basement. It was a dark, windowless room with a narrow entrance. The brick work around us was slightly burnt and dusty. We reckoned that it had probably been used as a storeroom decades ago; there were these wrought iron bars blocking off some deep, empty caverns and dusty shelves along the sides of the room. When learners arrived they would all huddle together with big eyes taking in the haunted atmosphere; we added to the ambiance by telling them that the dark holes were for naughty children. They weren’t sure how to take that one, until we told them we didn’t have a key to unlock it, so they were safe, for now. Getting them to realise the dangers involved in travelling on a tube train in a dank, dark, ‘haunted’ room was perfect!

The other exhibition sharing the dungeon level with us was the ‘stranger danger’ group. At the opening welcome session a plain-clothed policeman had walked through the assembly ‘by mistake’ whilst chatting on his mobile; he apologised for interrupting and kept walking. When the learners went to the ‘stranger danger’ exhibition a policeman came to tell them a mobile phone had been stolen, had anyone seen anything suspicious? Some of the learners didn’t remember the plain-clothed guy from the morning at all, some recalled him and others remembered everything from his sneakers to his moustache. It was fascinating to see which learners had paid attention to what was going on around them. From my perspective I remembered the guy, but in all honesty I don’t think I could’ve spotted him in a line-up like some of those learners would’ve been able to. I wonder how much else I don’t take in each day…

Another ‘stranger danger’ activity: Learners were told that their police officer was running late and they needed to sit in the garden for a couple of minutes and wait for him to arrive. While the learners were waiting a plain-clothed policeman came up to them asking for help to get some things from his car outside in the road and bring them into the Manor House. Every single group, bar one, sent one or two of their friends with the man through the small forest to his car outside the premises. The reality of this scenario and the possible outcomes were too frightening for me to think about.

Another brilliant exhibition was on the Internet, Facebook and the like. Many of the learners happily go on to sites and post all sorts of information without thinking of where that information is going and / or who could be receiving it and using it, for what purpose? Many learners had never even thought that their new boyfriend could be a man in his fifties.

Lastly, they watched a play put on by a local theatre company on knife crime. The knife crime statistics in London are some of the worst in the world, and if you are caught with a knife on you, you go straight to jail, no passing go! Gangs and knives are something the police continually deal with. The presentation showed the learners that jail and death are not ways to make friends, or feel safe, or be the best you can be. The protagonist was a potential Premiere League Football player who was caught with a knife that he was “looking after for his ‘friend”. As the play ended no football club would ever go near him again.

As the morning group of learners left we had our lunch break whilst waiting for the afternoon batch to arrive. Natt and I went out to sit on a park bench in the semi-warmth of the British sun, a welcome breather from the dungeon. Over our lunch boxes Natt and I shared stories. Her situation was way worse than mine. She broke her ankle just before leaving New Zealand and had done the New Zealand - America and America - England trips on her own with bags and crutches. She said it had been ridiculous that hardly anyone had offered to help her while she struggled through the trip; and sitting on the plane with her leg in plaster sounded like one of the worst experiences ever. Once here her agency put her in accommodation with a DJ and an artistic photographer with no idea on how to clean up after themselves as they choose to leave filthy pots and dishes everywhere, don’t vacuum and steal Natt’s food from the fridge. They are into partying as much as possible and bring people home at all hours of the morning. (Teaching without sleep is a killer!)

With trying to get used to the food in London she had started putting on weight and couldn’t find her ‘normal’ balance which was upsetting her. She missed her sport and the outdoors and was trying to get back on a hockey field. She was also pretty much on her own because her closest friends had gone back to New Zealand just after she arrived. My heart, my empathy and understanding all went out to her. I knew what she was going through and all I could do was offer her my help if she needed it. We both sat quietly pondering. How would it all turn out for us? At least I knew I wasn’t in this on my own anymore, and I knew that I didn’t have it too bad, others had it way worse than I did.