A time to reflect during lockdown

NZ Lockdown = London Reflection

Returning home to a nationwide lockdown was not quite how I imagined my 2 and a half week New Zealand holiday would go. Beaches, BBQs, wedding, meeting my newborn niece, seeing friends/family and eating my way around New Plymouth was the original plan but alas it was not meant to be. So far, I’m 8 days into my self isolation/lockdown and seem to be keeping busy enough. For me, the 4 week lockdown is a good chance to reflect, unwind and recharge the batteries. Here’s some ideas on how you could spend your 4 week lockdown:

Read – Read, read, and read some more. Right now is a great chance to read anything and everything. I’m currently reading Cilka’s Journey which is the sequel to the No.1 Bestseller, The Tattooist of Auschwitz. Both books will leave you with bone chills as they’re based on true stories from the concentration camps in Poland and Russia.

Write – Keep your creative juices flowing and put pen to paper. Write a journal, poem, short story and get creative with the narrative. Imagine reflecting on this global pandemic in 40 years time and being able to read something you’ve written.

Research – Now is a great time to research things you normally wouldn’t get the time too. Have a look at CPD courses, different teaching techniques, ted talks, investing etc. Just recently, anzuk did a growth mindset training session and I found the following Ted Talk very interesting – https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=px9CzSZsa0Y

Challenge – Give new things a go. Get creative with your cooking, do puzzles, get arty etc. For example, instead of cooking sausages, peas and mash, make a cuisine from a different country. Set yourself 3 goals each day and try to achieve these. The goals don’t need to be record breaking, it could be something as little as reading 100 pages of your book, doing a 5 second headstand or doing a difficult sudoku. Also, set goals for once the lockdown is finished and plan how you’re going to achieve these.

Connect – Spend lots of time with people in your bubble as you never know when you’ll get the opportunity to spend quality time like this again. Stay connected with your friends and reach out to people you haven’t spoken with for a while. A great way to connect is through the houseparty app where you can play quizzes and drawing games. Finally, stay connected with the people who need you the most, your grandparents.

Exercise – Run, walk, meditate, yoga, circuit training – you know the drill. Exercise is a great way to keep the mind fresh. Take a look at Les Mills on demand for a 2 week free trial.

Reflect – Reflect on the last week, month and year. What have you enjoyed, what successes have you had, what have been some challenges, how did you overcome these challenges. Reflections are best done with a glass of wine/beer and cheese platter. Here’s my London reflection below:

The London experience is certainly a right of passage for all young people in New Zealand and Australia and why wouldn’t it be. There are endless opportunities in London when it comes to work, socialising and travel and for me it was a no brainer to head over with my partner and experience something different. Coming from a small town in New Zealand, the idea of London was exciting but also slightly daunting. After travelling through South, Central and North America for 3 months, we settled in London in May. London is everything I thought it would be and more. As you can imagine, there is plenty to do and see in London that it’s difficult to articulate and write in this little reflection piece, however here are a few of MY highlights so far:

• Restaurant – Dishoom (Indian) and Bababoom (Turkish). Mouth watering food.
• Cafe – Ozone in Old Street, Brunswick East and All Press in Dalston and Pophams Bakery in Hackney (the Cheesy Mite scroll is to die for) and Islington. All these cafes sell NZ coffee.
• London Attraction – Imperial War Museum – be ready to spend 5 hours there taking in history from World War 1 and 2.
• Favourite UK Destination – Newquay – small little town in Cornwall which is well known as the home of surfing in the UK. Top notch fish and chips as well. If you feel homesick, then head to Newquay for a weekend as it feels like home.
• Favourite European Destination – Portugal – Guia. Breathtaking beaches and beautiful food.
• Park – Clissold park – so nice. A great place to go for a leisurely stroll, have a drink/picnic in summer or play some tennis.
• Bar – King arms in London Bridge. Also, really enjoy bounce and flight clubs. Bounce is a table tennis bar located in Old Street and Faringdon. Flight club is a darts bar located in Victoria, Shoreditch and Islington.
• Entertainment – Hamilton is a MUST see show. Other notable shows include School of Rock and Book of Morman.
• Walks – Box hill in Surrey or Seven Sisters which is located between the towns of Seaford and Eastbourne.

If you’re thinking about taking the plunge and making the move to the UK, DO IT, you won’t regret it one bit. Furthermore, if you want to teach or have an interest in support staff work, please touch base with me at william.m@anzuk.education as I would love to discuss how anzuk Education could support you with this move.