News

Our teacher Emma Hearle tells us about her early years in the UK. Read our November article.

This time of year always makes me feel a little more nostalgic about life in the UK. The hype of the summer holidays is all over for another year and autumn has properly arrived. Perhaps turning 30 very recently has also had an effect, as I start looking back and remembering all the good times and when life was that bit simpler; before jobs, rent and bills were even a thing!

A lot of my friends are now settling down, getting married and having families of their own. This makes me think about what the future holds for me and what sort of family I´d like to have, when my “time comes” (thanks mum!). I look back very fondly to the childhood I was given and the things we filled our weekends and holidays doing, whether it was Sunday afternoon walks or simple mornings spent bonding with my siblings around the kitchen table.

That´s not to say life was perfect! My brother, sister and I had our fair share of screaming matches and tears as one of the three of us would get left out of games in the garden or didn´t get to stay up as late as another. My poor parents having to deal with all the bickering and constant sibling rivalry. I think it’s only recently having been a teacher I can fully appreciate the patience and consistency you need when working with children and young adults. Finding that perfect balance between being firm enough to gain their respect, yet not too military so children end up resenting you. My dear mum in particular, who despite being the “stay at home mum” to three children very close together in age, somehow managed to do it.

We were always encouraged to get out of the house and do something active at the weekend. Coming from a country where a lot of the year the weather isn’t the best, the more tempting option on Saturday was to sit in the living room glued to the morning TV shows that would be broadcast for kids. I remember the sound of my mum coming along the corridor to turn off the tv. The mad scramble to grab the remote control and turn it off before she came in, then sit around pretending to not have been watching, is something that I’m sure wasn’t half as convincing as we thought!

Sunday was my favourite day as it was a rare time when the five of us were altogether. This was the only day in the week my workaholic dad closed up his business to spend quality time with his “tribe”! My mum being brought up a Christian dragged us children to Sunday school in the adjoining building of our local church. She thought we were learning all about the life of Christ and the Lord’s Prayer (to be honest I can still recite this in my sleep), but we were waiting for it to be time to colour-in so we could all gather round and discuss our favourite Saturday evening TV shows were were allowed to stay up later than usual to watch - Gladiators, Blind Date and Baywatch (quite the opposite of what she intended for us with these classes!).

My dad played Cricket for a local team and Sunday afternoons we’d take a picnic, all load in the Volvo and go for a walk near the ground where the game was going on. Much to the cricketers’ surprise, my little sister would be spotted running onto the field as she spotted “daddy” as he was going in to bat. Then my poor mum having to chase and grab her before she did any more damage to the home team’s reputation!

It’s crazy to think that many people my age are already making memories for their own children to look back on in years to come. Despite not quite being there yet, I can’t wait to do the same. Who knows what random things my children will remember about their childhood when they reach thirty.