Prince Andrew

Haileybury Almaty was host again to another high profile visitor last week. HRH Duke of York arrived for a visit with Nazarbayev to discuss whatever they discuss and so the Prince popped in to have a look around. He was generally impressed by the school,. but not so much by the media attetion and the numerous cameras which greeted him.

It may not be surprising of course but he doesn't half remind me of the Queen. Her Majesty's Christmas messages afford the general public a certain acquaintance and familiarity with her mannerisms, such that you feel like you know her. She is a real person after all, and it was interesting to see such an enigmatic public figure as the Prince behaving in a familiar and friendly manner; not officious or haughty, he interacted with the children in Key Stage 1 very naturally as we sat at our tables during snack break in the canteen. He was presented with a card and flowers which he seemed to appreciate and then he was whisked off for the rest of his tour and we went back to Tens and Units.

Almaty has bloomed into life with the onset of spring. Tulips are everywhere, green green grass lines the streets. It's not a bad looking place at this time of year. This weekend it is Kazakhstan People's Unity Day (1st May) and we have a 4 day weekend in honour of this. That's it then for hoidays until the end of Term on 19th June. Suddenly, it's almost 2 years since I left Sheffield in exchange for Almaty and it's always absorbing to look back and consider how life is turning out and how fast it all seems to be going. Next year I will be taking on a Y3 class and teaching Creative Drama to Y5 and 6 which will be a stimulating challenge which I am greatly looking forward to.

I always said I'd never be a primary school teacher and I always said I'd never want to live in Russia. Right now, I am sitting in a cafe next to my flat here in Samal-2, there is a gentle spring breeze and I am enjoying a very respectable Italian Americano. (The less said about the paltry cheese sandwich with floppy dead lettuce the better). I love my kids, and I'm still loving the language. It's not a bad place to be at all.