Just a few more...

Thought I'd end my London tale with a few more photos. It's funny, for someone who doesn't like her picture taken, I've realized that I've included more than my usual with me as the subject. To prove I was there?



The amazing Westminster. It is so much more impressive in person... living history.









Me in Trafalgar Square, in front of The National Gallery.















A London bus covered with a Burlington ad, very festive and colorful.











The oh-so-I'm-in-London photo of me with a "bobby" - that's Kristin and Mikela.












Now, the last one warrants a little story. We were walking on a side street that I'd spotted, as I prefer to roam off the beaten trail usually and it was our last few hours in London. I was walking up ahead and saw a charming square, reminding me of Grammercy Park, including the locked garden in the middle for the tenants. A man was relaxing by the door of one townhouse and I approached, asking him if he lived there, telling him how much I liked it, etc. We got to talking, and as Kristin and Mikela approached, horrified, I popped in his door alone to take a peek at the interior garden in back. It was so serene, overgrown with greenery and, in the midst, a Buddha statue. I was only a minute, glimpsing darkish decorated rooms to my right and left. I thanked him on my return, telling him of a similar encounter I'd had in New Orleans with a glorious hidden rear garden and an opportunity to view it due to a chat and another kind stranger, and then moved on. Poor Mikela! Taught to never do exactly what I'd just done - enter the home of a complete stranger, and by myself, no less! She began the "what ifs" and I tried to explain that sometimes as an adult one goes on instinct and seizes the moment. Her mother had seen me enter, he'd remained outdoors, with the door ajar, etc. All's well that ends well.
It does make me think, though. I tend to grab moments like this, scoping out the situation first, of course. Without doing so, so much is missed. The stay with new friends in their Zurich apartment, the houseful of Australians, met the night before, on their way to the airport. The glimpses, talks, dinners, new friends. To me, it's all worth it, with judicious street-sense as my guide.
Cardiff via Megabus, and the making of a new friend from Paris on the coach ride home! See?

Harrods

Harrods! What can I say? It deserves its very own space. So over-the-top that I don't know where to begin. There are 5 stories, an enormous imposing structure taking up an entire city block - think Macy's at Herald Square in triplicate. It sells everything! I picked up a store guide and here is a sampling of some of the more bizarre departments:

• Pet Kingdom
• Pianos and Musical Instruments
• Fossil and Mineral Gallery
• Train and Remote Control Cars
• Bullet Proof Clothing (my favorite)
• Grand Prix Memorabilia
• Veuve Clicquot Champagne Bar & Restaurant

The list goes on, but I think I'll stop here.

This is the Egyptian Stairway, with a golden sphinx, pyramid, carvings, statues, and hieroglyphics galore, discreetly incorporating the escalators.

One's very own memorial to Lady Di and her beau, Dodi...












And, of course, there's the food. What can I say? These are but two of the food halls. There are mini-restaurants - Melissa and I indulged in sushi, a very small amount due to the exorbitant prices. They wanted to charge me 3.50 (that's in pounds!) for a cup of green tea! Needless to say, I passed. A charcuterie, fromagerie, confectionery and patisserie, oyster bar, fruit and vegetable hall, and on and on. Ah, the rich, but grand for a visit and goggle...

Extra! Extra!

I am in LOVE... with London! (Okay, I am a very bad blogger, quite sporadic, and I apologise.) To be in such energy was exhilarating - I felt like I was Home. Rode a Megabus in early last Friday morning, watched the fields zip by. When London outskirts began appearing, I could feel myself getting revved up, recharged. Off at Victoria Station, I navigated to the underground. While queuing up for my Oyster Pass (it can be "topped off" any time I return, and, oh yes, I do plan to return!), I met 2 guys and chatted for awhile. On to my hotel (solo) to drop off my bag and off for an afternoon of freedom to explore this grand city. It couldn't be more perfect! To top it all off, the weather was perfect. None of that famous London rainy greyness. Not even a drizzle or mist. It was warm and sunny. I decided that this being my first time in London in - could it be? - 36 years, I would be happy to play tourist, different from my usual mode of "oh, I'm not that kind of tourist". Not the ugly American type, but the camera-toting, ogling at famous sites type. Why not?
So, I trotted my way down the Strand and over to the Thames, crossed my first bridge, the Waterloo, and as a gift, received my first proper view of the glory of London. Could it get any better? Of course, I felt like Bridget Jones, post sex with Hugh Grant. Hmmm, a post-coital glow without sex... another subject. A wonderfully leisurely stroll along the Thames, beaming like a fool, attempting to reign in my grin, taking it all in, snapping photos all the while. I ended up walking for 5 1/2 hours, perfecting my blisters. Headed over to the Tate Modern, peered inside the fabulous structure and decided to save a gallery visit for my next trip, when it would probably warrant more indoor activities. Lunch at an outdoor cafe, right along the river, people watching galore. Afterwards, past the London Eye, tons of people out seeing the sights, a strip of "people statues", you know the kind that dress up to the max and take frozen positions. All at my own pace. Crossed the bridge near Big Ben and Parliament. They are gorgeous, impressive, and took my breath away. Over to Westminster, also awe-inspiring, and back up through Trafalgar Square with its older cousin versions of the New York Public Library lions. Trudged back to the hotel, hoping for a bit of a rest, but found out that I had 10 minutes to ready myself for our visit to the US Embassy, the reason for my visit to the fair city.
The visit to the Embassy was pleasant. Drinks, tidbits to eat, and a welcome to the UK for all of us Fulbrighters. There were the obligatory protesters outside, many causes being promoted, all quite civilly.
Being released to be on our own, five of us went on to an Indian meal at Covent Gardens. Lots of talk, most of which was a bit of a blur in my exhaustion by this point, and a taxi back to the hotel. Remember the fun of the old Checker cabs in NY? Well, London cabs have those jump seats. Shades of my childhood, although not too many cab rides for me back then, too expensive! Ah, sleep...
Next morning, much too early for my taste, breakfast at the hotel, full English breakfast buffet, beans, roasted tomatoes, eggs, meats of all kinds, etc, and a walk to the British Council. We spent the day with some UK Fulbrighters who had just returned from their year abroad, along with others from education here in the UK, discussing our experiences, frustrations, suggestions, etc. It gave me some food for thought, glad that I'm not alone in this boat. 3:00 - freedom! I felt like a kid getting out of school...
A run to Leicester Square to the local TKTS office, where four of us picked up tickets for Billy Elliot. Score! Decided to actually see what Covent Gardens looked like before the show, and to grab a bite to eat. I swear, I had to control myself from bursting out into "Wouldn't it Be Loverly", shades of Eliza Doolittle's ghost all over the place, hidden behind the modern accoutrement. There actually was a sweet cart - Eliza's Sweets. Very lively and loverly. Funny, for dinner everyone chose to go to a Mexican Restaurant, so being docile, as you all know, I went along quietly. Had me a Corona and burrito - huh? Thought I was in London...
On to the show. I'd seen the film, remembered it as being sweet, but was not prepared for how wonderful the production was. It was fantastic! The play was even better than the film. I felt that two aspects were more emphasized, which really added to the story - the politics and the concept of treasuring individualities in everyone. Right up my alley. Plus the singing and dancing, the cast, all were marvelous. Ah, a splurge on an evening well spent.
Now, a trudge to find our new digs for the night, a dorm at the London School of Economics, not in session as of yet, so open to the public. 23 pounds with breakfast! Amazing deal for London. Own room, small but clean, shared toilet and shower, perfectly adequate.
Next morning, after our chose-6-items breakfast, off to explore some more. Our numbers were dwindling. Dee left early for her 4-hour ride home. Rebekah went off to meet a friend. Then there were four. Kristin and her 14-year-old daughter, Mikela, and I hauled our bags to Victoria Coach Station for our return home later on, with Melissa in tow, to return to her outskirts of London home after our day.
First stop, Buckingham Palace. (See, tourist stuff!) After realizing that the changing of the guards was to occur in 5 minutes, I grabbed Mikela and literally ran down the street through hoards of people (my New York maneuvering through crowds moves really come in handy at times). I had no idea where the front of the Palace was, so not being a man (apologies for the brief sexism), I asked directions from a Palace official. No changing today, there was a huge bicycle event through the city and guard changes were suspended until Tuesday. Rats! We still wanted to see the Palace, maybe catch a glimpse of royalty, etc, so headed over anyway. Masses of tourists everywhere, all crammed against the iron fencing and on the steps of the fountain facing the view. These poor people, no one had made an announcement, and it appeared that no one would, I realized, as the time ticked on. Okay, here's a Nancy. Using my best projecting voice, in my lovely New York accent, I took pity on the crowd and told them myself. It just seemed too cruel to leave these people smashed up, waiting. Then I asked if I could get in close for a shot of a Beefeater, when, of course, the jokes commenced about me making up the whole thing for a better spot at the fence! All in good fun - I'm learning to get a sense of humor at my own expense. I must admit, I do have a bit of a case of "you can dish it out, but...".
A walk through the park, passing tons of bicyclists, including a great type of bike that omits the front wheel for a connection to a baby stroller instead, the obligatory photo in a London Phone booth, and on to Harrod's, the most ostentatious store I've ever been in.

All Things Welsh

Okay, these photos have been ready since the weekend. Ever notice how things just happen like that? Life, stuff, etc. I'm in a rambling state of mind, so this may be a bit of a ramble. I also happen to be avoiding schoolwork. Yes, it's still crazy at school. I feel like Sisyphus - every time I feel that I'm beginning to get a handle on things, I roll back down the hill. Now, I don't mean to sound so glum, all is not difficult! But, I must admit, it is quite the challenge... and to think that I bitched and moaned about how scripted Open Court is!
Cricket - they actually do play it here! My students are ardent about the game, especially a group of the boys. They take it very seriously. Here is Hammad pitching, except I don't think that it's even called "pitching" - I'll have to check. As you can see, he's a whiz. Fortunately, Amanda knows the rules to all of these games and we've had Games together the past two Fridays, our scheduled time on the yard. Her class is on the wall, waiting to bat, while my class is fielding. Do I sound like I know what I'm talking about? All of those cliches, you know the kind that talk about how little you realize you know whenever you learn more, well, welcome to my life right now. Anyway, I'm sure that I will learn the rules to not only cricket, but netball, and maybe even rugby, that national sport that everyone seems gaga over. I'm trying to plan to watch a game soon with Bev, although that may be football, not to be confused with American football. Can you begin to understand why I'm feeling so confused? Now, I don't want to be repetitive (oh, the pressure to entertain my followers), so forgive me if I repeat myself.
The school is in a bit of a state. We are to be inspected this spring, and let me tell you, we have nothing like this in LA, at least nothing that I can remember. A team will come to the school, sit in classes, observe, examine, and go through everything, and I mean all of it. Papers, plans, online planning, etc. A perfect time to host a bewildered American teacher, huh? It is very intense. So many things going on at once. Construction, a new curriculum, grade level changes, and me. So, I ask questions, and try not to make everyone else even crazier than they already feel. It is a challenge. What doesn't kill you...
Ah, but thankfully there are weekends, even here in Wales. So, feeling a great need to get out on Friday night, just do something different, I texted Louise and suggested dinner. We managed to pull it off and made our way to City Center for an evening out. Started at a pub with a glass of wine, on to tapas nearby with more wine, then to a local club for dancing to 70's music! It all feels so different for some reason. Hard to explain. Much smaller city, more of a mix of ages, very relaxed, not clubby at all. Somehow it feels more innocent, even with all of the kids getting totally drunk to the point of throwing up in the streets every weekend, which I absolutely did not do. Those days are long gone and only lasted for a millisecond, anyway.
After waking up Saturday morning, very surprised to have a bit of a headache, a stiff neck, and a sore knee - damn, I'm getting older - to gorgeous weather, realizing that it may not last that long, I decided to venture out to a Cardiff site of interest, Castle Coch. (Don't even attempt to pronounce that little nonthreatening name - appearances can be deceptive. Imagine trying to clear your throat... enough said.) It is very close to home. A ten minute drive, and I didn't get lost - triumph! A sweet drive through a very picturesque village with a lively corner pub absolutely jammed with bicyclists (how will they ride after a pint?), up a winding green road to the Folly, as I've heard it called. It was originally a 13th - amazing - century castle, rebuilt in the mid-1800's by Bute, a major figure in these parts. He and his family played a great role in the development of Cardiff, helping to make it a shipping center, bringing coal to the harbour. Anyway, he had it rebuilt adding lots of Victorian whimsy to the interior decorations.
It is now a lovely place to visit on a sunny afternoon, with beautiful views of the city and a park surrounding the castle. Now, this my friends, is history. The sense of TIME is tremendous here. When I think of US history and then the history of where I'm living, it's rather awe-inspiring. My home is 150 years old. There are original Tudor homes in the city. Puts it in a different perspective...
Then, after my serene afternoon - I even met a family with their three dogs, reminding me of my Zoe - I headed over to Bev's house for tea. Now, another new thing. Tea is not actually tea. Let me explain. You know how you picture a cozy little tray with teapot, cups, a jug of milk, scones, maybe little watercress sandwiches with no crusts? Well, if I'm invited for tea, or asked, "What are you having for tea?" I've found that it means what I can best interpret as supper. It was David, Bev's son's, birthday and his favorite is - you'll never guess - McDonald's, so tea was my lovely home cooked Welsh meal of McDonald's! Of course, I ribbed Bev and her husband John a bit about that, but we did have tea and pudding (meaning cake!) afterwards.
A lovely time was had by all...

A Little Aside

I LOVE that I actually have "Followers"!

Reality Hits...

Hmmm. Yes, they're still sweet. The staff is wonderful, building great, still glad that I'm here, and I must admit that my head is spinning, a bit. Remember what I wrote about that Twilight Zone effect? Well, it's in full gear. So many things are becoming more familiar. I can drive to TESCO and back with out getting lost at all. My driving mantra is feeling neglected because I have not been using it at all. I drove home from school today without following Bev and made it in one piece, no delays due to ridiculous turns leading to industrial zones, etc. I'm remembering to use the correct terms - some of the time! - rubber instead of eraser; football, not soccer; toilet, not bathroom; etc.
Realized I pulled a fast one in class the other day. A boy asked me how to spell favorite. It was on the whiteboard from our class brainstorming list, so I told him to look at the board. Of course, I realized at about 3 am that I'd spelled it the American way, instead of favourite, correct for the kids. No wonder he was confused! I must be getting more comfortable. I've called a few kids turkeys and said, "Yo!" today in class, much to their surprise (and delight...).
Ah, but the curriculum, the organization, the approach, the terminology, the ... everything. I was sure that math would be the easiest subject for me - they don't even call them subjects, they're topics here, and math is "maths" - you can see where I'm going with this. After all, numbers are numbers. And then I was given my copy of the Lines of Development, Wales' version of LAUSD's math standards. Talk about confused... They (the Fulbright people) said that we should treat it as if it was our first year teaching. "Bah!" I thought. Well... no, not quite, but I am feeling the same level of stupidity and incompetence that some of my fellow exchangees seem to be experiencing, despite all of the lovely words of praise from my administration and fellow teachers. My new mantra: I can do this, I can do this.
On the bright side, I am getting more used to things. Amanda, Bev, Pam, everyone who can, have been incredibly supportive and helpful and it seems that everyone here is in a bit of a fog since the curriculum completely changed last year. Amanda, Bev, and Pam are all in new year levels, s are feeling my pain to a minuscule degree.
Okay, sorry, but I'm off to cut up tray labels, read over my Games directions for Netball tomorrow (don't ask!), and figure out what I'm doing for the day.
And, to have a glass of wine. Cheers...

The Students

Kids are kids, aren't they? You've got your talkers, your can't-sit-still kids, eager-to-please kids, space cadets, I-know-all-the-answers kids, sad kids, shy kids, immediately-you-love-them kids, etc, all sweet. Well, I've got them all and some of them fall into multiple categories - but who's generalizing... Multi-ethnic, the majority of my students seem to be Muslim from India, Pakistan and, as they say, Palestine. English language learners, one boy new last year from Romania (I could use Thomas, my Romanian student from last year right now). Mostly boys - 17 to my 12 girls - but I'm used to that, same as the last few years. Is there a trend? Will women finally have the edge in finding male companionship one day? Anyway, it's all new, so they are on their best behavior. We'll see on Monday, when reality hits and we actually start doing real work. As much as I believe that starting tough and then easing up is always more successful, it is hard to start out being really strict. After all, we teachers really are human! We want to be liked by our students, too.
It turns out my Romanian student is not Romanian, but Romany, a totally different thing. He's lovely, shy, well-behaved, tries to keep up. Not only does he not speak English (or Welsh, of course), but we believe that he's never been to school. He doesn't even know the alphabet. I'm sure that he and his family have faced terrible discrimination. Most second-language students come in with prior knowledge from their own language - with Daniel, we have to begin at page one. A challenge, but I have help from a specialist teacher. Stay tuned...
Below, you'll see the neighborhood where my school is located, an urban area with a smaller community feel. I've asked one of our aides, Anila, to help me find good shops around school for spices, nuts, dried fruits and beans, etc. I'm looking forward to a shopping expedition!

Ins and Odds of UK Life

Since I drove on Wednesday, Bev said she'd take a turn on Thursday, enabling me to take a photo of the dread roundabout, which shall henceforth be dubbed the DR. Here she is on her intrepid approach. I'm feeling much better about it, since I've heard from just about everybody that they hate it too, and avoided it like the plague, (which, by the way, I will have to include in my Tudor instruction beginning next week) when first learning to drive. Although I've been driving for an unbelievable 39(!) years, I can almost consider myself a newbie in this situation. It is getting better, but...
Life here is very interesting. It is kind of like being in a Twilight Zone episode - wait! let me explain - or like that Ray Bradbury story about the time travel safari - Mitch, you know the one. We all speak English. There is a Costco, Gap, etc. here. One can buy tortilla chips - probably called crisps here - join a gym, watch ER, etc. Not so different, huh? I even finally found sausages made from turkey at the ASDA, another huge market near here, which I visited AND found my way home again on the first try around a different DR! I am now very happy. A break from chicken. But, then I opened a flyer that I received in the mail for a food delivery service, being the curious type, and saw an ad for spotted dick & custard. Aside from all of the obvious innuendos, at least to us Americans not in the know, what the hell is it? Ah, a type of cake with raisins (called sultanas here) with a custard sauce. See what I mean? So similar and then this mysterious something... today I had to email Gil to ask what a hash key is (illicit drug paraphernalia?) when trying to enter my meter readings by phone. Oh, the pound key. Of course. Now, I consider myself fairly worldly, well-traveled, etc. But every once in a while, I find myself stopped short, and then I get it. Thank goodness I'm a fairly quick study...
School. Again, so many similar, yet different, things. I am so pleased with the school itself, as a facility. A real(ish) kitchen! 2 refrigerators, 2 microwaves, a full set of real dishes and utensils, enough for all the staff, even a full set of wine glasses, something you'd never see in a US school. But, the piece de resistance, 2 DISHWASHERS! Can you believe it? And, condiments, and vinegars, etc. How civilized can you get? Plus tea or coffee all set up for us at break. Sorry to brag, and you can feel comforted that I only get to enjoy this for one year, but I'm loving it...
The staff lounge. Not super comfy, but cozy in a way, very relaxed, lots of light, at least for now, when the weather has not turned completely miserable, and it will, I'm told. I guess what makes it most comfortable - the people. I know that I've gushed on, but the staff here really is great. Very diverse, as you can see, mostly women, although we have our two token men, James who teaches with Bev, and our very own Andrew, not to be confused with Clover's Andy, but do you see a similarity? (see below)He will be teaching my class drama, music, and PE during my weekly planning time. Yes, that's right, I said PLANNING TIME, out of the classroom, with my level partner, Amanda, for an entire morning until lunch, to plan. Again, amazing, no? Kate will teach my students Welsh during that time, since I most definitely am unfit to do so. Oh, here is the infamous Bev, helping to copy papers for the kids. She teaches 6th level, equivalent to
5th grade, and my mentor in
all-things-inexplicable. There also seem to be a myriad of teaching assistants running around, helping with everything.
I feel very lucky...

Next: The Students

School...

Well, today was the day - my first day at Severn School, the day I'd been waiting for. Setting the alarm for 5:45 am after a summer of no schedule was daunting, to say the least. Crawling out of bed in the dark after not really sleeping well (I never sleep well the night before my first day - must be a throw back to days gone by - remember those days?), I made my cup of tea while watching the rain just pouring down outside, more so than any other day here in Wales. I refused to read any hidden meanings into it! I'd made arrangements to pick up Bev, so directions in hand, I packed up my things, including the brownies I'd baked as an offering from the new person. Arriving, I faced my new school, an incredible stone building from the 1850's (at least I think that's what Chris, the caretaker, told me) in the midst of a major construction site. Mud, wires, the playground dug up - what a mess! We didn't even have electricity in the teacher's lounge...
We were early, but saw Julie, the head teacher, and Judith and Margaret, our two deputy heads, already there, attempting to deal with it all. The others dribbled in, with greetings and hugs all around. Everyone took the chaos in stride, welcoming me warmly. Tea money (7 pounds, fifty) was collected for the first half of the year, along with a deposit for the Christmas dinner - how organized, a dinner with drinks and disco dancing! Got to meet all of the people that Gil had told me so much about... I'm impressed.
The staff areas are really nice. There are not only refrigerators for our lunches, but mugs, tea, milk, dishes, etc. and even two dishwashers. Quite different from home! A lounge with comfortable chairs and coffee tables all over, clean, and bright.
So many people helped me get sorted out. Delores and Bea, along with Clare, all came into my room to get me started. It all felt quite familiar. Bulletin boards, cheerful red tables for the kids,
a rug, all of the usual accoutrement seen in a classroom, including my very own Smartboard!
I felt at home... I got to work, sorting through everything and generally familiarizing myself with my new classroom. Gil left things in really good shape thanks, Gil!
Knowing that once we had the kids there, we'd rarely have this opportunity, Bev, Amanda, Delores and I decided to go out to lunch at a local pub - non-drinking, of course! Chatted and ate our lunches (I'm going to have to be careful around those chips) and trudged back to school to continue creating my work home-away-from home.
By the time Bev and I left at around 4:30, I felt pretty good about how things looked. Now I just need to figure out what I'm going to be teaching, a small detail... Amanda will be a great help as my grade level partner and has already spent time with me going over some of the curriculum. Tomorrow, we'll really start planning. I think that this will be a good year.
Now, I'm shattered, as my neighbor Louise says, and ready for bed.