Welsh weekend

Sunday dinner at the pub with my new friend Maya and her husband, Steve. When picturing a pub, I've always pictured drunken Brits, etc. Nothing like it here on Sundays. Families, babies, cozy fires, drinks, tea - very warm and civilized. We had a full leisurely Sunday dinner, kind of like Thanksgiving, at the Plymouth Arms in St. Fagans, surrounded by sweet families with young children, babies (who miraculously did not cry!) and grandparents. Afterward, we headed over to the outdoor Welsh Museum with actual buildings from all different parts of Wales, from all different time periods, starting with the Celts and up to the mid 1900's. It's on an old estate donated to the country for this purpose. It is truly beautiful and I actually learned a lot about the history of my adopted home.
A gorgeous arbor made up of some kind of vines on the grounds of the manor made me wish I'd brought along a book and blanket to sit and just be quiet. It was very serene...














This is one of the thatched cottages that St. Fagans is famous for - incredibly charming.















Maya and I had some fun pretending to box in an ancient cock-fighting pit.
















Autumn... from first hearing that I'd be doing my exchange, I have been continuously warned about the miserable cold, wet weather that I'd be encountering. Well, I've been incredibly lucky, it's really been lovely with very little rain - although I believe that my luck has run out, the rain began today. Anyway, on Sunday the weather was perfect. Cool, crisp, fires burning in the old hearths of the cottages, leaves turning red and gold... it made me realize just how much I miss this season, so I loved it.


Life has been hectic. Work is a challenge with so much to do, so many new systems to learn. Open Night is tomorrow, with parents signing up for 5-minute conferences. So far, out of 29 students, only 6 parents have signed up to speak with me. This should be interesting. I'm a little nervous - it's all so new and different. This week the entire school is celebrating Word Wise Week, so all of our regular scheduling is dropped, which I must admit, I'm enjoying. Everything is centering around literacy and I love that. We've had two storytellers visit and tomorrow we walk to the library a few blocks away.
I'm in the midst of preparations for my half-term break trip. I'm meeting Jean-Luc in Prague for a few days, then going on to Krakow. Expect photos!
Off to bed, I'm exhausted. Missing everyone at home (yes, the homesickness is rearing its ugly little head a bit...)