Au revoir!

Sorry this blog is so late, the wifi in Paris was awful. But here is my last post!

Yesterday was our full day in Versailles and the Chateau de Versailles.  This was the most beautiful palace I have ever seen.  We walked through all the rooms of the palace catching a tiny glimpse of how the King and Queen lived.  They didn’t live too differently from us…you know, a bedroom, a dining, a room  to brush your hair, a room to wash up, a room to draw, a room to read, a room for your body guard…you know just like us!

The palace was insanely packed with people, so we were happy to make it out to the gardens.  The gardens of Versailles is…I’d have to say a magical place (I know, terrible), but it truly was.  I’ve never see bigger tulips, greener grass, or more perfectly shapes trees.  We walked around the fountains and the flowers taking pictures of each other and everything.  Then we decided to go through one of the mazes where we found a hidden away little restaurant.  We had homemade pizza, French onion soup, and an assortment of desserts (éclair, cheesecake, espresso, tart).  It was delicious.  Then we walked to the Queen’s Hamlet where Antoinette built her home away from home in the very back of the gardens.  These houses were quaint but big, they kind of looked like the seven dwarfs’ mansion.  The grass was tall and soft.  I really wanted to run in the middle of these meadows, lay down and just disappear in the grass. 

While walking back to the Chateau, we found Marie’s own private theater hidden in the gardens, we weren’t allowed to take pictures, but we just kept finding little surprises like that.  It was a wonderful day, I think we spent about 8 hours in Versailles.

Today we went to Notre Dame.  It was a beautiful day, so the pictures were nice outside.  Mom got a little emotional inside the church, but to be fair, it was an amazing sight with all the statues of Christ and the stained glass windows.  No, we didn’t see the hunchback, but I could definitely feel his presence.  Then we walked to the Louvre and took pictures  of the Pyramid in center while mom waited in line for tickets.  We walked around the Louvre for about an hour and then decided to go shopping and come back.  Morgan and I of course got lost and couldn’t find anything but parks.  We finally turned on a street with a lot of shopping but it was basically Rodeo Drive of Paris….so Jimmy Choo, Gucci, and Prada.  We finally found a store we could afford…I bought a t-shirt (whoohoo)!

Then we had dinner at the Grand Louvre restaurant and then found the Mona Lisa.  We saw a lot of other paintings…couldn’t tell you what they are.  My feet have never hurt so much in my life.  We ended the day with a glass of wine in St. Cathrine’s square.  Now I’m in the hotel and looking forward to traveling home in the next two days!  Thanks for reading my blog, friends.  It’s been fun!

Paris: Day 1

We arrived in Paris around noon.  I never knew when I was underwater, by the way.  Mom just tapped me on the shoulder and said "my phone says we are in France!"  By the way, I'm a 6 hour time difference from y'all now.  Immediately we began planning the Metro routes and where we were going to go. We began walking from the hotel, which is in historical Paris.  We got to the river that showed the Notre Dame in the distance.  I thought to myself Wow this would be a lovely picture.  I take my camera out. BAM no memory card.....had to walk all the way back to the hotel.  Mom and Morgan were quite pleased with me I'd say.  So we decided to catch lunch by our hotel in this little court yard.  We said bonjour to our waiter who started to rattle off in French.  We giggled and played dumb cause we have no idea what he said.  Turns out he speaks English.  So we learned to just say "hello" first and see what happens.

I've only run into 2 really rude people today, which I think is great considering all the French personality horror stories I've heard.  One called me stupid, guess I'm a slow walker or something.  She made a hideous noise in my ear.  I found it quite ammusing though.  We decided to walk in the opposite direction then before since we are visiting Notre Dame later this week.  We walked toward the Bastille and saw a really interesting and beautiful monument (thats sarcasm...its green and tall).

We took the Metro from Bastille to the Arc d'Triumphe.  This thing is huge.  If you have seen it in a James Bond movie or on TV...its 3 times as big as you think.  So we took some picutres and then walked underground to end up under the arc.  You don't want to battle the biggest round-about in the world. 

Then we walked to the Eiffel Tower.  You'll find on my facebook later this week that I took an obscene amount of pictures.  But when will I ever go back, right?  We took the elevator all the way to the top.  I almost melted into jelly when I looked down.  It was so high up...I was clenching onto my camera like it was going to fly out of my hand, through the guard fence, and down 1000 feet.  But I managed to live.  My favorite, other than the view, was at the top where you could find your country's flag, and find out in what direction, and how far in that direction your home country is located.  I took pictures of Denmark and America and then took the elevator back down to the ground (thank goodness).  We got a french hotdog (suggested by a very good and cultured friend) and walk back to the Metro and then into a little hole-in-the-wall cafe by the hotel.

So that was our first day in Paris.  Not much, but it was relaxing.  It feels nice to not be pushed to do everything in one day like London and Liverpool.  Tomorrow we are going to Versailles which is an all day trip.  So be jealous :)

"Mind the Gap"

Mom, Morgan, and I traveled to London yesterday morning from Sheffield.  We are staying at the Hilton on Edgeware Road.  We bought 2 day London Passes right away and attempted the tube.  Which by the way is freaking awful if you don't know where you are going...or even where you are.  So that was stressful, and with my anxiety and all the people underground...lets just say I didn't handle it well.  But we finally got to the hotel, put down our stuff, and went to St. Paul's Cathedral, Christopher Wren's masterpiece.  And a masterpiece is was.  The ceiling were so sparkly and golden with all the biblical mosaics.  We climbed over 500 steps (glad mom finally made it up!) to the Whispering Gallery which is basically an observation deck.  However, we were that much closer to the ceiling artwork.

Then we raaaaaan to the Tower of London and got there 30 seconds too late.  I begged the lady to let us in, and I explained we had just battled the tube for 30 minutes to make it to the Tower.  And guess what she said!? ..."no."  So I had nice things to say about her back.  So we walked along the outside perimeter and took pictures of the Tower grounds, the Tower Bridge, and the Thames water.

When we got back to the Hilton, we went to the 23rd floor to have an Asian cuisine dinner and a bottle of wine.  We could see all of East London while it turned from afternoon to night time.  We have a perfect view of the London Eye..and then noticed a car was missing at the top...hmmm.  We decided we wouldn't to the Eye after that...

Day 2 was much more eventful.  We went to Buckingham Palace to see the changing of the guard.  There must have been 2000 people there watching.  I love the furry hats and all the horses!  We walked by the parliament building which was humongous and Big Ben was absolutely beautiful at the top.  Then we went down to the Thames and hopped on a river cruise to the Tower.  We saw Shakespeare's Globe Theater, the Aquarium, the London Eye, and much more architecture along the river.  Then we got off and went into the Tower of London where we took a tour with a "Beef Eater."  He told stories of be-heading...pretty much everyone at the Tower.  There were 1500 unidentified people buried in the chapel walls that have no heads.  They are buried along with queens who were considered traitors for treason against the king.

Then we went to the Jewel House where we saw the Crown Jewels....AMAZING! I've never seen so many diamonds and such BIG diamonds.  I now know how big I want my engagement ring to be one ;)  jk I'd drown if I fell in the Thames.  Then we went to the White Towers, built in 1066 by William the Conqueror.  That had all the past king's armour and swords.  The armour was interesting because you could tell a lot about that king by how his armour was designed.

We ended to day in Harrod's with a quick peek, and then an Italian dinner underground at Kensington.  We are leaving for Paris early in the morning on the EuroStar and staying in downtown historical Paris :)  See you on Friday, America!

Goodbye Sheffield

Today was my last day at Rainbow Forge Primary.  The school had two special assemblies today, one to say goodbye to us, and one for Star Awards where one student from each class was given a certificate for being a great student.  They surprised us with our own Star Awards as well, and that was when the first set of tears came.  Then we went back to the classroom and said individual goodbyes.  I can honestly say I have never cried saying goodbye to students before today.  The whole school assembly was a little emotional, but when all my girls were crying in the classroom, I got little upset and started to tear up.  Then Harry, my little trouble maker, (I'm always on his case) gave me a hug and started sobbing.  I had no idea he was so attached to me..so that's when I lost it.

It felt good to be so loved, but it is a bitter sweet situation because now my mom is here in England with me, and I'm ready to start traveling again! London tomorrow, then after about three days we will take the EuroStar to Paris.  Next Friday I will be in Atlanta, landing around 2pm.  Can't wait to see Morten, Dani, and my lil bro! Sweet Water Festival on Saturday then back to the boro.  Lots of places to go!  Missing you all!

For freedom!...and for beer.

This past weekend, the girls and I went to Edinburgh, the capital of Scotland.  The train ride from Sheffield was about 4 hours long.  The scenery was gorgeous (I mainly saw it on the way back cause I was passed out with my mouth open on the way there…whoops).  The tracks went right up the coast of the North Sea.  We were on top of cliffs looking over the ocean which looked like glass.  Absolutely no waves, nothing like our oceans.  There were beautiful light houses and of course…tons of sheep.  My favorite J

We arrived in Edinburgh around 130 pm and took a taxi to the Point Hotel on Bread Street.  The hotel gave us a little room next to the penthouse on the fourth floor, so let’s just say we had a pretty great view.  Check out picture one of my Scotland album on facebook.  The hotel was right down the road from the Grassmarket, which is where all the famous pubs are located.  We walked to the main strip and found the tourist information shop where we bought a two day city pass.  We decided to go on a literary pub tour and then an underground terror tour later that night, (I personally wanted to go shark diving at the aquarium, but it was a little pricey…and cold). 

The pub tour started at 730pm at the Beehive Pub.  The tour guide told us to buy a drink and meet the rest of the group upstairs…so we did!  We got up stairs and the tour began with a man who introduced himself as a actor…and then another man in the audience who kept interrupting him and correcting him on his history facts (obviously a part of the act).  The two actors were hilarious…too bad I couldn’t understand a word they said in their Scottish accents.  I did get the universal dirty jokes though.

The two men took our group of twelve to 4 pubs and gave us story after story of Scottish writers and their best works and dirty secrets.  Our group was diverse, we had people from Spain, Ireland, Britain, and America.  I got to try McEwans (a Scottish Ale), which was tasty but gave me an instant headache.  After tour, they quizzed us on our knowledge, I got 2 questions right! Yay! America REPRESENT!

Then we walked to Starbucks, got a hot chocolate because of the wind was brutal, and then stopped in the meeting place of the terror tour which began at 10pm.

So the tour guide pops pretty much out of nowhere.  He is British, short, skinny with dyed maroon spiky hair.  He tells us to follow him.  (Um I am pretty sure this guy was a vampire because of how fast he walked.)  We would start walking behind him, then find ourselves running to catch up every couple of minutes.  Keep in mind, Edinburgh is super hilly.  Everywhere you go there are stairs up, stairs down, steep hills…absolutely ridiculous.  I think my butt and legs got a month’s worth of work outs in just this past weekend. 

ANYWAYS! He began the tour in a creepy, tight alley and told us how the citizens of Edinburgh lived in the 16^th century.  Basically, there was obviously no indoor plumbing and a law was passed that all bodily excrements had to be put in a bucket and could only be emptied once a day at 10pm.  At 10pm they would ring a bell and if someone was throwing a bucket out the window, they would yell, "Garde loo!" (from the French 'garde a l'eau').  SO the end of the story, was that if you were a drunk, walking home from the pub and you heard someone yell from above, what would you do? …Look up.  And that where the term sh*it faced comes from.  So there ya go.

The creepiest part of the tour was when they took us to the torture museum and showed us all the tools they used torture so called “witches” and the criminals (including the homeless).  Then they took us to the underground vaults that were built for merchants, but ended up being used by criminals and homeless to escape from the authorities that were torturing those who broke the law.  The authorities refused to go down into the pitch, black vaults because of the crazies and diseases festering in there.

So unspeakable things happened in these vaults and that is why it is the most haunted place in Edinburgh.  Now I’ve always believed in angels, so I guess I believe in demons as well.  But I never thought I’d be in one’s presence, and I didn’t expect it to happen this weekend.  But I swear to you….no doubt, something was down there.  We would go from one vault to the next hearing stories of what happened in each vault, or what the daily life would be like living there, hiding from the law.  Some vaults’ temperature would just drop and you could all of the sudden see your breath in front of you.   That was a little uneasy, and seeing a live witch’s temple was weird too (they rent out the temple for worship…currently).  But the worst was the last vault all the way in the back.  They spilt the women and men up on different sides, because they said the spirits usually target the women on the left side of the vault.

The story was that there was a fire in Edinburgh, and the men put the women and children in this vault for safety while the men went to fight the fire.  What actually happened, is that the vault acted as a furnace and they were all cooked to death.  As he is telling this story…I look behind me…my back is to the wall and I see a short women with a wide face and prominent sunken eyes.  Um…I freaked out and grabbed Amanda.  The tour guide told me to basically shut up.  I looked again and she was gone.  Then something pulls on my purse…twice.  My back is against the wall…no one is behind me.  Then a girl in the group screams and everyone bolts.  But let’s think how smart these people are…they are freaking out, but they run into the vault…not out towards the exit….idiots.  The girls basically knock me down into the mud while everyone is screaming and trampling me, and everything is echoing.  Ugh it was terrifying…and painful.  The tour guide helps me up, and we get the heck outta there.  I’m not one to believe in stupid ghost stories…but I don’t have an explanation of what was behind me.

Day two, we went to the Edinburgh Castle…so gorgeous and the view was stunning.  You can check out all the pictures on my facebook.  Then we did the Scotch Whiskey Experience where we learned how whiskey is made and what regions certain tastes come from in Scotland.  Then we had a taste test…found out I don’t like straight scotch.  But, alas, the experience was interesting.  We also went to the 3D Lochness Experience…awful and bootleg video.  I fell asleep and I now believe there is no Lochness Monster….thanks for killing my fairytale.  Then we freshened up and went to dinner at the Hard Rock Cafe where we waited at the bar for an hour and a half for our table.  However dinner was nice, drinks were delish, and the music was great.  We walked back and stopped at the Beehive for some local pub experience and then headed back to the hotel.

In the morning, we went shopping on the Royal Mile and then caught the 1pm train back to Sheffield.  The 4 hour train ride turned into a 5 hour plus train ride cause apparently people were stealing train cables for copper and the train signals stopped working…this would only happen on our train.  By this time I was out of cash and couldn’t even afford a scone or tea on the train.  So slept until Leeds and then finally got home around 6 or 7.

Edinburgh was my favorite weekend so far.  I loved the views and scenery.  The history was so fascinating and I actually didn’t want to leave.  I have to go back to Scotland one day.

Next Friday my mom will get here and Morgan, she and I will leave for London Saturday morning.  We will stay there a couple of days and then head to Paris.  Now all I have to figure out is how to pack for a week’s worth of London and Paris in one little duffel bag…hmmm.

Yesterday the other Georgia students and I presented in front of 25 headteachers from the Sheffield area.  We talked about the difference in the education systems between the United Kingdom and America.  My topic was about retaining students and behavior management plans including capital punishment in the southern states (aka the paddle).  The presentation went really well, and one of the headteachers asked us to present in front of her staff next Thursday afternoon.  The exciting part, is that two other school decided to host Georgia Southern student teachers next semester.  Since we couldn't place many of the students this semester (there were only 6 spots available), we are really proud of ourselves since more students will be able to experience to England program in the future.

I taught an art and writing lesson yesterday and today.  I had the students make Mum's Day card because their Mother's Day is this coming Sunday.  Each student got a flower that said "I love my mum because..." in the middle.  Then they wrote one reason for every petal of the flower.  Inside the card, they wrote a letter to their mums telling them why they are the best mum in the world.  Then the students rated my lesson with the other teachers in the room.  I got all thumbs ups from the students (yay!)

Tomorrow is our last day in Rainbow Forge for the remaining week and we are leaving for Edinburgh, Scotland Friday morning.  We will be staying there for the weekend.  We are going on a literary pub tour, a haunted tour, and a castle.  Thats all that is planned at the moment.  

I'm trying to post the rest of my Liverpool pictures, but facebook is not cooperating.  Missing you all.

PS The Andy Warhol painting really is titled what I posted yesterday.  I'm not censoring the name because it's art. ok thx Mom :) love you!

"She Love You, Yeah Yeah Yeah!"

Morgan and I spent the weekend in Liverpool.  Our hotel, Sir Thomas Hotel, so right next to the City Centre so we have all the restaurants, attractions, and shops at our finger tips.  The first thing we did was go to the Liverpool Football Club store to look at jerseys for our lovelys.  Then we walked through St. John's Garden, took some pictures and went to the Walker's Art Gallery.  There was a statue exhibit on the first floor and a collectors exhibit on the second floor.  My favorite pieces were the Rembrandt self-portrait and Andy Warhol's Super Star Fucker.  You can find the pictures on my facebook when I upload them tonight. 

Then we went to the World Museum (both of these were free of charge).  First floor was a small aquarium, which was interesting, but nothing like the Georgia Aquarium.  The second floor was Bug World where we saw fire ants (outside of its glass cage...yikes), cockroaches, scorpions, and the biggest tarantula I've ever been near.  It wasn't my favorite.  Then We went into a skeleton room where there were tons of shark jaws (and anti-kill shark advertisements, which I loved!), a zebra skull, a hippo skull, and a stuffed emperor penguin.  Next was world cultures, where we learned about Buddhism, Eskimos, Indians, and Africans.  We went to Ancient Greece, Rome, and Egypt.  I have a few pictures of real mummys which totally scared me.  I refused to touch anything Egyptian because I'm scared a monster will come take my tongue and eyes.

After finally being allowed to check in to the hotel, we changed and went to The Beatles Experience at Albert Dock.  The tour took about 2 hours, and it is all under ground.  They give you an audio set to walk through with, and you type in the code number you are at corresponding with a room and story.  I learned that Ringo was not the original drummer, which I probably should have known.  I was disappointed they skipped the murder of John Lennon all together, because I felt that it was an event that affected the world in a big way.

We had a lovely dinner at an Italian restaurant called Ask, a couple glasses of wine (well me that is...) and then went to bed.  In the morning we checked out and hiked up a hill to the Metropolitan Cathedral with our backpacks on our backs.  It was quite the workout, but well worth it because the cathedral was absolutely gorgeous but very modern.  The big bells went off at 11 to announce the service ready to begin.  But we got to listen to the children's choir practice before the service, and it sounded beautiful.

Then we caught the early train back to Sheffield while connecting in Manchester Piccadilly.  I learned that my map skills and train skills are getting better and better with each city I visit.  Morgan and I figured out to find a map of the city as soon as we got there instead of waiting the last day like we did in Dublin.  See? We are blossoming into adults!

But Liverpool was great, other than being accused of stealing from two different stores and terrible service at the restaurants...I'm tellin ya, these people really love Americans....gosh, can't wait to get to Paris!

Derbyshire

We went to the countryside of Sheffield today, called Derbyshire.  First we went to a nature community called Thornbridge with is a place that offers housing for students on weekend getaways.  They do team building, mining, nature courses, and rope courses.  It's very green with many daffodils.  The campus is huge.  Then we went over to Thornbridge Hall, which is the biggest mansion I've ever seen.  The house used to be owned by Sheffield, but now it is a private residence.  We were fortunate enough to be given a tour of the grounds and even inside the house.  I posted all of the pictures of facebook. They do about 8 to 10 weddings a year (I definitely wouldn't mind having my wedding at Thornbridge).  The house is also the home to the Brewery of Jaipur beer, an Indian Ale of 5.9%.

Then we ventured off to The White Lion, a traditional Derbyshire pub.  I had the smoky pork belly sandwich with apple sauce and it was deliiicciious.  Last, we went to Bakewell, home of the awarding winning pudding...not what your thinking.  It's kind of a meat pie.  Oh, also, if you look at my pictures on facebook...i tried really hard to get a picture with a sheep.  I just ended up chasing them into the pasture.  But it was exciting being so close to wild animals!!

Then tonight we came home, took a two hour nap and then took the TRAM to the cinema.  We saw No Strings Attached...amazing movie.

Tomorrow Morgan and I set off for Liverpool in the morning for the Beatles experience.  My goals are to get my brother a souvenirs and find a black Liverpool football jersey.  Wish me luck! I'll be back Sunday to tell you all about it.  Night.

The past week...

This week was a full week of Rainbow Forge Primary.  I taught force and motion during science and we had a tug of war contest and the student loved it.  It was a beautiful week here in Sheffield, so we went outside and explored the different types of surfaces in the play yard that are related to the concept of friction.  Then I taught a physical education lesson, so I naturally had to teach The Cha Cha Slide.  The students loved learning an American dance.  Their favorite part was free dance when they "got funky!"

Next week we are racing cars down ramps to decide which surface gives off mroe friction and slows down the motion of the toy cars.  I'm also teaching a Mother's Day art activity...yet to be decided. 

Tomorrow we are traveling to Derbyshire with the principal.  We are going to Thornbridge, which is an educational nature center.  Then we are going to a brewery/pub for lunch.  Can u imagine going to go get a beer with an American principal? Haha.

Sunday night, we went to City Hall to see our students sing in a concert.  All proceeds went to a 3rd world country to promote music within students.  Our students sang beautifully...kinda.  But I was proud of them! I taped their song, so I'll have to post it on facebook soon.

I have had a lot of fun this week watching our students learn through discovery.  Mr. Tingle always presents a question and then  organizes small group for them to discuss and then discover.  I love how the students are learning from one another and their own experiments.  We are also practicing for the SATs which is like our CRCTs.  Yesterday we did math, which the Y2's content seemed much more advanced than my 2nd grader's content.  And then today we did a practice writing test.  This is the area my Y2's need to work on the most.

This weekend Morgan and I are catching a train to Liverpool while the rest of the girls are visiting London.  Next weekend is Scotland, and then mommy will be flying overseas to take us to Paris!  I can't wait to see her!  I'm missing my parentals, puppy, and some special someones.  Facebook or email me, yall! Love you!

Today was a Monday back at Rainbow Forge.  I have been feeling really tired lately.  It's like I just can't catch up on sleep no matter how early I go to bed. 

At school today, I learned that Rainbow Forge does not teaching the letters of the alphabet.  None of the students know the names of the letters, they only know the 48 different phonics sounds.  Literally, if you ask a child to spell their name, they will recite phonics sounds back to you.  So, I told Mr. Tingle he would have to teach me how that works...cause I never learned phonics in Connecticut.  They taught us to read by sight words.  Anyways, it was hard you work on writing with the children today.

I am teaching the students The Cha Cha Slide tomorrow for a physical education lesson.  I think the student will have a lot of fun with that.  Then on Wednesday I'm teaching a science lesson on force, motion, and friction.  The students are going to have a car ramp race and figure out which surface causes the most friction.

We came home on the TRAM, there was an accident so they made us get off at the Cathedral and walk.  We went to Boots to get some essentials and then to Co-operative, the grocery store.  I came home, took the trash out which is an adventure with all the recycling you are forced to do.  Then I took a nap, and Amanda is cooking us dinner again :)  Hopefully I can catch up on some sleep tonight!

St. Patrick's Day in Dublin, Ireland

Wow where to start.  Well Morgan, Amanda, and I decided to go to Ireland for the weekend.  Unfortunately we missed the parade on Thursday because we were working, but we caught an early flight to Dublin on Friday.  And when I say early, I mean got a taxi at 415, then a train to Manchester Airport.  Our flight left around 7 am.  The flight was so short and an absolutely beautiful looking over the Irish Sea. 

We missed the bus to Dun Laoghaire (where our hotel was, about 8 miles out of Dublin) by 5 minutes.  So we had a little down time to get a cup of tea and take some pictures.  The Dublin airport is really modern.  All the tunnels and hallways are lit up with blue lights. 

We checked into our hotel and walked to the bus stop.  A few buses passed us before we figured out we had to flag it down to stop.  We got the bus to finally stop.  We asked if it went to Dublin City Centre.  The driver said "you're standing on the wrong side of the street my love."  So then we walked to the other side, and down about a 1/4 mile.  Waited another 30 minutes.  When the bus 7 came along, it was the same bus driver.  He poked fun at us for still being there, then we realized we needed exact change to ride.  We kinda just slinked to the back and tried to get our Euros together.  The bus ride was about 45 minutes, when we got off, I tried to give him a 5 Euro bill, but they only take change.  He shook his head and told me just to get off.  Kind of embarrassing, but hey, it was a free ride to Dublin! 

There were so many people on the street it was hard to walk.  We took some picture at City Centre and of the river.  We found a little pub named Fitzgerald Bar and I order a Carlsberg and the steak and mushroom pie.  The lunch was good.  Next, we headed off to the Guinness Storehouse after finally finding a map.  When we got to the storehouse, there were about 200 people standing in line trying to get in.  It was 4:45 and they stopped letting people inside at 5pm.  Somehow the line moved fast enough where we actually made it in.  Naturally, we went straight to the top for our free pint of Guinness.  We went to the first elevator we saw, which turned out to be a staff elevator, but the employee let us on and we beat 200 people to the Sky Bar.  The Sky Bar is a 360 degree glass view of Dublin.  Absolutely gorgeous! 

We went down to the 5th floor to drink our pints, (by the way, Guinness tastes so much better in Ireland) and chatted some Canadian tourists up.  We continued to take pictures and then head back to the Temple Bar area to find dinner.  I ordered to Irish Stew, but I got a migraine and couldn't enjoy the rest of the night.  It was quite an adventure getting back tot he hotel, trying to figure out which bus to take.  So of course we got on the wrong on and ended up at a deserted train station in downtown Dun Laoghaire.  So we took a taxi from there to our hotel and got a good night rest.

The next day we got the transportation figured out a little better.  We went back to Dublin City Centre after a quaint breakfast at Cafe Solo.  We bought a ticket with the Dublin City Tour Bus, which is a 24 stop "Hop on Hop off" system on a double decker bus.  So it is safe to say we were legit tourists on Saturday.  We visited St. Patrick's Cathedral, St. Andrew's Park, and then rode around a listened to all the history in Dublin.  Did you know Dracula was written by an Irish man in Dublin? Hmmm..

So the tour took most of the day.  St. Patrick's Cathedral was so pretty.  We stayed there for a while taking pictures and reading about all the different saints and priests.  We visited a few local pubs and bought souvenirs for some friends and family back home.  We took the Dart back to the hotel, and the train stopped at the Rugby Stadium where Ireland had just beat England's team.  So the train was packed some real characters.  We wanted to stay out later but we had a 245 am wake up call to catch a taxi at 315 to the Royal Marine.  This hotel is where we could catch the coach bus back to the airport.  The Royal Marine is a gorgeous mansion hotel that looks over Dublin Bay.  We caught the 340 am bus to Terminal 2.  The bus had wifi which was exciting for me, since I get homesick when I can't text my family. 

While waiting for the plane, we met two guys from Washington DC catching a connecting flight to Manchester and then to Philly.  These boys work for the Wizards and Redskins.  They had just come from the bar, so they were interesting fellows.  Of course they made me check my bag AGAIN even though I borrowed Julie's small roll on, AND they let me on the plane the first flight over.  So we landed in Manchester and caught the train the Manchester Piccadilly.  There was no connecting train to Sheffield, so we were forced to take an old smelly bus for an hour and a half.  We were packed like sardines and my legs fell asleep.  Always an adventure when it comes to public transportation.

But we got home safe, and Ireland was worth ever crappy taxi, train, plane, and bus ride.  It was beautiful, the people were helpful, and the culture is unique.  Next weekend starts travel adventure number 2.  Morgan and I are leaving for Liverpool Saturday morning for the Beatles experience :) Be jealous.

Morgan and I at Rainbow Forge

Meeting the Lord Mayor for tea

A booze raffle for the parents at school...haha thats a new one.

Naked cowboy advertising apartments.

Mosbourough Primary

We visited another primary school today about 5 minutes away.  The headteacher is good friend with Mr. Poole, they are actually retiring together after starting their teaching in 1972.  The headteacher gave us a tour of his school.  It is relatively new, just been built in 2001.  When you first walk inside, there is a touch screen sign in sheet.  You put your name in the computer and it prints you out a visitor's pass with your name on it.  Very "posh."  All of the students' artwork is displayed on the hallways.  The school is very brightly colored and happy.  They have a little over 400 students in this class, so it is twice as populated as Rainbow Forge.  The student's have a day called Big Writing Day.  They brainstorm "ambitious words" they can use about their topic and then write.  The work is displayed in the hallway.  Mosborough takes student handwriting very seriously, and it is apparent in the displays because each student has better handwriting than I do.  It is absolutely beautiful!  (Fun fact: the English call cursive "joint writing").

The school is currently practicing for their standardized testing, called the SATs.  We got to look at some of the practice booklets, and all of the questions are open ended.  The student must explain their answers or show their work or they won't receive credit.  There is no multiple choice whatsoever like our CRCTs.

The school also has themed weeks, like Outdoor Learning Week in June.  They spend the entire week conducting class outside.  There have gardens around the school, a pond to enjoy and explore, and a green house to grow vegetables.  The play area has different levels and areas, there is a social area, a football field, a blacktop, and a nature walk in the woods. 

The students truly seem to learn by discovery here.  At this school the students get a total of 1 hour and 40 minutes of lunch and play time.  It seems so laid back and unstructured, yet these students are bright, intelligent, and most of all in love with school.  They are much more motivated than some of the students in America.

I'm sure there are holes in England's education plan, and I'll be sure to report on it soon.  In the meanwhile, I'm just enjoying what I see :)

Day 2 at Rainbow

Another full day at Rainbow Forge.  The students are getting ready for Red Nose Day which is a national movement to raise money for comic relief.  Basically, everyone wears a clown nose, and schools and other organizations raise money by being funny.  All donations made go to aid African poverty.  Tomorrow, there is a show at 2 pm.  Each class is performing a skit or a song.  The teachers have various surprises they will be performing as well, for instance, Mr. Tingle and some coworkers will be river dancing.  I'm sad I'll be missing the show and Red Nose Day, but we are off to Dublin, Ireland early in the morning.

We have been told to go to Guinness and St. Patrick Cathedral.  I'm not bringing my laptop, so I'll let everyone know how it was when we get home Sunday morning.

I attempted to do laundry this afternoon after work.  It is a washer and dryer all in one.  The stupid things has so many buttons and symbols, I have no idea how to work the thing.  I don't even know if I put the detergent in the write place.  All I know is that the timer says 2 hours and 45 minutes....how the heck does it take that long to wash a coat and a pair of socks?  I don't know.  Guess I'll have to stay up a bit late if I want to bring my jacket to Ireland.

Play time and hot tea

Today was our first full day at Rainbow Forge Primary School.  We arrived at 8:30 am (a big difference from my 7 am arrival at Julia P).  We waited for the TRAM for about 10 minutes.  We started to get nervous that it wouldn't show.  I fell asleep on the way over, it's about a 30 minute ride and then a 10 minute walk from the TRAM stop.  Luckily I woke up before I had to get off.  My classroom is the biggest classroom in the school, and my teacher's name is Mr. Tingle.  There is also a teacher's assistant (like a paraprofessional) named Ms. Wright. 

This week is Art Week at school. and the children literally did art projects all day.  No academic work at all.  I was absolutely stunned.  I made a bottle top mosaic of a flower with the students.  It is about as tall as my shoulders! They all painted a huge canvas of a giraffe and then did individual paintings.  All the art work will be displayed on Friday at the school assembly.  They have a school assembly ever day which is very interesting.  This was devoted to a reception student (Pre-K) named Tyler, and it was his birthday, so naturally we sang to him.

The students get 15 minutes of playtime (recess) in the morning, an hour for lunch and play time, and then another 15 minutes of playtime in the afternoon.  The teacher get an entire hour for lunch.  All the Georgia student teachers scarfed down their lunch in about 20 minutes...then we realized we had 40 minutes to relax...we didn't know what to do with ourselves! The teachers pause to make hot tea often, which as a coffee and tea lover, I absolutely love!

After work, we rode the TRAM back to West Street and then got some terrible Chinese buffet food.  Luckily we made up for the terrible food with Caffe Nero, an Italian coffee shop.  Kiah and I split a white and dark chocolate cheese cake slice, and then we got some delicious hot chocolate with cream on top.  The whip cream was tasteless which was different, but the chocolate was amaaazing.  Everything here shuts down at about 4:30 or 5 pm, so we really had to search for a place that had dessert.

Morgan and Amanda apparently have a pirate that lives across the hallway.  He wanted to borrow their "tin opener"and when they knocked on his door later, he had a live parrot on his shoulder.  They said he seemed mortified and said "oh god your Americans! I look like a bloody pirate."  Haha I really got a kick out of this story.

Julie and I have been practically cuddling in our tiny bed. We actually head butted one another in our sleep last night.  I had to apologize for that one...I move around a lot.  Tomorrow we go back to work for more art projects, and then Amanda, Morgan, and I are off to Ireland early Friday morning! So Happy St. Patrick's Day everyone!

Spice Girls and Football

Today we went on a tour of Sheffield with our Headteacher, Rob Poole, and his business manager, Ali.  They took us to coffee in the morning and gave us a little history lesson on Sheffield.  The town was bombed in World War I because it was famous for its steel manufacturing.  So many of the building are a mix of modern and older buildings, depending on which ones survived.  Then we went to Red Tape studios and met a producer named Omith.  He worked with the Spice Girls and recorded every single one of their albums in that studio.  Very exciting!  He also produced and played guitar with Lionel Richie. He writes music for Celine Dion as well.  I'll have to post his picture soon.

Then we had a tour of Sheffield's Sport Institution.  It looks like our RAC on crack.  It is huge!  At first we thought all English guys were hideous, but then we found today that all the cute guys are athletes and hang out at the institute. haha. But we learned about a lot of the different kinds of sports they have here.  The one sport I had never heard of is called Snooker.  It is a huge pool table with a lot more pool balls.  Unfortunately no one was playing, but the tables are required to be in a sound proof room set at a specific temperature.  I thought that was odd.

Last, we watched a football game (indoor soccer) and it is so much more exciting in person than on television.  I might actually be a football fan before I leave.  It was a good day, all in all.  I was very tired when I got home, I just chatted on skype with Morten for about half an hour and then took a nap.  Now Amanda is cooking us dinner at the apartment.  Trying to save money Mom :) Miss yall!

We have arrived!

We arrived at the Manchester airport on Saturday morning.  We stood in customs line for what felt like forever.  We were the only people at baggage claim, which was a big change from the Atlanta airport.  Then we wandered around and asked security where the train stations was located.  He told us to follow the signs that say "Station"....then mocked us a little in his English accent.

The train was an interesting adventure.  The aisles are very small and there is virtually no storage for luggage.  The people around us were annoyed that it took us forever to squeeze ourselves and our luggage on the train.  Plus, they stop very quickly at each station.  So I had to run off the train, and then Morgan and Julie threw our 50 pounds bags off the train while I caught them one by one.  The English were looking at us like we were "daft."  Luckily, we made it off the train with all of our luggage in tack.

Andrew met us at the apartment.  Julie and I have the only flat with Internet at the moment which is nice.  Unfortunately, we only have one bed and no pull out couch like the rest of the apartments.  But I don't mind snuggling with Julie every one and then.  I guess we will become great friends quickly!

Our first night out, we ventured into town to celebrate Kiah's 22nd birthday.  We ate at Nando's, which is famous for their spicy chicken.  I got the homemade mash, which was delicious mashed potatoes.  Then we went to about five bars.  Don't worry, we didn't drink too much! We just wanted to check out which spots we liked, and which we would never go back to again.  For example, The Rise had all female bar tenders, and they were not happy about serving Americans. 

Sunday, March 13, 2011, we ventured out on our own, Julie, Amanda, Morgan and me.  We went to the bank, Boots (a pharmacy), TK Maxx (like our TJ Maxx), and Primark (sort of a cheap Forever 21).  I bought a beautiful floral scarf, gray boots, and some leggings to stay warm.

Monday, March 14, 2011, was our first day at the schools.  We caught the TRAM with Andrew at 9 am and rode that all the way to Hacklethorpe.  From the TRAM stop, it is about a 10 minute walk to Rainbow Forge Primary School.  The school set up an assembly for us to be introduced.  The students (about 200 in the whole school) filed into the gym silently.  We could not believe how well behaved they were acting.  When the Headteacher (or principal) Mr. Poole asked a question, they would quietly raise their hands and wait to be called on.  I never once heard a student speak out of turn.

The entire school has a reward system going on.  Each student can earn "Merit Points" for good behavior.  The entire population of students are divided in 4 groups (Emerald, Ruby, Diamond, and Sapphire).  The teachers don't know which students are in which group, and at the end of the week, the School Council Leaders collect the team points from each classroom.

Rainbow Forge is so community involved and environmentally aware.  The students figured out how much energy the school uses in one day.  They are concerned with their carbon foot print they are leaving behind.  They have designated someone in each classroom to turn off all power when it is not being used.  Then they are planting trees and bulbs to give oxygen back into the environment.  The Lord Mayor is donating a tree to the school himself.

Today, we also met the Lord Mayor of Sheffield for tea time.  He actually thought we were from the country Georgia.  He was very polite and humorous.  He gave us a book of Sheffield's history to take back to the College of Education. He wears a 160 year old gold necklace of Sheffield's crest.  Every Lord Mayor has worn this 2 pound solid emblem.  He took some pictures with us, and sent us on our way.

Lastly today, we ate dinner with Andrew's family.  We met three of his seven children.  Jay, 7 years old, is so energetic and friendly.  Jay and I sang Queen music together, such as Bohemian Rhapsody and Fat Bottomed Girls.  His older children were very nice and gave us great advice about where to go in Sheffield. We ate chicken, Yorkshire pudding, and potatoes.  It was a delicious meal, then we had birthday cake for Kiah, and tea after dinner.

So far, I love it here in England.  I could see myself moving here and teaching in the country.  The city is beautiful, the shopping is fantastic.  Though I miss my family and friends, I can tell this month is going to go by very fast!  Feel free to leave comments and questions!