A weekend in London!

I have just returned from yet another amazing weekend. I travelled to London, where I met up with Erin Marks and Maggie George. Together we toured the city of London and had a fantastic time. We basically saw everything that you can possibly see in the city in one day. We saw, Piccadilly circus, the Times Square of London, Big Ben, The House of Parliament, we walked across London Bridge, saw Tower Bridge, The Tower of London, Buckingham Palace, and the changing of the guard, Westminster Abbey and Cathedral. Then we met up with Maggie at the Eye of London at 1:30. We took a ride on the eye, the most amazing views of the city ever! Then we did a “little” shopping. We decided to get out of the cold so we went to tea at The Goring Hotel, super fancy. I had mango and strawberry tea, very nice. We also got one of those three tier teas services with finger sandwiches, scones and cream and delicious desserts. We hung out there and relaxed for a while. Then we took the tub all over the city . We went to the Harry Potter train stop at 9 3/4, and then we went to Harrods. Just amazing, the best store I have ever been to in my life, I really wish I had about five thousand pounds to spend there!! When we came out of Harrods it was snowing just a little, very beautiful. By now we were all very tired, so we took the tube back to the hostel for some much needed rest.

Well, travelling isn’t the only thing that I have been up to here. I am down to only three weeks left of school. Monday I begin teaching full complete days. I will continue to do this until I leave. This will be quite a challenge, but I have been almost teaching full days for quite a few weeks now. One thing that is difficult about this is planning and teaching to a split classroom. Trying to give two sets of directions at a time can be very tricky, but it is forcing me to learn how to control the classroom in this type of situation, and it is helping me learn how to effectively multitask. Two skills that will be much needed in my own classroom in the future.

Aside from teaching in the classroom, one thing I have really enjoyed while I am here is getting to know the staff and the students. This past week I was invited over to a students house for afternoon tea. It was such a nice experience. Visiting with her parents and getting to know them is one thing I will never forget. I truly enjoy all my students, and so many parents have made a special effort to say hello or talk to me. It is great to be in a community that is so friendly.

Next week will be a very busy one. Thursday is the big Christmas play. I have been working with second calls to get them ready. I think we almost have it down, but there are still a few kinks we have to get smoothed out this week. We also have to get costumes, props and sense ready. Lots of work in a little time!

While I am truly enjoying my time here, with only a few weeks left until Christmas I am beginning to get just a little home sick. I am ready to go home and tell my family and friends about all the amazing things I have done and the places I have been to here.