October Adventures

I'm sorry I haven't updated recently, but life has gotten so ... full, lately. I've started teaching more- a math unit on shapes last week that went pretty well, considering that it was my first unit with these kids. Next week I'm adding literacy, beginning with a unit on poetry. We're going to learn about the basics of poetry this week, then carve a pumpkin and write poems about it the week after half term.

There's been a lot going on outside of school, too. Our professor from back home has been visiting this week, so we've met with her a few times. She also got us tickets to the City of Cambridge Symphony Orchestra, so we went last night. It was fun to get dressed up and go to the concert. There were two bassoon players, Grandpa, but they did not play The Hustle.

The University term has started again here, so the students have finally returned and clubs and societies have started meeting again. I've tried out a few different things...

Before the symphony, another girl from the program and I went on a ramble with the Cambridge University Rambling Club. This was basically a six mile walk, beginning near the edge of the city centre and headed out into the country. It was a nice walk and a fun way to meet a few new people, and see a bit of a different area. About half way through (we think) we got bored, so we turned around and came back early. I met a few people at a ballet class on Thursday, too. It was well taught and not very expensive, so I think I'm going to try to go most weeks that my schedule allows.

Last weekend I got to run the light board for the Cambridge American Stage Tour's production of Two Gentlemen of Verona. I couldn't hear the first half of the show, because I didn't know how to turn on the speakers in the light booth, but the costumes were well done and the physical comedy was amusing.

All these activities have had me pretty busy, so I've got to run to get some lesson planning done now!

“Flowers are as common in the country as people are in London.”

As I've mentioned, we went into London last weekend. It's about an hour by train, and under 20 pounds for round trip, so it's a very do-able day trip from here. We all had different things we wanted to see and different plans for the afternoon, so we split up. I wandered around the city for the afternoon, before meeting up with Hilary and Liz in the evening to see Avenue Q, which was the cheapest show we could find. Here's some pictures from my afternoon wanderings.

The National Gallery. I didn't go inside, just looked at the building.

Big Ben

House of Parliament, view from Victoria Park. I took this picture several times because it kept looking blurry, but there's just so much detail on the outside of the building that the small screen on my camera couldn't handle it.
The Thames River and the London Eye, also from Victoria Park. I did not ride the Eye this time, as it would have cost more than our theater tickets, which is ridiculous! It was fun to look at and a useful landmark for navigating this part of the city, however.
I found a playground on the South Bank! It was pretty full of small children, since it was such a beautiful day, so I didn't stop to play.
Further along the South Bank, there was this sort of underground skate park with a bunch of people standing outside watching them do tricks. It was hard to photograph the guys in the air, so I stuck with those waiting for their turns.
The whole area was covered with graffiti art- it was neat looking.
Further down, there was a sort of festival, including an area with several birds of prey. They rather startled me when I first looked over and saw a bald eagle standing on stump in a roped off area.
I'm not sure if these guys were a part of the festival, but they were amazing sand artists. They built a living room on a tiny little bit of beach.
And the original reason I took the route I did- the Globe Theatre! unfortunately, it was closed when I got there. :( The gift shop was still open, however, so I was able to get a new bookmark to add to my collection.

I also wandered through an art gallery with a beautiful photography exhibit done by children around the world, checked out Covet Garden, sat in Leicester Square and rode the Tube.

Overall, a good day, and a trip that may be repeated later in the semester.