2011 We're still Sharing

Here are some pictures from earlier in this school year. We had tea and created a museum. The students really had a great time and asked many great questions. Lots of fun!

Sharing the Experience

We reluctantly departed London and I think I took a lot of London with me to the states. We all vowed to class up our wardrobes with a bit of European flair--perhaps Ms. Duncan and I will even purchase some leggings. lol! (Not from Harrod's however.) We had a nice flight back watching movies and they fed us like 6 times on Continental. Guess they want the world to know we are well-fed in the good old USA.

As we were bringing Ms. Duncan home, we heard the news that Michael Jackson had "just passed away." (Rest in Peace MJ...) Ms. Duncan was really sad. I sat emotionless for some reason; it sort of felt the way it was suppose to be for me. I don't really understand why. Mr. Stephens and I was at a store in London when Michael Jackson's song 'Beat It' was playing (before he passed away). The lady was really gregarious and explained, "I don't care what they say about Michael Jackson; I think he and his music are terrific!" I realized at that moment how loved he is all over the world.

I was excited to share with students on Tuesday the photos, currency and items we had purchased for the museum. They asked many inquisitive questions most of which dealt with how we were able to go... (Fund for Teachers) and how the monarchy works. It amazed me that many students went back for a second look at some of the photos. I explained how intertwined American and British Cultures are. They seemed really excited about the taxis and the double decker buses and by the fact that one must pay each day to drive within the city of London. The fact that they are learning and many are inspired to visit sometime within their lifetime makes me excited to create the museum for them and makes me realize just how worthwhile the trip really was to us all! Hope you enjoyed the ride!

I just spoke with my friend Ms. Duncan who is now in Australia!! Can you believe it? Two fabulous trips in one summer. You can follow her blog by clicking here.

Mr. Stephens and I would like to again say "Thank You" to the remarkable people at Fund for Teachers who made this AmaZING trip possible for us. We truly learned and grew as teachers and people due to this remarkable adventure and promise to nurture young minds with all of our adventures and discoveries. To those of you who have an opportunity such as this one... "Go for it!" Working on the grant was an opportunity to learn and grow in and of itself; the result of that hard work was truly remarkable to us! Thanks so much!

Revisiting the Theater

Tonight we taxied to the theater to see a performance of Billy Elliot. The acting was phenomenal! We decided that our favorite scene was when larger than life dresses were dancing on stage. They were so colorful and the performance of that particular scene (as well as others) was magical. Billy Elliot is set amiss the time of the Miner's strike in Northern England in the early 1980's. We discussed the role politics play in daily life in London and how people discuss their views and get involved. Also, the theme of class popped its head again just as it does in Dickens's stories and in the play Blood Brothers. It seems to be a popular theme and we couldn't help but noticing and discussing it. This was mostly apparent when Billy went to audition at the Royal Ballet School in London.

We met a nice couple from Ashville, North Carolina who were visiting a nephew and we enjoyed chatting with them. It was interesting meeting fellow Americans and getting their view on London socity and politics; Mrs. Duncan chatted with them throughout the night as she sat beside them. She said the couple were really charming. We will post their picture here soon. We thought it was interesting that at a London theater people would purchase snacks like candy and soda as though they were at a movie theater in the states. We would never do that in a theater in the U.S. We are more formal in that regard. Maybe that is a carryover from the days of Shakespeare plays as they are very long, we reasoned. Interesting! Regardless, it was a night we will remember with wonderment.

Victoria and Albert Museum

Coffee is tasty in London. We awoke to go a couple of blocks for breakfast and they brought coffee in these huge cups. (We weren't sure what we were suppose to do with that hot bowl of coffee so we drank some of it with a spoon.)It was delicious!

We then walked a couple of blocks to the Victoria and Albert Museum. It is more of an art museum with beautiful jewelry, venetian glass, costumes...fabulous things we enjoyed looking at. (Truly gorgeous.) I tried to take a picture of a huge diamond broche Mr. Stephens chose as his favorite "item of art." The guide politely asked us not to do so. We were able to take plenty of other pics though. Mrs. Duncan's favorite thing was the spiral of gemstones made up of every type of color. It was really pretty. My favorite item was this glass bowl that looked like whole real fish covered in silver were swimming inside it and then there was a small concave whole within it that was smooth. (I wanted to touch it so badly!)We also laughed at one another as we tried on theater costumes; it was great fun. As we left, we saw a man drawing on the sidewalk with chalk; his work was that of Big Ben. He was very talented and I wondered why he did that instead of doing something more permanent. We figure he made more money that way; but that was a huntch.

We walked to the corner store and bought some snacks and then they agreed to wait why I purchased sushi for a quick lunch. We are going to see the play Billy Elliot tonight and I need a nap!

Big Bus Tour of London- Made it to Buckingham Palace

Today was fantastic! We had breakfast in our hotel and walked down the street to catch the Big Bus Tour of London. It was fantastic!! We went to the top of this nice double decker bus. It was a gorgeous day; couldn't have asked for better, cooler weather. We clipped in our earphones and listened to all the commentator had to say about the buildings and events that happened at whatever site we happened to be at or passing by at in any given moment. My earbuds kept falling out because I have little ears and Mr. Stephens kept joking, "I think you've lost something there!" He was funny. Here is a link to the Big Bus Tour. Click on this link to see pictures of all the exciting sites we visited as we passed through.

We had previously decided we would get off the bus at the Tower of London. We adventured through the castles and heard tales of the traitors who were beheaded. One thing we learned is that before a traitor would be beheaded, he or she would give the executioner some money like a tip (or bribe maybe)so that they would perform the execution swiftly and cleanly. The guide said this is how we developed the term "severence pay" (which now means money that is paid to some people (usually those with high paying jobs like executives to leave their job.) Also, we learned that executions were a big event like the Super Bowl or something in London as people had little to do for entertainment. The people would bring their family and pack a picnic lunch and have a good time. (Kind of creepy if you ask me.)

We were able to see the crown jewels that the kings and queens wear during their coronations. Oh My Goodness.... they are a sight to behold! Beautiful.

We left the Tower of London and went to Buckingham Palace. See video footage of changing of the guard by clicking on the link. It was amazing as well. The gate has gold on the top of it and we posed for some pictures. We also were able to see the guards at the gate. They were marching which we found exciting.

We rode a boat in the Thames back near the hotel to catch a taxi. It was an extremely busy day and we can't wait to get out and tour the Victoria and Albert museum tomorrow.

Touring the Globe Theater

We exchanged hotels in the morning so that we could stay in another part of the city. Mr. Stephens accidentally sat his wallet down at a store and we all about panicked which we thought would be a catastrophe. Mrs. Duncan and Mr. Stephens took off (about leaving little old me... smile). Thank goodness for the kindness of the store owner; she was waiting on him and gave him his wallet and would take nothing in return. We walked around our little neighborhood and walked nearby a nice little church. We took pictures and decided to go inside. It was St. Augustine Anglican Church. The music was magnificent in the quaint church. We decided to go in for a few minutes and Ms. Duncan and I ended up taking communion and we all worshiped with them. The acoustics were incredible. The marble and granite reflected the soft candle lights and the stained glass windows. The warm spicy smell of incense filled the alter. It was VERY nice and we left knowing we were blessed because what could have been a bad situation ended exceedingly well.

We then taxied to the Globe theater and learned a lot about Shakespeare and there was a special presentation about 15Th and 16Th century costumes. We were allowed to touch linens and cottons, smell (the leather), and try on costumes. We learned that ordinary people, or peasants might only have 1 change of clothing per year while aristocrats had many. The same wool dress worn in winter would be worn in summer (less the petticoat) for the peasants. We learned the design of the dress was more fashion than function for the rich while the peasants clothes were more for function rather than fashion. For example, a poor person was not allowed to wear Scarlett (red) -against the law- while the aristocracy would. Since there were no dry cleaners, the skirt of a peasant girl would be above the ankles so it wouldn't drag the ground.

The actors during Shakespeare's time would be young, small boys and even playing the roll of women. They would tie a bun roll around their waist to give them a curvy physique. We enjoyed learning this interesting stuff and even enjoyed seeing exactly what the Globe looked like back in the day. I hope you enjoy looking around this Globe Theater Link.

We went back exhausted to our South Kensington neighborhood where we discovered crepes for dinner. I had a spinach and salmon one! It was sooooo good! Mr. Stephens had chicken and Ms. Duncan ratatouille! They enjoyed their crepes too and want to do it again soon.

Our balcony looks like one Eva Peron might have given her speech from; gorgeous! We were amazed that on a Sunday night people were all out on the streets as though it were a Saturday night in the states. It was like a block party. But we are old and tired so we wished them well and went to bed!

Sight Seeing and Play Blood Brothers

It was a lazy morning. Slept a bit late and then bought a new cord for the laptop. We had to get a converter. We enjoyed browsing the shops and practicing our British accents (or not...lol)! Mrs. Duncan purchased some type of green tea that literally tasted like grass. After seeing the health benefits, I tried to drink it but it literally was making me sick so I only had a sip or two.

We came home and worked on the blog and then toured the R.S. Hispaniola and had dinner there before taxing to see the play 'Blood Brother'. It was wonderful. It was about 2 twin brothers who are born in poverty so their mum (smile) gives one of them up. They happen to meet and become blood brothers and a whole lot of other things happen. (Read the link.) The theme of poor versus rich comes into play here (just as it did in Dicken's stories). I saw many similarities. We had a great time!