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!

Thames Boat Tour

On Friday, we toured the River Thames by boat. We really enjoyed ourselves. We had a "pancake" as a snack which was more like a crepe. Then we joined the crowd on the boat. We passed many interesting places including the school where David Radcliffe (the Harry Potter actor) attended school, the bridges, Big Ben, and our big highlight was touring Westminster Abbey! It is beautiful and we could hardly believe we were actually there. I met a really nice guy with 2 children from the good old USA who had just completed 2 tours in Iraq. He seemed really happy to see a fellow American.

We then explored the city streets of London; a lot of people were out and about. We even saw a protest or 2. (Peaceful, don't worry!)

A Day with Dickens

Wow! It was a busy day. We found the home of Charles Dickens and had a tour. We are developing a small British accent in the process. Our elevator say "lower ground floor" each time we enter and of course, we imitate it and laugh. Also, getting to our rooms, there are sooooo many doors. You take 2 steps and open another door. (We have 6.) It is like swinging on monkey bars as you swing to the next door to pull it open. (Yes, we laugh about that too!)

Oh, like I mentioned... we toured the Dickens home. Call us literary geeks if you like (it secretly makes us proud), but we thoroughly enjoyed ourselves. We watched an interesting film about his life. Did you know that his wife brought 2 sisters to live with the family? The older one sort of had a "thing for him" and it seemed he had a "thing" for the younger sister. When she died at an early age, Dickens never quite recovered from it. Also, we made a connection in that Dicken's father went to debtors prison and he had to travel through London in order to visit him. He met many types of people during his travels--poor and rich. He saw many things. Throughout his writings, Dickens makes fun of the rich aristocraty. He seems to support the poor and the working class.

It was interesting touring his home. A room in the house is a library with walls of shelves of his books. I never realized he wrote so many! Enjoy taking the tour of his home as we did! Post Script: We purchased a bunch of "good, interactive things like puzzles, a video, post cards, Dickens posable dolls, (and things of the sort) for our museum! "Go Dicken's....You're a rockstar!"

British Museum and High Tea

Hi there. I can't begin to tell you how fabulous of a day we had! We walked 2 blocks to the British museum. It is positively beautiful. The outside was impressive with beautiful architecture and columns that looks breath-taking. Then, you go inside and the space looks modern and contemporary. We are amazed at how the old and the contemporary mix in harmony over here. Truly beautiful.

I really liked the art aspect of the museum. Personally, I enjoyed Africa because I felt it had the most art-like pieces. I especially like the "Tree of Life" because of the art first and foremost and because of the story behind it. Please find the link and find out how they are turning guns into artwork in Africa. I really enjoyed the contemporary piece as you walk into the African exhibit. (See first photo) It is constructed of the foil toppers that seal wine bottles. The artists point of view is one of going green and reusing all aspects of our environment. I thought it was simply beautiful!

We took the audio tour of the museum. We had high tea upstairs in this beautiful environment and were delighted! We had little sandwiches, a biscuit, and small deserts. That was so much fun; like every little girl's dream. We lost track of time in the museum. I thought it was like 4:00 and it was already 7:00. We thoroughtly enjoyed ourselves. Please take the time to view it and leave comments for us to enjoy as well. It is very interesting!

Greetings From London

Hi there! So we made it to London after a 9 hour flight. Before we left, we met a nice lady who was teaching us how to identify the coins. (We're still figuring it all out!) The lines were so long at customs, Mr. Stephens posed with this funny pictures--we know why there are assalts. (Wink.) We settled into our hotel only to have to figure out how to turn on the lights and use the faucets. (Weird...) Mrs. Duncan and I had a great laugh. The faucets are square and you had to turn them just right. We have to insert our hotel key in a slot to control the lights. (Interesting).

We had dinner at this fancy french restaurant/hotel and took a tour. (We saw Talfalgar Square where there is a small peaceful protest) Oh, it was funny too. On the cab ride, Mrs. Duncan says, "This looks like someplace important, look at all these flags." We get to this beautiful building and Mr. Stephens, asks, "What's this big building?" The taxi driver says with his accent, "That would be Buckingham Palace." We all laughed about it and that is our new joke. I don't know but it seems strange because it sits in the middle of the city. We somehow expected there would be more land sourrounding it like an English countryside but there is not.
We saw the street where Harry Potter buys his wand in the movie. We saw a bunch of other places too like Downing street but I must confess I was nodding off I was so tired.
We enjoyed riding in the London Eye. It was nice. We were all so tired we went to bed fairly early. I will try to post every other day in the morning and afternoon. P.S. I'm not able to post photos at the moment but will add them when system is working better. I'll do another post tonight.

We're Preparing to Fly

Spoke with Mr. Stephens this morning and we are both busy packing. We fly out of Houston tomorrow. I thought I'd give you a preview of what we will be studying which is the life of Charles Dickens as well as other British Authors. Click on the site and you will find an animated cartoon about his life. Then, you can play a game (click on the picture at the site) and read some of his stories (scroll to the bottom of the site. Finally, take a tour of Dicken's London and compare what it looks like now to how it looked back in Dicken's Victorian time. Please remember to leave a comment if you learn something new. I learned today that Dicken's father was put in prison for being in debt-yikes! If I don't post again soon--see you in London!

School's Out for Summer

We had much fun the last couple weeks at Hambrick working hard, taking pictures, signing yearbooks and dancing. We also passed out many bookmarks which had icons related to London and had the hambrickrockstarreaders URL on them. By the way, click on the word London to link you to Tales of 20th Century London and what it might have felt like to be a child at that time. I think you will like it; it's kind of cool. I was so happy to see so many students interested and glad to see students following along already!! (Please leave a comment by clicking on the word "comment" under each posting; even if it is "just to say hi!") We'd love to hear from you. One thing I found interesting is so many students want to know about London and the geography. Here is a link to find more practical information about the United Kingdom. London is a city like Houston and is located in England. England,Wales and Scotland make up the Island of Great Britian. Add in Northern Ireland and voila-- the 4 parts make up the United Kingdom (also known as the UK). Click on the links and scroll at the bottom right to find out more and play some fun games. I really learned about European capitols at this site. Hope you are enjoying the Blog. I'll try to post some additional interactive sites so you can explore; hope you are enjoying your summer so far! Big Smile- and (((hugs!))) P.S. If you learn something amazing that you didn't know, please comment so we can all have an "ah-ha" moment.

Receiving our Checks

We went to this wonderful place in HISD and visited with others who had won Fund for Teachers grants. The people there were so nice! We took group pictures and they had Starbucks coffee waiting for us. (Give me a Starbucks Coffee and I'm a fan!) Mr. Stephens and I enjoyed speaking with others going on a trip. Fellow librarians in Aldine, Mr. and Mrs. Allen, we discovered are going to Germany and two other Aldine teacher friends are going to Japan to learn about origami and how to incorporate it into their teaching. We signed a lot of papers, took some fun photos and danced out the door. (And if you know Mr. Stephens, there was some singing involved as well.) We were really impressed with how well we were treated.

We Actually Won!

We took our time; we worked hard! Mr. Stephens and I, Mrs. Haynes, wrote a grant sponsored by Fund for Teachers. We agreed to contact one another and find out together if we won our $10,000 grant to study British authors to bring back to our AWESOME Hambrick Middle School Students! Studying about Charles Dickens is something we do with Hambrick students anyway during Christmas and we decided we want to bring the Rockstar experience into the library and classrooms! We also want to learn about British culture and have that translate into some innovative activities as well... High tea with GQ and SHADES perhaps? (smile)-- Mr. Stephens assures me the ghost of Charles Dickens will appear! I planned to create an interactive library museum throughout the year focusing on Great Britain, Life of Charles Dickens, Life of Conan Doyle, and Life of Shakespeare.

Mr. Stephens was at his home and I was with my family visiting in Mississippi when Mr. Stephens called. He told me that the letter arrived and began reading.... When he read the first sentence, we both knew that we had won and both began screaming our heads off and I don't know about him, but I was jumping up and down! My family was VERY excited for me. I still can't believe we won.

We are clicking our heals as we leave for London from June 16-25, 2009 and I, Mrs. Haynes, will be blogging and sharing our experiences.

I hope all Hambrick Stakeholders (students, faculty, parents) are ready for next year as we know we'll have your support. We will need actors and artists and host and hostesses for our Library Museum Exhibit Opening Nights. If you're willing to help out or lend a kind word, please feel free to leave a comment! Thank you for your support and THANK YOU Fund for Teachers; we couldn't be more enthusiastic and excited!