The London Experience

Whenever I come home from a weekend trip I am always delayed in writing about it. I am not sure why this is but that just seems to be how it goes. So let’s talk about London!

I left for London on Thursday evening...it is always such an adventure for me to just get to my destination and of course back again. But this is what happens when you are living in the country and relying on others for rides and public transportation. I journeyed from Sneem to Killarney by mini bus then waited there at the bus station for a bit then took the bus to the Kerry Airport. I had almost a two hour wait and this airport is tiny so there is absolutely nothing to do. Lucky for me though as I was going through security I started talking with the lady in front of me who ended up being from London and we ended talking the whole time we waited for our flight. Once I landed at the Stansted Airport I had to take a bus to London City Centre to the Victoria Station which takes about an hour and a half. From there I took the underground to South Wimbledon which is a half an hour. By the time I reached by final destination for the evening it was late and I was exhausted. And thank you to the bus station ticket lady for telling me the wrong directions and what tube line to get on….thankfully I can read a map and realized she was wrong before I got on the underground.

I didn’t say much too many about my accommodations while in London because I didn’t want people to worry or fret about it, but now that I am home and the weekend was a success I will share the details. After arriving in Ireland I had heard talk about this new way to visit places if you were on a budget and that was to couch surf. There is a website, www.couchsurfing.org, which you can go onto and search to see if there are any hosts in a particular area or town. You join the site and can send requests off to see if someone will let you stay with them. I know this may sound scary or intimidating, but hey I am all about trying new things on this little adventure that I am on. I decided I would like to try it at least once to say that I have. I firmly believe that if you are smart about this there really are genuine people out there and it can be a great way to meet new people and make friends all over the world. 

So with that being said I couchsurfed in London staying with Michelle in her flat in South Wimbledon. It was great to stay a little outside of the city but it was so accessible by the underground. Michelle is originally from Canada and has been in London since the beginning of September. She is a teacher and is working through an agency that places teachers in different schools in the London area. She also has three flat mates who are also from Canada and are teachers. She was a great host and we had a great time on Saturday sightseeing around London…more on that to follow. I am really glad that I gave couchsurfing a try….

 

Friday morning I was determined to see as much of London as I possibly could. So off I went to the rail station with my map in hand. I decided to do the free walking tour that Michelle suggested and left a brochure for. I had a little bit of time before the tour started so I took the underground close to the meeting spot and just walked around browsing in the shops. I got to the meeting spot and was shocked to see how many people had turned out for it on such a cold day. We were all split into groups with our own personal tour guide. My guide’s name was Ben and thankfully he wasn’t one of those boring guys…he had lots of energy and you could tell he enjoyed showing people around and telling them about the history of London. 

Throughout the tour we visited Buckingham Palace, Nelson’s Column, Trafalgar Square, The National Gallery, St. James’s Park, Wellington Arch, saw the Queen’s Horse guards, Big Ben, Churchill’s Cabinet War Rooms, Houses of Parliament, and Westminster Abbey. The tour was 2 ½ hours long and it was very interesting to learn about these different places and the history behind it all. It was nice to do the walking tour as you get to meet other and just start talking amongst the group as you are walking along. After the tour was complete I had lunch with a couple people from the group. We exchanged travel stories and bit and pieces and had a good time. 

There were still more sights to see on my list so after lunch I bundled up and headed out. I decided to do another walking tour that was focused on the Old City of London. Good thing I liked my tour guide Ben because he was the leader of the tour as well. This tour only had 8 of us and that included Ben the tour guide. For this tour we saw St. Paul’s Cathedral, The London Monument, The Tower of London, Tower Bridge, Globe Theatre, The Church of the Knights Templar, Mansion House, London Bridge, The Royal Exchange, Millennium Bridge which is also known as the wobbly bridge, Covent Garden, and Tate Modern. With the hour of darkness setting in earlier these days we got to see some of these sights lit up at night which was really neat. The Tower Bridge is quite impressive and lit up at night it is a spectacular sight to see. 
 
I really feel like doing both of the walking tours was a great way to see the most popular and historic sights of London. And at the end of the day I was able to say I had marked off all of the sights I wanted to see off my list! Quite impressive for one day! After I finished the tour I took the underground to the London Eye area where there was a Christmas Market that is actually called the Cologne Christmas Market after the one in Germany. It was amazing to wonder the bank area around the river visiting all the craft and food stalls listening to Christmas music with the city of London lit up all around. It was a spectacular sight. I really enjoyed it and even tried a German bratwurst….just getting ready for my time in Germany! I did some wondering and browsing…I love all the little hut like stalls and it really just warms your heart and makes you think of Christmas. 

 

I got back to Michelle’s and we talked about our days and made a plan for Saturday. After some much needed rest I awoke on Saturday ready for another full day in London. Michelle and I headed into London and our first stop was Buckingham Palace to watch the changing of the guards. Unlike Friday, which was bright and sunny, Saturday was very chilly and overcast. 



We got to Buckingham Palace early to get a good place on the grounds to watch the ceremonial changing of the guards. I am glad we got there early because despite the weather the place was very crowded. It was interesting to watch the ceremony take place and how each group marches in. The whole thing is done behind the gates of Buckingham Palace but you could still see what was going on. There is also the changing of the horse guards that take place. These men on horseback are the actual bodyguards of the queen. When she is in town staying at the palace there will be 24 horse guards riding through but when she is out of town there are only 12. It just so happened she was not in London over the weekend. By the time we finished there we were absolutely frozen to the core and I believe neither of us could feel our toes. We headed to Oxford Street to do a little shopping and grab some lunch. After lunch we headed to Westminster Abbey where we attended the Saturday afternoon mass. It was such an amazing experience and I am so glad that we went. The choir was beautiful and just sitting in the church surrounded by all its beauty was very serene. The inside of the church is so exquisite and all of the details of the stained glass are gorgeous. The outside of the church is also very impressive. One of the things I wanted to do while in London was attend mass at Westminster and was so happy to hear that Michelle thought it would be cool to do so as well. 
After mass we walked over to Hyde Park where we met up with one of Michelle’s flat mates. The Hyde Park Winter Wonderland was taking place. This Christmas market was different from the one I went to Friday night as there was more of a focus on foods and rides…it was like a mini amusement park. But nonetheless it was fun to walk around and take in the experience.

Due to the time of my early morning flight on Sunday and the fact that the bus and underground wouldn’t be running yet I had to head out to the airport on Saturday evening and spend the night at the airport. For a girl that is all about just arriving to the airport the morning of her flight and will usually pay for a hotel room close by it is quite impressive that this is my second time spending the night in an airport. I didn’t leave London City Centre until 11pm and due to construction we didn’t arrive out to Stansted Airport til after 1am. I got into the airport and found a quiet spot to curl up and try to get some sleep. Let’s just say that I don’t actually really sleep in an airport because I don’t relax enough and can’t really get all that comfortable. And thanks to a group of guys who decided to have a drinking party I really got no sleep. I find it so crazy how an airport comes to life so early in the morning. At 4am shops and food places start to open and people start to stand in line to check in for their gates. At 6:30am we were allowed to go down to our gate area and start assembling for boarding. I was so thrilled to be heading home and all I wanted to do was get there and get some sleep!

Saturday evening Ireland received a blanket of light snow which rarely happens therefore when it does things shut down! My flight got into Kerry Airport with no problems and actually arrived early. I caught the bus into Killarney and waited to hear from Maureen on what time she would be there to pick me up. A couple hours later I received word that Sneem was covered with ice and the roads into Killarney were quite treacherous. We were going to wait and see if the sun cleared the roads up a bit making it doable for someone to drive in and pick me up. So I wandered Killarney with my suitcase doing some Christmas shopping. I knew I had to keep moving or I was going to fall over from exhaustion. I remembered that a girl who is a resource teacher at my school was due back into Killarney sometime on Sunday. I called her and she was able to give me a ride to Kenmare once she got into Killarney at half two. I called Maureen and let her know I could get a ride to Kenmare and that I would just need picked up from there…Kenmare is closer to Sneem and on a better road. A friend of Maureen’s was actually doing some grocery shopping in Kenmare and would be heading back to Sneem about the time Joyce and I were due to arrive in Kenmare so she would give me a lift home. I met up with Diane and we made the journey to Sneem which was quite the trek. On the journey as we were talking Diane mentioned that my American accent was thicker than usual!! I thought my accent always sounded quite American! I couldn’t believe how snowy and icy the roads were and they don’t salt or clear the roads like they do at home. So after a slow going journey we finally made it to Sneem. I was so thankful to her and Joyce for their rides and making it possible for me to get home. Now all I wanted was a hot shower and my bed!

The only negative thing I have to say about my trip to London is that the customs people didn't put a stamp in my passport!! It really was a great weekend to London and even when things don’t go as smoothly as you plan you just learn to go with it and take it as part of the experience! Through each weekend expedition I have learned so much and all of it is what makes each experience unique and memorable! And I have 200 pictures to prove it!

The Week in Review and Looking Ahead to the Weekend

This week has been very hectic and also a short week in terms of teaching. I have been busy writing lessons and coming up with activities to do with my students. I am trying to plan out the remaining lessons that I will be doing during my time left. I can’t believe that I am planning Christmas activities, it really can’t be that time of year can it?!?! It will be fun to learn about their Christmas traditions along with sharing my own.

On Tuesday evening I went to Kenmare to pick up some bits and pieces and do some more Christmas shopping. I think little by little I am getting everything picked up that I need to. I have come to the conclusion that I will need to ship some boxes home. Who is the most trustworthy to ship these home to...hmmm?!?! I even splurged on myself and bought a new outfit and a pair of boots! No surprise that my main souvenir from Ireland is going to be a pair of shoes!

Wednesday evening brought about a flurry of activity since I have been promising all week to bake with the girls and I also needed to pack for London and finish up some plans. Tara and I baked Triple Chocolate Brownies which proved to be quite delicious. I love spending time baking with the girls. In an effort to raise money for the disco we will be holding a bake sale and Tara is planning away on the treats/sweets that we will be able to bake. I think we are going to try some new things to her, like fudge and caramels. I enjoy baking new things with the girls and having them try new things. It is my hope to also make Christmas cookies with them sometime in the upcoming month.

I am all packed and excited for a weekend in London. In true Laura fashion I have made a list of all the places I would like to visit and tour during my time there. I am going to be quite busy but it will be well worth it. I am also planning on going to 2 Christmas markets/festivals which will be sure to put me in the holiday spirit! Had to take a bigger bag on this trip to have room to bring back some goodies!

Today in school I am teaching my students about Thanksgiving and the traditions and history of the holiday. We will also be doing a science experiment where I demonstrate the mixing of substances to produce a gas and will also show combustion. Yes I will be making things go boom! They really shouldn’t put me in charge of science! Yesterday I got to play with fire...oh the joys of being a hands-on teacher who likes to do engaging activities.

I am leaving a little early from school today to catch the bus to Killarney where I then will take another bus out to the airport to fly to London. I am becoming quite accustomed to using public transportation but will be so thankful when I have my car back at my disposable. I am thankful for my principal who is very encouraging of me to travel and allows me to get out of school a bit early and miss a day. I just busted myself out on missing school if any of my coordinators/supervisors back home are reading my blog...oops!

Today is Thanksgiving back home and I wish all of my family and friends a very Happy Thanksgiving! May it be a lovely day full of many blessings and fun times spent with family. And please enjoy all that great Thanksgiving food for me as well, especially some pumpkin pie! I am thankful for all of the amazing people in my life. I couldn’t imagine my life without you. I thank you for all of your love and support!

Taking a Look Back

A year ago today I got the news that I was accepted to participate in the COST program and therefore would do my student teaching overseas. The year has been full of planning, paperwork, and getting myself prepared to go on this journey. I had the support of many wonderful people including the study abroad office at EIU, my student teaching coordinator at EIU, many professors and mentors, and of course my family and friends. Six months later, which put the time now at the end of May, I received the email that stated where my actual placement would be. In true fashion, my computer locked up as I was trying to download and open the document. I was talking to my sister-in-law Niki on the phone and I am sure she was laughing at me throughout the whole ordeal. I ended up having to sit in the middle of my driveway with my laptop to gain enough service to open the email document. After all of this and finally getting the document opened I learned that I would be student teaching at St. Michael’s National School in Sneem, Ireland. So in just over 3 months time I would be leaving Illinois and heading to Ireland for 16 weeks. I was so excited and also nervous about this upcoming experience. There was so much to plan and prepare for. I needed to find a place to live, arrange travel, pack up my house, and make sure everything on the ‘To Do’ list got accomplished! I thought I had all summer to get all of these things done. Wow...did that time go by fast! Before I knew it was September 6^th and I was heading for the airport. It all still felt so surreal and I couldn’t believe I was actually getting the opportunity to live in Ireland and do my student teaching there. I had said all my farewells to friends and family. It was time for this great adventure to begin. As I landed in Ireland and was met at the airport I was so thrilled to finally be here and ready to embrace this wonderful opportunity. And now here I sit 11 weeks into my student teaching placement. Oh how fast the past year as gone. The last 11 weeks in Ireland have definitely flown by but they have been filled with many great experiences that have had a great impact on me. My school placement is going rather well...I am teaching in the 4^th/5^th/6^th class classroom. All together there are 22 students. There has been plenty to get used to with the differences between teaching styles in the United States compared to Ireland. I feel like I am more able to plan and incorporate lessons for not only multiple grades but also for a diversity of learners. I was very fortunate to be placed with a host family for my living arrangements. They live just outside of the village and are a lovely family. I am so grateful for their hospitality and for welcoming me into their home and family. My time with them has really made this experience so much richer. It really is hard to imagine that in just about a month I will be making the journey back over the ocean to the states. It will be hard to see this stage of my life come to an end but I know there is a whole new journey waiting for me once this is finished. So often we think that we have plenty of time to do something or we put off doing something for another day. I have realized that time goes by so very fast and it is important to take full advantage of every opportunity that you can and to not let a day go by without doing something that you dream to do. So a year ago I began the journey to student teach in Ireland and currently I am living out that dream. Won’t it be interesting to see where life takes me in the next year?!?!

The Sun Shines in November

What a great day it was today in Sneem...have to clarify that because I have been told that the weather in other parts of Ireland wasn't so great! Today started off sunny and ended sunny and even stayed sunny all through the day! That is a rarity here lately...the month of November has been very rainy and dreary. The sunshine was much needed and gave me the energy to get things done. I woke this morning and went for a nice refreshing run, then came in and cleaned my room, and then went out for a long walk with Maureen and the girls. It was so nice to be out today enjoying the weather. I spent the afternoon doing work on the computer and even got to skype with Dean, Robyn, and the kids! It is always nice to chat with family!!

Yesterday I went shopping all day and even though I did find/pick up some bits and pieces I just feel very overwhelmed and frustrated. I know that all of my family understands my predicament of having to bring everything home but this is Christmas not just me on vacation bringing home souvenirs. So I have been trying to find everyone something special from Ireland that will also fit in my suitcase. I have determined that I am either going to have to buy another suitcase or start shipping packages home. Can't believe it is time to start thinking about going home and arranging how everything is getting there! Didn't I just arrive here in Ireland?!?!
Thankfully I still have a few weeks left to figure everything out and a couple fun trips planned. So yes I know I have plenty of time to find the perfect gifts but I wouldn't be me if I wasn't fretting about it!

Looking ahead to the week I think everything should go smoothly. Have more planning to do for the disco, more paperwork to finish for student teaching, and then on Thursday night I head to London for the weekend! I am so excited to have the chance to go and see yet another fabulous city while I am here!

So I have observed a trend in my blogging....the longer I am here the less I blog. I wonder why that is really?! Hmmm....!! I am either getting lazy or everything just seems normal and routine to me that I don't think about blogging about it! Only 7 posts in the whole month of November....really I am slacking! So I made a promise to myself that no matter how mundane the day is or what is going on I am going to post an update. We will see how long this lasts!!!

The Week in Recap!

ABCDEFGHIJKLMNOPQRSTUVWXYZ - the alphabet brought to you by Tara!!

Gotta love kids! Now for a look back over the week and all of its happenings. It is hard for me to believe that another week has gone by. I think my biggest accomplishment of the week was posting updates from Paris. Everything with my school placement is going really well. I enjoy teaching and working the kids. This week I have taught lessons in Math, Science, and Drama. Me as a Drama teacher is quite interesting but my cooperating teacher complimented today on what a good lesson it was. I am glad it went as well as it did. St. Michaels National School has a blog and the 6th class is in charge of updating it. This week we were talking about the blog and it was mentioned that I have a blog about my time here in Ireland. Of course that made all the students want my blog address. And now when I look at my stats and view the audience there is an overwhelming amount of hits from Ireland! A couple have made comments about looking at my blog and their biggest question is, "How can you write so much?" But of course they like the pictures and they thought that keeping a vocabulary list was really cool. I enjoy teaching them more about technology and the different things that they can do on the computer. They have such an interest in it. They had some really great ideas on what to put on the blog. I really hope they keep it updated and post regularly so that even after I leave I can still keep up to date on what they are doing.

I sat down this week and made a complete to do list of everything I have to do before leaving. I think I may have to extend my stay in order to get it all done!! Some of it is fun and some of it is tedious and boring, but all has to get done if I want my teaching certificate! Guess I better buckle down in the evenings and the weekends and get it done so I am not stressing out the last weeks and can just enjoy all my last moments!

It is tradition that the 6th class sponsor/host a youth disco for all the kids in the school/area. I was asked by the class to help them coordinate and organize it. Of course, being me and my love for planning events I couldn't say no. And they are a good group of kids and I think it will be a fun time and something special to do with them. The disco is planned for December 18th and will be a winter theme. We had a meeting tonight about fundraising and other details. I think that it went really well and I am very pleased with the parental support and the students determination and excitement. I look forward to a fabulous disco with all the youth in the area...it will make for a terrific last weekend in Sneem!

Vocabulary Word Update

It has been some time since I have added new words to my blog and since I have been keeping a running list I have collected quite a few so decided a separate update was in order. So let’s get started on my new vocabulary words.

Word Spoken in the States                                      Word Spoken in Ireland

* Scold/reprimand                                                       * Give out

* Behaving badly                                                         * bold

* Talking back                                                            * Back chat

* Being obnoxious or acting out                                    * Cheeky

* Use common sense                                                   * Cop on

* Something/Someone is funny                                     * Gas

* Jell-O                                                                      * Jelly

* Jelly                                                                        * Jam

* Cupcake                                                                  * Muffin

* Muffin                                                                     * Scone

* Cookie                                                                     * Biscuit

* Bacon                                                                      * Rashers

* Check out line                                                           * Queue

* Dance                                                                      * Disco

* Dressing in Costume                                                  * Fancy Dress

* Trash                                                                       * Rubbish

* Trash Can                                                                 * Bin

* Mail                                                                          * Post

* You                                                                          * Ye

* 6:30                                                                          * Half 6

I am definitely picking up on the language and what different things mean and how to actually use certain phrases in a sentence. I know that I use some of them quite a bit here and wouldn’t be surprised if I continue to use them at least initially when I arrive back in the states.

Being that Ireland was an English speaking country I never gave much thought to the fact that there may be some differences in the words or phrases used. I love it though and find some of them quite interesting. The kids at school and the girls at home correct me if I say it the “American” way. I think they are trying to mold me into being a bit Irish!

When You Think The Journey Is About To End You Realize It Is Actually Just Beginning!

On Sunday I arrived back to the Dublin Airport from Paris. From here Rachel and I were going to say our good-byes to Brittany and then take the bus from Dublin to Killarney. Once in Killarney I was going to stay with Rachel and be collected on Monday morning by a teacher in my school and get a lift back to Sneem. While waiting at the bus station I received a text from Anita stating that her son was in the hospital and that she wouldn’t be at school on Monday. I called Maureen to inform her and to see what could be done to get me a ride from Killarney to Sneem. The family had gone to Cork for the weekend and was still away and was going to be heading from Cork to Tralee to visit Joe’s mother in the hospital. They would be coming through Killarney to go home but the car was full and there would be no space for me. She said that she would make some phone calls and see if any friends or relatives were in Killarney shopping and could collect me from the bus station. Meanwhile I called Stephanie, an aide at the school and a woman I have become friends with, to see if she was by chance in Killarney or knew of anyone that was that would be willing to give me a ride to Sneem. She said she would give this some thought and see what she could come up with and would be in touch later.

I was a little frazzled but knew that some way and somehow I would make it home…eventually. We got the 11:30am bus to Killarney and settled in for the ride. The way we had it figured we would catch the 11:30am bus make a 3:30pm bus change in Limerick and be in Killarney around 5:30pm. While en-route Stephanie called to let me know that her friends Sheila and John would collect me and bring me back to Sneem on their way through. I was so relieved to know that I had a ride for the final leg of my journey home. I called Maureen so she didn’t keep trying to find me a road. She was delighted and relieved to hear I had a ride.

We arrived in Limerick and went to find out which terminal our bus would be in and it was then that we discovered that there was no connecting bus at 3:30pm! The next one wasn’t until 4:30pm which would put us into Killarney at 6:40pm. I sent Stephanie a text to inform her of this latest development. She asked if it would be possible to spend the night in Killarney and she would get me a ride with a delivery truck out of Killarney to Sneem early Monday morning. I said that would be fine and to let me know the details. At this point yes you just have to laugh! I called Maureen to inform her that I wouldn’t be home until the morning and filled her in on what was going on.

During our wait we wandered the town and got milkshakes because ice cream always makes you feel better. Finally it was time for our departure to Killarney and we were both ready for the day of traveling to be over. Once on the bus I shut my phone off as it was running low on power and I hadn’t taken my phone charger with me to Paris. And I was going to need some battery left for the delivery driver to get a hold of me in the morning. We just finished the stop at the Kerry Airport and would be arriving in Killarney in about 15 minutes when I got the feeling I needed to turn on my cell phone. So I powered it on and a text popped up saying I had missed 3 calls from Maureen. I called her back to find out that they were just getting into Killarney and that Joe’s sister had taken young Joe home from Tralee so they had room in the car to take me home!! I was so excited to hear the news and couldn’t wait to see the family and to sleep in my own bed! I called Stephanie so she could inform the delivery man and I thanked her for all her help. We arrived at the bus station and it was so nice to see the family there waiting for me.

After 16 hours of traveling and many changes to the how part of getting home I was exhausted and very relieved to just be at home. I think at one point throughout the day I joked with Rachel that I would just hitchhike back to Sneem! Now wouldn't that be adventurous! Who knew that the longest and hardest part of the journey was going to be the shortest?!?! Just another part to add to the weekend experience and it all made it memorable!