Chedworth Roman Villa and Stratford

On 10th Nov., I drove through the Cotswolds - beautiful - and got to this 3rd century Roman villa. They think it was either a farm or a religious pilgrimage destination. There is evidence for both. They are fairly certain that the residents were Britons that followed Roman traditions, including Roman baths/sauna/hot tubs with mosaic tiled floors. Since the villa is at the top of a valley, the dirt from the surrounding hills just covered up the villa until it was unearthed in the 1860's. The Victorian English, excavated as much as they could and did some minor repairs. It was amazing to travel back in time and drive through the beautiful countryside.

15th Nov., school was closed due to the builders cutting the main power to our building! The kids had it off, but we went in to help at the Nest (name of the Infant's building - pre-k - 1) and then to work on our assessments.

16th Nov. saw me driving through the Cotswolds again, but to a different destination. I was off to Stratford upon Avon, Shakespeare's birthplace. Friday night, Dan and family, Susan, and I met up for dinner at The Dirty Duck, originally named The Black Swan, but dubbed The Dirty Duck by American sailors in WWII. It was a fabulous evening and I was glad to get there. My gps sent me to Warwick (war-ick), instead of Warwick Road in Stratford. Luckily, it was just up the road, so I easily found it. However, my gps wanted me to drive from Warwick up to the top of Scotland, take the ferry to Belfast, and drive down to somewhere just above Dublin named Warwick Road. Boy was I glad that I can use my brain! Saturday morning I took the red bus tour around town, then met Dan, Torie, and Maria (the fam) for lunch. Dan and I went to see Henry V, while Torie and Maria went swimming. Henry V is a bit heavy for a 6 year old. =) Great play! I walked about town after the play, tried to see Shakespeare's grave, but there was a rehearsal happening in the church, so couldn't get up there...Oh, well. The four of us met up for dinner and then chit chatted over a bottle of wine and hot cocoa back at their hotel. Great company and conversation! The next morning, I drove about seeing 3 of the Shakespeare homes...his birthplace and museum, his wife's home before marriage, and his mom's home/farm. His wife's home (Anne Hathaway) had huge gardens. It must be stunning in spring/summer. His mom's farm has ancient breeds of farm animals and a falconry area...very cool. One of the best parts though was a window at his birthplace. It has been removed from the original place, parent's bedroom, to protect it. Hundreds of people came and carved their name in it...famous writers...very cool! Cold is how I would describe the day though...and raining. On the way home, as I was driving back through the Cotswolds, it started to snow! It was sooooooooooo pretty! Well, back to school and gearing up for Thanksgiving!

Back Home!

Well, I made it back home safe and sound. On Monday morning, I returned the rental car and picked up mine from the MOT testing/repair shop. Then Jane G., one of the other teachers, picked me up and we drove to Bradford upon Avon. We met up with another teacher from school, Jayne M., who grew up there. She was a brilliant tour guide. We walked through the medieval tithe barn, along the canal that was reopened after restoration by the queen, did loads of fun window shopping, and then went to lunch on a Sally Long Boat on the canal. Yum!! We ended the day walking through St. Laurence's Church, which they think might have been built in 709, but know it was in existence in 1001. Then we walked up to this thatched cottage known as the Witch's Cottage by the locals. Very cool town! The next day, Miri took me to Reading (red-ing) to meet up with her daughter, Becky, for lunch and go shopping in this massive mall. The mall had this canal going between the 2 parts of it...very pretty, and the shopping was great! I got a lot of Christmas presents there...including chocolates from Hotel Chocolate! American chocolate doesn't even come close! We tried to find pumpkins on the way home for maths the next day, but they were nowhere to be seen...pumpkin shortage due to flooding. The next day was Halloween...sadly, we had to go back to school. Worse yet, I woke up at 3am with food poisoning! Yikes! I'm pretty sure it was with some pasta I made at home. I tried to go to school, but they sent me home. After 2 days curled up on the couch, I was better and made it back to school. Yippee! So good to feel healthy again!

Half Term Holiday

Well...I took off to Dublin to meet up with another Fulbright teacher, Elizabeth. The trip there went well, until just after I landed. I got in at midnight, took out Euros from the ATM, or cashpoint, but it only came out in 50's. No one in the entire airport would give me change so I could take the bus to town...6 Euros. Instead, I took at cab for 20 Euros. Once there I was given a dorm room that was empty. It was great for the night. In the morning they told me I needed to move as a large group was coming in that day though. Oh, well! At least I got one night to myself. We took the red bus around town...saw the Book of Kells, walked through Kilmainham Gaol (where all the Irish revolutionaries were shot - very moving), and went on the Guinness tour...all in the first day. The second day we went on a walking tour...saw the Riverdance headquarters, and walked through Temple Bar and along Grafton Street. Last day in Dublin we went to the Irish Writer's Museum, shopped a bit, I went to see the movie Stardust (FAB - U - LOUS!!), then we went to dinner with traditional music and dance (pretty cool!) I'll try to upload the video as soon as I'm able. My last two days, I decided to take the train down to Waterford for the night to see the crystal factory. It was amazing and I'm really glad I went. Then I tried to get home. The locomotive of the train wasn't working correctly when we got to Kilkenney...2 hours later...a new locomotive arrived from Waterford and we went on our way. I made the transfer to the bus for the airport and thought everything was OK. It hadn't yet clicked that I misinterpreted the military time on my ticket. When I got to the airport, Ryanair wouldn't let me check my luggage as it was 35 minutes until take-off and they stop taking luggage 45 minutes before...Yeah, you figured it out correctly...10 minutes late. I guess my dad's right...I need to put in my will that my body needs to be delivered 10 minutes late to my funeral. LOL! Anyway, this time it cost me 76 Euro and a night sleeping (barely) in the airport. This was the most expensive "cheap" trip I have ever taken! Here's to next term break going much better!!!! Keep your fingers crossed! I just made plans to go on a Harry Potter tour with Susan, another Fulbright teacher! Can't wait!!!!!!

Surviving the 1st 6 Weeks of School!

Hi all! Sorry it has been soooooo long! I've been on survival mode for the last 6 weeks; learning a whole new school system. There are a lot of similarities: the kids, the politics, the playground, the computer lab...However, there are many more differences: textbooks for each student (only 10 anthologies to share with both classes), smartboards ("whiteboard" like board that works like a touch screen for a computer, you can have the kids write on it with an electronic pen, type, or double click with your finger), governing board vs. school board (essence is the same, but the governing board is more hands on and a bit more powerful), the head has a lot more power/control than a principal, 32 kids vs. 20, more art, more computer time, more mental math, less reading instruction, more analysing types of text, more PE, etc. The list could go on, but the main difference is the ideolgies. While we are more test based, they are more classroom evidence based. I have to hold onto everything we do in class and for homework. I also don't test anywhere near what I do in the States; so far, only weekly spelling tests. We didn't even give a math test at the end of the +/- unit. I'm still not totally sure how we know if they learned it all, but I'm sure that will become more evident as the year progresses. The main benefits that I can see are that the kids are less stressed and can be taught in a more well-rounded manner. However, there aren't many interventions for the kids that are low. I don't know if its just at my school or national. The new head is looking into getting loads more interventions in place. However, there is a national TV ad that says that 1 in 5 kids leave primary school not being able to read well. It has been fascinating to watch 2 schools become 1. We have made some fabulous steps and we have many more to make, but I think its really going in the right direction. I can't wait to see the end result. I may have to come back to visit...=)
Well, I'm off to Dublin and, possibly, Waterford for the half term! Write again soon!

Latest Adventures!

So...yesterday was my birthday. I started the day wondering if my mom and dad would call me. Then, I got a call and the phone said it was "Dad," so I promptly said, "Hi, Dad!" It was then that I realized that it was Louise's dad. Oops! Luckily, he has told me that he's happy to stand in for my dad while I'm over here, so it wasn't as embarrassing as it could have been. Later that afternoon, I walked to the top of the Cherhill White Horse. It was carved in the hillside in the 1700's and restored in 2002. It was a good walk up a steep hill and it was rewarding to make it to the top. I went home to make a fancy lamb dinner and then cheesecake to follow. However, I didn't buy a lamb roast. It was a pork roast. Ah, well! I'll figure out the different names sometime. It was still a great dinner, and a really yummy cheesecake.
Other adventures...Karen, another Fulbrighter, came out to stay with me for a couple of days. We met up in Bath and I showed her around this time. We ended up seeing David and Cherry while we were there. That's Louise's dad and significant other. They are super nice! We also saw the Roman Baths that are 2000 years old and they believe that the Celts used them before that. The next day we went down to Longleat. Its the Lord of Bath's castle and grounds. He took a big part of his land and converted it into a drive thru safari park. It is wonderfully planned. You are guarenteed of seeing all the animals because even though the animals have a lot of room to roam, the roads weave through each animals habitat so you can get really close to them. I don't think I will ever drive through the monkey land ever again. They do have warnings that the monkeys might harm your car, but this poor family had their car ripped apart...the antennae, any rubber trim, and the wind shield wipers...gone! I was really lucky! Then we walked through the castle and actually saw the famous Henry VIII painting that I've seen in tons of books. The castle and grounds were really pretty! Our final day we went to both Lacock Abby/town and Avebury. Lacock is where they filmed the 1st two Harry Potters. There were flyers that told you which rooms were used but not which scenes. Most of the classroom scenes were filmed there, but they didn't tell you which class, so we were trying to figure it out. The town is also cool. People do live there, but its a level 3 conservation town, so they have to get permission to do anything inside or outside their homes. It is a really cool town though. I felt like I was walking down a street in the movie Scrooge. They film a lot of movies in town too. I can see why. Then we went to Avebury. Its another ancient rock circle, henge. Its as old as Stonehenge, but its less known and about 3 mile circumference walk. It was neat, but you had to watch out for the sheep droppings and the sheep.
I have met 2 of the other teachers. They have both had me over for dinner and were both lovely times. I'm heading back to Miri's house and town to go to the town's carnival/fair on Saturday.
Enough for now! Love ya all!

First Adventures!

Well, I drove for the 1st time last Monday, August 13th. I thought I would try to drive to school on my own. I vaguely knew how to get there, but wasn't completely sure. I did have a map, but I wanted to get a little lost and maybe find something interesting and off the beaten path. All I found were neighborhoods and, somehow, the road to school. Driving of the left hand side and even shifting on the left wasn't as hard as I thought. However, I had to reaquaint myself with the finesse of the foot pedals while shifting. So I found the school and had a walk around the grounds. The side of the building has animals painted on it. There is a Chinese rock garden that is really peaceful, at least for now. I can't wait to see how the kids use it. I didn't know which would be my class yet, but I wouldn't have been able to see in anyway because the blinds were all pulled...security, of course. Anyway, I built up my courage to drive back home. I thought I would follow the signs back into the towne centre, and it worked! Surprise...surprise. So I survived my first day out.

The next 2 days, it rained with lightening and thunder on Wednesday. Thursday was glorious! Partly cloudy and breezy. David, Louise's dad, came and picked me up to go to Bath. I assured him that I now had hot water...a learning experience. I can turn my water heater off while traveling to save on electricity. The other way to safe is that they only actually heat the water over-night when the electricity is cheaper. They do have a booster button, if you end up using the water that is already heated, but its pricey. Good idea!!! Anyway...back to the trip. In Bath we met up with Cherry, David's significant other. We walked all around and saw the gorgeous Georgian arcitecture, including a lovely bridge and man-made waterfall. We went to see the stunning Royal Cresent homes of Bath. We learned later that the houses (townhomes in the US) were built as a windbreak for the ladies living in the Royal Cresent. There is also a "Haha" wall...a wall that from the building you can't see so give an unobstructed view, but the sheep can't get up and the workers can walk under and also not be seen. David said that it is believed to be called a "haha" wall because if you weren't careful and walking from above, you could fall off it. We also went into the Abbey there, its right next to the Roman Bath "museum". While at the abbey, there was an orchestra playing in the center...truely a fabulous place to hear music...the acoustics are amazing! Every available wall and floor space has some kind of memorial stone, some dating back to the late 1600's and one was a real knight. We didn't go into the Roman Baths because of time, but its close enough to me that I can go again. You can't actually bathe there anymore, but they have really expensive spas in the area...out of my range.

In my range was a shopping trip into Chippenham on Friday...my second drive. Today I stopped thinking and worrying so much about shifting and it all came back. It was a success, until I realized that I left my plastic at home...cash only. Luckily, I had enough cash to buy my water filter, wrapping for my presents I bought myself with money Mom and Dad gave me, and lunch out...all I really needed anyway.

Until next time....Love ya!

I'm here!

Well, I've arrived! It was a long, but comfortable flight. Boy, am I glad I upgraded! I had no one beside or behind me. I could, sort of, stretch out and relax. My exchange partner, Louise, had her dad and Cherry meet me. They were very nice and we had a great talk driving out to Calne. We stopped along the way at a roadside food court and had lunch. Did you know that the British "Harry Potter" has a different front cover? Cherry also told me that they have an adult version and a kid's version. It sounded like they were the same, but with different covers.
The flat is nice and well furnished. I have some getting use to with the electricity though. All the plugs have a switch to turn them on. I also have an electric shower. It sounds like it would be scary, but they all have them, so they must be safe. I turn it on in the closet outside of the bathroom (kind of like a GFI override idea), then there is a power button near the shower head. That's how I can get hot water. It works rather well! Oh, I forgot to tell you! I get to hear doves cooing outside my window through the day! Alright, its midnight, so I better get to bed! Miss you all already! =) C

Getting Ready!

Well, I'm going through all my stuff and purging. I'm donating a ton of stuff that I saved just because and now I'm tired of saving it. My house repairs/updates will be done tomorrow, July 21st. I'm taking my last class next week and then I'll be maxed out at 75 units. YIPEE!! The window guys are coming on the 26th. I have the cleaners coming on the 27th and 28th. Then I fly out on the red-eye the evening of the 30th for Washington, DC. I'm going to hang out in DC for a couple days after my orientation to see Mount Vernon and the Smithsonian. I'll fly out for London on August 6th! WOW! It's all coming sooooooooooo fast it's incredible. Well, that's it for now! Love ya all!

Miss Howder Goes to England!

You can check in here whenever you have the chance! I will be posting items to it when I can, and would love to hear from all of you while I'm 6,000 miles away from home! Have a great school year and I hope to hear from you!
Love,
Miss Howder