On Saturday, my last day in Edinburgh, I went to the zoo. It was expensive but I did enjoy myself. You just can't get a better value than St. Louis's free and wonderful zoo. Then I finished packing when I got back.
Yesterday was a crazy flying day. Got up at 6:00 am and my cab picked me up at 7:00. Glad I had no problems with that. Use City Cabs - they were great. Only cost me £20 to get to the airport. No problems getting to London. At Heathrow I had to recheck my bags. By the time I got to my gate, they were boarding for Boston. So no problems with that long flight - 6 hours I think it was. Just crowded, but no big deal. Customs in Boston was easy peasy. And man was I excited to be back in America. Giddy is more like it. Oh, I also had to recheck my bags in Boston. Yuck. My flight to St. Louis was a bit delayed but it worked out because we were able to pick my cousin up at the airport as well. So when we landed I practically ran to meet my parents and boyfriend. So excited!
So I went to bed at 11:00pm which meant I was up for 23 hours that day with only about an hour of sleep. And did I sleep in? Nope, I woke up at 7. For no good reason. And now I'm enjoying the beautiful weather by my pool until the storm comes through in a couple hours. Oh, and doing laundry :P
Monday, June 4, 2012
Friday, June 1, 2012
Last Day Student Teaching
I can't believe this all went by so fast... today was my last day of student teaching... ever. I got cards for all my cooperating teachers and a St. Louis cup for the teacher that I worked with the most. The maths department also got me a card and a big box of chocolates. I'm going to miss the staff, they really are wonderful people. I also had a lot of fun teaching my last lesson. I have been doing logic puzzles with my first year students all week and it's great to see the students surprise you - some of the students who aren't strong at maths were great at the logic problems. Even though the students were very talkative here, I am going to miss them. They really taught me a lot about teaching and about myself. Even though it was hard being away from my family, friends, and boyfriend for this long, I don't regret it one bit. This has been an absolutely wonderful experience and I really think it helped me grow as a teacher and as a person.
Alright, so the rest of my day... I went to the police station to report my camera missing. Hopefully they will find it and it will get mailed to the US. If not, I will just buy a new one... worse things have happened. After the police station I went to The Edinburgh Dungeon. Actors led us through underground Edinburgh telling us the deep dark secrets of the city, but they did it in a fun and scary way. There were also 2 short rides. I had a lot of fun there. These Dungeons are in several European cities, so if you're near one I would recommend checking it out. The price was a bit steep, but discounts are very easy to find (online, on a Lothian bus ticket). Then I went to a pub and had a drink and now I'm going to spend the rest of my night relaxing and packing... zoo tomorrow!
Alright, so the rest of my day... I went to the police station to report my camera missing. Hopefully they will find it and it will get mailed to the US. If not, I will just buy a new one... worse things have happened. After the police station I went to The Edinburgh Dungeon. Actors led us through underground Edinburgh telling us the deep dark secrets of the city, but they did it in a fun and scary way. There were also 2 short rides. I had a lot of fun there. These Dungeons are in several European cities, so if you're near one I would recommend checking it out. The price was a bit steep, but discounts are very easy to find (online, on a Lothian bus ticket). Then I went to a pub and had a drink and now I'm going to spend the rest of my night relaxing and packing... zoo tomorrow!
Thursday, May 31, 2012
Last College Assignment
Here's my last ever college assignment... a journal of my student teaching experiences here in Scotland. This is something I have had to do every week since I've been here, but here's the last one.
Topic: CHALLENGES AND SUCCESSES!
I have learned how to accept different ways of doing things. It has opened my mind up to listen and accept others’ point of view.
I have learned how to adapt my lessons to specific classes. Since I was teaching the same thing to two classes, I learned how to plan what the characteristics of the students were and what I should teach them during class periods. I am not sure if this experience is unique or not because at my US placement I would make sure both classes learned the same thing every day, but I also had to adapt lessons when things didn’t work.
I have learned how to behave appropriately to match the country I’m in. It has helped me to understand this part of the world and hold a true appreciation of it. I was not very knowledgeable of the Scottish people before I came, but I feel I know a great deal now. It’s been good to live outside of the US for awhile and see how people view the US. I have seen that there’s not just one way of doing things and that although the educational system here seemed weird to me at first, now I can see its value. This will allow me to be a more understanding and adaptable teacher. I will be able to help my students better by teaching them in different ways and appreciating their diversity.
A professional success happened during my first lesson to 1Y1. I thought I was teaching the fourth lesson in the chapter, but I was supposed to teach the whole chapter starting with the first lesson. I was able to plan my lesson quickly and teach the first two lessons in the chapter during that class period successfully. Personally, I found myself successful getting around the UK independently. Not having a phone or a friend with me, I was able to use maps and buses to get around to different parts of the country. The first experience will teach me to plan better, but since I will have my own classroom in the future, that shouldn’t be a problem. I will also be able to share my experience with my students to encourage them to go to college and study abroad.
Topic: CHALLENGES AND SUCCESSES!
1.
Describe
how this experience has influenced your teaching or mindset as a teacher, or in
general.
I have learned how to accept different ways of doing things. It has opened my mind up to listen and accept others’ point of view.
2.
What
unique teaching skills have you gained by choosing to student teach in an
international setting? How are these skills unique to your experience overseas?
I have learned how to adapt my lessons to specific classes. Since I was teaching the same thing to two classes, I learned how to plan what the characteristics of the students were and what I should teach them during class periods. I am not sure if this experience is unique or not because at my US placement I would make sure both classes learned the same thing every day, but I also had to adapt lessons when things didn’t work.
3.
Describe
any personal influences from this experience. How have you grown as an
individual in your thinking and perceptions of the world? How have your
perceptions of the United States changed? How will these personal influences
impact your teaching, and ultimately the students in your classroom?
I have learned how to behave appropriately to match the country I’m in. It has helped me to understand this part of the world and hold a true appreciation of it. I was not very knowledgeable of the Scottish people before I came, but I feel I know a great deal now. It’s been good to live outside of the US for awhile and see how people view the US. I have seen that there’s not just one way of doing things and that although the educational system here seemed weird to me at first, now I can see its value. This will allow me to be a more understanding and adaptable teacher. I will be able to help my students better by teaching them in different ways and appreciating their diversity.
4.
Describe
one professional and one personal success (or special moment) that you had
while abroad. Tell how this will impact the way you will teach and interact
with colleagues and students in the future.
A professional success happened during my first lesson to 1Y1. I thought I was teaching the fourth lesson in the chapter, but I was supposed to teach the whole chapter starting with the first lesson. I was able to plan my lesson quickly and teach the first two lessons in the chapter during that class period successfully. Personally, I found myself successful getting around the UK independently. Not having a phone or a friend with me, I was able to use maps and buses to get around to different parts of the country. The first experience will teach me to plan better, but since I will have my own classroom in the future, that shouldn’t be a problem. I will also be able to share my experience with my students to encourage them to go to college and study abroad.
Sunday, May 27, 2012
My Last Full Weekend in Edinburgh
Well, I'm completely exhausted... it's been a long weekend.
FRIDAY
At school, the S1-S3 students participated in the Olympics! I helped out with the biathlon (swimming & running). Luckily I finished early and got to watch [field] hockey and football (soccer). I really enjoyed watching the hockey and cheering for my students. I am looking forward to seeing the results tomorrow.
After school I went to Calton Hill. That's this big hill with some monuments and great views of the city. Then I walked down the Royal Mile and headed to the National Museum of Scotland. I found that extremely boring so I didn't stay long. Maybe it wasn't so boring, but I had been to London's wonderful museums the week before and it was 4:00 by the time I got there so I was already tired. Then I went to Elephant House to have a mocha and a sweet. This is where JK Rowling wrote Harry Potter. No big deal. There were elephants everywhere though, it was wonderful. Then I headed to Greyfriar's Cemetary to get a proper look at Greyfriar's Bobby since last time I was there it was dark. Then I headed back to my room and called it an early night.
SATURDAY
I spent most of my day at Cramond Island. When the tide is low, you can walk to the island by a path or through the sand. I walked through the sand on the way there and the path on the way back. I saw lots of little crabs in the sand, which was really cool for me. The island itself was not very interesting. I sat down and read a book for a little bit. The tide was coming in so I headed out and went back to my room for the rest of the night. I took some wonderful pictures, but I lost my camera so unless I get it back, you will never see them.
SUNDAY
Today I went to Holyrood Palace, the Queen's Scotland home. It was very nice. Then I walked up Arthur's Seat, an extinct volcano. It took me about 3 hours to walk to the very top and back down with only a couple short breaks. It was great because I had a 360 view of the city and the firth. Then I had dinner at World's End - haggis, neeps, and tatties and cranachan for dessert. How Scottish of me!
I will add pictures tomorrow probably (for Friday and Sunday). My computer is being goofy and I'm very tired.
FRIDAY
At school, the S1-S3 students participated in the Olympics! I helped out with the biathlon (swimming & running). Luckily I finished early and got to watch [field] hockey and football (soccer). I really enjoyed watching the hockey and cheering for my students. I am looking forward to seeing the results tomorrow.
After school I went to Calton Hill. That's this big hill with some monuments and great views of the city. Then I walked down the Royal Mile and headed to the National Museum of Scotland. I found that extremely boring so I didn't stay long. Maybe it wasn't so boring, but I had been to London's wonderful museums the week before and it was 4:00 by the time I got there so I was already tired. Then I went to Elephant House to have a mocha and a sweet. This is where JK Rowling wrote Harry Potter. No big deal. There were elephants everywhere though, it was wonderful. Then I headed to Greyfriar's Cemetary to get a proper look at Greyfriar's Bobby since last time I was there it was dark. Then I headed back to my room and called it an early night.
SATURDAY
I spent most of my day at Cramond Island. When the tide is low, you can walk to the island by a path or through the sand. I walked through the sand on the way there and the path on the way back. I saw lots of little crabs in the sand, which was really cool for me. The island itself was not very interesting. I sat down and read a book for a little bit. The tide was coming in so I headed out and went back to my room for the rest of the night. I took some wonderful pictures, but I lost my camera so unless I get it back, you will never see them.
SUNDAY
Today I went to Holyrood Palace, the Queen's Scotland home. It was very nice. Then I walked up Arthur's Seat, an extinct volcano. It took me about 3 hours to walk to the very top and back down with only a couple short breaks. It was great because I had a 360 view of the city and the firth. Then I had dinner at World's End - haggis, neeps, and tatties and cranachan for dessert. How Scottish of me!
I will add pictures tomorrow probably (for Friday and Sunday). My computer is being goofy and I'm very tired.
Thursday, May 24, 2012
Homesick
Well it took me about 7 weeks, but I'm finally homesick. It's absolutely gorgeous here today (I wore a dress!) and so I sat at the park for a while after school. When I got up to start walking back I smelled someone grilling. Then it hit me. All the smells and summer feelings made me miss home. I think I've lasted so long because the weather and overall atmosphere here is very different from what it is like back home. Now that the weather here is catching up, all I want to do is go home, sit by the pool, grill some delicious food, and drink margaritas. Only 10 more days til I'm home! I can't wait!
Wednesday, May 23, 2012
Masterchef Competition
School went just fine today. I did get to eat lunch outside, which was awesome. Today was the nicest weather in Scotland since I've been here! It was in the 70s (Fahrenheit), which is about 30 degrees higher than it has been... awesome!
The real fun, though, started after school. I got to be a judge for the school's Masterchef competition. There were 13 applicants (4 of my students). The students could either choose a sweet or a savoury dish to make in 1 hour and 15 minutes. What all did I eat? Let's start with the sweets. Chocolate brownies, Dorset chocolate mousse cake (finalist), chocolate caramel slice, chocolate tart (finalist), profiteroles (finalist - my student!), strawberry tart, fudgy banana muffin (finalist). So 4 of the students who made sweets are moving on to the finals. The savoury dishes: cheese and bacon pasta, fish and chips (my student - almost made it), potato curry with rice (finalist), salmon and broccoli tarts (finalist - my student!), Indian chicken curry (finalist), veggie curry (finalist - my student!). That means there are 8 people that made it to the finals. Why 8? Because the judges couldn't compromise on 6. The finals were supposed to be next week but since lots of the students are in France, it's the following week. Damn, that means I won't be here for it. It was a fun experience, though. Plus, I got a free dinner out of it!
When I got back "home" I checked my e-mail and I got some wonderful news. I have been selected for the Southeast Student Spotlight! I answered a bunch of questions about school and my life for them. Not sure when that will be posted, but I will attach it when that happens. Here's the link to the recent Student Spotlights so you can get a feel of what it is: http://www.semo.edu/spotlights/students.htm
The real fun, though, started after school. I got to be a judge for the school's Masterchef competition. There were 13 applicants (4 of my students). The students could either choose a sweet or a savoury dish to make in 1 hour and 15 minutes. What all did I eat? Let's start with the sweets. Chocolate brownies, Dorset chocolate mousse cake (finalist), chocolate caramel slice, chocolate tart (finalist), profiteroles (finalist - my student!), strawberry tart, fudgy banana muffin (finalist). So 4 of the students who made sweets are moving on to the finals. The savoury dishes: cheese and bacon pasta, fish and chips (my student - almost made it), potato curry with rice (finalist), salmon and broccoli tarts (finalist - my student!), Indian chicken curry (finalist), veggie curry (finalist - my student!). That means there are 8 people that made it to the finals. Why 8? Because the judges couldn't compromise on 6. The finals were supposed to be next week but since lots of the students are in France, it's the following week. Damn, that means I won't be here for it. It was a fun experience, though. Plus, I got a free dinner out of it!
When I got back "home" I checked my e-mail and I got some wonderful news. I have been selected for the Southeast Student Spotlight! I answered a bunch of questions about school and my life for them. Not sure when that will be posted, but I will attach it when that happens. Here's the link to the recent Student Spotlights so you can get a feel of what it is: http://www.semo.edu/spotlights/students.htm
Monday, May 21, 2012
A Truly Magical Day
Today I went to WB Studio Tour London: The Making of Harry Potter. In no words can I describe to you how absolutely fantastic this place is. If you in any way even like the Harry Potter movies you need to get there as fast as you can. I'm sure it will be open for a long long time though.
I got to see original sets, props, and other magical things. I even tried some [delicious] butterbeer. It is just absolutely incredible how they were able to create such a magical world.
Pictures are worth a thousand words right? (Maybe more when these are your pictures.)
When I got back in the city I decided to check out Westminster Abbey with my spare time. I got to see it on Easter but it was great to be able to walk around and spend more time looking at the sites. I also sat by the river for a bit.
Then I went back to the hostel to pick up my suitcase. My coach left on time but due to construction, I got into Manchester later than expected. It worked out just fine though. So I spent pretty much 12 hours on a coach bus. It was awful, but cheapest way to travel I could find.
My trip was absolutely fabulous. I am very lucky to be able to do these things (and grateful I had the money saved up).
I got to see original sets, props, and other magical things. I even tried some [delicious] butterbeer. It is just absolutely incredible how they were able to create such a magical world.
Pictures are worth a thousand words right? (Maybe more when these are your pictures.)
Then I went back to the hostel to pick up my suitcase. My coach left on time but due to construction, I got into Manchester later than expected. It worked out just fine though. So I spent pretty much 12 hours on a coach bus. It was awful, but cheapest way to travel I could find.
My trip was absolutely fabulous. I am very lucky to be able to do these things (and grateful I had the money saved up).
Sunday, May 20, 2012
Marvelous Museums
It's amazing how closely I am sticking to my original plan. I went to the Natural History Museum first. It was incredible (and free). I started in the volcano section which actually made me quite sad because of all the deaths they cause. Shout out to my friend Kevin for surviving one! Other natural disasters, how life began, ...and dinosaurs! I loved that. Lots and lots of fossils. It made me really want to have a Jurassic Park, Land Before Time, and Night at the Museum marathon. Ben Stiller would have had his hands full at that museum! They also had a part with mammals. The giant whale was really cool! Alright so that was about a 3.5 hour museum trip.
Then I headed next door to the Science Museum. Maybe not my best idea because I'm sure I was too tired to get the most out of it. They had all sorts of American space stuff. Why are we giving this stuff to England? I really enjoyed it but it seemed weird they had a bunch of our stuff. I went on a short 4D ride to the moon and back. Only money I spent on the museum tho besides food. The museum also had a lot of planes, trains, and automobiles (yes, I did that on purpose). There were a lot of computer activities so I wasted lots of time there. I basically skipped the fun hands-on stuff because I was running out of time and much of it was like the St. Louis Science Center. I did make it to the awesome math exhibit before the museum closed. As a math nerd, it was pretty great. Wish I could have went during my time at SEMO - it would have given me inspiration and help with my math papers and presentations. So then at like 6 or whatever time it was, the museum kicked everybody out. So thats my story of how I spent 8 hours at 2 museums.
I took the tube back. But I lost my day ticket so I had to spend an extra £4.30 on a one way ticket. That sucked. Decided I would go straight back to my hostel/bar since my feet are in absolute pain and I'm wiped out from my day.
Harry Potter tomorrow!
Then I headed next door to the Science Museum. Maybe not my best idea because I'm sure I was too tired to get the most out of it. They had all sorts of American space stuff. Why are we giving this stuff to England? I really enjoyed it but it seemed weird they had a bunch of our stuff. I went on a short 4D ride to the moon and back. Only money I spent on the museum tho besides food. The museum also had a lot of planes, trains, and automobiles (yes, I did that on purpose). There were a lot of computer activities so I wasted lots of time there. I basically skipped the fun hands-on stuff because I was running out of time and much of it was like the St. Louis Science Center. I did make it to the awesome math exhibit before the museum closed. As a math nerd, it was pretty great. Wish I could have went during my time at SEMO - it would have given me inspiration and help with my math papers and presentations. So then at like 6 or whatever time it was, the museum kicked everybody out. So thats my story of how I spent 8 hours at 2 museums.
I took the tube back. But I lost my day ticket so I had to spend an extra £4.30 on a one way ticket. That sucked. Decided I would go straight back to my hostel/bar since my feet are in absolute pain and I'm wiped out from my day.
Harry Potter tomorrow!
Saturday, May 19, 2012
London, my new love
Today was a-maz-ing. I got into London at 6:45am from my coach bus. Sitting in a bus that long and trying to sleep is difficult, but it wasn't too bad. When I got in I went straight to my hostel. I changed my clothes and such and I got rid of my suitcase. My hostel is above a bar. How wild is that? Then I headed for Victoria station and bought a day ticket for the tube. I went to King's Cross station so I could get a Platform 9 3/4 picture. Success!
Then I got back on the tube and went to Trafalgar Square! This is where the Harry Potter premiere was. I know because I watched the live feed online last summer. Amazing. In the same place as all those wonderful celebs who hold a dear place in my heart. I'm lame but I know lots of you understand where I'm coming from.
Then I started walking onto my next destination: The British Museum. On my way I bought a ticket to see Jersey Boys at 3:00 today. Only £20... Not too shabby. Alright so the museum was the most incredible thing I've ever seen. The Egypt pats were by far the most astounding but the Greece parts were a close second. I spent the first 20 minutes in complete awe. Jaw dropping. And its free! Can't get better than that. I spent about 3 hours in there. Could have slowed down a bit but I was worried about making it to my show on time. Had a great lunch at a diner where I typed all this up until now :)
Jersey Boys was great! The theatre reminded me of The Fox in St. Louis. I sat on the side sort of but it wasn't too bad. I realized I like a lot of songs by The Four Seasons so if anyone could lend those to me that would be great. After the musical I took a walk and a tube ride and walked over millennium bridge. I went to Tate Modern but that was a mistake. I do not understand modern art for the life of me. And they had way too many exhibits you had to pay for - a lot of money too. So no thanks. Then I came back to my hostel. I am in the middle of a three tiered bunk bed. I guess it will have to do for 2 nights.
Then I got back on the tube and went to Trafalgar Square! This is where the Harry Potter premiere was. I know because I watched the live feed online last summer. Amazing. In the same place as all those wonderful celebs who hold a dear place in my heart. I'm lame but I know lots of you understand where I'm coming from.
Then I started walking onto my next destination: The British Museum. On my way I bought a ticket to see Jersey Boys at 3:00 today. Only £20... Not too shabby. Alright so the museum was the most incredible thing I've ever seen. The Egypt pats were by far the most astounding but the Greece parts were a close second. I spent the first 20 minutes in complete awe. Jaw dropping. And its free! Can't get better than that. I spent about 3 hours in there. Could have slowed down a bit but I was worried about making it to my show on time. Had a great lunch at a diner where I typed all this up until now :)
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| Rosetta Stone |
Jersey Boys was great! The theatre reminded me of The Fox in St. Louis. I sat on the side sort of but it wasn't too bad. I realized I like a lot of songs by The Four Seasons so if anyone could lend those to me that would be great. After the musical I took a walk and a tube ride and walked over millennium bridge. I went to Tate Modern but that was a mistake. I do not understand modern art for the life of me. And they had way too many exhibits you had to pay for - a lot of money too. So no thanks. Then I came back to my hostel. I am in the middle of a three tiered bunk bed. I guess it will have to do for 2 nights.
Friday, May 18, 2012
Ready for London!
Well, I'm all packed and ready for my trip to London this weekend! I just had to go back since my first trip there was so short (if you haven't seen that blog, I think it's my third post). Okay, mostly because I really want to go to the WB Studio Tour London to see the sets of the beloved Harry Potter series. I absolutely love the books and movies and I am thrilled to walk on the set on Monday and see how the magic happened.
So here's my plan:
My coach bus leaves Edinburgh at 10:00pm tonight. I have to carry my suitcase down four flights of steps, but it should be smooth sailing from there.
My bus arrives in London at 6:45am and I will walk to my hostel nearby and check in. Hopefully they will take my bag so that I don't have to worry about it. Then I will get some breakfast.
My plans for Saturday could change easily, but I think I will go to King's Cross Station first to take a platform 9 3/4 picture, then go to the British Museum. After the museum I will go to the Covent Garden, Leicester Square, and Trafalgar Square. Then I will walk across the Millenium Bridge and go to the Tate Modern museum.
Sunday plans really depend on how much I got done on Saturday. But I hope to do both the Natural History Museum and the Science Museum.
On Monday I go to the Harry Potter tour and then I have a bit of free time before heading back to Edinburgh. My coach bus leaves London at 7:30pm, stops in Manchester for 40 minutes at like 1:00am, and arrives in Edinburgh at 7:30am.
On Tuesday I will upload all my pictures to facebook (which will take forever I'm sure). I hope to write my blog posts each night and add pictures to them on Tuesday.
So here's my plan:
My coach bus leaves Edinburgh at 10:00pm tonight. I have to carry my suitcase down four flights of steps, but it should be smooth sailing from there.
My bus arrives in London at 6:45am and I will walk to my hostel nearby and check in. Hopefully they will take my bag so that I don't have to worry about it. Then I will get some breakfast.
My plans for Saturday could change easily, but I think I will go to King's Cross Station first to take a platform 9 3/4 picture, then go to the British Museum. After the museum I will go to the Covent Garden, Leicester Square, and Trafalgar Square. Then I will walk across the Millenium Bridge and go to the Tate Modern museum.
Sunday plans really depend on how much I got done on Saturday. But I hope to do both the Natural History Museum and the Science Museum.
On Monday I go to the Harry Potter tour and then I have a bit of free time before heading back to Edinburgh. My coach bus leaves London at 7:30pm, stops in Manchester for 40 minutes at like 1:00am, and arrives in Edinburgh at 7:30am.
On Tuesday I will upload all my pictures to facebook (which will take forever I'm sure). I hope to write my blog posts each night and add pictures to them on Tuesday.
Thursday, May 17, 2012
Week 5 Done... Almost
Wow, I can't believe it's already been 5 weeks student teaching in this amazing place. I accomplished an amazing feat today - I have planned all my lessons for the rest of the time I'm teaching here. That means I can spend my free time making my lessons better, wasting time, or possibly observing other teachers. Hopefully I can watch some teachers from other subjects teach - that would be interesting. I will ask about that next week. Tomorrow is the Olympics! Well, not technically, but each register class chose a country and tomorrow they are competing in Olympic events. I get to help out with the biathlon. I don't have the most interesting job, but hopefully I can finish early and see some football (soccer) or hockey. I'm excited. And there's always the plus of getting to wear jeans to school.
Well, I spent my night applying for jobs again. Six more applications out there. If you are reading this and can get me a job for the next year (preferably teaching math, but I'm not picky), I'd greatly appreciate it.
Well, I spent my night applying for jobs again. Six more applications out there. If you are reading this and can get me a job for the next year (preferably teaching math, but I'm not picky), I'd greatly appreciate it.
Tuesday, May 15, 2012
Getting the Hang of It
Well I'm into my fifth week of student teaching and it's going great. Tuesdays are my hardest days because I teach four classes in a row. That's still one less than I taught at my last placement, but last time I only taught three different lessons a day. So that was a little tiring and the break and lunch were much needed. The lessons went pretty smoothly today. Right now I am teaching area of composite shapes, commission and overtime pay, and triangle similarity. I will be moving onto new topics next week. Monday is Victoria Day so I don't have school, and Tuesday is a teacher in-service and my coordinating teacher said that I should spend my day doing something more fun. Don't have to tell me twice! Even though I will probably spend Tuesday trying to recover from my big trip to London. My planning for the weekend is going well. I think I will museum hop since most of them are free and seem extraordinary. Cheers!
Sunday, May 13, 2012
Exploring Edinburgh
I slept in today and when I got up and checked my e-mail I saw that Gilmerton Cove had a spot for a 1:00 tour today. So I got ready as fast as I could and looked up how to get there via Lothian Buses. I was much more successful traveling via bus today - it's not so scary anymore. I made it to Gilmerton Cove just in time for my tour, only to find out everyone else on the tour bailed and I was by myself. No big deal though. The lady in charge let me in for free and let me guide myself in the underground mystery that is Gilmerton Cove. I had to wear a hard hat, but I totally pull it off.
Archaelogists and historians cannot figure out what Gilmerton Cove was made for - all they can do is take guesses. This room may have been used as a baptismal font? Anyway, it was interesting and the price is great, so make a reservation to see it if you come to Edinburgh.
While I was there I found out that I was very close to Craigmillar Castle, so of course I had to go! So I hopped back on a Lothian bus for the short journey. Craigmillar Castle was only 5 pounds for an adult and it was a hell of a deal! It was my favorite castle I have been in thus far (including Edinburgh, Stirling, Dunlace, and Alnwick). It was well kept but not commercialized. I enjoyed how the rooms were all connected by different staircases and how the top was easy to get to. I did not get too scared walking up any staircases either - they were much wider with rails or ropes to hold onto. So if you are ever in the Edinburgh area, do yourself a favor and visit this castle.
When I left the castle I headed back to the city centre. I decided while I was having a big day I might as well stop at the Scott Monument and cross that off my list. It is my favorite building in Edinburgh. Even though it's covered in soot, I still think the architecture of it is amazing - until I decided to climb up it - geesh! Can you tell how windy it was? Probably not, but it was nearly 30mph so I thought I was going to blow right off and die. Do this, but do it on a sunny wind-less day if possible. It's only 3 pounds to go up and you get a "certificate" saying you climbed the 287 steps to the top. The Wallace Monument needs something like that! I had to climb up one of the "legs", then through the middle all the way to the top. Scary.
Despite the crazy wind, I had a wonderful day exploring this glorious city and I managed to cross 3 more places off my list! Living the life. Back to school tomorrow.
Archaelogists and historians cannot figure out what Gilmerton Cove was made for - all they can do is take guesses. This room may have been used as a baptismal font? Anyway, it was interesting and the price is great, so make a reservation to see it if you come to Edinburgh.
While I was there I found out that I was very close to Craigmillar Castle, so of course I had to go! So I hopped back on a Lothian bus for the short journey. Craigmillar Castle was only 5 pounds for an adult and it was a hell of a deal! It was my favorite castle I have been in thus far (including Edinburgh, Stirling, Dunlace, and Alnwick). It was well kept but not commercialized. I enjoyed how the rooms were all connected by different staircases and how the top was easy to get to. I did not get too scared walking up any staircases either - they were much wider with rails or ropes to hold onto. So if you are ever in the Edinburgh area, do yourself a favor and visit this castle.
Despite the crazy wind, I had a wonderful day exploring this glorious city and I managed to cross 3 more places off my list! Living the life. Back to school tomorrow.
Saturday, May 12, 2012
Graduation Day + Inchcolm Abbey
Well folks, today is my graduation day. Technically, just commencement because the graduation list will be finalized June 1 (my last day here). I know that loads of people could care less about going to their graduation ceremony, but I'm not one of those people. I was looking forward to having photo shoots with all my friends that I've met over the past four years. It makes me really sad that I may not see some of them again (so if you want an invite to my grad party, let me know!).
The past four years have led to an undergraduate degree of Bachelor of Science in Education High School with a major in Mathematics Education. I am graduating Cum Laude (soooo close to the next step) through the Jane Stephens Honors Program, with participation in Omicron Delta Kappa and Phi Eta Sigma. I worked my butt off to get there. I was invited to the honors breakfast with President Ken Dobbins too. This is why I wanted to go to my commencement ceremony.
I will just have to settle for getting my diploma and other certificates in the mail. To take my mind off things, my flatmate and her boyfriend took me to Inchcolm Abbey. We took the train to Queensferry then bought our tickets for the boat to Inchcolm. We stopped at a wee cafe and had a snack - I got a banoffee pie (banana toffee)... fab-u-lous! I need to figure out how to make that at home. Anyway, we got on the boat that took us to the island and guess what we saw on the way? SEALS! How cool is that? I have never seen a seal in the wild!
After obsessing over the seals we got to Inchcolm! The abbey is beautiful. Nothing too different from some of the castle ruins I have seen, but I really enjoyed it. I think I will just post a few pictures and call that quits for the day.
The past four years have led to an undergraduate degree of Bachelor of Science in Education High School with a major in Mathematics Education. I am graduating Cum Laude (soooo close to the next step) through the Jane Stephens Honors Program, with participation in Omicron Delta Kappa and Phi Eta Sigma. I worked my butt off to get there. I was invited to the honors breakfast with President Ken Dobbins too. This is why I wanted to go to my commencement ceremony.
I will just have to settle for getting my diploma and other certificates in the mail. To take my mind off things, my flatmate and her boyfriend took me to Inchcolm Abbey. We took the train to Queensferry then bought our tickets for the boat to Inchcolm. We stopped at a wee cafe and had a snack - I got a banoffee pie (banana toffee)... fab-u-lous! I need to figure out how to make that at home. Anyway, we got on the boat that took us to the island and guess what we saw on the way? SEALS! How cool is that? I have never seen a seal in the wild!
Friday, May 11, 2012
I swear we speak the same language
There are so many words/phrases that they say here that are different in America!
School/Math List
Maths = math
Show your workings = show your work
Revise = review
Their decimal points are written right in the middle instead of at the bottom
BODMAS (brackets, order, division, multiplication, addition, subtraction) = PEMDAS (parenthesis, exponents, ...) -----> this means they don't learn exponents with order of operations
Jotter = notebook
Factorise = factor
Marking = grading
Exclusion = expulsion, expelled
Nothing = zero
Gradient = slope
Surds = answers left in square root form because they can't be simplified
Indices = exponents... okay, that makes sense
Reset = redo
Rubber = eraser
Corridor = hallway
Pythagoras = Pythagorean Theorem
Trapezium = trapezoid
Simulaneous equations = systems of equations
Supply = substitute teacher
Yufty slip = "you have to cover" slip
Cuboid = cube
Non-Math List
Cooker, hob = oven, stove
Chips = fries
Lift = elevator
Trainers = tennis shoes/sneakers
Mind the step/mind your head = watch your step/head
Wee = small
Note = bill of money
Rubbish = nonsense, trash
Digestive = cookie, biscuit
Aye = yes
Mental = crazy, omg
Jumper = hoodie
Bloody hell, bloomin eck = omg
Hoover = vacuum cleaner
Plaster = bandaid
Turning point = point of inflection
Nutters = crazy people
Lass = lady
Lad = guy
It's been donkeys = it's been ages
Rape = canola
Dogged school = skipped school
Loo, toilet = bathroom
Skittles = bowling
Mucking about = messing around
Coo = cow
Loch = lake with salt water
Ben = mountain
Glen = valley
Tea = dinner
Inverness = Inver means the mouth of the river and ness denotes the river ness
Inchcolm = inch is an island
I will add to this as I learn more.
School/Math List
Maths = math
Show your workings = show your work
Revise = review
Their decimal points are written right in the middle instead of at the bottom
BODMAS (brackets, order, division, multiplication, addition, subtraction) = PEMDAS (parenthesis, exponents, ...) -----> this means they don't learn exponents with order of operations
Jotter = notebook
Factorise = factor
Marking = grading
Exclusion = expulsion, expelled
Nothing = zero
Gradient = slope
Surds = answers left in square root form because they can't be simplified
Indices = exponents... okay, that makes sense
Reset = redo
Rubber = eraser
Corridor = hallway
Pythagoras = Pythagorean Theorem
Trapezium = trapezoid
Simulaneous equations = systems of equations
Supply = substitute teacher
Yufty slip = "you have to cover" slip
Cuboid = cube
Non-Math List
Cooker, hob = oven, stove
Chips = fries
Lift = elevator
Trainers = tennis shoes/sneakers
Mind the step/mind your head = watch your step/head
Wee = small
Note = bill of money
Rubbish = nonsense, trash
Digestive = cookie, biscuit
Aye = yes
Mental = crazy, omg
Jumper = hoodie
Bloody hell, bloomin eck = omg
Hoover = vacuum cleaner
Plaster = bandaid
Turning point = point of inflection
Nutters = crazy people
Lass = lady
Lad = guy
It's been donkeys = it's been ages
Rape = canola
Dogged school = skipped school
Loo, toilet = bathroom
Skittles = bowling
Mucking about = messing around
Coo = cow
Loch = lake with salt water
Ben = mountain
Glen = valley
Tea = dinner
Inverness = Inver means the mouth of the river and ness denotes the river ness
Inchcolm = inch is an island
I will add to this as I learn more.
Another Week Down
Four weeks of student teaching over. That means I've been in the UK for five weeks and I have three weeks left. It's going by quickly.
Today is another rainy day and since I am planning all sorts of activities for my remaining time, I decided to spend my half day inside planning the next three weeks and getting some chores done. I don't know why I am spending all this money without a job waiting for me, but when in Rome, eh? Now I sound Canadian.
My plans for the next 3 weeks:
May 12: Inchcolm Abbey
May 13: Gilmerton Cove
May 18: Leave for London
May 19: London (suggestions?)
May 20: London (suggestions?)
May 21: WB Studio Tour London - Harry Potter!!!
May 22: Arrive back in Edinburgh (long weekends rock!)
May 25: ??
May 26: Edinburgh Zoo?
May 27: Arthur's Seat?
This weekend really depends on the weather...
June 1: ?? (last day student teaching)
June 2: Craigmillar Castle?
June 3: Fly back home
Kinda wanted to get a trip to Glasgow in, but that might not be possible. Looking for suggestions on free/very cheap things to do in London next weekend!
Today is another rainy day and since I am planning all sorts of activities for my remaining time, I decided to spend my half day inside planning the next three weeks and getting some chores done. I don't know why I am spending all this money without a job waiting for me, but when in Rome, eh? Now I sound Canadian.
My plans for the next 3 weeks:
May 12: Inchcolm Abbey
May 13: Gilmerton Cove
May 18: Leave for London
May 19: London (suggestions?)
May 20: London (suggestions?)
May 21: WB Studio Tour London - Harry Potter!!!
May 22: Arrive back in Edinburgh (long weekends rock!)
May 25: ??
May 26: Edinburgh Zoo?
May 27: Arthur's Seat?
This weekend really depends on the weather...
June 1: ?? (last day student teaching)
June 2: Craigmillar Castle?
June 3: Fly back home
Kinda wanted to get a trip to Glasgow in, but that might not be possible. Looking for suggestions on free/very cheap things to do in London next weekend!
Thursday, May 10, 2012
A Postitive Outlook
Today I looked at my planner and realized today was originally supposed to be the day I was coming back from Scotland. Although my car accident was absolutely terrible, I am blessed that things are still working out for me. I was originally going to come to Scotland, be in the classroom for 3 weeks, take a 3 week holiday, and teach again for 5 weeks. With the help of SEMO, I arranged for me to stay at my first placement for a total of 9 weeks (with my recovery time in the middle of that) and my abroad placement for 7 weeks. This still allows me to complete the 16 hours of student teaching my classmates were required to do, I just split it up a little differently. This seven weeks instead of my original plan actually worked out better except for the missing commencement part. I was able to fly over with my parents and travel before starting my placement, and my placement is in one big chunk instead of two smaller chunks. That also cut down on costs of living/traveling over here. So as awful as my accident was, I think everything worked out for the best.
A lot of my close friends and family are also probably wondering about my recovery. My leg is great as you can probably assume by the amount of time I spend walking and climbing. Sometimes my foot hurts, but that seems to be getting better slowly. [Side note: I have no idea why my foot hurts! Maybe it was jammed under a pedal, I don't know.] My arm is doing so much better. The scar is still wicked (as well as my leg scar), but my range of motion is very close to normal. Even if it never gets to the range of my right arm, it's not going to make much (if any) difference in my life. Think about it - when do you ever need to hold your arm completely straight by your side in the real world? Hardly ever. So I'm doing great. I like to think of myself as a little miracle :)
I found out today that I'm going to be a judge for the school's Masterchef competition in a couple weeks! I'm excited (and a little nervous about what they will be cooking). I'm so happy to be placed at a school that welcomes me with these opportunities.
A lot of my close friends and family are also probably wondering about my recovery. My leg is great as you can probably assume by the amount of time I spend walking and climbing. Sometimes my foot hurts, but that seems to be getting better slowly. [Side note: I have no idea why my foot hurts! Maybe it was jammed under a pedal, I don't know.] My arm is doing so much better. The scar is still wicked (as well as my leg scar), but my range of motion is very close to normal. Even if it never gets to the range of my right arm, it's not going to make much (if any) difference in my life. Think about it - when do you ever need to hold your arm completely straight by your side in the real world? Hardly ever. So I'm doing great. I like to think of myself as a little miracle :)
I found out today that I'm going to be a judge for the school's Masterchef competition in a couple weeks! I'm excited (and a little nervous about what they will be cooking). I'm so happy to be placed at a school that welcomes me with these opportunities.
Wednesday, May 9, 2012
Teaching - Week 4
This week I started teaching the third years. I actually really enjoy them because they are more mature than my first and second year students. Unfortunately due to not having school on Monday and they only have half a period on Wednesday, I only had 1.5 class periods with them. My other classes are going well. Second years had to take tests this week, so I had my students that were present do thinking/math games to improve their logical thinking and reasoning skills.
Today I made a big uh-oh... I slept through my alarm. I have a cold right now so I think that affected my brain because I remember hearing an alarm far away and looking at my clock and seeing 4:30am, but that must have been a dream. Anyway, when I woke up at 8:24 I immediately e-mailed my cooperating teacher and he was very understanding about it. Luckily I didn't have a class first hour, so I made it in plenty of time for my class. Embarassing though. I'm just glad the faculty at Trinity are very very nice. Even those outside of the maths department have been welcoming. I am lucky to have been placed at such a great school.
Today I made a big uh-oh... I slept through my alarm. I have a cold right now so I think that affected my brain because I remember hearing an alarm far away and looking at my clock and seeing 4:30am, but that must have been a dream. Anyway, when I woke up at 8:24 I immediately e-mailed my cooperating teacher and he was very understanding about it. Luckily I didn't have a class first hour, so I made it in plenty of time for my class. Embarassing though. I'm just glad the faculty at Trinity are very very nice. Even those outside of the maths department have been welcoming. I am lucky to have been placed at such a great school.
Monday, May 7, 2012
MacBackpackers Trip
Oh man, I'm already worried about how long this is going to be and how I am going to limit the amount of pictures I add. Apologies in advance for the length, but if you have time, it should be worth the read.
So I booked a 3 day tour with MacBackpackers. Here's the tour details and a map of where we drove: http://macbackpackers.com/tour/3_day_loch_ness_and_skye
Day 1: We (29 tourists, most in their 20s) took off from a hostel in Edinburgh at 9am. Our first stop was The Hermitage, a national forest. The waterfall and river running through it was beautiful! After lunch in a wee town, we stopped at Ruthven Barracks. Then the group decided we would go on a whisky tour, so we headed for Tomatin distillery. I found that Scotch whisky was better than Irish whisky, but I still don't really care for the stuff. Next stop: the site of the Battle of Culloden. At this point I was completely wipped out and it was raining anyway, so I spent the majority of that stop at the cafe. Near that was the Clava Cairns (on right), piles of rocks formed into "igloos" used for burying people and a "calendar". Our last stop of the day was Inverness, the capitol of the Highlands. There, I stayed in my first hostel, which actually wasn't too bad. I also went on a pub crawl with some other people from the bus.
Day 2: We started the day of with Loch Ness. Absolutely beautiful. Unfortunately I did not spot Nessie. Some of the people on my trip were brave (or crazy) and went swimming in the loch, I only put my hand in. Then we stopped to take pictures at 2 different castles. One of them was where Made of Honor was filmed. So I got a little excited that I was basically in the presence of Patrick Dempsey and Kevin McKidd (a Scotsman!). Okay, now to the hardest part of the day: hiking to the Old Man of Storr. I tried to Google how steep up and how far the walk was and as far as I can tell, it's 2,359 ft high and about a 2 mile walk one way (but of course I walked back as well). Pictures from the hike:
Okay, so most difficult hike/walk I have ever been on. Ridiculously hard. But hey, I can say I've done it! After the exhausting hike, we stopped at Kilt Rock (named for the kilt-like "pleats" formed by the rock). Dinosaur footprints were found there! How cool is that? Alright, so second (third?) big adventure for the day: I tried haggis. Haggis is made from the innards of the sheep. If you think of it like a hot dog or sausage, it makes it more bearable. So my haggis was covered in oats so I got more oats than haggis. Not sure if that's cheating but I can cross it off my list. It wasn't too bad, but not too good either. I did feel more Scottish after eating it though! Now my flatmate says I must try black pudding (don't even look that up - you will regret it). Spent the night in hostel #2 on Skye, and I got the best bed in the room - no bunk!
Day 3: We had a large distance to cover to get back to Edinburgh, so there weren't too many stops. We went through the beautiful Glencoe. A glen is a valley, so Glencoe was formed through a bunch of mountains. During the lunch break, I took a walk down the valley to the river. Clearest water I've ever seen, so I had to have a drink! Then we got back on the bus and we stopped to see the world's cutest animals - hairy coos! (cows) I seriously love them, I mean, c'mon how adorable is this baby hairy coo? Okay okay, next stop: the Wallace Monument in Stirling. William Wallace was this badass dude who fought for Scottish Independence. He was also quartered, which means they cut up his body into four pieces and sent them off to cities across Scotland and England to prove a point. Gross. Anyway... they built this big monument to him so I paid the bit of money and climbed to the top. You think after walking up all these spiral staircases and mountains and such that I would be less scared of heights, but no. Still a little terrified, especially when the wind is blowing through the windows. So here is a picture of me after climbing all 246 steps (go me!). Then we arrived back in Edinburgh. Absolutely wonderful trip, but equally as exhausting. Took me 2 days to recover, which is why I am so late getting this out.
Also, if you're wondering why I wasn't at school on Monday, it's because it was May Day! I think I should look that up because I have no idea why it's celebrated.
So I booked a 3 day tour with MacBackpackers. Here's the tour details and a map of where we drove: http://macbackpackers.com/tour/3_day_loch_ness_and_skye
Day 1: We (29 tourists, most in their 20s) took off from a hostel in Edinburgh at 9am. Our first stop was The Hermitage, a national forest. The waterfall and river running through it was beautiful! After lunch in a wee town, we stopped at Ruthven Barracks. Then the group decided we would go on a whisky tour, so we headed for Tomatin distillery. I found that Scotch whisky was better than Irish whisky, but I still don't really care for the stuff. Next stop: the site of the Battle of Culloden. At this point I was completely wipped out and it was raining anyway, so I spent the majority of that stop at the cafe. Near that was the Clava Cairns (on right), piles of rocks formed into "igloos" used for burying people and a "calendar". Our last stop of the day was Inverness, the capitol of the Highlands. There, I stayed in my first hostel, which actually wasn't too bad. I also went on a pub crawl with some other people from the bus. 
Day 2: We started the day of with Loch Ness. Absolutely beautiful. Unfortunately I did not spot Nessie. Some of the people on my trip were brave (or crazy) and went swimming in the loch, I only put my hand in. Then we stopped to take pictures at 2 different castles. One of them was where Made of Honor was filmed. So I got a little excited that I was basically in the presence of Patrick Dempsey and Kevin McKidd (a Scotsman!). Okay, now to the hardest part of the day: hiking to the Old Man of Storr. I tried to Google how steep up and how far the walk was and as far as I can tell, it's 2,359 ft high and about a 2 mile walk one way (but of course I walked back as well). Pictures from the hike:
Okay, so most difficult hike/walk I have ever been on. Ridiculously hard. But hey, I can say I've done it! After the exhausting hike, we stopped at Kilt Rock (named for the kilt-like "pleats" formed by the rock). Dinosaur footprints were found there! How cool is that? Alright, so second (third?) big adventure for the day: I tried haggis. Haggis is made from the innards of the sheep. If you think of it like a hot dog or sausage, it makes it more bearable. So my haggis was covered in oats so I got more oats than haggis. Not sure if that's cheating but I can cross it off my list. It wasn't too bad, but not too good either. I did feel more Scottish after eating it though! Now my flatmate says I must try black pudding (don't even look that up - you will regret it). Spent the night in hostel #2 on Skye, and I got the best bed in the room - no bunk!
Day 3: We had a large distance to cover to get back to Edinburgh, so there weren't too many stops. We went through the beautiful Glencoe. A glen is a valley, so Glencoe was formed through a bunch of mountains. During the lunch break, I took a walk down the valley to the river. Clearest water I've ever seen, so I had to have a drink! Then we got back on the bus and we stopped to see the world's cutest animals - hairy coos! (cows) I seriously love them, I mean, c'mon how adorable is this baby hairy coo? Okay okay, next stop: the Wallace Monument in Stirling. William Wallace was this badass dude who fought for Scottish Independence. He was also quartered, which means they cut up his body into four pieces and sent them off to cities across Scotland and England to prove a point. Gross. Anyway... they built this big monument to him so I paid the bit of money and climbed to the top. You think after walking up all these spiral staircases and mountains and such that I would be less scared of heights, but no. Still a little terrified, especially when the wind is blowing through the windows. So here is a picture of me after climbing all 246 steps (go me!). Then we arrived back in Edinburgh. Absolutely wonderful trip, but equally as exhausting. Took me 2 days to recover, which is why I am so late getting this out.
Also, if you're wondering why I wasn't at school on Monday, it's because it was May Day! I think I should look that up because I have no idea why it's celebrated.
Friday, May 4, 2012
Slacking
Sorry I have been slacking this week! I don't have a good excuse either.
I taught both of my first year classes all this week. We are learning ratio and proportion, which the kids are finding pretty easy, only a couple stragglers. That's one of those hard things about teaching - some of the kids think it's too easy and some think it's hard. The challenge? Giving the kids the same amount of work that is at the level they are at - a very difficult thing to do in math day to day while remaining fair. For the week I have been giving the fast kids a magic square to figure out - and they have really surprised me with how good they are at problem solving! The slower kids have unfortunately had to finish their classwork for homework because that's the only way I can think of to ensure all the students are doing the same amount of work. I also continued to teach my second year class - we have moved onto wages & salaries and I will be teaching that for the next 2 weeks.
Today was a half day! Yay for Fridays! Since it was rugby tournament day for the first years, I decided to go watch that instead of sitting around planning lessons (especially since I have next week planned). It was touch rugby and they are young, so it wasn't too official. But they did have "coaches" that were college/professional rugby players. How cool is that?
After school I got some food down by the Firth of Forth. Had some curly fries... that seemed weird to me. Then I went to the Royal Botanic Garden! Not the prettiest time of the year to go, but the glass houses (the part you have to pay a "wee bit" for) were absolutely beautiful - and warm!
I taught both of my first year classes all this week. We are learning ratio and proportion, which the kids are finding pretty easy, only a couple stragglers. That's one of those hard things about teaching - some of the kids think it's too easy and some think it's hard. The challenge? Giving the kids the same amount of work that is at the level they are at - a very difficult thing to do in math day to day while remaining fair. For the week I have been giving the fast kids a magic square to figure out - and they have really surprised me with how good they are at problem solving! The slower kids have unfortunately had to finish their classwork for homework because that's the only way I can think of to ensure all the students are doing the same amount of work. I also continued to teach my second year class - we have moved onto wages & salaries and I will be teaching that for the next 2 weeks.
Today was a half day! Yay for Fridays! Since it was rugby tournament day for the first years, I decided to go watch that instead of sitting around planning lessons (especially since I have next week planned). It was touch rugby and they are young, so it wasn't too official. But they did have "coaches" that were college/professional rugby players. How cool is that?
After school I got some food down by the Firth of Forth. Had some curly fries... that seemed weird to me. Then I went to the Royal Botanic Garden! Not the prettiest time of the year to go, but the glass houses (the part you have to pay a "wee bit" for) were absolutely beautiful - and warm!
This weekend? Loch Ness, Inverness, Isle of Skye, & Glencoe! Expect an overload of pictures if we are facebook friends and a long blog on Monday (possibly Tuesday). No school Monday because it's May Day of course!
Monday, April 30, 2012
Just Another Monday
Before I get to today...
Yesterday I woke up sore! Did not feel like going anywhere so I took a lazy day.
Today I taught my second year students. It was the first lesson I taught in Scotland that was something I had taught in Waterloo. So that made it a bit easier. Having students draw tangent lines to a circle is difficult because you have to walk them through how to use a protractor, compass, and ruler. Okay, you don't have to teach them how to use a ruler, but they always forget how to use a protractor! My Scottish students are much better at using compasses than my Waterloo students, though. And most of you have no idea what the heck I'm talking about... but this is a blog about my student teaching math experience -- you should expect this. I also gave them a problem solving activity to do, which was funny because none of them got it. But I think if I give them 10 more minutes tomorrow I will get a few people with the answer. How bout you try it? http://www.mathsisfun.com/logic_puzzle2.html
Rest of day went well. The weather is absolutely "mental". Cold and wet - yuck! I did have a lovely surprise waiting for me when I got back - another job interview! So I have that in about an hour and a half and hopefully I can pull it off! I'd really like a job - I should stop saying that, it's probably getting old. Apologies.
Best thing about my day? I just booked another tour for the weekend. I don't have school Monday so 3 day tour it is! I will be going to Loch Ness, Inverness, and the Isle of Skye with MacBackpackers. Check it out: http://macbackpackers.com/index.php/tour/3_day_loch_ness_and_skye/more
Yesterday I woke up sore! Did not feel like going anywhere so I took a lazy day.
Today I taught my second year students. It was the first lesson I taught in Scotland that was something I had taught in Waterloo. So that made it a bit easier. Having students draw tangent lines to a circle is difficult because you have to walk them through how to use a protractor, compass, and ruler. Okay, you don't have to teach them how to use a ruler, but they always forget how to use a protractor! My Scottish students are much better at using compasses than my Waterloo students, though. And most of you have no idea what the heck I'm talking about... but this is a blog about my student teaching math experience -- you should expect this. I also gave them a problem solving activity to do, which was funny because none of them got it. But I think if I give them 10 more minutes tomorrow I will get a few people with the answer. How bout you try it? http://www.mathsisfun.com/logic_puzzle2.html
Rest of day went well. The weather is absolutely "mental". Cold and wet - yuck! I did have a lovely surprise waiting for me when I got back - another job interview! So I have that in about an hour and a half and hopefully I can pull it off! I'd really like a job - I should stop saying that, it's probably getting old. Apologies.
Best thing about my day? I just booked another tour for the weekend. I don't have school Monday so 3 day tour it is! I will be going to Loch Ness, Inverness, and the Isle of Skye with MacBackpackers. Check it out: http://macbackpackers.com/index.php/tour/3_day_loch_ness_and_skye/more
Sunday, April 29, 2012
Day Trip with Rabbie's
So Thursday and Friday at school were BORING... every single one of my classes was taking a test, so I had prep periods instead. Needless to say I finished all of my prep for the week and had time to research for my interview Friday. My interview hopefully went well. I'm only unsure about it being a middle school job when my focus has been high school and that I will not be able to make on-site interviews in the chance I am selected for a 2nd interview. Here's hoping though!
So last night (Friday) I was looking at my lists I've compiled of places I wanted to go, and with the help of my facebook friends, I decided to book a tour to Alnwick Castle! The tour is through Rabbie's (http://www.rabbies.com/tours_scotland_edinburgh/alnwick_castle_berwick_borders.asp?lng=en) - they have several tours throughout the UK. I really want to take a trip to the Isle of Skye, so that's a possibility for next weekend or my other long weekend.
So I woke up early on a Saturday and walked to the Rabbie's headquarters on the Royal Mile... about a 30 minute walk. Got on the small bus (it's really more of a van, but I'm going to call it a bus) which sits 16. We had 10 people on our tour plus 3 tour guides. There's usually just 1 (I think), but since this is a brand new tour, some other guides are trying to learn the route. Our first stop was Melrose, Scotland and we only had 30 minutes! I decided to go to Melrose Abbey - absolutely gorgeous. This is where Robert the Bruce's heart was buried... crazy! You can also see in this picture how high up a spiral staircase I climbed... how's that for someone afraid of heights?
Then we got back on the bus... next stop: crossing the bridge from Scotland to England. For those of you wondering, you can do this without a passport - both still part of the UK!
Our next pit stop was Flodden Field, where the Battle of Flodden took place. Kind of a sad story... Britains lost a lot of lives there.
Next stop: Alnwick (pronounced Annick) Castle! This is where the first 2 Harry Potter movies were filmed. I bought the castle & garden ticket. The garden was nice, but probably not worth the money. The castle grounds were also disappointing until I realized I was standing in the exact spot where they filmed the flying lesson scene from Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's (Philosopher's) Stone! Here's the clip in case you want a refresher or you want to see where I was standing: http://www.evtv1.com/player.aspx?itemnum=10372 So that was pretty awesome, thought about buying a broomstick until I realized I would have no way to get it back to the US. The best part about the castle was the State Rooms. The Percy family lives in the castle and these rooms were absolutely gorgeous! I would have take probably 100 pictures but no photos allowed. Bummer... you will just have to go and see for yourself. I also went on this underground tour (for free)... some actors tried to make it scary, but I wasn't scared.
So last night (Friday) I was looking at my lists I've compiled of places I wanted to go, and with the help of my facebook friends, I decided to book a tour to Alnwick Castle! The tour is through Rabbie's (http://www.rabbies.com/tours_scotland_edinburgh/alnwick_castle_berwick_borders.asp?lng=en) - they have several tours throughout the UK. I really want to take a trip to the Isle of Skye, so that's a possibility for next weekend or my other long weekend.
So I woke up early on a Saturday and walked to the Rabbie's headquarters on the Royal Mile... about a 30 minute walk. Got on the small bus (it's really more of a van, but I'm going to call it a bus) which sits 16. We had 10 people on our tour plus 3 tour guides. There's usually just 1 (I think), but since this is a brand new tour, some other guides are trying to learn the route. Our first stop was Melrose, Scotland and we only had 30 minutes! I decided to go to Melrose Abbey - absolutely gorgeous. This is where Robert the Bruce's heart was buried... crazy! You can also see in this picture how high up a spiral staircase I climbed... how's that for someone afraid of heights?
Then we got back on the bus... next stop: crossing the bridge from Scotland to England. For those of you wondering, you can do this without a passport - both still part of the UK!
Our next pit stop was Flodden Field, where the Battle of Flodden took place. Kind of a sad story... Britains lost a lot of lives there.
Next stop: Alnwick (pronounced Annick) Castle! This is where the first 2 Harry Potter movies were filmed. I bought the castle & garden ticket. The garden was nice, but probably not worth the money. The castle grounds were also disappointing until I realized I was standing in the exact spot where they filmed the flying lesson scene from Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's (Philosopher's) Stone! Here's the clip in case you want a refresher or you want to see where I was standing: http://www.evtv1.com/player.aspx?itemnum=10372 So that was pretty awesome, thought about buying a broomstick until I realized I would have no way to get it back to the US. The best part about the castle was the State Rooms. The Percy family lives in the castle and these rooms were absolutely gorgeous! I would have take probably 100 pictures but no photos allowed. Bummer... you will just have to go and see for yourself. I also went on this underground tour (for free)... some actors tried to make it scary, but I wasn't scared.
We got back on the bus. Made a stop at Bamburgh to have a look at their castle. Then we stopped at Berwick-upon-Tweed, a town that has switched hands between Scotland and England 13 times! Most people living there (70% I think) are Scottish, so maybe it will go back into Scotland territory soon. After we crossed back into Scotland we stopped in the town of Dunbar, known for being sunny and the birthplace of John Muir, the founder of national parks!
My favorite quote of the day was when my tour guide pointed to his map and said "North Berwick - it's like the nipple of the top of the land". I think I was the only one that really found that funny. When we got back to Edinburgh I stopped by this underground bar and got some fish and chips! Pretty sure my new tradition is fish & chips once a week... I am going to be highly disappointed when I get home.
So that was an extremely long but wonderful day. Thinking of going on a long trip again next weekend since I don't have school Monday. Near London to go to the Harry Potter exhibit OR Isle of Skye, Glencoe, and Loch Ness. Decisions, decisions.
Wednesday, April 25, 2012
First Week of Teaching = Done
Yesterday... I taught 2nd year again (this time arc length and perimeter of sectors), but it did not go nearly as well as Monday's lesson went. The students kept telling me they didn't understand and they were talking too much. I think they understood much better than they thought they did, but they were just being lazy. Therefore, I reflected on how I could change my next lesson to make it better. Today I taught area of sectors and it went much much better with my new improvements. I did several things: I tried harder to explain the lesson in more depth, I "threatened" the students that I would give them homework if they weren't working hard, and I gave them a mental maths test at the end of the period. Giving them something to do and a reason to work hard really seemed to work well with this class.
This afternoon I also taught one of my 1st year classes. I had arranged a lesson on ratio and proportions, but when asking my teacher what I would be teaching next week, I realized I had planned the wrong lesson! I had a planning period right after that, so I planned the lesson for the afternoon. It was on notation of ratios, so it was not much different than what I was going to do. The lesson went well - so well that they finished the exercise in about 10-15 minutes. Since I still had over 20 minutes of class remaining I decided to teach the next lesson as well (especially since some students already moved on to it). The students picked up on it quickly and some of them finished all of that exercise as well. What a bright group I have! I hope when I teach this to my other 1st year class next week they do just as well.
So overall, today was a good teaching experience. I learned how to deal with a talkative class while also explaining at their level, and I also learned how to adapt my lessons quickly.
No more teaching for the week because of a math competition throughout Scotland...
Mission for the rest of the week: find a job!
Funny thing a student said to me yesterday: "Are you from America?" yes "Are you from Canada?" no... "Isn't Canada in America?" "I thought it was warm in Canada." ......someone needs a geography lesson!
This afternoon I also taught one of my 1st year classes. I had arranged a lesson on ratio and proportions, but when asking my teacher what I would be teaching next week, I realized I had planned the wrong lesson! I had a planning period right after that, so I planned the lesson for the afternoon. It was on notation of ratios, so it was not much different than what I was going to do. The lesson went well - so well that they finished the exercise in about 10-15 minutes. Since I still had over 20 minutes of class remaining I decided to teach the next lesson as well (especially since some students already moved on to it). The students picked up on it quickly and some of them finished all of that exercise as well. What a bright group I have! I hope when I teach this to my other 1st year class next week they do just as well.
So overall, today was a good teaching experience. I learned how to deal with a talkative class while also explaining at their level, and I also learned how to adapt my lessons quickly.
No more teaching for the week because of a math competition throughout Scotland...
Mission for the rest of the week: find a job!
Funny thing a student said to me yesterday: "Are you from America?" yes "Are you from Canada?" no... "Isn't Canada in America?" "I thought it was warm in Canada." ......someone needs a geography lesson!
Monday, April 23, 2012
First lesson
I taught my first lesson today. Graphing linear functions. It was just a review from what they were taught last Wednesday but they improved greatly. I saw a lot of my favorite teaching moment: that lightbulb that goes off and the students say "ooh I get it". That always makes me feel good. Plus a couple girls told me that I taught them better in 10 minutes than they usually learn in 2 weeks. I am going to give their teacher the benefit of the doubt and assume that's a huge exaggeration. It still felt good to hear, though. After class my cooperating teacher told me I did an excellent job.
Not bad for my first day, huh? :)
Not bad for my first day, huh? :)
Saturday, April 21, 2012
Epic Fail + Our Dynamic Earth
So first off, I slept in today! Woo! Then I got round 2 of laundry started, but when I realized I needed to catch a bus soon I had to stop it... and 6 hours later I started it from the beginning. Alright so the bus... I couldn't figure out which one to get on because there are like 5 bus stops on my street that all pick up bus 36. So after chasing one bus (that would have been perfect to get on), I wait 15 minutes to get on a bus that took me to Ocean Terminal. I thought that would be okay since it was going to Scottish Parliament afterwards, but that was a bad plan. I ended up going to Ocean Terminal and looping back to where I started... so 1.5 hours later I reached my destination. Then after going down the street the wrong way, I turned around and finally found Our Dynamic Earth. Edinburgh is confusing!
Anyway, so Our Dynamic Earth was great. It was the perfect thing for me to do by myself since it allowed me to take my time to read all the signs and move at my own pace. It's an exhibit that starts from the beginning of Earth until today, talking about the way the earth has changed, how animals changed, etc. I would highly recommend it for science nerds and children seemed to enjoy it as well. There was a 4D "ride" and a dome show included in my student ticket price of less than 10 pounds. I would say it was worth the price, plus it was the perfect thing to do on a rainy day.
After the tour I walked until I found a good place to eat. I stumbled across No. 1 High Street and got some fish and chips and a cider. How British of me! After dinner, I decided I would use my map and walk back to my place until I found the 36 bus. But I never found the bus on my route. It actually ended up being a nice walk - the weather wasn't too bad and I got to see some beautiful architecture. Plus, this helped me see what was down the road from my place. And much faster than my bus ride!
For the rest of the night I will stay in. I'm tired and I need to save some money. Maybe I should go to a local church tomorrow or do something touristy. I also have to plan for my lesson! But that shouldn't be too hard because the students have already learned it and they will spend most of the time working on problems individually/with a partner.
Anyway, so Our Dynamic Earth was great. It was the perfect thing for me to do by myself since it allowed me to take my time to read all the signs and move at my own pace. It's an exhibit that starts from the beginning of Earth until today, talking about the way the earth has changed, how animals changed, etc. I would highly recommend it for science nerds and children seemed to enjoy it as well. There was a 4D "ride" and a dome show included in my student ticket price of less than 10 pounds. I would say it was worth the price, plus it was the perfect thing to do on a rainy day.
After the tour I walked until I found a good place to eat. I stumbled across No. 1 High Street and got some fish and chips and a cider. How British of me! After dinner, I decided I would use my map and walk back to my place until I found the 36 bus. But I never found the bus on my route. It actually ended up being a nice walk - the weather wasn't too bad and I got to see some beautiful architecture. Plus, this helped me see what was down the road from my place. And much faster than my bus ride!
For the rest of the night I will stay in. I'm tired and I need to save some money. Maybe I should go to a local church tomorrow or do something touristy. I also have to plan for my lesson! But that shouldn't be too hard because the students have already learned it and they will spend most of the time working on problems individually/with a partner.
Friday, April 20, 2012
One Week Down, Six to Go
Well, my first week student teaching (or shall I say observing) came to an end. I really like the faculty, even the staff outside of the maths department have been nice to me. And yes, I put an s on the end of math on purpose. That's how we do it over here in Scotland.
The department chair gave me six different classes with four different teachers. Fourth year students go on exam leave starting next Wednesday, and since my fourth year class is WRF, I am already done with them. Now I get to use that time as prep or I can go observe a different class. I will teach my first lesson on Monday! I can't really tell you what subject it is because their classes aren't set up like America's. In America, classes are divided by subject in math (ie. Algebra, Geometry, Trig), but in Scotland, maths is divided by difficulty. I will be teaching 2M3, which is second year of secondary mathematics (equivalent of eighth or ninth grade) and they are the third from the top of their class... out of 6? or 8? I will be teaching linear equations on Monday and various things about circles on Tuesday and Wednesday. I will also pick up 1X1 and 1Y1 this week, which is the equivalent of seventh or eighth graders. I can't wait. Weird thing... they don't have the technology available that I'm used to - it will be strictly white board unless I can find/think of a manipulative.
We had a half day today. All Fridays will be like that unless there is Staff Development. I spent the rest of my day relaxing and doing laundry. Unfortunately there's no dryer, so I have to hang dry everything. Bummer! Saturday and Sunday I am going to go do something in Edinburgh! Check back tomorrow to see what I picked.
The department chair gave me six different classes with four different teachers. Fourth year students go on exam leave starting next Wednesday, and since my fourth year class is WRF, I am already done with them. Now I get to use that time as prep or I can go observe a different class. I will teach my first lesson on Monday! I can't really tell you what subject it is because their classes aren't set up like America's. In America, classes are divided by subject in math (ie. Algebra, Geometry, Trig), but in Scotland, maths is divided by difficulty. I will be teaching 2M3, which is second year of secondary mathematics (equivalent of eighth or ninth grade) and they are the third from the top of their class... out of 6? or 8? I will be teaching linear equations on Monday and various things about circles on Tuesday and Wednesday. I will also pick up 1X1 and 1Y1 this week, which is the equivalent of seventh or eighth graders. I can't wait. Weird thing... they don't have the technology available that I'm used to - it will be strictly white board unless I can find/think of a manipulative.
We had a half day today. All Fridays will be like that unless there is Staff Development. I spent the rest of my day relaxing and doing laundry. Unfortunately there's no dryer, so I have to hang dry everything. Bummer! Saturday and Sunday I am going to go do something in Edinburgh! Check back tomorrow to see what I picked.
Wednesday, April 18, 2012
Day 2 (for lack of a better title)
My second day went pretty well. I met the rest of my classes. I have 3 pretty good classes and 3 that seem very lazy. The teachers are pretty great overall. One seems to be a bit strict and another has trouble controlling his classroom. I don't think I have ever heard a person say "shh" so many times! I think I will have to enforce my own rules and expectations when I go to teach them.
So funny things the kids asked me or said today:
"You look like you're from here." :)
"Have you been to a Snoop Dogg concert?"
"Do you have a swimming pool?" (they think everyone has a pool and it makes me feel very stereotyped that I do)
"Do you own a gun?" (another stereotype)
And of course they're all trying to find me on Facebook.
Something strange about the UK (or at least Scotland)... People don't typically keep their dogs on a leash. The dogs just roam freely. I always try to figure out if the dog has an owner or if it's just a stray. Sometimes it's hard to tell because the dogs will be so far behind or ahead of their owner. Random observation. :)
So funny things the kids asked me or said today:
"You look like you're from here." :)
"Have you been to a Snoop Dogg concert?"
"Do you have a swimming pool?" (they think everyone has a pool and it makes me feel very stereotyped that I do)
"Do you own a gun?" (another stereotype)
And of course they're all trying to find me on Facebook.
Something strange about the UK (or at least Scotland)... People don't typically keep their dogs on a leash. The dogs just roam freely. I always try to figure out if the dog has an owner or if it's just a stray. Sometimes it's hard to tell because the dogs will be so far behind or ahead of their owner. Random observation. :)
Tuesday, April 17, 2012
First Day
Well today was the reason I came to Scotland - I started student teaching today! I left at 7:30 and walked through the "park" to school. I only had to cross the street in front of my place and the rest of the time I stayed on the walking/bike path. It's about a 30 minute walk and luckily the weather cooperated. Just need to find a way to carry less with me so my bag is lighter. I carry my dress shoes and wear my "trainers".
So the school... everyone there (and everyone I've met in the UK for that matter) was really nice. The kids have to wear uniforms which consist of black bottoms, white shirt, black tie (even the girls). They like to make the uniform their own by wear skirts and tights, making the ties loose, wearing sweatpants?... the list goes on. I will be working with 4 different teachers, which is a LOT! Hopefully I will like doing that though. Mike gave me 6 different classes to teach/observe and each day is different. Each class meets 3 days a week, but the times and days vary. I will be attached to my schedule so I don't get lost from room to room or teach the wrong lesson to the wrong class. Right now I am just observing, but I am jumping in to help students when possible. Another strange thing I've noticed: the students are allowed to have their phones/ipods out to listen to music during class. I don't think I will like that rule. Another thing, they have an "intermission" after 2nd period, which means I go down to the teacher's lounge for 15 minutes. They had cinnamon rolls for us today! Oh yeah! :)
Alright, so the kids just might be more fascinated with me than I am with them. And trust me... they are very interesting. Here's a list of questions the students asked me today...
"Where are you from?" -America, St. Louis "Where is that?" -right in the middle "Is that close to New York?"....
"Do you like football?" -American football or soccer football?
"Do you like ice hockey?"
"Do you like basketball?" -college, not pro "It's because you like the college guys...ooohh"
"Do you have Yazoo (chocolate milk) in America?"
"I like your accent. Say Manchester." "Your accent is cute."
"Is it true that Americans have to be 18 to eat at McDonald's?" (she thought we did this to cut down on our obesity problem lol)
Needless to say I had a lot of fun and the kids made me laugh a lot. :)
I also decided that I will make a blog with words that are different from American English to UK English. I will update that often.
So the school... everyone there (and everyone I've met in the UK for that matter) was really nice. The kids have to wear uniforms which consist of black bottoms, white shirt, black tie (even the girls). They like to make the uniform their own by wear skirts and tights, making the ties loose, wearing sweatpants?... the list goes on. I will be working with 4 different teachers, which is a LOT! Hopefully I will like doing that though. Mike gave me 6 different classes to teach/observe and each day is different. Each class meets 3 days a week, but the times and days vary. I will be attached to my schedule so I don't get lost from room to room or teach the wrong lesson to the wrong class. Right now I am just observing, but I am jumping in to help students when possible. Another strange thing I've noticed: the students are allowed to have their phones/ipods out to listen to music during class. I don't think I will like that rule. Another thing, they have an "intermission" after 2nd period, which means I go down to the teacher's lounge for 15 minutes. They had cinnamon rolls for us today! Oh yeah! :)
Alright, so the kids just might be more fascinated with me than I am with them. And trust me... they are very interesting. Here's a list of questions the students asked me today...
"Where are you from?" -America, St. Louis "Where is that?" -right in the middle "Is that close to New York?"....
"Do you like football?" -American football or soccer football?
"Do you like ice hockey?"
"Do you like basketball?" -college, not pro "It's because you like the college guys...ooohh"
"Do you have Yazoo (chocolate milk) in America?"
"I like your accent. Say Manchester." "Your accent is cute."
"Is it true that Americans have to be 18 to eat at McDonald's?" (she thought we did this to cut down on our obesity problem lol)
Needless to say I had a lot of fun and the kids made me laugh a lot. :)
I also decided that I will make a blog with words that are different from American English to UK English. I will update that often.
Sunday, April 15, 2012
Back "Home"
After all the traveling across the UK, we finally made it back to Edinburgh, Scotland.
Yesterday we went to Edinburgh Castle. For all you history fans out there, you would really like this place. I got a little bored with all the museums inside, but the rest of it was great. We saw the Crown Jewels! I wish I had a picture to show you, but that was prohibited. We were around to see the world famous "One o'Clock Gun", a time gun that people use to set their clocks/watches. My watch was a couple minutes off, so that worked out well. The picture was taken right after the cannon was shot.
After we went to the Castle we walked down The Royal Mile. We didn't make it very far due to stopping for lunch, souvenir shopping, and watching street performers. Lots of men in kilts, some playing the bagpipes! How's that for my blog title? All 3 in one day!
We came across the most beautiful church, St. Giles' Cathedral. Would highly recommend going in for a peek. Note to self: attend mass there sometime during my stay.
At night we went on a haunted tour. The tour took us to Edinburgh underground, a place with a dark, deep history. After the underground portion, we went to Greyfriars Cemetary, which holds about 450,000 bodies... on top of one another. Yuck. One of the nine places in the city where they dumped bodies from The Plague. Creepy. Don't think there were any ghost attacks on our tour though.
Today I moved into my new home in the Leith neighborhood of Edinburgh. I unpacked all my stuff and explored the neighborhood a bit. I found a wonderful cafe and I made my first trip to the grocery store! That doesn't sound very exciting, but I think it was a significant hurdle. It's conveniently located across the street, so I will be stopping by often since I don't have much space and I have to carry my groceries up 4 flights of steps. I have spent my day applying for teaching jobs... maybe I need to spend the rest of my day praying to get hired!
School starts on Tuesday... nervous & excited!
Yesterday we went to Edinburgh Castle. For all you history fans out there, you would really like this place. I got a little bored with all the museums inside, but the rest of it was great. We saw the Crown Jewels! I wish I had a picture to show you, but that was prohibited. We were around to see the world famous "One o'Clock Gun", a time gun that people use to set their clocks/watches. My watch was a couple minutes off, so that worked out well. The picture was taken right after the cannon was shot. After we went to the Castle we walked down The Royal Mile. We didn't make it very far due to stopping for lunch, souvenir shopping, and watching street performers. Lots of men in kilts, some playing the bagpipes! How's that for my blog title? All 3 in one day!
We came across the most beautiful church, St. Giles' Cathedral. Would highly recommend going in for a peek. Note to self: attend mass there sometime during my stay.
At night we went on a haunted tour. The tour took us to Edinburgh underground, a place with a dark, deep history. After the underground portion, we went to Greyfriars Cemetary, which holds about 450,000 bodies... on top of one another. Yuck. One of the nine places in the city where they dumped bodies from The Plague. Creepy. Don't think there were any ghost attacks on our tour though.
Today I moved into my new home in the Leith neighborhood of Edinburgh. I unpacked all my stuff and explored the neighborhood a bit. I found a wonderful cafe and I made my first trip to the grocery store! That doesn't sound very exciting, but I think it was a significant hurdle. It's conveniently located across the street, so I will be stopping by often since I don't have much space and I have to carry my groceries up 4 flights of steps. I have spent my day applying for teaching jobs... maybe I need to spend the rest of my day praying to get hired!School starts on Tuesday... nervous & excited!
Friday, April 13, 2012
Northern Ireland
(Sorry for the extremely long post)
For the past couple days we have been in Northern Ireland. N. Ireland is still a part of the UK, separate from the republic of Ireland - and thank goodness because without my work visa I can't leave the UK until my student teaching is over with. So here goes my LONG list of what we did when we got there.
We first took a ferry from Troon, Scotland to Larne, N. Ireland. Then we traveled the Causeway Coast with the North Channel right next to us. It was absolutely beautiful. We had great weather, only driving through a few short showers - totally normal for the UK. We stopped at a cute place for lunch, but there was no food served in the entire town! Sooo we moved on to the next town! Very unlike America with food (and gas stations) everywhere. We stopped at the Glen Cloy Inn - I would recommend it. Here's another word to add to your UK food dictionary: champ. It's mashed potatoes with green onions. Yummy. Then we stopped at Ballycastle, which does not have a castle. It was a bustling place with a beach though - the locals even thought it was warm enough for t-shirts and shorts. Next comes my favorite adventure of the day: Carrick-a-Rede rope bridge! Although I am terrified of heights, I walked the 80 foot high rope bridge right over the water [as slowly as possible].
My legs were shaking after I crossed. Luckily they shook themselves back into place when I crossed back over. The view was definitely worth the 1 km trek there and back. I would highly recommend it. Then we headed on to Bushmills, where I stayed at my first ever B&B. I would not recommend staying in Bushmills simply because the town is very small without a lot to offer.... other than.... Giant's Causeway!
Giant's Causeway is what happened when volcanic lava met with the water. Most of the stones are hexagonal, but various polygons appear. (I love how I sound like a total math nerd.) Legend is that a giant built the stones as a path to Scotland, although he did not make it very far. We spent a couple hours climbing and taking loads of pictures. Next destination = Bushmills Distillery. If you are a whisky fan, I would recommend. I, however, am not. It was interesting though. Not as large as the Anheuser Busch facility/tour.
Believe it or not, we stopped at one more place that day - Mussenden Temple and Downhill Demesne. Unfortunately we had to hurry that visit up since the park was closing. It was worthwhile, but not as cool as the rope bridge, Giant's Causway, and Dunlace castle.
Alright... greatly slowed things down today. We headed to the Dark Hedges outside of Ballymoney (which was actually 20 minutes away). These "hedges" weren't really hedges at all - they are trees that have intertwined above the roadway.
Then we headed to Belfast to see the brand new Titanic Belfast exhibit. Walked you through the building of the Titanic, the sinking, and the discovery of it underwater in 1985. Very cool. Here's a picture of the building.
For the past couple days we have been in Northern Ireland. N. Ireland is still a part of the UK, separate from the republic of Ireland - and thank goodness because without my work visa I can't leave the UK until my student teaching is over with. So here goes my LONG list of what we did when we got there.
We first took a ferry from Troon, Scotland to Larne, N. Ireland. Then we traveled the Causeway Coast with the North Channel right next to us. It was absolutely beautiful. We had great weather, only driving through a few short showers - totally normal for the UK. We stopped at a cute place for lunch, but there was no food served in the entire town! Sooo we moved on to the next town! Very unlike America with food (and gas stations) everywhere. We stopped at the Glen Cloy Inn - I would recommend it. Here's another word to add to your UK food dictionary: champ. It's mashed potatoes with green onions. Yummy. Then we stopped at Ballycastle, which does not have a castle. It was a bustling place with a beach though - the locals even thought it was warm enough for t-shirts and shorts. Next comes my favorite adventure of the day: Carrick-a-Rede rope bridge! Although I am terrified of heights, I walked the 80 foot high rope bridge right over the water [as slowly as possible].
My legs were shaking after I crossed. Luckily they shook themselves back into place when I crossed back over. The view was definitely worth the 1 km trek there and back. I would highly recommend it. Then we headed on to Bushmills, where I stayed at my first ever B&B. I would not recommend staying in Bushmills simply because the town is very small without a lot to offer.... other than.... Giant's Causeway!
Giant's Causeway is what happened when volcanic lava met with the water. Most of the stones are hexagonal, but various polygons appear. (I love how I sound like a total math nerd.) Legend is that a giant built the stones as a path to Scotland, although he did not make it very far. We spent a couple hours climbing and taking loads of pictures. Next destination = Bushmills Distillery. If you are a whisky fan, I would recommend. I, however, am not. It was interesting though. Not as large as the Anheuser Busch facility/tour.
The next stop is my favorite castle so far - Dunlace Castle. It wasn't commercialized like the Stirling Castle and it was mostly ruins. It was built on a cliff overlooking the Atlantic Ocean. Absolutely beautiful!
Believe it or not, we stopped at one more place that day - Mussenden Temple and Downhill Demesne. Unfortunately we had to hurry that visit up since the park was closing. It was worthwhile, but not as cool as the rope bridge, Giant's Causway, and Dunlace castle.
Alright... greatly slowed things down today. We headed to the Dark Hedges outside of Ballymoney (which was actually 20 minutes away). These "hedges" weren't really hedges at all - they are trees that have intertwined above the roadway.
This makes you wonder... why do I live in America? Northern Ireland is so unbelievably beautiful!
Then we headed to Belfast to see the brand new Titanic Belfast exhibit. Walked you through the building of the Titanic, the sinking, and the discovery of it underwater in 1985. Very cool. Here's a picture of the building. Back in Edinburgh tonight. Exploring the castle, the Royal Mile, and a ghost tour tomorrow.
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