Think Before You Speak

This past weekend, Meghan, myself and our friend from Canada named Kim went to Edinburgh for a little trip. It was our second time in Scotland, and we were really hoping not to have to stand on the train on the way up there. Unfortunately this was not to be. Yet again, we were forced to stand in the area between cars for a few hours. This time, however, there were a bunch of other Americans with railpasses who were stuck standing with us (as well as some other British people). We were chatting, and I was just starting to think that these Americans were way less silly than some of the others we have encountered, and then this happened...

Meg and I were mentioning how grateful we were that people had offered to help us with our luggage on the London Tube on the way home, and one of the Americans replied with "Wow, that's very un-British!" Out loud. In a British train. Surrounded by actual British people. Who could hear us. I think you get the point. Anyways, I tried to distance myself by making a "I-can't-believe-he-just-said-that" face to the British guy beside me, and Meg did a good job of explaining how we have always found British people to be helpful, but still. I know that I shouldn't always assume that American travellers will be silly (because they definitely aren't always, and there are some equally bad Canadians out there), but this situation didn't really help with the stereotypes.

Other than the awkward moment on the train, we had a great trip. The weather was actually nice all week-end ("Wow, that's very un-Scottish!") and we thoroughly enjoyed ourselves. I will try to post pictures in the next couple of days so that you can join in the fun too.

As for every day life in England, we got a bit of snow last week. It wasn't nearly enough to warrant a snow day - it was, after all, on the ground for a grand total of one or two hours. It did remind me of home though. I am also excited to report that our days are now a whole hour longer than they were when we first got back. This means that it is usually somewhat light outside when we go to catch the bus. Which means that I am usually in a somewhat better mood in the morning. Hey, anything that makes mornings slightly better is a great thing!

Zebras, Wind, and Guy Love

I want to start off by mentioning the Scrubs musical episode that aired this past week (and included a song called "Guy Love", hence the title). I was able to watch it on my computer and it was AWESOME. You should definitely all check it out. I'm pretty sure that I had a silly smile on my face the whole time I was watching it. After all, there were, among other things, grown men singing about poo. Good quality stuff.

I am finding it difficult to find interesting things to write about my routine here in England - hence the lack of post last week. Classes have been proceeding pretty much as usual, although both the year 11s and year 9s wrote some practice exams this week and last. It turns out that my groups did fairly well. It is encouraging that my complete lack of knowledge of and experience with the British school system hasn't completely messed them up.

Time is also passing quite quickly, as usual, and the next few weeks or so should go even more quickly. We had to put off our Edinburgh trip until next week, the week after that I might be going to Cadbury world (that seems like it could be dangerous!) and then in 3 weeks we leave for Portugal. Not too bad of a schedule. Not that I'm trying to brag... I did, however, do some calculations on a particularly dull bus ride last week and discovered that, for the 80 day period between February 10th and April 30th, I have to go into work on a mere 41 of those days. Again, not a bad schedule. So I guess I better not whine about work for the next few months....

We DID have a wind storm last Thursday, which was slightly noteworthy. Walking home from the bus that day was quite challenging, actually. If you decided to take a step at the wrong time, you came dangerously close to being knocked over by a strong gust of wind. The roof of a nearby pub even blew off onto the street and they are still in the process of cleaning it up. Unfortunately for Meg and I, both of our schools were still intact the next day. No "wind damage days" for us. Not that I really need any more days off in the next little while (see previous paragraph).

I saw a sign on my way home from Norwich this afternoon that said "Caution, new Zebra crossing ahead". I'm sure that it must mean something other than "black and white horse-like animals need to cross the road here", but it still made me do a double-take. Maybe the Norfolk countryside is more interesting than I thought. Hmm.

...And We're Back

The Christmas holidays have come and gone, and we are now settling back into our regular routine here in England. To be quite honest, I wasn't overly enthusiastic about coming back, but everything seems to be going ok so far.

I had such a good time at home . It was so much fun to see everybody and to hang out at some of my favourite places in Waterloo. It was weird though - when I got to Waterloo, it seemed as though I had never left. And then, when I got back here, it also seemed as though I had never left England. Very strange. I guess that is the way it works when you live in two different places.

Anyhow, there is not much interesting going on here right now (except for the FA cup in Football, about which I know nothing). The weather is very similar to what it was at home, although it is actually SUPPOSED to be above zero here. Meg and I have a trip to Edinburgh planned for in a couple of weeks, and I am already getting excited for our first trip to the continent in February. Sunny Spain and Portugal, here we come!

To close, a couple of random tips/facts that you may find useful:
Tip: When travelling, always assume that your train will be delayed or rerouted. That way, you won't be as stressed out when you arrive at the airport less than an hour before your transatlantic flight is due to take off.
Fact: Dragging 90 lbs of luggage around the London Tube system is a great arm workout. It is also no fun, especially when you have to take the stairs.
Tip/Fact: Watch Prison Break. I discovered this show over the holidays and it is EXTREMELY addictive. Which may actually be a good reason NOT to start watching it...

THE END