"Some People Might Find It Weird To Cha-Cha To 'Five Days' For Two Hours, But Hey, I Don't Judge."

I love my lazy Sundays. I try not to make plans and keep it as a day to do whatever moves me. The only thing consistent with my Sundays, besides the laziness, is taking time to reflect on everything from the previous week, both the good and bad. Here’s what I’ve learned:

1) People will judge you based off of your choice to root for Liverpool FC or Everton. Monday night I spent the evening at The Brookhouse watching the highly anticipated Liverpool vs. Everton game. Now, if you’re from America and your name isn’t Ben Bach you have no idea why this game is such a big deal. Let this teacher educate you: Liverpool and Everton are the soccer…er…football teams here in the city. It’s pretty much a Chicago Cubs-White Sox rivalry without bats and gloves. For an 8 P.M. game, we had to arrive 90 minutes early in order to have the last table (God only knows when the fans started showing up). By game time, the bar was packed with fans sporting their red and blue jerseys and big-screen “tellies”. Ali and I split a bottle of wine and soaked up the cultural experience. After 45 minutes of straight football and not one Bud Light commercial or play review, I left the bar yearning for the Super Bowl. I’ll stick to the American football I know and love.

2) Chester can be done in a day…or three hours. We made our first day trip to Chester, a city about 45 minutes southwest of Liverpool. Chester is famous for being really, really old. Although we didn’t meet any Roman soldiers, we did walk on the one-thousand year-old wall that wraps around the city, visit the gift shop of the cathedral (no one wanted to pay 5 quid to see the inside), pray inside a church built in 1000 A.D. (free of charge), reach a moment of Zen next to the river, wonder if it was possible to get inside Chester Castle, take too many pictures of a man feeding ducks, comment on how green everything was, and explain to the Germans what happened at the Roman amphitheater. Overall, it was a nice escape from the city. Chester also inspired day-trip #2: Castle hunting in Northwest Wales!

3) I’m going to be sick for the next three years. Last week, I caught some kind of infection and impetigo, leaving me with a “smoker’s cough”, phlegm, and sores in between my nostrils (because you all wanted to know that). I had to take a half-day on Wednesday to visit a doctor and get a prescription, which cost me 75 quid. One of my students also stabbed my thumb with scissors. Basically, I was a mess last week. What’s even better: according to my cooperating teacher, I’m going to catch everything my students get until my immune system adjusts. This should take about three years…awesome.

4) Lesson planning requires a lot of…planning. With each new week I’m spending more and more time at school after-hours. My teacher tells me not to work too hard, but I don’t know how to. I want to give my students meaningful learning experiences, and dammit, I want to impress my cooperating teachers (maybe a job at Northway – my cooperating teacher is moving back to New Zealand…dare to dream). If that means staying until 6 P.M. Monday-Friday, then so be it. My biggest challenge for this week is to find a balance. Last week I came home every night completely drained, wanting nothing more than to eat dinner and sleep (it didn’t help that I was sick either). I didn’t have the energy to go clubbing or venture into the city, and unfortunately, my new friends who spend 2-3 hours at lecture a day can’t relate to what I’m going through. I found myself being, in the words of Florian, “aggressive” at times. It’s not fair to them, and I don’t want to be a bitch five days out of the week. I’ll figure out something…I always do. On a positive note, my students loved the Talking Textiles unit – I was pleasantly surprised to see how involved they were with the process. With the exception of one student (I was able to get her to stop one of her famous tantrums by threatening to send her down to reception (preschool) to pout and cry), they all behaved well and stayed on-target the whole time. I knew I was doing all right when one of my students said, “You’re a good teacher, Miss. You teach fun lessons”. This week I’m teaching three lessons on Greek mythology, and one of my lessons is structured based on the jigsaw theory – Jeanine Dell’Olio would be pleased. Hopefully, things will run smoothly.

That’s about all for now. Tune in next time for castle-hunting and turning Snow White and the Seven Dwarves into a poetry unit…cheers.

Let's Make This Last Forever.

I'm amazed at how much can happen in only 15 days. I'm practically a local already...okay, that's a lie, but here's what I've learned:

1) The international students manage to create a circle of international friends. Choosing not to blow off the international student orientation is one of the smartest decisions I've made, for if I did, I wouldn't have met Florian, Tobias, and Johannes. The guys are from BA Karlsruhe, a business school in Germany. Because they have to both attend the university and intern for various companies, the guys are taking 105 credits this term (the average student here picks up 60). It makes my student teaching look like a walk in the park! All three of them are nice guys, and I enjoy spending them with them as a group and individually. Because they are working on improving their English skills, they often ask me questions about vocabulary and meanings. I feel incredibly wise, for I know the English call that "thing" an electrical outlet. Just as I teach them, they teach me German, because that seven-week crash course in Wien Sommer Schule didn't cut it. Most importantly, we make each other laugh, and I can only hope we'll be laughing for the next 10 weeks.

2) We Americans cannot keep up with the English. In addition to befriending the Germans, I have also been getting to know several English students from St. Austin Hall. We might speak the same language, but our cultural differences are mind-blowing. For fun, the English like to do two things in particular: clubbing and drinking alcohol (alright, so people do those things in America, but not to this extent). There are some students in my dorm who go clubbing 3-4 nights a week, and they're not saving them for the weekend. When Whitney, Ali, and I tried explaining that in America we go to bars, they found it hard to fathom that Americans go out to sit and talk. They would much rather dress up formally (Liverpool girls are known for getting glammed, looking like they're going to a homecoming dance) and dance until 6 A.M. My English friends insisted we come out with them on our first Thursday night. With some hestitaton (I have to be up and on my feet at 6:30 A.M.), I agreed, only because it was "a cultural experience". The girls had to scour through my closet in order to find something that was remotely appropriate for the nightlife (apparently, my teacher cardigans and pinstripe pants just don't cut it). Around 10 P.M., I was standing in a crowded hallway of glammed-up college students with a Jack & Coke in my hand, all of which is totally appropriate and legal on campus. All I could think of is how this would never, ever happen at Hope College. Within an hour, seven taxis were called, and we made our way into the city. Liverpool has many clubs to choose from, and Garlands Night Club had been chosen for the evening. At just 5 quid, I was guaranteed an evening of good music, dancing, drink specials, and fun at Liverpool's hottest gay dance club (yes, you read that right...despite the title, many Liverpool Hope students, both gay and straight, spend their Thursday nights there). It was a blast, even though I had to duck out at 1 A.M. My English friends, however, stayed out until 5 A.M. How they do it, I'll never know...at least I know that when I do hang out with them, I'm guaranteed an eventful evening.

3) We might speak the same language, but that doesn't mean I understand a word you're saying. Teaching in a primary school full of "Scouses" has proven to be a challenge. When I talk to my students in level, I understand the word, "Miss", but that's about it. The dialect is very hard to understand here, and it only gets worse the farther north you go in England. Speaking of students, student teaching in England is not what I expected at all. First of all, no one knows what you mean when you say "student teaching" -- it's called teacher training. My training looks like this: school commences at 9 A.M., and the children have literacy until 10:45. Then it's off to "play" until 11 A.M. Once the students are sardined back into the classroom (they put 30 kids in a room that's meant for 20), it's Maths (that was no typing error -- they add an "s" to "Maths") until lunch @ 12:15 P.M. Teachers have an hour break in the staff room while the students play and eat lunch. At 1:15 P.M, class commences again for another two hours. Teachers usually divide the time between science, geography, art, P.E., music, or religious studies, and conclude the day with assembly. It's still taking a bit to get used to, but I think I'm finally getting the hang of it. Did I mention all the lesson plans are pre-made and prescripted? Finally, the classroom management is a 180 from American education. Linda Jordan's class has not helped me one bit, for they do everything she told me not to. However, I'm learning that the English ways aren't necessarily wrong. They're just...very different.

So, I've given you a sneak peek into my new life...but what have I been doing? Here's a quick list of the Liverpool Attractions:

-Albert Dock
-International Slavery Museum
-Merseyside Maritime Museum
-Fireworks
-English McDonald's (very swanky)
-Cavern Quarter for Beatle Mania
-Nightclubs (Garlands and Cube)
-Tate Liverpool
-Chinatown
-Pubs (Halfway House and Brookhouse)
-Tesco
-Jacket Potatoes (Tuna and Mayo on my baked potato? NO THANKS!)
-Primark
-H&M
-St. John's
-Radio Tower
-Liverpool One
-Football

And that's just the start of it, because I have a whole Kingdom to discover in such little time...but I really like it here. I know this is where I'm meant to be right now. Overall, I'd have to say, in the words of The Beatles (who else?) "It's getting better...it's getting a little better all the time".

And that's all I have for now. Cheers, Mates.

"So Are You Irish Or From Ireland?"

I'M HERE.

I don't know what has been more eventful, being here or getting here.

Getting Here:

Well, after being offered booze three times in the first two hours of my seven-hour flight ("Would you like wine or Heinekin, love?), I made it to London at 7:15 A.M., around the same time my gate closed, meaning I wasn't going to make it to my connecting flight, London to Manchester. After being redirected in the wrong direction (Terminal 5 to Terminal 3 to Terminal 5), I was informed all the flights on British Airways were booked, and I would have to take an afternoon flight. This was a bit of a problem, because my supervisor, Paul, was going to be at the airport ready to pick me up at 8:45 A.M. There was no way to contact him, due to my lack of a mobile. As I worried about that, another problem arose: customs was refusing to let me into the U.K. This awful woman interrogated and heckled me for fifteen minutes, demanding where I was going and why for such a long period of time in great detail (Example Questions #23 and #29: How much is tuition at this "Liverpool Hope University?" What exactly is 'student teaching' you speak of?"). It didn't help that I had no papers or receipts proving I was student teaching through Liverpool Hope (Note: I was unaware that I even needed any papers. Liverpool Hope said I wouldn't need them given the amount of time I was spending in England. Apparently, I should have gotten a student visa). Just as I was about to cry, the customs agent first called me an ignorant fool, and then informed me she was my best friend as she stamped my passport. Although I have her to thank for letting me into the country, she has not been my favorite person I've encountered on this trip. After those dramatics, I "took a holiday" in Terminal 1, waiting about five hours for my next flight. At least I had $20 in food vouchers from the airline! Around 11:45, I walked to the gate for my next flight...which was delayed by over an hour (surprise, surprise). Finally, I was back in the air to Manchester. I was very anxious on the plane: "Would Paul be there to pick me up? How the hell was I supposed to get my four bags and me to Liverpool, a town 40 miles away?" After collecting my bags and getting directions to the train station, I was greeted by Mr. Paul Cowell! It turns out the airline would not tell him what flight I was on, so the poor man had to wait for hours! My hero!

Being Here:

It's nothing that I expected. I'm living at the University, which is about a 20-minute bus ride from the city centre (I have yet to venture to the centre -- we're saving that was this weekend). My dorm resembles a prison cell, but luckily, I have my next-door-neighbor Whitney, a student teacher from Mississippi (her accent gets a lot of attention, because she IS from the South, ya'll). She, Ali (the other student teacher from Hope), and I have banded together. It's a relief to have them as my support system, because it's only going to get crazy. The campus is a mix of old and new, and the neighborhoods around us are gorgeous! Because of the sunny skies, the three of us were able to wander around and see where everything is (i.e. our schools, the grocery store, the "best" coffee shop). School commences on Wednesday, which was great for my jet-lagged self. Paul says Northway is excited to meet me, as am I excited to meet them. I just have to get through International Student Orientation tomorrow, and then the student teaching begins!

Some fun facts I've learned since getting here:

-The northerns from England generally don't like the southerns from England, and vice versa.
-The Beatles really are all the rage here.
-Liverpool was recently titled "European Capital of Culture", and they really, really take pride in that.
-The term "love" is used loosely -- "It doesn't mean they fancy you, love".
-One part of the country refers to people and friends as "ducks".
-It's not a cell phone, it's a mobile.
-Liverpool Hope Students love to go clubbing -- just wait 'til they see my dance moves!
-Deep-Fried Mars Bars are...deep fried.
-England LOVES the environment and recycling everything.
-Everyone is hyped up on coffee and tea.

That's all for now -- Cheers!

Well My Bags Are Packed, I'm Ready To Go...

The day has come. My bags are packed, and I was able to barely fit my life into two suitcases. Now all I have to do is wait (I'm literally counting down by the hour).

People keep asking me the same question: "Are you nervous?" Honestly: No. My nerves left at Christmas. Don't get me wrong, the idea of leaving my life behind depressed me greatly for awhile. However, I now see my sadness was a good thing, because it let me know I truly love what I'm leaving behind: my family, Hope College, my friends, The 'Plex, my '11 Playgirls, and Holland. Luckily, those things aren't going anywhere -- they'll be here when I get back.

As of right now, I have no idea what's in store. I have no clue what my schedule will look like, who I will encounter, who I will befriend, where will I go, who I will teach, how will I get there. What I do know is I have been blessed with this opportunity, and I will make the most of it.

No turning back now...