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.