The Blog

So, this morning-after dealing with a mentally challenged alarm clock-I began the treck to CAPA for class. It was snowing. It was snowing in London. This was an interesting thing to observe. They were just a few random white flakes mixed in with some rain. Of course the majority of people I passed had suddenly become bundled up like it was a freak snowstorm directly pushed their way from the coldness of the Artic. You had the people who seemed to greet it with a smile on their face and others that you could tell were complaining a mile a minute inside their thoughts.

So, my weekend in Wales. It was amazing. The coastline is beautiful. It was a bit of a change to stand upon a rocky cliff overlooking the power of the ocean instead of looking out across it with sand underneath my feet. I almost have a feeling that this is intended to be the way in which to view the ocean. Sarah, Tony, and I climbed are way around the craigs. At one point, being horribly led down the wrong path in hopes of seal spotting, we had to pull ourselves up a steep side of a hill. It was frightful and I loved every minute of it. Now i think i understand people's obession with extreme sports. The college where Sarah and Tony are now residing and working is very picturesque containing several old welsh people, a frightening fake dog, and a charming garden. Sarah and Tony fit their landscape very well and the fact cannot be escaped that they are indeed still newlyweds as everytime i said, "pose for a picture!", a kiss was the set-up. :)

As for the internship. I had a lovely week off from it to regain my sense as an individual. Now I am back at it, and having only been back for two days I already have some wonderful stories to tell of it. Yesterday a teacher was "attacked" by a student. Well, more so it was that the teacher wandered into the wrong place at the wrong time. The teacher was kicked in the shins, scraped on the face (indeed drawing blood) she took his glasses, stepped on them, and then proceeded to throw them at him. Ah, drama in the school. As it is, everyone is fine. This is just giving you a glimpse into the kind of school I am working at. I am though becoming adjusted to it and I think parts of me even like it. Some of the girls are really opening up and I feel a lot more freedom to joke and to teach them. It is sometimes trying to hear about these girl's personal lives. I feel as though i have done the right thing by placing them in a situation where they feel free to tell me of their problems, but at the same time it is very difficult because the words i have to comfort and to give advice are hard to come to. One thing is true that they taught me in one of my classes though-they mostly need someone to just be there and listen.

On some side notes....

-I got accepted to Pitt Main Campus and so will be moving myself to Pittsburgh come this fall.

-Dad left for Kuwait yesterday, so please keep that in your prayers.

-There is now one empty bed in our room as one of my roommates has gone home.

-My chocolate addiction is simmering down now. I have gone from eatting it every few seconds to now every few minutes.

-I have gone over the 500 mark for pictures taken.

-I am going to the Lake District for Spring Break.

I think the pictures say it all really. (P.S-I'm not staying i'm one of the cool things. While i do think I am cool-in this instance i am refering to my 2 pound T-Shirt made for a six year old)

The first picture is a picture of the small riot that occured in the center. This was after they had pretty well cleared it up. Notice all the empty seats? They got kicked out. The second picture i enjoy a lot. You may not get to see it as well as it is small, but if you notice many of the fellows are insulting our side. As we we're students and did not have a strong passion for the team I think they were shocked to find us just laughing and looking confused at them. I wanted to get involved, but after they started throwing objects I found it best to just stay out of it.

Starting out an entry is always the hardest. I have to jam pack so much into these things called words. Unfortunatly for me typed words cannot capture smell, sound, or just an experience in general very well. I try my best.

The other day I ventured for the first time over to Hyde Park. It is literally right across an alley way. Why I have not ventured over sooner is a huge mystery. When I got to the park i was immediatly disappointed in myself for not going sooner. How much time have i wasted on simple pavement surronded by buildings and people in a hurry when i could be wasting my precious time surronded by lucious green grass, ducks, water, scented flowers, horses, people enjoying nature, children, and just beauty. I wish i could recreate the experience for you, but i know i cannot. I could in no way describe it to create in you the emotion I felt. For me I grasp a feeling from nature that I cannot feel anywhere else. I feel that nature can sometime speak louder than any car, music or voice. They are the moments that are presented that cannot be explained, but more than any other need to be felt. It truly is the gift of a Creator to his beloved. All this from a park. I can explain no further. I will put up pictures soon.

On to my weekend.

Saturday I went to an English football game. It is here that i should make clear that an english game of football would be an american game of soccer. So for all of you back home when you read football you can insert soccer for understanding. I had to go to a match for one of my classes and i am so thankful that i had to! It was an amazing experience . On the twenty minute walk to the stadium I walked and chatted with my professor who is a rolly polly, pipe smoking old english man. He was full of information and we both shared the same sense of humor. So we joked about and he filled me in on English football. About three blocks away from the stadium your ears became aware that you were getting close. There was chanting in the air. Loud chanting. A block away from the stadium you could begin to see a ton of police vehicles and police on horses. On the way into the stadium my professor explained that the two teams playing are VERY competitve. He said that it used to be that in the football games the teams' fans would be mixed...It got very messy so they decided the best thing to do was to seperate the fans. Uhhh..duh. but anyways, so the opposing team's fans ( i was cheering for the Queens Park Rangers) had to be escorted in by the police. It was an interesting picture. The opposing side's fans were in the middle of the street surronded by police on horses and the home team's fans (me) were on the sidewalk. There was so much chanting and bantering going on. It was an amazing experience. Then into the stadium we go. The game was good. The playing for the most part was good. The best part was the fans though of course. They just yelled and carried on the whole time. There was lots of swearing and bantering back and forth and best of all a miny riot broke out! All of a sudden police were everywhere...of course the game kept going through it all. Finally the game ended with my team winning. Yea for QPR! Then we we're allowed out of the stadium while the opposing team's fans had to wait till we all we're gone before leaving so as to avoid any rumbles outside. Yes, it was amazing. I will put some pictures up soon.

Then on Sunday my roommate, another girl, and myself went to Leeds Castle. It was a nice jot out of the city, took about an hour and 45 minutes by bus. Of course this was the first day that I had to use my umbrella for more than an hour. It decided to rain all day long. It was still a great day though. The grounds of the castle were amazing! Exotic birds ran the place along with special black swans. The castle on the outside was quite nice, but the inside was not what i imagined it to be. It seems that up until the 70's this castle had been in residency so the interior had been done up to be livable. Understandable i guess, but i was hoping for that whole rustic appeal. I suppose the best part though would have to be the Maze. Yes, there was the kind of maze like there is in Alice in Wonderland. It was small, but incredibly difficult. To be quite honest i would probably still be wandering around the thing in circles if it hadn't been for my one friend Nirali who made it to the top and helped to direct my roommate and i through. Good times. I enjoyed the little old man named Barry who gave us useless information about the maze and swans. I shall include this story of the swan that he told us that made me about cry. All about the grounds there are swans. There is also a golf course. There is also a little river. Swans stay to one side of the river. Supposedly swans mate for life. This is the information you need to understand the story.

There was a pair of swans. They were in love. They were across the river. The side of the river that the swans don't hang out on. The one swan got killed by a freak accident. This freak accident was getting hit by a golf ball. Now the other swan will not leave the area where the other swan died. It stays there constantly. Barry told us that swans can sometimes live up to 30 years. I'm sorry if i made you cry.

Well, i'm afraid that is all i am going to update now. I am tired of typing. I think that's a lot though. e-mail me sometime...i know you guys are reading. rosegirl64@hotmail.com

Finally you can see one of my favorite views in the world...both in the day and the night ( I prefer the night view)

I was going to put up a picture of Big Ben as seen from Tralfager's Square...but it wouldn't work, so i'll try to later!!

This morning I played peek-a-boo with a baby on the tube. Or rather the baby played peek-a-boo with me. While i'm sure the idea is usually to keep a baby entertained with this simple game, the baby entertained me. To me it was a wonderful picture of innocence in this city. My mind drifted, as it usually does, and while I was exchanging something with this baby I thought about all the news lately on terrorism in this city. Even with all that goes on in this city, what some might label sin and others might label entertainment (ex. Page 3 of 'The Sun' for those of you that know London) , there is still innocence in this city. Do those who kill think about the innocence they are destroying? Do those who make threats think of those who have to grow up faster because of the fear that is produced? It is interesting to me to talk to different people about their thoughts on terrorism threats. Living in this city definitely makes you more aware of the matter. I have been finding the importance of not letting fear destroy things for you. For some riding the tube is a scary thing because of these threats. I love riding the tube-I have from the first moment I got here. I'm not sure that can be changed. Or if it should be changed I hope it is not from fear. Perhaps I am being silly.

But for an update on matters pertaining to myself instead of my random thinking....


Last night I went to Cafe in the Crypt with my only roommate who does not possess the name Ali. ( I have three roommates two of which are called Ali). Cafe in the Crypt is in the basement of an old church. I will put up pictures as soon as the internet allows it. As it's name suggest the usual hot beverages are served along with some reasonably priced food. The atmosphere is powerful. The first time I went there was to have lunch on a Sunday and the choir was singing upstairs and the music floated down to us. Last night we attended to hear some live jazz. It was wonderful. The dim lighting and a mocha really helped to set the scene. After the performance my roommate Mandy, being the perfect date that she is, walked me across the street to Tralfager Square where we climbed up onto the monument (the one with the giant lions that C.S Lewis refers to in the Lion, the Witch, and the Wardrobe), and looked down the street to a perfect scene of Big Ben in the distant. There were even a few stars out. As Mandy remarked, "exactly four". It was the perfect night. I think I will have to keep myself from escaping to there every night.

On now to my internship....

Well. It's still trying. I am pretty sure the girls at the school were created to test the patience of others. Some are called to be sharpening stones. This school helps to create them. I have been getting a bit more comfortable at my postition. One of the major things that I have learned is that a lot of times my college education plays no part in this experience. It is more about being able to improvise and being able to have an extreme amount of compassion and patience. I am not sure I ever had a class in university that has taught me those things. Thank you mom and dad for giving me all the lessons I need in those things. It is a very difficult thing to sit through a class where there is very little respect and learning. Girls are cruel, mostly to each other and frequently to the teachers. However they try to woo the support teachers (which is what i am) into providing them with free answers and excuses. I am learning how to stand my ground and I am finding out the best ways to discipline and such. There are wonderful moments though for instance yesterday at homework club after school. It had been a dreadful time. Girls saying they couldn't be bothered, making rude comments to one, etc... However at one point I was left in the room with one other girl who i'm afraid to say was a bit of a geek to the rest of the school. She has very few friends. I started trying to talk to her. She didn't really want to talk, but for those who know me I kept persisting (not being annoying of course ;) ). Eventually I mentioned music since it is what I love...and the girl instantly opened up. I couldn't shut her up. She told me all about how she plays keyboard and her extreme obsession with Shania Twain. It was nice.

Some sidenotes:

-I love English chocolate. I always have a bar in my purse and find myself eatting a piece about every 2.5 seconds.

-I rode in my first English car the other day (up front too). It was wild. I thought i was going to die because London traffic can be crazy.

-I have only had to use my umbrella once since being here and even then it was not completely necessary.

-This weekend I am going to see Leeds Castle, and the weekend after that I am going to Wales to see my sister.


alright- that is fairly enough of an update i hope. Lucky thing my class was canceled just now so that i could provide all of that. So, leave me lots of comments or I won't write any more updates. haha. Maybe provide some suggestions on where i should spend my spring break/21st birthday.

This is just a few of the people that came out for Chinese New Year...just a few. This is called Tralfager's Square.

Isen't it beautiful?

A beacon in the night.