Because Thanksgiving is one of my favorite holidays, I take the day off work. The American ambassdor to the UK has organized a Thanksgiving Day service at St. Paul's Cathedral for all the Americans who live in London. Of course, I'm running late. When I step off the tube, the Cathedral looms gloriously in front of me. It's bigger and more beautiful than I ever imagined. Since the American embassy in Mumbai was just bombed, security here is very tight. The police have blocked off all entrances to the Cathedral except two, and they have to filter everyone through those massive [View Full Entry]

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In an effort to build more of a life for myself here, I've decided to get a car. Although I can legally drive for up to twelve months with my American license, I don't feel comfortable driving here without taking lessons. People keep asking me, "Can you drive?" I pause, not knowing how to answer that. "I can drive in the United States." "Oh you'll be fine then!" they reply. I'm not so confident. When I observe how people drive in this country, it appears that there are almost no laws whatsoever, especially on roundabouts. My driving instructor, Andre, picks me [View Full Entry]

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The Senior Leadership Team, SLT, (basically the administration) has been making a big deal about this Academic Review Day business. Basically, no classes are being held today. Students are scheduled to a fifteen-minute appointment with their Personalized Learning Tutor, and that's the only time they have to be at school today. For the appointment, students are to arrive in full uniform with their parents/caregivers to discuss their grades, behavior, goals, and overall progress in school. Almost every teacher has a Personalized Learning Tutor Group (PL Group), and they have to "interview [View Full Entry]

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After Elizabeth leaves, I wander around for a couple of hours, then spend the rest of the day at my hostel, hanging out with the other travelers. It's the same hostel I stayed at last time I was in Paris, and Elizabeth told me it's her favorite hostel here. (I highly recommend Square Caulaincourt to anyone!) The next day, I oversleep and miss the free breakfast downstairs. When I venture out to explore the city some more, I'm greeted with freezing rain and darkness. I go up Montmartre to check out the view again. I absolutely LOVE this tiny mountain. The [View Full Entry]

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Traveling makes me feel so alive! I'm reminded that life has so much to offer. There's so much to do, so many places to visit and books to read. I take the Eurostar train from London to Paris. It's about a four-hour journey, and I sit next to a Turkish guy who teaches me some basic phrases in Turkish. He's kind of nerdy. He sees that I'm reading Obama's book, so we talk a little about American politics and history. (Why is it that everyone knows about America, but America doesn't know about anyone else?) Elizabeth, a college friend who lives [View Full Entry]

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Nicole, the Discipline Manager at school, is from Michigan. She's a tall, skinny blond with eye shadow that always matches her suit. A number of my co-workers have suggested that I talk to her about how to adjust to the school system and life in the UK. "What can I help you with?" she asks as I sit down in her office. I feel overwhelmed by that question. "Well, I don't know..." I begin, starting to cry as the frustration from my daily life spills out. I'm having a hard time adjusting to life here. I don't get the education system. [View Full Entry]

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Imagine This I'm on my way to see another West End musical, a new one, called Imagine This. The night is cold, but refreshing, and the streets are packed with shoppers and people who are glad for a weekend. I stop at a bookstore to browse. (Bookstores are addicting, I tell you! I could spend HOURS!) I walk out of the bookstore with Barack Obama's second book, The Audacity of Hope, which is the number one bestseller in the UK right now. I feel proud of my president-elect and curious about some more of his ideas. I read while I wait [View Full Entry]

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Preparations The science department at school is being inspected, or "audited" as they call it here. We've been out of our minds with the preparations. All the students' exercise books must be marked. All seating plans must be displayed at the entrance of the classroom. All students must have taken a unit test, the teacher must mark it, and the score must be entered into the computer. The auditor will also be observing a lesson by each teacher. The lesson plan must be typed out in the official format of the school. I must include possible extensions and modifications for student [View Full Entry]

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Dinner and New Friends I'm eating at a dimly-lit restaurant off of Kensington High Street in the heart of a London shopping district. I had bought a ticket to hear Kim Eng, Ekhart Tolle's partner, speak at 7:30. I got off the tube right at 7:30, and I swear to you, the venue where she's speaking doesn't freakin' exist! I walked around for an hour before I finally stopped in at this restaurant. The man behind the bar is very friendly with me. We chat about where I'm from, homesickness, my difficulties with my job, and how much he loves [View Full Entry]

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My mother called me at 4:30 in the morning to tell me that McCain was giving his concession speech. I got online and watched the live video stream and when Barack made his speech, my mother, all the neighborhood friends at the house, and I (here in England) cried. Everytime he speaks, I cry. That's what hope does to me. At the American embassy in London, 1500 people gathered throughout the night to watch the results. They drank Starbucks and Budweiser and listened to Johnny Cash. Of course, everyone went crazy when Obama won! Yesterday, I bought 4 newspapers. Of course [View Full Entry]

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