Looking Back, Looking Forward, Looking out, Looking in (shorter).

Looking back:

This weekend I stayed home…did not do much…and it was amazing. It is so nice to finally get things accomplished and not have to plan lessons the night before I leave or the night that I get back.

On Wednesday I went to Romeo and Juliet in Cambridge. It was great. Shakespearian language spoken in the English proper tongue. I had only read parts of the play and maybe seen the DiCaprio version of the film a while ago. I am glad that I finally got to see this play in its entirety in the author’s original words. My favorite character was Mercutio, Romeo’s best friend.
Before we saw the play, we ate at a famous pub in Cambridge call “The Eagle.” Apparently the double helix of DNA was developed in this pub (actually at the University, but all of the scientists talked about it after work each day here…we all know how much can get accomplished in a talk over beers). I ate Bangers and Mash for the first time. The sausage was great! I will try it again.

On Friday I went out for a beer with Colin and his cooperating teacher. Afterwards we went to the dog races in nearby Mildenhall (see “Rose of the week” below for elaboration).

Yesterday I went to Bury St Edmunds and went to the Saturday market. I bought the following:

2 mangos for 1 pound (about $1.40!)
A pair of glasses (no prescription…I know its weird, but I have always wanted glasses)
Some leather repair and protector for my beloved Clark’s ® shoes.
A stretchy tight shirt (like what Simon Cowell wears…but not half as tight, actually loose like a normal shirt) for 1 pound 50 pence.
And 4 types of cheeses. The flavors are cheddar and sage, cheddar and port wine, a cranberry type of cheese, and some sort of vegemite-type flavored cheese. I plan to eat them tonight with a little wine. They were 60 pence each! So cheap.

In Bury we also saw some really old ruins from about 1000 years ago, a beautiful park, and an enormous cathedral.

It was a great little week.

Looking Forward:

This week is Terra Nova testing. The DODDs version of standardized testing. Let me ask you this: How is it STANDARDIZED testing if the test is vastly different from last years test? Also next years Terra Nova is also going to be Vastly different then this years test. What are they comparing these numbers to if each year measures different things? What is the point? Also there is such a large exchange of student in military schooling that you never have the same populations of students. Ludicrous, it’s all ludicrous and is causing most of my classes to be shortened and therefore less successful this week.

Next week my supervising teacher is coming to our school to observe Colin and I for a couple of days. I have decided that I am not going to rush through this week’s material just so I can fall on the exact lesson that I want to teach in front of her. I will teach whatever lesson we fall on that week and I will do it well. Do you think that’s a good idea? Or should I set it up so that I have a super beefy lesson planned that is going to blow her away? I don’t know….comment.
Dublin in 3 weeks!

Looking out:

It has been gorgeous here! Sunny most all of last week, which put me in a great mood. The days are getting longer too. Spring forward in England is on March 29th. I think April will be absolutely green and amazing here.

I am going to start to periodically include my glasses into my life…I don’t know why I have always wanted to wear glasses, but I have. My vision is 20/20 so I don’t need them. These ones don’t have a prescription and are 100% for aesthetic reasons. Does that make me weird? Why do you wear your hair a certain way? Why do you wear the clothes that you do? Why did you choose that particular watch, bracelet, bag, earring, shoes, etc to wear for the day? I see no reason why I can’t wear eyeglasses for style reasons. What do you think?

Looking in:

I am happy to report that the overwhelming great feelings and positivity have not yet left. Life is still good and I still take time each day to appreciate my life. Do you think its possible to live your entire life this way? I do. I am reading a great book that was mailed to me in a care package (thanks les!) called Illusions: The Adventures of a Reluctant Messiah by Richard Bach. It is stimulation some very introspective thoughts about my outlook on life and the possibilities that the world has to offer. In only a couple of days of very casual reading, I am almost done with it. Check it out….or I may just mail it to you!

Rose of the week:

So we were at the dog races (I kept calling them horse races all night). We all put 10 pound into a pot and were betting out of that pot for the entire night. We were not doing so well…mostly betting on clever names. We won one race and scored 10 pounds. It came down to the last race and we had 7 pounds left in the pot. Colin’s cooperating teacher was going to put 6 pounds down on a “trio” (like a trifecta in the states where you bet on the order of the top 3 dogs). He boxed it. With the extra pound I bet a “reverse Forecast” (same as a boxed exacta in the states) on the two horses with the worst odds. By post time (start of race) it was 33 to 1 that these two horses would finish 1st and 2nd (dogs #2 and 6). Colin’s teacher picked the dogs by picking the exact opposite horses of what Colin suggested (2, 4, 6 instead of 1,3,5) as more of a joke than anything else. Sure as shit the dogs came around that final turn in the exact order of both bets: 2, 6, 4. We had won both bets. The trio cam out to be 216 pounds and the exacta was about 35 pounds. That’s 250 pounds total split between 3 people…about 85 pounds or $120 each! What a great end to the night. A great rose for the week.

Thorn of the week:

This took a bit to think of something “thorn worthy” but I am just going to say my to-do list. Lesson plans for this week and next week along with prep for my supervising instructor next week. Planning for spring break. Planning for summer travels with brother. Clean room. Ask for letters of rec. Start to apply for jobs. Catch up emails for neglected family and friends. Transcript from U of I (still…sorry mom). Live. Eat. Sleep. Read.

My next blog will give some much deserving shout outs to a select few individuals who have sent me great care packages lately (within the past 2 weeks and a few this upcoming week).
Much love to you all AND shame on you if you read this blog….have a thought or idea and then don’t comment….shame on you :)