I've come to realize that over the last month of being at an international private school many interesting differences and similarities between this type of school in the UK and public schools in the US. While I can talk about it in general, I'm not going to specify anyone person or use any names for the privacy of the people involved.

The similarities are all about humanistic approaches to life. There are characteristics of the different age brackets of students that you can see are just like the youngsters in the US. Groups of girls or groups of boys hang out together, and when a girl or a boy enters the opposite, I can see a wave of change in everyone's demeanor. Then there are mixed groups of older ages between 15-16 years old, who get along really well as a result of knowing each other for 2-4 years. Which can be long enough to get to be comfortable with one another & after the original awkward stages that we all go through.

A bit of information about the ages and grade levels for the UK: Children begin school younger - at age 4. By the time they reach the age of 11, they are in secondary school at Year 7 (we would call it Grade 6), and so that means I have been teaching classes of kids at a younger age here than I would be in the US in a Junior High School the youngest would be 13 years old in 7th grade. Also, students have the option of continuing school after Year 10 (age 14-15). If they choose to continue, then that means that they intend to go to college/university after another 2 years of secondary school.

Of course, there are differences. I really do enjoy seeing them for what they are & learning more about how people interact in a different culture. While the UK does speak proper English, this is still a different country, society, culture, government, etc.

Onto my next chapter in my travels...

Saturday was a day planned to go on a coach tour bus from London to Windsor Castle, to Bath, to Stonehenge all in one 10 hour trip! Yes, it was a long day full of travel and walking on tours. As a result, I was so sore by the end of an even longer 14 hour day, but it was totally worth it!

First, we headed to Windsor castle. It is said to be the oldest and longest occupied castles in the world. I recognized it from an old Hamlet film, but can't recall which one. I'm sure they have had some parts of it used in films. I hadn't realized that there was a fairly large town surrounding the castle as well as many shopping stores, and a highly regarded Oxford University near by. It was great to have a tour inside the castle and see all the richly decorated rooms in velvets & gold. The drawing gallery of various royals who were artists. The history of the castle was pretty amazing to hear about William the Conqueror, and  the fortified structure on a site above the River Thames. This was the second place where they were very serious about NO photographs of any kind within the building. I was pretty sad that I couldn't take any of the beautiful architecture, crown molding, interior decor, shiny armor, and some of the amazing artwork. Also, I was hoping to be able to go on top the big tower that this castle which it is also known for but it was closed...

Next we went to Bath... Oh, how I loved it there! Bath was all about how the Greeks & Romans bathed at a hot water springs. A temple converted to a bathhouse had been build around it all due to stories that it was said to have healing properties. The amount of treasures that have been excavated and kept for show was amazing! The tour guide even explained that ALL of the houses, buildings, & structures are built out of the same local rocks as was Bath itself. They are called Bath Stone, which is an ooilithic limestone in an off-white color ranging from light gray to a honey yellow. It was interesting to see every building is made from this same rock and how the city grew out from the Bath's center in ladders up the soft hillsides. There were other stories told, and all of them were great!

Lastly... Stonehenge. To be honest, ever since I was young I imagined myself traveling to a place like this. A place that is ancient and a mystery. On the drive there, I noticed so many fields of green hills, herds of sheep, and pigs. Most of the area of Wiltshire is sparse with buildings, and most of them are old homes and farms.  One of the tales that our tour guide shared was about how the area of Wiltshire is riddled with folklore and mystery. People in these parts believe in things that cannot be explained. The Stonehenge is the largest of rings of stones found in the area, & has become famous, but there are many many more. One story is about the fields that have crop circles, and another is even older and preserved to this day. Up in the hills she pointed out a white horse. It is created by taking away the green grasses to reveal the white chalk stones below & it has been there in that same hill since the 1st century BC. As long as the Stonehenge. I was able to capture it in a photo while the tour bus was driving along the narrow roads.

Once we arrived to the site, the guide explained that there is a space before it that is undergoing construction for a new Rec & History Center in 2014 for Stonehenge. When it is finished, the fee will go up, and there will be more access for families to have a place to read and learn about the history of the stones and the various places near by to go see other important spots. We drove by it, into the parking lot area... and that's when I spotted them in the distance. As soon as the bus stopped, I got out as fast as possible. They offered us an audio tour guide (headphones & such), but after the 2 other spots with the audio devices, I was really quite done with wearing them & just wanted to go for a walk and enjoy the outdoors and the beauty of the stones by myself. Before we were set free, the bus tour guide explained that the first 2 stones in front of our entrance was for touching, and some hug the stones for energy... "Some who come here are tired and they hug the stone and they are no longer. Others get here and feel energetic from the experience." I just smiled at her, and almost ran off through the tunnel entrance
into the field. I just wanted to feel free from everything and everyone.
It was a pretty epic feeling to see what is left of the ring of stones at this site. I have only ever felt this insignificant, (in comparison of age) in awe, a few times in my life, and this was one of them. Did I feel tired or weird? No. I felt alive! So happy to be here and get this experience! I took many pictures of the Stonehenge, some with myself (I had help from a few nice neighbors), and a few of my traveling tea cup, (from my art installation). I will say this again... I felt so alive and happy! Kind of like a kid in a park. We only had 1.5 hours here, and it was certainly not long enough. I walked around the perimeter of the main path, and saw other trails up and around hills that I wanted to go take, but knew that there wasn't enough time. So instead, I soaked it up as long as possible... followed by a quick look at the store for a keepsake.

Would I go back to these places again? Oh yes! Although my favorites were Stonehenge and Bath. After the long day, my head hit the pillow about 14 hours later. Exhausted and happy. :)

It's another week in the UK, at Boxhill School, and being a part of this interesting world. I've had so many different kinds of experiences: walks, conversations, meals, drinks, and sights. Last weekend on Saturday, Annie & I went back to London for another day trip. Her co-operative history teacher gave us a list of places to see, that are listed in sections of the city. We knew that we wanted to go see the Tower of London and the London Bridge, so we took at look at a map and the list to see where else we could go see in that neighborhood. I was pleased to find out that the TATE Modern Museum was also along the waterfront.

We headed out early & got to the Tower of London at about 10:30am, with plenty of time to follow along a 1-hour tour group led by a Yeoman. There, we were able to hear some grand tales about the castle, love, prisoners, executions, ravens, buildings, burials, and the royal jewels. It was quite an experience that I doubt I will have another like it. We also were able to go see the Royal Jewels and walk along the wall & inside the turrets to see things from a different perspective. There were some amazing wire sculptures of animals here and there like elephants, lions, and baboons on the walls. Outside, there were 8 large ravens that are kept under a watchful eye in hopes to keep them at home in the Tower for good luck.

After, we headed onto our next destination: to walk over the Thames River across the London Bridge & follow the Queen's Walk. This was another beautiful sight to behold. Now, I can say that I have seen two beautiful bridges in my lifetime - San Fransisco's Golden Gate, and the London Bridge.

On the other side, we enjoyed the wide range of cafe's, shops, restaurants, parks, pubs, and colorful people! We found a sandwich shop for delicious toasted baguettes with cheese and savories. The staff was so pleasant and gave us our own lunch bags for our carry out. We found a nice spot to sit in front of the river to eat and just enjoy people watching.

Following that, we headed onward to the next spot on the map... the TATE Modern Museum.  http://www.tate.org.uk/
The outside grass, birch trees, and stairs sculpture were only the beginning of what was to come next. Inside, I was thrilled to see some of my favorite artists: Annette Messager, Claude Monet, Henry Moore, Pablo Picasso, George Braque, Salvidor Dali, Wassily Kandinsky, Edgar Degas, and Marcel Duchamp!

And here are a few more picks from Dorking...

You can view all of my sets of photos here on Flikr.
http://www.flickr.com/photos/102582703@N04/sets/
I'll have to make some more time to write about my teaching experience here in Dorking this weekend. It's been such a busy week I have barely had any time to upload my pictures. However, it has been a very productive one at the school. Now, I must try to get some sleep. Tomorrow is Friday and that means Saturday is another day to travel and have fun in a different place. Prelude: I'll be going on a coach bus tour from London to Stonehenge, to Windsor, and then onto Bath! Exciting times!  :)