In less than two weeks I’ll be back in London attending lectures, studying and writing my papers. I am thankful that going to London this time will be less stressful than last September when I had no idea what I was actually getting myself into. For example, this time I won’t be shocked at the discovery of my meager lodgings or have to go through awkward introductions with new people. I do love my life in London and am eager to carry on, but when I think about how much I have to do once I get back, I get overwhelmed and start to panic—what if I don’t get everything done?!? I start two new modules next term and I’m worried about how I will manage those classes, plus work on the blasted papers from first term AND begin research for my dissertation (thesis). Before I actually begin that research, I have to decide on a topic…What if the topic I choose is a dud? What if I get bored with it? What if I fail!?

OK Mindi, breathe--get a hold of yourself...take a step back…

A better perspective is to focus on the great time I’ve had being home so far and the nearly two weeks ahead that I still have to enjoy in Michigan and Illinois.

Here are some things that I missed while I was in London and have been able to do since coming home:

• sleeping in my own beds (Holland and Lansing) with soft sheets and fluffy pillows
• spending time with my family (immediate and extended)
• wearing the half of my winter wardrobe that I couldn't bring with me
  
• eating Mexican food
• wandering the streets of Chicago
• attending my church in IL
• drinking coffee at the local coffee shop
  
• seeing my friends
• using my cell phone
• reading a few novels
• lounging on my blue couch, or any couch, actually
  
• watching TV (I've missed you, my friend.)
  

Here are some things that I look forward to before going back to London on 8 January:

• more of the above
• shopping for good deals
• snow (?)
  

I must say it's good to be back in the States, but now that I'm here I keep thinking of London! What's up with that?
I had a great flight from London. The plane was only about 50% full, so I had plenty of room to spread out. I think I even slept a little, which never happens since I usually can't get comfortable in such a confined space. When I wasn't dozing off or reading, I was peering out the window, intrigued by the landscape below me. I love window seats! Even though I've flown to and from Europe a few times, I never remember seeing what I saw this time--apparently on my other flights it was either dark or cloudy. Below were tons of ice burgs floating about and crazy tundra that must have been Iceland or Greenland or something. Amazing!
When I landed in Cincinnati, about half of my fellow travelers and I were involved in a major breach of security by no fault of our own. We were let off the plane into the regular terminal rather than being directed to Customs and Immigration. It took over an hour for the TSA to round up all the wayward passengers and herd us to the correct place which meant I missed my flight to GRR. As a consolation, I was given a meal voucher to keep me occupied and my stomach satisfied until the next connection. I wouldn't have minded a refund on the flight or some free SkyMiles or something, but whatever. Thankfully the surprise I planned for my parents was not effected by this change in schedule.
I was chatting with a few of my American friends in London and we all expressed concern that once we were back home, we'd start spending money like crazy since things would seem so cheap compared to London. It's a good thing I have some Christmas shopping to do to distract me from spending money on myself. I'm hoping to get downtown Chicago yet before Christmas to experience the bitter wind gusts and crowds which signify this festive time of year. Whether or not I spend money shopping there is not important--all I really need is a Chicago fix.
I'll be heading back to London on 8 January and I doubt I'll be adding to this blog while I'm home. So, Merry Christmas and Happy New Year everyone!

I did a little shopping on Friday with my friend, Marta. It was my reward for working hard on my essay all week. Actually the working hard didn't last ALL week as I had planned: Thursday was a bust due to the aforementioned insomnia. But, the first half of the week went well anyway, so I went shopping. We got an early start since the main shopping areas are insane in the afternoon. We started on Regent Street and went to the huge toys tore, Hamley's, because Marta had to buy her niece and nephew presents. It reminded me of FAO Schwartz in Chicago (and NYC). Since they closed their doors a few years ago, I don't think there's an equivalent in the US anymore. We also walked through Carnaby Street, which I had not done before. Quaint.


The highlight of the day was Harrods. Neither of us had been there yet, so we were looking forward to seeing what the hype is all about. Plus, we thought it would be nice to see the Christmas decorations. (I actually wanted to see the Santa 'Grotto' because it's apparently quite elaborate--I was picturing in my mind the Santa setup in "A Christmas Story". We found Father Christmas Land, but the big man was behind closed doors; tickets were necessary to get in!)
Wow! What a store! It's huge! A person can spend all day there wandering about, getting lost. Of course, neither of us bought anything since it's pretty pricey. We did partake of lattes and scones with clotted cream in the cafe though. I could have eaten a full meal somewhere else for the price I paid, but no matter--it was a one time thing.
It's pretty funny to observe shoppers at Harrods. Granted we were tourists too, but at least we TRIED to blend in and be discrete. There were a couple of ladies in the cafe at a table near us who were picking up the centerpiece, turning it over, examining it--please! How obvious can you be?!? On the other hand, pretty much everyone in the store is a tourist, so there's no sense trying to disguise one's true identity. I should have just taken a picture of my coffee and scone as I was tempted to do. Instead, I took a picture of the building from the street.


During a couple of other downtown outings recently, I was happy to find a couple of Christmas trees that were nicer than the sad-looking one on display at Covent Garden.

This one is at Trafalgar Square. It's from Norway. Every year Oslo gives London a tree in gratitude for assistance during WWII. A thoughtful gesture.


On Sunday I went to the Evensong service at St. Paul's Cathedral. The tree in the courtyard nearby was very lovely as well. Not big or anything, but tastefully decorated.
This concludes my expert critique of Christmas trees in London.

It's after 1:30am and I am still up. Going to bed around 1am is pretty normal for me here--I can be quite productive in the evenings. But lately I've been having insomnia. The past few nights I have not fallen asleep until probably 3:30am. I've gone through phases of insomnia quite frequently in the past but have always attributed it to stress from teaching. But since it's starting up again here, I must be cursed with this condition. I can handle a couple of nights in a row of 5-6 hours of sleep, but after that I start getting really annoyed. Plus, today I just could not concentrate on my research because I was so sleepy. Thankfully once I do fall asleep, I stay asleep. The problem is that I need to get up no later than 9 so I can make it to breakfast.
Tonight I decided to purposefully stay up later so that when I do actually go it bed maybe I'll fall asleep sooner. And, screw breakfast tomorrow; I'm not setting my alarm. Sleep is more important than balanced nutrition at this point.

To tire myself out, I attempted the Sudoko puzzles in today's thelondonpaper. I've only ever tried Sudoko once before and it frustrated me so much that I quit. But this attempt was successful! I did the easy AND medium difficulty puzzles without any hints. See--I really do work well in the evenings!
I think that's the problem, actually...my brain goes on overdrive at night and I can't fall asleep.

Here's evidence of my accomplishment.

The end of my first term is in sight! I can't believe how time has flown! Even though the term is almost done according to the calendar (my last class is Thursday night!), I have a lot of work ahead of me. Each of my two courses is assessed by one, and only one thing--a 5000 word essay.

I would have loved to start on these essays from the very beginning, but the topics weren't even assigned until after half-term. I am a bit disgruntled about this as I had hoped to at least have the first drafts done by Christmas break. But, alas, the Institute of Education's procedures don't function on my timeline. The typical coursework scheme here is to have an essay topic halfway through the term, complete a rough draft or outline by the end of the term and turn in the final draft at the end of the next term. In other words, the essays I am working on right now aren't officially due until mid-March! It's nice to know I have plenty of time, but I'm hoping I won't need to use it.

I have set goals for what I would like to achieve before I leave for Christmas break, but right now I am not entirely sure I will meet those goals. The whole preparation stage to writing these essays is quite time consuming. Tracking down books and journal articles in an unfamiliar library is the first hurdle. Then, once I actually possess the materials, it's exhausting to read through it all. It has been a long time since I've read academic books and journal articles and many of them are constructed of 30-word sentences using words I don't understand. I have to read the same paragraph four times before I (maybe) get the gist. Thankfully I actually like to read; otherwise this stage of the process would be torturous.
After reading for a while on both topics, I decided to focus my attention on my math education essay. I met with my tutor and discussed a few things and finally this past weekend started to get some words on paper. The stimulating topic: assessment and homework in mathematics education. I KNOW all of you are dying to read it!

One of the things I love about studying full time is that I have a chance to read about new things happening in the educational world. When I'm teaching I am so caught up in day-to-day planning and grading that I feel I don't have a chance to grow as a teacher. I can attend all the faculty meetings, in-service days, and conventions there are and hear about all the new teaching and learning theories and methods, but if I don't have the time to contemplate the things that were presented, there's no way I'll actually be able to implement anything new in my classroom, even if I really want to. There is only so much time a teacher can spend on job-related issues, and unfortunately, that time is often spent on the immediate tasks at hand, such as writing a test or grading papers. Any reading that teachers do have time for will most likely be novels or magazines because it's entertaining and gives them a break from their demanding job.

In the months that I've been here, and particularly in the past few weeks that I've been doing some in-depth reading, I've had the opportunity to actually learn about and consider how certain practices will make me a better teacher. I have come across so many things that I am excited to try in my own classroom. I can't remember the last time I've had this attitude--I wish all my colleagues could experience this. I propose mandatory sabbaticals for all teachers. :) Hooray for learning!

'What do you call a man with a seagull on his head?'
Cliff!
Ha ha! Reminds me of...
'What do you call a man with no arms and no legs in a pile of leaves?'
Russell
laughing even more...

I just read that first joke in 'thelondonpaper' (a free publication that gets handed out to pedestrians everyday during rush hour), and had to share the joy.

Something else I just read 'thelondonpaper' that wasn't so funny: sunset is at 3:58!
That is just not right.

I used to gripe about the winter in Chicago when it would be getting dark as I was leaving school at 4:20; I never thought it could be worse! And it will get even worse, since the 'shortest day' of the year isn't until the end of December! I might cry if the sunset time starts to get too close to 3:00. Pair an early sunset with a gloomy, cloudy, rainy day in London and you might as well put your pjs back on after lunch because there's not much hope for daylight on days like that. It's difficult to get motivated to do things outside or to leave my room when it gets dark so early.

The thing about cities is that they never actually get very dark because there are so many street lights, etc. Plus, with the addition of Christmas lights strung everywhere, it's almost as light at 8:00pm as 8:00am.
Christmas lights have already been up in London for a while. Just like in the US, it appears that the beginning of the Christmas season is getting earlier and earlier. But since there's no Thanksgiving Day in the UK, no one can use the 'celebrate one holiday at a time' arguement against this trend. Most of the controversy I've heard about lighting up London so early revolves around wasting electricity and fossil fuels--which is also a valid point. I wish the fanatical holiday decorators in the Chicago suburbs would consider this argument a bit more.
On Saturday I was pleasantly surprised to come across a large decorated Christmas tree in Covent Garden. However, as I walked closer, my holiday cheer faded... the tree is scrawny and it is poorly decorated. If this is London's equivalent to New York City's in Rockefeller Plaza, it's a sad comparison. I took a picture of it, but the patheticness of it can't be fully captured with a camara so you'll just have to trust me that you're not missing anything.


A couple of weeks ago I was on Regent Street which is also decorated for Christmas. There are some elaborate light banners strung up across the street from building to building. Looks quite pretty at first until you notice that the banners are decorated with characters from an animated movie that's coming out soon. I'm not sure if these can be considered Christmas decorations. But actually, maybe that's the point--they wouldn't want to imply anything religious about the holiday because people might be offended. How thoughtful.

Thursday 23 November was just another ordinary day here in London. But every American was aware that it was Thanksgiving Day and we intended to celebrate properly. Two of my American friends, Meredith and Stephanie, share a flat in north London and decided to host a dinner for whomever wanted to experience this quintessential American tradition. In the end 16 people showed up at their cozy, that is, tiny, apartment. Only five of the group were actually Americans, but no matter--it was fun to be with some of our foreign friends who were experiencing their first Thanksgiving dinner. We had all the typical dishes, including turkey, stuffing, rolls, mashed potatoes, sweet potatoes, cranberry sauce and green bean casserole. At first I was doubtful that we'd have enough food, but in the end everyone ate until they were full, which is exactly how it should be on Thanksgiving.
This was the first time I had been away from home for Thanksgiving, but since it had to be that way this year, I am glad I was able to celebrate here with such a great group of people.

Delicious! Meredith did a fabulous job with the turkey.

Jon had a bit of a hard time cutting the turkey with a small steak knife. But students on a budget don't have money to buy a proper carving knife--we have to make due with the bare essentials!

Digging in!
Sylvia (Hong Kong), Sarah and David (UK)

A little of this, a little of that...
Karina (Germany) and Krissa (Greece)

Stephanie is VERY excited about mashed potatoes.

Some of the Thanksgiving rookies: Marta (Latvia), Mona (Egypt), and Karina

Gina (Figi) loves the drumstick.

Who needs chairs around a table? The coffee table and floor work just fine!
(Yes, that is a washing machine in the kitchen.)

The Americans in the group: Stephanie, Jessica, me, Jon, Meredith.

After.

Why is it that people who snore are always the first to fall asleep? My otherwise fabulous four-day vacation to Valencia, Spain was somewhat tainted by a snoring woman who shared a hostel room with us the last night. We had reserved two beds in a six-bed room not expecting it to be completely full because it's the off season for travel. But we realized that it doesn't really matter how many people are in a room if one person happens to be a snorer.
Aside from the less-than-desirable roommate and minimal sleep our final night, the hostel itself was great: nice lounge area, kitchen, and access to the internet. The showers were great too--probably the best I've ever experienced; they were the kind where the showerhead is directly overhead so it feels like rain. Ahhh!
Since watching a travel program featuring Valencia this past summer, I have really wanted to visit the city. I went to Madrid and Barcelona in 2000 so I was eager to see how Valencia compares. So when I came across great deals on flights from London a few weeks ago, a friend and I decided to take the bait and make it happen. I found that the longer I was there, the more I loved the city.
Traveling in a country where another language is spoken is a challenge. Both my friend and I know some Spanish so we were determined to try using it as much as possible and not appear like ignorant tourists during our stay. But knowing how to speak in a foreign language and actually having the courage to use it are two different things. I'm great with Spanish vocabulary and can read it fairly well, but speaking it was especially difficult for me. The first test was when we arrived at the airport--in order to get to the city center we had to purchase bus tickets. We dug back into our memory from past high school/college Spanish classes and managed to communicate effectively enough to get what we needed. This is basically how we functioned for the entire stay--grasping at any words or phrases we might remember from our studies years ago. We discovered we could accomplish a lot even with our limited knowledge. An additional challenge to visiting Valencia (or Barcelona) is that this region of Spain speaks primarily Catalan Spanish which is different from the Spanish I learned--Castilian Spanish. Castilian is spoken in other parts of Spain and in the Americas. Signs and directions were generally written in both forms of Spanish and where only Catalan was given, we were able to interpret them well enough since there are similarities between the two. As the days progressed, we got more comfortable using Spanish which is another reason why leaving was sad.
As is usually the case when traveling, we've come back with great memories and stories. One in particular is not so pleasant, but I can't seem to get it out of my head--my friend almost got her purse stolen! It's a long story, but the short version is that a man sat down near us at an outdoor cafe and we saw him leaning over to grab her bag. Thankfully we caught him in the act--our trip would have been ruined had he actually gotten a hold of it. It was at this point when we wished we had known a few choice Spanish words to scream at this jerk. What's even crazier is that later that night at the hostel we met another traveler who actually did get her wallet stolen that day! Yikes!
More than once, my friend and I stated how it was so unbelievably awesome to be in Spain for a long weekend. It's such a foreign concept to people in the US, but here in Europe, and especially London, it's so easy and cheap to travel all over the continent even if you only have a few days. My entire trip to Spain probably cost a third of what airfare alone would have cost from Chicago. I can't afford NOT to travel while I'm here!

Here are some pictures of my trip:

Let's start with the most important thing--the weather!
It was beautiful and sunny and warm every day.
We actually saw the temperature up to 25 a few times--beats London's weather any day.

Plaza Ayuntamiento--one of the main plazas downtown.
More plazas and beautiful places...

'Ciutat de les Arts i les Ciencias' is a relatively new development which contains several museums. The architecture is modern and is quite a contrast to the rest of the city.
We went to the science museum and L'Oceanografic, the largest aquarium in Europe.

The Mediterranean Sea!
I can't believe I was there just a few days ago!

My feet in the water. Felt great!

Lunch at a nice cafe on the beach.

Crazy tree! Kind of creepy-looking...in a cool way.

Horton-in-Ribblesdale, Giggleswick, Shitlington, Horsehouse...No, these are not made up words from a Dr. Seuss book-they are real towns in England. All of them are somewhere in the Yorkshire Dales National Park which is where I spent the weekend with a couple of girls from my residence hall. Since I came to England, my time has been spent almost exclusively in London. Although I love cities, I was eager to check out the surrounding countryside and breathe some fresh air. Yorkshire Dales is a popular place to visit because of its beautiful scenery; it is also noted for being the home of the Bronte sisters and the setting for Wuthering Heights as well as the home of James Herriot, the veterinarian and writer of animal stories. It's a very inspirational place for the literary types, apparently. Oh, and for the Wallace and Grommit fans out there, their favorite cheese from the Wensleydale Creamery is made in the area. For our visit, the plan was to hike on the Pennine Way from Horton-in-Ribblesdale to Malham then make our way to Skipton.
We left London in the late morning on a bus headed for Leeds and then switched to a couple of trains which finally dropped us off in the cold and rain and darkness in Horton-in-Ribblesdale. We eventually found our accommodation at a quaint place called the Golden Lion Hotel. After warming ourselves with a delicious homemade meal and pint of Boddington's, we retired to the 'bunk room'. This is the place they put the cast-off budget travelers like us. There were 15 bunks, but we had the room to ourselves because it is not the high travel season. The room was actually quite cute and probably would have been great in the summer, but it was a chilly night of sleep since the heater didn't really function well.
We got up with the sun in the morning and set on the trail leading to Pen-y-ghent, one of the famous peaks in the Central Dales.
Pen-y-ghent is the black hill in the background.
The sun stayed out for only about an hour before the clouds and wind and rain rolled in. I have never experienced such a strong wind--even in Chicago! It was a tough hike, but despite the conditions we managed to carry on quite well for a couple of hours and enjoyed the beautiful landscape.
Lots of stone walls, just like Ireland.


Built-in steps over the stone walls.
And then we lost the trail. For the next couple of hours we stumbled through rocky and uneven terrain, trying to find the trail again, all the while being abused by wind and rain. We never found the Pennine Way back, so we eventually decided to head to a road in the distance. We tried to get the attention of several passing motorists to ask for directions to Malham, but they either thought we were giving them a friendly wave or that we were hitchhiking because no one stopped to help us. Finally a couple of highway workers in a large truck stopped, listened to our story and told us in what direction we needed to head. In the end, they had sympathy for our miserable, pathetic-looking selves and gave us a lift the rest of the way!The truck that brought us to Malham.
By 1:00, our soaked shoes and socks were drying by a fire in a restaurant in Malham. We ate a good meal and delicious hot chocolate. And the restaurant had two cats--the day was getting better and better!
When our energy was renewed, we hiked to a place called Gordale Scar.

Our hostel in Malham was fabulous! There was complementary tea and coffee and our bedroom was warm and cozy!
In the morning, we took a short walk to Malham Cove.






Then we began our 11-mile walk to Skipton. This walk was mainly on roads, but we were still able to see plenty of scenery.
We also met a variety of animals along the way.


Even though this time of year isn't the best for weather, it was great to be able to enjoy this popular tourist destination without all the crowds. Today, I am in the hurt box with some sore leg muscles and a few blisters, but the experience was worth it!