Across the Pond

2009-04-20T14:34:00.001+01:00

Athens and Venice!

2009-04-20T13:24:00.003+01:00

After Mykanos I took a ferry toAthens. Athens was cool but there was not loads to do. I enjoyed walking around and looking at the ruins. My hostel was so close to the Acroplis and had an amazing view of it from the roof top bar. I just had a few lazy days walking around the area by my hostel and the acroplois called Plaka. It was nice and it was a great hostel where I meet lots of cool people. I got to venice last night at 11. Iflew from athens to milan then took a bus from the airport to the train station and the a train to venice. I have no idea why i did that but it was fine and i got here. Last night as i was coming out of the train station I complelty fell. I had flip flops on and it was raining. I finaly made it to my hostel though and they had saved me some dinner. Today I just walked around and found st. marcs square and the grand canel. I love just walking and finding all the amazing things. It is amazing to stop and think sometimes that I am here. That I am doing excatly what I want to do and that I can do it on my own and love it! I hope you are all great and cant wait to catch up this summer. lots of love Ang

Greek Islands!

2009-04-14T13:29:00.001+01:00

I got to Meykanos yesterday and am really enjoying it. It is so beautiful. The weather was nice until about two hours ago when it started to rain and be really windy. Which is why I am in a warm and dry internet cafe. I am planning on getting a four wheeler tomorrow to drive and explore the island on. There are scooters also but I dont want to do that after what happened on my Birthday in Tuscany! Sarah can vounch for me that it would not be a good idea. It is really beutiful and the people are nice the language has not been an issue which I figuered becuase it has so many tourists. There were a few cruise ships here yesterday which made me want to do a cruise becuase they all looked like they were enjoying themseleves and it makes travel easy. But also not want to becuase you only see such a small part of a place. But maybe it would be good to see different places and then you could go back and spend more time there latter on. My hotel is nice a big room with my oen bathroom, but since it is a hotel more then hostel I can not meet people so i will be on my own for these next few days till i am in athens when I can hopefully meet people in the hostel. I hope you are all doing well and can not wait to catch up in person!

Scotland!

2009-04-10T21:30:00.003+01:00

This past weekend I went on a three day tour of Loch Ness and Isle of Skye. It was nice to go back to Edinburgh to spend more time and see different things. I took the train up from London it was four hours but such a beautiful ride and very relaxing. When I got to Edinburgh it was wamr and sunny so I checked into my hostel and went and had lunch. It was the same hostel that Sarah and I stayed in for Christmas so it was nice to be somewhere familiar where I new the area.

On Friday morning I went and checked in for my tour. I ended up speaking with an Aussie girl who I ended up hanging out with the whole time. We had to sit in the very last row, with every seat taken. It was great though the people that I sat by were great and are who I hung out with for the weekend. There were ten of us that hung out besides myself there were two american girls and all the rest were aussie's. The tour was beautiful and it was a lot of fun to see the sights and meet and share travel stories. We spent both nights in a hostel in a very small village on loch ness. It was great! the first night a few of us got some crap wine and went and drank it on a dock on loch ness. It was amazing! Of course I did not see the famous monster, which I do believe is there but sadly it did not happen. We all spent the evening in the bar of our hostel enjoying music by a local and just talking. The aussies I was with kept using different words and I was so confused. I though I new most of the slang having lived with and aussie couple for four months but of course I did not know all of it. So we ended up having a long group talk about the different words. They know all the american slang from all the american tv they get.

On Saturday we visited a castle that was cool. But I was really sick that morning from the bus ride. We were on single lane roads that are never straight, I was in the back row and could not see far in front of the bus because of the mist. BUt once I felt better the day was fine. After the castle we went to the isle of skye. It is a small island that has legends about it. One was of a stream that had been blessed to make those who dip their head in even more beautiful. It was raining and windy, but I did it. I have to say i dont think it helped my zit did not disappear as I was hoping. That night we got food from the chip shop and wine from the gas station, I know classy and went back to our hostel. We ended up sitting in our room for about two hours drinking and talking it was a blast to get to know the girls I was in a room with better and share ridicules travel stories. We wneded up being told there was a disco in the village that was just past the chip shop. So 7 of us girls and one guy went to the disco. In side it was pretyt much a pup that had a dance floor and a strob light! It was great fun! It was five local old men and us, but it was fun. We got kicked out at 12:30 which I guess is closing time in the village. We went back to our hostel and hung out for the rest of the night.

On Sunday I woke up and my voice was gone. This is the third time since being here that I have lost my voice. It sucks. That day we went by the battle ground where william wallace fought and went back to Edinburgh. A group of us went to dinner and then out to a pup. Cause I could not talk they gave me paper and I had to write down what I wanted to say and then one of the girls read it for me. It was actually fun cause we could look back at it.

The next morning four of us meet at Elephant House for coffee which is where J.K. Rowling wrote a lot of Harry Potter and the Sorceress Stone. Then we went and had lunch before I had to catch the train back to London. It was a great tour because of the people that I meet. Unfortunately I was on the bus more then I would have liked to have been but it was fun still.

On Monday I leave for Mekanos, a greek island. From there I will go to Athens, then fly to Milan to catch a train to Venice. Then I fly to Barcelona, Lisbon and Paris. Then take the train to Amsterdam, Berlin, Prauge and meet my cousins Will and Lisa with the daughter Lexi in Krakow then to Warsaw. Then I fly back to london and home to seattle on the 19th of May. It will be a little over a month and I will only have a few days in each city but it is a start to experiencing Europe.

I have absolutely loved my time and experiences I have had here. It has been the hardest thing that I have done and am so happy that I did! I dont feel like there is another challange that I could do that would have been more benifitial. I have grown so much as a person and a teacher which is a nice bonus. I am so happy that I did this and am so thankful for the support and some time straight up lecture on sticking with it. I will miss living here and being able to do so much and even just going next door to Many Thanks a little store that I go to. TO be able to walk and take the bus. To hear so many different languages and accents all around. I will miss is so much and know that I will be coming back to london soon. I hope everyone is well and has a great easter. I can not wait to be home for a bit and catch up with everyone! Lots of love Ang!

My parents came to visit!

2009-03-26T19:03:00.004Z

My parents came over to London to visit for a week, it was great! They got to London on Tuesday and we were lucky to have amazing weather, it was sunny and warm. We wen to lunch then got a coffee and walked around the park across from where I live. It was great to show them my area and allow them to see what my life has been like since I have been here. We just hung out the night at their hotel which was really close to my flat. We had fish and chips for dinner, wait: they had fish and chips and I had a burger from a take away place. On Thursday we went to Buckingham Palace to watch the changing of the guard. It was the same as always but I think my parents liked it. We went to lunch at the Hard Rock, which is the first in the world, and was definite american food that was nice. We then walked threw Green park and St. James Park and ended up at Parliament and in front of the London Eye. We went back and hung out at my flat for a while, then went and had dinner at a little Italian place by us. We then went and hung out at their hotel.

On Friday we went to Burogh market, which is a food market. We walked around and sampled all the great food and got really great grilled cheese sandwiches. From there we walked to Tower Bridge and across it. We then did the tower of the tower of london. It was cool, we had a beefeater as a guide. From there we went back to the area around me and had dinner at a greek restaurant.

On Saturday we went to Portobelo Road in Notting hill. It was crazy busy but fun to show mom around. Dad decided to stay at a book store at the top of the hill, cause he does not love large crowds. It was fun! From there we went to the South-bank area which is where the London Eye is. We decided that since it was clear it would be a good time to do it. It was fun, it is something that I have done before but it was fun to do again and have my parents do. After that we went to a Spanish Tapps restaurant, it was really good and my parents really liked. My plan was that my parents would like the different foods and like traveling and want to do more of it. That night mom and I went and saw a movie. It was just nice to do things that we always do together.

On Sunday we took an open top tour bus ride. That was really fun and we saw different areas of london and things we had already seen. We also took a river cruse which was fun, it was a different way to see the main sights that are on the river. That night we had dinner at a pub on the water.

On Monday we went to St. Pauls and looked around that area. We then went into the center of london and looked around and shopped a little bit. That night mom and I went to see Hairspray and that was really fun, it was a good show.

On Tuesday we went to Appy Road where the beatles took their famous Abby Road Album photo cover. We saw the studios where they recorded a lot of their albums. From there we went to the London zoo, it was fun cause it was a nice day. After that we went to Kings Cross station so my parents could see the platform 9 and 3/4 sign. From there we went to Covent garden and had a nice dinner at an Italian place.

On Wednesday we went back to notting hill cause mom wanted to visit a store again. We then went a had lunch at a Portuguese Chicken restaurant that was really good. We went back to my place and I packed a little so that my parents could take it home for me. We then went to dinner at the Italian place we went to the first night. It was a great thing to have my parents come and see me. It was a lot of fun and great to see them. Hope you are all doing well!

The emerald Isle.

2009-03-13T21:08:00.003Z

This past weekend I went to Ireland. I flew into Dublin and spent the night there, then started a tour of Northern Ireland. It ended up that it was just me and another girl on the tour, she was a teacher who is a nanny in Ireland. We also had a girl guide so it was great fun! We went up to Derry and stooped a few times on the way. We were able to learn about the history of the city and Bloody Sunday. It was really interesting to learn about the history and the fighting that took there and why. I had thought that I had know what it was about but I did not and it was great to learn and be able to see it. We even went to the Bog side, which is where Bloody Sunday happened and saw Free Derry. It is a part of the city that during the fighting declared itself free and not a part of the UK.

The next day we went to the Giants Causeway. It is an amazing place, it is a rock formation that was caused when lave was coming out of the earth and froze. It is amazing it looks like a stairway into the ocean. I went on the tour so that I could see this, it is something that I had wanted to see for a while and am so happy that I have. We got to Balfest that night, which is when I caught a stomach bug. LAME! But the next morning I was ok. We went on a black taxi ride. It takes you through belfast and into the catholic and protestant areas. As well as by the peace walls. The driver tells you the history as you go. It was so strange to see a wall about 50 feet high with cameras all around it in a modern world. I kept being reminded of the segregation that happened in the states. I could not understand how people could still hold onto past grudges and choose to live in this way. I was able to understand towards the end just how deeply it still effects people. But that there is also progress being made. I had asked are driver if he was Chatolics or Protestant and at the end of the tour he told us that he is Protestant. he said that he has children and he and his wife have chosen that they go to an integrated school. A school where both Protestant and Catholics go. The night we were in Belfast was the same night that the shooting of the two british soldiers occurred. It was the first violence since 2000. The city as well as the whole region were in shock and really seemed afraid that they might return to the old ways of fighting.

When we got back to the hostel I went and got food from a shop with a girl from my room and ended up in the hostel talking with some other people staying there. I was sitting there talking with these people that I had just meet and we talked about what we all have in common, travel. It was great a canadian, Swede, german, Argentinean and myself. It was great to sit and eat together and share travel stories.

When I got home on Monday I was told that I new roommate was moving in the next night. I meet him and he seemed nice enough. He is an Italian guy who moved in the next day and is nice and I think it will be fine. Today a french couple moved in. They seem nice and I like her it will be nice to have a girl in here to talk to . I think it will be great and I do only have another month left so it will be ok even if it is not a perfect situation.

Roman Holiday! Minus Gregory Peck...

2009-02-24T17:44:00.002Z

The past week I went to Rome for six days. It was a great time and really nice to get out of London for a bit. I flew out on Monday and just walked a bit around when I got there. As I was there I got a text message from my flat mate that our shower had leaked into our land ladies shop below us. It just seemed like karma coming back against her cause she is really dodgy. That day I had lunch at a really nice little mom and pop restaurant and they were so cute and they were really cute. I walked around a bit and ended up at the colosseum it was great it was night and it looked amazing. On Tuesday I went on a double decker open top bus tour. It was nice and I definitely saw different parts of Rome then I had seen before. I walked around for a bit and went to the Vatican. I went to get a ticket to attend the Papal Audience. After that I went to the Vatican museum and spent time walking around. I was able to see the Sistenth Chapel which is amazing. From there I went back to my hostel and read for a bit. I went to dinner at a place by my hostel. It was nice and I was given free champagne which always makes it better. I went back and talked with some girls from my hostel for a bit.

On Wednesdays and is free to attend. It was interesting the Pope came out in the pope mobile and he was driven around and waved to the crowd. He spoke and there were different cardinals who spoke different languages, it was interesting just to be there. I obviously only understood parts of it. After I walked around a bit and ended up at Piazza Navona and sat for a while in the sun and had really great tirmasu. I walked on and went to Pathenon. I ended up at the colosseum and took the metro back to my hostel. I went back and had dinner at a place by my hostel and hung out in the bar with some girls from my hostel.

On Thursday I Went to a gallery in a park. It was a great place and the building and art were so great. I walked around the park for a while and enjoyed it. I ended up at this lookout with and amazing view of the city. I ended up at the Spanish steps and hung out a while and went in to all the high end shops that are around. I was followed in Chanel because I apparently look like I steal! I hung out and had dinner with the girls from my room.

On Friday I went back to the Vatican and went up into the Dome. I walked up it all 500 some stairs. It sucked and was hard but I am happy I did it. I jung out up there and sat in the sun. I walked around from there and when to some new areas that my book suggested. It was really nice a different part of Rome that was not overly touristy. I went to dinner with the girls from my room again. On Saturday I went in a few shops and then had to catch a bus to take me to the airport. It was a great trip and really relaxing.

some more

2009-02-22T14:10:00.001Z

Photobucket Album

Four months into it.

2009-02-15T15:13:00.003Z

This past week I have been at a special needs school. I have been in the same room the whole week and it has been a very great learning experience. Every day there is somethings new, from not being given any lessons for the day, or from having a kid throw a chair because he did not like being asked why he was leaving the room. This weekend I went to Portebello market with my flat-mate Kate. It was full of lots of people and tons of tourists. It was still fun though. I leave for Rome tomorrow and am really excited. I have not left London since Christmas time and it feels like forever. I will be there for five days and want to just walk around, eat a lot and drink nice Italian wine. This pictures are from the market that I went to yesterday. Hope everyone is well, lots of love.

Why does snow have to melt?

2009-02-08T14:39:00.002Z

On Wednesday most of the snow was gone and all forms of transportation were running again. I went to a school that I have been in a lot. It was a nice day and went fine. On Thursday and Friday I was at a Special needs school that I just love. They were good days, the kids are all great and the staff is really friendly. On Friday we all went out to a pub then came home and played Wii. On Saturday I went to Burogh Market. It is a food market that sells the most amazing stuff. It is so nice to walk around in and sample all the great things. I had lunch there and got a great Germany sausage with sour kraut , mustered and ketchup. It was really good. I went home and spent the night watching movies with my flat mates. On Sunday I went to a great book store. Half the store is just travel books. I spent so much time there looking at books and taking photos of the books so I can try and find them at the bookstore. I am trying not to buy books, which for those who know me is incredibly difficult. I am trying to save money witch is also incredibly hard for me but I just do not want to have the mail them home when I leave here. I found great books to look for at the library. Across the street from the book shop is this great mexican food. Finally good mexican food, I have tried some places and just could not find a good one so I am really happy to have found this place. Not a lot going on right now I leave for Rome a week from Monday and am excited for that. I hope everyone does well and had a nice weekend. lots of love ang

Time in London

2009-02-04T21:36:00.001Z

Photobucket Album

The Most Snow in 18 YEARS!

2009-02-03T20:35:00.005Z

On Sunday night it started to snow really hard and was actually sticking to the ground. That night my self and two of my flat mates went for a walk in the snow at the park across the street. It was so great to look at and I just felt like a kid hoping for a snow day. That night while I slept I would wake up every once and a while and check to see if it was still snowing. It was great when it was and I just kept hoping for a snow day. In the morning the city was blanketed in snow that was ankle deep. There were no buses running and all but one of the tube lines were down. No one really understands why the tube would shut down since it was underground but it did. I did not work that day most of the schools were closed and no one could go anywhere. I went for a walk and took lots of pictures. It was nice to see all the people out playing in it, it made me feel like a kid. It was so great, I wanted to get into the city to take pictures of Big Ben in the snow but it would have taken about 2 hours to walk each way. So I decided against that! I went and got coffee with my flat mate Kate and then went to the store and got things to bake and make beef stew. We went home watched movies and baked. It felt like christmas. By the afternoon the buses were running again and some tube lines were running.

On Tuesday I got up and checked and my tube line was still closed. So if I were to leave I would have to take a bus to get to different tube stops. I tried my agency a couple of times and no one answered so I assumed that there would be no work that day. I spent the day in the flat hanging out and being lazy. I made it to starbucks and read a little. I ended up taking a nap which was the hight of my laziness. I have work for tomorrow and hope that all the lines will be open and I will be able to get to the school.

Fun Weekend!

2009-02-01T16:33:00.002Z

I worked everyday this week and Friday was a crap day so I was happy to have the week over. On Friday night we went to a pub for dinner. Marsela my flat-mate got engaged on Friday night so that was exciting. ON Saturday I went out to Stonehenge for a half day tour. It was good to see, it is something that I wanted to see, so it was great. It was not as great as I had thought it would be. They have a rope all around it and there is a major motor way going right by it. It was nice to see it and to see more area around England. Saturday night we went to a pub for dinner and hung out for a while to celebrate Marcela engagement. We ended up going to a club after that was a little sketch. One of the funniest things was on our way home we wanted food, so we had our cab go to McDonalds. So we had to wait in line as the fair kept getting higher and higher. Nice conversations with the other people in line at McDonalds at 2 in the morning. It was just funny, cause every one was dressed up but wanting burgers. It was a good weekend !

Is is summer yet?

2009-01-29T21:02:00.002Z

I just want it to be summer, I want to be home and be able to go to the beach. To drive with friends and sing stupid songs at the tops of our voices. I keep thinking about coming home early but I know I wont. My flat-mates are all moving out at the end of February. That is going to be hard for me, they are the only people I know here. And I really like them they are great people and I have been very lucky to be able to live with them. It just makes me sad and think how much easier it would be to leave early and go home. But I would always regret not being brave enough to see this through. When I started this plan, I did not think it would ever happen. I think a lot of those people close to me did not think it would happen. I was not sure if I could do it, but I have so far proved myself wrong and am very proud of myself for it. I have about 2 and a half months left on my visa and have some great travel planned in that time. Including my parents coming to visit for a week in march. This has been such a great and difficult time for me so far, I can not wait to see what else happens and know that I can do this in a different country not knowing anyone. I was not sure I could do that in the beginning. Hope everyone is well and miss you all loads.

Ang

NKOTB!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

2009-01-26T18:35:00.005Z

This past weekend was great, on Saturday I went to aerobics class and hung out in the flat with my flat-mates. Kate one of my flat mates and I had tickets to TKNOB and were listing to the music and watching videos online all day. For those who do not know TKNOB is The New Kids on the Block! AKA the first and best boy band ever! Kate had tickets to the concert and I was lucky enough to go with her!!! It has been 15 years since they toured and I was only 8 when they were at the highest point, but they were amazing! They were so great, they did new songs and old songs. It made me fall in love with them all over again. After kate and I got home from the concert on Saturday night when we were very excited and possibly a little tipsy we decided to buy tickets for the standing stalls for the next nights concert.

When the morning rolled around we did question our choice but we did go and had a great time again. We had to wait for about an hour to get in then an hour of the opening act, which was not very good. It was great to be so close that you could see them talking to each other and making faces at each other. It made me like them even more! That could be bad. But it was a great weekend full of childhood memories and dreams revisited!

On Monday I worked a half day in the morning at a school I go to quite a bit, and it was a good day.

Much better....

2009-01-23T17:20:00.005Z

Since last week when I wanted to quite things have gotten better. Last weekend was a nice weekend, I went to an aerobics class at a studio up the road and it was a lot of fun. I came home and then went out to lunch with the girls. We went to this really great italian place up the road about three blocks. It was really good food, lots of it for only about 8 pounds which is pretty amazing. Kate and I walked around for a while after that just around Fulham and looking for baking things since our kitchen did not have any. Up until this point when we needed to measure anything with Milliliters for baking we used a medicine cup that I got with cough syrup. So it is nice to have proper stuff now, well more proper! We went home and kate baked Peanut butter and chocolate chip cookies which were really great. That night we went and saw Slumdog Millionaire which was great!!! I really enjoyed it. On sunday I walked around a few street markets and then the south bank witch is my favorite spot in London. It is nice to walk when it is sunny and just take loads of pictures. I am sure I know have a picture of big ben and the london eye from every angle as my family would attest to.

On Monday I worked, it was fine nothing to exciting or depressing. That night I went to a hip hop class again. It was fun and I released that everyone kind of sucks so I am less self cautious of my skill level or lake there of I should say! On Tuesday I worked at a school that I have been at before I was in three different classes throughout the day. Two of the three were great and the other was horrible. I got home as fast as I could and watched the inauguration. It was great to see and made me really excited. I found out that I could have gone to the was museum for free that night and have my picture taken with the was Obama. All America citizens gout in free, but I did not find out until it was to late to go.

On Wednesday I worked at a new school and it was a really great day. I had started to feel sick so I went home and fixed Chicken Pot Pie. I have only ever made it one other time and it was better the last time, but it still has not tasted as good as my mom's! I was meant to work at this Jewish school I have gone to a few times, but I called in sick. I woke up with no voice and a horrible headache. I spent the day hanging out and watching movies that had gotten delivered that day from I love film, its like netflix.

ON Friday I worked just a half day in the morning, the school is one I have been there a bunch. It was a fine day and went quickly. I do not want to quite like I was wanting to last week.

Ughh...

2009-01-16T21:32:00.004Z

On Monday I worked and I feel like I got pimped out by my agency! I called into work and said I was available to work I waited and did not get a call until about 8:45 in the morning which is leaving only 15 min in the window for them to call me. I was told to go to a tube stop and that directions would be sent to my phone. I was only sent an address, and then had to call and say I needed more then that. When I finally got to the school at about 10:30 I was told I would be a teachers aid, which I was fine with. The day went fine, when I was filling out my time sheet they said no I dont do a teach London time sheet because I was with Global. I said no I am not I dont know who that is, they said that is who booked me. Well in my agencies office there are other offices so I figured it was someone who was in the office and associated with my agency. I called my agency and they transferred me to who sent me and I asked how much I would be getting paid since it was a different agency and he said half what I normally get paid because I was the teacher aid not the teacher. I told him that its not right I was not told I would be an aid or that I would be getting less. He said that was what they were paying me and I would have to talk to my agency about it. I did call my agency and I said it was not fair, I was called and told I had work, nothing was said about being an aid, or a different agency or less money. I was pissed they called me back and said that I would get paid my normal rate. I was so annoyed and pissed at my agency, I just felt like I got pimped out. That night I went to a hip hop dance class at a studio close to my flat. It was for beginners and was so much fun. It was a really great work out also! I will definitely be going back.

On Tuesday I went to a school I have been to before it is a ways a way but I was in reception and nursery. So it was a really easy day.

On Wednesday I went to an Orthodox Jewish school. I was the Literacy teacher so I had three different classes at different times. It was interesting! They had prayers in the morning and it was all in Hebrew, I just had to sit there. I had to wear a skirt that covered my knees and could not bring any meat and if I did I needed to bring my own cutlery. So I just eat the school lunch.

On Thursday I woke up in a horrible mood hating with a passion my agency. I was ready to quite right then. I do not know why I just woke up in that mood. I wrote my mom and email saying so. I was just sick of traveling about an hour and half each way most days. Or feeling like my agency is lying to me. I have asked why I am not placed in schools closer to me in the West of london and am told that most of their schools are in the east! I cant stand it!!!! I did work and it was a school I had not been to and it was kind of a bad day. It was just annoying kids as bad as that is to say. They complained about one another and where just really trying in my nerves. I talked to my mom and she said well just do not work tomorrow and take a day off. It's hard because I have been here for three months, Wednesday was my half way mark. I love being here and living in London but am so sick of my agency! So I called and said I would not be available for Friday and am happy that I did.

On Friday I decided to go to Burogh Market, which is a food market. It has great cheeses and oils and olives and sweets. Its great you can sample a lot of stuff. I had lunch there witch was pumpkin ravioli from a stall and it was great. I bought cheese that was wrapped in rosemary it is really good and have been eaten it the rest of the day. I walked around Lecister square area and went into a bunch of used book stores. It was a really nice day. I came home and had some of my cheese and some nice wine and watched a movie. I hung out and watched tv and talked with my flatmates. Which is a pretty typical night here but it was nice. The photos are from the market, and one of them is the great cheese I got! Hope all is well!

A couple great London days!

2009-01-11T15:43:00.003Z

I was able to work last Tuesday and Wednesday and I was in the Nursery so it was just a couple of fun days playing with play-dough! I did not work on Thursday and just had a very lazy day, I went to starbucks and read, took a nap went and rented a few movies and watched them. On Friday I called and to work and was called at 8:30 to go and work at a school in the east. It took me two hours to get there! I had to take the tube, a train and a bus. The school thought it would only take an hour for me to get there and I had told my agency it would take me that long to get to the train station. The day was fine and thank goodness it was Friday. When I got back to my flat the girls and I made cupcakes. We were going to order in and watch movies but our internet was down so we could not order whet we wanted. We ended up just going to a pub and hanging out for a while. We went back and watched a movie and then the girls and I just talked for a while.

On Saturday it was about 25 degrees. It was ridiculous! I had planned on going to a few outdoor markets but that was out of the question. I hung out in the flat for a while and went to starbucks and read. It is nice to just go hang out and enjoy my book. I am reading "The Posinwood Bible" it is really go and would recommend it to anyone. Today, Sunday it was about 45 degrees and sunny! I went and walked around Hyde Park. It was so great there were lots of people out and it was great. The lake was slightly iced over but it was almost warm. I ended up in Speakers corner where anyone can go and speak. People bring their own step stools and climb up and yell what ever they want to. Its funny to watch, other people yell back and it is just great to watch! Hope you are all doing well and having a great January! Lots of love Ang

Second Part/ Second Week!

2009-01-05T17:15:00.000Z

On December 26^th we woke up in time for food and did not have to go search the city for it, which was nice. As well Starbucks was open so that was great! Sarah myself and the two other girls that we hung out with on Christmas day spent the day walking around Edinburgh. We started the day by taking a free walking tour, they actually have them in a few cities all you do is tip the guide at the end if you want. The tour was great and covered a lot of old Edinburgh and the guide told us a lot of great stories about the places we were visiting. One of the highlights was to see the school that helped inspire Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry but the winner for highlight of the tour was the Elephant house. Which is where the great author J.K. Rowling wrote the first Harry Potter book, Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban. So that was really fun for me! We went and had lunch after the tour at this place that was like an American restaurant. It had all kinds of car pictures and gas signs from the 50’s-60’s it was good food and they had soda with ice which is defiantly important enough to talk about and those of you who have ever been to Europe know that is true! We walked around the city and the large park that is in the middle of the city, it was really cool and strange that there is a huge park with this almost mountain in the middle of the city. We went into a few different shops because there are huge sales everywhere from Christmas till the end of January. We were all so full from our late lunch that we just found this place that had proper milkshakes. Again in the UK a chocolate milk shake is like frothy chocolate milk, so for a real shake we were all pretty excited. We headed back to the hostel and Sarah and I packed because we had an early flight the next morning. I watched the old Hairspray in the lounge that night which was nice; it was a very homey nostalgic day.

On December 27^th we flew from Edinburgh to Dublin again on Rynair, this was the only time that I was charged for by bag weighing to much. We got in to Dublin no problem and then waited in line at customs for an hour and a half. I have never waited more then 10 min in any customs line at any airport in any country. We finally made it through and took a bus to the city center and found our hostel. It was not that nice it actually ended up being the crappiest one that we stayed in the whole time. We left our stuff and then went walked around Dublin for a bit and got some lunch. I started felling really gross, so we went back to the hostel and laid down for a bit. Sarah went and walked around for a bit, and I just stayed in bed. It was a kind of lame day but I was just happy that I never got really sick.

On December 28^th We took a tour into the country side. We were able to drive by the coast, I never knew Dublin was so close to the water, it was cold but a really sunny day which made the tour so much better. The tour took us by this house way out into the hills and had amazing gardens. We walked around for a while and just took pictures and walked through the amazing garden. It was such a beautiful place! We went and did a little shopping in the souvenir stores in the city. After we were both done buying enough crap to put our bags more over the weight limit. We went back to the hostel when we went to our room our keys did not work, so Sarah and I went to the desk and then another girl from our rooms key did not work. We finally got into our room and as a new girl was entering and the door shut the doorknob fell of the door from the outside. Someone went and told the hostel and they were like oh ya we thought that would happen. So what they ended up doing was tape the handle to the door. It worked but it was just so ridiculous! We went out to dinner with a few girls from our room. Then went back to the hostel and we all just hung out in the room and talked. All the other girls where going on a tour through our hostel, which is what this hostel is famous for. Sarah and I had signed up for a tour but it ended up that they were not running it. So it was sad to have fun girls going on a tour and hearing about other tours and not being able to go one. We were meant to go the second day we got there not the one with the girls but still, it would have been nice.

On December 29^th We went and toured the Guinness factory. It is a really great tour, I had done it three years ago but it was great to go again. It talks about the history of Guinness and how it is made. I was able to pull my own pint of Guinness and I even drank most of it. We hung out in the Sky bar, which is on the 7^th floor. It has great views of the skyline of Dublin. From there we just walked around the city for a while then we went back to our hostel got all our crap and headed off for the airport. We got back to my flat at about 10 at night. It was nice to be back in my flat and feel at home and settled.

On December 30^th we just slept in and hung out in my flat for a while. We ended up walking around and re visiting sights that I had dragged Sarah to the first day. We went back to my flat and hung out, watched movies. We made dinner that night which was nice since we had been eating out so much and it was a salad, which was double good since I felt like all I have been eating, was brown fried food.

On December 31^st we hung out at the flat and walked around my neighborhood a little bit. We hung out during the day, we did not want to be outside all day to only stand outside even longer that night as we waited for fireworks. We watched the fireworks from the embankment right across from the London eye. The fireworks were light off literally from the London eye as well as boats below it on the river. It was such a cold night at 10 that night they started playing music, old music including salt and peppea “ Push it” and “Whop there it is” it was funny that they played so much old music but we danced non the less just cause it was so freaking cold and it warmed us up a bit. There was a countdown and big Ben is what rang in the new year. It was a pain to get home. They closed Tube stations right in the center because they did not want them swarmed, what you had to do was walk in the direction you were going for a few miles and go to a tube stop in the direction of your home. We walked to the tube station and it was crazy so many people and the bussed where all so crazy. We were waiting for our bus and I saw Kate and Rory my flat mates walk by. We walked with them for a while and were crazy lucky to find a cab to take us home.

On January 1^st Sarah had a flight at 11 and to get to the airport you have to take a train. So we went to the tube station at about 7:30. I went back to my flat after she got on the train and just slept. I was so tiered. I did not really do much on the first or the second. I was a bit of a hermit just hanging out in my flat and watching movies.

Toady the 5^th I called into work and there was none but I have work for Tuesday and Wednesday. It was sort of snowing off and on today. But not nice snow it was almost like hail but smaller and still fluttered. It did not stick except in the parks a little. I went to the Natural History Museum and went to a photography exhibit for nature photos. The photos were amazing and made me want to devote time to doing that only. It even said what cameras and lenses people used and they were all supper fancy expensive photos so that is lame. I went and read in starbucks and watched the strange snowfall. Not to bad of a day. I also got a Christmas card from Dennis and Tessa which made me think to say thank you for the birthday cards and Christmas cards that I was sent. I love them, thank you. It is so nice to get mail, hint hint. 800 Fulham Road, Fulham London SW 6 5SL Hint Hint. Kidding sort of! Ok hope everyone is well and had a fun and safe New years. Lots of love Angie

The first week of traveling!

2009-01-01T21:33:00.002Z

I do not even know where to start. These past few weeks have been completely crazy Sarah a friend from High School came to London to visit and we traveled around for two weeks. We were in 6 different countries (7 but Germany does not count), more trains than I can count and saw so many amazing things.

On December 15^th Sarah flew in to London, I meet her at the train station that has a link to the airport, and because the tube line that I am on sucks most of the time, I was an hour late to meet her. We were told our trains breaks were not working and had to wait for about half an hour until they could get a different train for us all to get on. When I meet her she was exhausted but that did not stop me from dragging her all over London that day. We went back to my flat to drop of her stuff then set out. We took the bus into city center so she could see more of London. We got of at Piccadilly Circus and walked all over ending at the London Eye. It is probably about a three mile walk that takes you by Lesciter Square, Trafalgar square, Buckingham Palace, St. James Park, Westminster Abby, House of Parliament and ending with the London eye. We then got on the tube and walked down to London Bridge and Tower Bridge (not the same thing by the way) and then to the Tower of London. We went back to my flat and figured out the last details of the trip and then went to Pizza Express for dinner. It is a chain but has pretty good Pizza in my opinion.

On December 16^th, my dad turned 60 or 61! (we cant get a very definitive answer out of the man) and Sarah and I went to Paris! We took a 5:20 train out of Kings Cross station, but you have to be there 45 min before for security and check in. But the tube does not run that early, so we had to call a cab and come pick us up at like 4 am. So that sucked. But we made it in to Paris at about 9:00 I do love the Chunnel! When we got into Paris we decided to get our train tickets for the next day to Salzburg. We had bought a Euro rail pass, it allows you to have unlimited travel on 5 days in three countries or that is the one that we bought. WE picked France, Austria and Italy, the countries have to be touching and those where the places in Europe that we wanted to go to. But since to get to Salzburg from Paris we would have to go through Germany and switch trains there we had to pay for the part of the journey for when we were in Germany. We were a little disappointed that we had to pay because we did not think we would have to with our pass. But we did not completely understand it before but now we do.

We went and checked in to our hostel and left our stuff. We took the metro to the Louver, we did not go in but walked around it from there we walked to the Champs Elise and to the Arc De Triumph. We then walked down to the Seine and to the Eiffel Tower. Unfortunately it was cloudy and we were not even able to see the tip of the tower. We took all our photos from every angle then went and had hot chocolate at a café. It was so cold! We then took the bus to Notre Dame and toured inside of it. It is an amazing cathedral the work and detail in it is beyond amazing to look at! We went and had dinner at a place that I had eaten at last time I was in Paris. We both ordered Onion Soup, which is French, and Frittes, which are French Fries. So we had French onion soup and French fries in France, I love it! We took the bus back to the Effie tower and got there just as it started to sparkle, it is an amazing site to see. So we took more photos from every angle then took the metro back to our hostel. We were so tiered from our early train and had another early train the next day also, but we had girls who were ridiculous in our room. Granted it was about 10 at night but there were about 5 girls trying to sleep in our room but two turned on music and were just taking as if they were alone in the room. No one said anything so the fault is ours I guess. We should have spoken up instead of lying there not sleeping getting annoyed, I learned my lesson so next time watch out.

On December 17^th we woke up and grabbed a chocolate croissant from a bakery and took the metro to the train station. We were on one train for about three hours and another for four. It sure felt like we were wasting valuable time on the train already. It was really pretty though going through the countryside. We stopped at a train station in Germany and had lunch. I had McDonalds not very authentic Germany food but that is what I had. We got back on a train and finally got to Salzburg. We again got our train ticket for leaving the city. We decided that it would take so long to get from Salzburg to Florence so we decided to take a night train. We found our hostel and checked in that went and had dinner at a place the guy at our hostel recommended. It was good food and the wait staff was very helpful with speaking to us in English. So on that day we had breakfast in France, lunch in Germany and Dinner in Austria. We went and walked around old town Salzburg for a while. It is a really amazing city it has a castle on one side and sharp cliffs on either side. There were Christmas lights everywhere and it was a very magical fairytale city.

On December 18^th we had breakfast at the hostel and then got picked up for our sound of music tour. We were able to go to different sights farther out of the city that they had filmed such as the gazebo and the back of the house where they filmed the backyard scenes. We were also able to go out in to the hills and look at a few small towns where different scenes where filmed. It was really fun they told little secrets about the movie and the real family. It was fun they played music and people sung! When we got back to the city they told us where to go to see more sights mostly from the Do-Rae- Me scene so that was fun. When we got back into the city it was snowing so obviously so cold. We walked around a little then went and had a hot coco at a hotel where they have a café on the top floor with windows all over the place so it was great to watch the snow fall and drink coco. We went and had dinner at the same place we had before and then hung out for a little at our hostel before our night train. We took one train that was 2 hours and then switched to a different one. We were in a sitting car with three other people. We were both in the middle seat, I was between to large Italian old men and Sarah was next to an Austrian women. It was so hot in the car and I could not get comfortable to I went and slept at the end of the train car by bike storage on the floor. I wrapped up in my coat and had my travel pillow and actually slept.

On December 19^th we got into Florence at about 7 am. We found our hostel and I tried to talk the guy into letting us into the room then instead of wait until 1, but there were people in the room so we could not do that. We went and got breakfast at a bakery nearby, Sarah ordered a hot chocolate and it was sludge. We ended up taking a day trip to Pisa; it was about one hour away from Florence so it was nice we were able to sleep on the train again. We walked around the city a little and made our way to the tower. It was incredible to see it in person. I have seen so many pictures but never understood how dramatic you incredible it is that it is still standing. We took the must have pictures of us holding up the tower and walked around for a while. We had lunch in Pisa and went into a few different shops I got a pair of earrings that I like but are not really my style but I still love them! We took the train back to Florence and were able to check into our hostel and so we took naps and showers, which felt great after the night train from hell. We went to the Muse De’ Academia to see the statue of David. You are not able to take pictures, which I don’t really understand because its stone you cant hurt it but that was the rule. Again I had seen pictures of the statue and how large the statue is. The statue from head to foot was probably 20 feet tall. We walked around the museum for a while and looked around and then headed back to our hostel. We had dinner there and ended up playing cards with people at the hostel and drinking wine.

On December 20^th I turned 23! The night before we had signed up do a vespa tour of Tuscany. We meet our driver and guide it ended up that it was just going to be Sarah and I with the guide. He was a few years older than us and I was a little concerned that it would be uncomfortable but it was not. We drove a way out of town and rented two scoters. Sarah did not have her driver’s license so she was not techniquly meant to drive so she was going to ride with the guide. We did a little test-driving in a little car park, Sarah went first and did well, and then it was my turn. I was having trouble turning with out putting my feet out. I also had trouble slowing down on turns not speeding up. So I was trying to turn and I jumped a curb, and ran into a light post. Only my arm hit the post and then I jumped off the scoter and let it fell. When It fell the mirror broke off, so at that point I thought I had just bought a scoter. I ended up riding with the guide, which was fine with me because it allowed me to take pictures as we went. It was not strange until at one point he said he would be my Italian stallion, but it was ok. It ended up being a great day, and a fabulous birthday! We went to three different little villages in the area and stopped in them. At one we got coffee and at the next we had an amazing lunch. We had four different types of wine to sample from the region, a meet and cheese plate, three different pastas the best definitely being the one with truffle sauce, now I see what the fuss is all about with truffles. We even got a few different desserts to sample. The whole meal was amazing and possibly the best meal I have ever had! We made our way back to wear we started and I had to pay for the mirror which was not as bad as I thought so I was ok with it. Our guide took us back to Florence and dropped us off at the Square of Michelle Angelo, which has a great view point of the city. We were able to take photos and saw the sunset from there which was amazing. We walked down and along the river and across the bridge. I don’t know the name but it is one of three in the world where there are shops and homes on the bridge. We got gelato, I got tiramisu flavor and that was my birthday cake. We walked around a while and looked at all the different stalls at the markets all around the city. We went back to our hostel and ended up playing cards with some people again. It was a really great hostel called PLUS they have them in a few different city’s but it was just really nice.

On December 21^st we took the train to Rome, we got to Rome no problem and found our hostel and checked in. We started walking and went all over the city. We walked to the Coliseum, the Parthenon, a few different plazas that were beautiful and the treve fountain. We went back to our hostel and found out that we are in a room with smelly boys, we did not care about the boys but that they smelled so rank!

On December 22^nd we walked to the Vatican, it was far away and is its own country which is amazing. I brought my passport hopping that I would get a stamp but I did not L. The Vatican was un real to be in a place that is so old and has seen so much it makes you feel small and a part of something much larger all at once. While we were in line to go through security there was a nun walking by me who sneezed, I said bless you as I do to anyone who sneezes, she smiled only after she walked away did I think that it was strange that I just told a nun bless you. It is definitely a high light! We took the audio guided tours and that was great it gave us a lot of information, I little bit to much at times but it was still really great. We also went into the copula that is the dome on top of the Vatican. We took an elevator half way up then walked up stairs so small with walls leaning in you had to lean on the other wall to keep walking upward. There were also spiral stairs that were so skinny and also so many of them that we had to take breathers every once in a while. You are able to stand on the inside of the copula looking down at the Vatican and able to see all the mosaics up close. Up towards the top there are a ton of mosaics of cherubs and saints, they are so detailed that it is so incredible the detail and time that must have gone into them. Then you walk up more stairs and get to outside of the dome at the very top. The view of Rome was amazing; the weather was so nice it was sunny and warm to us. I walked around in jeans with a long sleeve shirt and jeans on which is incredible compared to all the snow in Salzburg. We hung out up top for a while then went down a level and walked around on the roof. There is a little shop up there which is sad yet I still went in. Inside there are nuns who are working, they were all so friendly and it was great to talk to them. We then hung out in the sun for a little while and overheard a young priest whom it looked like was with his parents where the pope’s room is. It was so funny to look at the windows and think that Pope Benedict could be right behind the curtains. We went back down and got food from a street vendor, luckily we looked to see what time our train left that night, it left 3 hours early then we thought so we had to hurry, We skipped the crypt of other popes but went to the Vatican museum. We pretty much ran through it because it was important to both of us that we see the sis tenth chapel. It was amazing to stand under it and gaze at the detail as well as the affect that it had on others around us. I wish we would have had more time to spend there and in Rome in general. We went back to our hostel and packed and headed for the train station. This night train was so much better than the last; we were in a sleeper car!!!!! There were three beds and we were in the top two, the other person came into our room in Florence, it was a women who seemed nice but was a little strange. It was so great to be in a bed and not have strange Italian men in the room with us.

On December 23^rd we got into Paris and checked into our hostel, it was the same one that we were at last time so it was nice to know where it was and all that. We went up to Sacla Cur ( SP?) which is this temple that overlooks the whole of Paris it was a sunny day and it was nice to sit up there and just take in being in Paris. We then went to the Eiffel tower and were able to take pictures of it now that we were able to see all of it this time. We then went over to the Catacombs. It was creepy but mostly walking to where the bones were, you have to walk in long tunnels where there were sometimes no one else with you. When we saw other people we definitely tried to stay with them so it was less creepy. When we got to the bones it was kind of amazing and you were able to look at them with out thinking that they are bones in designed patterns. That was the strange part, that they made patterns, at one point there was a heart made out of skulls! It also got really slippery so now I was so worried that I would trip and reach for the walls to hole me up and I would freak out because they are made of BONES! We left and got wine at a café by the tower and waited for it to sparkle again because it is so magical to watch. We went back to the hostel and ate dinner with a few girls in our room.

On December 24^th we went to the airport which was a pain to get to, we had to take the metro for an hour and then ride a bus for an hour and a half. It was a crappy airport but that is what you get when it is just a ryanair airport. We flew to Glasgow and took a train into the city center. When we got there we asked about trains to Edinburgh on Boxing day and where told that there would not be trains that day. So we decided to go to Edinburgh that night so that way would be able to make our flight in two days. We took a train that night to Edinburgh and went to our hostel. We hung out and watched Muppet Christmas Carroll which was the movie for move night.

On December 25^th when we woke up the hostel had hung stockings from all of our beds. There was just a bag of crisps and candy but it was just such a nice thought and it made it feel more like Christmas. We went and walked around the city and looked for food since we missed breakfast we finally found snacks at a news agent which was all that was open besides tourist shops, which we also went into. When we were waiting for Christmas lunch we started playing cards with a few girls and ended up eating with them and a brother and sister. It was nice to have a Christmas dinner. It was not as good as moms cooking but it was still really nice! After lunch Sarah and I and the other two girls went in search of dessert, we ended up buying ice cream bars at the news agent and went up to Edinburgh castle and ate in the parking lot over looking the city and looking at the stars. It was my first Christmas away from home and I thought I would have been a mess, I defiantly missed home and would have loved if I could have been transported home for that day but it was a pretty great Christmas day considering.

The christmas season!

2008-12-14T17:50:00.003Z

Marcela and her boyfriend Jullian threw a great christmas party on Saturday! It was a lot of fun. THe pictures are of my flat-mates and myself. This past week I taught everyday at different schools and they went pretty well. Sarah comes into London tomorrow and we will travel around for about 2 weeks ending in London. I am excited to have a friend here, to travel and to not ork for the next three weeks!

2008-12-11T17:55:00.002Z

This last weekend I met up with some girls who are on the same visa as I am and hung on in London. We went to a few different open air markets then went and saw Spamalot. The markets were amazing and had great food and really great mulled wine! Spamalot was Monty Pithon and the Holy Grail set to music, it makes fun of itself. It ends January 3rd so I am really happy that I was able to see it when I was. On Sunday I went for a jog, it was really sunny but so cold there was frost on the ground. I never jog so it was more jog/ walk but it still felt good to get out and do that.

On Monday I went to the Special Needs school again I really just love that school, I went back on Tuesday as well. That night I was told that I would be going for a trail day at a different school that would be three days a week. The class I would half of that time is so difficult. I was then told they extended it to five days. I struggled with that because I do not want to work 5 days a week every week or have to do that. I want the flexibility to be able to travel and not work if I want to. I went back today, Thursday the class is so difficult but somehow have grown on me. I was offered the job and am thinking about it. I do not think i will accept it though. My heart is just not in it. It also takes ma about an hour and a half each way to get from home to the school. I have to take two buses and a train.

When I was on the train home I got a call about a long term position ever Tuesday Friday at a school which I might be interested in. I have never been to the school before but think that I am going tomorrow as like a trail day. To see if they like me and I like them.

Next week Sarah comes and we begin our travels! Hope everyone has a great Christmas and a very happy new year! Lots of love Ang

Twilight!

2008-12-04T20:16:00.002Z

I got back into London on Tuesday afternoon and went to my flat. I just unpacked and talked with my flat-mates. On Wednesday I did not work. I was super tiered from the flight and I also wanted to go to the Twilight Premier in London. There were so many people- girls there, a lot of them were Americans also who were studying in the city or around it. My flat-mate Kate came and kept me company for a little while and brought me hot coco. It was crazy but I saw Edward, Robbert Pattison and Bella Swan, Kreisten Stwert. They were the only start there and also the director. I really just wanted to see him and was happy when I was able to! I was like 10 feet away from him but had a little trouble taking pics. I worked today at a new school and had a really hard time finding it. I have work lined up for tomorrow and that is great.

You can go home again!

2008-12-02T17:57:00.003Z

After I had a great weekend with someone from home, I subbed four days the following week. Two of the days were at a school that is completely a special needs school. Most students are high needs and were not thriving in a general education school. It was great to see the different ideas that the teachers had for different students needs. On Friday of that week I flew home to go to my brother Dennis's wedding. I got home at about 11 on Friday night where my parents and the newest Mr. and Mrs. Linderman met me. It was great to see them all and to be in the states. I had a lay over in Chicago for about 2 hours and it was great. I was able to get a pumpkin spice latte which is my favorite and they do not have in the UK because they do not have Thanksgiving. I also got McDonalds for dinner which was so gross but so great all at the same time.

On Saturday morning the fam all came over. Rob & Misty, Den & Tessa , Mom & Dad. It was nice to have an American breakfast with normal beacon. Its funny the stupid little stuff you miss. We went to a movie after that, mom made me go to Twilight with her. We have both read the books and were pretty excited. It was not that good, but with that said I saw it again in the week and am thinking about going to the premier in London in two days in hopes of seeing Edward. I know I am Lame! No need to tell me!!! After the movie we went to Red Robin, of course I wanted a real burger and that was definitely what I needed. We just hung out at the house the rest of the night and it was nice. On Sunday mom and I went shopping in Portland and it was nice to just walk around, I felt a little like I was in London. That night we just hung out and mom cooked dinner it was great. On Monday I got mexican food which was much needed! I think we just hung out but now I cant remember. On Tuesday I met Shannon and Erin at Bridgport for lunch and to see Twilight again. It was great to see them and catch up. After the movie we grabbed coffee and dinner then waited for the preview of Milk. Shan got us passes. Adam, Kyle and Shan's sister Hallie and her husband Scott came and saw the movie with us. It was really good. It was about Harvey Milk the first openly gay public official elected. After the movie we went and got drinks.

On Wednesday I went up to Timberline with my brothers. They went skiing and snowbording, and I hung out in the lodge and read. That is so relaxing for me. When we got home Sarah came over and we planned out what we are going to do when she visits for 2 and a half weeks in December. It was fun to see what we are going to do and plan it all out. After that I helped mom make pumpkin pies for Turkey day. On Thanksgiving day I helped mom make breakfast and get the food ready. It was a relaxing turkey day and we were able to watch movies. Uncle Charlie and Aunt Wilma came in time for dinner and we ate way to much. My cousin Corrine got in to town in time for pie so all was well. On Friday we, my mom, aunt, cousin and I went to Target and did a little shopping and then just hung out until the lingerie shower for Tessa. It was fun and not uncomfortable as I thought it would be considering my mom was there with her future daughter-in-law. After the shower we all went to Greek Cousina for a non-rehearsal- rehearsal. It was a lot of fun, we threw plates on the floor and they taught us Greek dances. It was a lot of fun, and really good food.

On Saturday mom, my aunt, cousin and myself went to Summer’s baby shower. It was great to see them because we normally only see them once a year. It was exciting to celebrate baby Jackson’s arrival. After the shower we went home and got ready for the wedding. It was beautiful, there were tons of candles and it was just family. There were about 45 people and it was so nice and intimate. The ceremony was amazing. Tessa looked fabulous! The reception was at the Portland City Grill down town. The food was really good and there was great music and lots of dancing.

On Sunday we made breakfast at the house, and then mom, aunt Wilma and I went and did a little shopping. That night we had a family dinner with both brothers, both sister-in-laws, my aunt and uncle and my parents. It was nice to have one last dinner together and to have a great meal before I left. On Monday I packed and had Mexican with my parents, I needed to get my fill before I left. I went home and hung out with Dennis and Tessa who came over to say good bye then my parents took me to the airport. I flew from Portland to Seattle. Then Seattle to London, in Seattle I was able to get my last bit of Mexican at Quadoba before I got on the plane. I got back to my flat about two hours ago and have just been unpacking and getting re-settled in.

Better I have a voice

2008-11-18T20:48:00.004Z

After I lost my voice I did not work again until Friday. I was not able to speak again until Thursday night and even then I sounded like a boy in puberty. I worked at the Catholic school on Friday, I was in a year one class and then nursery. Nursery was fun they are 3 and you just play so that is always great! On Saturday I went to Portebelo Market, the market in Notting Hill from the movie. It was crazy busy and lots of tourists. Every time I hear an American accent I kind of perk up its strange. It was fun it was a nice day and there were stalls selling everything you wanted and did not want. Around noon a friend came in to town. She went to PLU for a year and is studying in Manchester for the semester. Once Kristen got here we went and garbed lunch in my neighborhood then went into the city center to see about getting tickets to a show. We went to different booths claiming to be half price and went to theaters but they were sold out or all 60 pounds. That is about 120 dollars. We ended up going back to my flat and just watched movies. It was great to catch up and have someone who knows the same people and places as I do.

On Sunday we got breakfast then went to Spitfields market. That was a really great market a lot of similar stuff to portebelo but different also and it was covered which was great because it was raining. We went back to my flat and had dinner with my flat-mates and Marsela's boyfriend. It was so good, she made lamb with rosemary and lots of vegetables and potatoes. There was lots of wine and dessert it felt like out own little Christmas dinner. We are going to try and do that kind of a thing every once and a while. Kristen left on Monday morning and I went and worked a half day at the first school I was at four weeks ago. I was in the nursery and had a good time. There was a mix up and were to many supply teachers, luckily as I got there first I was able to stay and work, when one girl got sent home with out pay. After work I went to High Street Kensiginten and did a little shopping. I found a dress for Dennis's wedding next week and a few other things. Today I went to a new school to cover teachers being pulled out for IEP meetings. It was a school just for students with special needs. It was amazing to see the skills students have learned and the inclusive community because the school is for students with sever learning or behavioral needs. I was in one class with seven 5 year olds that had 4 aids because of the high needs of the students. It was a much different approach then we have at home or that i have ever seen. As of right now I do not have work for tomorrow but I do on Thursday, then Friday no work because im going home! only for 10 days though, but it will be great! See some of you soon and hope to hear from the rest of you. Love lots Ang

This week

2008-11-12T18:58:00.002Z

On Monday I worked at the Catholic school that I was at the week before. But Monday night my voice started to break and go week. By the time i went to sleep i had no voice left at all. On Tuesday i had to call in to work and tell them that i could not work. I just stayed around my flat and drank a lot of orange juice. This morning I still did not have my voice so I still could not work. It feels a little bit better now and just hope that i will be able to work on Thursday.

Weekend in Wales

2008-11-10T18:01:00.003Z

This last weekend I went to Wales with a group from my work visa. It was arranged through them, so it was nice to not have to organize anything or look into anything. I went by myself and it was a little strange when I got there it was pretty clique. I meet a couple nice girls though that I hung out with so that was good. We stooped in a few different cities. The first one we went to has a bridge that is part England and part Wales. That is the picture of me on the bridge. From there we went to a town that has an old abby that was taken apart when Henry VIII changed from Catholic to Church of England. In the hills there is an old church that was burnt down in the woods. It was pretty amazing because the woods around it have started to grow with in it. The views from there were also amazing. At our third stop the town was called Hay on Way and has over 35 used book shops. There was one that had every book for one pound. It was pretty rad, some how I only got three books. My favorite though was this bookshop in a courtyard that was full of bookshelves full of books. You just left your money in a box. It was amazing! But sadly the books were al really wet and kind of falling a part because they were just outside the whole time. The hostel we stayed at was nice and I was in a room with 7 other girls. They were all pretty nice and normal, unlike some of the girls who seemed like they were still very much in middle school.

The next morning we went horse riding. Because its me I got the largest horse in the stable. I always get the horse that does not move, or wont stop eating. So it was fitting that I had the largest horse. Its because I was the tallest girl, but it was crazy. Some of the girls seemed like they were on ponies, my horse could walk over them. It was an English saddle which was strange it was raining so much and at one point it was hailing. The ride was pretty great around the area but it was raining the whole time. We were on paths for a while that had really low branches and since I was on the huge horse I had to lean back in the saddle so that I would not get hit by a branch. At one point a girl in the groups horse ran and she could not stop it. It was funny but she got so freaked out that she demanded to be taken of the horse and walked back to the stable. We found out later that it there had been gale force winds they did not even think we would be able to cross the bridge back into England . So we had been riding for three hours in gale force winds and hale. We got back to london at about 9 and then I went back to my flat. I worked today at the Catholic school that I have been at for a couple days last week. It is so nice to know where I am going and some of the people. I have one weekend before I go home for Dennis and Tessa's wedding and Thanksgiving. I might stay in London and a friend from Manchester might come down or we might go to Dublin. I hope everyone is well and doing well! Let me know what is happening with all of you, I hope everything is going well.

Love lots Ang

The last week.

2008-11-07T17:48:00.003Z

Since Sunday I have had a pretty good week. I did not work on Monday but I was able to get an appointment to try and get my National Health Insurance Number. I was able to get it, but it will not bet sent to me for about three weeks. When I got back I just hung around my flat. On Tuesday I did not work either and that got a little annoying, but I decided to go to the British Museum. I went to the museum and stayed there for a bit, but then ended up at a market, walking through some parks and then by the buildings of parliament. When I got home I went to the mexican restaurant with my flat-mates. It was pretty good, it was kind of fancy and had different food on it. It seemed like it was Spanish food but was very good! On Wednesday I did work and went to a Catholic school I was with four and five year olds. They are so young! It was going well and there is a teacher assistant in the room so that is great because she knew what was going on. But at lunch i felt real sick and ended up throwing up in the bathroom. Sorry if that is a TMI for some of you ( to much info) but there it is. After that I felt so much better and almost finished out the day. With about five minuets to go, the TA was out of the room I started felling sick I had the kids start singing, then ran to their little bathroom and threw up. Again after that I felt so much better, no one new though and the head teacher was asking if I would want to go back to the school. I was went home and thought I was feeling better but then I threw up again outside my tube stop. But at least I found a trash can. I got to my flat and just laid in bed drank water and ate pringles, because those were the closets thing I have to crackers. I just sat around for a while and just drank sprite and ate breadsticks. It was the fifth of November and that marks the anniversary of when Guy Fawkes failed to blow up parliament. So people light of fireworks to celebrate. Rory bought some down the street and we light them from atop balcony upstairs. It was fun and they were just little rockets that burst in the air. They were all good and great, until one fizzled and went right into the street. With that we stooped and ran into the flat. It did not hit anyone or any so were ok. On Thursday I worked at a school pretty close to me and that was fine. Again there was a teacher assistant so that made it so much better. It all went well and there was nothing to special about it. I found out that they wanted me back at the St. Anthony's school I was at the day before. The one I was sick at. They wanted me for Friday and two days next week. So thats good. I went back to St. Anthony's school today and it went fine again nothing special but nothing ridiculous either. Oh however in the staff room the head teacher and second head teacher brought in a bottle of whine and offered it around to all the teachers, that seemed a bit strange. But no one else seemed to think so. I just got back to my flat and am going to pack for tomorrow when I leave to Wales. Im pretty excited about it.

Sorry this is so boring, just not a lot going on at the moment. Hope everyone is doing well and having a good November. Have a Pumpkin Spice latte for me, I miss those!

Love lots Ang

The photo is us lighting the fireworks of on Wednesday.

Sunday

2008-11-03T07:26:00.002Z

When I got back from traveling I was super tiered and just hung out at my flat. There were fireworks going of around my flat because of some kind of fair that was going on. But there will be more this week because on November 5th it marks the anniversary of when Guy Fawkes tried to blow up parliament and failed. On sunday I woke up and went to High Street Kenisginton so do some shopping. But since it was Sunday they did not open until 12:00, so I had to wait about and hour and a half. I found this cute little place that had omelets which I have never seen here before it is always the gross English breakfast. I got some jeans and a few sweaters from H& M and a pair of flat boots that will be nice when it rains and also when I go horse back riding this weekend in Wales! I came back home and cleaned my room a little then went the the grocery store with a flat-mate.

Last night I went to a church that I had found online. It is less then a mile from my flat which is really nice. I really liked it and will definitely go back. They had greeters at the door and when I sat by myself a few girls a little older then me came sat with me and introduced themselves. Everyone seemed really nice and down to earth, and not creepy; so I will be going back! Right now its Monday morning here and I just called into work and am waiting to see if there is anything. Since last week was a holiday I thought it might be slow so we will see. I want to work just so I can start getting used to it and get in a schedule, but that will come with time. Hope everyone is well and love yall lots!

Copenhagen, Brussels and Paris! This is why I am here.

2008-11-01T15:10:00.005Z

On Saturday night I went out to dinner with my flat-mates to celebrate one of their birthdays. We went to an Indonesian restaurant in Chelsea up the road from my flat. I was leaving for Copenhagen the next morning. I had to get up the next morning at 3:30 to make my flight. I found a really cheap flight but it left really early. But the tube does not run that early, I had to take a cab to a train station to take the train to the airport. My flight was fine and I got into Copenhagen safely. I took the metro down town and meet Jen and Allen down town. They were at a fashion designer showcase where you can get designer for pretty cheap. It was raining so hard and really cold, so they took me to a museum that the best in the city. The museum was really cool and had an amazing court yard inside the museum. When they were done they came and picked me up and we went back to their apartment. We hung out at their apartment and just watched T.V. they have a ton of American sitcoms but with Danish sub titles. The next day it was nice out and Je and I walked around their neighbor hood and went to a cemetery where hans Christian Anderson is buried. It was a really beautiful day the leaves had all changed it was amazing. The cemetery was really neat because it was a so old. There were so many old stones and family plots. There were also red squirrels in the cemetery which was very strange because I have only ever seen gray ones. After we left the cemetery we headed back to their apartment. We ended up running back to the apartment because it started to rain so much. They are having their kitchen redone and had to wait for the countertop to be delivered. So Jen walked be to the bus stop and told me where to get off to see the little mermaid statue. I was able to find it and walked around for a while. There was a fortress by the statue that was just amazing. The weather was much better, it was cold but it was not raining. I found the statue and really liked it but at the same time was expecting something larger. I liked Copenhagen a lot, although there was a language barrier the people were so nice and helpful. Everyone spoke english and when I would ask them if they did they would all just say yes of course we all do. I got a few questions about the election which is just as big over here as it is at home, but here they do not have control of the outcome.

I made my way from the statue to the palace and to the cannel in downtown. I ended up in a major shopping center area and ended up sitting at a cafe and people watching. Jen came and meet me and then we just walked around and went into the shops. We went back to the apartment and hung out. I planned the rest of my trip and found my hostels.

The next morning I took the bus to the airport and flew to Brussels. I took the a train and a metro from the airport to my hotel. The hotel was a little hard to fine because I cam out of the wrong exit from the metro. I was able to recall enough french to be able to ask if they speak english. I found my hotel and checked in, it was a very tiny room but was nicer then a hostel. I walked around for a bit and looked in shops and saw the grand plaza. It was strange because it felt like most other large city's. It was very multicultural and I heard tons of different languages being spoken. I had a really good dinner, I could not read the menu but just asked the waiter what he would recommend and it was beef with onion sauce. It was really good. After dinner I had dinner I went back to the grand plaza which gets all lit up at night. I left Brussels the next morning and wen to Paris by train.

When I got to Paris I did not have directions to my hostel and did not want to try and figure out the metro with all of my things. I took a cab to my hostel. I left and went to lunch, I was a little nervous about it but the waitress was really nice and found someone who could speak english with me so that I could ask about the menu. I decided to go and walk by the river, it was a really nice day but freaking cold. I walked a while and found Notre Dame, found I mean I got to it. I was not expecting the walk to take so long. I decided to take a river boat thing. It is a hop-on-hop-off boat and goes to all the major sites. It was a really pretty way to see some of the city and was also just very relaxing. I took the boat for the whole loop and got off at the Eiffel Tour. I have never been one of those girls who has wanted nothing more then to see the Eiffel tour, but sitting there and looking at it I was in Aww. I got a crape and just sat and watched all the people, and the guys selling you little Eiffel tour figurines. I did however realize that my dislike for pigeons is only greater for the kids who kick at the pigeons and cause them to fly, normally at me. It ended up getting incredibly cold and starting to rain so I took the boat ride back close to my hostel and then walked to my hostel. I grabbed dinner at a cafe and the waiter was supper nice to me. He was helpful and was able to provide me with a menu in english. I tried to go back to the Eiffel tour because I wanted to see it all lit up and sparkly. I got lost in the metro thought and decided to just get a coffee. I was sitting outside just enjoying being in Paris when I had my only real rude experience. I had a coffee and he wanted be to pay right away but I asked but what if I want something else? He responded with I do nut understand your English, I am French, I speak French. With that I paid and walked away. He was the only rude person that I encountered. I decided to go back to my hostel and hang out and plan kind of what I was going to do the next day.

On Thursday I got up early and took the metro to the Eiffel tour. I wanted to go to the top but did not wait in the long line that gathers during the day. I got in line at about 8:30 and it opened at 9. I went all the way to the top. I had never felt like that was something that was important to me but it was amazing up there. It was so windy and you could see how huge Paris is. Because I was there so early there were not a ton of people. From there I just walked around and took my time enjoying the city. I ended up at the Champs Elise and took some time there. I went into the Louis Vuitton store, it was like 4 stories tall and there were so many people in there. I grabbed a quick lunch at McDonalds it took me 10 minutes to order becuase of how busy they were. I walked a bit and when in and out of shops. I sat in Starbucks for a while and rested in the warmth and dryness. I walked back down to the river and took the boat back to Notre Dome. I took a tour inside and sat for a while. It is so strange to me that these huge massive kind of dark places were created to reflect God, when they seem so depressing. I did appreciate the history of it and the massive scale of which it was built. I grabbed dinner at a cafe nearby and had onion soup, which makes it French onion soup. It was really good! I also had tiramisu that was incredible. I then caught the boat and went to the Eiffel tour. I saw it sparkle from the boat and then it stays lit up. After that I went back to my hostel and rested.

On Friday I wanted to go to the Louvre. I knew it was massive but did not understand how massive. I got lost so many times and I had a map. I saw the Mona Lisa which was cool, but at the same time makes you wonder why is it so famous. It just did not seem like anything that remarkable its just famous. I walked around for about 4 hours until I felt overloaded. I grabbed lunch at their cafe and then discovered there are shops in the Louvre. There was a Starbucks and other cloths shops that was strange. I sat for a bit and talked with an American couple. When I left the Louvre I went to the train station to buy my ticket back to London so I would not have to worry about it today. I then went back to the area around the Eiffel tour and grabbed dinner and just sat for a while writing in my journal and watch people go by. I then went and sat by the Eiffel tour for a while and took it all in. I grabbed a crape and waited for it to light up.

All the guys selling their little figurines ran past because the cops where coming, that was funny because they just grab their blanket with crap and run. I was able to see it sparkle and it was amazing. At one point it got a little to much but was really cool. I then went back to the Champs Eilese because I wanted to see that all lit up also. From there I took the metro back to my hostel and packed up my things. I chatted for a while with a girl in my room, she has been traveling by herself for a month and has the rail pass that I want to get so it was great to ask her questions and get honest answers.

This morning I took the train from Paris to London and got back to my flat about 12:30. It is nice to be back because I was not here very long before I left, so it is nice to have my own space. I had a really great time and cant wait to go back to Paris. I really liked Copenhagen and would like to go back but maybe in the summer next time. I would not go back to Brussles thought, all though the country side looked amazing from the train. I hope everyone is doing well keep me posted!

Lots of Love

Ang

The Photo is of my flatmates and one of their Friends. From Right to left, is Rory and Kate teh couple from Austraila, me, Marsala from Prauge in the Chech Republic, and her friend.

Friday and Saturday.

2008-10-25T14:51:00.002+01:00

On Friday I got up in my flat and called into work to see if there was any work. There was no work that day because the next week is half term break so there is no school the whole week. So I went to the visa office again because I got an email saying that there was bank mail for me at the office. It is kind of far away and across London. By the office there is a kind of street market there with really great food. So I garbed some food and just sat and people watched. I was able to go shopping and get some things that I have been wanting to have since I have been here. Stuff like a blow dryer and a straightener, stuff that is not that important but that make things a little nicer. I have unpacked and gotten pretty settled into my room, its small and not a lot going on with it but it is all I need. I went down so the store down the street from here, with one of my flat-mates. The store is large and actually has lots of choices unlike most of the shops here which are small and are more like a minnie mart. I walked around the store for a while just looking at all the choices and trying to figure out what I needed. I got some stuff and decided to make dinner. It was nice to be able to cook and not have to eat out. I ended up making dinner and hanging out with my other flat-mate whose birthday it was. Since it was her birthday we got her Champagne and cake and hung out a little and celebrated. It is nice to have a home base type of place that I feel comfortable in and can go to and be comfortable in.

This morning which is Saturday I woke up and got ready and just went walking around the neighborhood. It is really nice there is just a lot of little shops and places to eat. There are a lot of people who are out just walking about. I came back to the flat and got a load of wash going. It is a washer and dryer in one, but it does not really dry that well. The cloths come out wet but warm at the same time. you also cant wash in cold water the coldest our washed goes is 30 degrees celsius. I then went to the post office with my flat-mate and then went and grabbed a coffee. It is really a nice area and just nice to hang out in. Tonight we are going out to dinner for one of the girls birthdays and that should be fun. I leave for Copenhagen tomorrow and plan on going to Amsterdam on Wednesday through Friday. I am excited to go travel around and see more Europe. I hope everyone is doing well and keep me updated on what is going on!

Love lots

Ang

Thursday

2008-10-24T08:09:00.002+01:00

On Thursday I planned to move into my flat, and then go to my visa office where I had a few boxes and pack those back to the flat. I was able to move into the flat which was great. One of the girls in the flat, Kate was there and she is really nice. She was helping me figure out where to get things and what places where the best to go. I went by the bank over here that I set an account up at, but had trouble because I can not access the money I have at home. I can only take out a little bit of money at a time which is really frustrating. I went to my visa office and picked up a couple boxes that I had sent with my mom the day I left. It was just more clothes and shoes, but I am really excited about the idea of different clothes, I was already getting tired of wearing the same thing. When I was at the office I signed up for a trip in two weeks to go to Wales and go horse back riding. It is just for the weekend and is for kids on BUNAC visas so it should be fun!

When I got back to the flat I just unpacked and talked to Kate and Marsalla the other girl who lives on the floor above me. They are all 30 so I feel really young but they are all real nice so its good. We just hung out in the living room and drank wine, it was nice. Much better then the hostel, that is for sure. We ended up watching a movie together so that was nice. I really like them all!

No work today, nice!

2008-10-22T16:34:00.005+01:00

I did not work today which was fine with me because it was a nice day here. The only bad thing is that my contract of guaranteed four days of work does not start until November 1st, so I did not get paid to not work. I decided to go to the Imperial War Museum in London. I have visited it before when I was here last but it was nice to go again and take my time looking at the exhibits. They have really large exhibits about both World Wars and also the Holocaust. I was able to take pictures in the exhibits and plan to use them when I have my own classroom so that was kind of cool to look at the exhibits and think about how I could use them in the future.

After the museum I walked across the Waterloo bridge and took pictures of Parliament and the London Eye. The weather was pretty great, it was sunny but chilly. I know that I was here in January last time but I will still take some getting used to the cold weather here. I move into my flat tomorrow and am really excited about that. I have definitely gotten used to being in the hostel and the area that it is in, and that might be hard. I like having a Star-bucks, Mark & Spencer & pizza express less then 3 minutes away. But it will be nice to do laundry, unpack watch T.V. sleep when I want and be able to cook.

Not much going on here today but I hope everyone is doing well!

Lots of Love

Ang

Second Day... better!

2008-10-21T19:41:00.003+01:00

Today was better, I was at the same school but different classes about grade 5 and 6. I just did a half day and covered for teachers who were in meetings. That helped because they were there to tell me what to do, not just unclear plans. The kids were much more well behaved, but still so chatty. It is so funny because when I introduce myself they automatically want to figure out where I am from. They are normally always right with American. Then tell me about who they know who is American also. It was nice to be at the same school because I knew where I was going and how long it would take me about.

After I was done working at about 12:30 I went back to the city. I work probably 30 min outside of the city. I walked by the river and went and walked around/across the tower bridge and the tower of London. It was such a nice day it was sunny and clear with a little chill in the air. It is kind of phone to walk around the tourist areas because of all the different languages that you can hear. Tonight I booked a ticket to go to Copenhagen to visit Jen , who I lead Young Life with at PLU. I will be there for three nights then I made plans to meet Kristen Sussmen in Paris for Halloween. She went to PLU also and is in Manchester on exchange. I think I will go to Amsterdam in between the two city's for a few days by myself also. The next week is have term break in all the schools so there is no work that week. I hope all is well and keep me updated on all your lives!

Love lots

Ang

First day teaching... Yikes!

2008-10-20T19:21:00.003+01:00

Well however thought that English children would be well mannered got that wrong, big time. They were so talkative it was about second grade, that is my guess anyways since they do not have the same names as us. I was only there for a half day, and thank God for that! They did not stop talking, the pushed and shoved right in front of me, yet held the door open for me at the same time????? It was interesting I had no idea what to do, which I know would be the same back home but I just had a lot of trouble understanding the way their schools are set up. I did have a little bit of a hard time understanding what some of the kids where saying, and I do not think quoting Mary Poppins at them would help, but thanks Erin. Luckily there was a rehearsal for a play and an assembly that took up a major part of the day. And of course I got lost on the way there but I had given myself lots of time so I was O.K. The kids despite being kind of pains where really nice, they all wanted to help and wanted to tell me about themselves, I just wish they could be quite also. I am scheduled to go back to the school tomorrow, but not that class. But the teacher is gone all weekend so we will see where I end up. It was pretty far west of the city, it was in Zone 5 if anyone has an idea of London, most things in the city, are in zone one, and then you live in the outer zones.

Speaking of living...... I got a flat!!!! The pics are of it, it is small but in a pretty good area. It is the flat that is owned and above the "Adult" shop. I like it a lot! I move in on Thursday and am excited to get out of the hostel and have my own space. I meet the couple that live there and they seemed pretty nice a little older then me. They were watching friends in the communal room so they cant be that bad. I hope everyone is doing well lots of love !

Ang

Weekend

2008-10-19T13:54:00.004+01:00

On Saturday I went and looked another flat. It was kind of far out in the West side of London, But it was crap. It was gross and rundown and not that much cheaper then the nice one in Fulham. So after leaving the flat I went down by the river in the touristy part of town. There is a really nice walking path there where there are tons of street performers and painted people.

That is also the area where the London Eye is and the parliament buildings are. It is just a really nice walk and the weather was beautiful it was a great fall day, it was warmer then it had been when I left home.I then walked through St. James park to Buckingham Palace . I love that park, but there are a lot of birds in it and those of you who know me well know I do not like birds and to make matters worse there are also squirrels that people feed on kind of came at me, i got a picture of it as it was running at me, then I quickly walked away. I girl saw and laughed at me, but then one came after her to , so she got hers! But the park is really gorgeous and this time no birds flew at me, they did last time I was here. On my walk I was able to get a pic with a palace guard and this time he was in the red coat. Last time he was in the black "Winter" coat and it was very disappointing. From there I walked up to Trafalger square and went to the National Portrait Gallery.

The museums here are so great because they are free except some exhibits coast money. There was an Anne Leibowitz exhibit that I went to and it was pretty amazing. There were so many families there, it was great to see kids sitting on the floor sketching out the portraits that they see. From there I walked up to Lester Square which is where all the movie premiers happen in London. It is just kind of a fun place to walk around. I ended up going out to dinner with a girl from my hostel. She is here for an internship and is from Florida. She told be that there was a free walk from the hostel to take you on like a night photo tour of London and stopping at "real" english pubs. I decided to because I do not know anyone and I thought I might people that way. But, it was she, the guide and I . LAME! The tour was pretty much was I had walked earlier that day on my own, but it was at night so the sights were all light up. It was not the bad but it was kind of strange because it was such a small group.

Today, by the suggestion of my mom I went to the area of the flat that I like, the one above the "Adult" shop and just look at more of the area. I really like the area. There is a park and a community garden not far, there is a really cute coffee shop, and pubs which are everywhere. There were lots of people walking around and lots of kids with their parents. So I feel like it is pretty safe. But the best part was that there is a Mexican restaurant like 4 blocks from where the flat is. Some of you may know this but it is really hard to find Mexican food here so before I left I was eating a ton of it to prepare for the time when I wont be able to eat it. So that is pretty great. The area is pretty nice, lots of small shops not large cookie cutter shops like on high streets.

I decided to go by where I stayed last time just for fun. It is pretty much the same although it seems I little nicer then it was then. There is a church there that Brit and I could hear practicing music so I went to see what times it services are for if I want to go. I sat outside Star-bucks for about an hour just reading, it was so nice the sun was out and it was kind of warm! I hope you are all doing well and keep me updated on what is happening with you all!

Lots of Love

Ang

BUNAC!

2008-10-17T19:47:00.002+01:00

Today I had my BUNAC orientation, BUNAC is the visa that I am here on for those of you who do not know. It is a visa for students and recent graduates. The orientation was very helpful because I was able to see that a lot of people are in the same situation that I am in. Most did not have a job or housing, so I fell very fortunate that I at least have a job. I was able to meet a few people at the orientation and one is even from Portland! After orientation I went to a bank and opened up a bank account, so know when I get paid it has somewhere to go. Side note, minimum wage here is 5 pounds 50 pence, which is about 8 dollars. but keep in mind that in London that wont go that far.

I went and looked at another flat today and liked this one. It is in Fulham which is in West London kind of by Notting Hill area. It is owned by a lady who owns an adult shop and the flat is next to and above the shop. It is three levels with a bedroom on each floor. There is one couple who live there and I would share a bathroom with them, but I also have a water closet ( toilet and sink) on my floor that would be mine. On the floor where my bedroom would be there is a kitchen with a full fridge, an oven and stove and a washer/ dryer. The room that would be mine is pretty small but would be all I need. The area is pretty decent, I saw lots of moms with kids in the area, there are lots of shops on the street level with flats above them. There is a tube stop about 5 minutes away so that would be nice. Also I hope some of the schools I would be teaching in would be in that area as that is the area that I requested.

I had dinner, by myself which was not as bad as I thought it would be at I really nice pretty cheap Italian place. It was great to sit and relax and people watch, as I was sitting in the window table. It was nice to have a real meal since I have been having breakfast at the hostel and it makes me miss an american breakfast of foods that I associate with breakfast, not baked beans and stewed tomatoes. Lunch I have noticed is mostly running to a corner market or Tesco and grabbing a sandwich to go. So ladies, you know who you are if I can have dinner by myself so can you! Tomorrow I am going to look at another flat, well really a room in a house. The lady lives on the first floor and I would be on the second floor. I am pretty excited it would be nice to have space that was mine and also have someone , although a bit older that I would know and could trust in the city. I also plan on going and doing the touristy things that I love about this city so much. The weather has been great, not to cold and actually kind of sunny. I hope everyone is great and doing well. Keep me updated on what all of you are doing!

Love lots

Ang

First full day...

2008-10-16T21:16:00.003+01:00

It is my first full day here and I am pretty tiered. I slept pretty well considering I am sharing a room with 5 strange women whom I have never met. But they are nice just not real chatty and that is strange. The hostel has a free english breakfast which is as non appetizing as I remember. At least there was cereal and toast.

I meet with teach London today the agency that I will be working for, everything sounds good I will start work Monday I could have started Friday but I decided it would be better to wait. It was good to meet them and be able to ask questions so that I kind of know what to except on Monday. They told me that they will start me in nice schools and work me up to bad ones. I am a little scared but the lady just told me that if I do not know what to do fake it. So that is the plan!

I went and met a lady to look at a flat, but I am not going to be living there. It was very nice and in Kensington which is the really nice area but it just felt strange. It has three bedrooms and no living room of family room, the one bathroom consists of a toilet, sink and bath tub- note no shower head. She was a very nice lady, but does not live there she owns it and is renting out all the bedrooms. If I mover in I would be the only one living there and would be put with random ladies that she choices.

Tomorrow I will be gong to orientation for my work visa, it is a work visa for American students and recent grands so it will be nice to be able to meet other people who are alone and unsure like I am. I hope to see a few more flats this weekend and would love to be in one by Monday. As lovely as my hostel is it is just not very homey and I am already tiered of living out of a suitcase. I have not been sightseeing that much but plan on this weekend after hopefully moving into a cheap perfect flat with great girls! Everyone pray that it will happen!!!!!

Hope everyone is well and having a good fall. The leaves are hanging/changed here also so it is really pretty.

Love lots

Ang

I Am in LONDON!

2008-10-15T19:31:00.004+01:00

Well,

I left Portland last night at about 7:30 my flight was about a half hour late. I flew from Seattle to London, luckily the flight was pretty empty and I got my whole row to myself. The flight was fine and we got in a little early at about 2:30 pm here. I then took the tube to my hostel. But because it is me I had one wheely suitcase, my laptop, my camera turtle pack, and my large purse. It was kind of a pain, it was fine until i had to go up and down stairs with all this during major commuting times. I had to switch tube lines and when I was finally done, or so I thought; my big bag got caught in the gat thing exiting the tube. I stood there for like a minute just trying to pull my bag through but it would not work. I did not want to just leave it and get help because that is everything I brought with me. But I women saw what had happened and tried to save me by swiping her tube card but it would not work because I was still stuck in tit, but she did go and get someone that works at the tube-station and I was released.

Finding my hostel was not easy either although it should have been but i came out the wrong side of the tube station, not the side my directions were from. But I am here now and it is great. I walked around for a little while and grabbed a sandwich at marks and Spencer, and I saw salsa flavored chips to I think I will be all right. There was something important happening at St. Pauls Cathedral tonight, the women I asked said it was something to do with the Royal Navy and a celebration they have once a year. But there was no prince William of Prince Harry, that I saw anyways. But it was still cool to see all the ritual and the people and the hear the bells that would not stop ringing it was pretty cool. I saw a man in a powdered wig, which I thought they only wore in movies but they do where them in real life.

Tomorrow I have a meting set up with the people I will be teaching with. Hopefully it will be good news! I also am going to try and meet a few girls tomorrow to look at flats. One is right in the area I want to be in and I think the girls sound fine, but there is one where she sounds fun but it is kind of a long way out so we will see. I guess that is all for now, the pics are from walking around and just being by St. Paul's.

Love lots Ang

Leaving

2008-10-14T21:55:00.003+01:00

Well,

I leave for the airport today in about an hour. I am packed and ready to go! I am some how only bringing one bag for a 8 month stay, but I also have boxes that I am going to have my mom send me. This morning as I was finishing packing, I got a call from the agency over there saying that they were low on jobs and that they would have to cancel my contract. He said that if I still decided to come I could probably work 1-2 times a week. Lucky he called back before I had time to freak out and say that he was wrong and that my contract was fine. he said that there are schools that interested in me and that my contract is fine. So I am still going but a little worried that something else might go wrong. If all else fails I can just try and get a different job but will not be able to travel as much or get more teaching experience. I will still be teaching and just will pray that everything works out and that my contract will work out.

Once again if anyone is thinking about traveling out that way let me know and I can request that time off. Hope everyone is well and love lots!

Ang

I leave in two days!

2008-10-12T23:20:00.000+01:00

Well,

I leave Tuesday night at 7, I then fly to Seattle then on to London. I will be looking for a flat when I get there and then start working on Monday. I am really excited but a little nervous. I would love visitors if anyone has the time or is out this way at all. I will write more when I have more to say.

Love lots

Angie