School in London - Classes Begin

Tuesday 30 August 2005 

First day of class. And what a day! It was jammed packed with stuff – or so it seemed to me at any rate and it was a long day as well.

I made it to the Apple store via the Tube and actually got there a bit before ten am so the store had not opened yet – I didn’t have to be at school until nearly noon so I thought this might be a good opportunity to get some online stuff done and indeed it was just that. So I got to the store early and had to stand in line! At an Apple store! Which apparently is pretty much the norm here. Can you believe it? Anyway after the doors opened I went upstairs to the auditorium seating area and plugged into the apple wireless system, checked emails and uploaded the blog stuff and photos and then headed off to school.

Registration was between 11:30 and 11:50 and class started at 12 noon. We met our primary tutor Annie and our secondary tutors Ben and Paulette. (Annie will be doing all the assessments, etc. for all of us during the course of study) Today was our day of becoming acquainted with (1) each other and (2) the program. We spend much of the first couple of hours playing a variety of games to get us to become familiar with each (quickly) and also to appreciate the value of structured activities to accomplish specific aims. Anyway, whatever it was it pretty much a lot of fun and indeed I got to know quite a lot about 14 total strangers, only one of whom was from the US (well OK she was only born there and lives and teaches in Greece). We have students of a variety of ages – although virtually all are quite younger than I am I suspect – and from Switzerland, Romania, Angola, Bahrain, Greece, and of course most were from the UK. But I don’t feel like an odd duck – yet.

There are 15 students altogether and in the afternoon we were broken into our three Teaching Practice Groups of 5 students each: ours consists of Christina who is from Greece/US, Richard, Sophie and Kaye from the UK and of course me. 

The way this works is we have two classes or “input sessions” every morning, Monday through Friday (9-12), and we practice-teach every afternoon beginning tomorrow Wednesday. We then received our teaching assignments: our group will be the same new incoming group of intermediate level students for two weeks after which we will teach a new group of elementary level students for the final two weeks.  Apparently this is the “throw ‘em in the deep end of the pool to teach ‘em to swim” theory of teacher training—but hey we knew that coming on board. 

We spend the remainder of the afternoon working on the administrative stuff one usually gets when one attends school (I suppose) and were given our assignments for our first teaching practice session, schedule for Wednesday (tomorrow) afternoon. This is the only session in which we will be totally unobserved and in which we will not have produce a lesson plan – most of the materials indeed everything we need really is provided for us, it’s only a matter of putting our heads together as a team to hammer some of the details out. It is also the only session when we will all 5 teach the same day. After Wednesday each teaching practice will consist of three 40-minute sessions, each taught by one member of the group. My first observed, planned session will be Thursday. Can’t wait!

School in London - Bank Holiday

Monday 29 August  2005 

Bank Holiday for the English and a tourist day for me. I got up and worked a bit on the computer, finally leaving the house about 10:30. Took the Tube to Green Park, and after I got off had my morning banana from the fruit vendor next to the Ritz. I then walked down to Caffe Pascucci for my morning caffe. I should warn all North Americans coming to London for the first time: whenever you’re crossing the street, look down! It will tell you whether you should look right or look left before crossing. So far that is the hardest thing about being a tourist in this otherwise lovely city. 

OK, so after coffee I walked back to the Green Park Tube station where the Big Bus double-decker tour buses start out and I paid my 20 pounds for day ticket of hopping/hopping off all around London – I cannot recommend this tour enough if you are going to be in the city for a very short period of time. It is not only a great way to see many if not most of the major attractions (at least their exteriors) but also a way to help you decide which places you might want to return to for a more in-depth visit. And being able to get off and on regularly is a pretty good deal as well, particularly if your guide (they have on-board running commentaries) isn’t so hot. In my case, our bus had “Fraser” who was quite funny and full of insights into the city’s history and although it was difficult to disembark I had to at St. Paul’s cathedral, one of the few structures in this part of London, which survived the blitz during WW2. The cathedral is absolutely stunning on the inside and if you are ready for 534 steps take a trip to the top of the dome for some of the best views you’ll ever see of London. (You can stop at two levels on the way up, the “whispering Gallery” which overlooks the interior of the cathedral and the stone gallery, which is the first level outside near the top.)

After leaving the very top of St. Paul’s I descended all the way to below ground level, to the crypt where Wellington is buried as well as nelson – although nelson’s chamber is under renovations in preparation for the 200th anniversary of his death this coming October. St. Paul’s is in effect a huge memorial to many of the great men of English history and should not be missed – plus it has a great little café and restrooms just off the crypt area both of which I believe can be reached without paying the 8 pounds admission charge.

Back outside in the sun and cool air – the climb to the top was close and rather hot – I grabbed the next Big Bus (the red tour) and was off again. After we reached the Tower of London I decided to disembark – our guide was terribly dynamic – and opted to take the river cruise up the Thames to Westminster (the cruise was part of the tour package I purchased in the morning). After about 25 minutes we pulled in near Big Ben and the Houses of Parliament. I walked up Whitehall passed No, 10 downing street – Tony didn’t have the common decency to invite me in – so I decided I would find my way to the Apple superstore. I stopped at the Virgin mega-store in Piccadilly and asked the guy at the door where the Apple store was and learned it was only about a 10-minute walk away. So I hiked up the trendy shop-ridden Regent’s street and found the store just before Oxford circus. 

I was properly awed by this Temple to the Mac – and will go back first thing in the morning when they open to use their wireless hotspot for free! Here’s how it should work: Jubilee line to Bond street change to the Central line and get off at the next station Oxford Circus, then back to Oxford Circus take the Victoria Line to Green Park so I can then pick up my morning banana and head to school where we have to check in between 11:30 and 11:50 – school will run tomorrow from 12 noon to about 6:30. Whew. Then it’s home for dinner and I presume schoolwork (Susan are you listening?)

And speaking of dinner tonight was the first night I ate at “home”. I left central London about a little after 6 pm and after getting to Willesden Green stopped at a nearby grocery store for some apples and then found the internet café our hostess told me about. I sent off an email home but left the rest until I can access them through my own computer tomorrow morning (Apple Day). I then headed home and ate dinner with another new student, an Algerian engineer named Yuseff who is studying English for two weeks. (Having these students here learning English is going to be great practice for me.) Shortly after I returned to my room there came a knock on the door and my next door neighbor, Jackie from China, introduced herself – we chatted for a few minutes.. It turns out she has been here studying English for two months already and was curious as to why an American came all the way to London to studying English . . . Then I told her I was actually here to learn to become a teacher of English and she also thought that interesting and that I would have to learn who to speak British English, It will indeed be a most curious experience I’m sure – and tomorrow it begins!

School in London - Arrival

Saturday-Sunday 27-28 August

After a pleasant and pleasantly uneventful flight from Boston to London’s Heathrow airport I zipped through passport control and customs. Of course from where the airplane landed it was a walk of about 12 miles (600kms) to get through the maze of this enormous airport which is about the size of the state of Vermont. Anyway, I had no sooner entered into the heart of Terminal 4 when, I found an ATM and took some cash out. In fact there were about four of these machines in row each representing a different bank staring me in the face as soon as I came through customs . Anyway my first objective was complete. I then grabbed an espresso doppio at the Starbucks, which was right across from the ATMS and stopped at a nearby information booth to ask how to get to my hotel. Since I was going to arrive late in the evening I opted to stay at one of the many nearby airport hotels and then find my way to my host family’s home in Willesden Green the following day. 

OK, so the way it works at Heathrow is that if you arrive at terminal 4 and are staying at a nearby hotel then you have to find your way to the Heathrow Express train, a level below the main terminal. You won’t need to buy a ticket since the train is free if you are only traveling to Heathrow Central (terminals 1-3). You get on board and get off at the next stop. Find your way to terminal 2, walk outside and look for traffic bay no. 12 on the pedestrian island. Buy a “Hotel Hoppa” ticket at the machine there at the traffic bay with coins or a credit card or you can pay on board (3 pounds one-way) and then keep an eye out for the bus with your hotel’s name on it (there are usually four or five hotels per bus). 

So I arrived at the Ibis Hotel, checked in and got settled into my room before heading back downstairs to have a bite to eat. The rooms are small and perfunctory but clean and appeared fairly new and in quite good condition. As it turned out it was also a quiet place to stay – although when I awoke early this morning (Sunday) it did seem as if the hotel were located right on one of the main runways but a small price to pay for feeling refreshed and ready to start this wonderful little adventure.

Sunday

I left the hotel about 10 am and got aboard the “Hotel Hoppa” to Terminal 1 where I accomplished a couple of important objectives: I got a SIM card for my mobile phone, loaded it with time and then proceeded to the central “Tube” (subway) station where I got a monthly pass – I’ll be using the Tube every day, taking the Jubilee line from Willesden Green to Green Park and then walking about 10 minutes to the school. (The central underground station is located between terminals 2 and 3.)

I then inquired at the TI (tourist information) office as to which was the best way to get from the airport to Willesden Green. A taxi was possible but outrageously expensive – and since I already had my month tube pass I thought why not take the subway? So I did. I took the Piccadilly line from Heathrow and about 40 minutes later arrived at Green Park station where I changed trains for the Jubilee line – about 20 minutes later I was in Willesden Green. A short (15 minute) walk and I arrived at Mrs. Balali’s house on Park Avenue North; a lovely home in a quiet residential neighborhood. (I had sent her a text message from the train to let her know I was on my way and she acknowledged back so I knew I wouldn’t be waiting for someone to come home.)

She showed me inside and introduced me to her daughter Hoda and then showed me to my room on the second floor (or first floor for the Europeans). Mrs. Balali and her family board several students at any given time, most from one of the numerous programs offered at International House.  After I settled in I went downstairs and she was kind enough to fix me a cup of tea, give me some water and I asked her a few questions about the living arrangements for the next four weeks: how dinner and breakfast worked, laundry, that sort of thing.

I then decided to take a trip down to central London and made a point of checking out exactly where the schools is located (next to the Japanese embassy as it turns out). Instead of switching trains at Green Park I left the station and went back to the surface. In front of me was Piccadilly street and I turned left out of the station and walked about 5 minutes to the school. It is located directly across from Green Park which is on the northern edge of Buckingham Palace and so I strolled through the park down to palace to see if the queen was waiting for me – apparently she had not heard that I was in town yet so I strolled back to Piccadilly street and then headed to Piccadilly Circus – pass the Ritz Hotel – where the doorman was in the process of negotiating with the local police to remove a panhandler from the premises – and felt like I was right back in times Square: the tourists snapping pictures (myself included), the sheer volume of humanity wanting to experience this phenomenal city. 

I retraced my steps heading back to the Tube station and stopped in at Caffe Pascucci where I had a couple of glasses of prosecco and in turn they brought me several large pieces of various panini’s so I was actually quite full when I left. It was small island of Italy (“una piccola isola d’italia”) and much appreciated by me – I can see this is someplace I will come occasionally when I will not be eating with the Balali’s (meals M-F). They were also eager to help me with my Italian!

I returned to Green Park tube station and hopped back on the train to Willesden Green – I stopped and picked up some water to take home and hope for restful night’s sleep. Tomorrow is a Bank Holiday so my plan is to be very much the tourist and take one of the bus tours of the city. 

We're going back

OK so it's been a while since I've reported back on this blog -- our return home was uneventful and the summer has literally flown by. The most important development, and one which came directly out of our sojourn to Italy this past winter and spring is that we are going back again and soon. No surprise there, I'm sure, but hope to spend even more time there inside the walls. So the house in Vermont is on the market, we've sold a lot of stuff on eBay already and had one HUGE moving sale.

But wait there's more.

I head to London in two days to start a 4-week course to become certified as a teacher of English to adults overseas; Sue finishes work the end of September and will be completing her move to alternative medicine therapies about the same time. I come back to the US and in mid-October we return to Siena where we hope to rent an apartment for "several months" with an option to renew -- so far it appears we have found just the right place in the Torre contrada, within sight of the Torre del Mangia. In fact, we are told it is actually above the stables of the contrada Palio horses -- no, no, not quite what it sounds, but really quite an honor I would think, particularly since the Torre won the Aug. 16 Palio for the first time in I think 46 years!

So I will be back here to give you an update in about seven weeks. The plan is to finish the video interview project we began with Roberto and Patti Bechi -- and which you can find out more about at my updated Siena website, http://www.sienaitaly.com/pages/vox.html. And speaking of updated, if you would like to know more about Siena or are planning a trip and need some information or direction, just go to http://www.sienaitaly.com/.

Until next time,

Ciao

Steve