Tales of a Traveling Teacher

We watched the sun set on 2012 today from Edinburgh Castle. 2012 has been a great year; I'm eager to see what 2013 has in store for me! And now we're off to celebrate New Years with 80,000 of our new friends at Hogmanay!

We had an absolutely superb Scottish day! We started by going to the castle that overlooks the city (and also has incredible "breezes"), met William Wallace on the street, heard bagpipes play and then rounded out the afternoon by having hot chocolate at The Elephant House where JK Rowling sat, sipping coffee and creating the character we have all fallen in love with. I even enjoyed a trip into the bathrooms here where I could read messages of praise and admiration, quotes from the book and "inside" jokes that only we fans of that famous wizard would appreciate. Such as the writing above the toilet that said "Way to the Ministry of Magic." This evening we met up with several other Fulbrighters and their families. Some of them are living near here and others were just here for the festivities. It was so wonderful to get to catch up with them all, and I was thrilled that my parents got to meet some of my new friends, too! After dinner, we joined in with t...

I've checked a new country off of my ever growing list of places I want to travel to! After a beautiful drive through the Lake District and the Scottish country side, my parents and I have arrived in Edinburgh where we will ring in the new year! The city is all a glow, ready for the celebrations. Ferris wheels, ice skating rinks and giant swings are scattered amongst the old buildings while the castle sits atop the city lit up to show off all of its grandeur!

I spent the evening with my parents, sitting by the fire, watching Love Actually, completing a Jane Austen puzzle and drinking toffee apple cider. I'm fairly certain if you were to look up "contentment" in the dictionary that you'd find that sentence right next to it.

When looking for a film to watch this evening, we came across The Princess Bride, and although it is not really a British film, it is filmed here in England, so we decided it would be a great way to round out the evening.  The film, a cult classic from the 80s is fabulously ridiculous with everything from eels to giants to miracle pills to six-fingered men to ROUSes (rodents of unusual size).  And of course there is Vizzini who constantly repeats "inconceivable!" Today we went for a Rick Steves-recommended drive through the Lake District, and well, as typical, Rick did not lead us astray.  We went north just a bit and drove through some incredible valleys surrounded by craggy peaks spotted with waterfalls and sheep.  The views were breath-taking and the roads, well, "inconceivable!"  I'm learning my way around these one-lane-two-way roads, but they still make me a bit nervous.  If the size of the road did not scare you, well, the two rock walls on either ...

I decided very early on in this country, that if I let weather hold me back, I'd miss a whole lot.  It has been very cloudy and drizzly here, but dad and I decided to set out for a wee exploration this morning!  We left the house as the drizzle cleared, and by the time we made it to the top of peak up behind the house there was another heavy drizzle.  Mind you, it was not really rain, so perhaps it was just that we were in amongst the clouds.  (The peaks are not all that high, but the clouds sure have been low!)  Thankfully though, we trudged on, despite the soggy ground and the wet air.  It cleared not long after and we were able to enjoy the rest of our walk through valleys, over hills, around lakes and even into caves!  It is absolutely amazing what is just off of our doorstep! This is the typical view I get of the sheep! Rydal Water Drops falling from the ceiling of the cave Stepping stones into the cave ...

For the last class of American studies a couple of weeks ago, I created a crossword puzzle about Christmas in America.  I think you'll probably do much better on this than on the American "pub" quiz.  Best of luck, enjoy, and merry Christmas! Across 9. Mariah Carey’s Christmas album is still at the top of the holiday music charts.   The album is   popular, in large part because of this song. 13. In A Christmas Story, ____ asks Santa for a Red Ryder B.B. gun. 21. Jimmy Stewart stars in this holiday classic where he learns how important each person is. 24. These are hung over the fire place in hopes that Santa will fill them. 25. _____ stars in this comedy about a human raised as an elf. Down 1. "Have Yourself a Merry Christmas" was first sung by this actress in a film called "Meet Me in St. Louis." 2. In the animated film, Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer, Rudolph and his friends visit the Island o...

Merry Christmas!  Or, shall I say Happy Christmas!  Today was a day unlike any other Christmas day I've ever had, and yet, we found a way to weave so many wonderful Christmas traditions and comforts of home into our own holiday here in the Lake District.  It was absolutely perfect.  I cooked a traditional southern breakfast complete with sausage biscuits and grits (all the way from Alabama), but we also enjoyed wearing the crowns found in our crackers this morning, mixing in a British tradition with our morning routine.  We shared the corny jokes and sang along to Christmas songs we know by heart and tapped our toes to some British Christmas songs added to the playlist. We read the Christmas story from Luke, and then, one of my very favorite Christmas pieces, "Yes, Virginia."  I'm not sure what it is about this article, but it always brings a smile to my face and a warmth to my heart.  Just in case you don't know this beautiful story, I will share...