Bloody Snowmen.

So the last couple of weeks at work have been very strange. Apart from having to work until 3:30 on the day before Christmas Eve (like some sort of Bob Cratchit), I found it very difficult to get my head round the way schools in NY must not do anything religious. In England, the holiday is Christmas and it is traditional that religion plays a large part, even for people who are not religious. There is is part of my job to teach the children the true meaning of Christmas although it is entirely up to them to believe it or not. It made me quite sad actually not to be doing that over here and I found it hard to get into the Festive Spirit! In the US the snowman seems to reign supreme, he is the overwhelming face of 'The Holiday Season'. I suspect this is because snowmen are wintery without being linked to any particular religion. I am so not getting into a religious debate but I feel that seeing people celebrate the customs of all the different religions in the world add to the rich diversity of life and help us to be more accepting of each others differences. I did however enjoy the American custom of the Holiday Vest (waistcoat). The photo above shows me and my wonderful colleagues all dressed up on the last day!

Boxing Day

Day After Christmas. NOOOOOOOO. Someone has stolen Boxing Day.

The Freewheeling Sarah Davies

Thanks to Dad and Ron for being excellent "Bobs"!

Taken on the corner of Jones Street and West 4th Street, Greenwich Village, NYC.

Bright Lights, Big Cities.

One of the reasons I am so lucky to be here in Upstate New York is that it is relatively easy to get to 2 of the best (in my opinion) cities in the USA, New York and Boston. I very much prefer city life to country life and have visited both these cities twice each already, with more visits planned in the future!






Boston has a very European feel to it. It is a city on a harbour (like Hull!) and has a classy and refined air. The main tourist area is Quincey Market, a huge foot court where you can get literally anything your heart desires to eat. Last time we were there was for breakfast, I had a fry up and Sian had Clam Chowder in a bread bowl (yes - for breakfast!) Quincey market is surrounded by the usual American clothes shops, Americal Eagle Outfitters, Loft, The Gap, Aeropostal etc. There is a lovely big park in the centre of Boston called Boston Common and more upscale shops on Newbury Street like Chanel (great for window shopping but not much else!)
Top 3 Boston Moments

• Taking a 'Duck Boat' Tour around Boston, learning all about the history of the American Revolution and ending with a big splash down in Boston Harbour!
• Having a cold pint 'Where everybody knows your name..' Yes, Cheers bar! I was a huge fan of Cheers when I was a girl watching on Channel 4 every Friday night and never once thinking I would one day visit myself.
• Going to a FONDUE restaurant. "What would you like for dinner Sarah?" "A big pot of melted cheese please." "No problem at all!"

New York City. Iconic. Two of my most favourite things are SATC tv programme and Woody Allen films. NYC did not let me down. It is unlike any other city I have visited. Whereas Boston is great for shopping, New York is for wandering roung gawping and screaming OMG every time you round a corner and stumble on another major landmark, The Empire State Building, The Rockerfeller Centre, Times Square..... If I was single, childless and rich I would move there in a heartbeat. And lucky me, for the next 6 months it is a 2 hour train ride away. Sian and I are returning during the Christmas holidays to spend her Christmas money and I CAN'T WAIT!!!
Top 3 NYC Moments

• Strolling round Greenwich Village on a perfect, sunny Sunday morning and recreating the infamous 'Freewheeling Bob Dylan' album cover with Dad and Ron
• Crossing the Brooklyn bridge at night on the top of a double decker bus and seeing Manhattan in all its illuminated glory.
• Top of the Empire State Building with Mum and Sian - an ambition achieved for all 3 generations!

Writer's Block

My early New Years Resolution is to post at least once a week. It is all too easy to feel 'can't be bothered' about writing my blog, especially as I'm also keeping a personal diary everyday. But writing helps me realise what an amazing opportunity we are all having here, something it is easy forget when my alarm clock is going off at 5:50 every morning! Also, when I was going through the Fulbright application process and then waiting to start the exchange, I really enjoyed reading blogs from past Fulbrighter's and found them really helpful in relation to my expectations of the exchange. So there we are, whether you like it or not, I'm going for quantity over quality for the next few months!

Happy Turkey Day!

My Thanksgiving post is a little different to the others as I am including a letter I wrote to the children back at The Parks about my experiences.

Dear Children,

I am writing to tell you how I spent my first ever Thanksgiving. In the morning I woke up and Sian came and snuggled up on the settee with me and we watched the Macy’s Thanksgiving Parade from New York City. I was very impressed with all the balloons and floats. My favorite part was when Kanye West sang and when Father Christmas came at the end. One year I would love to go to watch the parade but I doubt I ever will because in England I have to work every Thanksgiving.

We all got dressed up in smart clothes and waited until it was time to go to Mr and Mrs Bernadt’s. We were very excited and very hungry as we wanted to be able to eat lots of dinner. When we got there a fire roaring in the grate greeted us and lots of nice dips and bread to eat. Ms Bernadt’s sister was there and her husband and we called Ms Bernadt on Skype for about an hour. Ms Bernadt was at my parents’ house in England having Thanksgiving dinner with them!

We sat down for the main course, the Americans call them the ‘entrees’. There was so much delicious food. Turkey and mashed potato, sweet potato with marshmallows on top, green been casserole, fruit jelly, stuffing and gravy. It was all very delicious. There were also LOADS of deserts. Chocolate pie was Sian’s favorite! We said “Thank You” to the Bernadts and went home very full and happy and very thankful that we have met such friendly and welcoming people in the United States. Ronnie, Sian and I decided that we will have a ‘Thanksgiving Dinner’ every year when we are back in the UK to remember our American adventure.
Lots of love,
Ms Davies xxxx

Amtrak FTW

Over the past couple of weekends I have travelled over 700 miles on trips to Boston, Massachusetts (6 hours) and New York, NY (4 hours) (blogs on those amazing trips will be posted while I am relaxing at home over the Thanksgiving holiday)!

The idea of travelling that many miles on British Rail is HORRENDOUS but the Amtrack trains were a world away from their English equivalent. The seats were super wide and fully reclinable with foot rests, leg rests and trays. There were several guards who carefully controlled what was going on on their train and where people sat. I felt totally safe and relaxed the whole time. Rather than wishing the journey over, the train travel was one of the best parts of the trip. I would thoroughly recommend this experience to all my fellow Fulbrighters in the USA.

My Birthday

I was sooo pleased that my mum and dad decided to time their visit to America over my birthday. It has been so lovely having them here for 2 weeks. I even took my mum to work with me on my birthday! We had a great time, ending up with ice cream and cookies brought in by my lovely Teaching Assistant -Mercedes and Happy Birthday sung in Chinese by the kids.

Later in the week we all went for a celebration meal with my USA parents, Suzanne and Brad. I tried my first alligator appetizer (think chicken!) And i finally got a candle - in a delicious pumpkin Creme Brulee.

Mom's Apple Pie

Last weekend Sian and I took part in a huge Fall tradition, we went apple picking. I was amazed to see how many people - of all ages - take part in this extremely wholesome pastime. There were even groups of teenagers there! The Orchard we visited had almost been picked clean, in fact we only just made it in time as the next day they announced they were no apples left on the trees. As well as the apple picking there were baby farm animals, pumpkins for sale and hot cider and donuts. (Unfortunately cider in the US is non alcoholic!) The apples we picked were delicious and so far I have made a very successful apple pie and 2 batches of applesauce. Maybe I'm finally becoming domesticated.

You say tomato....

With the daily routine of 'get up, work, tea, bed' firmly in place I can sometimes forget I am in a different country, on a different continent! One thing that gives me an instant reminder is the pronunciation of some words. My favourite at the moment is telling the kids to say tomato (they pronounce the middle a 'ay' as in 'say'.) They think it's hilarious as well and enjoy taking me off asking for some yogurt (they say Yo-gurt with the stress on YO rather than YOG. They have been confused recently in Maths as we study data handling (they call it dar-ta!!)

One pronunciation that annoys me though comes from the TV. There is a Hyundai advert which specifically explains how to pronounce the word "Hyundai like Sunday"!! Surely this isn't right? Can any Koreans reading please let me know!!

Dress Down Friday

So at Central Park International Magnet School, every Friday staff are allowed to wear casual clothes. Most teachers wear jeans and t shirts on a Friday. When I asked why I was told it's because it is to celebrate the fact it is Friday!! What an amazing idea. In the UK the only time teachers can wear jeans is if we are raising money for charity. It's just a little idea that goes towards making work a nice place to be!
The children don't ever wear uniform of course! I thought this was going to be an 'issue' as I am used to a strict uniform policy but it's funny how quickly I have adapted! The children wear sensible, weather appropriate, comfortable clothing. It is not ever an issue or something that impacts badly on learning.
I have always been very pro uniform but I think my mind is being changed. There is no status for the kids over labels. They never discuss what each other is wearing as they are used to seeing each other in 'normal' clothes. Non uniform days in the UK are totally awful as the kids are really unsettled and there are always some children being teased over their clothes. I have never seen that happen here.
I definitely don't miss the 'arguments' I used to have every morning with the kids in the UK (especially the older boys) collecting in jewelry, forcing them into spare school jumpers and covering up non uniform t shirts was never conducive to a quiet productive start to the morning!!

Sickly In Seattle.

Oh how I struggled this weekend. It was attending a Fulbright Workshop for the UK, Czech and Hungarian grantees with my mentor Dan Brudos.
3 nights in a city I have wanted to visit ever since I was obsessed with Kurt, Courtney and grunge. The city of the first Starbucks, the Space Needle, some kind of mountain, Frasier and Niles Crane.... And I had flu.

I always brag in the UK that I am never ill and wow did I pay for it this week. Ears blocked, nose running, throat sore, cough productive, muscles aching, head throbbing the whole lot. From what I could make out everyone else had a great time, staying up late drinking and bonding (I was in bed) and taking a harbour cruise and seal watching (I was in bed). You get the idea. It wouldn't have been so bad had Seattle not lived up to my expectations but it was a fantastic city, full of quirky shops, bars, restaurants and loads of interesting people. As Sian would say FML.

PS Having to stay home from work ill is not as much fun without Jeremy Kyle to give you a lovely smug feeling!!

Autumn Days

Autumn Days and the grass is jewelled
Like the silk inside a chestnut shell

Jet planes meeting in the air to be refulled all these things i love so well!!

My favourite school hymn. I thought we celebrated Autumn and harvest well in the UK but it's nothing compared with over here. There are decorations in the shops, in the school, outside the houses. Not Halloween - HARVEST. It is great and I love it!! We should do more to celebrate every moment of every season of the year. Preferably with scented candles and flavoured booze!

Back To School

Finally I have made a start doing what I came here to do...teaching!! This week began with a 'Superintendent's Day'. In the morning my Principal held a staff meeting. Totally different from what I am used to in the UK. For a start, the PTA provided a fantastic breakfast of bagels and pastries and coffee. Also the staff at Central Park is MUCH larger than I am used to as it is for grades K - 8. After a morning of interesting meetings (and a fire drill) all the teachers in Schenectady went to the High School. There the Superintendent addressed us and then we had a motivational speaker. All I will say is I am not surprised motivational speaking has not caught on in the UK.

My first 3 days teaching my 4th Grade class have been fantastic! I have 21 children and a fantastic 'Para' (Teaching Assistant). All the children have been polite and interested in me and I am very impressed with their ability levels. I actually recieved 2 apples on the first day from the children. I thought 'apple for the teacher' was an urban myth! The picture at the top is my classroom - a work in progress! The only (small) fly in the ointment is there is no bloody kettle. So no cups of tea. Everyone in the US wanders round with huge coffees from Dunkin Donuts or Starbucks so I suppose there is no need. Finding it difficult without a nice cup of tea at some point in the working day though!!

Labour Day Weekend

We have had a lovely busy weekend! On Sunday we went for a BBQ at Meredith's sister Betsy and her husband John's house. It is out in the wilds of the countryside in the Adirondack. We enjoyed burgers and a keg of beer! John is a cop and every emergency service vehicle that went past (a lot as there had been a nasty crash) tooted at us! On Labor Day itself, after visiting a mall with Meredith's mum Suzanne, we were invited to another BBQ by my mentor Dan and his family. The burgers here are so lovely I could eat BBQ here every day! Sian went sailing on the lake with Dan and I even went for a swim - sort of!! It has been a fantastic end to the summer holidays and so completely different than our life in the UK. The only negatives at the moment are the awful midge/ mosquito bites Sian, Ron and I have and the fact that we STILL have no car, even though we bought one last week!

Hot off the presses- from the Schenectady Daily Gazette

Schenectady teacher trades places with English counterpart
Tuesday, August 24, 2010
By Michael Goot (Contact)
Gazette Reporter





Photographer: Barry Sloan

Sarah Davies of England, left, and Meredith Bernadt of Rotterdam Junction, pose for a photograph Monday at Meredith's home.Text Size: A A A
SCHENECTADY — When students walk into Meredith Bernadt’s fourth-grade classroom at Central Park International Magnet School this fall, they will be hearing the English accent of Sarah Davies leading the lessons. Meanwhile, Bernadt will be teaching third grade at Parks Primary School in Hull, England.

Bernadt and Davies have not only switched jobs for the coming school year but lives as well. Bernadt will be living in Davies’ house and Davies will live in hers. Both are recipients of a Fulbright Teacher Exchange grant that will allow them to teach in each other’s country. The program is very selective with just 60 U.S. citizens participating in the 2010-2011 academic year.

Davies has been in the United States for a few weeks getting acclimated and Bernadt is leaving today for Hull, a city of about 262,000 in northeast England.

Bernadt, 31, is excited about the opportunity. “I get to see how education works in another country, and my students here have the benefit of having an exchange teacher to teach about different cultures and diversity in the world.”

Bernadt and Davies had previously applied to the program but funding had been cut in Britain and the Fulbright program was not able to find a suitable match for Bernadt. This time, however, everything aligned perfectly.

Both are veteran teachers. Davies, 34, has eight years of teaching experience and Bernadt is starting her 10th year. But they are preparing as if they were fi rst-year teachers.

“We both know we’re going to experience a little bit of culture shock,” Davies said.

Both districts are urban school districts with a high percentage of low-income students and a transient population. Davies thinks there will be more similarities than differences.

“Kids are kids no matter where we go,” she said.

This is Davies’ first trip outside Europe. She was prompted to apply to the program because the idea of living in another country appealed to her. After arriving in the United States, she and her husband have been able to do some sightseeing to Niagara Falls, Gettysburg, Toronto and Montreal.

“It’s huge. Everything is really big,” Davies said. “The people are very friendly. Everyone has been so lovely, so kind.”

Bernadt said her parents, who still live in Scotia, have “adopted” the Davies.

“We’ve been a bit homesick. I feel like we need so much help with things, things you take for granted,” Davies said. “We’re finding that everything we do, we’ve got to give ourselves a little bit longer for.”

Everything is different, including the light switches, according to Davies. In Great Britain, they turn switches down to turn on lights.

Davies is attending the district’s three days of professional development this week, which will help her get acclimated to the school. She said she is hoping to teach the students to overcome stereotypes about British people.

“People keep asking me about muffins and tea, although tea is very important,” she said.

People also think Britons are obsessed with soccer, which her husband wasn’t dispelling, as he watched a game while she was being interviewed.

“You thought you were getting away from it,” Bernadt joked.

When Britons think of Americans, Bernadt said they probably think of big cars and fast food. Also, there is a stereotype that maybe the students are less reserved than their British counterparts.

Bernadt also anticipates a learning curve. “For me, it’s not having a car. I’m so used to having a car here and jumping in and going everywhere I want,” she said.

She also anticipates having difficulty understanding the children’s accents.

“It’s a lesson in flexibility and humility to put yourself back on that starting block,” she said.

Bernadt will also have to catch updates on her beloved Yankees online. Davies will get to experience a snow-fi lled winter.

Bernadt said this exchange fi ts in perfectly with the international theme of the school. Although there have been guest teachers from other countries at Central Park and what used to be Howe International Magnet School, Bernadt said this is the first direct exchange of a teacher.

The two plan to stay in touch through the Internet and Skype and are even talking about getting the two classes involved in a joint project. Bernadt’s Schenectady classes are “looped,” meaning she has the same students for third and fourth grades. So, the kids will already know her from last year.

Bernadt said she is grateful for the support of the Schenectady City School District administration to allow her to pursue this opportunity.

The teachers are also looking forward to sharing their experiences with their students when they return to their respective countries.

The kids are enthusiastic about her arrival, according to Bernadt.

“I’ve gotten e-mails from my kids: ‘Is she here yet?’ ”

Home Sweet Home

So we are finally in our new home in Rotterdam Junction. As I type this Meredith is winging her way to the UK. Ron, Sian and I are all loving Meredith's condo with hot and cold running internet! Meredith's mum - Suzanne and dad - Brad have been so warm and welcoming to us. The village of Rotterdam Junction is small but there is a bar / Italian restaurant at the end of the street so we will be happy to sample their hospitality. The scenery is fantastic. The river Mohawk is particually full at the moment as we have had torrential rain for the past 2 days. Next job - 3 days Professional Development this week!

Coach Trip - Part Two

Wonderful things about the Coach Trip

• Niagara Falls
• Trois Rivieres in Canada
• Quebec in Canada
• Thousand Islands in Canada
• Boston
• Sitting together on the back seat
• The unintentionally funny tour guide Carlton
• Very fancy hotels
  
  
  Terrible things about the Coach Trip

• 4.30 am starts
• Having to eat every dinnertime in the Chinatown area of whatever city we were in
• Going up every single tower in North America
• 4 hour journeys
• Running out of clean clothes
• Being abandoned in New York with no bags!!

So more good things than bad but we were very please to jump ship in New York and break out on our own. We had a fantastic day in New York seeing The Statue of Liberty. Times Square, 5th Ave etc. Thought we had seen the back of early morning starts but then Sian wanted to go watch a live concert from the Jonas Brothers and Demi Levato in Central Park. This was being shown on Good Morning America so it was another 5am start. It was worth it though as Sian was excited and Central Park was amazing. This trip has given us some unforgettable experiences but we are also eager to start living a 'proper' American life!

Coach Trip - Part One

Yey, we are back to the luxurious and comfortable hotels we deserve!! We met the coach just outside Washington and we were right in our assumption that the rest of the passengers would be Chinese. It feels strange to be a cultural minority! Our first stop was Hershey's Chocolate Factory in Pennsylvania. What a beautiful state. All the houses were totally beautiful, like nothing I've seen before. Although the countryside reminded me very much of South West France.

We arrived last night at Niagera Falls and were quite disapointed by the American side. The shops and restaurants surrounding it are beyond cheap and nasty. Even Prospect Centre Food Court circa 1989 would be more impressive. There are actually 3 waterfalls that make up Nigera Falls -American Falls, Bridal Veil Falls and Horseshoe Falls. On the USA side you can only see one of them and although it is amazing it is NOTHING compared to the Horseshoe Falls!

Luckily, today we travelled across to the Canadian side of the Falls which is SO much better, in every way! We took a 'Maid Of The Mist' boat trip right into the Falls. SENSATIONAL, and very wet!! Lunchtime we dined at the top of the Skylon Tower on a revolving platform with a fantastic view of ALL the Falls.

We are now in Toronto. We leave at 5.15am tomorrow - so tonight we are enjoying the room service and free wifi at the hotel!! This trip is fantastic but also really tiring.

Murder Motel.

After Orientation we moved to a Motel 6 in Maryland for the night before meeting meeting our coach trip. This Motel was like (as Sian pointed out) the ones from a billion horror films. It was horrid and we felt uneasy all night. Luckily (!) we had to be up at 5am so we didn't need to sleep like logs. In its favor, Motel 6 is very cheap!!

Breakfast Of Champions.

French toast with syrup and a cheese and ham BREAKFAST SANDWICH!! I am in heaven.

Washington Fulbright Orientation

Well this is now our 4th day in Washington and everything has been fantastic! The flight was ok. 8 hours is a long time on a plane but I watched a good film and ate up everything they put in front of me. Ron got very cross when he thought he had lost his glasses then excited when he 'coincidentaly' found another pair under his seat. He swore they weren't his even when shown photographic evidence. Classic Ron!!

The hotel we are staying at is very posh. We have our own bathrobes. In the day Ron and I go to meetings and lectures some of which are very interesting and informative. Sian has been sitting in the hotel room eating peanut butter based chocolate and drinking 'soda'.

The weather here is sooooooooo hot. Not sunny but the heat hits you when you step outside like opening an oven door. Everywhere inside has air con so we are very comfortable in the hotel.

Tuesday afternoon we had a bus trip round Washington. This has been the highlight for me so far (apart from meeting Meredith!!). We saw The White House, Lincon Memorial and loads of other cool stuff. The photos show us taking turns wearing a jumper, not because we were cold, but to tease my brother Joe as it is his favourite jumper and he had no idea we had it. Jumper liberation!

Finally I have been spending lots of time with Meredith and she is lovely. I know she will have a great time in Hull this year and that everyone will love showing her round. We went out for dinner last night in an area of Washington called Georgetown. It is a beautiful area, it reminded Ron and I of Beverley!! I finished last night eating a 'twinkie' in bed. I have wanted to try a 'twinkie' since i first read about them in books as a little girl. They are rank!!

Sadness

Saying goodbye to family today was truly traumatic. Ron and I both really struggled to keep things together and at one point were losing the battle and sobbing in the bar! I felt physically ill with it all. I will miss my wonderful mum so much and am feeling quite low and sad now. HOWEVER... mum and dad will be visiting us in Rotterdam Junction in 3 short months!! This whole process has made me realise how much I LOVE my family, friends, job and home. When we return in a year I shall never take any of them for granted again.

A special well done today to Ron's daughter Lydia who made us all laugh hysterically at her special singing!!

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Fierce!!!

Sian and I spent all afternoon getting beautiful at The Fringe, Newland Avenue. It was very good value and the trainee stylists were very good and cheap!! Hope USA appreciates the effort we have gone to!!!