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