Royal Wedding

Yes, I got up at 5am for the Royal Wedding. I watched at home for a couple of hours, went to work where I watched the kiss and then had a party with my wonderful class. A few years ago I would have been the first to decry the Royals as a load of upper class, inbred twits but after my year away, I see how valuable they are. Culture, identity, national pride. Things we take completely for granted normally. We Brits like to play things down and are big on the self deprecation. Sometimes we need to see what we have and sing it from the rooftops. A democratic society going back thousands of years. History, majesty and state. We are so lucky to live in Britain and have the opportunities we have. The Royal family are part of our history. I vaguely remember Diana and Charles wedding in '81 with the street parties and commemorative coins, Fergie, Diana's death - they are the background to my life and are intrinsically British. Americans have never been as interested in me and my country as they have in the build up to the wedding. They don't have the bitterness we do to the wealth of the royals. As interesting as Kennedy, Monroe etc were, they are long gone but our royals continue. I remember being at my Grandma's in '81. Being with my Mum in September '97 and, God willing Sian and her children will witness the wedding of Will and Kate's children. They are part of our lives and history.Thousands of miles, and 5 hours, away I cried as the crowds sang Jerusalem and I thought of my Mum watching in Yorkshire, drinking Pimms at the local. I have never felt so proud to be British and to be a part of something historical and a little bit magical. In a world where history nowadays is normally tragic or appalling I think that is very special.

Spring Break in Canada.

We already visited a fair bit of Canada last August but we loved it and were determined to return and got the opportunity this Easter when the only invitation we got to celebrate came from a British family 350 miles away! (So much for American hospitality!)

We travelled up to Canada on the train and it was a wonderful journey, relaxed and scenic (I saw deer in the woods!) Mo is my friend from the old days, she used to be Sian's childminder and we were staying with her and her husband Martin and their wonderful teenage girls Dominique and Katie. Katie and Sian are the same age and used to be best friends when they were 2! Mo lives in Oakville, Canada. We all fell totally in love with Oakville. There was a 'proper' high street with real life people shopping on it. Not driving from store to store but actually walking around! There was a 'beach' on the shore of Lake Ontario. There were 'British' shops where I was able to buy Lilt, Prawn Cocktail crisps and Vegemite. Thursday were drove 20 or so minutes into Toronto. Toronto is a fantastic city, loads of shops, bars, performance artists. Some really fantastic independent shops especially. I may have already mentioned this in previous posts...but I miss the city sooooo much! Friday night was a first as we went to a BASEBALL game! We found it highly ironic that we had to wait to be taken to our first baseball game by Brits to see a Canadian team! Well, most sport bores me but add in a warm roofed stadium and a bar and I'm happy! I would happily go to see another team play, it was easy to understand. Just like rounders! Saturday morning we set off for home but unfortunately Amtrak let me down. The train broke down in Rochester and we had to spend 2 hours stuck on a dead train followed by 2 hours in a dead end crudsville station and then 4 hours driving the rest of the way on a coach! The train was the only one of the day so I was just glad to get back at all! There is nothing like being stranded 4 hours from home with no one to call and no money to make you realise how totally alone we are in this big, lonely country! A fact that was driven even further home the next day as Ron, Sian and I celebrated Easter Day just the 3 of us in the flat (yet again)whilst my exchange partner and her parents (who are visiting her) spent the day with my family and a fantastic Easter meal! The trip to Maureen in Canada was a fantastic reprieve from the loneliness we feel over here. Still, 2 months today we fly home. Yipeeeeeeee. AND, there are still adventures to come. Next week I will be visiting Chicago and Portland, Maine.

The Longest Winter Since The Ice Age.

But look! Is that GRASS I see under the snow? I had forgotton what it looked like! No evidence of flowers or buds round here yet but the snow if FINALLY melting. Very slowly! I cannot wait for Spring. We will get our car parking space back!

New York City - St Patrick's Day

The weather was unbelievable. Hot. Hot enough to make you wish you had left your coat at home. And not a drop of snow anywhere. The Parade itself was a washout! There were SO many people thronging the area, most of them under 21 and very, very drunk! After standing on my tiptoes to take the top picture we escaped via the subway to Greenwich Village and our favourite Irish Pub in NYC. What a fantastic move! We sat outside in the sunshine to enjoy our lunch. Ron had Fish and Chips and Sian had Bangers and Mash. I had a less interesting Vegeburger as I continue to try to slim back to normal European size! After the Parade had finished we ventured back to Midtown and went to Madame Tussauds. That was great fun. It was wonderful being in a busy, vibrant city and feeling the sun on us! As a postscript to this blog I must mention how interesting I find it that so many Americans class themselves as Irish when the connection goes back to a great great relative! My grandfather was Welsh and my great grandmother Irish but I am very definitely ENGLISH! Ron's dad was Italian but he sees himself as ENGLISH. It must be a cultural thing!

Ouch! A report from The Davies Family's Chief Wellness Officer.

So far this month we have had 2 occasions when we needed medical assistance. This is after 7 whole accident free months, which is not bad for us! First Sian managed to cut her thumb on an electric saw in 'shop' (woodwork). The cut itself wasn't too bad but due to the position, the school nurse directed us to the local ER for stitches. My impression of the hospital was that it was very similar to hospitals in the UK. Right down to the Indian doctor and the crazy man shouting in the corridor! The only discernible difference was there was a flat screen TV in every room. This did come in useful to distract Sian as she was being stitched but was not really worth the $250 price tag of the whole incident. The school's insurance should cover it but we will have to pay first and then fill in endless amounts of paper work to get the money back. Sian is under strict instructions from now on to avoid sharp objects! Next up was Ron. He has been getting his asthma and COPD meds from England since we got here, delivered to us when people come to visit. But the day finally came when the doctor said no more! We knew this would be a problem when we arranged to come over here. Ron's medical insurance doesn't cover 'existing conditions' and we had been lucky to not need anything up till now. Eventually I found a medical centre who would see him without insurance. That was $40. Not too bad. Then he went to get his prescription filled. $40 dollars for his asthma inhaler, again - not too bad, but the preventative inhaler (advair) would cost $300. For a month's supply. There is no way we can afford that for the next 3 months. So Ron is now going without his vital medication due to the cost. A situation which millions of American's find themselves in everyday here. I have heard first hand from people who have had to cancel their medical insurance as they can't afford to pay it. If anything serious happened to them, from a broken arm to heart disease, they would be in real trouble. I'm trying not to moan too much about this, I knew what the medical situation was over here before I came and we DO have insurance if anything dreadful was to happen. But it makes me very proud to come from a country where free medical assistance is available to EVERYONE. It is something I had always taken for granted, complaining even when i had to pay a £6 prescription fee. Not any more though. The most puzzling thing is that intelligent Americans view our system with suspicion. I have had someone (a teacher!) refer to free health care in the UK as "Your Socialist system". Free healthcare, free education and democracy are the cornerstones of any civilised society. Oh well, as Meatloaf says... Two out of three ain't bad.

Hallowed Grounds

People say the English are obsessed with tea and this is true to a certain extent but pales in comparison to Americans love affair with COFFEE. Imagine if tea was so popular in the UK that almost everyone you saw on the street was carrying a supersized thermos flask to sip from when necessary, if there were drive thru tea shops on every corner where people went any hour of the day or night to spend literally hundreds of pounds a month on luke warm polystyrene cups of tea. Ridiculous? No - reality here in the US but with coffee! It was one of the first things we all noticed when we arrived. Everyone wanders round with portable cups of coffee. Check out any US TV programme and you will start spotting it. They even take their coffee into the Autopsy rooms in the police shows. At first I thought it was crazy and found it very hard to relate to. However my 'acclimatization'

continues apace and I have searched high and low to find a way to blend in! Haha 'blend' geddit? Firstly there was the single cup coffee peculator. The drawback with this is the coffee never gets really blisteringly hot. So now my prayers have been answered in the form of coffee BAGS and a large silver travel mug! This is a winning combination of filter coffee taste but tongue burning heat. Do they sell these bags in the UK? If not I may have to bring a suitcase full back in June! God help me I have even started bringing DECAF in the evening.

The biggest problem is however that there are NO KETTLES at work. So if you want (need) a hot drink you have to bring it in the morning or pop out to Dunkin Donuts when the urge strikes. A staffroom without hot tea on tap - the horror.

Visit From The Boss.

This past week I was lucky enough to host a visit from my Headteacher, Mrs Cathy Byrne. Mrs Byrne had applied for funding from Fulbright's Head Teacher Study Visit.

Mrs Byrne arrived via Amtrak at Schenectady Station on Friday night. We spent Saturday touring the delights of Schenectady *muffles snort*. Mrs Byrne agreed with me, that it is so strange to be 'downtown' in a city centre and for it to be so quiet and empty. We strolled up to Schenectady Museum and took in the exhibits there, mainly it seemed to be a collection of 'Washing Machines Through The Ages' plus we had to PAY!!! As I recall, all museums in Hull are free (for the moment!). We then walked round my favourite area of Schenectady, The Stockade. These are the oldest houses in the area and some have been there since the Dutch colonised the area. It reminds me very much of The Avenues in Hull. We stopped in The Van Dyke for a beverage and to avoid a snowstorm!

Sunday started with a visit to St Anthony's Church where we experienced a Catholic Mass in Spanish with my friend and teaching assistant Mercedes. This was lovely and the people there were so welcoming, it didn't matter that I didn't understand much. There was some lovely singing. We then took Mrs Byrne shopping at Walmart. Oh the fun never ends round here! The day finished with dinner at The Brudos's. Fantastic beef from their own cows and i tried beetroot for the first time EVER! It was OK really!

The reason for the visit, of course, was for Mrs Byrne to see the US Education system and Dan had set up a fantastic schedule for the week. Visits to other local schools, the High School and even lunch with the Superintendent of Schenectady! The week passed so quickly. Mrs Byrne reiterated our opinion that people here are so warm and friendly. Before she left on Friday, we held a British Tea Party for children and parents in my class. It was fantastic. I even bakes scones. (Yes Mum, second time baking this week!) It was fabulous seeing the class decorated with Union Jacks and everyone sipping tea from dainty cups and nibbling cucumber sandwiches over the strains of God Save The Queen. We shared out the Dairy Milk my Mum had sent across and the children LOVED it! I have had an excellent week and it has been great fun showing Schenectady and the school off to Mrs Byrne.