Finally Caught Up!

Although it is a regular occurrence for me to return home from a trip shortly before the quarter begins, it is not a regular occurrence for me to return AFTER the quarter began. But as you know, the best laid plans....

I am finally able to take a few minutes to share some more thoughts about the trip to England.

Today, I would like to share my home stay with you.

Being a non-traditional student, I was a little apprehensive about staying with one of the Bridgwater students. I am, after all, the mother of three kids who are the ages of the typical student at Bridgwater.

Our hosts, Alistair and Rachel, were kind enough to arrange for me to stay with one of the instructors at Bridgwater, Marina.

Before we arrived, Marina and I had corresponded via email. I learned she was originally from Russia. She let me know that she considered herself to be British but with the Russian hospitality flair. As I didn't know what the English hospitality flair was, I knew I would be in for a real treat.

Marina lives alone in an adorable townhouse. She loves to garden and has done a lot of work renovating the two story house she purchased. As I got a chance to look around my first thoughts were that I was staying in "The house Ikea built" but I didn't dare say that, as I didn't know if it would be offensive.

On my first evening in Bridgwater, Marina asked if I was hungry. We arrived at about 8:30 pm and even though I don't eat heavy when I travel, I really wasn't hungry after a late lunch. Marina let me know that I really was hungry and she served me a salad and some chinese wontons. I thought the amount was absolutely perfect and the flavors wonderful (Marina has a great fresh herb garden). I figured that amount of food wasn't so bad. Then she brought out the main dish of pasta and mushrooms! Yes, I ate it! Yes, it was tasty!

The other travelers soon began to call me the spoiled one. Marina made sure I was well fed and taken care of. Breakfast was not an option! I chose between flakes (like cornflakes but organic grains) or porridge and, of course, tea. Even though we might have lunch plans, she packed me a snack each morning before we set off for the day. I learned to really appreciate the cheese sandwiches she packed. Wonderful cheese in England!

I learned during my stay that her furnishings are from Ikea so my thoughts were offensive at all. I love her style and the simplicity of her home. It was inviting and refreshing.

I really didn't want Marina to make a fuss over me but I have to admit I'm ready to go back and continue to be spoiled by her.

A Quick Note: We Are HOME!

Just to let our faithful readers know...we are HOME finally! We arrived at approximately 12:30 a.m. last night. Unfortunately, due to the long travel home, we were all a little grumpy and quiet on late night drive back from Seattle, but we still love and appreciate each other! The students really were amazing. They handled the air travel delays with poise and positivity. I am so proud of them.

On the down side, I did contract a cold in NYC, so my body is hating me this morning. It doesn't quite know what time it is...and it with my sore throat is pleading with me to go back to bed. I think I may listen.

Thanks again for reading. The students may continue to blog for another week or so. Therefore, keep checking back.

Cheers! And it is good to be home!

Still in New York

Just a quick update. We are still in NYC at a JFK airport hotel. We are anxious to fly out on our 5:00 p.m. flight (that is NYC time). We are scheduled to arrive in Seattle at 8:36 p.m. (Pacific time) and rent a car to get us home. Please, please NO MORE DELAYS! It is raining here, but I am hoping for the best! Send us good thoughts. By 2:00 a.m. tomorrow morning, we hope to be asleep in our own beds.

One good note, however, is that the students and I were able to see my best friend and old college roommate, Michelle. She lives in NYC. I treated the students to a pay per view movie last night in my room (Bride Wars), and Michelle came and watched it with us. We were all so tired, but we had a good girls night. I was able to get to know the students a little better, and they got some insight into New York living from Michelle. So at least, there was a bright spot in our delay.

Send us your good thoughts for a safe journey home tonight! Thanks for reading.

Airport Frustrations and Wonderful Students

No, we are not home yet. We are having a very frustrating travel experience. After a 6 hour delay at Heathrow in London yesterday, sitting on the runway for 45 minutes after boarding, and circling JFK for an hour before landing, we missed our Seattle connection (big surpise, right?). I thought a six hour layover in NYC would be plenty of time to clear customs and have a possible delay...I guess I was wrong! Anywho, after a lot of standing in line and hassle, we are in the Holiday Inn airport hotel at JFK. And to give my students credit, they have all been WONDERFUL! They have been helpful, patient, courteous, and flexible. I see each of their strengths (I guess that is the positive in this situation). Tiffany is "taking charge." She is running ahead to hold shuttles; she is not afraid to ask directions; she also did a great job pushing through her frustration and tiredness to stay positive. Angela is my "problem solver." She has traveled internationally before and is a Delta sky miles member. Therefore, she has been on the phone non-stop trying to get us into Pasco ASAP. Since I have been dealing with cancelations and college issues, she is my "golden woman." And Cori is so kind and considerate...she has been fighting a cold almost the whole trip, and she continues to be so pleasant and helpful. It is really wonderful to have such strong students around me.

Right now, we can't fly out until tomorrow...but we continue to troubleshoot and try. We will keep you updated!

Tired Smiles - ALICE

Been Awhile Now!

So I haven't been able to blog everyday cause of access to internet, but I'm going to try and catch y'all up on the busy days I've had this past week. I guess well start with Tuesday, the day started out like any other, early morning with everyone with tea and coffee. Onto interviews to get more information on the Student Union at Bridgwater. After talking to Rhea for a couple hours, we traveled to Kilve where we enjoyed a nice hike and then cream tea for the afternoon. After the cream tea we went to Bridgwaters other campus, Cannington Centre, so that we could also get information on their student life on that campus. My interview with Lucy who is also another Student Liasion was a very different perspective from Steve. Both were informative and formal, just different. It'll be interesting comparing and contrasting and piecing all three together on the guide. Finally that night after a very filling dinner with everyone was a competitive game of bowling where the Americans found it is definitely not their best suit.

Now Wednesday was my busiest day considering I had three different interviews but they involved one to two people in each interview so the day was mind boggling, it was good actually getting program and academy info from actual students, I must say though that my interview with Luke was probably the most exciting seeing all the different equipment and talking about their tour and possibly a world tour with CBC being the last stop. :) After all the interviews we all headed out for an afternoon of touristy activities planned by the wonderful Rachel and Al, and then an actual early evening with the host families where scrumptous meals were prepared. =)

Thursday was Bathe day, no that doesn't mean we only bathed one day, it was the city Bathe, and boy was it beautiful. We were there a whole afternoon but it didn't seem like enough time to explore. But, oh well, we needed to get back to say our farewells to our friends at Bridgwater.
Coming here has been so fun but definitely not long enough, but the good thing is that we know what we want to do next time we come over here. ;)
Now in todays case we left the hostel at 730 AM today and got to the airport for our flight that was at 1005 AM weird thing is......we're still waiting at the airport due to delays!!! OMG sitting at airports is not the funniest thing to do when you know you're going to have to sit on a 9 hour flight anyways and then another one when you finally reach another destination. Though we will make it sooner or later...I'd rather it be sooner....it't not really working out in my favor...but oh well mechanical problems is a big deal. Keep ya posted on the delay.
Tiffany

Farewell England...

On Thursday morning, I got up on time to go to Bath. It was about an hour and a half drive there, and we mostly spent the day shopping and going to the pump room, which is a very formal place to have tea. Tiffany and I tasted some divine eggs benedict for the first time. A traditional way to serve the eggs is on ham and a bisuit with hollandaise sauce, and that is exactly the way we ate it. Yu-umm!

After the pump rooms, we were going to have an open-bus tour. Unfortunately it was pretty chilly and everyone wanted to look around, so we skipped the tour. I mostly just window-shopped. But being the Jane Austen fan that I am, I had to go to the musem devoted exclusively to her novels. I really enjoyed it. I bought an "I love Mr. Darcy." I couldn't resist. Next, we went to a small restaurant called "The Hole in the Wall" where we all had a wonderful meal together. I would have liked to have gone to the Roman Baths, but there just wasn't enough time. Maybe my next visit.

When we returned to Bridgwater, they had a goodbye get together for us. It was really difficult saying bye to all the lovely people we met....they really did make us feel welcome. We are now at Heathrow airport on Saturday morning. I think we are all ready to go home, but England has treated us wonderfully. Except the slight delay for our plane. Hope we get home on time! There is school Monday morning.

Keep checking the blog because we will most likely be posting some more interesting details of our journey. Thanks for reading!

-Cori

A short, sweet entry

Most of the rest of us have updated you as to our travels and sightseeing excursions so I will avoid that, for now. Please continue to check the blog for a few more weeks as I know I will be continuing to blog as I go back over our notes.

I've discovered quite a bit about myself during this trip. Although I am a frequent traveler (so frequent in fact, I've gotten an upgrade to business class for the Heathrow to New York leg of the trip, when we get off the ground. See Alice's post below.) I didn't realize how difficult it can be to be out of touch with those we want to be in touch with. Even with my unlimited data plan, I could only email my family inexpensively. With the 8 hour time difference, there was only about 8 hours of consecutive awake time and that was mostly taken up with excursions for us here. I've missed this contact. Speaking of missing contacts, I lost one of my contacts (for the eyes this time) in London on the way to Somerset. I lost the right (and correct) contact to lose because it was my 'reading' contact and I have reading glasses with me. If I had lost the left contact, I would have been in trouble as this is my distant contact.

So, what I've learned is this: even when things are going all the best, I can still enjoy myself. I didn't let the lack of contact with my family or the loss of the contact keep me from thorougly enjoying myself. I've learned that I really don't want to live in the big city. I think Glastonbury is the place for me. It's quite eclectic and quite funky. I could easily warm up to my granola, hippy side there. I've learned that four people can get along in small quarters (the hostel) and not snip at each other - its a lesson for me to take back to my three children and the much larger quarters we live in. I've learned that I am extremely fortunate to have been selected on this trip. The sightseeing was wonderful but I really enjoyed my time in Somerset and learning about Bridgwater College. I wish to thank those who made it possible for me to be here.

Okay so this wasn't so short and so sweet but I will close now so the others can blog. Keep checking back.

Leaving Bridgwater…London bound…then HOME!

From 4/3:

We left Bridgwater at 8:30 a.m. on Friday. In all honesty, once we left Bridgwater, I think we were all ready to be home. Therefore, if another research trip is in the works, it might be better and more economical to just go straight from the College to the airport. I do think London on the front end of the trip was a good idea. It took our bodies a couple of days to adjust to the time change. Plus, we weren’t “scheduled up” for that mental adjustment. Anything that we chose to do was up to us and our level of energy. It would have been hard to go directly into a homestay with jetlag.

But anyway, as for London…we arrived slightly later than expected, due to a delay of the coach. However, we got to our hostel at 12:30 p.m. and the students headed out into the city after leaving their bags in the secure luggage room (we could not check-in until 2:00 p.m.). Due to lack of sleep and travel, I found myself with a headache and a sore throat. Therefore, I found a café with free wifi and hot coffee/soup. I stayed there until our check-in at the hostel. After checking in, I decided to “run out” my cold. I threw on my jogging clothes and headed out. For some crazy reason, I decided to run over (and between preferably) every bridge in London that went over the Thames. Again, I think I temporarily went insane. There are many more than I thought, what 7 or 8..I honestly lost count...with tons of blocks in-between. I was able to run over all of the bridges (but after bridge #5…I wasn’t necessarily running the whole way in-between - a brisk walk instead. Let’s just say that I was feeling my legs).

And as an added crazy bonus, I decided Tower Bridge should be my final bridge. With every step, I was thinking “ouch, ouch, ouch.” I was also beginning to understand why the Brits sometimes detest tourists. When I started out, bobbing in and out of the tourists was fun and exhilarating. I was able to hone my “running reflexes” so to say. But by London Bridge and Tower Bridge, the tourist abruptly stopping in front of me to look at a map or take a photo was unbearably annoying. Maybe it was because I was tired and my shins were screaming at me, but I made a vow never to do the “touristy stop-short” again. I just didn’t realize how oblivious we can be to those around us when we are sightseeing. But after knocking into the back of two different people (one American and one German) for the typical touristy reasons, I said to myself that I would from now on always have “city awareness.”

But on the bright side, I got a three hour exercise session and saw a lot of the sites at the same time! After cooling down and stretching, Angela and I went to an Indian Restaurant right outside of Covenant Garden. London is known for its curry houses. Unfortunately, our eyes were bigger than our stomachs and we ordered way too much food. However, it was delicious, and we got a good sampling!

Everyone was in bed by 10:00 p.m. to be ready for our 7:00 a.m. departure. But on the downside, we are now delayed by three hours in Heathrow (mechanical problems). We still should easily make our connection in JFK…but sitting in an airport is never fun! Argh! We are definitely ready to be home at this point, even though it was been a GREAT trip! Oh – and just to let you know, my legs feel fabulous this morning. The three hour run/walk ended up being a wonderful thing to do the day before airport/plane sitting.

Recap of the Past Two Days!

From 4/2: Interviews, Wells, Glastonbury, Bath, and Wonderful Family

As busy bees in Bridgwater, we haven’t really had time to blog…so I am going to do a quick recap of today and yesterday for the satisfaction of our readers. Then at the end you will get my unique list of “very English” words that I have been compiling since day one! You will also find them in Cori’s ASCBC Bridgwater Guide (once completed in May).

So to begin…on April 1 (April Fool’s Day), we began with project interviews. Each student went off to meet with various Bridgwater students and staff members. It was the final day of project research, so they each had a four hour stretch of interviews before we headed to Wells and Glastonbury.

In Wells (the location where the film, Hot Fuzz, was made), we visited the cathedral. Visiting that glorious landmark was such a treat. It was all decked out for Lent with special paintings hung…we also learned about its history including its masonry, its carvings, and stories about the tombs inside. We then moved on to Glastonbury, which I affectionately labeled the “land of the hippie bus." It is home to a rather well known rock concert in which people like Bruce Springsteen have been known to play. Some people call it the English Woodstock (but personally, I think that goes a little too far – there is only one Woodstock). In addition to the concert talk, there are unique little “hippie” and “spiritual” shops full of healing crystals, color healing books and such. My favorite shop was Burned Breads Bakery (I just love the name!). It had the cutest little organic ginger bread men, which I promptly ate about 30 seconds after buying. After our mooch around, we journeyed through the Abbey and saw King Arthur’s supposed original burial site. We also climbed Glastonbury Tor (which is just another name for hill). It was an ancient church site originally (there is still a spire at the top), and it was quite a hike. The views, however, were absolutely lovely. Glastonbury was one of my favorite spots…maybe because I am a hippie at heart (Oh – and I really want a VW hippie bus. You will see from my souvenirs.)

On April 2, we had a bit of a larger treat! We spent the day in Bath. Bath is an 1.5 hour drive from Bridgwater, so it is deserving of a whole day. We had tea in the Pump Room next to the ancient Roman Baths and then lunch at a cute little restaurant called Hole in the Wall. We also did a bit of gift buying, and then split up to mill around the town. Cori went to the Jane Austen Museum, and Angela, Tiffany, and I did some shopping and coffee drinking (No, I have not abandoned coffee for tea!). If I ever do go back to Bath, I want to leave enough time for a spa treatment. Bath is known for those, and they sound heavenly.

After a full day of sightseeing and shopping, we headed back to our homestays. We got back much earlier than we have been, so we were able to have a proper dinner and conversation. Little George and I attempted to count the bunnies on the hillside behind the house. There were a plethora of little rabbits jumping and bounding everywhere. I counted thirty, but George said there were tens of hundreds. We then played with baby Alice while Charlotte worked on dinner and Alistair prepared for his Mississippi trip tomorrow. And while we were playing, the donkeys wandered up on the back hill. I have been hearing the donkeys’ moan every night for days; but due to the darkness, I had not seen them. But there they were…four of them, grazing and resting in the field with the bunnies. Alistair and Charlotte have the most peaceful home. It has been a pleasant stay, and I must say that I prefer the Quantock countryside to London…much more relaxing.

Alice’s list of “different” English words/phrases:

Nappy (n) = diaper
Posh (adj) = fancy or glamorous (usually expensive)
To let a flat (phrase) = to rent an apartment
Loo or water closet (n) = toilet or restroom
Rubbish (n) = trash
Peckish (n) = hungry
Give away (as in traffic signs) (v)= yield
Dodgy (adj) = unsafe or unsure
Hairy (adj) = creepy or frightening
Bullocks (n, adj) = nonsense
Bangers & Mash (n) = sausage and mashed potatoes
A Pint (n) = a glass of beer
Pop to the shops (phrase) = Go to the store
Coach (n) = fancy bus
Waterproof (n) = quick term for a raincoat or rain-proof jacket
Chips (n) = French fries
Beastly (adj) = nasty or unpleasant
Bender (n) = heavy alcohol drinking session
Bloody (adj) = a swear word, which generally is an exclamation of surprise
Knackered (v) = tired out
Skive (v) = to evade something
Sloshed (v) = drunk
Smashing (adj) = Terrific or wonderful
Pudding (n) = a spongy cake, sometimes served with cream or topping; in more general terms, it can simply mean dessert
Stroppy (adj) = sulky or miserable
Twit (n) = idiot
Wanker (n) = a jerk
Wonky (adj) = unstable or shaky
Zonked (v) = exhausted
Mooch (v) = walk around or hang out
Wacked (v) = tired or exhausted
Mucky (adj) = filthy or dirty
Tor (n) = hill

Wells and Glastonbury

From April 1st:

We were crammed with wonderful things to do yesterday. And plus, I was feeling a million times better thanks to cough drops and syrup, hot tea, tylenol, and sleep. I arrived at the college on time and ready for a busy day. After having a quick meeting with the group, I went with a student named India to shadow her International Baccaloreate (IB) Chemistry course. Next I met with Richard from Bridgwater's media team where I learned some useful tools for formatting the guide. I will definitely be emailing Richard for more good tips in the future. And after this (they do keep us busy:), I had an interview with Zoe from the Arts and Design department who helps run a program called tutorials. This program basically is a required lesson that students must attend every week for an hour. Tutorials are an outlet for which students can voice any concerns they are having whether it be problems with a class, bullying, issues at home, or any other difficulties.

After we were all done working on our projects at Bridgwater, Alistair and Ed took us to Wells so we could see the Cathedral. Our tour guide showed us some great stories about Wells and just a boatload of wonderful tidbits. He was actually one of the vocalists in the choir that sings at Wells Cathedral; he gave us a small sliver of his musical ability in the meeting chapel (I believe that is what it was called) where the acoustics were marvelous. I think I speak for most of us when I say that it was probably the coolest part of the tour. We also got to see the second oldest clock in the world, presumably.

Then we were off to Glastonbury where we walked the ruins of an abby where apparently King Arthur was buried. It was a very peaceful place. I would liked to have spent the whole day there just sitting on the grass; it was lovely. I found some very interesting stores while we were there, and bought some very old books. Oh but the next part...Alistair practically dragged us up this huge hill known as the Glastonbury Tor. He made it sound like it was a small mound. Haha. Not really, but Tiffany and I climbed it with ardent fervor and were completely happy the entire way up. Ok, that might not be totally true, but none the less, we felt very accomplished once we reached the top. The view was undescribable. No camera or picture could really grasp what we saw. Heavenly.

I am sure when we returned, people were wondering what they had done to all of us as we looked completely exhausted. Once my host family picked me up, we went to dinner. We had such a fun time laughing and learning all about each other's countries.

Then I went to sleep:)

Foam Party

March 31, 2009

We could not blog yesterday so I thought I might outline my wonderful experience yesterday. Waking up in the morning was just awful; I wanted to sleep in my comfy bed all day. But I did arise to the jolly "good morning" of my host "mother" Angela who supplied me with cough drops and lemon/honey tea. Amazing. Stacy, my host, and I ran to the bus and made it...it was close though. We arrived at Bridgwater and I went to the HUB to interview a couple students. Randomly chosen, I simply started talking with two girls that are first year students. I got to learn about their curriculum, but they mostly just wanted to talk about America. One student was completing A-levels which is similar to standard classes at CBC for a general AA, while the other was studying a vocation in forensic science. They both had different amounts of homework and classess, but both agreed that they loved going to college. They were ages 16 and 17 which means they chose to go to Bridgwater even though they were not legally required to attend school. After my interviews I headed back to our group where we set off to Mooch by the seashore for a walk. Being right on the edge of the coast and the countryside was sublime. Just peaceful. I also found my dream house....well technically it was a castle, but it suited me quite nicely.
We arrived at the old Chantry which is a quaint garden where we had traditional cream tea. It was bomb. Pardon my lingo. We had devonshire cream and jam on scones with brown sugar and cream in our tea. Absolutely delicious. After this, we (Alice, Tiffany, Angela, Rachael and Ed, our amazing bus driver) all headed to Cannington Center, which is another site for Bridgwater college where they have vocational trainings in areas such as agriculture management, animal management, golf, aboriculture, and other studies. We saw turtles, snakes, dogs, mice, rodents, a crazy parrot named Jeffrey, and other miscellanious animals. Their vocational program through Cannington Center is very diversified and helps students kinesthetically train for their career of choice.
Quickly heading over to the Student Support building, we all had meetings to attend. I met with Abbey and about ten other students. We talked for about two hours about what college life is like in England comparable to America. Next we all met up with Alistair and Mike, the vice principle of the college, for a wonderful dinner. I ordered a hamburger. Please don't think me un-American, but I loved their burgers better than ours. The burger had a sort of apple and onion dressing that added so much taste!
Next, we went bowling. Competition was definitely in the air. Everytime Alistair got a strike, I would get one as well. It was loads of fun. But what really made the evening interesting was the student party that Tiffany and I went to with our host "sisters." It was called a foam party, because they shoot out tons of suds onto the dance floor. It was held at a pub in downtown Bridgwater. It was really different than student parties at CBC, but still quite the experience:)
I wrote this on behalf of yesterday, so today's blog will arrive tomorrow. Brilliant!
Bye
-Cori

Homestay Experience

It is the morning of April 1…instead of the end. Therefore, I thought it good to give you a brief overview of my homestay family since my day is yet to begin. Fortunately or unfortunately – whichever way you want to look at it – our days have been packed with project work and visits. Therefore, it is hard to find time to blog…My goal was for the students to blog daily; but because of our lack of wireless internet at our homestays and the limited amounts of “free time” on the Bridgwater campus, their blogs have become a “when we have time” idea. Again, not a problem, just something to be flexible about. But on to the homestays…

My homestay family consists of 4 people: Alistair (the father), Charlotte (the mother), George (the little boy), and Alice (the baby – and yes, she is named after me). They are a delightful family who lives in Quantock – which is a beautiful village and countryside. Due to our packed schedules, we tend to only see our families in the morning. Thursday night (the night before we leave for London) is reserved for a home dinner with our families, so I won’t experience family night life until then. However, mornings are very eventful. Little Alice is only 18 months, so she is up with the sun. George’s pitter patter of tiny feet is a welcome sound in which to arise each morning. He is five years old. On my first morning, both children were a little shy, but they warmed up to me after presents (a stuffed frog and Lego). Breakfast is a quick and warm family affair with toast, banana (for the children), and tea….light and simple just the way I like it.

The actual house is cozy and comfortable. It is consists of four small but amply adequate bedrooms, two bathrooms, a living room with a eating area, a kitchen, laundry, staircase, entry, and garage. As we have found, English living tends to be UP instead of OUT. This simply means that houses or cottages are usually two, three, or four floors instead of spreading vastly across one floor. Therefore, when visiting, let’s hope guests are not weak in the knees – stairs tend to be a “must maneuver” item, both here and in London.

I am very grateful to my homestay family for being so kind. I have my own room. They have given me full access to the best bathroom in the house – the one with the glass shower (YAY!). They are extremely respectful of my privacy and space. They also let me interrupt their normal routine each morning with requests for tea and toast. Alistair is also kind enough to answer all of my questions in the car on the way to the College each morning. It has been a wonderful stay! They are a splendid family full of love and happiness.

JUST A NOTE! We will not have internet access tomorrow at the College. Therefore, only those students who have internet at their homestay houses will be able to blog.

Cannington Campus & More!

Due to limited internet access, I was not able to post yesterday. Therefore, posting today! Will post from 4/1 entry a little later in the day. Cheers - ALICE

From 3/31/09:

Today we have actually done quite a lot. We started the day with the students having meetings for each of their respective projects from 9:00-10:00 a.m. Each student seems to be embracing their projects and asking good questions. After the interviews, we took a short journey to Mooch. We did a 1 mile seaside walk, and then stopped for a proper cream tea at the old Chantry (which was established in 1329). Cream tea is really amazing. We each got two scones with heavy cream and raspberry jam. The cream has the consistency of melted marshmellows, very thick and stringy. The fresh baked scones with these “very English” toppings were heavenly. And of course, the students had tea, but my preference will always be coffee (with a wonderful brown sugar cube).

We are now on the Cannington Campus of Bridgwater College. Just like at CBC, Bridgwater consists of two campuses. The Cannington campus houses the land based programs (agriculture, landscaping, animal management, equine studies, etc.). We were able to go through the animal house, which is home to spiders, turtles, rodents, dogs, chinchillas, mice, birds, rabbits, and ferrets. And of course, all of these animals are part of the animal care management program at Bridgwater. Tiffany had the best time petting those animals that were safe to pet (not the spiders or chinchillas). In addition, we toured the Wall Gardens on campus. Prince Edward will be coming to the garden reception in a couple of weeks, so there is quite a bit of activity happening to prepare. As soon as spring ushers in, the garden will be absolutely grand. It is beautiful now, but it is very easy to imagine its upcoming potential.

The students are now meeting with administrators at Cannington about their projects. It is a residential campus, so it is slight different than the main Bridgwater campus (refered to as the Bath Road campus by Cannington professionals) and CBC. They have 24 hour student activities/welfare staff to ensure the security of the students. They also have separate lodging for the “under 18” and “over 18” students. They can accommodate 124 residential students on their campus. Cori is meeting with Abby Payne, who is in charge of their housing and student building. She is getting more insight into student life here and the residencies. Tiffany is meeting with Lucy Counsel from the Welfare & Liaison Department. Lucy works from 1:00-11:30 p.m. to supervise student activities and residents in the evening. And finally, Angela has two different meetings to learn about two different volunteer programs (the Access Program and Community Orchard & Green Pioneers).

Tonight we look forward to some fun with dinner and bowling. Rachel, Mike, and Alistair will be joining us. Tiffany and Cori then will have the opportunity to attend the Student Union “foam” party at a local club with their “homestay sisters.” The Student Union (a.k.a. Student Government) hosts two parties per term at local clubs from 8:00 p.m. to 1:00 a.m. Each party has an individual theme, and they are self-sustaining. Therefore, they charge 4.50 pounds for tickets + additional charges for bus rides (if needed). The goal of the parties is socializing, student community building, and profit. All proceedings help maintain the Student Union space + assists in paying for future events. The venue holds 850 people; and according to Steve Pitman (Student Union Liaison, the equivalent to my job at CBC), they almost always sell out. They have separate smaller parties for their special needs students, which are also sponsored by the Student Union.

OK…that is enough for now. It is my guess that most of you have quit reading at this point. Sorry if I was long-winded (or long typed), there is just so much to tell. Cheers!

Just the same, but all different

At Bridgwater College, you can tell you are at a college. The variety of programs, the student common areas, the library, the computer access - all the same.

But, there are many, many differences. Quite a few of the programs I have been studying have told me that our programs are run more like those of the Uni. (University). It's almost overwhelming to think that CBC has University level programs. Go us!

The Vice Principle, Mike Robbins was able to show us how the educational systems in both countries aligned. Here at Bridgwater, they have students as young as 14 attending from the local high school. There are also adult learners here.

However, one of the main ways our schools differ is in the fact that there are many opportunities to volunteer at the school. It's amazing to me that the students are so willing to volunteer their time to show pride in the school which they attend. They are not required to volunteer, it's not a graduation requirement, they do it because they do have pride in their school.

I've spent most of the day with staff members who are in charge of these volunteer programs. Those schools are doing wonderful things for their community and school. I'm simply amazed.

The Charming Town of Cheddar

Well ‘ello everyone!

Yesterday morning, Tiffany, Angela and I set off for Buckingham Palace to see the Changing of the Guard. The number of people there must have ranged more than a thousand. Despite our inability to see the whole ceremony, we did catch a glimpse of the rite and it was definitely a great experience. We walked around Victoria for a while, stopping in at little boutiques and souvenir shops. After this, Angela and Tiffany headed toward Covenant Gardens as I went to a small church with my friends from England for their Sunday service. It was delightful. Sadly, I haven’t been feeling quite myself so I picked up some cough medicine and then went to catch the tube (after you have ridden in the underground a couple times, you pretty much have it down, just follow the signs).

I met up with both ladies at 1:30pm where we watched a small comedy act in the middle of the square. Covenant Gardens was probably one of my favorite places to go just because there is a huge variety of shops and it is interesting to ogle at all the different people. Being the early birds that we are and also wanting to return to a delicious pastry shop, Paul (ironically this store is right next to St. Paul’s Cathedral), we all headed back toward the hostel; we were meeting Alice at 3:00pm. But because Paul (the place with the wonderful macaroons) is just so wonderful, we caught Alice there as well :)

We arrived at Hammersmith Bus Station on time and ready for our coach ride; once we were on, I was out like a light. But I awoke at perfect timing to see the sun set over the countryside. It seemed like it could have been taken straight out of a Jane Austen film. We arrived a bit late as Angela said, but our lovely host families were there to greet us. I am staying young lady who is sixteen and in a vocational training program at the college. She lives with her “mum” and dad, younger brother and sister in a small town called Cheddar. That’s right. It is the town where Cheddar Cheese actually got its name! It is a little perfectly situated town that resides in Somerset County about thirty minutes from Bridgwater. Everyone has been so friendly.

Well the next day we arrived at Bridgwater. Angela, Alice, and Tiffany pretty much laid out our schedule for the day, but my particular interview was with a lady from the International Students Office, where I learned all about Bridgwater’s excellent program for international students to study at their college. The other part of our day that I MUST mention was our tour through Nether Stowey where I saw some of the most beautiful countryside. I must also mention that I enjoyed seeing Tiffany chase and be chased by sheep:) Well I will catch up tomorrow. Thanks for reading!

-Cori

First Day in Bridgwater

We had an excellent day today! We started the day with a history of Bridgwater, and then I accompanied Tiffany on her Student Government interviews. We solicited a lot of good information about their student union, officers, and clubs. It is drastically different than the ASB format we have at Columbia Basin. Tiffany wrote her little hand off trying to get all of the information down. They also gave her a copy of their Student Union Constitution, so she has a good resource in which to refer.

We also met with Mike Robbins, the Vice President of Bridgwater College. He explained the UK College/Education setup to the students, so they better understood the structure. And then two of the administrators, Rachel and Alistair, took us on a nice hike through Quantock (an area of beautiful countryside). It was a 3 mile hike and really spectacular! Cori and Tiffany took loads of photos. We saw old houses, sheep, and gorgeous scenery.

As I blog we are at a student rock concert in the HUB...yes, they call their student union building the HUB too. The student group is really good. Lots of American covers...right now, they are playing Born to Be Wild. The internet access here has been a little "dodgy," but I think we have gotten it "sorted." We will continue to blog as often as possible.

Cheers!

SHEEEEEEEEPPPPPP!!!!!!

Omg our hour and half nature walk through the terrain of England was beautiful!!! Even though it was a little mudder and had tons of hills the site was just break-taking. There were even sheep and lambs EVERYWHERE! They definitely don't like people to touch them..I tried running after a lamb but this huge sheep was staring at me like it was gonna buck me so I took off the other way before there was a liability at hand. Finally after the nature hike we were taken to this tiny cafe in the mountains where it was believed that Johnny Depp had bought a house just across the way...but really it wasn't true...just to bring in business. Not a by idea, I think. But earlier today I did get the chance to interview the student government of Bridgwater and sit in on one of their Student Union Meeting and see how they deal with the issues/activities of the students....will say it was a completely different experience compared to our exec. council. Totally excited to get to know the rest of the team and understand how it all works with their HUB, but that'll be an adventure for tomorrow. Tonite we are actually witnessing an event by one of the level 2 vocational bands here at Bridgwater, kind of a rock/pop mixture. Extremely excited to hear some English music. :) Also a little fun fact...our yield sign is the equivalent of their give-away sign. Thought that was rather interesting.

36,473

That's how many steps my pedometer says I took on my last day in London. Yes, I have walked, and I have enjoyed it so very much.

There are way too many museums and way not enough time. May I extend my trip by about 4 months, please?

I joined Cori and Tiffany to see the changing of the guard. After all, I do have to do SOMETHING touristy, right?

The trip over the Somerset was lovely. The English countryside is just as I had imagined it, only greener. The bus was a bit delayed from an accident but out hosts waited for us.

I'm enjoying getting to know my host, Marina, who is originally from Russia is showing me a wonderful fusion of Russian and British hospitality.

I've finally taken out my camera so be watching for photos with my entries.

Mysterious Hot Dogs

Call me the classic tourist, but I had some famous must-see locations to visit in London. I went to a small cafe in the morning where I ordered a macchiato and ended up with some mysterious beverage that I eventually threw away. Sad. But my own lovely Starbucks was just around the corner...
I arranged to meet with a couple friends from London and we went to Westminster Abby. Unfortunately the abby was crazy packed with tourists, as I suspected, but none the less....it was breathtaking. Next we stopped for a hot dog, which did not taste like a hot dog at all. Different and sweeter, but good.
The London Eye was brilliant. I recommend it, but it is probably one of the most expensive activities to go to. We took a double decker bus to Victoria where we visited Buckingham Palace. Gee, my house is boring! I will most likely see the Changing of the Guard tomorrow. I said goodbye to my friends and went back to the hostel, where I climbed (seriously I have to climb) restlessly into my comfortable bed. Angela and I spent the evening in Covenant Gardens where we ate French food (which included spinach stuffed mushrooms. Yummm) and bought some funky clothing. I am sure you will notice our new style :) We headed back and made it at to the hostel at exactly 10:00p. Yes.
England is setting their clocks forward tonight so that means one less hour of sleep for Cori.
Cheers!

Macaroons, Photos, and Fun...Oh My!

More fun photos...and just a tip! Paul's macaroons are so delicious. Paul is a pastry chain in London. I am going to buy more macaroons on the way back through to bring home. YUM!

National Gallery was closed tonight. Bummer! Maybe it will be a tomorrow journey...along with a jog to Buckingham Palace. We catch the coach to Bridgwater at 5:30 p.m. tomorrow evening. We can't wait to meet our homestay families.

A special thanks to ASCBC for sponsoring our project! We will serve you well.

HyperCaffiemia

From Angela:

About the only way THIS person can survive the time change is lots and lots of Starbucks and Pauls. Starbucks, well you know all about that. Pauls on the other hand has the added bonus of tempting Macarons! Yes, I've endulged, twice.

I braved the Tube alone today and visited the Natural History Museum. They have a brilliant (yes, I'm speaking London now) exhibit on Darwin. I just HAD to visit the gift store where I added a couple of books to my collection.

Soho ended up being mostly shopping at the other quintessential London Department store, John Lewis. I picked up a few small gifts there and ate lunch in their Bistro.

It's time to head out to Covent Garden so stay tuned for further updates.

Photos!

Hello Again!
Today has been a fun day of jogging/walking in the rain along the Thames (1 1/2 hours - up the Thames around Parliment and Big Ben and back down to Tate Modern and over Millenium Bridge), coffee and reading in a cafe, and hangin' in Soho. Angela, Tiffany and I went to John Lewis in Soho (the other big department store - kind of like Harrods but more modern). Now the students are headed to Covenant Garden while I am going to find yummy fish & chips and maybe the National Gallery (if it is still open). I have to be honest the time change is still getting me a little. So the yawning keeps coming. Plus, you have to get use to the St. Paul's bells when your trying to sleep. However, they are really beautiful and you will always know the time (especially if you are a non-watch wearer like I am). SMILES!

Rainy Day in London

So London on a rainy Saturday isn't very eventful. The area we're staying at, pretty much everything is closed except Starbucks and a couple museums. Luckily, there's China Town....oh so excited to try some of their food. While running around yesterday, Cori and myself actually found some local stands with amazing fish and chips. It was quite a long trip to find those! So hopefully the food today in China Town is as good, maybe even better. :)

We're in London, Baby!

After a long car ride & two very long flights, we made it! We arrived at our hostel at 11:30 a.m. (England time - there is a 7 hour difference) this morning. Our youth hostel is basic, clean, and in a safe area - right across from St. Paul's Cathedral. I have to admit we are all jet lagged. Airplane sleeping isn't the best, but we are still awake and kickin'. We are just bumming around the streets right now...getting our bearings. And if you couldn't tell, I have zoned in on the free wifi in a cute little cafe called Pret. Tonight we are headed to the Globe Theatre and Tate Modern for a breathtaking art experience. And tomorrow, I don't know about the students yet...but I am hitting London in my jogging shoes & shorts in the a.m. I thought a run/walk along the Thames would be appropriate - maybe swing up in the Eye for a bird's eye view of the city. Then in the afternoon, Angela and I are headed to Soho/Chinatown for good soup dumplings & ginger candy (Yum!).

We head to Bridgwater on Sunday to begin our project. I am very impressed at all of the prep work the students have already accomplished...we talked a lot about research on the car ride and plane trips. We will keep y'all in the loop. Time to explore again! Oh - woman with a yoga bag...where is she going?

London/Somerset...Here We Come

For those of you who may not know, three CBC students have been selected to complete a short research project in Somerset, UK at Bridgwater College over Spring Break. Bridgwater is the UK equivalent to a community college here in the USA. They have been tagged as our "sister college" in that this is hopefully the beginning of biennial visits to their campus (*fingers crossed*). But just to give you a further rundown -- here is each of the students' focuses while overseas.

1) Cori Smith - She will be completing a first time ASCBC overseas guide to Bridgwater! This will hopefully set the foundation for future students to travel. The guide will include items such as: what is it like to stay with a homestay family; basics on tourist attractions; what to bring & what not to bring; basic similarities and differences in community college life between the two colleges...and so much more. Much of it will be done electronically via website as well as a printed version.

2) Angela Combs - Angela will completing a comparision project between our CBC ambassador program and the ambassador program at Bridgwater College. Elements of her project will also be included in Cori's guide.

3) Tiffany Koch - And finally, we have Tiffany who will be completing a comparison project between clubs, student governments, and student union buildings. Since she is the current VP of Clubs at CBC, she has the background to really dive into this project head first.

I will be acting as both their supervisor and research support on this trip, which is quite an honor for me. In addition, we will also have a little time to sight see in London and Somerset. All of this has been arranged by our "sister college," and we truly appreciate their aide and generosity. It will be a fun-filled 10 days, and all four of us are extremely excited. Can't wait for March 26...Look out UK! We are on our way!

My Turn

Hello all!

I am Angela and I am the third student who will be traveling the Somerset, UK to visit CBC's sister school, Bridgwater College. Tiffany and Cori's introductions are below.

I will be doing a comparison between CBC's Ambassador program and that of Bridgwater.

I attend the Richland campus as a nursing student so you will not often see me on the Pasco campus but, I'm very happy to be able to represent all CBC students at Bridgwater.

I've enjoyed getting to know the Ambassador program at CBC and I'm looking forward to gaining insight into Bridgwater's and am hoping we'll find some great ideas to enhance CBC's.

England:Coming Soon

Hello everyone!
I am Cori and I have been attending CBC for almost two years now, and I will have my AA degree in the Spring. I will also be traveling with ASCBC to Bridgwater, UK and I am ecstatic! The project that I am specifically working on is creating a guide to overseas travel with specific emphasis on Bridgwater College in Somerset, UK. I have already been working on small tips for other students to keep in mind while preparing to travel to Great Britain.
Just a little bit about me. Traveling and playing clarinet are some of my favorite activities.My favorite subject and major will be English; I plan on attending a four-year university in the fall. Anyway I cannot wait to share all our adventures with everyone while we are overseas and when we return!

Tiffany's Pre-Blog

Hello my name is Tiffany Koch, I'm the ASCBC VP of Clubs at CBC. I want to express how excited I am to go on this trip to England on March 26-April 4! It's going to be an awesome experience. Currently, I'm concentrating on my Business Degree here at CBC. In my spare time I'm involved in various activities from my job off campus and the Tri-Cities Fever Dance Team as a Promotional Girl. All in all not picky and I definitely about having a good time with tons of laughs!