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!