London, papers, and tests...

First of all, on Thursday morning I started my volunteering at a local middle school here in Florence. It was awesome! Me and four other girls from my group went to the school at around 9:30 and we met the kids. All of the kids in the particular class where we were are learning English (and have been for many years) and most of them are pretty good at it. The focus of the class where we were is music, so all of the kids in the class play some sort of instrument. After basic introductions, we were split up into smaller groups where we got to talk and get to know a few of the kids a little better. I was in a group with 1 boy, Andrea, and 2 girls, Dana and Alessia. All of the children were very confused about my name because in their English textbook there is someone named Jamie but it is a boy. Andrea also told me that in the textbook there is a girl named Andrea, so we had a nice laugh about how our names were mixed up. The style schooling here is very different and I'm not sure if I like it more or less than the American way. Here, the kids have much more freedom than in the States and during breaks they go out in the hallway and yell and play and run around. It seemed a little crazy to me, but so far it seems that there aren't too many behavior problems. I am going back this Thursday and I can't wait to get to know the kids better and learn more about schools in Italy and Europe!

On Thursday night I left Florence and headed to London.  After a bit of confusion at the bus station and almost missing the bus to the airport, I made it safely to London where there was no confusion thanks to the fact that I can speak the same language as people in London! I arrived at Gatwick airport and then took the Gatwick Express (train) to Victoria Station where I then hopped on the tube (subway) and went to the station where I met my friend (and sort of relative) Ellen! It was so great to see her! Last time I saw Ellen was 5 years ago when her and her mom and sister came to the States for a visit. We have been keeping in touch online and when she found out that I was going to be in Europe there was no way I wasn't going to see her, and I am so glad that I had the opportunity to visit her as well as see the wonderful city of London. Anyways...on Thursday night I was pretty exhausted from traveling, so we just decided to go back to Ellen's apartment and catch up a bit and get rested for the weekend. Then on Friday Ellen had to go to work so I got on the train to Hartley Wintney where I met Jane (Ellen's mom) and I spent the day with her and Jess (their dog). Hartley Wintney was such a cute little town and I loved it! We spent the day catching up, taking Jess on a walk, eating lunch at the Waggon (a local pub), and visiting the WI where I met some of the locals. Everyone was so friendly and the town was just adorable. I have officially decided that I like little towns and the country much more than I like cities. After spending the day in Hartley Wintney, Jane drove me back to London (it was so strange to ride in a car there because they drive on the opposite side of the road!) where we went to visit Ellen's work. She works at a private school that has not yet opened yet, but will be opening in September for children ages 8-18. She showed us around the building which is in the middle of renovations and I got to meet the guy that is basically running the school (maybe I can get a job in London one day!). It was very interesting to hear about schooling in the UK because it is a little different than in the States. Quite a lot of students go to private schools and almost all of the kids that I saw walking around wore uniforms. Ellen said that is very typical and almost all schools require students to wear uniforms. After visiting the school we drove around London for a bit and then had some hot chocolate and dinner before bed. On Saturday Ellen had dance rehearsal (she is very busy!) so I met up with her sister, Mari, and Mari's boyfriend, Peter. They took me around London and showed me many of the sites that are must sees when you visit London. I saw Buckingham Palace (unfortunately we missed the changing of the guard), Westminster Abbey, Big Ben, the London Eye, Shakespeare's Globe Theatre, and much more. After the "tour" we met Ellen for dinner and then walked around a bit more before bed. On Sunday I decided I had to take the most touristy pictures possible, so Ellen took me walking around a bit more and she took pictures of me in a phone box, by a double-decker bus, and a few others. After taking lots of pictures it was time for me to get back on the train to the airport. We said our good-byes and decided that I need to come back to London for a longer visit sometime soon. There is so much to see in such a big city and I feel like I didn't even hit half of it! Overall it was a great weekend and I had a lot of fun!

This week is full of papers, tests, and work. It's midterm week and there is so much to get done before spring break next week. I have already written 3 papers and taken 1 exam and it's only Tuesday! Luckily this time next week I will be in Munich, relaxing and enjoying time away from schoolwork :) Oh, and tomorrow I am going to a Fiorentina vs. Inter Milan soccer game and I can't wait! Unfortunately the weather is calling for "heavy rain" which will make my first European soccer game quite an experience! I will be sure to update my blog before leaving for Munich on Saturday. I hope everyone back home is doing well! :)