This past week has been so much fun!
On Monday the 18th, my class went to the Museum of Childhood, looked around and then went to a viewing and history of some toys/games that were related to the class.
On the 19th, we had the day to ourselves. I wasn’t feeling too well, the weather was making my allergies act up, so I just stayed in and relaxed.
The next day the class was taught the dance steps to the Square Dance and the Virginia Reel. For some fun, we also did the Cha Cha Slide and learned the steps to The Naked Mole Rap a song from Disney’s Kim Possible. Man that was exhausting!
On Thursday, the class went on a tour at The All England Lawn Tennis and Croquet Club and then went to the museum there. The process that they use for the grass on the tennis courts is fascinating! They only use Rye Grass because it sticks straight up and has a big root that doesn’t allow big chunks to come up during a game. If it does start to come apart, it is by a single grain at a time. After every annual competition they kill the grass and then start growing it all over for the next year’s competition so that it is nice and fresh. They have a person whose job is to measure the height of the grass on all courts to make sure that it is up to protocol for the competition, make sure that it is indeed Rye Grass, and then take a frame, like a photo frame 12” x 12”?, and place it on the grass and count the strands of grass and then move the frame to another part of the field and count again to make sure everything is even. I bet they get paid well…
That evening, a group of us went to see a British Football Game. The team that we were rooting for won; 4-0. The fans here are really expressive! It was fun to hear and see it.
The following morning, Friday 22nd, at 6:30am, a big group of CCSA’ers left for the Optional Scotland trip. We took the 8:00 train from Kings Cross Station to Edinburgh Waverly Station. We arrived in Edinburgh for a 12:30 tour followed by checking into our room at Pollok Halls Campus. After some time we were given dinner and then went to a speech by Ian Campbell, a Literature Professor at the college, who recommended a few books to read. I bought all three. The Sunset Songs Trilogy (all in one book), The Heart of Midlothian, and The Private Memoirs and Confessions of a Justified Sinner.
The next day, a group of us, Mickey Wadia, Professor Suta, Tracy, David, and I, explored the Royal Mile, like main street, and then Andrew, Sean and Ted joined us and we took the train to Stirling Castle. That was awesome. I took lots of pictures there.
On Sunday, the entire CCSA group at Scotland turned in our keys and left at 9:30am, half hr late because of one student, for a tour of Abbotsford, the home of Sir Walter Scott. The outside looked like a castle! The gardens and courtyards were beautiful and there were four horses that let me pet them. That made my day in itself. I took lots of pictures there too.
We then left for Melrose Abbey, 40mins late because of the same student, for Lunch and pictures. We were supposed to have about an hour and a half there, but were left with an hour. There were two café’s right nearby; basically across the street from each other. I went to the Abbey Coffee Café first to see what was on the menu, and then decided to see what was at the other café. The prices there were cheaper, but when it was my turn to order there were no more Panini’s. So I then I went back to the Abbey Coffee Café and went to the counter to order my Panini. The girl in front of me ordered and then I went to order. There was someone different at the register and he told me that I had to sit down to order. (grrr that other girl didn’t have to!) So I go sit down. I wait. I wait some more and decide that maybe I should grab a menu so that they know that my order hasn’t been taken. Then someone sees and says that they will be right with me. I wait some more. My order is eventually taken and I wait some more. By the time my food was brought there was 15mins left and my order was wrong. They said that they would fix it and that I would not have to pay for it. By the time that she returned there was 10mins left. I was not able to take pictures at all.
We left Melrose ON time, 1:45, but halfway back to Edinburgh a girl said that she left her wallet at the café. We are on our way to the train station and now Mickey Wadia has to figure out how to fix this situation before we get there. He has already not been happy about being late all day long. So he and Suta are calling around trying to get the number to the café to see if it has shown up. They get the number and call. There is no sign of it, but it is busy at the café so there is still hope that it might show up. The girl is told to tell the Station Police what has happened and wait for the next train to come back to London. That is all I know on that story.
We catch the train and that is where I am now; writing this blog.
What an eventful day!
On Monday the 18th, my class went to the Museum of Childhood, looked around and then went to a viewing and history of some toys/games that were related to the class.
On the 19th, we had the day to ourselves. I wasn’t feeling too well, the weather was making my allergies act up, so I just stayed in and relaxed.
The next day the class was taught the dance steps to the Square Dance and the Virginia Reel. For some fun, we also did the Cha Cha Slide and learned the steps to The Naked Mole Rap a song from Disney’s Kim Possible. Man that was exhausting!
On Thursday, the class went on a tour at The All England Lawn Tennis and Croquet Club and then went to the museum there. The process that they use for the grass on the tennis courts is fascinating! They only use Rye Grass because it sticks straight up and has a big root that doesn’t allow big chunks to come up during a game. If it does start to come apart, it is by a single grain at a time. After every annual competition they kill the grass and then start growing it all over for the next year’s competition so that it is nice and fresh. They have a person whose job is to measure the height of the grass on all courts to make sure that it is up to protocol for the competition, make sure that it is indeed Rye Grass, and then take a frame, like a photo frame 12” x 12”?, and place it on the grass and count the strands of grass and then move the frame to another part of the field and count again to make sure everything is even. I bet they get paid well…
That evening, a group of us went to see a British Football Game. The team that we were rooting for won; 4-0. The fans here are really expressive! It was fun to hear and see it.
The following morning, Friday 22nd, at 6:30am, a big group of CCSA’ers left for the Optional Scotland trip. We took the 8:00 train from Kings Cross Station to Edinburgh Waverly Station. We arrived in Edinburgh for a 12:30 tour followed by checking into our room at Pollok Halls Campus. After some time we were given dinner and then went to a speech by Ian Campbell, a Literature Professor at the college, who recommended a few books to read. I bought all three. The Sunset Songs Trilogy (all in one book), The Heart of Midlothian, and The Private Memoirs and Confessions of a Justified Sinner.
The next day, a group of us, Mickey Wadia, Professor Suta, Tracy, David, and I, explored the Royal Mile, like main street, and then Andrew, Sean and Ted joined us and we took the train to Stirling Castle. That was awesome. I took lots of pictures there.
On Sunday, the entire CCSA group at Scotland turned in our keys and left at 9:30am, half hr late because of one student, for a tour of Abbotsford, the home of Sir Walter Scott. The outside looked like a castle! The gardens and courtyards were beautiful and there were four horses that let me pet them. That made my day in itself. I took lots of pictures there too.
We then left for Melrose Abbey, 40mins late because of the same student, for Lunch and pictures. We were supposed to have about an hour and a half there, but were left with an hour. There were two café’s right nearby; basically across the street from each other. I went to the Abbey Coffee Café first to see what was on the menu, and then decided to see what was at the other café. The prices there were cheaper, but when it was my turn to order there were no more Panini’s. So I then I went back to the Abbey Coffee Café and went to the counter to order my Panini. The girl in front of me ordered and then I went to order. There was someone different at the register and he told me that I had to sit down to order. (grrr that other girl didn’t have to!) So I go sit down. I wait. I wait some more and decide that maybe I should grab a menu so that they know that my order hasn’t been taken. Then someone sees and says that they will be right with me. I wait some more. My order is eventually taken and I wait some more. By the time my food was brought there was 15mins left and my order was wrong. They said that they would fix it and that I would not have to pay for it. By the time that she returned there was 10mins left. I was not able to take pictures at all.
We left Melrose ON time, 1:45, but halfway back to Edinburgh a girl said that she left her wallet at the café. We are on our way to the train station and now Mickey Wadia has to figure out how to fix this situation before we get there. He has already not been happy about being late all day long. So he and Suta are calling around trying to get the number to the café to see if it has shown up. They get the number and call. There is no sign of it, but it is busy at the café so there is still hope that it might show up. The girl is told to tell the Station Police what has happened and wait for the next train to come back to London. That is all I know on that story.
We catch the train and that is where I am now; writing this blog.
What an eventful day!
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