Friday, May 14, 2010

huh.

Boogers in England are called "bogies."

That is all. Carry on with your day.

hard to believe....(B speaking)






....that as of Thursday we've been married six months. Thank God we took it nice and easy over that time period, certainly not doing anything crazy like moving to a new country or starting a new job or something like that.

We celebrated with a bottle of red and dinner at a French bistro near the Quayside in Newcastle's city centre. I had a Northumbrian sirloin, and M had pan-seared cod with fresh clams and potatos and leeks. The destroyed plate was the lemon cheesecake that we split for dessert. Then a pint at the Crown Posada, which may be one of my fave pubs in the city. And...in bed by 11. Yep, we are married.

Little bit of a letdown after posting Malta pics, I suppose, but we thought we'd share anyway. ;)

Another milestone of sorts--taught my last classes (which are called modules) today, after which I permitted myself an exhausted if somewhat satisfied sigh of survival. However, the grading (which is called marking here) is piling up already. Which meant that I had to postpone reality by playing in a pickup soccer game. Scored two goals, but don't let that fool you into thinking that I'm actually any good....

Friday, May 7, 2010

Election

NB--from Ben. Check out this image from David Cameron's newspaper supporters. He is the Tory conservative candidate, and thus fundamentally opposed to Obama--and yet....:

It's an exciting time in the UK! Last night was the big election, and there is now a hung parliament (first since 1974). B was at our friend's house watching the results come in until around 5.30am. It was a really critical election for the country. I was trying to stay awake on the couch and woke up only to cheers when the Labour party secured their constituency. Obama has been referenced over and over, and it was interesting to watch the politicians here "lift" his strategy (or try to...). Change was the major theme! It's very interesting to be learning a new government, and watch the energy around the UK grow.

We're settling in after our exciting excursion to Malta, Sicily, and London. I know the volcanic ash situation was a problem, but I really couldn't complain about being stuck in Malta. It was so warm, and sunny:) It was nice, however, to get back to Newcastle and have it feel like home. I was really wondering if it would feel like that! I hope the pictures are enjoyable! It was such an amazing trip--even more amazing than I expected!
The weather has been pretty nice. It's not warm, but it's sunny and pretty mild. We are starting our garden! I already accidentally drowned two pots of herbs, but I have 4 left, so not too bad!

Cinco de Mayo was this week, such a fun day in America, but just a regular day in England. In order to compensate, we are having friends over and I am making a yummy mexican dinner on Saturday!

My classes are still taking off, I have over 60 people in some classes! I taught my first zumba class in the pool (sounds crazy, but it was actually fun!), and I am starting a kids camp soon.

More soon...