This and that...

Hello! I just finished my first week of student teaching here in Scotland. I was just observing classes in the social studies department this week and will begin teaching in a variety of classes next week. The social studies department is composed of history, geography and religious, moral and philosophical courses. Education in Scotland is much different than back in the states because students are only required to attend school until the age of 16. The last two years of school are optional and more concentrated in specific subject areas, like declaring a major in college. It is interesting, to say the least but I have enjoyed it thus far.

The weather this week has been pretty cool and overcast. It has struck me how far north we are because it is dark when I go to school in the morning and dark when I come back in the afternoon…I am looking forward to this summer when we’ll be experiencing really long days!

Drew has had an exciting week. Yesterday he spent the day in Edinburgh investigating the Royal Mile and Calton Hill and taking some great pictures. He fell asleep on the bus ride home, missed the stop in Dalkeith so he got to ride all the way to Gorebridge (hour or more on the bus) where the bus turned around to come back to Dalkeith. Today he ventured out to explore the grounds of the Dalkeith estate and spent a good 3 ½ hours getting lost on the 800 acres of the estate…it sounds silly but, really, the best thing to do on the grounds here is to walk around, get lost, and try to find your way back. It sounds like he found some pretty cool things that I didn’t know were on the grounds so I am looking forward to going out hiking with him in the near future to try to find them again! Tomorrow we will be heading up to Perth for a little sightseeing.

Drew and I have become swept up in one of Britain’s favorite addictions – Big Brother. Celebrity Big Brother is airing right now with Latoya Jackson, Coolio, Vern (mini-me from Austin Powers) and a bunch of other British celebrities. It started last Friday, airs every night at 9:00 p.m. and the first elimination is tonight…it is so cheesy especially for someone like me who hates reality TV but, sadly, we’re hooked!

The economy here is much like the economy back home. I was shocked when I first arrived in Dalkeith to see many of the shops, including Sam’s pub – a favorite drinking establishment for Dalkeith students, out of business. All Woolworth’s shops across the UK have completely gone out of business as well. Edinburgh, being a hub of European banking has really felt the effects of the “credit crunch”. It seems as though everyone is talking about the credit crunch and, though it’s dismal to realize that the economy is crappy everywhere, I guess Drew and I are benefitting from a better exchange rate!

Well, I hope everything is going well back home…we miss you all!