December!

I can't believe it's December and that my birthday was 2 weeks ago and that Thanksgiving was this time last week! Time is definitely flying! My birthday was fun and then Thanksgiving was really fun and it was nice that I wasn't by myself. The usual group of girls that I hang out with (Amy, Steph, Andrea, Tegan, and Katherine) all decided that I needed to have a proper Thanksgiving dinner where we could all hang out together that night and cook together and have a little bonding time. When my mom came out here so brought some extra bags of stovetop thinking ahead to Thanksgiving and then some french fried onions which everyone loved and was picking off the top of the green bean casserole. I made the green bean casserole for the very first time and I must say- It was delicious! I think I did an excellent job and was very proud of myself! Although when Mom-Mom and my mom were here and my mom made it, some of the top ones were a little dark and Mom-Mom said "boy, you really cooked those onions" and mine turned out that way too so it must have been the oven:-) But they had never had it before and really liked it. Tegan said she didn't like green beans but would try it to be nice and ended up loving it so I think I did a pretty good job:-) I also made stovetop which wasn't the most difficult of tasks but even I would find a way to mess that up- and I didnt. We went to a nearby town called Ross and got an already roasted chicken, well we got 2. So we had them, green bean casserole, stovetop, butternut squash (not a fan), mashed potatoes, gravy, pumpkin pie, and ice cream. I was very full so it felt very much like Thanksgiving! I said the prayer before we began our meal and everyone loved it and clapped and I reminded them that you usually don't clap for the person after they do the prayer haha. Very good meal though:-)
Ali is coming to visit on Monday!!! I am sooo excited and she is making fun of me because of everything I have planned for us to do and how busy I am keeping her but I want her to get the most out of this trip and even my little town has a lot to offer:-) So we are going to a couple castles and up to the Kymin which Lisa loved:-) It was a 45 minute walk straight up haha..very tiring but it has the best view around of Monmouth so it is definitely worth it..with some water! Then I'm going to take her out on Friday to Spoons, the pub we go to every Friday so she can see it. Won't stay out late since we leave for London the next day and I already have alot planned for that Saturday! We go home Tuesday out of London Heathrow..so crazy how soon I go home!!! I am very excited to be home and to see everyone and to just hang out in the house. DU has a 7 week break this year so everyone is home for what seems like forever so I am very jealous.
I had a meeting today with head of boarding, ceri the girl I work with, and the head of the pe department. It was very interesting and helpful just talking about next term and getting more girls involved in lax and really talking up sports in general around the boarding house. Also, since lacrosse ends in April, they said I need to start thinking now about what I want to do after school during the week. My options are: Athletics which is basically track, Badminton, Rounders, and Tennis. They said maybe I could broaden my range of knowledge of sports and help with some different ones on different days so I may do that. I am finished here in July and then want to travel before coming home for good. I'm so sad that I am missing the OC vacation this year but it will always be there and I won't always have the chance to travel Europe. I was worried in my meeting that they would bring up next year and that I'd have to say that I wasn't coming back but they didn't! Some girls actually are going home after they are finished lacrosse at their school. Most girls are leaving in April/May but I told them that I planned on staying through to July 3rd and they are already short on staff for sports so I wouldn't just abandon them.
This past weekend we went to a triangle where we take all the teams and they play 2 different teams and it was the same place where a bird pooped on my twice so I was a little anxious the whole time being there and paranoid about what was around me. But, I came home poop free so it was all clear!
Let me know if anyone would like anything from London while I am there before I come home, already getting scarves for Kelly which have been requested ha. Let me know if you can think of anything else you may fancy:-) Alright, well I will write again if I think of anything else and let me know if you have any suggestions for what sport I should take over in the Spring!

Love,
DP

Just a Brief Update on Life

I'm not really sure why I say brief because everyone knows that once I get started, they end up way longer than I originally planned. So my birthday was Friday and that was exciting! The PE Department had a little bday party for me with a cake and some cards and I have a new Wales keychain for my keys now. I went out for my birthday and then yesterday we had lax games but it was in Reading which is near London and the bus got lost so it ended up taking us about 3 hrs to get there and then didn't even get back here until about 7:15pm soo it was a very long day for only about an hour and a half of games. On the way back I was on the bus with the U14, 13, and 12 and they drove me crazy. I might even go as far as saying they make me second guess having kids. I have never been asked so many questions in my life! Miss Provance what time will we be in Newport? What time will we be back at school? Where are we? Can I use the bathroom? Every 10 minutes. And then my favorite..Miss Provance, are we on the Severn Bridge now? I looked at her and said "Well, you may be able to see if you look out the window and see the same view that I have up here." And she sat down haha. I couldn't believe how many questions they could ask and how looooud they could be. Then they were harassing the bus driver about going faster and getting back quicker and where we were and asking what speed he was going and when we'd be back and blah blah blah.
People here told me they do not celebrate birthdays like we do because on November 1st, I was like it's my birthday month!!! And then last Monday..It's my birthday week!!! They were like yeah I think birthdays are bigger in America and I was like well I looove my birthday so I am not how a typical American would react to it being their birthday ha. Thank you everyone for all of the great birthday wishes and cards and gifts:-)
Ali gets here in 15 days! That is so crazy that she will be here in 2 weeks and we are in school that whole week so she will have to guest blog about my life here and let you know what it's like. Funny she will get to meet all the kids. They will be in awe of another American. I still have kids looking at me when I talk and then go "oh my god I looove your accent!" It makes me laugh but I'm flattered of course haha. So she will be here December 8th and then school ends December 12th, we go to London December 13th-16th and then fly out of Heathrow to Baltimore!!! I cannot wait to be home for Christmas and am very sad about missing Thanksgiving but I guess it's all a part of growing up which is what people are telling me and expecting that to make it better- it's not. Well the dinner bell just went off so I better get going. I told Lisa that one day and she said "there's an actual bell?" haha it sounds like a bell for changing classes but it goes off when it's time for a meal which is good because sometimes I lose track of time. I will think of if there is anything else to update you on and maybe add another one tonight. I started reading Twilight today and already love it. Love you all and miss you! See you soon!!

Danielle
x

LINK TO MY PICTURES!

Hey, here is the link to my snapfish with some pics. I also have some others on Facebook of Italy but here is my link. Miss you all! x

http://www3.snapfish.co.uk/photolibrary/owned_view=owned_2008/t_=149683675

Arrivederci:-)

So here I am back from my long vaca away from Monmouth and the duties of a PE teacher and lax coach. I am completely exhausted and sore from all the walking I did in London and then around Italy. Also, I had a lifeguarding course today with all the PE teachers and my arms hurt to touch they are so sore. Tomorrow I am going to wake up not able to move-I am getting old! I got back from Italy yesterday afternoon after taking a 6am flight out of Rome and going to the airport with another girl on my flight the night before. I never want to spend the night in the airport again! Also, I learned that it is not fun having a small bladder because places in Europe make you pay to use the bathroom-how bizarre is that?! I should have added how much I spent on that. It was a running joke that I was the 5 yr old in the group because whenever we were going somewhere, they would make me "try" to go to the bathroom even if I said that I didn't need to haha. And then whenever we would see one, they'd say ok Danielle, go in and try at least. Sure enough, I always went!
This is going to be a long one so get comfortable, grab whatever water, do whatever you need to do:-)
So we met in the Gatwick Airport in London and flew into Pisa. Couldn't find the hotel when we got there so walked around in the rain for awhile then decided to get a cab. The lady was standing outside waving her arms. Good old Cecilia-bless her. So we figured she was waving us down so we stopped at the house haha. Sure enough, she was looking for us. We had our own house there because no one else was staying in the hostel so that was awesome. We walked around town that night and then just went to bed. We woke up and Cecilia had breakfast for us and some Espresso-yum! We went to see the Leaning Tower of Pisa which was pretty amazing to see in person. It almost seemed fake that we were standing right in front of it. So we did all the touristy pictures and actually ran into a couple other girls who were leaving Pisa but were there through out program so it was fun seeing them for a couple hours! Walked around some more and took the train to Venice. The train ride was the most fun I've ever had in transportation haha. We bought loaves of fresh bread, oil, olives, cheese, peppers, chips, and had an amazing feast. Oh and we also bought some bottles of wine. Needless to say we had a fantastic time! We got to the hostel that night and just relaxed and went to bed. Woke up and did St. Mark's Basillica which was beautiful. We paid to walk around and go to the top and take pics and everything of St. Mark's Square. I am officially a peristerophobian. I am completely terrified of pigeons. They will walk across your feet if they need to get somewhere! They would all make fun of me because I would scream and run from them because sometimes I swear they were flying full speed right at me. They are not afraid of humans at all. There was a lady in the middle of St. Mark's Square feeding them with her kids and the pigeons were multiplying around them and I almost had a panic attack. I couldn't breathe because it was so scary. They would fly right in front of your face or above your head and hit your hair. It was soo scary! So I was the girl with the 5 yr old bladder and afraid of pigeons. Then we paid for this ferry and it was like the bus tour in London where you pay for a pass and it takes you to all different stops along the "Canal Grande" and you can get on and off whenever you want. So we did that for awhile and got off at certain places to take pictures. Some old man gave Marcy a statue of Santa Lucia so we carried her with us and she even made it in some pictures. We walked along the Rialto bridge which is historically known for Italy's most vibrant markets (again, from my book). We took the boat to an island called Murano where they make glass. This is something that was soo amazing! We got to watch them make glass and it was so mesmorizing! So cool how they did it and they have the prettiest jewelry from it. We all bought a few rings from there because we couldn't resist-my favorite one broke and I still don't like to talk about it because it makes me sad. So we did that until later at night, had dinner, relaxed and went to bed. The next day we walked alll around Venice and went to the best pizza place in Venice called Arca and had pizza and wine which was fun. I drank more wine on this trip than ever in my life oh and also, the gelato! Sooo good!! I felt ok eating alot though because we walked so many miles a day! So anyyywaayyys...walked around and such that day then took the train to Florence.
Went to bed when we got there that night because we were exhausted. The next day we had tickets to the Uffizi museum which Shantel and I still call the "you-fuzzy" because we could never get how to say it. This was an art gallery with priceless paintings and sculptures from the world's most important collection of Renaissance art. I am copying sentences from my Western Europe book haha:-) The museum's most famous paintings are the Primavera and The Birth of Venus which actually meant nothing to me until I saw them and was like ohhhh yeahhh I know those! ha. Lots of other cool things there and some very famous paintings but I won't bore you with that because I didn't care until I saw them in person to be honest. We walked around Florence some more, hit some markets (well didn't actually hit them), and then went to teh Duomo which was alot cooler than I thought. It's in alot of my pictures. It looks like a 3-D puzzle. There is room inside for 20, 000 people so it's huuuge! It has stained-glass windows that date back to the mid-15th century and are some of Italy's best. We climbed the 463 stairs to the top of the Duomo and I can't even explain the views. I have pictures of it but it is so different seeing it in person. We all got up there and were just speechless. So incredible! Last tidbit: the interior of the dome glitters with Florence's only mosiac cycle, the earliest dating back to 1225. After that we did dinner and wine. We decided to buy a bottle of champagne each at the dollar store so this may have been the most eventful night of the trip. We went to various places, meeting many people, and it was very very fun but it made for a rough morning. We woke up to get to the Accademia which has the original scultpure of David from the story of David and Goliath and yes mom this is "the naked guy." I thought you would know who it was but I guess whatever helps you remember:-) This was really the only thing we looked at in that museum. There were some other neat things but that was the amazing one. We snuck pictures of it and it was neat to hear the history of it. We walked around some more, went to some markets, and then left for our train to Rome!
We woke up on Thursday and paid 20 euros for a guided tour of the Colosseum and the Foro Romano which was the ruins of Ancient Rome. These were both unbelievable and so amazing to be standing in and walking around. The money was definately worth it because otherwise we would have just wandered around not knowing anything about what any of it was. We learned so much about the times back then and their culture and way of life. We also learned what certain things were that we could have just overlooked probably. Later that night, we went out and had another great time just like in Florence. Met lots of new people from everywhere but it made for a rough morning since we woke up at 730am-yuck! We woke up early to do St. Peter's Cathedral, Sistine Chapel, and the Vatican. It was pretty amazing to see these places in person. I felt so holy:-) We wanted to go to Mass in St. Peter's but we would have had to wait like 4 hours and that would have just been too long to sit around in a chapel..even if it was a famous one! St. Peter's is the largest Roman Catholic building in the world, accomodating 60,000 people and has 778 columns, 44 altars, 135 mosaics, and 395 statues. It was absolutely breathtaking and I didn't even know what to take pictures of because everything was just so beautiful everywhere you would turn! We did the audio tour of the Vatican and Sistine Chapel and I think I could have stayed there for days just listening to everything that each individual sculpture and painting stood for. It just held so much history and it was so amazing to listen to. The Sistine Chapel is something that everyone needs to see in their life. The audio guide told us sooo much stuff about it but I don't wanna bore you:-) So later that afternoon around 2ish me and Marcy got separated and had no map. We decided to wander into shops and bars and restaurants. Had a glass of wine everywhere we went, had a nice dinner and shared a bottle of wine, and walked around some more before finally buying a map and making it back to the hostel at around 10:30pm. It was a very eventful afternoon/night but so fun. Saturday, last day, we woke up and did the Trevi Fountain. This was built in 1762 and has been there since. Oh my god. I just read in my book that you needed to toss TWO coins into the fountain to ensure that you returned. greatttt I'm not going back! That is a downer! ha. Well nothing I can do now I guess...continuing on..
Had dinner at the hostel and then left at like 9pm for the train station to take one to the airport in Rome. Like I said before, never sleeping in an airport again. It was miserable and made for a long day! Still exhausted but I wanted to post this blog for my faithful followers:-) I miss everyone and I will see you in December!!!! If I think of anything else, I will post it on here:-)


DLP

ps

Forgot to add that we stayed in a very cute place on a very cute street in an adorable area known as Earl's Court. It was very convenient for the tube and my mom worked very hard to find the place called London Town Hotel which we called home. Special thanks for my mom and MMJ who planned and financed many of the things we did because without you, Lisa and I would have just traveled the tube. Shout out to you ladies:-)

Cheers

Grab a snack, drink, and use the bathroom before this one.

On Sunday, we bought tickets for the Original Bus Tour which takes people all around London, making various stops allowing us to get off whenever and jump back on a bus after seeing a landmark. This was very convenient because we still had many things we wanted to see. Some of the things we saw were: St James Palace, The Ritz Restaurant, Speakers Corner (where anyone can stand and speak out about anything except the Royal family on Sundays). We also saw the Dorchester where many of the famous people stay, the barbed wire fence of the Buckingham Palace gardens (41 acres), the street where the Duke of Wellington owns all the property and you can't buy, can only lease, and it's the most expensive homes in not only Europe...but the world. We got off the bus to see St Paul's Cathedral, which isn't open for tours on Sunday, but were able to walk through and light candles. Mom and Mom Mom walked up farther and listened to part of the Mass, while Lisa and I walked around. We then got back on the bus and stopped at the Tower Bridge and the Tower of London, where we saw the Crowned Jewels and everything else that was worth more than we will ever make in our lives...combined. Lisa and I walked around separately and saw many things. We saw the site where Anne Boleyn and many others were decapitated which was a glass memorial with a glass pillow on top of it. We also went into the White Tower which was full of armor and artillery used for many centuries before. For dinner, we went to the Sports Cafe near Trafalgar Square where Lisa had read that they show NFL games on Sunday night. Unfortunately, they did not play the Ravens game because they only get certain ones on certain weekends. We were still able to watch another game and see the scores during that. While waiting for our table, a very handsome young man walked by me and I hit Lisa and said "that was Josh Duhamel!" For those of you who don't know who this is, he was in Transformers, Win a Date With Tad Hamilton, the show Las Vegas, and All My Children. Shaking, we followed him outside and debated how to go about asking him to be in a picture with us. I guess we were pretty obvious because he saw us struggling and walked over and asked and we were like oh yeah of course sure. Lisa fumbled with her camera and knocked her earring out and I thought my knees were going to give out on me because I was shaking so bad. So we got a picture with him and went into the restaurant and realized that our booth was back to back with his and his fiance, Fergie of Black Eyed Peas. If you don't know who Fergie is, then look her up because she is very famous. We ate our dinner and when he got up to pay the check and get ready to leave, I (being the brave one that I am) walked over to Fergie's booth and said "um hi excuse me..would you mind being in a picture with my sister and I?" and she said "oh of course! you asked so politely!" I blushed. I frantically summoned Lisa to come over and join me and my mom got up also to take the picture. She was very proud of herself because every other time she took a picture with Lisa's camera, she accidentally pressed power and turned it off. She not only didn't turn it off, but was able to get all 3 of us in the picture without her glasses. Lisa was complimented on being a sports fan when Fergie saw she was wearing a Ravens jersey. I did not know what was going on because I was shaking and all I could do was smile. Lisa says that Fergie tried to shake my hand but I'm not sure what I was doing because everything was out of focus. We told her that it was nice to meet her and she said the same (we didn't think to ask why they were there or anything like that). I don't really remember what was going through my head at the time because we were so excited. Josh came back and said bye and smiled and waved (our new friend!) and he took her hand and they walked out of the restaurant...and our lives.
One of the best nights of our lives by far.
We slept in on Monday, went to get tickets for Wicked and then got on our Original Bus tour bus to go to the Buckingham Palace to see the changing of the guards. It was really neat to see and be there but it was so crowded that it was hard to get good pictures although Lisa still managed to get up there in the action. After that, we went to Harrods and saw floors full of everything we can't afford and Lisa wouldn't try anything on with me. That night we went to see Wicked which was really really good and had some very catchy tunes. Tuesday, we slept in and missed breakfast which ended at 9am everyday. We went to the Portabello Road Market in Notting Hill. It was a pretty walk but didn't buy anything. We took a picture of the Travel Book Shop that was in Notting Hill (the movie with Julia Roberts and Hugh Grant). We walked around inside and were intrigued that it was in a movie. After that, we walked around the Kensington Palace, the former home of Princess Diana. We were leaving that day so we didn't have time to walk to the other side of the park to see the Princess Diana Memorial Fountain.
Lisa and I began our journey back to Monmouth around 130pm, leaving for the Victoria Station. We found our way to the National Express office, bought tickets for that day and Friday to go to the airport and then got on the bus to Newport. In Newport, we experienced some confusion because no one, including ourselves, knew where the bus going to Monmouth picked up Newport passengers. We traveled around the area asking anyone and everyone who led us in all different directions and then finally found it under a bridge near the Newport Railway. Good thing we had some time to spare. We arrived in Monmouth and decided to not take a cab the short distance back to my school. With 3 bags between us, we realized this "short" distance (uphill) was much farther than we thought. We finally got to the gates of the school, and Lisa saw the hill that led up to the top where we needed to be. Finally got to my flat, talked to my mom to let her know we were safe, and spent the night catching up on some shows that we missed.
Today, we walked into town to get some groceries and see everything. We then hiked up to the Kymin which is the highest point around with the best view of Monmouth. This is a very steep, 45 minute walk or so, and Lisa and I can't move. We made it to the top, took some pictures, drank some more water, and then headed back down. It was beautiful but very tiring and our bodies ache. Made spaghetti, green bean casserole, and stove top for dinner (weird combo I know) and then relaxed the rest of the night. Tomorrow is another day and we are planning to pack, do laundry, walk to the Monmouth Castle (which looks close on the map), and see what else the day brings us. Early day starting at about 6am on Friday and a long day of traveling back to America for her and Italy for me. Hope you enjoyed our very long blog!:-) Sorry this one wasn't that funny but beggars can't be choosers.

xoxo
LP and DP

The Four Funny Foreigners

Yesterday, I didn't really have any lax so my mom, mom mom jo, and I drove to see the Chepstow Castle and also went by the Tintern Abbey. They were both gorgeous but both would have to be a day trip so we will go back in the spring when my mom and dad visit. My mom decided that driving here is not for her and I agreed after we got back to the school and I was nauseous and lightheaded from being in the passengers seat with her driving all day. She thinks that if she hits curbs and almost hits a lady with a walker, it's better than hitting another car and also damaging theirs along with ours. She tends to stop when another car is coming and I told her that the people behind us would start honking if she continued stopping everytime there was another car but she isn't from here so it was ok apparently. We ended up finding the Europcar Rental Car place perfectly fine this morning which my mom said was a gift from God since it was so small but I didn't think it was hard to get to at all-but I guess that's just because I'm kinda a local now:-) So we got a ride from there to the bus station where we were told the National Express office was closed on the weekends. The lady working at the other desk came over and told us that we could call the number on the door and order them and then show the driver our ticket number on our mobile phone (which is mine) or we could buy them online, if we were able to find somewhere with internet because we couldn't use hers. My mom was beside herself and said "how were we supposed to know that they weren't open today?!" and the lady calmly said "well it says it right here" pointing to the door at the office. We shrugged it off and decided to call the number. This was a task in itself with me trying to buy the tickets because for some reason we had to do them separately (senior, adult, young person). The lady on the other line told me about 50 times "annnnd this is the service bus 201 leaving Newport at 10:10 and arriving at the Heathrow Central Bus Station at approximately 12:45". I was like yesss I understand that! Over and over she told me that. So then I had to tell her the billing address of the card we were using and she didn't understand that I was saying sparrow because of the way I was saying sparrow. When I asked her if she needed the zip code she said "no I have most of the address, it's fine." So we finallyyyy got the tickets and then the bus came and he asked what kind of tickets we got and I said adult, senior, and young person. I bought mine with my Young Persons Coachcard but only had the number because I am still waiting for it to come in the mail. The lady on the phone didn't mind but the driver was not nice and insisted that I needed the actual card whenever traveling and then left us standing there wondering if I could go with them but he said it wasn't our fault, it was the ticket agent's and to make sure I read the terms and conditions of the card when I got it because it must be with me when I travel.
We made it to Lisa at Heathrow Airport where she was patiently waiting our arrival. We got off the bus with our 5 suitcases and headed to the tube. We survived the tube with all 6 suitcases and people standing all around them as they were obstacles throughout the tube and cheered when we got off because they actually had some room to stand. They we took the lift (elevator) to where we needed to go, which opened on both sides. We thought we were supposed to exit the opposite side we entered, however we found out otherwise. The doors opened, everyone else went out the right way and for some reason we began to exit the wrong way where many people were waiting to enter. Lisa was very agitated at how people had been acting throughout the station so told a guy to "at least wait until we get off" (rolling over his foot and catching his jeans on the way) while I am following and get told my an old lady with a cane, who is banging her cane on the floor, that we were going out the wrong way. Then we tell my mom that we went out the wrong way and she said "I know! We had to walk through the riot you created with 3 suitcases." She told the rioters that we were tourists and apologized after Lisa and I were laughing hysterically off to the side. She came over and joined us and we laughed about it for awhile. We left flustered from that and pulling our 6 suitcases, finally making it to our London Town Hotel. Lisa and I walked around town for a little while and went to Starbucks while Mom and MMJ rested. Then, we all went back to the tube more experienced with less luggage and made our way to the tourist attractions. We took multiple pictures of Big Ben, a museum, Parliament, Westminster Abbey, the London Eye (which we rode and was amazing) and various street performers. I will learn at some point to post pictures but I'm not quite there yet so be patient. We went to get pizza tonight and had a nice dinner near the hotel and will go to bed early because we are all exhausted. Tomorrow will start another adventure!:-) We'll keep you posted!

Cheers from the Foreigners.

Guest blogger

Hello,
This is weird; I have never blogged before. :-)
So, this is Kathy, Danielle's mom-- writing because my mother and I are in Wales with Danielle for a visit.
We flew British Airways, Tuesday night. Boy, was that a treat after domestic airlines. We got on, there was a pillow, blanket, eye mask, SOCKS (of all things) and a toothbrush (for morning dragon breath), all wrapped up on our seat-- plus a headset for the 100 channel individual TV in front of us. My mom wanted the window, I took the aisle-- got all settle in. We took off-- first they came around with any drink you would want, complimentary-- then a full dinner-- After all of that, I was really TIRED (the wine helped), settled in-- and just as I got into a sound sleep, mom had to get up to go to the bathroom. That was fine the first time, but she was WIDE awake all night-- didn't want to watch TV, so her past-time was getting up every hour or so. So, I didn't sleep much. It was weird that she wasn't sleeping because she can usually sleep anywhere. What was more odd was that I was really tired the rest of the day and she was really perky.

From Heathrow, we took a bus to Newport (2.5 hrs).... wasn't too bad. From there, we took a cab to the car rental place I had found online (not knowing there were several car places right outside the bus terminal. This place, called EuroCar, was in this tiny bright green building, with a gravel area in the front (not the parking lot I had envisioned to practice with the car) large enough to park 2 cars. The taxi driver left us at the edge of the road to drag our suitcases across the gravel to the door. I was getting nervous about actually having to drive as I signed the papers. They were impressed that our credit card was approved for the $22,000 they would charge me if I totaled the car! I mentioned car insurance and they said that doesn't work over here. Thank goodness I had signed up for Orbitz insurance when I reserved the rental-- that covers up to $40,000-- just in case I would scrape the car as I would come in the gate to the school. It's an awesome policy I recommend for anyone; better than what the car companies try to talk you into at the desk.

Finally, I had to leave there. They took the time to show me how to start the car.... It's so weird to be on the left side of the road driving on the right side of the car. The gearshift is in the middle, have to use my LEFT hand to use it, but I keep trying the steering wheel and keep turning the windshield wipers on. Mom commented today on how clean I am keeping the window. Pulling out of there took awhile... I wanted NO ONE anywhere near me. Mom made the sign of the cross and off we went. To shorten this, I will say we made it to Haberdashers without getting lost!! I do best just driving down the middle of the road, and find myself slowing down whenever someone is coming opposite me. Highways are the best.

Danielle's apartment is adorable! It looks MUCH nicer than her pictures. The school is beautiful, as are the surrounding areas. It's like being in a fable or something. It's neat to walk around the town (I had to walk down today to find a new adapter for Danielle after my hairdryer blew hers out). The sidewalks are full of shoppers, many know each other. There are all kinds of shops.... and I found a neat place to stay when Joey and I come in the spring.

Mom and I ventured out to sightsee at an amazing castle. It was from the early 1500's... in a beautiful spot-- took some pictures.......

Danielle is trying to be off tomorrow afternoon and she wants us to go up to a mountain top view, but the drive up there is along a NARROW road with some scary switchbacks and I am not thrilled to do it. It would be one of those things where I am scared all of the way up and then scared to come down. So, we'll see.........

By the way, Danielle looks GREAT and is really doing well here!!
So, good-bye-- One more day here and we're off to London!

Kathy

Sincere Apologies to My People

Hello all! I am so sorry that I have waited so long to grace you with another blog. I have been pretty busy with nonsense stuff-nothing too exciting to write about. Let's see what has happened since the last time I blogged...
I'm injured. Not sure what I did but I hurt my achilles/calf/whatever is right in the middle. It was really sore and I kept running so then the next day I couldn't walk without limping. So now I have been icing it whenever I can, elevating it, keeping it wrapped, and it not running. I have been running everyday so not running is pretty tough because it helps release stress and such. Instead, I started eating more ice cream haha. I got to watch the Ravens game with Lisa! I was told by my family that I can't watch anymore of the games because they were 2-2 and then got crushed and it's because I watched-sad:-( Also, Lisa and I realized that the SlingBox she and Christine bought for me is also controlled by what I do on my laptop. I had watched Grey's Anatomy which she recorded and I was trying to watch Friends and it kept going back to Grey's so I would go back to Friends and finally Lisa IMed me and goes ARE YOU ON SLINGBOX TRYING TO WATCH FRIENDS?!? haha. So now we know that we can actually watch TV together because I can see everything she does on her TV and she can see everything I do on my laptop-very strange to see Baltimore/Maryland commercials haha.
I managed to lock myself out of my flat for the first time. Only took me about 7 weeks. I went to run downstairs and then came back up and went to open it and went uh oh...haha but luckily one of Gap students from Australia had this flat last year (they came last January) and she still had the spare key.
My mom and grandmother got here yesterday!! I had been waiting for my mom to call my mobile and then I had a lesson with the year 7 girls and I hear "DANIELLLEEE!!!" and I look and see my mom at the top of the hill waving intensely haha. So they are here and that's exciting! Yesterday, we went to Pizza Express for dinner and then the grocery store for stuff for dinner tonight. They went to see a castle today while I worked (which my mom will write a blog about) and then she made chicken cordon blue, green bean casserole, fresh bread, and stove top!! oh and some cucumbers which Mom Mom cut up:-) So that was great!! Ice cream for dessert and my mom had a glass of wine while MMJ had a couple beers:-) Now we are lounging watching some TV and tomorrow I pretty much have the day free so we will get to hang out and then Saturday we go to London and meet Lisa!
That's about all I have to write for now and my mom will write about their experience and trip so far.
Miss you and love you all!!
xoxo
Danielle

FREEEDOMMMM!!

Holy freedom! I feel like a new woman! Went to the IT guys and they made me a "trusted user" with my laptop so that I can access things on the internet without having to give my school log in and having to override things that are blocked and such so I am just a free internet surfer and it feels wonderfullll! The reason they did it, is so that I can use the SlingBox that Christine and Lisa bought me and I have been playing with it and it's so cool. It's like I'm sitting at home surfing the channels in good old Baltimore:-) I already watched some Home Improvement and I think I just smiled the whole time because I was so excited. I have some things ready to record already so now I can watch shows on my laptop live or recorded! The ones at night obviously I will have to record and watch the next day being that they are on 5 hours earlier at home and I don't plan on staying up until 3am every night..ha. But anyways so here I am and I'm very happy they did this for me! It's a good thing to be persistent that's for sure:-)

Miss you all!
xoxo,
DP

Some days you're the bird and some days you're the statue...

Where to start…In about a week, my life is going to start flying by so fast! My mom and grandmother get here, then Lisa, and then I go to Italy and then I get back and it's November! Time is flying and it will only just keep going faster. I have been sick so I haven't had time to write for my blog because I have been going to sleep early whenever possible. I stayed in this weekend and tried to get some sleep and get better. I feel a lot better but we shall see when the morning comes how I'm feeling. Hopefully this is the end of it and I'll feel much better tomorrow. On Saturday we took 3 teams to St. Swithuns for a tournament and unfortunately I forgot my camera because it was such a beautiful school. The buildings were really pretty and they had so much land. The weather held up which was very fortunate because it was supposed to rain all day and it didn't so that was great. It was a little chilly/cold but that is fine to deal with as long as there's no rain! Today it rained until about 4pm and then it got sunny but all the stores in town close at 4 on Sundays so I worked out this morning and then did some intense cleaning of my flat and was very productive while I stayed in today.

Yesterday, the teams did really well. In the afternoon, the first team got second in the second division, second team got first in the third division, and the U15's did well but didn't win anything. The reason the seconds won their division is because I brought them luck…well actually a bird brought them luck by pooping on me so now they said I have to get pooped on every time before they play which I disagreed with completely. So here is the story…

I was standing under this tree that I had been sitting under all day with peoples' stuff and the first aid kit and such and other people came over after the morning games were over and noticed bird poop everywhere. Then we were standing there and someone goes "oh no a bird just pooped on your jacket!" So of course everyone starts laughing hysterically thinking it's so funny and I am screaming to get it off my jacket and I take my jacket off and see it and use a stick to wipe it off-so gross! So then another person goes "umm, it's in your hair too." I didn't believe them but sure enough, they started taking pictures because it was so funny so they all started gathering around looking at it in my hair. Not only was it in my hair, but it was DRY! Dried bird poop in my hair!! One of the girls on the team I was with had gotten hurt earlier in one of the games so we were all huddled around and waiting to see what was wrong with her and it turns out that some of the girls saw the bird poop then which was about 2 hours earlier. They didn't tell me this until I told them I found bird poop in my hair and they go "oh yeah we saw it but Claudia was on the ground so we didn't say anything.." I was like that was like 2 hours ago! Did you just forget?! I have been walking around with bird poop dried in my hair! So then I took my hair out of its ponytail and they started pouring water on it and scrubbing it and I could feel it in my scalp so then I started gagging and it was cold and my hair was soaking wet and they were just wiping away and finally managed to get most of it out. Then they saw it on the hood of my sweatshirt because it had wiped off from my hair and smeared all over the trim of my hood on my sweatshirt. It was everywhere. So then that afternoon the girls won their division and thanked me and I was like yep the sacrifices I make for you guys..haha So I was glad I could provide some entertainment for everyone but seriously, getting pooped on twice?! Who does that happen to? I was so upset and so disgusted and cold with my wet hair. Oh man. So then we were driving back and I guess they cut the wool off all the sheep everywhere the same day because they were all bare and it was rainy and cold and I felt really bad and I was wearing my UGGs and I was like hm well I feel bad because you were shaved to make these and now you are cold and wet. So anyways, I noticed everytime I saw sheep, none of them had fur or wool or whatever it is called on them-how crazy!

I have been a reading machine lately..really into Jodi Picoult and I just found out that Nicholas Sparks released a new one September 30^th and I would looove if my mom would bring that for me when she visits :-) hint hint. Ha. I'm not really sure what else there is to talk about…I have become quite the Netball player. I play during lessons whenever there aren't enough girls for even teams. The other teachers are like do you want to play? I'm like yeah sure! And then we also played Rounders the other day. Not really a fan of that because you run even if you miss the ball and you run with your little bat. I missed it and just stood there and they were like go! I was like where? I didn't hit it! Ahhh. Haha it was stressful at first because it takes some getting used to. The weather has been off and on and I am really really hoping that it is good for when my mom, grandmother, and Lisa visit. I will have to keep an eye on the cows around the time when they are coming to make sure they are all standing. Lisa was saying how she saw someone talking to themselves the other day and thought of me because I told her I have gotten in the habit of doing that. If I am walking to town or something I will find myself talking to myself and then realize it's out loud and I'm like oops :-) Sometimes when I'm running and there are only animals around, I will go "baaa" to the sheep, "mooo" to the cows, and "naaaayyy" to the horses whenever I go by just to see if they look up and then I laugh to myself for a good 5 minutes afterwards if I get them to look up at me. Very sad life I live sometimes by myself haha especially when I resort to those things! Since I have been running outside, I see people on the back roads walking their dogs and at least 3 times they have said something to me in Welsh and I just say "yeah!" and smile and wave and run faster so they don't stop to chat because I have absolutely no idea what they are saying. They look really nice when they are saying whatever they have to say but it is complete jibberish to me and I feel bad because I just smile and wave and run faster by them laughing to myself because I have no idea what they say. One time they said something and pointed to the land behind them and I was like what could they possibly be saying and then I started to panic thinking I was trespassing but I wasn't don't worry haha. I was running through this neighborhood one day and an older couple with a little girl, I'm guessing their granddaughter, in the backseat and they pulled over and asked (in English thank God) where some community center was and I just stared at them blankly and was said "I'm from America. I have no idea I'm sorry." And they said oh that's ok not your fault and drove off chuckling to themselves. I was like alllright..so eventful whenever I step outside :-) I think that's about it for now. I will update you when something incredible happens or something really funny or something traumatic like a bird pooping on me twice...in one day.

Miss you all!!!

Xoxo

DP

Another Good Week Has Gone By...

Can’t believe I have been here so long! The girls ask me everyday how long I plan on staying and the young ones ask if I’m going to sign a 10-year contract and I said well it goes year to year so we shall see. I have actually been thinking about how much I’m going to miss the girls and miss it here but it would just be even harder to leave for good if I stayed for another year after this.

I cannot wait for visitors and Italy! I am soooo excited and then it’s my birthday month when I get back from Italy and then first Thanksgiving ever in the dining hall and then it's my birthday! Can’t believe I’ll be 23-that’s pretty crazy. It is just so weird to think that I have been alive for 23 years-that is so long! I learned a new joke last night but I don’t remember it because I didn’t get it soo I can’t tell you but I’ll try to remember or ask to hear it again and then share it but I don’t think it was funny even if you understand it so we’ll see. I told all my jokes last night and now people said they are going to come with jokes next weekend so I need to step up my game and keep them comin!

Today we traveled over 2 hours to Sherborne which is a very pretty town (all the towns here are pretty though). The school was beautiful and they had really nice athletic facilities and a sports hall because it is shared with the community, not just the school. The Monmouth Boys School here is the same way with their facilities and such so they are nice because they are used by the community also. Our fields and Astro-turf are the only thing that other people use of ours really. We took 4 teams today-both senior teams, U15, and U14. They all won except for the U15. This is the year 10 group which is the team I have been struggling with because they are at that age where they would rather be doing anything else at the time than what they are supposed to be playing so it is hard to teach them anything lacrosse-related.I have had a couple talks with them this past week and they informed me today that they are sorry to disappoint me and they are ready to get better and really start trying and working hard to do better in matches. It was nice to hear and I am proud of them for wanting to do this but it is another thing to actually do it :) So we shall see.

I have acquired many different nicknames already since I’ve been here. I have America, Miss America, Miss P…and my two favorite Dan and Dani. (siiigh). I try not to answer to Dani but it just hasn’t gone away and seems to be spreading so there is no way around that one. I don’t mind Dan because my family calls me that so I am used to it and it reminds me of you guys :) America is the most common one and I am actually starting to respond to it which makes me laugh because it just sounds normal now.

Isn't it funny how i actually think ill have nothing to write about? ha-ha It was another pretty day today and I got some sun on my face again! I love having color on my face and the sun just makes me a happier person in general as you can imagine.

Lisa and Christine are going to buy me this thing online called SlingMedia or something like that and it is going to be amazingggg. What happens is you hook it up to a TV (Lisa’s) and I can access all the channels she gets live or ones she records for me or something. So this way I can still watch all my shows! It is my Bday/Christmas present from them which is a great idea and so creative:) so thanks guys! I want to encourage all of you who read my blog to become a “follower”. I know it sounds like I am forming a cult or something but it can show me who is reading it and it’s like a little blog club! It sounds fun! But there is no club with no followers so get on it! Hmm what else…

Next Friday one of the gaps had a birthday in July and we are celebrating it October 3rd. Starting at Spoons, which is the pub we always go to on Friday nights and then leaving around 10:45 to go to a park nearby to play flashlight tag. They call flashlights torches which took me awhile to catch onto. I was like we are chasing each other with torches? Why does this not sound safe to me and why are none of you worried…?They were like yeah you have to get someone with your torch and I was like get them as in like hit them with it? Haha I was confused but yeah it’s a flashlight! So that should be fun! I can’t believe Wednesday is October! Mom, you and MMJ come so soon!! I actually have a countdown on my wall of the number of days until half term break and each post-it has a number on it up to 20. They get here in 17 and Lisa gets here in 21. Time flies:) so anyways this is long and really has just pointless information in it, I’m sorry. I feel like there was something I needed to put in here and now I can’t remember so I have been rambling and just typing away trying to wait for myself to remember but nothing’s coming to mind.

Oh! Ceri is going to the doctor Wednesday and says she will probably be able to start working again on Thursday but that is doing stuff within the school, probably not going out to lessons and such right away but that is exciting to have her back! She said people have been telling her how great I handled this situation and have been doing a really good job with the teams and such. Made me happy:-) I like to think I’m a good coach! Ha. Hopefully they will learn things from me and continue to use it even after I leave-makes me sad to think about leaving them but it’s only September. Well I think that’s about it right now. I miss you all and will write again soon!

Love love love love,
DP (America, Dani, Dan)
xoxo

Sunshine:-)

Not sure what the last blog was about because I cannot see them because it’s blocked on the school internet because of these crazy kids. I will just write a quick one to say hello and let you guys know what is new. Today we had the South Wales Rally and it was supposed to be at our school but the pitches (fields) were too muddy and even if they were playable we didn’t want games all day running them so we had it at Cheltenham College about 45 minutes away and a very pretty town and school. I have been taking pictures then stopped because everything is so slow here that I cannot even upload them and it is very frustrating. It was a long day but HOT AND SUNNY and yes that needs to be in capital letters. I got sunburned cheeks:-) I was so happy when I got back and saw my rosey cheeks with color from the sunlight finally. We have had days of sun but I have been in and out with different lessons in the gym and outside that I hadn’t actually gotten color yet. I definitely got some color today and it made me extremely happy. I really think weather can change a person’s mood. The girls today were talking about how rain isn’t that bad and they have gotten used to the weather here. Today they said they wouldn’t have minded if it rained a little to cool things down. I said no do not take the sun away from me! Ha but it was a very good day-all three teams we took did very well winning more than half their games so hopefully they will only get better. I had to umpire (ref) and I am still getting used to it. When the other umpire blows their whistle I stop moving because I am so trained to stand when the whistle blows and then I’m like oh right I’m not playing I can move whenever I want ha. I now look out my window when I wake up to see if the cows are standing or sitting and always smile if they are standing. I get mad if they sit later in the day, thinking that means it’s going to rain the next day but I try to just enjoy the weather when it’s good. It has been hot the past week and today was beautiful. I have a day off tomorrow with nothing to do so hopefully it’s nice out and I’ll stroll into town and just do whatever:-)
Went out again last night-that was fun. People around here just started calling me America which makes me laugh because I actually started responding to it whenever I hear it. People are starting to know now as the American. When I go to order a drink she’s like hello American! Haha and when I hand them my Maryland license at the door he just smiles because I’m the only one he’s ever had-he said he has seen California though. He goes I always forget where the birth date is on here! So yeah it was another fun night out in the little town of Monmouth:-)
Lisa’s coming to visit!!!!! My mom and grandmother are coming October 14th and then my break starts the 17th so we’re going to London on the 18th and Lisa is meeting us there and then we will explore London then Mom and MMJ leave and Lisa and I go back to Monmouth for a couple days. Then I leave on the 24th for Italy and Lisa flies home to the States. It’s funny because in Australia I wasn’t used to the coins meaning so much-I am so used to just using bills and then here it’s the same way. At the ATM last night I was talking about how I had a ton of coins and forgot them because I forgot that they are important and was going on and on and this couple was standing behind us and he goes “excuse me..are you from America or Canada?” I was like I’m from America:-) and he was like oh yeah, people visiting forget that coins are important. They definitely mean something here! Then of course they ask why I’m here, what I’m doing, etc etc. ha
Alright well this about sums up what has been going on I think. Hopefully I can update again soon! Miss you all!!

Xoxo
DP

Week 3 Begins...

Well I'm sorry that I have been slacking but there hasn't been much to write about but I figured I would let things build up and then recap the past few days to give you some fresh, lengthy reading material. I know some of you live for this thing so I didn't want to let you down but waiting even longer to update you on my life across the pond-still not even sure what the pond is. Anyway, I have been so busy with the same old-lessons during the day, during lunch, after school, then boarding house duties. I have been helping with field hockey, swimming and netball which has been interesting because I am learning more everytime which is good I guess. Friday and Saturday nights were fun. Went to this pub called Wetherspoons (Spoons) with some people around here. Funny example of how I always use the excuse that I'm from America when I'm in awkward situations..
I was standing at the bar waiting for a drink and I saw a bag of chips there so I turned them so I could read what they said and this guy came up behind me and was like "woah woah woah, are you trying to steal my crisps??" I was like "ahh sorry I was just trying to read it, I didn't recognize the kind of chips they were." And he goes "they are crisps, not chips..and you were definitely going to steal them.." I was like "But I'm from America! I don't know anything!" haha and then he just made fun of me for calling them chips and everything was ok. So the fact that I am American and everyone loves my accents helps alot. All the girls make me mimic an English accent and they love it and say I'm really good at it so I just do it all the time haha
Saturday we played the only other school in Wales who has a lacrosse team, Howells. They were terrible. The coach was even worse (the coaches do the umpiring). She would make up rules and then tell us what she was calling and make us call it too. It was really bad, but I guess it is what it is! Next Saturday is the South Wales Rally here and it sounds fun. A bunch of different schools from England come here and it's like 9-4 so that should be fun and nice that it is here and we won't have to travel for it.
Yesterday was such a long day! I played netball with Ceri's team as their novice player and it was very obvious I had never played before. I kept getting called for foot work which is when you move your feet after you catch it and that is the main rule and I could have sworn I kept them still! I was getting really frustrauted. I was really long but it was fun. I feel like I got better and they said I was pretty good so I was like aw thanks! haha so that was my day yesterday..then I met my friend Evan at the pub to hang out and use his wireless there then came back and felt like I had wasted a whole day ha. But now I can say that I've played netball and that I'm good!
I'm going to Italy!!!! I booked a ticket from Gatwick, London into Pisa October 24th. How crazy is that?! I am going to Italy! I have a return flight home November 3rd out of Rome. I am going with a few girls from the induction course I met a couple weekends ago who are here doing what I'm doing. I am really excited and cannot wait to travel and see cool and romantic things!:-) We figured we would just stay in hostels and see how that goes. Hopefully they are safe enough just to sleep because I doubt we will be in there very often. But yeah...I'm going to Italy ahhh
I can't wait until my mom and grandmother come out here Oct 14th then my break is Oct 17th so we'll go to London the 18th. So that basically sums up the past few days. If I think of anything else, I will be sure to update you all. Sorry it is shorter than usual but it makes up for the ones that are pretty much novels!

xoxo
DP

beautiful day:-)

Today was gorgeous..it was sunny, blue skies, and perfect temperature. Apparently that is how their falls usually are but this year has been different. Heard on the news that the next couple weeks are going to be rainy then we are expected to have an Indian summer with really great weather in late September and October-lucky you mom and mom mom! That would be great, huh?:-)
Latest news: Ceri dislocated her knee which is all they know right now. She has to keep it stabilized in a full leg cast for 2-3 weeks then I guess they do x-rays and all that other stuff to figure out what they are going to do surgery wise or what is needed. So, it is just me right now and there are some other PE teachers helping out but I am pretty confident handling the girls on my own now:-) Ceri will probably be back in a couple weeks in a wheelchair in order to get down the hill to practice so day by day we go..
I am not really sure what else has happened the past couple days besides that which is a pretty big deal! I am planning a trip to Italy with a couple girls in the program for the end of October/early November so I am excited about that! I will take tons of pictures obviously and update my blog on all of my adventures because there will be daily experiences that I am sure you all will love to hear..probably about traveling in general even and just getting place to place and then what happens when we get there!:-) Can't wait to update you on those things!
I think of things throughout the day that I want to put in here and then I forget when I sit down to write so I just ramble. One of the PE teachers, Sarah, used to do lax but since she isn't anymore that is why I am here. She came to help out with the years 9 and 10 today after school and was saying how they've gotten so much better in only like a week since she's seen them last. I was like thank ya thank ya:-) So that made me feel good about what I have been doing even though I don't even really feel like I have been doing anything yet. I have the seniors tomorrow so that will be a more advanced practice-still haven't decided what we will do yet. It's difficult because by the time they get dressed and out there, we only have an hour and they only get twice a week but we shall see...anyways it is almost midnight so I will wait to write again until I have something really really interesting to share:-)

Miss you all!
xoxo
DP

Cheers

Nothing too exciting today so this will probably be a short one..well I say that but who knows once I get started:-) Today during PE, we had the years 7 and 8 so they are about 12 and are fun to play lax with because they just love everything we do. We played relays, break out, steal the bacon, and anything else we could think of to encourage loving lax and bringing their friends along. We have new people joining everyday for each year which is neat and they actually are pretty quick learners. No rain today-it was a nice day and they said this is how their Falls usually are but now there are flood warnings for tomorrow and through the rest of the week-go figure when I'm here! Hopefully it passes with all the hurricanes whenever they leave and the nice weather will come through eventually. Saturday the Duke and Dutchess (I think that's what they are called) of Gloucester were stranded because of the road closings and floods so the helicopter landed on our lax field to pick them up and there was security everywhere blocking the roads off and such-how cool is that?
Forgot to mention their yogurt here..well, "yoghurt". I tried it and it was horrible-tasted sour and it was not even something that I would get used to the more I ate it because I won't eat it again. At dinner tonight, they had a salad with tomatoes and what looked like mozzarella so of course I was loading on both because I love it, as most of you know, and I tried the mozzarella and can't even describe what I tasted. First of all, I am not even sure if it was cheese and it was just the most bitter taste I almost spit it out. Here, it is very very rude to not eat everything on your plate (everyones plates are completely empty at the end of the meals) so I had to eat whatever the stuff was that I thought was mozzarella and it was terrible-I wouldn't breathe when I was chewing it so I couldn't taste it and swallowed most of it whole so I wouldn't have to chew it long. The food is very good here though which I was quite surprised. Most of it is like stuff at home but just called different things and I'm not very picky so it hasn't been a problem. Today though, I don't even want to know what I ate...
Lacrosse here is very different in terms of commitment and that is why Ceri was so curious about American lax because it is such a huge commitment compared to the girls here. She said she tries to make things mandatory but it is not enforced by the parents which makes it harder for her to enforce it. Today one girl was excited because she could make the game on Saturday. I was like I don't get why that's even a choice and Ceri was like I know, it is unbelievable and you don't even realize until you start to experience it. One girl couldn't come to practice today because she had band at 7 and needed to do her homework before that. Some of the seniors are missing one of their 2 practices a week after school for a 10-week cooking class of chicken cordon blue. I was like forget the class! I'll get my mom to teach you when she's here! haha. But it includes meals to take home every week and a bunch of stuff-looks pretty neat actually. But there are just so many things for these girls to do that they can't commit to just one and it is just so different from America where kids are forced at such an early age to pick one thing and play year-round and if you don't then you basically don't play in college. Very different, but they are fun and very nice-love listening to me talk which is still funny. Some of the girls say everything after I say it just to try to sound American which is funny because I try to repeat what they say to sound English haha. Anyways that is about all I have for today:-) I will let you know about the flooding tomorrow. The PE lockers already flooded this past weekend and girls had to take everything home to wash it because their lockers were full of water and got their "PE kit" wet and muddy and such. So it has been pretty crazy..well ok goodnight, bedtime for this girl!

talk soon!
xoxo
DP
ps-one of the PE teachers was saying how apparently when the cows are sitting down, that's how you know it's going to rain and I was like well I haven't seen them stand since I've been here! I thought it was funny haha...obviously they had been walking around and such but I just meant that because it's been raining so much they haven't bothered to stand up...anyways. night!

Berkhamsted

First day of lax today and it was quite an experience. It reminded me of a club lax tournament. It was in Berkhamsted which was about 3 hours away and they had 11 pitches (fields) so it was a huge facility. It was rainy and cold and there was about a half hour of sun and I was so excited, then was told it wouldn't last long which it didn't. The coaches umpire and that was interesting..I am obviously still learning and a little hesitant but will get better:-) I got a compliment from one of the coaches on my new goalie and how she seems to have natural talent and will be really good. She did very well and all 3 teams we took did well-getting better throughout the day. First day is always a struggle getting back into the swing of things, especially with the weather being how it was. I am not phased by rain anymore or puddles in my shoes which is good I guess since it happens quit often. I just tell myself that I will be showered and dry at the end of the day-staying positive:-)
I saw a bunch of girls from the induction course we had earlier and that was fun..also saw Steph Schnieder who was a senior at Denver when I was a freshman. She is going on her 4th year out here which is pretty unbelievable. She couldn't believe that I graduated already which I said I couldn't either. Bittersweet day starting lax officially here and knowing everyone's back at Denver starting classes tomorrow. It is quite the adjustment but is getting easier and I am definitely growing up and becoming more mature with more responsibilities everyday which is good. I had the second senior team today who will primarily become the team I will coach. It is hard because they only have about an hour on Tuesdays and Thursdays after school so time is quite limited and limits what we can do and what I can teach them but it will be ok. Another week starts tomorrow with Assembly at 8.50am so it's back to the busy days with PE lessons and boarding house duties. Still can't believe I am done with college..it is very weird to think about.
On the way back from Berkhamsted, we had 3 hrs of "Ask Danielle anything.." so that became quite interesting. We compared everything we say differently, they asked about college in America and think playing lax there would be amazing which I said it is an awesome experience but goes soo fast. They said they all want my accent and love listening to my stories which made me feel special ha. I explained Thanksgiving and they asked if you just sit around and pray and I said it is a time to come together and be with the people you love and they asked if it's like the episodes on Friends haha. I said yes, but different for everyone:-) They asked about cliques, trends, sayings/phrases, high school, and everything imaginable. They also like when I do an English accent and say it's not so bad so I'll keep working on that I guess.
They said they have X-Factor on the bus going to games and stuff and basically they use the microphone on the bus and perform and sing..I was like oh man I was made for this:-) haha can't wait for that. I was threatened and told that I better not be good and create competition. I said that I think I'm good but I'm really not, I just love to sing! obviously you all know that already..
I told them I was going to have my mom bring karaoke revolution american idol edition for play station and we can have competitions and they also want me to show them DVDs of my Denver games-that made them really excited...and me because I miss it!
After we got back tonight, I worked with a girl who graduated last year and came to help today and she loves lax and plays point (they still do the positions) and I helped the vice captain of the first team who plays cover point and we played in the gym and I taught them some defensive things..just some basics with 1 on 1 defense but they really liked it so I'll probably do that more often-lax lax lax! haha. Anyways...it's late here so I'm going to go to sleep but I just wanted to fill everyone in on my first day of lax games and give you some Monday morning reading at work:-)

Miss you all!
xoxo
DP

Cats and Dogs

The rain today has been miserable! It makes it soo hard to get out of bed in the morning but I cannot wait to sleep in tomorrow and go to sleep tonight without setting an alarm! Today was very very relaxed and pretty much wonderful. The PE department had the year nines for the first 2 periods and the lax girls came with me and Ceri to the indoor pool and we played games there since it was miserable outside and the girls would not have played lax out there. I had them play lax games in the pool like steal the bacon and we did relays and a couple other things. They are very good swimmers so it was easy to come up with things to do. I got some more keys today to the athletic buildings and such but have no idea what any of them go to and don't have a key ring big enough for them all yet. I am going to look like the keeper of a jail with how many keys they gave me but it makes me feel important:-) The head mistress actually lives in "the old jail house" which is it's actual name. She was joking today about how she was afraid the bank would turn her down when she gave her address to them. But she is very into having staff parties and said it is a great party house so she wants to have everyone over-not sure I can handle that..I ran today through a cemetery and have no idea why because I was looknig behind me the whole time and basically sprinted out of it. I had tea/coffee with her today because she invited all the new staff for a small get together in her study so that was nice I guess. I decided to go running outside today for a change instead of a treadmill because I feel like I am going nowhere on those things but it rained and I came back soaking wet. I had no idea how hilly it was-I almost thought I was going to need an inhaler at one point. And some of the roads do not have sidewalks so I would run extra fast on those and then be gasping for air at the end ha I saw road kill right next to the curb I was running on and screamed so that was interesting. The houses are gorgeous around here. Mom-you would looove riding your bike around this town (check your bike at the airport:-)) but yes you would love it. This was my first time running outside so I was staring at the houses in awe and they all have names which is really cool. One is called September House which I thought was pretty cool. Lucky for them it's their month! haha So anyway that is how my day has gone. Now I am on boarding house duty basically just updating my blog then dinner at 530 and then we shall see from there. I will keep you all posted on how eventful my say off is tomorrow!
oh ps-I got internet in my flat..not sure how long it will last because they have to reconfigure it eventually but I want to skype and webcam with whoever whenever I can so let me know!!:-)

xoxo
DP

life with the cows

I always wonder what I am going to title these posts and then I just sit here and let something come to me. The reason I named this one "life with the cows" is because there is a fence around the astro (which is what they call the turf field) and then maybe 20 feet away is a fence and a ton of cows were there today against the fence eating I guess? They are usually farther away because I hadn't seen them when I have been on the field and the girls acted like it was nothing out of the ordinary...just cows. Wonder what was for dinner...haha just kidding. So today I taught them some Denver drills. I always jump in and play with them and actually got sad today realizing I wouldn't be playing lax with my Denver girls anymore:-( Also, I realized that I talk in the present tense saying things like "well at Denver we do this...my coach always tells us..." One example today was during a lacrosse lesson during the day, there were about 10 seniors and they were just very blah and not wanting to be there (granted it was raining off and on go figure) and so I told them to fake it. Just act happy like you are having the time of your life and would not want to be anywhere else. Liza used to tell us this all the time and it actually works because you start to exaggerate the excitement and then it just becomes funny and somewhat obnoxious, nonetheless lightening the mood. I also had them do dirty band aid which is a 3v2 in front of the goal but we couldn't name it that because they call band aids plasters (plastas) so that made me sad because I had been calling it that for 4 years. I had them all line up on the endline and go one by one off the line yelling and running and as soon as they had to take a breath, they had to stop running and they loved it. One girl literally got 5 feet because she started laughing (I thought of Sarajane:-)) and then a couple others stopped because they were laughing too. Overall, they are all a great group of girls who love learning and are good at lax. Ceri says I have to teach more because they are so intrigued with everything I say that they pay such close attention whenever I talk. Sometimes they don't know what I'm saying and it makes me laugh because I forget I have an accent to them. During a drill I said "talk it up" and they looked at me like I had 5 heads. I was like ohhh I mean keep talking..communicating..haha. Today at lunch I learned that Ceri is picking up on my American language saying defense with a long "e" in the "de" and pants instead of trousers and she said her parents asked her a question and she said "uh huh" and then was shocked because she didn't know where it came from haha They also say things like car park instead of parking lot, boot of the car instead of trunk, and things I hear everyday where it makes me go "hmm". I realized that when they say tshirts, they mean polo shirts. The girls practice in kilts and polos-that is their gym "kit". When they play sports, everything they need for that sport is called their "kit". I will think of some others and let you know because it is very cool to hear how different it is. They call z's zeds and h's are hache with a long "a". I started adding milk to my tea a couple days ago-not sure why..just seemed like the right thing to do. I asked them why they are so against "zeds" and they just laughed and also why everything with an "or" also needs a "u" to be "our" like colour, favourite, etc. I have been working with a couple goalies teaching them what I know which is more than you would think and just printed some stuff online to read about it and have been working on attack and draws and other things too. It's fun helping with every part of the game and teaching them what I know. I went into Bristol with Ceri last night to get my sim card for a phone and the whole way back I told her about sports in America and college sports, particularly lacrosse and she said she could listen to me talk about it all day because it was so cool and she wishes she experienced it. Made me feel bittersweet about it-happy I experienced it and have all the memories sports related and nonsports related but also sad that it's over..oh and also today she told me that when I got out of the car last night I was like "cya, it's been real!" and she goes I sat there and thought "real? well yeah it was real.. what did she just say?" haha it made me laugh really hard and then they asked what I meant by that. I was like I don't know..real..like fun..good times. ok well like all my other ones this is extremely long. Sorry!! I will write again soon. Glad I am not writing in my journal though because my hand would probably fall off so thank the Lord for blogs huh?:-) Still working on getting wireless in my flat, I told the tech guys I would meet them here in the morning after my lessons and that I'd be waiting-I am sure they hate me haha but I miss my fellow Americans and need to skype and see everyone!! k talk soon!

xoxo,
dp

and it begins..

So school and lax started yesterday so I have been nonstop. All of the terminology is different and I am saying weird words and then I step back and go "weird." ha..I don't have an accent and won't get one obviously because you can't acquire one after a certain age but I am sure I will keep picking up on words and phrases like bril (brilliant), fab (fabulous), poss (possibly), lovely, fit as in saying someone is good looking, mad when you are saying something is crazy. I don't know- I still ask people to repeat what they say alot but that will get better I suppose. I find myself talking to myself too often because when I'm alone I just talk out loud which is weird but it's comforting ha. Everyone has been so nice letting me take my time to feel out the days and my timetable (schedule basically) and get used to everything and how it works. The boarding house staff is being really nice and giving me time to get situated with learning the ropes of the PE department and the lax teams and everything. I have not even started to try learning girls' names. It is just soo hard-there are so many! I teach lax throughout the day to different age groups and also help the other PE staff with other sports but this week we have been getting them settled with their gym lockers and everything like that. Every afternoon after lunch I teach an age group lacrosse with Ceri from about 130-4 because 130-2 is open lax time when kids can come and play so we work with them during that time everyday and then 2-4 is a different age group depending on the day. Mondays 4-30 we have years 7&8 which is 11/12 year olds, Tuesdays after school are the two senior teams (first and second), Wednesdays are the years 9&10 which are 13/14 year olds and then Thursdays are the seniors again. I have boarding house duties 615-930ish on Mondays and Tuesdays and then 4-9 on Fridays because there is no lax after school. My days are craaazy busy and it is so exhausting. My feet actually ached today ha. I went into Bristol with Ceri to the indoor shopping arena (aka: mall) and she said it is just crazy during the holidays since it's inside which I guess isn't common but I could have very well gone crazy in there. It was huge and sooo many stores! But I went in and for a sim card for a phone (which I now have!) and then we walked around and left (me being empty handed). I was very proud of myself though for not buying any clothes and I even turned down a couple purses which was very unlike me. I may go into town Saturday though since we play Sunday and I have off Saturday:-) We are playing in an 8-aside tournament Sunday leaving at 6:30am and not getting back until about 7pm. Ceri said that is one of the longest days and they aren't all like that but we have so many teams that every match day is basically a play day. Sunday we are only taking the 1st and 2nd senior teams and the U15 teams because the U14, U13, and U12 don't start games yet. I'm not sure what else there is to talk about because everything just happens so fast- not enough hours in the day! Oh! I went into town today to get some basic office supplies for my flat and a bulletin board and things like that (quite a site walking back to school carrying pens, pencils, bulletin board, milk, bananas, binder, dividers, etc.) My hands were COMPLETELY full and my hands were burning from the heavy bags but anyway..guess what I bought:-) a picture of Elvis for only £1.99! I was so happy. I went back to my flat and hung it right by my front door before I even put the milk away:-) So that made me really really happy. I set up my voice messaging system in my flat so you guys can ring me whenever and I check it everytime I go back to my flat and it says you have no new messages-kinda hurts my feelings ha. My # is: 01600711264. You can ask my mom or Lisa how to call internationally because they have both called me there. Leave me messages:-) Well that is all I can think of for now...still trying to get internet in my flat...pretty frustrating and the tech guys sigh heavily when they see me knock on their door waving because they know why I'm there haha k miss you guys!!!!
Sorry mom..too tired to proofread this one...:-)

Danielle

ps-number might not work to my flat actually because Lisa said she just tried and she wasn't sure but I will let you know:-)

September 1st

Hey-
Well my head is spinning..that is basically the only way to explain everything that is going on and everything that is happening right now. This past weekend we had the English Lacrosse induction and we learned anything and everything in such a short amount of time so my brain is about to explode. We learned about child protection, the English education system, rules of the game here, umpiring, coaching/drills, what we are here to do, what we could be asked to do, how to act with the boarding students and also how to act with the staff, and anything else they could throw at us. We all took so many notes it is ridiculous but I left with a bunch of new friends and people to travel with and tons of lax drills/lessons and things to do with the girls. I met people who are in Scotland, right outside London, and in various towns around the UK. We already made a facebook group and decided that we need to travel everywhere possible and visit wherever we possibly can while we are here so that we can see every town in England and get to know everyone's area. Also, people have very different living arrangements. Some people are living with families, others in houses with other people, and many have their own flats on campus and some do not even live on campus. I am the first American at this school so I am an experiment; another girl is starting a completely new program where there was no lacrosse and has to do boys and girls programs; one girl is actually a University coach at Duram and obviously making bank there haha about £400 more than the rest of us. That is going to take alot more time though because she has to do it all, including contact us for recruiting information and such. It was very cool to talk to people about where they are, what they are doing, where they went to college and high school and just to see the range of people doing what I am doing. Overall, no one wanted to leave because we had a lot of fun together during the day and at night, we went out to the campus pub where the induction course was which was very convenient. The next day the people in charge said we are a much more "lively" group than last years and said they weren't sure what other word to use for us haha. We want to plan trips to London and other countries around Europe. There are opportunities for us to all form a lacrosse team and travel to tournaments around Europe including Madrid, Berlin, Prague, Latvia and so many other countries so we are going to match up dates of our breaks and see what we can come up with. Now I am back at school trying to get internet in my flat which is quite the complicated task and also tried to get a calling card but apparently the machine at the post office is broken until next week which doesn't make sense to me-crazy Monmouth. Wednesday I will go into Cribbs which I don't know where that is but Ceri is taking me to look at phones and get a UK plan (not international because it's too expensive and I'll use calling cards and Skype which is webcamming) and also there is a broadband wireless stick I can get for my laptop. If I can't get the I.T. guys to set up my wireless before going into town after practice on Wednesday then I will do the plan for the broadband stick because the head of boarding said it is no more than £10/month so we shall see. I am dying for internet in my flat so that I can start webcamming with people and chat online! Mom-got the featherbed today so I made my bed with that and the flannel sheets and it's brilliant:-) I have had so much tea since I've been here and somehow acquired quite the taste for coffee-my mother's daughter:-) Anyway, this is becoming pretty long and I'm sure I could keep going and going but will just update you in a few days hopefully when things have hopefully fallen into place. Tomorrow begins my first day of PE classes then practice after school then boarding house duties and I think I have Multisport duty tomorrow night which I just take them to the gym and play games with them which clearly isn't a problem for me:-)

Miss everyone and talk soon!
Danielle

August 29th

Ok so this one will have to be short but I may come back and add later or post another one. Yesterday I got a message that there was an American boy who came over to teach at the brother school right down the road and he is actually living about 2 blocks away from the girls school so we met up last night which was sort of awkward at first obviously. But we went into town and walked around and just chatted about what we are both doing. He has twin sisters at Hopkins and his other sister just graduated from there; he graduate from UVA (didn't play any sports there, just a frat), and he is from New York. So we compared jobs and what we are doing and such. Before this I went to watch Ceri and her netball team play and they decided that I am going to be their "novice player" so I am now on a netball team and will let you know how I feel about that after my first game:-) So anyways, we walked around Monmouth then met Ceri and her friends at a pub in town which was very big and had a nice outside area and was fairly cheap. A pint of Coors Light was only 2.10 which is about 4.40 at home but you don't tip here so it actually ends up being cheaper or about the same as home. So we hung out with her and her friends and such and then I came home at about 11:30-latest I have been out yet! I got my first box I mailed today from home which was basically just some clothes and my Ravens blanket of course but it was very exciting to get mail! I also got my new ATM card but don't have the PIN yet so I am not sure when I can start using it. Found out today they are going to try and set up wireless on my floor so hopefully I can get the password and such for that when I get back Monday evening.
I am going to orientation for English Lacrosse and will meet everyone who is doing what I am doing and are placed elsewhere but it is exciting to meet new people that I'll be able to visit on the weekends after fixture on Saturdays, which is game days basically.
Had our first inset day today which is basically staff meetings and I have a break before our PE department meeting. It is very very weird being on the other side of things and also extremely boring! They did provide drinks before lunch which was a benefit I guess and I have met many new people and heard very cool stories about why they chose to work here and such and of course they enjoy hearing the story of the American girl:-) I also thought it was cute that many of the teachers here have husbands who teach at the boys school which is cool. Also when you ask what their spouses do, they refer to them as their "other half" which I of course think is adorable being the hopeless romantic that I am:-). Rhyan, head of PE, traveled Europe with her husband over holidays, which is what we call break basically, and she went to the island where Mamma Mia was filmed so of course I wanted to know everything about that. She said they took pictures of the house and chapel and everything there so hopefully I can see them one day soon. They have "staff forum" which is when the head mistress and the other board members aren't present and just the chairperson and secretary lead it and they have a board about a week before the meeting where people write things they want to discuss. This is when you can just sense all the tension about things like parking spaces, swimming during lunch hours, and little things like bringing back the old coffee machines. People vote on everything and I just sit there and smile because half the time I have absolutely no idea what they are even talking about. It took about a half hour to realize that "registration" is attendance and that alone was hard enough to understand. But everyone is very very nice and helpful and just wants to make sure I am happy and getting into the swing of things. So that is it so far..I will update some more later or after the orientation this weekend. Wednesday I will get a mobile phone because I am booked til then:-) ha busy busy. Miss you allll!!!!

Love,
Danielle

ps-I guess because of my American accent, one teacher thought I said my name was Dania like "dane-ya" so I just let it slide..I think it's pretty haha

hiii from the UK

So I am officially here and have soo much to write about just to warn you. "Make sure you write in complete sentences with correct grammar like a real college graduate since alot of people will be reading it." "Ok mom, I will just for you." I will even read over it and look for mistakes:-)
So first things first: wow. so much has happened already! My mom definitely wasn't kidding when she said the plane from Dublin to Cardiff was small. It looked like it would only carry about 10 people-I almost didn't make the walk from the stairs of the airport terminal across the way to the airplane but I did and I am here now. Ceri (the main lax coach and I'll also be working with her during the day with PE classes) met me at the airport and then it was about 45 minutes back to the school in Monmouth which is beautifulll. It is so green and hilly and there are random cows everywhere. Next to the lacrosse "pitches" there are cows and also right next to the turf field. I got a tour of the school and am learning my way around and also walked around downtown Monmouth which is basically a long strip of shops which is so cute. They have coffe shops, card shops, drug stores, phone stores, banks, clothing stores, mini markets, etc. It basically has everything one needs in order to survive-and then some! I ventured into these 2 stores called New Look and Peacock and they were pretty cheap and had very very cute clothes! I almost went to town buying things I loved but then the lady told me the dressing room was closed because it was "25 past." No idea what that meant until I realized that everything closes at 5:30 or 6 on that road. So I put everything back on their racks and told her I would come back tomorrow:-) I did buy some toiletries and such for my flat and will go to this place called Melvins tomorrow to get some other odds and ends and can't wait until my mom sends me pictures and I can decorate my flat with frames and such. I made a list of things throughout the day that I would put in my blog and it got pretty long so feel free to stop reading whenever but some things are pretty interesting:-) I am still waiting to see if I can get wireless in my flat and it seems as though they are making progress but if not, I will get a phoneline put in and get it that way so whoever wants to webcam through skype, I will let you know when I have internet there and also I will put up some pictures of the school and town whenever I can get internet on my laptop. Right now I am using the computer like my mom's and dad's at home (slow and from the 90's) downstairs on the bottom floor so I only check my mail once a day at night which is very unusual and new for me. I ate in the dining hall today for lunch and had mac and cheese with tomatoes in it which was good, peas, and a rice and raisin concoction-didn't ask what it was and just ate it anyway ha. There are 4 gaps from Australia who go abroad for a year before college and new ones come in January but I met 2 (1 very briefly) and one named Amy who I talked to for about 2 hrs about life here and such. She told me the reason I couldn't find tylenol or ibuprofen (I walked up and down the same aisle for about 15 minutes) is because they don't have those brands here. Learning new things everyday:-) I am such a tourist the way I snap photos everywhere I go. I started walking and just snapping quickly without looking anymore because I started to feel weird walking around and just taking pictures everywhere I went. It is a small and very cute town where everyone knows everyone (obviously I walk around not being recognized yet-haha) and the houses are about $300,000-500,000 but very very nice and classic looking. Some things remind me of something that would be in Harry Potter with very olden times buildings and a town like Dawsons Creek or Gilmore Girls-very very cute and so much country all around it. There is a river that runs down the center of the town where the row team rows and they are apparently very good (lacrosse is their main sport though). I learned to ask for help esp when it comes to paying for things. I dump all my coins on the counter and ask them to take what they need so hopefully they aren't jipping me haha I am going to wait to get a mobile phone until next week and just use calling cards and email and such for now. I have my English Lacrosse orientation Saturday-Monday where I'll meet all the other kids over here from America doing what I am doing so hopefully I make friends that I can visit on the weekends and see other towns and such. The gap students were talking about their summers and how they visited up to 20 countries and the stories were just amazing. Then they look at me and ask about my summer and there was just no way to make it exciting. I would talk about Australia but they are all from there sooo I just talk about American life and we compare the differences. They also told me that I will quickly pick up on the language of the English girls so that will be fun to learn new words and meanings! Well this is extremely long and I have to proofread it before publishing the post:-) Oh, and Billy I used the Euros you gave me to buy a chicken and herb stuffing sandwich in Dublin. No idea what it was but it was pretty good! So thanks for lunch:-) Ok, I'll write soon and hopefully be making more and more progress with settling in and such:-) I miss everyone and it is crazy how in touch technology keeps me with the states!
Forgot to add up there about getting locked out of my building today. Couldn't get the code to work so I stuck my key in to unlock it and it got stuck. I was out there for about 20 minutes just wondering what I'd do since I couldn't walk away leaving my keys. Then I saw a phone outside with extensions and got in touch with the head of boarding and said "umm hi, I'm locked out of the building with my key stuck in the door:(" so she laughed and said she would be right down then she came down and talked about how it probably happens to everyone at least once..yeah right haha:-) but anyways slowly but surely I am adjusting and we have our first inset day Friday with meetings 9am-4pm and then the girls will be here when I get back from my orientation and schools starts Tuesday. I also set up a bank account today and wrote the date wrong about 3 times and had to write over it. "date of birth?" "11-21-1985"...blank stare..."you mean "21-11-85?" "yep sorry that's what i meant." haha I just keep learning! ok I miss everyone!!!

Love,
Danielle
xoxo