I am home after about 20 hours of traveling. London was cool, but I thought Plymouth was alot better. London was very touristy and crowded. In Plymouth, we got to be a part of the culture and live and work there.

Yesterday was my last day. It was India day. The kids dressed up and we had Indian food and they made tiger masks. It was really cute and a good relaxed last day. Then last night my teacher and some of the other teachers took me and another student teacher (she is from here) out to dinner at an Indian restaurant. So I tried Indian food for the first time yesterday, twice in one day. It was pretty good. My teacher recommended a dish that was mild and I tried the cheese nan (flat bread).
I just looked at my bank statement and realized that this trip has been very expensive. It doesnt seem like as much until it is converted.

Weekend outings

On Saturday we went to the Aquarium which was kind of a let down because Dr. Lupi had raved about it and we payed £9 to get in. It was really small and also not very presentable.

Afterward we went to the Plymouth Hoe Foreshore(the sea front) and saw Smeaton's Tower (the lighthouse). That was really neat. There was also a Victorian Pool. Unfortunately I don't have any pictures right now because my camera died but I will get some from my friends.

We also saw the Mayflower steps. This is where the Mayflower set sail to America.

Going out

So my friends got me all dolled up and we went out to a club called Oceania. It was lots of fun but we didn't get home until 4 am.

Funny things

So we went to the movies the other day and there was this really funny commercial: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TVblWq3tDwY

Also, their cigarette packs say hilarious things. They are so blunt.

Magistrate's Court

So on Friday we went to a Magistrate's court. It was really neat. The Magistrate's court is the lower court. They can only sentence up to 6 months in prison. If the offense is more serious than the trial is sent to the Crown's court. In the Crown's court, the judges wear long wigs and the lawyers (which they call solicitors) wear short wigs. I didn't get to see that however.
We watched three different cases. The first one was three people who had been arrested for squatting and burglary. They were given curfew and given a parole officer for 6 months. The defendants do not sit with their lawyer. They have to sit in the dock, which is a seperate section that is surrounded by glass. They let us sit in there in between trials and it felt like being in a cage. The court system definitely uses intimidation tactics. When the magistrate's walk into the courtroom they stare down the defendant. They seem really serious and intimidating in the courtroom but we got to meet them after and they were really nice guys. They were joking and laughing with us and let us ask them a bunch of questions. They are volunteers who get appointed and have all different kinds of backgrounds. They have to go through training each year though. There is a barrister who is legally trained and serves as somewhat of a mediator between the magistrates and lawyers. They said that if they ever have any questions they can ask him. There is one chair magistrate who talks in the courtroom. The other two magistrates cannot talk in the courtroom but are have the same powers in the conference room.

Jacksonville vs. Plymouth

Hey,
So today I observed in a different classroom because there was a supply (substitute) teacher in my class. I got to see Year 3 which is equivalent to 2nd grade (which is what I teach back home). It was cool to see the differences and similarities between my students back home and the students here. There is a larger range of abilities here than at Pine Forest. However, on average, the students here are more advanced in math and writing and my students in Jax are more advanced in reading.
We went to a play at one of the other interns school. It was cute. My teacher said that tommorrow she will take me to a proper grocery store at lunch time because she doesnt want me to leave here with a bad impression of their food. Tomorrow we are going back to the city centre and shopping at the mall. Im excited. Friday I am going to see a court trial. Saturday we are planning to go to Dartmoor National Park (http://www.dartmoor-npa.gov.uk/) which looks really pretty. Sunday we are hoping to go to the aquarium here and also to the Barbican and the Hoe (area by the ocean with lighthouse and Mayflower steps).
Miss you all. Lots of love,
Elyse