First Day of School: UK and US

Heswall, UK (Sept. 3, 2012)

State College, PA (Aug. 27, 2013)

Going home 2012

Going home 2013

This American Life

Hotdogs at the State College Spikes game

It strikes me that our life in State College is quintessentially American.  Bike riding, baseball games, hotdogs, grilling, outdoor swimming pools, fireflies, Target, Trader Joe's, Wegmans, bagels, the Waffle Shop.  In any event, we still drink tea.

A Fine Welcome Home

We arrived back in State College on a very warm and sunny evening, welcomed by our friends with balloons and a stocked fridge, various staples, including Triscuits, peanut butter and Reese's peanut butter cups!

Goodbye Gifts

We've received the kindest goodbye gifts.  We received a beautiful embroidered cushion of a London scene, several English-themed books (including one of the Royal Baby, born just a couple days ago!), window clings, pressed foliage (laminated especially for Anna), and Wirral mementos.

I think this drawing of us takes the cake.  I especially like how Michael is holding his China Project and John has his Mac.  And there's their car on School Hill!

 

Closing of the Butcher Shop

I couldn't believe it when I heard that Fred was closing his butcher shop.  He and the other butchers have been a staple in our morning routine, waving as we walk by on the way to school, and often on the way home.  Before we moved here, I would not have quite "got" the importance of a shop like Fred's.  But it makes sense to me now.  The butcher shop helps make the village a real community.  He knows everyone; everyone knows him.  The children at the school cheer when they hear that Fred's sausages will be featured at a school event.  With a smile and a chat, he would give you whatever cut of meat you'd like.  I once asked for chicken drumsticks and his colleague just cut the legs off a couple whole chickens and put them back in the window.  They gave advice on meat preparation.  His meat is locally sourced, and you'd literally see it arrive in a van in front of the shop.

Going to Fred's was like going to someone's house.  It wasn't a store.  It wasn't anonymous.  You were a guest.   It was comfortable, inviting, a nice place for a chat.

Michael:  "He is very nice.  I like waving to him in the morning and I like how nice he is."
Anna:  "I like his sausages.  I like waving to him in the morning."
Jennifer:  "I loved that our Christmas turkey was hanging in the window."
Anna:  "We got the best Christmas turkey.  It was enormous."

Last Day of School

Photos from our walk to school.  We love waving to Grandma and Grandpa and the butchers every morning and seeing our friends on School Hill.  This has been a most wonderful school year.

Goodbye Lunch

One of my favorite mums from the school invited some ladies over for lunch at her house. The setting was picture perfect.  She is the ultimate hostess and I just love her home and decor.  It was a beautiful afternoon with finger sandwiches, Victoria Sponge and scones in the garden while chatting about the school, summer plans, and demystifying peanut butter, American jelly and marshmallow fluff.

I was really touched that the mums also gave me some gifts and thoughtful cards including a book of Wirral, a lovely Heswall mug and a homemade lemon drizzle cake.

Afterwards, we all went to pick up our kids, and spent part of the afternoon at the park next to the school.  The kids had ice lollies, as it was so hot.  Anna and Michael went to a friend's house where they played, watched Home Alone 4, and marveled at their cousin's heroic skills of assembling a sandwich made of garlic bread, meat sauce and noodles.

Sports Day

I like that there are lots of annual events at British schools that one can anticipate over the years.  One is sports day in the summer.  For Years 3-6, sports day was competitive--sprinting, spud and spoon, skipping rope, obstacle course and team relay--with ribbons for 1st, 2nd and 3rd.  For Reception-Year 2's sports day, the children kicked soccer balls, ran with cups of water, put rings on her head, hit cricket balls.  This was more similar to field day at Easterly Parkway in which everyone received recognition for participating.  

Michael and friends ready for the obstacle race

Anna hurdling with a cup of water

Wow, It's Hot

Off to a friend's house for a slip 'n' slide party

Okay, I'm going to have to say it.  It's hot.  It's sunny.  It's too hot and sunny.  It's been like this for days  Where are the rain and overcast skies?  You'd think that a person from San Diego, Chicago and State College would find this weather rather lovely.  But after 10 1/2 months of cool drizzle this is quite a shock.  Even our friends from Texas took off their cardigans one afternoon. And no one (except grocery stores) has A/C.  In fact, I used the term "A/C" the other day and my friend had no idea what I was talking about.

Meeting Fake George Michael

He's our man.  (Photo by Fake Elton John)

Doors in England

A little door leading to a house on Village Road

There are more doors in England than in the US, that I am certain.  Whereas the open plan house is quite common in the US, most houses here have individual rooms divided by doors along a hallway, even downstairs.  In our Heswall house, there are separate doors for the kitchen, living room, dining room and hall to the stairs.  At the school and in most public bathrooms, there are two doors (one after another) to get in.  I  spend a lot of time working my arm muscles while living here.

I imagine there may be fire safety reasons for having so many doors in smaller spaces.  Greater privacy may be another reason.

On the latter point, I've noticed that a lot of bedroom doors swing into the center of a room rather than toward a wall as they would in the US.  In the US, there is a desire for openness in a room.  In the UK, I think privacy may be more valued.  With the door swung open in our bedroom here in Heswall, you cannot see our bed from the hallway.  In the US, it is front and center as you walk up the stairs.  I quite like the idea of moving our State College door hinges.  Making the bed everyday can be a drag.

Michael's Favorite Things about School

What do you want to remember about St. Peter's?
"I want to remember that they had an ICT suite... I liked Pivot Stick Figure Animator.  You can animate a stick man that does stuff and I also liked all the other animations like Scratch and Kerpoof.  And I like free time so I could watch Minecraft videos in the ICT suite."

Friends
"I liked being friends with A and M because we play hide and seek everyday and it's very very fun.  I liked playing Minecraft with B."


Lunch
"We have to eat most of our food."
"The dinner ladies are fun because they open up your Froob.  Yeah, and they open up your granola bars when you can't open them yourself."

Miss C.
"She's nice.  And fun.  And nice and stuff.  We learned about World War II and China and Ancient Egypt."

"I liked doing my China project because I worked so hard on it and my mommy was being so nice and bossing me around to do it while I was playing Minecraft.

"I liked today because they are selling food ad I ate toast on the playground.  I used my own money that I have in my backpack."

Anna:  "On Fridays, we have toast and golden time we can choose something to do like draw."

Next time someone tries to sell me a rocket launcher at the door, I'll be ready.

Anna's Favorite Things about School

What did you like most at school?
"Old toys and new toys.  I just liked sorting them out."

"I quite like being register monitor because I got to go down to bring the register."

A hamster story

Liked
Meeting and petting the guide dog visitor.  "I just like him."
The challah bread when studying Judiasm.
Toast on Fridays.
Her friends, doing arts and crafts together.

Miss B 
"She is a great teacher.  She is nice because she let us have biscuits that were tasty.  She's a new teacher.  I like her because she let us do show and tell.  I will remember this teacher."

Favorite School Event
"I liked the Christmas Gift Afternoon because I liked how we could go down to the hall and buy our presents."

Lunch
"I liked the Quavers."

That about sums it up

Red Rocks

The Wirral is full of scenic places.  One is Red Rocks, one of the local beaches.  The kids enjoy climbing on the red rocks on the shore.  When it's warm and the tide comes in, the kids paddle around in the water.  When the tide is out, you walk for a mile to get to the water.  The resulting sand is amazingly rippled as far as the eye can see.

We walked for a long time in the sand, making our way to the distant water.  We saw jelly fish, lots of worm casts, piles of razor clam shells, regular shells, and crabs.  We thought we'd never reach the sea, and there was great excitement when we did.

And we're walking... Can you see the water?

We MADE IT to the water!!  I like how Michael is doing his "stirring the soup" happy dance.

Refrigerator Tetris

My childhood friend and her daughter are coming to visit (yay!).  It's always a tradeoff in the  supermarket, wanting to buy more and yet realizing our space limits.  I managed to squeeze it all into our little fridge along with the kids' lunch boxes.  It's a good thing that eggs and bread need no refrigeration here or we'd be doomed (or having french toast for dinner!).

By the way, interesting article today in the newspaper about no more 2-for-1's on junk food, a new government mandate to encourage healthier eating.  What a good idea.

Post-It Notes: The Ultimate Toy

Dear 3M/Post-It Note People,

Post-It Notes are the ultimate toy.  My 6 year old spends most of her life carrying post-it notes around to make animals (easier than origami), write stories (quicker than books), draw pictures (small is the new big), and label things for us (no mistaking the fan switch in the bathroom now).  As a toddler, she spent a good part of a plane ride unsticking and sticking Post-It notes to her seat.

Apparently, these are the rage at school too.  In a school with a "no toys from home" policy, 6 and 7 year olds are smuggling in teeny tiny colorful note pads in their pencil cases under the guise of "school supplies".  I suggest you let social networks run their course.  I wouldn't want you marketing this idea from above.  It could blow their cover.

Thank you for this great invention,
Anna's Mom

Practically Meeting Helen Mirren

Helen Mirren is one of those smart, classy actresses that seemingly everyone admires.  John and I couldn't get tickets for her London Show, the Audience, but we did wait to catch a glimpse of her coming out of the Gielegud Theatre on our walk back from dinner.  As we waited, the guy at the door took fans' programs and returned them with her autograph.  That seemed a nice thing to do.

When Dame Helen finally emerged, she looked radiant and poised in her pink coat and handbag.  We all listened attentively as she paused to thank everyone for coming and that she appreciated everyone's support and time.  With a smile and a wave, she was ushered to a waiting black Mercedes Benz.  As her car drove off, we all stood there, contented and blessed, as if we'd met the Queen.

Doesn't everyone look happy?

Me with Dame Helen's escape car (and a man who wandered into the picture)

Eating our Way through London

Spanish cold meat platter at Barrafina

Sardines at Barrafina

John and I were in London for three days, saw The Book of Mormon and The 39 Steps, went to the National Gallery, did some shopping and basically ate our way through London.  My friend Jen recommended Barrafina, a Spanish tapas restaurant which is all counter service and no reservations.  We went for a late lunch upon arrival into London, and it was well worth the wait.  For one thing, I was seated in front of a leg of jamon and not far from an octopus on ice.  The vibe was great, a mix of trendy lunch dates and business people.  My favorite food was the jamon and chorizo, John's the razor clams and artichokes.  The quail and sardines were also mas fina.

That night, after seeing The 39 Steps, we went for a very late dinner at Shoryu Ramen.  We'd read about it in the Sunday Times originally; this was our second visit.  I wish we had a photo of their hirata buns, the special of the day, incredible with slightly spicy breaded and fried chicken in fluffy white steamed buns.  We both loved the ramen; would recommend the extra bamboo shoots (menma) on the side.

Spicy Ramen at Shoryu Ramen

A couple years ago, John and I discovered Green Queen Street--a modern British gastropub with locally sourced ingredients--recommended to us by a local shopkeeper.  With its dark hardwood interior, the restaurant exudes cultural capital yet feels un-snooty and welcoming.  John pointed out that the wait staff all have classy accents and seem to wholeheartedly believe in what they are selling.  I ordered fish soup, spring greens and artichokes; John had corned beef and radishes and a pint.  We got there in the early noon hour--considered early for lunch by UK standards--took our seats and the place soon filled.

Menu of the day

Spring greens, my absolute favorite

Corned beef and radishes-- sounds unusual, but is really good

We went for a North African/Lebanese dinner at Maison Toureg in Soho.  John and I agree that the moussaka was a little heaven on a plate, especially with the rosemary bread.  We also had babaganoush, meat pastries and sardines.  There was a family near us that kept ordering the sausages.  Must be good too!

Meze selection at Maison Touareg

I should add that we stopped at Pret A Manger here and there for light bites and snacks.  I could eat their baguettes, chocolate covered rice cakes and almond croissants all day.  Too bad the food in London is so good.

Love the Pret advertising

Tweet/ads for Five Guys

The Beauty of "Never Mind" and Other Phrases

Anna is a fairly prompt homework doer.  She usually brings home 1 or 2 books to read for the next day.  However, today, her book wasn't in her bag.  She felt disappointed, and my immediate response was to say "Never mind."  To which she said, "Never mind".  And that was that.  We moved onto something else.

I love that phrase--"Never mind."  I hear it said all the time here but not very commonly in the US.  "Never mind" seems distinctively British.  The idea of one keeping calm and carrying on in light of a setback can grant quite a feeling of security.  It's an unfortunate glitch, don't dwell on it, and let's move on.

Another phrase I recall from living in Harrogate was "Oh dear" (pronounced "Oh deeyah").  It had a similar effect and was often used when small children dropped their ice cream or scraped their knee.  I recall 1 year old Michael would reflexively say "Oh deeyah" when he dropped his binky, and would just hand it over to me for wiping.  Knowing that phrase seemed to reduce the gravity of the situation.

Example of an "Oh deeyah. Never mind." opportunity

Paper Products in the UK: A Theory

Paper plate or taco: your call

I mentioned in an earlier blog post that paper products are much fewer and harder to find here in the UK than in the US.  Whereas in the US, napkins, paper plates and disposable cutlery, Ziploc bags, aluminum foil and such take up vast shelf space on in supermarkets, their existence here is relatively scant.  I buy paper napkins in the bargain section of Tesco when they have them.  Our friends Tim and Alicia, my Mom and John have supplied us Press 'N Seal, Ziploc bags and Chinet plates when visiting from the US.

I'm sure a lot of this product product minimalism has to do with the cultural values of not being wasteful.  However, I decided to buy a few disposable items here to use on those occasions that we just can't face washing the dishes again.  (We don't have a dishwasher.)

Well, John was just eating a sandwich and his disposable plate buckled into a state of ruin as he ate.  John said it was "the worst" paper plate he'd ever used.

This got me thinking.  I used to think there was some additive that could be used in US products but not allowed here--kind of like that triangle you get on fine China which is only considered a health hazard in some US states and not others.  However, I now wonder if paper products here are purposefully lower quality, a behind-the-scenes eco-government initiative.  Think about it.  Product dissatisfaction dissuades usage.  Therefore, people waste less.  I mean, I won't be buying those plates again.  My plastic wrap gets tangled so I use a plate to cover my food.  Paper shmaper.  I will have to call my MP about this.