A Surprise (or Two)

I got to school this morning, ready to take on my second day.  I got to school early, had some tea, spoke to my cooperating teacher, and ran to the bathroom with about 5 minutes to spare.  Just as I finished washing my hands, a woman I had never seen before opened the door and said "Are you Dawn?"  That was when the day I had planned shot out the window, and a new day presented itself before my very eyes.

I told the woman that, yes, I was indeed Dawn.  She then asked me if I would like to go on a field trip.  "Ummmm....of course!?!" I replied.  I followed her out into the hallway, and as I did, she introduced herself as a 4th year (3rd grade) teacher at the school.  We ran into my cooperating teacher in the hallway, and they proceeded to tell me that one of the parents who was supposed to chaperone their field trip that day had just called a few moments ago and said they couldn't make it.  When the 4th year teacher went to talk to the head teacher, my name was brought up as a possible replacement.  Turns out, the 4th years were going to Cowdray, a set of ruins in Midhurst that was build in the late 1400s and was visited several times by royalty, including King Henry VIII and Elizabeth I.  A fire burned much of it to the ground in the late 1700s, but much still stands.

Well, it didn't take much twisting of my arm to get me to go! I was improperly dressed, having just found out about the excursion that morning.  While everyone else wore jeans and trainers, I was in dress trousers and heels.  I froze all day, but it was completely worth it.  I can't even begin to describe the feeling of walking in the same footsteps as some of the most important figures in history.  To walk in a building that is older than the United States itself was incredible, and while logically it has always made sense that things as old as this exist, I was unable to appreciate it until today.  I was completely in awe.

We walked the grounds, went into the still-standing and functional kitchen, and climbed a turret to a room at the top where the kids learned about writing with quills (more of a time-waster than anything else).  At the end of the day, we loaded up the buses and rode back to the school.

I got picked up by my hostess shortly after, and told her all about my fabulous day.  I didn't think it would be any more exciting or eventful than it already had been, but lo and behold I was wrong! When we arrived home, it turned out that she and her eldest son had spent the morning talking about me and my Harry Potter obsession (yes, I believe I told them within the first 24 hours of my being here that I was a huge fan).  Marc had gathered information about the Harry Potter Warner Brothers Studio Tour in London.  They told me about what they had found and asked if I wanted to go.  It took me about 1/10 of a second to say "YES!" and we booked tickets immediately.  I can not WAIT to try butterbeer and see the Great Hall, Dumbledoor's Office, Diagon Alley, Harry's Nimbus 2000, and the Gryffendor Common Room! It's going to be even better than Paris, I know it!  The only bad thing is that I have to wait until April 24, the very last week of my trip, to go.  That is SOOOOOO far away!

Until the tour, I suppose I'll have to busy myself with other things.  Saturday we are going shopping in Portsmouth, an old naval town.  There are supposed to be some good shops there, so I'm excited.  Sunday is Mothering Day (Mother's Day), and if the weather is nice we are going to an open-air museum.  Next week the high school is having a fashion show that I'll be attending with my hostess, and the same evening is a retirement party for one of the ladies at the school I'm working at.  Then, in 2 weeks, Easter holiday begins, so that's when I'll head into London and Paris.  Breaking apart my stay like that makes it seem quite short, now that I look at it!