Shall not try to include too much details about work at this platform.
16 Nov 2008
Checked in our luggage, we decided to roam around the area. We had a long discussion on the type of passes that we wanted – 7-day pass for £24.20 (unlimited rides) or an Oyster pass (top up-£3 and £20 for top up). In the end, we decided for the latter.
Decided to go for areas around Westminster and the Southbank area. Alighted from Westminster (tube), we soon got out and were marveled at the London Eye, Big Ben, Westminster Abbey, St Margaret Church. As we walked on further, we ventured into Trafalgar Square and then decided to go for Tate Museum and it took us quite a while before we could reach the place. Popped by Camden Town and it was quite a vibrant place. The market was somewhat like our Pasar Malam. Had our lunch cum dinner there. It was an offer of £7.48 for price of 2 dishes. Good deal.
By the time we hit the hotel, it was dark and well, very exhausted. Had our briefing before we turned in for the night.
17 Nov 2008
0800 British council; Overview of the UK Education system
1030 Gallery Museum; What an impressive collection of paintings from the different era.
1200 Lunch (£4)
1400 Department for Children, Schools and Families
1700 Work appointment ended
1730 Dinner @ Lorenzo’s La Pergola Restaurant (£8)
138 – 138a Cromwell Road London SW7 4HA
The debriefing session with the teachers was excellent. I finally had the opportunity to hear from them their expectations and what their insights were thus far. It had been enriching just by listening to them. Many of them were enlightened by the sharing by the different representatives from the various departments and wanted to test if those measures were able to be implemented on the ground in Singapore context. Many were passionate in what they were doing and I was encouraged and impressed by them.
18 Nov 2008
It was a full day at Citizenship Foundation where Don, Tony and Chris shared with us on citizenship education in UK.
The load of information was really too much to digest. At the end of the day when the group decided to watch a musical – The Lion King – majority of the members dozed off. This IS the effect of information overload.
Musicals galore
It was a full day at Sir William Burrough School. We were impressed by the open and friendly culture in the school. The headmaster set the tone for the teachers and the pupils. There was a philosophy of “You can do it” in the school and belief that each individual could achieve what he/she sets out to do. The element of trust was implicitly brought across to pupils and praise was lavishly used.
What was special about the programme of this school was that there isn’t a citizenship education programme in the school. Rather, it is infused in the curriculum and that it is ‘part of life’ as Dave rightly put it. It is much better to role model than teach them how to be a good citizen and by asking good questions which leads pupils to think critically, it enables them to think about their responsibility as a citizen and its rights.
In assembly, pupils were called out to the front and being commended for their good work. Teachers supported their presence by how well they have performed for a certain task. They were able to do it perhaps because their school cohort is small. However, what could be done as a parallel in our Singapore schools is to have assembly according to levels. In this way, the assembly will be more relevant to the pupils and more focused. During assembly, teachers came to share to the pupils about some things that happened to them. This really brought the teachers closer to the pupils and well, in a way, could teach citizenship.
Another thing that impressed me was the partnership with business partners. Bankers came during lunch time to have chess session with the pupils and to teach them the game. Another businessman read stories to the pupils. How nice if we could partner with companies as well. This would take a lot of effort, I suppose.
I was also impressed by the fact that Avril gave out books for those pupils who have improved in their reading level. Such is the motivation of the pupils.
During one of the conversations with Avril, I queried her about the learning community in the school and its operations. As she shared, a teacher was nearby and then added that the fact that the teachers were so happy there was the fact that they concentrated on teaching and all other businesses like dealing with parents and very naughty pupils were dealt with by Avril. Each teacher was also given half a day off to concentrate on lesson planning. Such is the communication by the head teacher that the emphasis or main job of the teacher is to teach. NO wonder the teachers are all very happy working there.
21 Nov 2008
It’s amazing how one could feel the culture of a school just by spending a few hours touring, conversations with principal and teachers and observing lessons.
22 Nov 2008
Windsor castle; Stonehenge; Bath
23 Nov 2008
Oxford; Straford Upon Avon; Warwick Castle
24 Nov 2008
Visit to the Houses of Parliament. Impressive!
In the evening, we decided to go for afternoon tea and went to Orangery near Kensington Palace, Hyde Park. The place was rather posh. We order 2 sets to share among the 5 of us since we just had our lunch. Well, of course not all of us had the complete set of cutlery. I was already pissed by the attitude of the waiter and was all the more angered when our cream tea did not come all at one go but rather very very very slowly. The waiter came, after minutes and asked," Are you ladies fine?"
Yours truly was really agitated and replied in my most immaculate English, "No, we are not fine. You see, we have a situation here. We are in a hurry and would very much prefer to have our tea served all at once. And could we have more sets of cutlery please?
D told me that after I blurted out my first line, the waiter turned white in the face. Oh well, at least we got what we wanted. Who cares?
25 Nov 2008
Croyden College
We had the most wonderful English lunch cooked and served by the students of this college. Totally delectable. Words won't do justice to them and well, forgot to take a good photo of the food ;p
26 Nov 2008
Departure of group
27 Nov 2008
Entry @ 5.15pm, des Gobelins, Paris 
As I sat here, in a cafe in des Gobelins, watching the people go by, I allowed my heart to be at ease. It was a brilliant end to the London trip, with the powerful songs in Les Miserables during the last night. I enjoyed myself thoroughly. I've seen it back in Singapore. It was held in Kallang Theatre then and in comparison, the stage was bigger and the acoustics better than London. Nonetheless, it was just pure bliss to be able to watch this musical in the West End @ a special rate bought at a booth in Covent Garden. I had a wonderful group who was eager to share their knowledge and learn from one another. Dealing with adults was not easy at all, their demands far exceeded those of the kiddos. Where safety is more of an issue with the young ones, making sure that the adults are well-served is the issue now. How tiring. But I'm glad that it's over and with a superb dinner at the burger place with D, it signalled the end of the first leg for me.
Checked into the hostel opposite the hotel which, for the past 10 nights had been my shelter, I left my luggage at the hotel and popped over to a world of vast difference. Sleep was on a dorm bed and bathroom was shared now. When I went in, a bed was already occupied and it left me wondering who the guest was. I'm fine just as long as he/she does not bother me. I don't need to talk; I need to sleep.
3 Am. The door finally opened. This Irish guy was apologetic about waking me up. "It's all right." I thought I could just catch one more hour of sleep. However, he introduced himself and rambled on about zodiac signs, relationships and the recent issue about Baby P. A very eloquent person. In fact, I found myself engaging in the conversation. However, at the end, I sensed bitterness from him and gave him a piece of my mind. It was a good conversation though. He, being able to share his thoughts, his philosophy of life and history and I, being able to counter his argument and gave him some advice. And finally at 5AM, we parted with a handshake. He much wanted a cuddle and a hug but no thanks, stranger, I'm from a conservative culture (what a great excuse!) and I very much appreciate that things were left this way. Goodbye, stranger. And so, I left to take the tube to St Pancras Int to take the Eurostar to Paris.
It was a 2 1/2 hour ride and by the time I reached, it was already 10.45am. Studied the map after getting off from the train. Apprehension turned into confidence as I allowed my intuition to guide me. I was rather pleased and soon found myself in Museum d' Orsay. Reckoned that I'd not have sufficient time to explore the whole museum, I went straight to level 5. I was impressed!
Went to Boulevard St Germain. As I walked on, the load seemed to get heavier and it seemed that I was like an old lady with all the unnecessary load. Reprimmanding myself, I was angry that I had brought more than I've required. It seemed that all the years of travelling had not trained me to travel light. As one grew older, insecurity set in and the amount of facial products was just too overwhelming! With a heavy heart, I made quite a few mistakes which disgusted me. How could I? Had chosen the wrong backpack to carry as well. It was so small and bulky and looking at the reflection, I saw a penguin walking around. Enraged, I went into Kipling, bought a decent sling bag and ditched the backpack.
Oops HOtel (50 Ave des Gobelins, 30 Euro for a dorm bed) was new and good. I do recommend this accommodation. Near to the Metro as well. It was 4.30pm that I checked in. Before that, I was wondering how I should spend the night. The cold really deterred me from going out and so I thought I could jolly-well watch a movie. Alas, at the counter, it was a duck and a hen talking and in the end, communication broke down and it was a lose-lose situation. And so here I am @ 6pm, translating my pent-up feeling into words. With a cup of white coffee in a cafe run by an Asian, I thought it would be better that I spent the night planning for tomorrow (later, the Asian waiter chatted me up. I felt so at home speaking chinese and cantonese with him!). I couldn't wait to go home (I think I've grown too comfortable in the safety zone of Singaopre. Not a good sign).
The heart wandered
To places far and out
Yet when the feet trod
Across the globe
It was home
That always came to mind
28 Nov 2008
7.30AM. Finally peeled myself out of bed. It was a fitful night. I think I am not capable of bunking in dormitory. I would wait till everyone is back before turning in. And so, one of them came back at around midnight while another, an hour later. I probably would have panda eyes later.
Breakfast was a plain and simple croissant and baguette with butter and jam. Moved off to Jardin du Lexembourg. It was descrived as a beautiful garden but fell short of my expectations. That's really nothing to hold me back and felt it better that I moved on to The Pantheon. Too early and checked into MacDonalds for a yogurt and people watch.
To Montmartre and checked into Le Regent Montmartre Hotel Rochechouart, 42 Euro) and was given a room meant for doubles (I booked a single). Woohoo! What a good room to rest and attached bathroom as well! Went exploring the place. Perhaps I have set my expectations a tad too high and was disappointed that it was 'just-like-that'. As I got up the Sacre-Coeur, a man followed me around, asked me where I was from. Feeling suspicious, I declined his offer to help me take a picture. Place du Tertre is a strategic place to take a picturesque view of Paris city.
5PM. Having Indian meal. Should I go for Moulin Rogue?
29 Nov 2008
I didn't plan it this way but I had the most wonderful time in Paris today which coincidentally marked the last day before departure.
Reached Musee du Louvre @ 9.15am and started the tour. It was so amazing! The collection is just so admirable and the Greek sculptures even better than the ones I've seen in Athens. What an irony! Spent 3 hours at the 1st storey and another 2 hours at the 2nd storey until my feet couldn't take it anymore.
Walking towards Avenue des Champs Elysees, the body felt weak and the mind decided to have a meal at a cafe in Jardin des Tuileries and yea, Al Fresco. SOunds crazy to dine in the cold but fortunately, I was kept warm by the jacket. Proceeded and felt the spirit of Christmas along the streets.
Finally the shopping scene appeared before my eyes. As I browsed through the malls, I wondered where LV was. And there, across the street was 'Musee du LV'! I termed it as a musuem because I spent as much time in it as in a museum. In the end, I burnt a hole in the pocket with bags for mom and I. I seriously hope she'll like my purchase!
Checked into Boissiere (53, rue Jean Jaures Levallois Perret, 38 Euro) which was away from the city centre. I loved my room! So compact and my style! I decided that I should use the remaining night and spend at Effiel Tower. I was 'wowed' by it. Pictures taken but decided that I should not be in it. It is too much of a romantic icon to have just a single soul in the picture. I felt Paris, for the very first time here.
The Louvre, LV and Effiel Tower
Warming the heart in the wintry cold
A pact was made
That one day I may return
Having French kiss under it
30 Nov - 1 Dec 2008
My last day in Paris and London. Had my brekky at the nearby MacDonalds and then went to the train station to catch the ride back to London. Back in London, got my luggage and bought a few more books before I hopped into a cab to Heathrow. Met a girl who had just completed her MBA in Glasgow at the airport and made a friend out of her.
The trip ended. The heart at peace. Learnt more about myself. Promised I won't make the same mistakes again. Really had a good taste of carrying my back/sling bag around when exploring the places. What a burden. Need to learn to pack light and to let go of stuff. Much to learn.
NB: All accommodation booked through www.hostelbookers.com and Eurostar ticket bought online.
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