Last Weekend:
Friday night a friend from work decided to take us to a dance class in Cambridge. The class in discussion, SALSA DANCING. This was a two hour class followed by two hours of dancing. It was all fun in games until Krista got taken by a creepy!! This man apparently is really good at Salsa dancing, but decided to make Krista feel very uncomfortable. He went from female to female doing some risque dances and we sat in the corner and made fun of him - in a nice way of course. It wasn't until he did a fairy jump that we burst out laughing! Hey, we tried to dance the rumba, mambo, and some back step, twisty, in out style thing. I'm not quite sure what we did, but if anyone wants to learn, I teach!! I accept Mastercard and Visa. Overall it was quite a nice time and was the beginning of my understanding that the summer was truly coming to an end. We bonded that night with two of the Youth Center staff members. Thank you Mr. Felix and Ms. Lisa.
SATURDAY we all got up really, really early!! I'm talking 5AM early. We hopped on a train and began our adventure toward England's Willy Wonka's Chocolate Factory, CADBURY WORLD!!! Let me tell everyone....I REALLY LIKE CANDY!!! Walking into a very purple building with lights and lots of people, we walked towards the entrance to a guy dressed with a very purple tie! From his desk, he handed us two different kinds of Cadbury chocolates! This was basically the thing that made me feel as if it were one of the best days of my life - jk. We got to add our own fix-ins to homemade melted chocolate and also had a tour about the company, how it was formed, you know...all that historical stuff!! We ended our tour at the largest Cadbury chocolate shoppe in the WORLD!!! It was pretty sweet and everything we cheap. I bought A LOT of chocolate to bring back and share with friends.
SUNDAY our last day in London. We decided to have a picnic with some M and S fancy meal food at Kensington Gardens...the sight of Kensington Palace - home to the late Princess Diana! After this we went and walked around Harrods – the LARGEST department store in the U.K. I saw some extremely expensive items like a mini car costing about 20,000 pounds!!! It was absolutely ridiculous!!! Oh well, maybe someday I will have enough money to shop there…even if I did – I think I will stay clear of places where the workers put their noses up in the air when you walk by…no thanks.
Well – this will probably be my last post before I leave for home. I am saddened that my blog did not turn out exactly like I would have hoped! However, I have tried to capture just a bit of my memory. I will gladly share my experience with anyone who would like to hear it!! I MISS YOU ALL VERY MUCH – but I am also going to miss these kids. They have truly changed my life in more ways than one. Before I end this post, I ask that everyone take a step back and look at the world through the eyes of a child – you will find a world undiscovered and full of happiness.
Cheers!
Jamison
Wednesday, August 19, 2009
Monday, August 10, 2009
THE PEAK DISTRICT
WOW!! I have never been so impressed by high altitudes. The Peak District, one of England's National Trusts (national parks) is an extremely green, rock climbing, hilly adventure! After coming in on the train, we decided we would stop at the information booth and get a better idea of what route we were supposed to take. You can imagine being in the middle of a green-walled valley. There were so many options and paths to choose. We began our hike and decided on a 6 mile path. Much to our luck, we actually went the opposite direction, on accident, and ended up on the very path that was did not want to take. Path number 8!!! This path was considered the hardest one and was also by far the longest. Looking back, it was a good idea that we decided to take this path because it took us to beautiful, high sites. During this whole experience, I had to stop countless times and have someone take photos of me. Wait till everyone sees the photos posted on facebook. The valley was absolutely amazing from the top of the hill. We walked and walked and walked and walked, even got lost, went up Jacob's ladder trail - saw a cool water fall, sat there for a while, and then walked, and walked, and walked. Finally, we ended up on a road and followed it back into the town of Edale. We made an earlier train by about 30 seconds and got home two hours earlier than expected. This trip was much different than most trips that I have been on. England is all about their natural habitats and I got to see one that was perfectly kept. On thing that I miss back in the states are the signs that are posted on our natural lands.
On Sunday, I stayed home, caught up on sleep, and got a lot of work done for the Gerdin Citizenship Program, Freshmen Council, and the mounds of papers that have to be written for Camp Adventure.
On Sunday, I stayed home, caught up on sleep, and got a lot of work done for the Gerdin Citizenship Program, Freshmen Council, and the mounds of papers that have to be written for Camp Adventure.
Tuesday, August 4, 2009
Dover and Nottingham
Hello!!
I will be ordering a new computer today!!! VERY EXCITED ABOUT THIS. It will have arrived at my household prior to my departure from England.
Dover:
Has any heard of the "White Cliffs of Dover"? Yes, I did get to see them! It was quite the train ride to get to Dover which was the location of a castle very used to war. After taking pictures in the bay area, we hiked up a huge hill towards to top of the chalky, white cliffs. Once on top, we entered a castle that felt like a minature fortress. It was pretty neat and we darted for the best sight over the North Sea. I got some magnificent pictures on top the Dover cliffs!! Get this, I saw France in the distance!! It is only 21 miles away, but luckily it was a clear day outside. After looking out we decided to look at a roman lighthouse and go up high within the castle keep. Upon the castle keep, we could see France even more clear than the look out. It was such a beautiful sight with ships moving across the sea and the wind blowing in your ear. After this, and upon our exiting of the castle, we went down into "medival" tunnels. These were pretty neat, for the most part, but it would have been nice to see the SECRET WAR TIME TUNNELS!!! (all tours were booked :(...). This was a nice Saturday trip and we got back to base much earlier than most nights.
The next day, a friend of mine and I went to a historical city called NOTTINGHAM!! Can anyone say ROBINHOOD??? Yes, it was a very "new-age" city with a huge shopping mall and lots of college life. We took a tour into the city caves where leather was made in about 1 year and 3 months time. The stories we heard in the caves were a little disturbing but they provided shelter during WWII! :) The caves were made out of sandstone. After we had come up from the caves, we had to shop a little. We got some fancy, fine chocolate and made our way back to base after first visting the most haunted building in the whole U.K. - it also housed an exhibit on ROBINHOOD!!! WHOOT. Thank goodness we had some interaction with the person who made this place so famous!
Got to go! My break is up at work and I am lucky to have access to this very fine internet connection.
Later gators,
Jamison
I will be ordering a new computer today!!! VERY EXCITED ABOUT THIS. It will have arrived at my household prior to my departure from England.
Dover:
Has any heard of the "White Cliffs of Dover"? Yes, I did get to see them! It was quite the train ride to get to Dover which was the location of a castle very used to war. After taking pictures in the bay area, we hiked up a huge hill towards to top of the chalky, white cliffs. Once on top, we entered a castle that felt like a minature fortress. It was pretty neat and we darted for the best sight over the North Sea. I got some magnificent pictures on top the Dover cliffs!! Get this, I saw France in the distance!! It is only 21 miles away, but luckily it was a clear day outside. After looking out we decided to look at a roman lighthouse and go up high within the castle keep. Upon the castle keep, we could see France even more clear than the look out. It was such a beautiful sight with ships moving across the sea and the wind blowing in your ear. After this, and upon our exiting of the castle, we went down into "medival" tunnels. These were pretty neat, for the most part, but it would have been nice to see the SECRET WAR TIME TUNNELS!!! (all tours were booked :(...). This was a nice Saturday trip and we got back to base much earlier than most nights.
The next day, a friend of mine and I went to a historical city called NOTTINGHAM!! Can anyone say ROBINHOOD??? Yes, it was a very "new-age" city with a huge shopping mall and lots of college life. We took a tour into the city caves where leather was made in about 1 year and 3 months time. The stories we heard in the caves were a little disturbing but they provided shelter during WWII! :) The caves were made out of sandstone. After we had come up from the caves, we had to shop a little. We got some fancy, fine chocolate and made our way back to base after first visting the most haunted building in the whole U.K. - it also housed an exhibit on ROBINHOOD!!! WHOOT. Thank goodness we had some interaction with the person who made this place so famous!
Got to go! My break is up at work and I am lucky to have access to this very fine internet connection.
Later gators,
Jamison
London, Scotland, Wales
First, let me apologize to everyone about not being extremely good at keeping my blog up-to-date. I don't exactly have the best situation. However, it is official that I will be purchasing a new computer on Tuesday. It will be my coming home present to myself. ;) This next blog will try to dive into three wonderful, beautiful places. These are MUST SEES for everyone. Enjoy! LONDON: London is such a massive city that no one could honestly believe one could see all the sights in a single weekend. However, with the power of Camp organization, we did just that. Walking out from the tube, we were called over by a lady selling tickets to something called the Big Bus Tour. This was no cheap ticket. It cost roughly $45.00. This ticket did, however, allow us to go and see any sight we wanted around London by taking a sight seeing, double decker bus. Indeed this was a pretty sweet deal. To think this day could not get any better. I then began to exit the tube and walk up a flight of stairs. As I approached the light, I felt a feeling of overwhelming excitement. Walking through a tunnel and looking out I saw the London Eye. To my right, I was overwhelmed by Parliament and St. Stephen’s (Big Ben) Clock tower on my right. The bell inside is Big Ben…not the tower. After taking a few photos and looking beyond the tower, I saw Westminister!! This has been the location for many coronations of England’s traditional monarchy. Following Westminster which housed many burial sites of some very famous people in the large English history including Issac Newton and Charles Darwin, we took a trip to our Hostel. This hostel was not near as “scary” as the previous one the night before. We were in a room that was extremely small - as with all hostels - and having an Australian backpacker that is coughing up a storm. We say “Hi” and start making our beds for the night when she makes a comment about how she is just trying to get over her sickness. Then she pops out a statement…”I have Swine Flu”. WOAH!! Jacey and I both looked at each other in horror. Then she said she was only joking…followed by a, but, I could have it. Throughout the night she coughed and coughed and with each noise, I pulled the sheets tighter and tighter around my mouth. Following the London trip, I got sick - it was a mere cold. After we had dropped off out bags at the hostel, we caught a glimpse of Greenwich - the CENTER OF TIME!! Greenwich housed the clock that all clocks around the worlds are set to. After arriving back closer to the sights of London, we decided to got to the Tower of London to see the fortunes of the British Royal Family. After paying 15 pounds, we entered the Tower of London. This tower is a strong hold for the Crown Jewels. I will tell you, I have never seen so much “bling” in one room. IT WAS MIND BLOGGLING. The English own the 1st and 2nd largest diamonds in the world and they put them in a crown to be worn during the coronation. It also housed maces and orbs of gold. The doors to the vault were MASSIVE. After spending a few seconds looking at the beauties, we realized we did not have much time if we wanted to do the Big Bus Tour. After waiting a while, we finally got on the Big Bus as it began to rain. On the bus, we saw everything London has to offer. It was a very informative tour, but I do not recall half of what they had told us. I am typing this 4-5 weeks after the trip. After returning to our hostel and waking from a goodnights sleep, we were off to Buckingham Palace to witness the changing of the guard. This was quite a long experience and the whole changing of the guard is way hyped up, however, we did get to hear the guard band play THRILLER while I recorded it. That was pretty sweet! Buckingham Palace is truly a massive building. I look like a shrimp next to the smaller gate and there are three! After Buckingham and watching the London 10K, we took a stop at Winston Churchill’s War Rooms. This was his hideout during WWII along with other powerful, English leaders. Yes, I got pictures!! J After this we spent a large amount of time getting to the British Museum! THIS IS ONE OF MY FAVORITES. It was completely free and has some really treasured artifacts. It also houses the Rosetta Stone which is the reason for us understanding Egyptian Hieroglyphics. Needless to say about the superiority of this building, I bought three books!! One includes almost all items A to Z and a write-up about each. If anyone is ever in London - GO SEE THE BRITISH MUSEUM…we only spent 3 hours there and didn’t take the time to read one-fourth of the information.That is basically my London experience. I REALLY LIKE LONDON. I still want to see Harrold’s, China Town, London’s Piccadilly Circus, Primark, and St. Paul’s Cathedral.WALES:Entering Wales we were introduced to an entirely new language. WELSH! This language is not easy to comprehend. The people of Wales basically eliminate almost all vowels. It is insane. For example, “in” is “yn“. After dropping our bags off at the hostel, we entered the castle. The castle of Cardiff, Wales had a splendid view upon entrance. The castle keep was located upon a green hill with the castle walls all around. After touring the castle wall, we decided to take some very amazing pictures overseeing the a massive green area. It was a very nice day out and I especially enjoyed seeing the American Flag flying next to the Union Jack. After viewing a few more rooms within the castle, we stopped at the gift shop and headed towards the Love Spoon store.The Love Spoon store housed the largest love spoon in the world. Now, I bet you are wondering what a love spoon is? A love spoon is a traditional Wales gift given to the one you love. Over the years, it has grown into a tourist souvenir that can be given to anyone you care about. After getting confused trying to read Welsh, we began our journey toward the shopping point of Cardiff. After spending a large amount of time in Primark and also trying out H&M (these are two very popular shopping stores. I really enjoy Primark. This place has high class stuff for a low class price. I did buy a few things here and there. J On Sunday, we decided to hop on a bus and get a tour of the city. We got to see the Bay, a huge Rugby Stadium that was holding a convention for Jehovah witnesses, the Cardiff Centre for the Arts, and after feeling exhaustion, we had Sunday roast at a local pub. This is probably a good time to mention we celebrated one of our counselor’s B-Day at a sweet restaurant called New Orleans. Cardiff was a nice city, but I would have loved to go see the country side of Wales. When one thinks of Wales, they often think of beautiful hiking spots and national parks galore.SCOTLAND:AMAZING!!! After traveling straight north for Edinburgh, Scotland, I could not believe my eyes as the train rumbled along the coast of the North Sea. As the train pulled into the capitol of Scotland, I looked to the west noticing a huge, grass covered mountain. I honestly thought this was going to be the best part of Scotland - an amazing sight, however, I was proven very wrong as the day continued.Beginning with the train station, I was shocked to find out that Scotland has a separate design for the pound. The pound of the Bank of Scotland uses many darker greens within the bill. As soon as we got to Edinburgh, we joined a FREE walking tour around the city. We saw tons of places and had a tour guide named Andra. She was an amazing tour guide and topped the whole tour off with a dramatic interaction of the history of “The Stone of Destiny”. She was also a very funny tour guide telling story after story that made us all laugh. On place in particular is the most photographed statue and visited sight in Edinburgh. Well, it is a dog…yes, a dog by the name of Greyfriar Bobby. Greyfriar Bobby has apparently been the inspiration for many Disney films where the dog is the main character. Also on the walking tour, we saw the outside of Edinburgh Castle. This castle is placed on a hill…a very rocky hill….it highly resembles HOGWARTS. Many say it was J.K. Rowlings inspiration. I mean, she did apparently write most of the first novels in a coffee shop that I did indeed see! After buying some souvenirs, got to see something that only a very few will ever see. If I did not see this now, I would have to wait another 100 years. It is something called “the Gathering” and is basically a celebration of Scottish heritage calling all Scottish clans back to Scotland. I got to see the parade with bagpipes, kilts, and a whole lot of other things. Another event going on was the highland games! These are very ancient games that include TUG - o - WAR!! The next day in Edinburgh, we got to Edinburgh Castler early and missed a huge line. In this castle, we got to see the STONE OF DESTINY and also the crown jewels of Scotland that are no longer used. After the castle we had a traditional English Breakfast - FINALLY. It was really good. The best way to describe Edinburgh is not through words, but through pictures. Soon, they shall be up on this blog and/or Facebook.
Thursday, July 2, 2009
ARRGGHHH -- WHY DOES TECHNOLOGY DISLIKE ME SO!!
HELLO AGAIN WORLD!!!
Many of you may be wondering why I have yet to post about my exciting adventures. Well, my computer of one year has decided to not boot its operating system properly. I know, I know, not the best place to be stuck in, but I am going to make it work by ordering a Macbook online to have shipped to my house ready for school in the fall. That is my biggest concern. School in the fall and having the memory from this old computer extracted. I love Macs and have always wanted one. We will see where this “mini” side adventure takes me. Have no fear. I am converting my well-used naptime during my break at work into use the computer that the kids play violent games on time.
BATH: BATH is thus my favorite so far!!! It is a nice little town that has a very distinct identity. You may remember something about the Roman Hot Springs – yes, they were located in Bath England!! This is a place where very important, rich people went to relax. Modern spa’s have learned a lot from this place. We had a very good guided walking tour and saw some apartments that cost HUGE amounts of money to rent – let alone buy. This city definitely does a good job at keeping it updated, clean, and very modern but still historical. Our tour guide used to swim in the baths when she was younger – strange?? I got to drink water that has been treated from the hot baths. It tasted like there was definite iron deposits. Take warm water and down it…that equals bath water. We were limited in our time to explore bath because we took an ITT trip. The rolling hills of Bath blew my mind and I cannot imagine what Scotland and Wales will look like. OH…and IRELAND!!! Since we get to go . J I wish I could blog more about Bath, but I can’t remember everything. I got a lot of pictures. I need to make sure I blog right after visiting something so I can write a lot more! Stupido Computer!!! And yes, I was flatly denied and support for fixing my computer today by some random military guy. I don’t even thing he was apart of the military. Oh well. My life will go on with or without a computer.
NORWICH: This small town houses a nice mall area and interactive castle. We entered by train on a Sunday afternoon. A lot of the small shops were closed, but we could count on McDonald’s being open. We had gotten a coupon for some cheap big macs and sat and had lunch. It was fun to see pidgeons come so close while we were eating. After that we had gone to NEXT, a high-end (in my opinion) shopping experience. It wasn’t actually high end but everything was very expensive. I saw a few shirts that I liked, but let them keep their resting place on the hangers do to the massive whole they would have made in my wallet. I have asked some of the girls to give me a more “European” style by the end of our Camp Adventure experience. They all responded with excitement – we will see when it comes to the actual selection of clothes, mwwaaahhh. The castle was pretty sweet! We got a student discount which pretty much rocks my world. I will probably save a lot of money when all this if over after tallying my student discounts!! I almost did not bring my Student I.D. Norwich Castle had a pretty sweet well that was VERY deep. I sent 1 pence down that wishing well. We saw some armor, took funny pictures, and just walked around having a fun time! There was a lot of stuff to see – it was basically a museum!!! After this, we stopped at a very nice restaurant called “BELLA ITALIA”. I took pictures of what I ate as well as the sign. It was funny and I had a very interesting “English” cultural experience in Bella Italia. When concluding our meal, Krista, Erin, and Carrie decided to get a “take away” – English for carry out. Our waitress looked a little bit puzzled, but decided to go with us Americans and say she would wrap it up. Service is very slow in England and upon looking back we see our waitress yelling at the cook to take our left over’s back because she cannot give them to us in nice Tupperware containers. The cook clearly did not understand what she meant by take away. After a long time of waiting, we finally received our “take away”. Now get this, we have 3 or 4 squares of pizza in a HUGE pizza box strategically placed and noodles with chicken, oil, and tomatoes in aluminum foil!! I would have preferred the plastic, nice Tupperware. Oh well. I could not stop laughing after that incident and it may not sound funny when I remember it, but it was the best part of that day! After supper, we went to this beautiful garden plantation. This was very well done and I took some really good pictures here! I hope those are on my camera because if they are on my computer, they may be lost forever!!! FOREVA!!!!
CANTERBURY: Famous from the book “Canterbury Tales”, this town was very quiet. It houses a famous Cathedral where Sir Thomas Beckett was murdered by the King as well as the Black Knight. The Cathedral is HUGE in English history, but was quite the dud to me. It was sad that it was in need of so much money for revonvations. They had metal platforms up one side and down the other. I am also a little bitter about the price I paid to get in and see what I saw…I guess I was just expecting more from this particular cathedral.
After this, we decided to get lost on our way to “ THE CANTEBURY TALES” tourist attraction. Once finally making it there, I was very excited. We got our hearing devices all ready to go and began our adventure through a pre-scened story book. It was very entertaining and I am glad I did it. At the end, I was so intrigued by the Tales that I bought a book – translated of course – to read about the Cantebury Tales. I also needed a book for my train ride back.
We were originally going to go to the Cliffs of Dover, but that was postponed do to train track engineering. We are hoping to get there, but have yet to set the date.
I hate paying for Taxis.
THETFORD FOREST: Although we did not actually do much in Thetford forest, we did have an EXCELLENT time doing something called “GO APE”. Basically we got to act like monkeys high up in the tree tops!!! I have some great video and photos. I must say it was more challenging when it began to rain and I was on a beam of wet wood 50ft in the air with bushes below ready to poke my restless body as I would plummet to the floor. It was great fun with a harness. I have never done anything with a harness before. It was one very unique experience. The guy that worked for Go Ape decided to take advantage of my wandering mind. I had asked how to “use a camera” in reference to how you connect it to me harness and he proceeded to say, well, it is quite simple you just (this is when he puts his two hands up) hold it like this and press the button on top. It was very hysterical as I laughed out loud. Oh, the Brits and there jokes towards Americans – Gotta love it. Go Ape ended in a nasty taxi ride back with CDC and Day Camp both thinking the other group had been lost in the forest. I know, freaked me out just a little bit.
Well, I have so much to talk about with work and all but all I will say is that I have found the kid version of my friend Lauren. They are almost identical – not really – but she makes me think a lot of Lauren. Speaking of Lauren, I miss her and all my friends from ISU. I love ISU SOOO MUCH and have only spent 9 months of my life making memories. I cannot wait for this year as I grow closer to my life long friends.
P.S. – Lauren, you stink for calling purposes with your 8 hour time difference.
PICTURES WILL FOLLOW SOON ON FACEBOOK OR HERE!!!
Thanks for being patient!
-Jamison
Tuesday, June 16, 2009
A day in the life of Jamison Arends
Ello everyone!!
Well, I am officially into my second week as a Camp Adventure Intern. I have had such a blast so far and I cannot wait to see what else England has in store for me.
WORK:
Today, I got to travel with a group of 40 kids to the Woburn Safari Park – How sweet to say this is my job! Anyway, military agencies don’t mess around when it comes to field trips, because we hopped into a huge charter bus for a field trip 1 hour away – pretty sweet, eh? On the way there, I was reading a book called “From Good to Great”. It is a pretty popular book in the business world, but I was falling asleep as the bus bumped along the road. I tried really hard to stay awake because I didn’t want to look like I am lazy and such. So, we got to the park and there were two HUGE lion stones; I knew I was in for a treat. J We stayed in the bus as we looked at most of the animals. We saw wolves, Black Bear, Elephants, Giraffes, Lions, Tigers, Monkeys galore, Gazelle, a Long Horn Cow, Kangaroos, and Ostrich. The animals were quite awake and did some cool things for us. The Elephants put on “Sun Screen” using dirt and their massive trunk! They were Asian Elephants and it was nice to see them up close eating grass. Next we got to see a wolf find and eat a fish. It was funny to hear the kid’s questions. They are so obsessed with pregnancies. I was asked again today if I was married. Haha. I was told by on kid that you have to be 20 to marry and I can’t marry at 19 because his mom married at 20. We did not get an up close look at the tiger, but I was fascinated! The lions were pretty cool. A pride of lions is what they call a group of lions and that is how one gets “Pride Rock” in Disney’s The Lion King! Speaking of, I think they have that showing in London, as well as Wicked!!! And the Phantom of the Opera. I WANT TO SEE THEM ALL. Okay, anyway, back to my story. The black bears were kind of cool. They just wondered around. Now, the monkeys, they were sooo cute! They had baby monkeys and one would carry the baby under the mom. It was so cute how small they were. There was also an older sibling trying to pull a baby away from the mother and the mother kept slapping it. They are very protective! This was about the same time that a monkey felt the need to come and jump up on the Coach and ride the rest of the way through the park. J I wanted to take pictures of all of this, but I didn’t find out I was going until today when I got to the youth center. The giraffes were eating when we saw them. They just had a baby giraffe and apparently a lot of the other ones were pregnant. After our own little safari with guided tour, we went to a nice spot to have some lunch. Then, we headed to this huge play ground full of fun things to do! We let the kids run around there for quite a while and after, we headed to another, indoor play place. They had a bunch of fun and most all the kids were at a huge point of happiness. On the bus ride home, it was funny –after the School Age Coordinator told me I should use our hour drive back as some sleep catching up – to wake up and find the bus as quite as if there was no one even on…the kids had all fallen asleep!!!! It was one of the cutest things I had ever seen. J I, of course, took advantage of this hour and fell back asleep. Getting back to the Youth Center, I got to partake in the end of “closing”. When I walked in, one of our counselors said “say hi to Mr. Jamison”. That was fun to see all the kids in a nice circle ready to have fun.
TRAVEL:
Well, last weekend, I got to visit few different places. It feels like I have been all over England, but I haven’t. We went to a place called Bury St. Edmunds on Friday and got to see an old abbey. It was rather neat. We ate at a sweet pub called the Queen’s Head. I found out it is REALLY expensive here so I have been a little conservative with money when it comes to food. I want to save as much of my money for “object or things”. The conversion is 1.00 = 1.68 dollars. It apparently was 1 to 2 last year meaning that the amount of stuff I could buy in the states would be twice as much as I could buy here. Oh well. The Bury St. Edmunds Cathedral is a very old building that has a lot of history. The Cathedral is just a small part of what existed back in the day when the Abbey was as big as any church that would have existed in England. The signing of the Magna Carta took place at this particular Abbey which excited me a WHOLE BUNCH. I’m such a nerd. It was cool to stand around the remains, all in pillars that used to hold a huge church and to think that such an important document that changes history was done around my location. CRAZY. The Abbey garden was also very relaxing and quite pretty. I want to put a pretty garden in my backyard when I have the house I’m going to build. It was soooooooooo beautiful.
On Saturday, we got up early and travelled to Cambridge. BEAUTIFUL college town. We got to go punting on the river, very popular, and take some amazing photographs. We also go to see some VERY old colleges including the college one of the Princes’ attended and Stephen Hawkins…who is still the Honorary physics chair there. It is call Trinity College. We got to see
part of King’s college. This has a huge Cathedral that I actually got some video footage of. It was bad timing on our part because most of the colleges were close do to final examinations. They have like a whole month dedicated to them? Idon’t get it. Haha. We are going back, however, because we want to get into Trinity College – the fancy one – and go to the Library where they have some really cool historical things including Winnie the pooh first sketches and one of the first fully English translated bibles. I’m not sure what else? We went to the Museum in Cambridge. Saw some cool stuff there – just like you would see at any museum, but it was free J. We ate at a small vendor at the market. I love the market. It makes you feel like you are actually in a community. Like I said, we are going back to Cambridge so I will get to see more. It’s basically a beautiful college town that is full of life and old, cool buildings.
On our way back, we stopped in the town of ELY. There was a Cathedral here that was actually the sight of part of the film of the Other Boelyn Girl and The Golden Age. I got some really good video of this one. It just so happens we rented the movie of the Other Boelyn Girl and got to see the scenes that included the cathedral – TOTALLY COOL. These cathedrals are SOOO massive. It makes you want to kneel instantaneously and start praying because there must be some spiritual being out there!! It’s really a cool feeling.
Well, that is basically the gist of it all. We went to the village right by the base we stay at and had to go to a Chinese place because all the pubs have weird hours on Sunday nights. We just signed up to “GO APE” which is a rope training ground in the woods that takes three hours to complete. It will be a lot of fun!!! You get to swing from trees!! The weekend we might go to Norwich, but I am waiting for my Britrail that just came in. We for sure are going to BATHS….like the “Roman Baths”. I’m VERY EXCITED FOR THIS!!! Oh, England has sooo much to do!! You don’t even know!!!
P.S. - All the American style plugs on my floor have mysteriously stopped working! There was a huge storm with hail and stuff and it even collapsed one of the CDC buildings.
Talk to everyone soon! I will try and get some photos loading on here. In the meantime, enjoy the words of Jamison Arends.
-Jamison
Well, I am officially into my second week as a Camp Adventure Intern. I have had such a blast so far and I cannot wait to see what else England has in store for me.
WORK:
Today, I got to travel with a group of 40 kids to the Woburn Safari Park – How sweet to say this is my job! Anyway, military agencies don’t mess around when it comes to field trips, because we hopped into a huge charter bus for a field trip 1 hour away – pretty sweet, eh? On the way there, I was reading a book called “From Good to Great”. It is a pretty popular book in the business world, but I was falling asleep as the bus bumped along the road. I tried really hard to stay awake because I didn’t want to look like I am lazy and such. So, we got to the park and there were two HUGE lion stones; I knew I was in for a treat. J We stayed in the bus as we looked at most of the animals. We saw wolves, Black Bear, Elephants, Giraffes, Lions, Tigers, Monkeys galore, Gazelle, a Long Horn Cow, Kangaroos, and Ostrich. The animals were quite awake and did some cool things for us. The Elephants put on “Sun Screen” using dirt and their massive trunk! They were Asian Elephants and it was nice to see them up close eating grass. Next we got to see a wolf find and eat a fish. It was funny to hear the kid’s questions. They are so obsessed with pregnancies. I was asked again today if I was married. Haha. I was told by on kid that you have to be 20 to marry and I can’t marry at 19 because his mom married at 20. We did not get an up close look at the tiger, but I was fascinated! The lions were pretty cool. A pride of lions is what they call a group of lions and that is how one gets “Pride Rock” in Disney’s The Lion King! Speaking of, I think they have that showing in London, as well as Wicked!!! And the Phantom of the Opera. I WANT TO SEE THEM ALL. Okay, anyway, back to my story. The black bears were kind of cool. They just wondered around. Now, the monkeys, they were sooo cute! They had baby monkeys and one would carry the baby under the mom. It was so cute how small they were. There was also an older sibling trying to pull a baby away from the mother and the mother kept slapping it. They are very protective! This was about the same time that a monkey felt the need to come and jump up on the Coach and ride the rest of the way through the park. J I wanted to take pictures of all of this, but I didn’t find out I was going until today when I got to the youth center. The giraffes were eating when we saw them. They just had a baby giraffe and apparently a lot of the other ones were pregnant. After our own little safari with guided tour, we went to a nice spot to have some lunch. Then, we headed to this huge play ground full of fun things to do! We let the kids run around there for quite a while and after, we headed to another, indoor play place. They had a bunch of fun and most all the kids were at a huge point of happiness. On the bus ride home, it was funny –after the School Age Coordinator told me I should use our hour drive back as some sleep catching up – to wake up and find the bus as quite as if there was no one even on…the kids had all fallen asleep!!!! It was one of the cutest things I had ever seen. J I, of course, took advantage of this hour and fell back asleep. Getting back to the Youth Center, I got to partake in the end of “closing”. When I walked in, one of our counselors said “say hi to Mr. Jamison”. That was fun to see all the kids in a nice circle ready to have fun.
TRAVEL:
Well, last weekend, I got to visit few different places. It feels like I have been all over England, but I haven’t. We went to a place called Bury St. Edmunds on Friday and got to see an old abbey. It was rather neat. We ate at a sweet pub called the Queen’s Head. I found out it is REALLY expensive here so I have been a little conservative with money when it comes to food. I want to save as much of my money for “object or things”. The conversion is 1.00 = 1.68 dollars. It apparently was 1 to 2 last year meaning that the amount of stuff I could buy in the states would be twice as much as I could buy here. Oh well. The Bury St. Edmunds Cathedral is a very old building that has a lot of history. The Cathedral is just a small part of what existed back in the day when the Abbey was as big as any church that would have existed in England. The signing of the Magna Carta took place at this particular Abbey which excited me a WHOLE BUNCH. I’m such a nerd. It was cool to stand around the remains, all in pillars that used to hold a huge church and to think that such an important document that changes history was done around my location. CRAZY. The Abbey garden was also very relaxing and quite pretty. I want to put a pretty garden in my backyard when I have the house I’m going to build. It was soooooooooo beautiful.
On Saturday, we got up early and travelled to Cambridge. BEAUTIFUL college town. We got to go punting on the river, very popular, and take some amazing photographs. We also go to see some VERY old colleges including the college one of the Princes’ attended and Stephen Hawkins…who is still the Honorary physics chair there. It is call Trinity College. We got to see
part of King’s college. This has a huge Cathedral that I actually got some video footage of. It was bad timing on our part because most of the colleges were close do to final examinations. They have like a whole month dedicated to them? Idon’t get it. Haha. We are going back, however, because we want to get into Trinity College – the fancy one – and go to the Library where they have some really cool historical things including Winnie the pooh first sketches and one of the first fully English translated bibles. I’m not sure what else? We went to the Museum in Cambridge. Saw some cool stuff there – just like you would see at any museum, but it was free J. We ate at a small vendor at the market. I love the market. It makes you feel like you are actually in a community. Like I said, we are going back to Cambridge so I will get to see more. It’s basically a beautiful college town that is full of life and old, cool buildings.
On our way back, we stopped in the town of ELY. There was a Cathedral here that was actually the sight of part of the film of the Other Boelyn Girl and The Golden Age. I got some really good video of this one. It just so happens we rented the movie of the Other Boelyn Girl and got to see the scenes that included the cathedral – TOTALLY COOL. These cathedrals are SOOO massive. It makes you want to kneel instantaneously and start praying because there must be some spiritual being out there!! It’s really a cool feeling.
Well, that is basically the gist of it all. We went to the village right by the base we stay at and had to go to a Chinese place because all the pubs have weird hours on Sunday nights. We just signed up to “GO APE” which is a rope training ground in the woods that takes three hours to complete. It will be a lot of fun!!! You get to swing from trees!! The weekend we might go to Norwich, but I am waiting for my Britrail that just came in. We for sure are going to BATHS….like the “Roman Baths”. I’m VERY EXCITED FOR THIS!!! Oh, England has sooo much to do!! You don’t even know!!!
P.S. - All the American style plugs on my floor have mysteriously stopped working! There was a huge storm with hail and stuff and it even collapsed one of the CDC buildings.
Talk to everyone soon! I will try and get some photos loading on here. In the meantime, enjoy the words of Jamison Arends.
-Jamison
Thursday, June 11, 2009
Recap...Click, Click, Click - and That Is Why Jamison Went to England!
Hello America!
Here is a recap of the last few days – basically my first week.
WORK:
This summer I will be working as a youth counselor on behalf of Camp Adventure Youth Services through the University of Northern Iowa partnered with the U.S. Department of Defense from June 7th – August 22nd. My camp, in particular, is held at a very well-equipped youth center at Lakenheath Royal Air Force Base in the Southeastern part of England. I will be providing services to roughly 140 children ranging ages 5-12.
First, I had an interesting first day because I woke up at 9AM. 9AM is when we were supposed to leave. For some reason, my digital clock is extremely slow and was off by two hours. I woke up to an alarm clock saying 7AM. NOT COOL!!! Good thing is I had all of my stuff out and I got to the van shortly after I was awoken. Next thing, we enter the base gate place and need our passports to get access until we receive our permanent base cards. WELL – JAMISON DECIDED TO TAKE HIS OUT POUCH AND PUT IT IN HIS BAG. Much to my luck, they also accept photo I.D.’s so I just used my driver’s license. We entered and received our permanent base entry cards. Thank Goodness!
There are two very amazing things about the place I work: one; I am working with an amazing staff!! I cannot believe how well we all get along and relate to each other. I know, I know, it is only the first few days, but I feel like everyone in our staff is truly here for the right reasons and is legit about wanting to create an amazing experience for the kids = LOTS OF STAFF ENERGY! They are also very willing to open up and share their views on things. This is one way I have really gotten to know everyone. Also, our Director has shown she is a hard worker even in times of high stress. This will be excellent when the year gets more difficult. Two; I have grown so much already. It seems like forever since I have been around so many kids, but I really find it interesting that kids are truly kids. The kids at this base are very similar to the kids I have worked with back home. They are so curious and enjoy when you pay attention to what they are working on. I have also learned I am very good and breaking ice when it comes to groups. I do not know why, but I really try and show my true self right up front. I think this helps others be themselves. It just makes things easier!!
The building we are working at is truly AMAZING. Every room is equipped for the school like it is the largest elementary in the state of Iowa. Every room has activity after activity and is overwhelming for a new staff member. The Air Force is all about the “free choice” for a child because they believe it will encourage self-motivation. The kids decide what they do and when they do it! It is interesting that the lesson plans that are created are only used if the kids take advantage of what is available.
I am really learning a ton about kids, behaviors, management, and the list goes on! Today, when we were in ratio (this just means that I was overseeing so many kids within a room. The DoD has a limit of 1 staff: 15 kids. Camp Adventure limits their ration to 1:12 so I should be able to account for no more than 12 at a time.) I began to have conversations with the kids about the projects they were working on and I released my name at one time. The kids then began to play a game with me. It was really cute. As I would begin helping a child with their tinker toy machine, I would hear “Mr. Jamison” and it would be a group of kids hiding behind a couch hoping I would walk towards them. As I did, they began running away laughing! I thought it was great that they would laugh with such a simple use of my time – walking around. It did get a little old so I decided not to take so much time to respond to the calls of “Mr. Jamison – giggle”. After the kids were done calling my name, they decided to find fun in the fan. As they spoke/sang into the fan, I watched on and was perplexed by how easy kids can be entertained! But, to be honest, I remember talking into the fan and enjoying the sound of my altered voice.
Another child and I came up with an interesting mechanism. This was built out of tinker toys and we had a good conversation. After the machine was built, he went on saying we had built it together and that he was going to name it Jamisay. How cool is that? To have a kid enjoying your company so much and be so proud of their work that they would name a tinker toy contraption after you? – yeah, pretty exciting.
Another individual decided they did not want to pick from all the choices, so they decided to follow me around. It was so funny.
Camp A has begun the hard work of Themes! This includes making posters and preparing to turn the hallway into a much different environment than the youth are used to on a daily basis. Summer Camp, for them, does not actually start until Monday. This summer camp also has a lot of field trips which will allow CAMP A counselors to partake! This is all very exciting and I cannot believe I have already received the experience I have.
I am lucky, because this week Department of Defense inspectors have shown up to do their 16th month evaluation. They are intimidating too!! They basically walk into a room and watch you. Crazy, huh?
Kids Rock!
LIVING:
Aside from coming into my dorm-like room and finding things left in it from the past resident, I have to say the only thing I do not like is the walk to receive internet. However, all of this could be a tent without anything very easily reached. I get two rooms to myself – which is sweet – and have lots of furniture that can easily be moved around. I and one other guy are located on one side of the building and the females have a hall of rooms to themselves. We are on a base that is located pretty close to the main base where we all work. It has two big “golf ball” like structures that one girl said she was told are used to monitor the weather, but they cannot go into any more detail. I think we all know, there is some pretty TOP SECRET stuff located in those towers. The main base, Lakenheath, is much more of a town with houses and actual people. The only time I really see people at this base is at the entry gate and during the day when I leave. It has its pros and cons of being empty. It is very relaxing and does have a fitness room that is well-equipped. I will probably begin working out on Monday or this weekend. We have fridges and microwaves in our rooms too!! And a kitchen without a stove, but the girl’s side does have a stove.
TRAVEL:
So far, we have just seen the bases. HOWEVER, this Friday we will be taking some kind of tour and on Saturday we are going to Cambridge. I will blog about that after we get back. On Sunday, we are GOING APE? I guess you get to go do a type of obstacle course in the woods? It sounds very exciting and will be kind of peaceful. I am having a hard time without a Britrail pass!! This pass allows you to travel on the trains for so many full days. I did not order one because I did not have much time to order one. I will be ordering one, hopefully tomorrow. At times, when I think of the train, I think of Harry Potter. Which reminds me!! Harry Potter’s premiere in England is going to be sweet and WE might get to go to it!!! HOW COOL WOULD THIS BE??? Not many American’s can say they were in England when Harry Potter’s sixth movie was shown on the big screen?? We were originally going to go to London this weekend, but we decided against it until I get a Britrail because it is too expensive without one. There has also been talk about going to Scotland for the highland games?? THIS IS ALL SOOO EXCITING!!! I’ve heard Scotland is AMAZING and very pretty. I hope I hear a bagpipe!! I’ve heard one, yes, but how cool to hear on in SCOTLAND??? This covers about two weekends of travel so I cannot even imagine what we will do for the other weekends!!!
SIGHT:
We arrived at this site rather late because we waited in the Airport for A LOT of hours. We even had a nice conversation with the Brit police. He was doing random checks for terrorists and asking for why we were there. Which reminds me about something else…It was interesting going through customs. The lady that was reviewing us and asking us questions did not know what early childhood education was. We had to say teaching. After that she read our Academic Field Experience letter and let us through. We also could not tell them we were here for an internship or we would be deported. We had to say Academic Field Experience so they understood we were here without pay because they want to make sure those who come in have a work visa and can be taxed so the government can make some money. Now, back to this section – I do not know too much about the bases yet, but as I find out more information, I will share. I do know they are building new houses so they can get everyone on base and that you have to have kids to live on base in Lakenheath and that there is a subway and pizza hut. Also, they have a commissary which is the grocery store for a military base and a Bx? Which is like a walmart for the base.
CLOSING:
I hope this gets everyone caught up with a few things! I will be getting a cell phone, hopefully tomorrow. Once again, I am throwing grammar out the window and whatever I type is getting put down. If there are any questions, just let me know and I will try to elaborate more and tell stories via blog! This is going to be an amazing growing experience and in the next 9 weeks, I will have grown and matured tremendously.
Thanks for reading!!
- Jamison
Here is a recap of the last few days – basically my first week.
WORK:
This summer I will be working as a youth counselor on behalf of Camp Adventure Youth Services through the University of Northern Iowa partnered with the U.S. Department of Defense from June 7th – August 22nd. My camp, in particular, is held at a very well-equipped youth center at Lakenheath Royal Air Force Base in the Southeastern part of England. I will be providing services to roughly 140 children ranging ages 5-12.
First, I had an interesting first day because I woke up at 9AM. 9AM is when we were supposed to leave. For some reason, my digital clock is extremely slow and was off by two hours. I woke up to an alarm clock saying 7AM. NOT COOL!!! Good thing is I had all of my stuff out and I got to the van shortly after I was awoken. Next thing, we enter the base gate place and need our passports to get access until we receive our permanent base cards. WELL – JAMISON DECIDED TO TAKE HIS OUT POUCH AND PUT IT IN HIS BAG. Much to my luck, they also accept photo I.D.’s so I just used my driver’s license. We entered and received our permanent base entry cards. Thank Goodness!
There are two very amazing things about the place I work: one; I am working with an amazing staff!! I cannot believe how well we all get along and relate to each other. I know, I know, it is only the first few days, but I feel like everyone in our staff is truly here for the right reasons and is legit about wanting to create an amazing experience for the kids = LOTS OF STAFF ENERGY! They are also very willing to open up and share their views on things. This is one way I have really gotten to know everyone. Also, our Director has shown she is a hard worker even in times of high stress. This will be excellent when the year gets more difficult. Two; I have grown so much already. It seems like forever since I have been around so many kids, but I really find it interesting that kids are truly kids. The kids at this base are very similar to the kids I have worked with back home. They are so curious and enjoy when you pay attention to what they are working on. I have also learned I am very good and breaking ice when it comes to groups. I do not know why, but I really try and show my true self right up front. I think this helps others be themselves. It just makes things easier!!
The building we are working at is truly AMAZING. Every room is equipped for the school like it is the largest elementary in the state of Iowa. Every room has activity after activity and is overwhelming for a new staff member. The Air Force is all about the “free choice” for a child because they believe it will encourage self-motivation. The kids decide what they do and when they do it! It is interesting that the lesson plans that are created are only used if the kids take advantage of what is available.
I am really learning a ton about kids, behaviors, management, and the list goes on! Today, when we were in ratio (this just means that I was overseeing so many kids within a room. The DoD has a limit of 1 staff: 15 kids. Camp Adventure limits their ration to 1:12 so I should be able to account for no more than 12 at a time.) I began to have conversations with the kids about the projects they were working on and I released my name at one time. The kids then began to play a game with me. It was really cute. As I would begin helping a child with their tinker toy machine, I would hear “Mr. Jamison” and it would be a group of kids hiding behind a couch hoping I would walk towards them. As I did, they began running away laughing! I thought it was great that they would laugh with such a simple use of my time – walking around. It did get a little old so I decided not to take so much time to respond to the calls of “Mr. Jamison – giggle”. After the kids were done calling my name, they decided to find fun in the fan. As they spoke/sang into the fan, I watched on and was perplexed by how easy kids can be entertained! But, to be honest, I remember talking into the fan and enjoying the sound of my altered voice.
Another child and I came up with an interesting mechanism. This was built out of tinker toys and we had a good conversation. After the machine was built, he went on saying we had built it together and that he was going to name it Jamisay. How cool is that? To have a kid enjoying your company so much and be so proud of their work that they would name a tinker toy contraption after you? – yeah, pretty exciting.
Another individual decided they did not want to pick from all the choices, so they decided to follow me around. It was so funny.
Camp A has begun the hard work of Themes! This includes making posters and preparing to turn the hallway into a much different environment than the youth are used to on a daily basis. Summer Camp, for them, does not actually start until Monday. This summer camp also has a lot of field trips which will allow CAMP A counselors to partake! This is all very exciting and I cannot believe I have already received the experience I have.
I am lucky, because this week Department of Defense inspectors have shown up to do their 16th month evaluation. They are intimidating too!! They basically walk into a room and watch you. Crazy, huh?
Kids Rock!
LIVING:
Aside from coming into my dorm-like room and finding things left in it from the past resident, I have to say the only thing I do not like is the walk to receive internet. However, all of this could be a tent without anything very easily reached. I get two rooms to myself – which is sweet – and have lots of furniture that can easily be moved around. I and one other guy are located on one side of the building and the females have a hall of rooms to themselves. We are on a base that is located pretty close to the main base where we all work. It has two big “golf ball” like structures that one girl said she was told are used to monitor the weather, but they cannot go into any more detail. I think we all know, there is some pretty TOP SECRET stuff located in those towers. The main base, Lakenheath, is much more of a town with houses and actual people. The only time I really see people at this base is at the entry gate and during the day when I leave. It has its pros and cons of being empty. It is very relaxing and does have a fitness room that is well-equipped. I will probably begin working out on Monday or this weekend. We have fridges and microwaves in our rooms too!! And a kitchen without a stove, but the girl’s side does have a stove.
TRAVEL:
So far, we have just seen the bases. HOWEVER, this Friday we will be taking some kind of tour and on Saturday we are going to Cambridge. I will blog about that after we get back. On Sunday, we are GOING APE? I guess you get to go do a type of obstacle course in the woods? It sounds very exciting and will be kind of peaceful. I am having a hard time without a Britrail pass!! This pass allows you to travel on the trains for so many full days. I did not order one because I did not have much time to order one. I will be ordering one, hopefully tomorrow. At times, when I think of the train, I think of Harry Potter. Which reminds me!! Harry Potter’s premiere in England is going to be sweet and WE might get to go to it!!! HOW COOL WOULD THIS BE??? Not many American’s can say they were in England when Harry Potter’s sixth movie was shown on the big screen?? We were originally going to go to London this weekend, but we decided against it until I get a Britrail because it is too expensive without one. There has also been talk about going to Scotland for the highland games?? THIS IS ALL SOOO EXCITING!!! I’ve heard Scotland is AMAZING and very pretty. I hope I hear a bagpipe!! I’ve heard one, yes, but how cool to hear on in SCOTLAND??? This covers about two weekends of travel so I cannot even imagine what we will do for the other weekends!!!
SIGHT:
We arrived at this site rather late because we waited in the Airport for A LOT of hours. We even had a nice conversation with the Brit police. He was doing random checks for terrorists and asking for why we were there. Which reminds me about something else…It was interesting going through customs. The lady that was reviewing us and asking us questions did not know what early childhood education was. We had to say teaching. After that she read our Academic Field Experience letter and let us through. We also could not tell them we were here for an internship or we would be deported. We had to say Academic Field Experience so they understood we were here without pay because they want to make sure those who come in have a work visa and can be taxed so the government can make some money. Now, back to this section – I do not know too much about the bases yet, but as I find out more information, I will share. I do know they are building new houses so they can get everyone on base and that you have to have kids to live on base in Lakenheath and that there is a subway and pizza hut. Also, they have a commissary which is the grocery store for a military base and a Bx? Which is like a walmart for the base.
CLOSING:
I hope this gets everyone caught up with a few things! I will be getting a cell phone, hopefully tomorrow. Once again, I am throwing grammar out the window and whatever I type is getting put down. If there are any questions, just let me know and I will try to elaborate more and tell stories via blog! This is going to be an amazing growing experience and in the next 9 weeks, I will have grown and matured tremendously.
Thanks for reading!!
- Jamison
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