February comes to an end

posted by: Esi

Greetings!

Where has the time gone?? It's been a pretty busy semester so far and I can't even believe March is right around the corner. Things have been great the past few weeks. My junior year experience at Dutch Neck School has been very fun. The students are great and I really enjoy working with them. I teach my first lesson on Thursday. Outside education, the rest of my classes are great too! I'm enjoying the "Great Composers" class. I enjoyed the Beatles (who the class is about) before this class, and now that I'm taking it I love it even more! I started taking piano lessons at Westminster Choir College. It's a lot of fun and I'm learning a lot. It's nice to extend my learning past the few piano classes I took at Rider.

Even though the semester is a little less than half way over, people are starting to begin planning for the summer and next year. In a week or two, I will have an interview to be on the Summer Orientation Staff. I was on it last semester and it was the best summer of my life. It was fun to meet and help the new incoming freshman and their parents and I hope to be able to do it again this summer.

Jumping even further ahead, education majors have to hand in their student teaching applications in soon. It's very scary to know that in just a few months, I will be in a class all on my own finishing up the last of my education work in the field. I nervous and excited and yet it's nowhere near time to start. Time is flying by way too fast!

Something exciting that is going on in my life, my "day in the life" video finally came out. Last semester I, as well as a few other Rider students, was followed around for a day to give prospective Rider students the opportunity to see how we live. I was very excited to see it and it turned out GREAT! I was very excited and I got lots of feedback from people that saw it. I was VERY proud of the video.

There were some good events on campus this past week, first, last Thursday was a 70’s Dance Party sponsored by the Student Entertainment Council, they had 70’s music blasting, disco ball necklaces, hats, tie die shirts, mood rings and other fun 70’s trinkets. They also had hot dogs, candy and my personal favorite, strawberries, hot fudge and whipped cream!! Mmmm! It was GREAT! On Friday we had another Bronc Buffet, this one was sponsored by the Black Student Union, and they had LOTS of delicious food, games music and of course fun! Me and a group of my friends went and had a great time! Well I guess that's all for me for February!

See you all in March!
Esi

Day trips in England

posted by: Katie
Here in London there is a company called Tracks Travel that offer day trips, and it only costs about 15 pounds per trip. Recently, my friend and I went to Oxford, home of the famous University, and Bleinhiem Palace, one of the biggest palaces in England, one of its most famous "stately homes." The sun was shining that day, and it made the gardens everywhere look absolutely beautiful.

We reached Oxford around 10:30 am, and made a dash for breakfast. We found a really cute English bakery and ate a hearty English breakfast. Then, just to say we were in Oxford, we had to buy tshirts that say "Oxford University." The town was very cute picturesque, it reminded me of Princeton, down the road from Rider. There were many small shops, and a lot of history there, like old churches that had stories to them, such as Christ Church, which was where Lewis Carroll wrote his story called Alice in Wonderland. We walked around a lot, looking at the buildings, sadly we couldn't go into any of the school's buildings, since classes were in session, but we did get to go into the building where Oxford has their orchestras and special meetings, and I got to sit in the Chancellor of Oxford's seat. It made me feel special. We then climbed to the tower of the building, and were able to see a 360 degree view of Oxford, all the buildings, steeples (where the first steeple in England was built) and all the gardens surrounding it. The view gave us a good idea of where to go. We then walked to Christ Church, and the gardens around it were beautiful, true English gardens by houses with thatched roofs. Oxford was just a beautiful, small and quaint city. Now I can say I went to Oxford University...

Then after we left Oxford, we drove to the countryside and went to Bleinheim Palace, home of the Duke of Marlborough, which actually still lives there in private apartments in the palace. There was so much to do there. There was a lovely little cafe over looking the gardens for lunch. We also went to an exhibit on Winston Churchill, because he was actually born in Bleinheim Palace, and we even saw his birthroom. His grandmother was the 7th Duchess of Marlborough, while his father was actually the youngest, so not the heir to the dukedome. We learned what it was like in war for the first duke of Marlborough, and saw what it was like for Churchill as well. There was even a station for dress up, to wear the war clothes they did in the Revolutionary War! And I definitely had to try them on. It's a great picture. Then we took a tour of the palace. There were a lot of parlors, not a lot too see, since the Duke of Marlborough still lives there with his family. We did get to see the coronation robes of the duke and duchess, and even saw what the duke wears when he is in a session of Parliament. While walking around the grounds of the palace, there was a man dressed as a soldier from the Revolutionary War, and when I asked for a picture with him, he asked if I was a Yank, and I got so confused! Then I realized what he meant, being colonists vs. England, but he was really nice and I got a great picture in front of the palace. The best thing about Bleinhiem Palace were the gardens. It was a beautiful day for the strolling in gardens and by the river that it rests by, and there were gardens all over the property, even beautiful gazebos sitting in the middle of woods. The view at the palace was very beautiful, and was great in the sun. It was nice to sit by the trickling water of the fountains and by the topiaries and think yourself to a time long ago, and pretend that you are some kind of aristocracy. Then after arriving home a few hours later, it rained, of course that would happen in England, but it was nice to have the sun while it lasted.

Katie

Greenwich and more

posted by: Katie

This weekend I was very busy with a lot of sightseeing, probably spent a lot of my money just trying to see England! Although, no amount of money could compare to getting out of class...

My friends and I went to Greenwich over the weekend, which is a suburb of London, so we took the tube and the train just to get there. The train was almost like a monorail, so we got to see a lot of the outskirts of London from high above, through the windows. When we got to Greenwich, it was so pretty! There was lots of green grass (instead of cobblestone sidewalks and roads as in London) and families picnicking. Lately, the weather in London has been amazing, we've probably had it rain here 3 times, and I've been here for 2 months! It's been sunny and, even though not warm, I need only wear a sweater every once and awhile. I heard it was snowing in New Jersey...While in Greenwich we did a little sightseeing, as usual, and found where the old medieval palace at Greenwich used to stand. Greenwich used to be the countryside, where kings and queens would take time away from the Tower of London and other city palaces. It was where Henry VIII and Elizabeth I were born...we found the plaque commemorating the original building. Unfortunately, the palace at Greenwich was torn down for Sir Christopher Wren's buildings, which are now housing the British Royal Navy Academy.

We also visited a ship called the Cutty Sark, which was built to race the steamship in the mid-1800's during the industrial revolution.
It lost, but it has remained and been kept up in the harbor of the Thames River in Greenwich for 100 years.

We then went to the Queen's House, which was build for Jame's I's wife, Queen Anne of Denmark. We even got to go in for free! (It usually costs money everywhere to be admitted). The house now holds some of England's finest paintings, even a painting of the Battle of Trafalgar recently appraised at 30 million pounds! Some paintings even go back 500 years, and we were able to go right up close to them.

My friends and I then trekked up this huge hill, at at the top, is the Royal Observatory. That is where time originates for the world, also known as Greenwich Mean Time. It also separates the Eastern and Western Hemispheres, and there is a line, so you can stand on both hemispheres at once. Although it was closed when we got there, we probably spent too much time in the Queen's House, we did synchronize our watches to Greenwich Mean Time, so no one can say that we are late, we have the origin of time exactly!!
We then decided that it was time to go home, and traveled about an hour back to London on a main bus. We were exhausted from the countryside, there were no buses or tube stations to take us where we needed to go while in Greenwich, so it involved a lot of walking! I really hope to go back when England is in full bloom with all the flowers and gardens at their peek, then it will be truly an English experience for me.

Katie

Hello from the world of student teaching!

posted by: Julie

I have to tell everyone, that I am having a blast in my classroom this semester. I have a great co-op teacher who is really getting me involved in the classroom and with the students. I'm already teaching math and reading, and I've only been there for three weeks! Basically what this means is I am teaching all morning about three days out of the week. I thought waking up at 6am was going to be hard for me, but once I got myself into a schedule, it's nothing. In fact it's kind of amazing how productive you can be in a day when you don't sleep until noon. Don't get me wrong, I still love my weekends when I do get that chance to sleep in. And speaking of
weekends, I still get to come up to Rider on the weekends and see all my friends, so that's exciting. I mean, student teaching is a lot of work, but I do still get to have a small social life.

I have to admit though, I am really thankful for all the preparation Rider's school of education has given me in the past three and a half years, I don't know if I would be able to handle all the planning and work, if I wasn't already accustomed to a classroom setting and what would be required of me.

Hope everyone is staying warm in this wacky weather we've been having!

Talk to you soon.

Julie

A slower weekend?

posted by: Katie

My weekend was pretty slow I suppose, if there is such thing as slow in the major metropolitan city of London. My friends and I walked around on Friday, mainly because it has been so nice outside! I always expected England to be gloomy and raining all the time, but by some miracle, the sun shines and the sky is blue. So we make sure to take advantage of that.

After a few hours of walking around and just window shopping, a bunch of us decided to go to the British Museum. There are so many interesting things there! Ancient articles such as Greecian statues, Roman money uncovered from archeological digs here in England, to even a 6000 year old man, preserved of course. I looked at many things that I've read about in history books, like the Rosetta Stone, and the Elgin Marbles from the Parthenon in Athens, Greece. It was all so fascinating, there was so much history there, probably more than any museum I could go to in the US.

Saturday my friends and I went to Warwick Castle, one of the oldest castles in England. However, it was renovated majorly during the Victorian period. But a part of the castle, the part built in the 1100's is still on a high hill in the middle of the courtyard. It was so pretty and picturesque there-I was so happy to finally be at a castle in England! It reminds me of the storybook kind of England that I really wanted to see. There were dungeons to explore, as well as state rooms that dukes and duchesses, and perhaps a king or queen in the past, stayed the night it. It was so interesting to hear all the stories of royalty that passed through the gates of Warwick Castle.

Lately, midterms have been coming up. I'm not quite sure what to expect, so I have been studying like crazy. There's so much information, information that I have never learned in the States! Hopefully I'll do well and come back to Rider with the classes that I need. I've spent almost all my time this weekend trying to study the material. Hopefully I'll do well. Wish me luck!

~Katie

London with a taste of Texas

posted by: Katie

However expensive London is, it is totally worth it. My friends and I, this weekend, did some great touring around England, spending perhaps too much money than we needed to. Saturday night we went to the Texas Embassy, which is a Texan restaurant, frankly because, we were sick of English food. Thankfully, England is packed with restaurants of the world, and when I mean of the world, I mean places like Zimbabwee have restaurants and such. Then a bunch of us walked to Trafalgar Square, which is so pretty at night! When it's warm out, people go swimming in the fountain, and even though it was cold, people were doing it then too! But all we did was look and hang out in the square, the lights were so brilliant at night.

Sunday, a group of us went on a trip that a place called STA travel offers for a low price, 15 pounds, which is around 25 US dollars, and that takes us, on a coach bus, to three places in England, 2 hours away. First we went to Stonehenge, which we had to do, we were in England! Although we couldn't touch the rocks or get very close to them, there was a roped off trail around it, it was amazing to see 4000 years of history before us, the mystery of it was really cool. You don't see things like that in America. Afterward we went to a small town called Devizes and ate at what we thought was a real English inn called the Black Swan dating back to the 1600's.

Our last location that day was Avebury, which is another rock formation, and a town is located in the center of it. The rocks are not like Stonehenge, so it's now as famous, because the rocks are just any large size and shape, several yards from others, in the shape of a circle. There was also a huge ditch built around the rocks thousands of years ago, and that was where I probably had the most fun. There were children rolling down the ditch, it was so steep and deep! And then two older parents did it, so then I had to do it. I rolled down the ditch several times with small British children, and we had a blast. Afterwards, we went to the center of the town, and went to an English pub. When you think of English pubs, this is it. We couldn't believe how quaint it was! It had outside plaster walls and a thatched roof.

My classes are going well, and I really enjoy them. I thought that in a metropolitan city like London I wouldn't get the same 'homeyness' that I get at Rider but my professors are like that at Rider, very helpful when you need them for your work. Although, I can't wait until spring break! My friends and I are going to the Canary Islands, which is off the coast of Spain. Then I fly back here and my boyfriend (who is also from Rider) comes to visit and then we fly to Salzburg, Austria. I can't wait!

Katie

Third week

posted by: Matt

Well, it's the third week of the Spring semester and that means one thing; Friday is Bid Day. Bid day is one of Rider's biggest traditions. It is the day of several ceremonies where the Greek houses give bids to their new members.

This past weekend was a sad one for me. The hockey team did not make the playoffs. We lost to two teams that we need to beat to make it and we lost. It is hard not making the playoffs your senior year. I wanted to keep the tradition of Rider hockey alive. We have never missed the playoffs. This will be first time since the creation of the MACHA in 1996, that Rider is not in the playoffs and it means only the third time we will not be competing in the championship. The worst part is, is that in my freshmen and sophomore year we were contenders for the championship and even the national tournament. Now we can't even make the playoffs. It is a little depressing.

This past week I also booked my flights to Europe for the summer. I plan on packing through several countries this summer. But more on that
later. Until next time.
Matt

So much to do...

posted by: Katie

I'm so amazed that there is so much to do in London! There's never a time to be bored with all the stuff that there is to do around here. A lot of things do cost a bit of money, but you can always find free things to do. My one friend and I, Chelsea, wanted to do something that we hadn't done yet here, and decided that we should go see a play-one of the best things to do in London anyway. The best part is, we could go to a ticket booth, located in the center of the bustling Covent Garden, and bought tickets for The Producers on a Friday night, and got great seats! The musical was really great, and we had a blast. Unfortunately, that put us back 30 pounds, but we had fun during it. The play was even on Drury Lane, and we found it amusing because of the nursery rhyme, so we bought a muffin and took pictures on Drury Lane.

This weekend was the Chinese New Year. The night before, we were able to see all the decorations put up in Chinatown, and got a great meal while we were touring the part of the city. The decorations and lights were so pretty, and reminded me of how much diversity there is in London-I was told that most "Londoners" are not even British. Walking around Chinatown was a lot of fun in all the lights.

My classes are getting a little bit easier to understand, since I never had this type of education in the States, learning about international affairs. What is really interesting is, everyone internationally knows about U.S. matters, as well as international, but we only focus on ourselves. I like getting a different perspective and view of the world, as well as my homeland from another perspective. I was even able to start off a discussion in my Politics in the Middle East class, I am usually so completely lost in that class!

My friends and I are starting to make a list of places to go that we are interested in seeing. The list just gets longer and longer! I don't know if we'll be able to finish it all, but I'm having a lot of fun trying!

Katie