I leave for London tomorrow. As part of the European Council Study Abroad Program, I'll be teaching in London for five weeks, starting Monday! I'm privileged to have been chosen for this experience, and I haven't been to the UK since 1999-2000. I'm very excited and a bit anxious.
I'm teaching two classes: London as Text and World Literature II. The latter is totally prepped; the former, not so much. I still have to (re)read the texts myself, but I'm trying not to sweat it.
I'm taking the 5D and my two lenses to get some awesome pictures of the trip. We've got a weekend in Paris planned and this Saturday (or Sunday) we're going to Hampton Court. Between just those two excursions and living in central London, I'm going to have too many photo opportunities. Also, between my two classes, we have eight field trips. I hope I have enough hard drive space to accommodate everything I'll want to shoot. I'll have to be judicious -- difficult for me.
I've enjoyed the couple of days I've been home since grading the AP exams. I'm gonna miss Autumn, my cats, my car, and my home. Still, A will be joining me in July, and we'll have a week on our own after I'm finished teaching. She's planning our trip then, and I think we're going to Rome for a few days. Whatever we do will be fun. I know we'll hang out in London for a few days with Autumn's cousin Dwayne. I'm looking forward to seeing some parts of the city that the tourists don't get to see. Right, Dwayne?
Well, I plan to post photos to Flickr, grlucas.com, and perhaps to RI. I'll be blogging here as much as I can and be sending updates to Facebook and Twitter, though not as often as I'd like, since I'll not be able to use my iPhone because AT&T rapes us for international use. Jerks.
Last Friday, Dan and I took about forty students to Oxford and Christ Church. It was a beautiful day (again!), and Oxford was very photogenic. Between the architecture, the people, and the landscapes, I'm not sure my camera had much rest that day. Out of 316 photos, I marked (and posted) 178 -- over half. That's a damn good average for me.
Dan took us on a whirlwind tour, starting with several colleges. I had lunch with Kristin, Emily, and Dan, while the other students ate on their own. After dining on a sandwich and a Coke, we took in Christ Church -- the best and worst part of the trip. It was the best because, well it was gorgeous -- both it and the surrounding landscapes. Stunning. It was the worst because they didn't want us there. Seriously: Christ Church seems to hate visitors, yet they willing took our £5!
There was even one old dude (standing here like a soldier) who got offended if you rested for a minute in the courtyard. He walked up behind this one dark-skinned kid and said "Hey, José, move along." The kid was Chinese. His head would have probably exploded if we touched the grass. To top it off, the cathedral was closed right as Dan and I were purchasing our tickets. If Oxford and Christ Church were so beautiful, those guys might have ruined my day. Seriously: if you guys hate visitors so much, don't allow them to come in. Oh, but I guess you need our money, huh?
Check out the gallery. I have also made two collections: one for student portraits and one for faculty.
