Geese

This then would be Canadian Geese.




I am so sorry to have left you suspended in air for so long. I had been quite sick and weak for about three weeks but now I am frwsh and fine again. The assignments run rather easily out of my pen and I have but one to go before the holidays. I plan to come home for Christmas and will leave here the 13th of Dec.
Life is easy and comfortable and I have nothing to complain about.
Today, as yesterday, a flokk of canadian geese, about 15 to 20, is happyly devouring the new grass on our lawn. I do think that it is quite good for the grass as it will strengthen their roots, anyhow it is fun to watch them. There are very conscious about their distance to each other and will complain and bite when some other bird comes too near. Watching that I think about our school children, most often piled into a to
small classroom. Maybe they would feel better at arms distance and couldn´t pinch each other and go on their nerves? So, and now I will show you Canadian geese.



This then would be the new grass, two weeks old.



And here are the geese eating it

Above you see some English country side

This morning I was going to chat on the blog and tell you that I got sick again, got a sore throat and passed the day yesterday in bed, reading, but now I feel better.... As I said, I was going to say that and then the „word“ closed down on me and I spent hours downloading a new trial version...but as you see, I did and now I am fine to go to the beginning of January. As I did spent so much time downloading I do not have more time for you now..

Monika, I read you! Hope you are well.

As you see, the school of education in the university of Birmingham is known all around the world and here are some of the pupils and their home countries!



But talking about yesterday:
When people ask me, I mostly say that it is not cold in Iceland, not really. It is harsh weather , yes, just by the sea and often stormy. Now, being in middle England I don´t really believe myself any more. Yesterday was a wonderful warm day, a day when people at home would sit outside on the Austurvellir and the TV crews would take interwievs with the sun bathers. In the mean time, I hear, there was a blizzard going over my dear little island and the road over the mountains was closed for half a day. So, I bath in sun. There was a tiny wind with a small twinge in it so it wouldn´t get stuffy. Me and Lucy took the train down to the city and went there to eat in a malaysian resturant and I had crispy duck breast, very nice and soft. Then we went to the market, quite exotic for me. And on the way home the train did wait for us and I had only to wait for the bus for a few minutes: a perfect day.

This morning saw me early outside and we took the train, 5 students, the fast train as we found out and had to go back again as we had gone too far, but found the school in the end and in good time. As I have to write it down anyhow, I will share with you.

So into classrooms we went, I looked to the 9, 10 years old and they just had a math test while we tiptoed in. This is a mainstream primary school in a „heavy“ environment and about half the children do have learning disablities or/and English as a second language. The school has a politic of being very „sensory friendly“ such as the colour of the room was very relaxing, a pale light seablue, also the ceiling, even the blinds were the same colour and filtered the incoming sunshine softly. The walls were well used, but again, in the main colour, lighter and darker, there was no colour clashing. They try not to use fluoerscense light, are slowly changing the light system in the school. To the end of the test the teacher put soft music on, very low and incense. No loud voice, the teacher whispered. So, comes recesstime, theteacher is still whispering, everybody who has his things ready and isn´t talking is called up by name and tiptoes out. All the children sit very quietly so not to miss the name calling. Five kids are not ready and the teacher ignores them, she walks out of the room and leaves them behind with the helper. Comes back after a short time while they hurried to get ready and lets them out.

Two children have wobbly nobby seat cushions to keep them from wriggeling.

Next lesson time: Just half the class now, learning how to write an assignment, heavy stuff. The teacher is very lively, never uses the word ‚wrong‘ : „This is an exciting piece. Would you like to think more about this word?“...“ Uses child participation: „Would you like to add?“ One boy with the diagnose of autism sits in front of is computer and is typing away what the others are writing by hand. Clapping hands to get attention: Claps different rythms and all the children join in.

I was quite impressed.

Soulmates






22.10
Now it is a month since I am here. What have I accomplished? I am getting comfortable with the left hand driving and am able to look to the right (left) direction and cross a road without a bumping heart. I havn´t lost myself the last week. I have got a pot to cook in. I have nearly finished my first assignment of 4000 words. I gave me three weeks for each assignment that would leave me some time to ponder and to correct. Truly, I am ahead of time. Somebody in class told me today to talk, as English wasn´t her first language. I’ve seen a little of the English countryside. I sometimes catch the bus.
I have been to my first economy lecture and did understand something. Though I arrived 20 minutes ahead of time I just was lucky enough to get a seat on a table at the back of the room and the lecture room was stuffed.
In short: The world savings rose between 2002 and 2007 (less money flow). There was an oversight of risk takers and the individual organisations had become too big. The banks were wrongly optimistic and didn´t recognize their losses early enough. There was a very sudden liquidity crisis. The emerging countries come best out of this “crunch”, the best established countries suffer most. The future: The economy will be restored at about 2010. There will be a shift towards the emerging countries. We will see a new conversatism in finance. The establishments will become smaller and there will be more cooperation between them. There could be a political shift (example: Iceland- Russia). (Bill Allen, 22.10.2008)

My flat is the one up, up to the left, under the roof.













"My bus stop"
Today I was lucky, on the way home I just had to wait a few minutes!

I am just home from a session, it is very interesting but quite exhausting, 3 hours in a row with one 15 minute coffee brake in between. This was one about how to conduct research and how much (or little) you can trust the resources you´ve got and how to check on that. I got by now a little ring of greek pupils who live in the Vale too, so we walk together to and back and tommorrow morning we will meet at 7.45 to go together to the train station for a school visit. After class I went to the “school market”, bigger today than before, with stalls for jams- they got these wonderful jams here. I bought a – not so cheap- plum jam with this nice plum chunks in it and, as Valur would call it, some “gras”, vegatables in this case and apples. This is all home grown and healthy and they take a pride in it to offer it to the students. So, that was that, at five a clock I plan to attend a lecture about the state of the world economics at the moment and in the future and after that I could go and look at a film in the building opposite. The time in between I must use to work. I did already do my whashing up and prepare my dinner as I will be home late. And now I´ve made me a nice cup of coffee to drink while reading.

Mason Hall, my house is behind me














The Lake seen from my stairway
University shopping center with clock tower


View from my window
















20.10
Tommorow it will be a month since I arrived. I would like to hold on to the time and stop it passing so quickly. Today I ventured to the city of Birmingham the second time and I did find places I had been told about. I walked through a meat and fish market and the pig- and lambheads were smiling at me. I bought me some very fat and naughty sausage and had half of it for dinner. It was all fine until I had to wait for the bus for about 45 minutes and the trip home took one hour in the traffic jam with two yelling brats, (sorry, sweet little children of course..) on the bus. Outside the rain was pouring. Was I happy to get home again! I do miss my little red car. To go with the bus is ok, usually I even get a seat, but the waiting! The other day I spent one and a half hour just waiting for the bus. The timetable is quite erratic and seems to depend on the traffic and the mood of the driver. Now that I feel better I prefer to walk.