Projects!

Two more classes...and two projects! This was the 2nd to the last week for me teaching... How is this the case??!!

Both clasees had group projects of some kind...themed for the course. So Wednesday's class took me and all of us on a global culinary tour of the Earl's Court area. Everyone chose a nation and would present on their culture and cuisine... I wouldn't let them choose European nations either and the US was strictly off limits. They grumbled at first, but they were gangbusters come Wednesday! Nations represented (six students): Lebanon, China, Japan, Thailand, the Philippines, and India... I was most surprised by the Philippines... didn't know there was such a large population in the area... but we went to a place where we were the only non-Asians there and the food was all exactly what I'd expect... In all, of course, it's fabulous how easy it is to find such a global variety within a half mile of our neighborhood. And the students described some of the history and geography as well as food and eating rules and customs. And there *was* food throughout!!! And I got to have halo halo again!! C: (Along with dim sum and baklava and stuff i dont remember the name and so much more!) I was really happy for them and thought the class went great. I hope they feel that they learned something! They turned in good papers for the most part too...

The Mark Twain class then did a skit chosen by them from one of the Twain readings from class. There are two students and they chose the twin/mirror scene from The Prince and the Pauper. I had no idea...and as soon as I saw it I thought it made perfect sense for them. They had made a few props which were adorable... a crown and "rags" as well as a Twain stach! I laughed heartily in all the appropriate places! (I did remember to get a pic of them...) There was time left for us to *finally* get to the Museum of London to see the London of Twain's time... in writing and life... so Tudor and Victorian England. That visit was their choice. The Ben Franklin house and British Library were also options... I had them explore the relevant exhibits for an hour... then mini report on it. Then there was an hour for them to explore the museum more generally... just mini reporting on it. And the museum had an exhibit on Sherlock Holmes with the coat from Cumberbatch and manuscript pages from "Murders in the Rue Morgue." Swoon!! So you know what I did in that hour!! (OK... we all did!)

The weather has turned nice... so I had to walk around that area of London some more... who knows at this point when/if I'll return to certain neighborhoods anymore this visit?!

And then I came home to grade and pack... tomorrow I go to Amsterdam and Bruges oh so early in the morning!!

So hopefully there will be more fun blog posts coming. It hasn't been as interesting or fun to write about the fact that I'm writing... And then I fell into a Fast & Furious hole that took up way too much of my time.

But there is an end date for all this. I am working through next week. After that I will be touristing like crazy (with a time out for a conference). And I'll try not to watch any more fun summer blockbusters and get back into the theater mode... C:

And then I'll be going to Paris, Barcelona, Cornwall, Dublin, and Edinburgh... and then Boston and NYC and then back to Rolla! Whew! YOLO!!!