English education...

Alyssa and Nathan are nearing the end of their first year of school in England. July 20 marks the end of term and the kids are looking forward to their summer break. I have watched them adapt throughout their school year. Alyssa talks with her friends with a full British accent, but speaks to us using her usual American phrases. Nathan feels changing his accent is not true to his character, but he uses a lot of English phrases not used at home. However, what amazed me most was the writing project that Alyssa brought home from school today. It was if a British child had written it. It uses words that no American child would even know. So, I have pasted a copy of it in the blog so that you can see for yourself. If nothing else, the story is very entertaining. Amazing what a little international influence can have on a child.

It's raining AGAIN!!

I spent over four hours last Sunday riding in the rain. I did not want to go. I knew it was going to rain, but I made a promise to lead the Cambridge Cycling Club's Sporting Club run. The ride is usually 80-90 miles and I had laid out a route a few weeks ago as I was a little nervous about leading the Brits around their own country. I found myself wishing as I rode into town in the light drizzle that no one would be fool enough to come out in the rain, but I knew that the wish was futile. Everyone rides in the rain here. As someone explained to me shortly after my arrival to the UK, "if you wait for it to be nice out, you won't do much riding".

I arrived at the starting point of the ride to find a crowd of people ready to ride. Not only that I had most of the regulars ready for my ride. They were all curious as to where I would lead them. I think they were there for the novelty of the American leading the ride. Thus, I was not going to be able to duck out of the ride.

When we arrived at the tea stop, I could have watered the plants with the water held by my gloves alone. The rain was steady and the streets offered inch deep puddles to ride through. When I finally returned home after the ride I could not feel my toes they were so cold. It was June 24 and the temperature was 56 F. In Maryland, it was in the 90s! Now that is summer!

It is now Friday and it has rained every day since Sunday. I have spent a couple days in it on my bike trying to keep up my training, but after today I don't think I can do it again. They are calling for heavy rains tomorrow and Sunday. I feel like the ocean around this island is going to fill up and just cover up England and that will be it. Everyone here is tired of the rain. It has been unseasonably cold and rainy for June. However, someone else told me that July is the rainy season. Yikes! I think I am going to find out where I can get a boat. It may come in handy in July!

Bike racing is all about my friends...

I love to ride my bike because it offers so much to my life. It gives me my health, my peace, my space, and best of all some of the best friends anyone could wish for. I returned to Maryland for a quick look at our home away from home. I got to see my close friends and I got to do a few bike races too. I saw so many wonderful faces and I was sad only because I could not talk at length with all the people whom I miss.

Racing bikes brings together people with great discipline and patience. Discipline for the huge amount of training it takes to be a successful racer and patience for the time it takes for the training to take hold. Everyone suffers in bike racing no matter how fit they are. Everyone has really strong days and equally bad days. Yet the seasoned racers continue to put in the time, the energy and the hope that one day the strong day will hit on a race day and success will finally be found. It is funny how when you suffer next to someone, respect comes in naturally to the friendship. I find myself looking forward to everyone else's success just as they would pat me on the back for any success I might find for myself. These are the friends that I miss the most. They fill my heart with happiness and laughter. They always make me smile no matter how tired I am from bike racing.

Fun friends...

Having good company makes any experience a fond memory. This was definitely the case during our trip to Prague. Daisy, Grant and Emma made our stay truly delightful. Emma found herself sandwiched between Alyssa and Nathan from the moment we arrived to the day we departed. The kids were so happy together it was contagious. Daisy and Grant were very gracious hosts. They took us to a weekend picnic where we got to meet their wonderful friends and enjoy fabulous food. We saw life outside the city of Prague in a beautiful neighborhood. In addition, Dale and I each got to take a bike ride with Grant. He showed us each the countryside in Prague which included a 14th century castle, open countryside complete with rocky hillsides covered in pine needles and the dachas (country homes and favorite summer retreat for the upper and middle classes of the Russian society) that were given out during the communist occupation of Czechoslovakia. When I saw the dachas, they looked like tool sheds but they were surrounded by immaculate gardens. Grant explained it is still tradition for people to empty out of the city on the weekends and they come out here and tend their gardens and stay in the dachas. It was evident that they spent a lot of time on their gardens as there was not a leaf out of place. You can see the dachas on Grant's blogsite. Grant has loads of great Prague pictures on his site. To get a real feel for biking in Prague, you must read it! You will notice that his blog I have referenced begins with a snail picture. We stopped twice so that Grant could rescue the snails off the trail. The first time he stopped so quickly I nearly rode over him! The wildlife in Prague will be protected while he is there.

The Czech language...

I have studied Russian, French and Latin (when I was in fifth grade and I did not know it was an extinct language), I know a little Spanish and I feel like I am catching on quickly to British phrases, but when I entered the little market near our flat in Prague I felt like I had never spent a minute in a foreign language class.