Week 4

View of stable, fields, courts, and cross country course from the art room 

This is it. I can't believe it's almost over, one more day then I'm going back home. I've had an amazing experience and so glad I've been given this opportunity. The school, girls, and host family were all wonderful and I hate to leave them. 

Last week the girls all had mock exams so hopefully they all did well. Everyone is getting ready to go on spring break. 

This week we have a day of recollection on Tuesday. It's kind of like a sort of retreat where we are gong to focus on ourselves and what our names mean. Then that night I will be in the boarding house which will be really cool to see what it's like to be a boarder. On Wednesday morning I catch my flight home. 

Well this is it I guess, my last post. I've had an amazing time. If anyone ever gets the chance to do something like this, take it. It's something you will never forget. 

Week 3

I can't believe I only have 1 week left. Time seemed to go by so fast. This week I followed Zaveri to all her classes. In ceramics I got to start on my horse head sculpture, so hopefully that will come out well since I'm not much of an artist. The week was pretty normal with all the classes but on Friday we got to listen and meet and author which was pretty cool. 

On Saturday I went riding and practiced some polocrosse. Then that afternoon we took the train out to London. We got off at Trafalgar Square and then went to Regent Street and Oxford Street, which are known for their shopping. We spent a few hours there before heading back home. 

On Sunday I got up bright and early to go watch the lady I've been riding with event. Eventing is the term in riding when you go to compete in three events: dressage, show jumping, and cross country. These can all be in one day or multiple times over several days  It was a long drive and really cold but totally worth it. We went to Tweseldown, which was an old racetrack but is now set up for eventing. I just loved being there because I love the feeling of competition day around so many horses and riders getting ready. Some of the horses were absolutely amazing and stunning. First off they had dressage which went well. Then they had show jumping and they were jumping around 3 feet. The best part though was the cross country course. Before it was their turn to ride it, we walked the whole course and checked out all the jumps. It was pretty amazing and watching other riders go trough it was pretty awesome. It's made me want to try it now. Their cross country ride went really well. So all in all it was a pretty good week. 

Week 2

 This week was really fun. I shadowed another girl, Davina, to all her classes. She stays in the boarding house so during break and lunch I got to see where all the boarders live, which was pretty cool. I went to a spanish class which was fun because they were learning some of the same stuff I am at home. I also got to play social netball. Netball is basically like basketball except when you have the ball you can't move your feet. It was really fun and everyone got really competitive. 

On Saturday we went into Brighton. It's this city on the beach with a lot of shops. We went shopping for a few hours then walked down to the pier and had a traditional fish and chips dinner. The pier is kinda like the Santa Monica pier. It has a bunch of rides on the end, although  it's twice the size. It was really cool and the sunset was amazing. On Sunday I went riding again. I rode a cute dressage pony named Coco. We went on trial through the the woods which was really pretty. I got to go to a polo cross practice. It was only in foot since the horses aren't ready yet but was still pretty hard. It's so different than anything I'm used to. It was a lot of fun and it got pretty crazy once everyone got into it. 

Week 1

So far this week has been pretty good. I got to shadow my host student, Amelia, to all her classes. I got to make bread in Food Nutrition and sew a bit during Textiles. I went to a Classics class which was really cool because it is all about Roman history. For P.E. I got to play lacrosse and do some aerobics. On Friday night we went out to this really good pizza place for Amelia's birthday. 

On Saturday we went riding and learned how to play polo cross. Polo cross is kinda like lacrosse where you have a net on a stick and you throw the ball back and forth but instead you are on horseback. My horse's name was Tanga and she was great. It rained the whole time but we still had fun. That evening we went over to a friends house to get ready for a social with the boys' school inTunbridge Wells. The social was fun, it's a lot like the dances back home. Everyone had a great time dancing around and just having fun. We spent the night at a friends and then spent Sunday just hanging out.  

This week has been pretty good and I will let you know how next week goes. 

Photos

Harry Potter Studios

Big Ben 

London Eye

London Bridge

St. Leonard's-Mayfield School 

First Post

Hi guys!!

England has been amazing so far. My mom, sister, and I got here on Thursday 19th and stayed in London for a few days. It was so much fun, we got to do some sightseeing around the city and then went to the Warner Brothers Studio to see where they made Harry Potter. 

A few days later we got to the school. St.. Leonards-Mayfield is amazing. It's so pretty there and the grounds are amazing. They have so many choices of classes, electives, and extracurriculars. Their school system is a little different here though.  They have some of the same core subjects as us but it's still pretty different. All the girls are so nice and my host family is great! This week I am following Amelia to all her classes. I get to do some cooking and clothes making along with other regular classes like science and math. 

I will try to keep you guys updated and post on here often. I can't wait for the rest of this experience. I know it will be amazing!