At a run....

We are trying our best to get settled in and establish a routine for us and for the students. They are really tired and emotional at the moment. When I lived in Canada I discovered that "culture shock" was just as severe in a English speaking culture because you don't expect there to be difficulties. Once they get a rest, I think everything will settle down.

We have adjusted to the hike to the flat and have reached a solution for how to have all the students for a dinner. There is no way to adjust for the forced separation between the faculty and the students. We will do our best but my recommendation is to always assure that the faculty are near the students. The distance will certainly have an impact on the overall interaction this semester.

Friday we settled in, conducted orientation meetings and familiarized ourselves with the local environment. Yesterday was our first day of class. All classes met for orientation and to set up procedure and times. In the afternoon we walked to Parliament for a tour. The security has certainly changed since 2003 but we really had a good tour. It happened to be the last tour of the year so we booked it early in our trip. As we were leaving, one of the "Bobbies" offered Ian has hat and I rapidly took a picture. I'm afraid its not quite in focus (the history of my life).

We are off to Church this morning with a bus/guided tour of London this afternoon. Our guide is Suze Bower, an old friend from our last visit and we are so glad to be seeing her again.

The next four days are classes but we hope to get away in the afternoons and evenings to take in some of the sites