Tea

Hey guys, It's crazy how quickly this term is going! As some of you may remember I really like tea and being that there is a common association with the UK and tea, I decided to shed some light on that topic this week.




Tea gained popularity in the UK in the 17th century and by the 18th, the country was one of the world's top consumers of tea. As tea began to be associated with higher society, the British Empire embraced it as a symbol of their achievements.

During the time, teas were also more commonly used as herbal medicines for various ailments which aided in their popularity. The Industrial Revolution made the country's increased consumption possible by finding ways to mass produce the materials for the beverage.



Although tea lost popularity in the last decade, the drink is still very prevalent across the country. From a morning beverage to a social activity, tea weaves its way into most people's daily schedule.

As tea sales drop, espresso sales rise so maybe the UK will see a sudden switch in their social drinks. 

I remember quite a few of you saying you like tea near the beginning of the blog. What kinds of tea do you guys like? Have you ever just had tea with a friend? If not, what do you like to do when you get together with them?

Photo of the Week

Hey guys! I saw this really useful chart on Pinterest and thought it was be helpful of you guys to understand the school system here. GCSE's are in Years 10 and 11 and A-levels are Years 12 and 13. Additionally, students can go to vocational school to learn a trade instead of taking A-levels.

Interview

Hey guys! Unfortunately my friend's brother was unavailable for the interview but I have another friend volunteering at a private school nearby and she let me go in to interview one of the students. While there are some differences between public and private schools here, the subject matter in structure are fairly similar. 

I interviewed a student named Rob, but because of the circumstances under which I got the interview, I can't put his picture in this blog.

Rob told me that the UK has core subjects, like the US, including English, Math, and Science classes and optional courses. Rob is taking History and Spanish. The goal of these optional courses is to try new subjects to take for your GCSE's. Rob is in year 8 so he will be taking his GCSE's in two years. 

GCSE's are classes focussed on specific subjects to decide what you will take your A levels in. You can take as many GCSE's as you are able to if you do them outside of school but in school students generally take 10-12. You can only take up to 5 A-levels, however, and most of the people I know only took 3. From the A-levels you do well on, that's how you decide what you will study in a university.



Rob usually has about 1 hour of homework/ night, which he says is average. He says they do use some textbooks, but they mainly use workbooks and printed sheets.

The classes are generally an hour long with about 5 subjects through the day. The core classes usually go all the way through the year while the optional ones usually last just one semester.

Some of the differences in Rob being in a private school were the uniform and the food. While public schools don't use uniforms, Rob has to wear trousers, a collared shirt and a blazer to school. Also, this school makes homemade food for the students, but this is because the students live at the private schools.

All in all, UK schools seem to be structured very similarly to schools in the US, but their preparation for attending a university is a bit different. What do you guys think? Did anything sound wildly different from your school experience?

Photo of the Week

Along the lines of cool things I've been able to see, here is an old Roman bathhouse in the town of Bath. When the Roman Empire controlled the UK, it was mainly just a retreat for soldiers and nobles to get away and relax. 

Sights I've Seen

It's so crazy to think that it's almost the end of the school year! And as my classes here start wrapping up, Ive been very reflective and a bit nostalgic lately. So instead of being sad that this experience will soon be over, I've decided to remind myself of some of the amazing places I've been able to go since coming here. 

York

From the gorgeous cathedral (shown in the upper left and lower right) to the impressive wall (upper right) that dates back to the times of the Roman Empire, it is clear that this town has a lot of history, which I always find fascinating when visiting a new place. Additionally, the town has been visited by many monarchs who stayed in the building on the lower left (now the University of York) and holds a really cool open market. 

The Highlands




 Although I really enjoyed visiting Edinburgh, my favorite part of Scotland that I was able to visit was the Highlands. Being a nature lover, the gorgeous scenery of this part of part of Scotland left me speechless. It was also cool that I got to see a few castles while I was there and a highland cow (yak). 

Brussels

               

During the Winter break, my dad came to visit and we were able to travel around a bit. Our favorite city on this trip was easily Brussels. Dating back to the late 970's, just under halfway through the Middle Ages, the city is full of history. Being a small city in a small country between bigger forces the city has been conquered time and time again and has still managed to maintain its own culture through these changes of power. Being there in December we also got to see many Winter markets and even the city's most famous attraction was dressed for the occasion (pictured below). 

                                       

Manneken Pis (the Peeing Man pictured up to the left) is a statue that was once very random in the city. Although its origin is still somewhat disputed, its rise to fame is fairly agreed upon. During a raid of the city, a nostalgic family that lived close to the statue hid it to prevent it from being stolen or destroyed. When the conquerors heard this statue was missing they made great, unsuccessful efforts to find it.

While the statue has been stolen from the city many times, it has always been returned and has become an icon of the city. Throughout the year, it is dressed up in all kinds of outfits depending on the events of the time. 

Stonehenge

Although I enjoyed most of these places for the history they carried, I've always been fascinated by the theories behind Stonehenge. Ranging from a communal gathering place to a place of Pagan worship to an amphitheater for entertainment, there are many theories about what Stonehenge ever was when it was first built around 3000 B.C.E. Between this mystery, the age, and the size of this construction, I found it to be a very intriguing place.

  

All of these are also places I had wanted to visit for a long time, so I think this made the experiences of going there all the more special. Where are some places you guys would like to go someday?

Also keep in mind that I'll be interviewing my friend's brother this week so comment any questions you guys would like me to ask him. 

Photo of the Week

Here is an outside view of the stadium on my campus from right next to where I take the bus. As you can imagine, it gets very crowded on game days.

Football (Soccer)

In a country as small as the UK, there have always been local rivalries to determine which city is better than another, and out of this competitive spirit, sports have become widely popularized. The most popular of these sports is noticeably football, known to the US as soccer.

Football has been played in the UK has early as the 13th century and has had its history forever intertwined with the Kingdom's.

The world's oldest football clubs began in England in 1843 with uniforms consisting of jerseys, shorts, and more primitive versions of shin guards. In 1870 the game was slightly modified in London to become the sport as we know it today, and the next year the first official tournament began in England, being called the FA Cup.

96 teams from around the country played single game elimination until there were only 32 teams left. From there, the top 32 would face each other in a tournament setting to see how they placed. To win, a team would have to win about fourteen games in total.

Due to the popularity of the tournament, the first Football League was started in Manchester in 1888 consisting of only 12 teams. Each team played each other twice, once at home and once away, a sports structure to which we have become accustomed. 

With the sport having a history so rooted in England, it's only natural that it should continue to be popular here today. I live on a campus with the local football stadium where the Brighton and Hove Albions play. 

Every Saturday, I see hundreds of fans pour out of the train station to watch spirited games take place, and you can tell from the fans that the sport remains popular today. The rowdy spirit and energy released from the fans can be heard hours before the game even begins.

While most of my friends here don't share as much passion for the sport as many of the country's fans, the majority of them have a team that they'll support in any circumstance. 

How many of you guys follow football? What other sports do you guys like?

Also, in a couple weeks I'm going to be interviewing my friend's younger brother to get some insight to the schooling system here and how it differs from that of the US, so start thinking of questions you may want me to ask him.

Photo of the Week: Coat of Arms

Along with the role of representing the UK, the Royal family also gets this fancy coat of arms. The lion and unicorn represent the unity of England and Scotland. The first and fourth square on the shield represents England, the second square represents Scotland and the harp is for Northern Ireland.