Horrible Histories & Scary Swans

me outside the Bodleian library

I have a lot of videos to share of my life in Oxford, but we can't figure out how to put them on this blog yet.  Soon.  I had a good week this week.  My school got first place at a sport event we competed in with other schools.  I had to run really fast and jump the short jump and high jump.  My legs are still sore.  I had a really great sleepover at Imo's house, and then a whole bunch of us went to a place called Snakes & Ladders in Oxford that is like being in the game Chutes & Ladders with loads of slides, tubes, climbing, and fun.  Last night I went to my first opera.  It was really good, part of it was really funny, and the main singer was so pretty.  I still like being here but I do miss everyone in Whitefish and I miss my cat and dog a lot.  We are half way through our trip. 

 the swan at Christ Church meadows came a little too close the other day

 Just one more month in Oxford.  Then we'll travel around in France, Germany, Austria...for the whole month of April.  I'm excited to have a long break from school and to be with my mum.  She's been so busy with reading, but in two weeks she will be done with her degree.  I'm excited to take some trips here.  I don't like my school as much as I did at first here.  Some of the kids don't listen very much and our teacher has been very cross lately.  But I do really like my friends and I will miss them when we go.  I am going to send a package soon to my classmates at Muldown--thank you for my great Valentine!  You are all so nice.  One more thing--kids & Mrs. Argabright--I don't know if it will work from the US, but I watch some really cool British TV shows at http://www.bbc.co.uk/iplayer/categories/childrens/tv  One of my favorites is Horrible Histories.  They tell you all about history by acting it out and it is smart and also really funny.  My mom and I watched the one about the Romans, the Victorians, and the Egyptians this morning--it is gross and funny.  I hope you'll be able to watch it.

Bye, Naya

Me leaving the dining hall at Christ Church--where Harry Potter was filmed--We only get to eat here for two more weeks before they close for spring break and we will miss this so so much.

HAPPY VALENTINES DAY TO ALL MY FRIENDS HAVE A GREAT DAY !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

More British vs. American stuff

In England:                                   In America:
crisps                                               chips
going to the toilet                            going to the bathroom
what's your bit in the play?             what's your part in the play?
are you alright?                               hi, how are you?
cheers                                              bye
G.P. (general practitioner)               doctor
on the phone--please press hash      on the phone--please press pound
the States                                         America, US, USA
the Continent                                   Europe
coach                                               bus
pavement                                         sidewalk

& here when you dial the phone it rings like "rrrr..rrrr.    rrrr..rrrr.   rrrr..rrrr" while in the US it is just "ring.  ring.  ring."

& if there is an emergency you have to dial 999 here, instead of 911.

& in my school lots of kids speak French for their first language, and English for their second.  And some of the kids speak Hindi and Arabic, and some of their moms wear burqas.  And the school bully is really small and no one is really afraid of her, but she is mean.

Yesterday I stayed afterschool and helped with a fundraiser for Haiti by buying cakes and sharing them with my friends, Connor and Freya, at board games club.  Then Freya came over and played for hours and ate dinner with my mom and I, then we walked her home.  Today, my mom was in the town where Shakespeare was born, so I went home afterschool with Imo and got to go to dance class with her, and play with her little brother and sister who are twins.  Tomorrow night I get to have my second sleepover at Freya's house & I'm really excited.  Then Saturday, my Opa Duz is coming to Oxford for a week.

Still don't have a working camera, but soon.

Love, Naya

Mr. Bean

Does anyone else like Mr. Bean as much as my mom and I?  If you haven't seen an episode yet, try to watch one.  He's so funny.  We rented some Mr Bean episodes today from the library and are now going to watch one.  We have really full bellies from eating in Harry Potter's dining hall tonight.  Wish you were all here doing these fun things with me.

Love, Naya

P.S. a new word--at the grocery store here it is called Strip Cheese instead of String Cheese.

The Beatles at New Hinksey

Today we had "Singing" at school, which is what they say instead of going to "Music" (like we do with Ms. Hashley.  We worked on a Beatles song to help us learn how to work out problems with our friends.  My mum and I just found the song and video on youtube if you want to see what the Beatles looked like & sound like.  They were really famous and from England.  We like this video because they are laughing a lot, especially Paul McCartney (my mum told me his name), the cute one.  http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=59NNupminV8 

Do you fancy Naya?

In England at my school if somebody has a crush on you they call it 'a fancy' instead of 'a crush.'  So, yesterday when I walked into school there were about five boys singing, "Connor fancies Naya!  Connor fancies Naya!"  I am a little embarrassed to write this for all of you, but it is very cute when your friend says to you in his British accent when we were doing art, "Naya, do you fancy Connor?"  Even though I really do like Connor and think he's smart and nice (and cute) I didn't want them to sing songs about me so I said, "No, I don't fancy Connor."  But I do.  And I'll just be nice to him and be his friend and hope that they stop teasing soon.

Now, I'm going to watch an episode of Charlie & Lola before school because I woke up way too early today since my mom was up reading with the light on in our room.

Bye,
Naya

Going to build a telescope in the History of Science Museum today

I get to go learn about Galileo today in a big, fancy museum that has some of Einstein's work in it, and many other scientists.  We are going to build our own telescope during a Saturday workshop for 9 year olds.  My mum and I just looked up Galileo and found this:

Galileo was born in Italy in 1564 and helped the world understand and finally believe that the earth moved around the sun and not the other way around (Copernicus' theory) with his own telescopes that let him see Venus, and also Jupiter's moons.

This is the building I'll be in.  It is right next to the Bodleian library, and also next to our favorite bookstore in Oxford, Blackwell's, that has a winding staircase and goes up four floors.  The children's section is on the ground floor and has lots of books that the Whitefish bookstore has and lots of books that it doesn't.  We'll probably get some cocoa there and an almond croissant after my workshop.

This is a picture of Einstein's blackboard from a lecture he gave in Oxford in 1931.

I hope you have a fun Saturday too.

Love, Naya