Cheerio from Jolly Old England! The Nobles have finally arrived in the United Kingdom. We are living in a town named Cheltenham in Gloucestershire (shire means county). Nearby is Stonehenge, Stratford Upon Avon (birthplace of Shakespeare), & Oxford.
So far the adjustment is going well. There are different foods, different phrases (sometimes it’s like we speak another language), different customs, & different technologies to adjust to. We struggle with some things, but overall the experience has been wonderful.
Nephi & Krista ~ We think we have successfully learned to drive on the opposite side of the road. Krista has only hit 2 cars so far & really it was just their side-view mirrors. We are getting along well with the locals & Nephi has only shut down one royal air force base & diverted air traffic over Cheltenham for just a few hours. We had a package delivered that ticked like a bomb (the game Catch Phrase does sound like a ticking time bomb!).
Tabitha ~ School is radically different over here. Instead of 6 hours, British school is 8! It’s really fun though because everyone gets a half an hour break & a whole hour for lunch! Plus there are a lot of fun activities at school like reflection daytrips to local religious sites, & mufti day where we can come to school in whatever we want.
Hannah ~The castles & other places to go in England are amazing. So many places to explore & see. We have visited Sudeley castle & Warwick castle. We also went to Puzzlewood which was fun to explore around.
Abish ~ I really like school & the sports we do. I am doing swimming & field hockey. I’m also in chess club, Irish dancing, & drama. I’m learning Spanish & the schedule here is different. We do different things every day in school. There are school discos(dances) as well, which have themes like “Spots & Yellow” & also “Big Hair.” We have a break that is basically recess & we also have lunch & a break when you are done eating & during that break you can go to the library. We have no homework on Wednesdays but we do have homework on Fridays. School here in England is really different from school in America & there are things I miss from America. We also have to wear a school uniform.
We have been woefully behind in updating our blog (which many, many of you continue to remind us!). We promise to repent in the new year & keep you better informed of our adventures. In the meantime we wish you a very Merry Christmas full of love & blessings as we celebrate the birth of Jesus Christ.
