Jackie's still organizing and unpacking but now knows where the local supermarkets are and is getting into a daily routine.
The kids started school last Wednesday and so far both of them seem to be enjoying it. Apparently, Sebi was a bit distraught on the first day but one of the local kids, Benjamin, took him under his wing. Aleeza has found a group of girls to hang out with and is studying Romeo and Juliet in one of her classes.
I've probably been the busiest person in the family. Last week we had a series of "opening week" events, including a dinner with the International Enrichment students, a guided bus tour of the city ( Jackie and the kids got to come along) and various faculty meetings. I also had to put in some time prepping for classes, producing handouts and putting the finishing touches on the various field trips and walking tours the students and will be taking . Thursday we had our first real day of class and I had a 2-hour long class on "British Cinema" to teach. After a short introductory lecture, I took the students down to the British Film Institute on the South Bank to watch some very early British films (accessed via BFI's Mediatheque, a collection of viewing stations which allows groups and individuals to view digitized hundered of films from the holdings of the National Film Archive).
Friday is a free day for me so Jackie and I dropped the kids at school in the morning and headed to Brick Lane on the East End for the day. It's the historic heart of London's Jewish community and has been the entry point into England for successive waves of immigrants (Irish, Indian, Polish) for over a hunderd years. At the moment, the dominant ethnic group is Bangaladeshi and the street is lined with curry houses, Halal butchers and Muslim gift shops. Mixed with this are outposts of "ultra-hip" club culture, including a very large branch of Rough Records (the great London record store that did so much to bring punk rock music to the world.) Yet there are still remnants of the Jewish presence in the neighborhood as well, including a pair of "beigel" bakeries. It's an interesting mix and Jackie and I had a wonderful (and dirt cheap) 3-course lunch at one of the Balti (Bangaldeshi) restaurants while we were there.
Over the weekend the entire family took a two hour train ride to Dover, mainly to see the exquisite Dover castle (which played an important role in defending England from French aggression in the 13th Century and also served as the HQ for the Dunkirk evacuation during WWII). The kids enjoyed the castle, but I think they enjoyed the guided tour of the "secret Second World War tunnels" beneath the castle even more. And seeing the white chalk cliffs of the Dover coast up close was impressive. After traipsing around the castle all day, we stopped for a few pints at a pub called the "Funky Monkey" so that Jackie and I could watch part of the England vs. Israel soccer match. (England won 3-0, saving the manager's job for yet another game; on Wednesday they play Russia in what is a crucial match for both teams.)
The following day the entire family returned to Brick lane for the Brick Lane Festival. It was a complete mob scene, thousands of people wandering up and down the street eating samosas and drinking beer and fresh coconut milk (sipped straight from the coconut). We couldn't get in to see the music at the Vibe Club but it was loud enough we could hear it fine from blocks away. But, as Jackie said, it was an interesting place to do some people watching.
Well, the kids need to go to bed so I've got to shut down the computer. More later.
