brooke's adventure begins

Yesterday morning Brooke left to spend the next 2 months in Jolly 'ol England. She is there for the Study Abroad program through BYU. I believe she only has two classes a week, and the rest of the time the students are taken on field trips all over England and Scotland (Wales too, I think). She will also spend a week in Ireland.

We lived in England for 3 years when Brooke was little. We were there from the time she was 3 until she was 6 1/2. She went to British school and developed the most perfect British accent you have ever heard! All the teachers and parents at her school would always be shocked to learn that she was American. They would hear me talk with my 'rough and lazy' American accent, then hear her talk and the look of confusion on their faces was always a great sight to see! Too bad she lost it about 2 days after we moved back to the States! She has been looking forward to this Study Abroad for months and was SO excited to go back to England. It's amazing the things she remembers from when we lived there.

When I woke up this morning I was anxious to get to my email to see if she had emailed me yet. Luckily she had, and the title of her email was, "I'M STAYING HERE FOREVER!" :o)   She had arrived safely, had just unpacked her bags, and was looking out the window of her "flat" in London.  She even took a picture out her window so that we could see the rather sad view she will be forced to look at every day. We are weeping for you, Brooke, really hard.   

Psssht *insert eye-roll*.

Here is the darling view out her window:

I thought I'd also post a few pictures of Brooke from when we lived in England.....

Brooke on her bike in front of our tiny house which was in Ramsay, England. We lived here for a year before moving to a bigger house (one that actually had a closet!) in the village of Brampton.

On "Brooke Avenue" in Chester, England.

In front of her school, Brampton Infant School . The grade schools are called Infant Schools rather than Elementary Schools. And instead of calling the grades 1st grade, 2nd grade, etc., they are called "Year 1", "Year 2" ..... Children start school when they are 4-years-old. They go to "Reception" which is Kindergarten. (Brooke really IS wearing shorts under this shirt although it appears that she isn't!)

Raegan and Brooke standing by the sign of our cute little village of Brampton.

....and eating a snack at the ruins of St. Mary's Abbey in Yorkshire.

Me, Brooke, and Raegan at Stonehenge.

Brooke has set up a blog to document her England adventures:

http://atisket--atasket.blogspot.com/

(Just a little FYI -if you read her first post you may need some explanation...a "fag" in England is a cigarette.   Just thought I should make that clear.)