I should have added Sunday was "Mothering Sunday" here in the U.K. or Mother's Day as we know it. Ashlyn and I both sent our mom cards, simply because they all say "mum" on them. Oh, it's the little things.
Today was our first day of rotation, but it was a pretty simple day as it involved Peggy picking us up to give us a bit of an orientation to life in London (Brockley in particular) and how the education system works in the U.K. Of course Peggy was extra prepared and had packets ready for us. She had a packet about being in London, things you need to know when living in Brockley and a really good breakdown of school here. So the first few things you must know are some basic terms. While in the U.S. we say "school" to mean any kind, here it only means early grades or primary school. College only refers to technical schools or associate type programs, while a traditional degree program is referred to as "University" or "Uni." I thought there was no way people actually use the term Uni, but they do and I've heard it used often. What we call a "degree" they call a "course" and what we call a "course" they call a "module." Confused yet? Good. Now we can move onto how school actually works.
While in the U.S. 11 and 12 year olds are skateboarding and drawing hearts over the "i's" (British kids probably do this too), but they are also applying to "secondary school," which would be the equivalent of our early high school. They actually apply to school and rank their top 5. I've recently read in the paper (yes, I'm reading the paper here) that due to the population increase in London many children aren't getting any of the schools they rank. A lot to deal with as a 12 year old. While we are in the 11th grade they are doing "GCSEs" which are essentially classes they have to take in order to be competitive if they want to go to Uni. If you don't take a GCSE test then you aren't going to get into University. You just aren't. It's becoming less and less common for students to not take the GCSEs, but it still happens. If you're planning on applying for pharmacy then you MUST take a GCSE in math and English. Then we move on to 12th grade while they move on to A levels which last two years (essentially year 12 and 13). For the first year of A levels you take 4 subjects. The three that you are best at you continue on to your second year of A levels. In order to get into a pharmacy program you usually need to get at least one A and two Bs in your courses (usually English, math and a science). Back in America we'd be in our first year of pre-pharmacy. Once we start our second year or pre-pharmacy they have started their pharmacy program, which last for four years. So to add things up in case you're lost, in the U.S. you are required to take at least 2 years of pre-pharmacy classes and then 4 years of pharmacy. They take just the four pharmacy years. After the four years they then do their "pre-reg" year, which is just like our fourth year except they get paid. And they can not believe that we don't. After all this they then can join the STEP program to work towards getting a "post grad diploma" in a specialty. Which is like our residency programs. It's all very convoluted. The funny part is I feel like they have it a lot harder. I mean at 12 you're ranking schools and at 16 you have to start deciding what you want to do for the rest of you life. In America, we get a lot more time to soul search, if you will. It basically sounds like you're going to Hogwarts to me.
Of course we constantly got off topic because I had some burning questions about London. My most important question was related to men's fashion (which I love over here). They dress sharp and wear super bright colored dress socks (pink, teal, you name it). So I asked what's up with the socks. Men in America do not wear exciting socks. Peggy says this is something I will notice with rich guys. Of course, my favorite part about London fashion is a status symbol. Whatever, it looks amazing. I guess I should continue on my men's fashion topic while I'm on it. They get the tailored suit. In fact no man (bright socks or not) wears a suit that isn't perfectly tailored for them. There is even a whole street in London (Savile Row) dedicated to men's tailoring. They're known for "bespoke" tailoring. I'm not sure what that means, but I know I like it. If you remember, in "American Boy" Kanye West says, "Dressed smart like a London bloke / Before he speaks his suit bespoke," clever Kanye, clever. Casual dress involves this awesome late 50s throwback. We're talking good hair, jeans that actually fit and are sometimes rolled up at the ankle and jackets that hit that the waist. It's James Dean in Rebel Without A Cause all day, every day. It's so amazing. The white Converse All-Star low top sneaker also seems to be a favorite.
After Peggy taught us about school and boys she took us to lunch at a small little sandwich shop. Upon arriving we realized it must have been Mommy and Me day or something as Ashlyn, Peggy and I were the only three people there who did not have a baby with us. Then Peggy confirmed her amazingness by driving us to Sainsbury's (like a Kroger or Publix without the bells and whistles, but you can buy electronics there). We were able to stock up on some groceries to keep us from starving when we need a snack and are to lazy to walk and find some.
The weather was just too fabulous for us to end the day here so we headed to Central London to take a ride on the London Eye. I had been on the Eye in 2008, but the day had been dreary and was not ideal for viewing. This day was perfect. You could see for miles and miles. The Eye gives you a nice 30 minute ride where you can really take it all in. I think it's way overpriced, but at the same time something that's hard to justify ignoring. Apparently they did Valentine's Day Specials this year. I hate Valentine's Day, but it might be kinda cool to have a special date on the Eye.
As we left the Eye we walked along the Jubilee Bridge towards the Pizza Express. It's a large chain restaurant here and nicer than the name suggests. Unfortunately they are too fancy and Italian to do thick crust, which Ashlyn and I both prefer more than the actual pizza part. So that was a let down. Another successful use of our time in London, complete with leftovers for the next day.
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