Today was our last walk to and lectures at BCU. I’ve really enjoyed walking to campus and other places. It makes me really want to live somewhere more walkable. Me and the two other education students separated from the nursing students and went over the educational system in the US and UK with Dr. Marks. The education system is pretty similar in comparison. The UK has state funded schools that include community schools, academies, free schools, grammar schools, faith schools, state boarding schools, and special education needs (SEN) schools. Then there’s also private schools that include prep schools, public schools, and SEN schools. Many parents’ goal is if they cannot afford for their child to go to an academy, is for them to go to a grammar school. Academies are good schools with good curriculums, however they can be very expensive. Grammar schools have a similar quality of education and are free, however they are highly competitive and challenging to get into. They are equivalent to magnet schools in the US. After that we met with a few faculty members in the education department of BCU. They introduced themselves, talked about education in the UK, let us ask questions as well as ask us questions. The UK has 3 years of schooling to become an educator. They do train specifically for primary or secondary, however once they have completed their degree they are able to teach outside of their training. That is very interesting, because in the US you either get a degree in early childhood education or secondary education, these are completely separate and you cannot get a job in the other without more schooling. 

For lunch me and several other students went to “Boston Tea Party,” a cafe near our hotel. We found the name ironic with what the event was, but it was a very nice place. It is very nice there with beautifully designed wall paper and decorations. I got smoked salmon avocado toast with scrambled eggs and an iced vanilla oat milk matcha. My food was absolutely delicious and the staff were very sweet. All of my friends’ food also looked amazing. I wish they had one local back home. Then we headed back to the hotel and we had a bit of time before walking to where the bus would pick us up. The bus ride was over a couple hours and many people fell asleep, including myself for a little bit. The hotel is very and has a nice design to it. The keycards are wooden which feels very fancy. Once I went and dropped off my things in my room I went over to my friends room. They pushed their two beds together to make one big bed and we all laid on it and chatted about our plans in London tomorrow. We decided to try to go to Borough Market, London Eye, Big Ben, St. Jame’s Park, and Buckingham Palace. This would be in addition to the Florence Nightingale Museum as a group in the morning and Piccadilly Theatre to see Moulin Rouge in the evening. 

This evening me and my friends walked around for a bit. There are a lot of large trees lining the roads that are beautiful. There are also many colorful houses that I love. We went to souvenir stores, and my friends bought magnets, cups, and other little gifts to bring back for friends and family. I bought some chocolate that is not sold in the US to bring back for people. Then we walked back and hung out until it was time to go to dinner. It was a nice walk to dinner and we got to see a bit more of the city. The restaurant was a nice place. We had bread and butter for the appetizer and then our main course followed by dinner. I had salmon for my main course with some roasted veggies. Then for dessert I had tiramisu, which is one of my favorite desserts. Overall, it was a very nice day. I am very excited to spend the whole day in London tomorrow.