Robin Kolodny's Fulbright Year

Getting Ready to Leave the UK

2009-08-14T08:56:00.000-07:00

We are now down to FIVE days left in the UK. We've had more adventures in July which I haven't catalogued - Isle of Wight, Rye, Derby (again!!) for the Peak District, York - and here, a family portrait taken by ace photographer Peter Whyte on the bowling green lawn next to Lewes Castle which you can see betwen Robin and Eleanor's heads. We have posted much about our adventures here and not so much about our adopted town of Lewes, but let us say a grand THANK YOU to Lewes for being friendly, walkable, historic, intriguing, and comforting to our family. Western Road Community Primary School was an excellent choice for all of us and the Southdown Tennis Club has been another welcoming home for the whole family. The Elephant and Castle Pub has been a great 'local' for us, especially Glen who has spent many a long Thursday evening playing Texas Hold'em there, bowling skittles for them, and playing stoolball (Eleanor did too). If you need us to explain those last two to you, it's because you are not from East Sussex. And of course, none of this would be possible without the University of Sussex and the US-UK Fulbright Commission. The staff at both institutions have been absolutely incredible. Thanks all for a great year -- and watch out Philly, here we come.

Robert, King of Lewes Castle, Celebrates #6

2009-06-30T13:00:00.000-07:00

Don't know who had more fun at this party - him, me, his sister, dad or Grammy?!? Above, you can see Sir Robert dressed as a knight on top of the barbican of Lewes castle. Upper right shows him and his friends having a toast out of goblets.
This lower picture gives a great sense of the castle grounds where we played a lot of games and the outside of the barbican. In there is where the party was held. It was a glorious day and his friends were just great. We got to party like it was 1077!!!

Wimbledon 2009

2009-06-30T12:10:00.000-07:00

We actually saw Wimbledon. My mother is here also and she got to experience the English queue. It was something. We got to the 'parking lot' at 10:30 a.m. and were admitted to the grounds at 2 p.m. It was very well organized but very hot too. As we went on the second day (foolishly thinking the lines would be SHORT) we got to see a lot of tennis on the outlying courts (centre court and court 1 were extra of course - and sold out by the time we got to the front of the line). Everywhere you looked there were matches and look how close we got. Don't ask me who this is -- I don't remember and it doesn't matter because she's not in it anymore -- that's the beauty of the first round. But she could have beaten any of us. In fact, she won this match. And yes, we did have strawberries and cream (and Pimm's).

Norway has it ALL!!!

2009-06-12T08:41:00.001-07:00

What a way to spend our last regular school break at the end of May! If you are looking for something for everyone, go to Oslo. First, you can see that Glen managed to find a race course - at right you can see Eleanor and our Norwegian friend Marit at the track in Eiksmarka. Below, Robert made a 'sculpture' out of fabulous branches on the porch of Marit's house.

Well, it gets even better. Marit also has a cabin about 90 minutes Northwest of Oslo on her own island. Yes, you read that right. This island is so private you have to get to it in a rowboat. Really. Big fun for a family of suburbanites. Here is the view from the cabin.
I've done something to the picture below, so bear with me. This is the opera house in Oslo. Glen walked on the roof which is amazing for its views of the harbor. There is a lot of amazing modern architecture in Oslo.

In addition, there are lots of public sculptures, like this one below, that just pop up all over the place. Or for an amazing sculpture treat, visit Vigeland Park.http://www.norwayguide.no/ta/vigeland.htm

Finally, here is a view of the harbor in Oslo near where the major museums are: the Fram (polar explorer ship, Robin's favorite), Kon-Tiki, Viking Boats, and Folk Museum. Plus, in the morning the fisherman are there selling their catches. But do be warned, while not quite as expensive as Copenhagen, Oslo is certainly up there. It was totally worth it though.

Brighton with Blythe

2009-05-21T15:03:00.000-07:00

Our dear friend Blythe visited us for four days and we showed her everything, including Brighton, our closest big city. Brighton is on the English Channel so we went there to wiggle our feet in the rocks (boulders really) and go to the pier and have ice cream in the wind. It was also the big day that Eleanor FINALLY got her ears pierced. Of course, these are from Blythe's camera so there are no pictures of her. Hmmm...

Derby Again, for the Women's FA Cup

2009-05-21T14:52:00.001-07:00

Did you see us at the FA cup final in Pride Park in Derby??? We had front row seats in the middle. And of course, I don't need to tell you that the team in red, the victors, are Arsenal's women's team, do I??? Arsenal is in the south of England, and Derby is in the north, so the crowd rooted for the underdog Sunderland, also in the north (though both are 2.5 hours away in opposite directions, but you know how regional loyalties can be). We had great fun despite the chilly, rainy day.

Copenhagen in the Springtime

2009-05-21T14:31:00.000-07:00

Two incredible things about Copenhagen: it is absolutely beautiful in the spring and it has Lutheran churches that are very old! And it is so expensive that I'm glad we enjoyed it because that's it. So that's three things. Also, everything you have seen and heard about Danish design is true -- witness the cool cardboard chair and Ottoman. I took a photo of the family with the Little Mermaid. And then I went to work at the University of Copenhagen for a workshop which was just fabulous, one of the best things I've done ever!

Lisbon for Play and Work

2009-05-21T14:10:00.000-07:00

We went directly from Madrid to Lisbon. I had a conference there and the family toured for a few days before I began, then left early to enjoy a few days in London before I was done. Here, you will see that Lisbon is a city of tile, churches, and clay roofs! We really did an awful lot there in a short time, but it is a much poorer place overall than Madrid and we were sorry to see so much grafitti and disrepair in the buildings. The people were very friendly -- but just watch out in restaurants. The 'appetizers' they bring out in bounty are not included. As one waiter said quickly 'you eat, you pay, you no eat, you no pay.' Since a small plate of jamon can cost 9 Euros, we learned to have them remove it immediately!

Springtime in Madrid

2009-05-19T17:04:00.000-07:00

We went to Madrid in the first week of April and had a blast. The weather was amazing, the people were friendly, and the food was excellent. Our favorite place was Parque Retiro, where the kids are pictured on the lower left. It's huge, beautifully landscaped, with millions of playgrounds, a lake with paddle boats -- and a fitness trail. It's amazing. In other views, Robert is eating Paella in a restaurant where you order one huge dish for the table. Robert liked paella because of the mussels and squid. Finally, me and the kids are pictured in the plaza of the Royal Pallace. It is amazing building. Go see it already -- what are you waiting for?

British Scientist in the Making

2009-03-30T05:00:00.000-07:00

If you can believe it, there's a school club that Dad is not running -- the recently concluded Science Club at Western Road School, run by another parent Dr. Allison Lansley. Here, Eleanor is making a volcano. She even got to keep the lab coat -- very cool!

Wir Sind Berliners

2009-03-21T12:17:00.001-07:00

I've been to Germany once before in a wonderful trip with my mother and daughter in the summer of 2005. We saw a lot of the southwest, including a good deal of Bavaria. Let's just say Berlin is not really like that part of Germany - AT ALL. Now, given the history, we understand why it feels like any anonymous American city, especially since we were staying in the East. Here, you can enjoy a view of the Alexanderplatz McDonald's. How Glen got a shot of it amidst all the Burger Kings, Dunkin' Donuts, Subways and Starbucks I'll never know.

Well, we found the historic parts too. Here we are at the Brandenburg Tor (gate) which is where the wall first came down and this is the symbol of a united Germany. One of these guys is alive, and one not. The live one freaked the kids out so that we had to do this picture alone.

Finally, what would a trip to a former communist city be without the requisite Marxist statue? Here is Eleanor with some new German Fulbright friends from Sacramento, CA climbing on Karl Marx's lap, while Engels stands watch.

The Real Tower of London

2009-03-21T11:54:00.000-07:00

So, after the Eiffel Tower trip, we went to London to see the real Tower (or should I say tower(s) as there are more than 20) of London. Here you can see our own personal Beefeater who gave the tour. It's quite a realistic-sounding tour, as it actually scared Robert to hear about all the drawing and quartering.

Here's some changing of the guard ceremony where you see the crown jewels -- on a moving sidewalk, lest you dawdle too long. Finally, below, the kids and I are on the walk near the Thames near the Tower bridge which has NOTHING to do with the Tower of London (which was a 'working' military castle and prison) except that it is close by. And it's pretty.

Paris In February

2009-02-24T11:23:00.000-08:00

Yes, it does look like we are wearing the same thing in many of these pictures as it is FREEZING in January and February -- just not as cold as in Philadelphia. The kids had another school break and Eleanor had asked for Paris! We took the Eurostar and stayed at a great 2 BR apartment near the Louvre. The top picture is outside the Pompidou Centre. I bet many of you have seen that before, but how many of you have had your 10 year old turn around and hand you a molar????? The tooth fairy has very good European maps as Eleanor has lost teeth in Belgium, England, and France. I suppose she will lose the corresponding one on the other side in Berlin (mid-March). As for the other photo, obviously we are outside the Eiffel Tower. But how do you convince a 5 year old that it is not the "Eiffel Tower of London"? You know, they can be pretty convinced they are right. Not until we returned to Lewes did it become the "Eiffel Tower of Paris." We did all the typical tourist things - Notre Dame, Seine Cruise, Louvre, crepes on the street....and still it was crowded in chilly February. I can only imagine what it is like in July!

Harry Potter Tour!

2009-01-26T16:01:00.000-08:00

How can you say you've really seen England until you've walked in Harry Potter's shoes??? This past week, Julia, our indispensable American resource, visited. As she could never get our kids in bed because the Harry Potter movie was still going, we figured an 8 hour tour of Harry Potter film sites in London and Oxford was in order. Though it was pricey, I'd recommend Londontaxitours.com. It was the most reasonable we found, and they were very accommodating. When we got home and watched the first movie, everything was as he promised -- down to really nifty details!! The picture in the left finds us at the chapel at Oxford which was used to film the dance sequences in Goblet of Fire and the Hospital Wing in several of the films. Below....well, do I have to explain that????

Speaking of Christmas Livestock...

2009-01-04T14:11:00.000-08:00

Here you can see the kids walking actual reindeer in Conkers, an interesting re-use of an old coal mine. It's an outdoor/indoor activity and nature park. This is in the East Midlands close to our friends the Warrens in Derby (many Warrens are in the background of this picture). It was a cold day, but we happened to hit the reindeer people at the right time and got to walk them all around the park. It was fun, followed by a great meal at a "Two for One" pub --- the economy has hit them hard so you can get fantastic food deals there if you will only go in and buy a pint (or two or three...)

Christmas Time in English Schools....

2009-01-04T14:06:00.000-08:00

...the real meaning of no separation of church and state! You should have heard all the religious carols we sang (and no multiculturalism provided!). You can even see our elf, fifth from the right, standing row, adjusting his costume in the traditional Reception/Year One show. The Reception kids, or preschoolers, do a "Wiggly Nativity." Robert's year did a story about Santa and his elves. English people very much enjoy Christmas, but when it's over, it's OVER! Now, back to school tomorrow!

Meet Father Christmas!

2008-12-13T14:16:00.000-08:00

Well, here are some other people in our lives - Sussex MA students Willem and Hilary seen here visiting Father Christmas at the Western Road Community Primary School Christmas Bazaar! Hilary is a fellow Fulbrighter and babysat with the kids the night before. Willem came up to meet Hilary for the day. It had been a long time since they got their picture with Santa. Can you guess how Santa got his beard to look that way? The answer may surprise you....

Thessaloniki, Greece

2008-12-06T12:56:00.000-08:00

In the last week of November, we made a short trip to Greece where Robin gave a talk on the US elections at the University of Macedonia. Thessaloniki is Greece's second largest city, in the northern part of the country. It is the main commercial port for many of the Balkan nations -- Bulgaria, Romania, FYROM (Former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia) -- as well as Russia. Here we are on the roof of the White Tower where you can see the main port.

But the real charm of this town is shown in this photo. You stroll along among nondescript 1950s era architecture and suddenly there's a Roman or Ottoman ruin! This one is the Roman Agora or marketplace dating from about 250 AD. It was discovered in the early 1980s when townspeople were digging for the foundation for a new law court building. And the weather, food and people were all amazing. Imagine spanikopita for breakfast.

Eleanor's First Slumber Party

2008-12-06T12:46:00.001-08:00

Well, after surviving the Bonfires, we survived six ten year old girls staying up all night. Hey,
she only has one birthday a year, and perhaps only one in England. The friends she's made here are quite lovely, though one laughs VERY LOUDLY in the middle of the night!!! Here she is with her chocolate Dinosaur cake. Yes, she's in her PJs -- they all got into them as soon as they hit the door.

Lewes Bonfire Night!!!!

2008-12-06T12:32:00.000-08:00

Here are two pictures that I hope captures the thrill and warmth of Bonfire Night. In the UK, Halloween is not a big deal at all, but in some areas Guy Fawkes night, November 5th is as big or bigger!!. Guy plotted to blow up the King and parliament in 1605. The "gunpowder plot" was to turn protestants out of power. So there's a 'little' religious tinge to this. The plotters were unsuccessful. They were arrested and put to death. Our little Lewes, a town of 16,000, has the biggest celebration of Guy Fawkes' downfall in the entire United Kingdom. Six main "Bonfire Societies" plan the entire year to celebrate by first parading around the town (with fire) and then having huge bonfires where they make large amounts of smoke and burn the pope in effigy, and this year Gordon Brown, John McCain, and Barack Obama. Something like 1/3 of the adult population of Lewes belongs to one of these societies. Our town of 16,000 had 18,000 guests for the evening, including five MA-seeking Fulbrighters who stayed at our house! If you ever come here, and ask about Bonfire night, they will ask you if you are Catholic before they say anything.

The US Elections

2008-11-24T09:32:00.000-08:00

I've not actually said anything about what my mission really is this fall - explaining the US elections to Europeans! First, no one over here can believe any American would actually support John McCain. It is an interesting view -- and the Europeans were so hopeful that "we" would make the correct choice. Second, after the election, people congratulated me everywhere. I thought that was rather odd. A British colleague at Sussex said non-Brits offered him condolences when Princess Diana died, so that is a similar sentiment. But of course, no one over here understands the independent power of our Congress, so perhaps the most surprising thing is that they can't imagine that Obama will not get everything he wants as president. I've been having fun trying to educate them, but as you can imagine, it's not really sinking in. I've done a lot of post election forums, mostly in the UK -- and one at the American Embassy in London -- and it is amazing how much they know about our system, except this Congress bit. Now if only Americans knew about the politics of ONE other country....

First School Break Destination: Belgium

2008-11-02T13:56:00.001-08:00

I would highly recommend Belgium for anyone who likes food and fabulous architecture. In addition to the chocolate, there are the Belgian waffles, mussels, friejtes, beer, and liquers and the rest just doesn't much matter. We spent most of our time in Antwerp and Bruges. Bruges, the 'Venice' of the north, was certainly picturesque, but far more oriented toward tourists than Antwerp. But Antwerp, the home of Robin's long lost relatives, won my heart. It has history, economic importance, a big port, fantastic artwork, an important fashion school, and not everyone has perfect English. It was also amazingly uncrowded (as was Bruges) and very pleasant most days. The Antwerp Zoo was a highlight! Coming up next....that darn American election, intriguing to all Europeans because how could anyone vote for McCain, they want to know....,.

Beachy Head

2008-10-20T13:30:00.000-07:00

How about this for some scenery? We went to Beachy Head, part of the southern coast that is made of the same chalk as the famous white cliffs of Dover. It's closer to us, and somewhat more dramatic as there are ALMOST NO BARRIERS BETWEEN YOU AND THE EDGE. Glen loved it as I grabbed onto the kids until they had no flesh left on their limbs. Of course, it's the #3 spot in the world to end things yourself (Golden Gate bridge is #2) so it's at once breathtakingly beautiful and macabre. The winds were amazing and we had a great day. We also visited a colleague from U Sussex in Eastbourne in a neighborhood very much like Charles Village. We are off to explore the continent a lot in the next month. We leave for Belgium on Saturday, and I've just been invited to give a paper in Copenhagen the week after that. Then, Greece!

Did you celebrate October 14th?

2008-10-17T11:46:00.000-07:00

If you didn't you are obviously not tuned into the anniversary of the Norman Conquest, October 14, 1066. Thanks to a tip from a colleague, we went to Battle to see where the actual battle took place (sort of -- after 950 years things do shift). Better yet -- reenactors! They were awesome and the kids were mesmerized, especially Robert. These people are like Civil War reenactors, but with rabbit roasted on an open fire (no kidding) and lots of mead! They camp out there the entire weekend in primitive tents and sleep on animal skins. They practice all year round to do the simulated hand to hand combat with knives, swords, spears, bow & arrow, and sometimes they even shoot this stuff on horses. We had great weather too!

Memo to Obama: The NHS Does Work!

2008-10-07T10:25:00.000-07:00

Unfortunately, we had the opportunity to test the National Health Service today. Robert was up half the night complaining about his ear hurting ("put water on it" he kept imploring). Since we are veterans at this, I knew we had to have an antibiotic ASAP. I called the NHS surgery near us at 8:30, got through immediately, made an appointment for 9:50, waited about 15 minutes, saw the fantastic doctor who was impressed that given how bad the infection was that Robert hadn't complained before today, got a prescription for amoxicillin, and left the office. On the way out, well, we just walked out! No exit paperwork (well, no bills), so that's that. We walked one block down the hill to the Boots chemists, gave him the prescription (free of course since Robert is 5 or less), and by 10:45 we had medication in hand and in the boy. I honestly cannot say it has ever worked like that for me in the states. Plus the medicine tastes like bananas, so he's a happy guy.

This past weekend, we went to Arundel where my Sussex sponsor lives and toured the famous castle there. http://www.arundelcastle.org/_pages/03_visitor_info.htm shows pictures and tells the story of the Dukes of Norfolk. And Queen Victoria stayed there for two days once in the 1840s and you would think this was as important as making peace in the world. Anyway, the other nifty thing is that the family actually lives there and the Castle is only open until November 1, so we are glad to have seen it now. Here's to healthy ears and more touring!

Settling In

2008-09-25T08:22:00.000-07:00

I cannot believe it, but we FINALLY have a home phone number, internet access, a television, and not one but TWO ATM cards that work in pounds sterling. Given the current US monetary crisis, I surely am happy about that. We have been exploring a bit. This past weekend, we went to the food and drink festival at Glynde (pronounced gl-AYE-nd). You can see this nifty manor house at www.glynde.co.uk. Then, on Sunday, we went to the races at Plumpton -- www.plumptonracecourse.co.uk. That was really something, as the kids and I had not seen steeplechase or jump racing before. In the steeplechase, half the riders were thrown, but the horses kept going! At the moment, the kids are getting used to the new school (Eleanor faster than Robert, big surprise) and involved in many activities. They have both discovered Rugby, for example, and they are checking out piano lessons now. We continue to decide about doing the laundry by the weather report, as they just don't believe in tumble dryers anywhere in this island. Now that we have regular email service, don't hesitate to contact us and know we will actually reply!

Umbrella Required for Living in Lewes

2008-09-07T13:57:00.000-07:00

We got here and are all excited about school starting tomorrow for Eleanor and Robert. I almost know my way around town -- the other three navigate like natives already. Well, that's what happens when you take a girl from Miami with a grid laid out in the 1950s and put her in a town laid out in 1087 with no right angles. Fortunately, just about every street meets up with the "High" Street, the English name for Main Street in most towns. I was most worried about Robert's adjustment and actually he's been a trooper. Every restaurant is his favorite. He has learned to ask for chips and he will readily order fish fingers, chips and peas (with ketchup on all) everywhere. Fortunately, or unfortunately, every place will serve this dish. Eleanor played football on Saturday -- and was the only girl in her age group. Good for her! Now if we can just get it to stop raining 5-6 times a day, all would be perfect, though now that Robert has wellies, it doesn't matter that much. Next up....more about Sussex, schools and traveling across the country by train....

We're on our way!

2008-08-27T17:50:00.000-07:00

We can hardly believe it, but we are headed to England tomorrow, August 28th. There have been huge delays in getting the visa -- mostly caused by our main visa competitors -- any college student wanting to study abroad in the UK! There has been a huge backlog at the British consulate and so many errors it's not even funny. Now, we need only figure out if we can sit together on the plane and if we'll have furniture in our rental house. It will probably take us a week or so to get phones and internet access, so do check back in a bit. We expect it to be quite chilly compared to here -- most days this month have been a high in the low 70s. School starts on 8 September for the children, so we will have a good week or so to get acclimated. Happy school year all!

Picture of the House

2008-08-06T09:39:00.001-07:00

Though the lease is not signed yet, this is what it looks like. Three levels, sort of like the Baltimore house, except the living space is in the middle row (first floor, which is our "second floor" - the first being their "ground floor").

Watching the Mail

2008-08-06T09:27:00.000-07:00

Still no departure date --- VISA applications are now in the hands of the British Consulate. If I get the visas, I should write a separate blog on how to get the visa. I think this is the first rite of passage in our cultural exchange, yes? Robert LOVED getting fingerprinted - said it was like a finger massage and wants to come back again. We think the house is settled and the schools are set up. In the meantime, check out these awesome pictures of the town we are bound for:
http://www.lewes.co.uk/Gallery.aspx

Visas in the post 9-11 world

2008-07-17T16:30:00.000-07:00

Progress FINALLY on the Visa front!!!! It turns out that there is a "system glitch" that causes one to be charged over three times the proper amount for a UK Visa, and since I have a Fulbright, it is "gratis" anyway, but still we have to pay a huge fee in advance and get it credited. I am so glad everything is automated today and we've cut out so much human contact so we can be "efficient." There is an interesting possibility on a house too....perhaps more news tomorrow. We found a letting agent that is not afraid of Americans. Stay tuned...

Not There Yet, But Trying.....

2008-07-16T07:26:00.001-07:00

So far, our efforts to start my Fulbright have been terribly frustrating! Who knew rental property would fly off the market in HOURS!!!!! And now, no live person will talk to us about a Visa to stay in the UK for more than six months. Hoping to rent a place soon.....check back soon!