Status Quo

I don't know what's come over me today, but I've become rather introspective about some pretty mundane things: wallets, sugar, and school.
I was out and about today doing some grocery shopping, my mind begins to wander, and the planner in me begins to think of things I can give Phil as a gift for various occasions.  I started to think of buying him a new wallet, because his is pretty well used up, and I realized how small in size his wallet is. I don't mean the size of his wad of cash...I literally mean the size of his actual wallet. Then I started thinking of my dad's and brother's wallets, American men's wallets in general, and I realized how much bigger American wallets are. All of a sudden, I heard the light bulb click on. It became apparent to me that wallets, in America, are made as a status symbol. Sort of the mantra that the size of the wallet measures the size of the man; wallets in London are made practically -- they're small so it's more difficult to be pick-pocketed, a definite reality here. That's a pretty interesting notion if you really think about it.
If you've kept up with me, you know that I've gloated a little bit on my recent weight loss and overall great feeling of health and welfare. I bought my first pair of skinny jeans today, because for the first time in a really long time, I don't see a giant mammoth whale when I look in the mirror.
I made myself a fruit salad -- a recipe that my mom used since I was a kid: mandarin orange segments, pineapple chunks, shredded cheddar cheese, marshmallows, and whipped cream. I immediately knew something wasn't right when I took the first bite: the oranges were bitter, not sweet. Then I remembered that the peas I had with last night's dinner weren't sweet, either. Again, I heard the light bulb click. It donned on me that fruit isn't canned in syrup, it's canned in plain juice, so the extra sweetness isn't there. Nothing here has added sugar, except for maybe Coke, and even that's less sugar than the American flavor. I never really examined how much sugar (of any form) is in American food, until I couldn't eat American food anymore. That's when I made the connection of diet to exercise. I'm not really dieting; I'm just not ingesting as much sugar. And I'm not really exercising; I just have no choice other than to walk everywhere. It really gave me a new meaning on the term "lifestyle change."
Phil's oldest son had parent-teacher conferences tonight. I had the pleasure of tagging along since Owen's mom couldn't make it (she works at a different school,) and as a teacher, it was an interesting experience. First of all, the building was so cool...brick walls inside...so rustic. As we walked through the front doors, I noticed a quote on the wall. It was from Henry David Thoreau. Even cooler: an American author quoted in an English school. Later on, I noticed a quote from Mark Twain. Sweet.
Anyway, back to the topic. I did sit in on one conference (appropriately, the English teacher's), and right away noticed a major difference: schools here do not grade for effort or participation. They grade for accuracy. It is actually against the school guidelines for a teacher to increase a grade based on effort -- that's how kids in Kentucky survive school!! The standards here are extremely high throughout. Phil's son is 14 and has already read Frankenstein and Macbeth. It really opened my eyes up as to how much we let our kids get by with. We're scared to push them because we don't like to see them squirm, but in reality, students only excel when they're challenged and given high expectations. The parental involvement blew me away, as well. I saw more parents there than I ever did at any parent-teacher conference I had to endure. Not even just in attendance..but the parents were actually talking with the teachers, not just listening and nodding their heads or defending their kid who is failing, yet "can do no wrong." Teachers are respected and have clout here, which makes me think their job is just a little bit easier because they're allowed to be confident in their position and they're allowed to do their job.
Today, the lifestyle of this city really started to sink in. I knew things would be different, because no two places in the world are the same, but I never understood that reality until now. It's a very cool place to be.