My very busy day...

I am sorry I haven't blogged all week. Just when I thought I might get to it, something would happen...like a spontaneous symposium, a fire drill and a trip to the Grantham Accident & Emergency (also known as A&E or the Emergency Room). Let me explain...

Yesterday we started out our day with a fire drill. Fortunately, I was informed of the drill because Isaac has to get on the shuttle at 0810. Since the staff were worried about the "manor kids" getting to school, we were notified the night before. Usually Isaac is in the shower at 0700, which is when the fire drill was, so we were very happy with the advanced notice.

Promptly at 0700, the drill went off. It was a very foggy day. Here is what it looked like after everyone evacuated:

Fire drill - check out the cool fog over the manor!

After we evacuated, we had to find our person in charge to check in with. It was kind of difficult because Isaac and I were not on the faculty list. So we just kept going from RA to RA until we found our RA on our floor and realized we were on her list. It was good to know we were not forgotten! After the drill was over, we went to eat breakfast.

The place where everyone eats is called the refectory. The food is not bad and the company is the best. It is fun to meet up with everyone at every meal to see what has been happening throughout the day. Here is a picture of Joyce, Marilyn, and Dean eating breakfast.

Micah, Isaac, Nancy, and Abby eating breakfast - our salad bar is in the background as well as the drink stations

After Micah and Isaac hopped on the shuttle, I got ready to go to British Studies. Everyone - faculty, staff, and students - attend British Studies. Class is in the Long Gallery and begins with someone ringing the gong. I was the chosen "gonger" the past 2 class periods, but I allowed Joyce a turn with the gong. The gong is awesome and has a great ring to it, especially in the Long Gallery.

Joyce ringing the gong to start British Studies

The Long Gallery got its name because it is a really long gallery or room. It is my understanding that women would walk around the gallery for their exercise back in the days of the manor. Now the Long Gallery makes a great venue for British Studies (all 130 students + faculty and staff fit in it), and special events.

People gathering into British Studies Class

The ceiling of the long gallery is painted with clouds, and there are 2 fireplaces as well as 2 hidden staircases at one end of it. The faculty sit in the back of the Long Gallery during the lectures.

Carla, Mike, Bob, and John are in the nearest row
Joyce and John are in the back row

During British Studies, we learn about British History. We started with the Romans, moved into the Normans and are currently through the 100 Year War. We talked about some really cool topics on Wednesday.
We started in 1272 with the death of Henry III and the accession (or the beginning of the rule of) Edward I. We moved on through to 1377 with the death of Edward III and accession of Richard II. A lot of important things happened during this time. One take away message I got was you did not want to anger anyone during this time. They were so brutal - people lost their lives in a variety of very violent ways - one man even had his testicles cut off - OUCH!

Another important event at this time was the outbreak of the 100 Years War, that actually lasted 116 years. During the war, there was an outbreak of Black Death, or the bubonic plague. It is estimated that about 1/3 of the population of Europe and Britain died during the plague. It was a wide-spread infection that had great religious and socioeconomic impact. It also greatly affected the art created during this time. It stopped the 100 Years War for about 7 years.  We are going to Lincoln next week where we will see influences in art of the plague and we will be visiting the plague village at the end of September. I'll explain the plague village in much greater detail after we go there.

After British Studies, the nursing students and I watched a really cool video about the plague right after British Studies and then we ate lunch. Then we had a group photo - everyone in the manor got a picture taken out on the front lawn. Then I was meeting with Nicky, a student who I am mentoring, at 1:30 when my phone rang. Doreen in reception phoned because a student had gotten her hand slammed in the shuttle door. I went running down the steps to find the student, Grace, in a lot of pain. I did a quick assessment and decided we needed to get her hand x-rayed. So Grace, her 2 friends (Kellsey and Taylor) and I hopped into the van and went to the Grantham A&E.

This was an interesting experience. We sat in a pretty utilitarian space full of fairly uncomfortable green chairs. The lighting was pretty harsh and the walls were painted white. We were escorted after about 2 hours of waiting to a very small and disheveled triage area. The doctor, who was young, was wearing purple scrubs and olive green Chuck Taylor Converse trainers (English for tennis shoes).

We sat in more hard chairs in a space really meant for examining eyes. The doctor did a good job examining Grace's hand and quickly decided we needed an x-ray. So she "shoved us along" to radiology. We followed the red line on the floor, and the next thing you knew, we were in x-ray. The x-ray rooms were as old as the rest of the hospital, and the x-ray machine looked pretty old as well. After Grace got her hand x-rayed and we were released from radiology, we had to make a big circle back to the reception area where we started. The doctor came out and told Grace in the waiting room that she had broken her finger (so much for HIPAA and confidentiality!), and that she would get it taped up today and would have to return to orthopedics to get it casted later. Grace is not going to get to go back until next Thursday to have her finger casted. (Welcome to socialized medicine!)

We came back to the manor in a cab, and got home about 6:30 PM. I came home pretty tired and quite hungry. All in all, it was not horrible; Grace received good care but has to wait to have final treatment for her finger; I was able to experience the NHS up close and personal. The other great thing was that I got to spend the afternoon with 3 remarkable UE students. They are so sweet and and made the experience a lot of fun. I will never forget my time at the A&E with Grace, Kellsey, and Taylor.

Waiting for the taxi

Silly girls!