Abbey Road, Markets, and Life After School

Today, I woke up extra early so that I could head over to Abbey Road and cross the famous crossing that the Beatles did. The traffic was very busy, but drivers were kind enough to stop and allow us to cross so that we could take pictures. There is still a working music studio there and on the painted rock gate surrounding the studio were writings and music lyrics produced by The Beatles that fans wrote there along with the date they visited; a big group was there two days before we were. 

After, the whole group went to the Museum of Transportation in Covent Gardens (they also had one of the best shopping markets!). The museum showcased transportation in London from the 1800's to the present. It is a place for schools and families to come for fun, interactive play, and learning history. One nice thing about it is that children get in for free! Also, they have a punch card system that you can go around collecting punches for each area that you visited; our group had a lot of fun with that one.

We also walked over to Regent's Park next to ISH and explored the gorgeous park area. 

Our afternoon lecture was by Chris Marshall who is he Director in Curriculum Studies. He shared with us about the options for students who are at age 16, what do they want to do with their lives: university, work, military, nothing? One incredibly interesting fact was that there is a 7-8% unemployment rate in England. Part of the reason is because of the benefits that the government provides them. For six months, unemployed people get unemployment money, housing benefit, child benefit, free health care, discount electric, heating, and water. Once the six months are up and they are still unemployed, they can apply for this all over again. What type of enforcement does that provide to go back out and get a job? What Chris and his fellow co-workers do is encourage students to continue on in schooling. 

That night we attended the delicious Chocolate Festival that was going on--very yummy stuff! And we went to Paddington Station to visit Paddington Bear!