Hundreds of years ago, audiences would stand during plays lasting four hours. Luckily, we got the bench seating.
Joining the sides of the River Thames is the Tower Bridge. I love this picture of it in the fog…very mysterious. This bridge was built in 1886, and as its a drawbridge, the bridge opens and closes in less than two minutes. That’s impressive for a bridge so big!
Down the river is Big Ben and Parliament, which are connected. Right now, Big Ben and Parliament are covered with scaffolding, to make sure it stays upright for the next hundred years. Here are photos without scaffolding, and then a picture of Big Ben with scaffolding.
There’s a building in London nicknamed the Gherkin--yes, because it’s shaped like a pickle. Some people say it looks more like the tip of a ballpoint pen. Maybe, but “ballpoint pen” is a much less fun title!
As I’m reflecting on how I got to London and how I went from Morgan Middle School to across the world, I’m realizing that my journey was much like how a building is constructed. It’s really important to have a good foundation--this is your values. All of our foundations are built on how we treat others, how we take care of ourselves and how we listen and respond to others.
Then, as we learn and form new skills, our building takes shape. It’s constantly changing, never permanently set in stone. Some skills are really important as we “build” our lives, like reading, writing, science and math and expressing ourselves creatively. As we build, we may find new interests, and we jump in, creating a new “wing” or section to our buildings.
As we’re in the middle of the building, it may be hard to see the big picture of what exactly we’re creating.
