Comparison

Today we had the pleasure of visiting the Magistrate Court. There are so many differences in the London court system to ours I don't even know where to begin. In our court system we have judges at all levels of our courts (Circuit, District and Supreme), these judges are qualified judges and are law trained. In London at their magistrate level (Circuit Court in America) they have three volunteers that sit in the bench and hear the cases with a legal advisor directing them at the Lay Magistrate. They have no legal training. They also use a district judge in plain cloths (suits) at this level to hear the little cases. However at the Crown Court (District Court) they have a legal trained district judge that hears the serious cases. Another difference from our system is that the defendant will have his initial appearance before the court before they are granted a free lawyer. In America the indigent will fill out the paperwork before they appear in court to qualify for a free attorney, here the attorney has to represent them in hopes that they get paid. Our guide Joann said that this is one reason why she does not practice anymore because she rarely got paid. In the Royal Court the defendant sits behind a glass partition, they are not next to their attorney like in America. The Crown Prosecuter is acting in behalf of the crown. I found that this information has been very helpful, it was very interesting to witness the cases that we sat in on today! 

Traveling to Denver

We thought about buying a neck pillow at the truck stop

Lunch at Pub

I ate at my first pub today and it was the Sherlock Holmes Pub, and I tried my first English cider and it was really light and good! 

Metropolitan police

We met up with Constable Watson today and took a tour of the facility. He gave us the run down on their weapons and the uniforms! We learned some really cool statistics, for example there are 80,000 lost umbrellas on the underground a year! 

Looking like a local

I feel that it is very important for people to understand that looking like a tourist can be a bad thing.  As Americans we are very symbolic in what we like to wear.  All of our cloths have some sort of symbol on it.  We wear hoodies and sweat pants and we love to advertise for different companies all the time.  Many of us don't even think about it like it is advertising, its just the style we like to wear.  I have been told by many people that we are not to look like Americans or act like Americans while over seas.  Other countries have stereotypes for us and we should not conform to those stereotypes.  We need to act like we are comfortable where we are and we know what we are doing, we are a target just for being Americans.  Many of the citizens abroad see Americans and think we have a lot of money, and they will try and take advantage of you. If you do not know the lingo or you are not familiar with the currency then they may not give you the right change back. Just always be aware and don't act like a tourist!

It is very important for us to act like the locals and not bring attention to ourselves.  We need to blend in and not be the stereotypical loud Americans that they think we are.  Leaving our hoodies at home and wearing nice shirts instead of t-shirts will help us blend in.  I know we are all going to have a very fantastic time and I am looking forward to it!

Pre-departure

Well we are down to one week left before we leave on this adventure!  I can not believe that the time has gone by so fast.  Dr Nobiling has done such a terrific job trying to prepare us for this trip and this experience.  I have also been talking to my mom about what I should take and pack for convenience, she has traveled out of the country many times.  One of the helpful things I was told that I thought I would share to my fellow travelers is buying baby wipes.  This is such a simple idea that I can't believe I didn't think about, but you never know when you will be able to wash your hands, and by having baby wipes you don't have to worry about it.  I used to use baby wipes for everything when my kids were little, but now that they are grown I don't think about it as much.

I have also talked to some of the students that went last year about cloths to wear and how mush money I should take and other little things. I have found everyone has been very helpful and I can't wait to go!  I have been so excited to go and now that the time is getting closer I am getting a little nervous, but still really excited!  I have a list of things I want to see while I'm there and places I want to go.  Now I just have to get through my finals and then concentrate on getting 100% ready to go, cause I'm only about 50% right now.

Our group

This is the group that will be going to London this year

Front Row from left:  Jordan Staman of Crawford, NE; Jessica Orose of Rapid City, SD; Charlotte Carlson of Falcon, CO; Cierra Herrmann of Scottsbluff, NE;  Jamie Henry of Torrington, WY.  Back Row: Nick Yardley of Gordon, NE; Michaela Linders of Rushville, NE; Josh Keating of Romeoville, IL; Mary Miller of Saratoga, WY; Dr. Tracy Nobiling.  On video screen from Lander, WY, Chloe Titus.