Thursday, May 07, 2009

Bye bye Oxford

Tomorrow is my last day in Oxford before flying back home. So it is time for evaluation. It has been a great experience and a really refresher break!! All foreign language teachers should do something similar from time to time as it is important to keep yourself updated with teaching methodologies, new trends, sociocultural aspects, etc. I know it is not always possible for everybody but highly desirable.
I would like to finish these blog entries talking about TRANSPORT in England. This idea came to my mind when in a radio show they said this week is the 50th anniversary of the famous Mini car.
Certainly, transport has been really important for this country since the beginning of the Industrial Revolution. The railway network is really good and reaches every corner of this island. Besides, people use these trains everyday: they commute for one hour or more on their way to work, school, shopping, etc.
Before the Industrial Revolution and the coming of steam and railways, there was an alternative to bumpy, ancient roads: canals or waterways. At first, they used natural rivers to transport goods and later they built new canals according to their needs, linking strategic points like ports, factories, big cities inland, etc.
I have mentioned roads above and, curiously enough, most of today’s motorways follow the routes of the Roman ways built while the Romans were here. It is very easy to recognise them: they are straight lines linking London and other major cities. If you feel like knowing more about driving in England check this website for the Highway Code.

Some other day we will see why they drive on the left!!

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