Wrapping things up..

Well I have officially finished my term at Wynstones School. We finished 'King Leer' and got raving reviews from everyone, I have to say my classmates were all incredible and I am so delighted that I got to be a part of such a wonderful cast of people! After the play came the Carol Concert at Gloucesteshire Cathedral (where they filmed Harry Potter) and it was the most amazing experience!! the sound filled the cathedral and gave me goose bumps, the school choir is amazing, everyone is in choir and i dosent matter if you can sing or not but somehow its sounds like a professional choir. Its kinda funny because youd think  oh, theres jsut a bunch of slouchy teenagers sitting in a room but as soon as they begin singing, you just become mesmerized by this incredible sound and youd forget they were students. (CD's are on sale for 5 quid a piece) After the concert I then was asked to take part in the Paradise Play! its one of the christmas pageant plays they have been doing for 75 years!  needless to say, it was a great honour and I really enjoyed playing the 'Tree Singer' :) with performances all wrapped up, it was onward to the 'Class 12 Yule Ball' it was great fun, we all dressed up (black tie affair) and cut the rug, dancing to many christmas tunes as well as pop and even some classical things (I have to say, I really appreciate all my friends very aclectic taste in music) It was a really lovely night and ended in tears as I said goodbye to many good friends I have come to know over these past few months. Wynstones has been the greatest experience of my life and I will take so much from it and will never forget the amazing people I have met or the unique things i have experienced. I have been so blessed to receive all these wonderful things and and so incredibly greatful to everyone who has helped me on the way.
Love,
Isabella Barber-Lowell
xxxxxxx

Lifey life! (so sorry for the delay)

Hello all!

I am so very sorry for the lack of posting, but school and life in general has just been swift and filled with activities that have consumed me entirely.

Since my last post I have completed 2 main lessons, One philosophy and one 20th century English lit! and now we are working on our play!!! We are doing Shakespeare's 'King Lear' and I am enjoying it immensely! I am playing a few small parts then my main part is 'The Fool', its great, I love getting to be silly on stage. My character Is King Lear's better half.  I am, to quote Shakespeare "Lear's Shadow" the King relies on me for not only entertainment but for life decisions and love. Lear and The Fool's love is pure and real, they are even a bit beyond best friends but Leer really relies on The Fool because in that day and age (and if you know the story) it was very difficult to trust anyone. Basically its great and I cannot wait to perform it in a week! :)

We just did our C.R.Y Concert which is a benefit concert the school puts on for a charity called Cardiac Risk in the Young that creates awareness in youth about being tested for heart problems.  Young people with heart problems are very common and thousands die each year, because they simply had no idea. This concert tradition started a few years back when one of the teacher's son was out for a jog with a friend then suddenly had a heart attack and died on the pavement. He passed away simply because he had no idea he had a condition so his friends and family coudn't save him. I have to say I was very proud and honored to perform in this concert, I love doing charity work especially for something that helps children and young adults( not that I dont like helping older people, but its scary to think that this could happen to me or any one of my friends at any moment,  its such a relief to know there are people out there really getting into helping).

This concert was also quite exciting for me, as I had a solo, the girls harmony group I am in Performed 'Field's of Gold' by Eva Cassidy, at first it was terrifying, the though of having to sing alone on stage infront of a large crowd, but with the help of my friends and teachers I felt uplifted and supported the whole time. I love it here, and I know that leaving will be one of the hardest things Ive ever had to do, but I will take with me a feeling of growth and maturity as I proceed into my years at University.


Thanks for reading, best wishes to you and yours as we enter this Holiday season!
Feel free to email or message me if you want to hear about anything in specific! :)
Lots of love,
Isabella Barber-Lowell

LIfe is grand!

Hello everyone! I am so sorry I havent been able to post much, I have been swamped with homework and various after school activities. Wynstones is incredible, every day I wake up so excited and ready to greet the day, all of my classes are so insightful and I really feel like I am learning. At Wynstones, no one labels me or jusdges me, instead they inspire me to learn, and help me to achieve my goals. I have recently taken up drawing, I am very fascinated with drawing the human form and face and have never actually drawn before, I was so inspired by my art teacher and fellow pupils that I started drawing on friday and by Monday I was drawing pretty accurate pictures of people and different body shapes, art was a skill I never thought I possesed but Im loving it and next step is learning to paint!!! :) I am also loving school choir! although I  dont know the songs just listening to my fellow pupils is incredible, I will try to post a recording here sometime! My host Mum Sarah has given me the job of walking the dog in exchange for singing lessons! I am so excited!!.I have also joined the girls basketball team! I used to play when I was younger and havent played since so im still working on getting back in my groove! :p the girls on my team are soo nice, sometimes a little too nice so im gonna hel them become a little more fiesty and aggressive out on the court! :) (If you ever saw me play when I was little, youll understand this haha). Last weekend was a class trip to London where we explored many art galleries  , museums and even took in a play! unfortunatley many of us got sick but it didnt stop us from adventuring on and having a really great time with one another, it was definatley a bonding experience which heled get me even closer to my amazing classmates! ahh words cannot describe how much im loving Wynstones! I have never been to a school where I feel so welcomed and loved and I plan to enjoy and absorb every moment of this adventure to the fullest extent! Thank you again to all who contributed! :) xxxx
Isabella

First day of school! :)

So today was the first day of school, and it coud not have gone better! (unless of course if  I had also won the lottery and David Beckham and I got married :p) but really, it was great. I began the morning at 6am (if you know me, or  my hair, you know we take a while to get ready) soo I got ready, went downstairs, finished packing my lunch, grabbed some coffee and was out the door. I was soo nervous walking into the school, seeing all the groups of kids who had odviously grown up together reuniting, telling stories of lush vacations and general relaxation. I walked into the main office and waited for my class guardian to take me to meet my class. We walked over towards the upper school and I was able to meet my new classmates and they are all so nice!! its refreshing to meet a group of people who will immediatly be kind and include you! We all then went into a classroom and began discussing activities. We learned that we are going on a trip to London in about a week to look at museums and take in a play! Im really excited! after discussing the basics and the plans for the day we headed to The 1st grade were we met with our little buddies (it is a tradition at Wynstones for he 12th graders to have buddies that are first graders, so we can guide them around he school and such) we guided our buddies into the barn where we had our first assembly! (they call them festivals here) after the 1st grade teacher told a story and there were small introductions from all the teachers, we (12th graders) presented our 1st grade buddies with a Lily infront of the school. We then sang songs and headed out to our respective areas. All of the upper school met for morning singing before we went into a classroom to register for classes and discuss plans for the year. I have registered for Advanced English, Philosophy&Ethics, Geology and Art! :) (thats not including other mandatory lessons like main lesson) Once everybody was registered we headed over to the first grade to have snack with our buddies,We had hand made buns with jam and it reminded me of when the younger kids at Madrona would bake bread and deliver it to us with Honey butter :) After finishing snack, I headed off to my first Art class, It was really awesome there were like 6 or 7 of us in the class and we did some abstract cardboard cutting and drawing. after that it was lunch. Up until this point I was pretty quiet but I was elated to hear that some of my classmates are avid "Friends" watchers and we all got to talking about various subjects and common interests and such and before I knew it I had been invited to hang out with them this weekend! After lunch it was English class, a small class of 5 or 6 we were able to discuss books and subjects on a deeper level with less interuptions due to the small class size :) after a long English, lesson the bell rang and my first day at Wynstones was officially over. I am so glad to be back at a Steiner School, I cant thank you all enough for contributing, no words can express my love and grattitude for this incredible adventure!
Lots of Love,
Isabella xxx

Cornwall!

Hello everyone!
So, for the fast 5 days i have been in Cornwall, which is about 5 hours south of London, in the countryside :) my goodness, it is beautiful! everywhere you go your surrounded by the rich, lucious colours of the extensive country gardens and fields with a beautiful view of the coast. I am thuroughly enjoying myself, on the first few days we were here I got to meet several of my cousins that I had never met before, my aunt and uncles house was packed with the chatter and footsteps of up to 11 people reuniting and having a lovely time. My cousin Craig brought his baby Edie who has just turned one and she was sooo cute!! (If you know me, you know i spent the majority of my time fawning over the baby) we all had lots of fun talking to her as she dosent speak english but she is very fluent (and loud) in jibberish she was precious! :) After everybody left and there was just a few of us left we began to go visit some pretty cool places and explore the sweet coastal villages that surround the area. We have made trips to Truro (us girls went shopping at some pretty cool shops, one vintage shop was really cool!) St michaels mount (we splashed around and explored the beach town) and a few oter places I have forgotten the name of. :) Since weve been here my cousin Louisa has taken some nice photos so i figured id post a few up here, there are loads more on facebook but i didnt want to post them all up here :) soo i hope you enjoy these photos and are insired to see Cornwall yourself one day! :)
From top to bottom: #1 playing on the beach infront of St Michaels mount. #2 small coastal village in Cornwall. #3scoreee!! found this cute little bag at  car boot sale we went to! can u believe i got it for just 1.50 pounds! :) woohhoo! bargain! :) #4 some vintage dolls at a vintage sale we saw in the village. #5standing on an old rock wall by the neighbors farm. #6 splashing in the waves of the cornish coast, i lovvee the water im the first one in and the last one out always! :) & #7 modeling for my cousin whilst sun bathing in my aunt and uncles yard! :) 

Goodbye for now!
Isabella

London- sorry it took me so long :)

Hello everyone!
So the day after I got here I went to London, it was really nice I got to Explore oxford street and I believe the west bank near westminster. Louisa's uncle was attending a play at the Globe Theatre (for all those non shakespearers its the theatre he created so many years ago in london) so he brought us into London so we could venture around! after a much needed cup of Coffee and croissant at "Pret a Mangers" (pret-a-mon-jay) we headed into the busy streets of London toward the underground! first we strolled along The bank of "The River Thames" giggling and enjoying the various street buskers and vendors we were particularly bemused by a man who was dressed as a cat but only had his head sticking out in a kennel and he was singing it was really creepy but we gave him money anyway cause he put on a  good show :) the warm, sweet smell of butter, sugar and various spices filled our noses as we walked past food vendors selling fresh candied nuts, we watched the little man stirring it all together as our mouths watered but we carried on to the Globe Theatre where Louisa's Uncle Nick would be catching a play. The Globe theatre seemed just as I had read in books, with its circular structure and wood panels, it was beautiful! :) after Nick walked us to the underground we ventured on to  Oxford Street. The sidewalks were packed with the hussle and bussle of tourists, commuters and locals headed to various locations along the massive street famous for incredible shopping :) and if you know me, you know I lve to shop so I got right on it and enjoyed browsing and searching for bargains. I have become quite infatuated with the english/ european style its very classy but cute and always trendy! we walked around for a while until we realised we were quite hungry so we went to a nice little sushi shop (say that 5 times fast :) ) and had a nice healthy lunch! after lunch we set out shopping again and didnt stop until it was 6 and time to go home :( all in all it was a great day and I would love to go back to the city again soon! :)
Goodbye for now!
Isabella
p.s everyone over here calls me isabella it was strange at first but now im used to it, it makes me sound more grown up :) haha
much love to my readers!

Im hereeee!! :)

Hello everyone!
I arrived here in England safe and sound yesterday morning! the flight wasnt too bad i must say they had nice movies too watch, the only issue was I didnt get any sleep :( but I survived the day, my cousin Louisa and her friend Sala took me to guilford where we walked and shopped, there was a store called Primark which had super cute clothes and things and it was super cheap aswell! it is most excellent. must go! headed to London today! miss you all love youu! xoxo