Citizen 11th November 2011 - the City of London School

Geography trip to Iceland
By JACK FARKAS J6MJW
Our first full day in the land of ice and fire began by visiting two
of the main waterfalls on the south coast. We walked around the
back of the Seljalandfoss waterfall, and right up to the bulging
cloud of spray from the Skogarfoss waterfall – certain unnamed
members emerged thoroughly
soaked and satisfied. With our
faithful guides at the helm we
rode on to the Solheimajökull
glacier, and were able to slip
and slide over the crystal ice at
its snout, being sure to avoid
any hidden crevasses, and soak
up the landscape the retreating
glacier provided in all its glory.
Finally we visited the coastal
landforms at Vik, and climbed
the extraordinary basalt pillars
formed at the water’s edge.
Day two involved us visiting the three points of ‘the Golden
Triangle’, firstly the Gullfoss waterfall, a writhing mass of water
significantly larger than those from the first day. Next to Geysir
– bubbling pools of boiling water, which erupts every 5 minutes,
sending a huge column of boiling water more than 20m high,
an occasion where quick-reaction quality photo taking was at its
most valuable. Thirdly to the Þingvellir, which marks the crest of
the Mid-Atlantic Ridge, where the North American and Eurasian
Interview: Miss Kidwell
By CHARLIE CARTIGLIA J6NPM
The Citizen: You joined CLS in September to teach French and
Spanish. Tell us more...
Miss Kidwell: I taught at St. George’s English school, Cologne
for five years and prior to that St. John’s School, Leatherhead, in
Surrey. Teaching at St. John’s was quite similar to teaching here,
although I would say that the boys here are more able.
The Citizen: Tell us about living in Germany. Is it
better than London?
Miss Kidwell: There were certain things I missed
about English culture in Cologne. What struck me
was how much more polite English people are in
opening doors, saying “please” and “thank you” etc.
In Cologne there was more of a push and shove
mentality: I remember on a bus how people were
pushing to getting in while others were elbowing
furiously to get off. I also missed the food.
The Citizen: In which language do you think?
Miss Kidwell: It’s basically whatever comes out first. I find
myself saying words in English, French, German and Spanish.
It was actually quite tricky because in Germany I had a group
of Spanish and Latin American friends, so I spoke a bit of Span-
Deutsch and Spanglish.
The Citizen: Where did the passion for foreign languages come
from?
Miss Kidwell: I’m half Spanish and I was brought up bilingually.
citizenschool 3
Plates drift apart from each other and create sizable drops into
the unknown. This area is also home to Iceland’s largest natural
lake and a cultural landmark as these grassy plains were where
parliament was first set up in 930.
Day three saw us take the ferry out to Heimey, one of the
Westman Islands just off the south coast, where the Eldfell
volcano last erupted in 1973. The climb to the top of the 200m
cone was not one for the faint hearted, and we worked up a
sweat on its ascent in the surprisingly pleasant weather for late
October. However once this was achieved, the views were nothing
short of spectacular, looking out
at the green mounds protruding
from the icy sea, overlooking the
multicoloured roofs from Heimey’s
small settlement. A hard day’s
work, from which we retreated
readily to our cosy country cabins.
Our fourth and final day in
Iceland came and went in a flash
and a brief morning tour of the
capital Reykjavik. We visited the
Hallgrimskirkja cathedral (which
coincidentally holds a similar
though slightly less spectacular
organ than our own Great Hall), giving us a birds-eye-view of the
city. A relaxing afternoon was brought about by a few hours in the
famous Blue Lagoon, a geothermal spa whose steamy waters are
part of lava formation and rich with silicon and sulphur. Despite
the smell the warm waters were enough to soothe any worries
and round off a wonderful trip. A more than substantial feast
followed by a round of bowling sent us off to bed for an early 4am
rise for our trip back to Heathrow.
I spent five weeks every year during the summer in a small village
south of Barcelona in Spain when I was a child - my uncle was
the parish priest there. I pursued French, Spanish and German at
university in one degree, which for me was very stimulating.
The Citizen: Do you have a favourite musical genre?
Miss Kidwell: I love singing, musical theatre, and YES I love
Andrew Lloyd Weber, but my favourite music is from the ‘70s,
‘40s and early ‘50s - Judy Garland was my idol when I was
younger. As a matter of fact I was also the teacher for five years
of the daughter of the woman presenter of the Eurovision Song
Contest. I also taught the son of one of the male presenters, so
obviously I had to go along to the Dusseldorf Eurovision
contest which was very enjoyable!
The Citizen: You were on “The Bill”. What was it like
being a professional actress?
Miss Kidwell: I’d always wanted to be an actress, and
before going to Germany I got myself a couple of agents.
Through these agents I found some roles as an extra. I was
in the opening sequence as an injured car driver. I did get a
more exciting role on “Eastenders”. I was a young mother
who had to send her child to Santa (Colin Mitchell) to get
a present. I was also in “Cassandra’s Dream” which starred Ewan
Mcgregor and Colin Farrell. It was Woody Allen’s summer project
and he was being short, eating donuts and drinking coffee, quite
stereotypically (laughs). I was texted while I was in Germany:
my agent asked me if I could do a minor role in the latest “Pirates
of the Carribean” but I didn’t reply. I was going to be in “The
Holiday” as well with Jude Law, but they said they were looking
for someone older (laughs).
The Citizen: Tell us a joke.
Miss Kidwell: Shall I tell you the joke about the butter? I’d
better not. You’ll only spread it.
thecitizen 11 November 2011