New York, New York, Beware! Nineteen R.E. students hit the streets of the Big Apple, keen to get a taste of stateside life.

Upon departure, Mrs Parker seemed calm and collected, Mr Hopkins seemed cheeky with his smile beaming out from under his green beanie hat, and the pupils seemed less than tuneful, singing and chatting loudly behind the groaning teachers at the front of the coach.

Our first day in the ‘Big Apple’ began bright and early with a 4 hour guided coach tour, including visits to St John’s Cathedral, the Islamic Cultural Centre, the eerie sight of Ground Zero, and St Paul’s Chapel. Even Mrs Parker was behaving at this point, but that was soon to change.

A Buddhist temple in Chinatown uncovered her naughty side; after a few cheesy-grinned photos in the back room of the temple, we took one or two at the front. Suddenly we were confronted by a small Chinese lady, and we didn’t need to speak the language to tell she was feeling aggressive. We all thought it would be best to make a swift exit, more a getaway than a Chinese takeaway, and really we were ‘chucked’ out, though Mrs P insisted it was ‘leaving because we felt the need to.’ After that exciting escapade, we shopped in Chinatown, buying Mrs Parker a small Buddha ornament to help her remember the eventful day she’d had.

Mr Hopkins wasn’t forgotten either; he received a beautiful hat and gloves set, since it was fairly cold, and he’s a little short of insulation on his head! On our way back to the Subway, Mrs P tripped and fell, grabbing at Nia Holbrook to save herself. Nia’s self-defence instincts were engaged, as she thought she was being mugged, and was utterly confused when she turned around to see her RE teacher sprawled on the floor.

It was an eventful day that hadn’t yet ended; there was time for Mr Hopkins to lead us onto the wrong subway,sending us on the express train to Brooklyn Bridge, and in completely the opposite direction to the one we needed.

Mrs Parker too, hadn’t finished her adventures for the day, and bravely checked that everyone was off the train while almost getting squished between the automatic doors! She still blames the Buddha ornament for all her bad luck that day. That’s gratitude for you! It wasn’t always Mrs Parker who was centre of attention, though, as Naomi Morgan set herself the target of having photos with as many men in as many different places as she could. At least, that was her excuse.

Ice skating provided Mrs Parker with another chance to create chaos, knocking children down randomly and colliding with Mr Hopkins and Elle Ash. We braved the waves and sea sickness on a boat tour around the Statue of Liberty, then split up to either watch ‘Chicago’ or go shopping and visit Planet Hollywood in the evening. We came home tired, thrilled, and (somehow!) all in one piece!

Thanks to Mrs Parker and Mr Hopkins for entertaining (and educating) us so well!