Saying Goodbye to London

Ok, ok. I know this is like, 3 weeks after the fact. Sorry!

Since coming home, I have been busy studying for the LSAT, getting all my homework done for my online summer classes, and visiting friends and family that I haven't seen for 4 months. Being back in the US is great, but I definitely miss the UK.

I feel like my farewell post should be epically long. I could summarize my time in England, relive my favorite moments, list all the lessons I've learned along the way. But I'm not going to do that. This post is  going to be short. If you have been reading the blog, you know all this stuff already.

What I will say is that if you have the opportunity to study abroad, take it. And while you are there, don't party your life away. This may be tempting, but you will miss out on so much. Treasure each moment you have in that country. Try everything it has to offer. Travel within that country, and, if you can, to neighboring countries. Although I originally wanted to do a Eurotrip while I was in London, I am glad I didn't. I got to focus on the UK and Ireland, and learn so much about each place I went without feeling rushed. You can't do Italy in a week. You can't do Paris in a day. And you certainly can't Eurotrip in the middle of classes.

I really had a wonderful time in London. This city taught me a lot about the world, people, and myself. I can't wait to go back in the future. It may not be until I have kids, but I can't wait to show them where I lived, my favorite pub, and my favorite museums.

That being said, the first place I will bring them is to Parliament, which is where I walked to and sat for an hour on my last day in London (Are you really surprised?). I had to leave my apartment by 11 am. The night before, I had gone out with my flatmates to Nando's and then explored Covent Garden for a last hurrah. Therefore, this was the last place I wanted to go, the last thing I wanted to do.

The sun was out, it was warm, and everything was perfect. I spent that hour reflecting on my time here. And look at the view I had:

And at this moment, I started to feel homesick for London. I was so excited to go back home and see friends and family, but London had become a part of me. I will never forget the time I spent here, and everything I learned.

So, until we meet again, London. Cheers!

x

Forever Done With the British Education System

HUZZAH! I'M FINALLY DONE!

Although it was completely unlike me, I kept procrastinating my last paper... until 11pm the night before it was due.

But who cares? It is finally done! 16,000 words later, I have finished, and am forever done with this education system.

I would be lying if I told you I loved it. Sure, at first I thought I would! No homework? No tests or quizzes until exams? SWEET! However, after realizing that for 3 out of my 4 classes, 100% of my grade relied on my one or two papers, I was singing a different tune.

I will never complain about homework and quizzes again....

So after my victory lap around the Geography Department Office, I was off! Spur of the moment (weird for me!) I walked to the Globe after recalling that they have 2pm shows. And for £5, I got a Yard Ticket to "All's Well that Ends Well". And it was amazing. I literally had my chin on the stage the entire performance!

I've never had so much fun at a play. The actors really interacted with you, and you felt that you were just watching family and friends in their everyday activities. Plus, the open-air theater was especially nice. The day was gorgeous and warm out, and I got to see the stage be lit in "natural light".

Overall, it was a wonderful way to end my British Education....

CRUNCH TIME

So, in order to further procrastinate writing my LAST paper (!!!!!!!!!) I figured I would update you on my progress...

This, my friends, is 150 pages of pure awesomeness. And that is only 4 out of the 6 papers I needed to write....

That's right! I handed in my Museums Essay on Tuesday, which ended up being 4,989 words out of the 5,000 words allowed. 14 pages. Plus two more for a coversheet and bibliography. So 16 pages. Two copies needed to be printed, meaning 32 pages and a cost of £1.60. But the feeling I had handing it and and being done with that class FOREVER?!?!?!

Priceless.

Anyhoo, I just got back from the library, where I printed out these bad boys. Total pages? 150. Cost? £7.50. 11,000 words, printed twice since they need two copies of each paper.

Now I am off to hand them in, do a victory lap around the Geography Department Office, and then I will return to my room and crank out my last 2,000 words (if Oregon Trail doesn't get me again...) on Paleoclimates and how they were affected by Tectonic Activity, and what this activity could mean for our future climate. Yes, really. Whoever said Study Abroad would be a breeze was mistaken... or maybe it's just because I came to King's.

But by tomorrow at 12:30 it will all be over. And then I will have two days to wander around London before returning Stateside!!! Get ready America...

Living with the Brits....

Friday, April 29:

IT’S FINALLY HERE!! THE DAY OF THE ROYAL WEDDING! And what am I doing to celebrate?

Leaving the city and heading west. To Exeter. To stay with a host family. Not what you were thinking, were you?

At the beginning of my time in London, at Study Abroad Orientation, we were told that we could sign up to stay with a host family during our stay- for free. Those words have become to be holy here, so I signed up straight away. Forgetting it was the day of the wedding, I agreed to stay with a family for the weekend of the 29^th. And guess what? Best. Decision. Ever.

My day started at 6am when I left my flat to catch a train to Exeter. And already, Waterloo was PACKED! People wearing the flag as an outfit littered the station.

2.5 hours I was out of central London and in Exeter! I met my host mom and sister, and they were so sweet! Carolyn is the mother, and Louise is the daughter. Carolyn is a housewife, but before that she ran a country home (aka mansion) in Derbyshire (I like to think it was Mr. Darcy’s home), and Louise is 10 years old interested in history and math. We drove to their house down some very narrow streets which were bordered by hedges. So narrow, that we were swiped by an oncoming van! Luckily no damage was done- all that happened was that their side mirror folded in. The van didn’t even stop, so we just continued on our way.

Upon arriving at their house, I met my host dad, Tim, and my host brother, Peter. Tim is the head of the Physics Department at the University of Exeter, and Peter is a 12 year old interested in Physics and planes. Sounds like one of my really good friends from home!

After sitting down and opening the gifts I had gotten them, we talked for a bit, and then parted ways. It was 10am, and the Royal Wedding had to be watched! Tim and Peter went off to go model airplane flying, and Louise, Carolyn, and I went to sit in front of the TV. TV isn’t big in this house- the only one is in Tim and Carolyn’s bedroom. At first I felt a bit awkward being in my host parents bedroom. This feeling was multiplied when Carolyn and Louise patted the bedspread and told me to sit down! However, it soon felt like a slumber party. Here we were, watching the wedding, freaking out with every new procession- ESPECIALLY when Kate came into view! OMG HER DRESS!!!! Let me tell you, I am a stereotypical girl when it comes to weddings. I already have mine planned. Even the dress. I have three dresses that I picked out LONG ago. My first choice is by Anne Barge. However, my two alternates are by different designers. And one of them is almost EXACTLY what Kate was wearing! WE ARE THE SAME PERSON!!!! Gahhhhh!!!!!!!! What can I say, we have good taste.

After the ceremony and balcony scene with TWO kisses, we had some lunch, which was interesting. It wasn’t bad, but I didn’t know what to do. On the table was homemade bread, cheese, pickled garlic, marmite (GROSS!), ham, peppers, beetroot, butter, lettuce (called “leaves” here….) mackerel pate, jam, and various fruits. So. Many. Choices. So I lightly spread butter (really sunflower spread) on two slices of bread. On one I put ham, cheese, and leaves. On the other, I put beetroot and pepper. I folded each in half and ate them individually. It actually turned out to be good! Then I split some dragonfruit with Louise. Google that. It’s crazy looking. But delicious.

Upon finishing lunch (or “dinner”, as they say) I helped Carolyn clean up, and Louise went to take care of the rabbits. Yeah. They have bunnies. Carolyn saw how excited I was, and after having a laugh, told me to go help Louise. OMG I LOVE THEM. Two black bunnies, about 5 years old. We transported them from their cage to a pen in the yard. Allowing them to eat the grass and enjoy the sun, we cleaned their cage out, and then since the weather was nice, allowed the bunnies to stay in the pen until night fell.

After, we headed out to walk around Exeter Central. They live a half hour’s walk from it, and we spent the walk talking. I learned about Tim and Carolyn’s travels for Tim’s job. They have been everywhere! Including the US for their honeymoon! Really? Haha! It is so funny to me that people WANT to go to the US for their honeymoon! Apparently, this is because Carolyn did a semester abroad during University in Washington DC and loved the states. Cool, huh?

After arriving in the city, I got to see the Roman Walls and Gates (or those that survived), Hay’s Gardens (which had a giant TV screen playing the wedding ON REPEAT), murals of important people in Exeter’s history, the Cathedral from the outside, and then the underground tunnels, which we toured. I had to wear a hard-hat and crawl through tunnels only 3 feet high. IT WAS SO COOL! They used to hold lead pipes that carried water to the city centre in medieval times, but since the invention of modern plumbing, this has not been necessary. Very interesting tour though- the tunnels total almost a mile long!

Exeter Cathedral

Did I mention Carolyn was a history major in college, and taught British history before she had kids? Yeah. BEST. TOURGUIDE. EVER. She was truly amazing.

As it started to get late we had to head back for dinner since we were to go watch Peter’s cricket practice that evening. On the way, I was introduced to the show “Dr. Who”. Apparently we were watching it the next night, and since the episode to play was the second part of a 2-part episode, Louise filled me in. For 45 minutes. I couldn’t remember all the details, and was worried for the next night… I was gonna be lost!

Upon arriving at their home, we found Peter and Tim returned. Unfortunately, Peter had a rough landing with one of his models, causing them to come home early. Tim had therefore prepared dinner- Pasta, peas, and sausage. Minimalistic, but delicious! And perfect for us since we were rushing in order to get ready to bring Peter to practice. Still, we managed to have tea, and I got another history lesson from Carolyn, this time about British Revolutions (or Civil Wars, as they call them). DID I MENTION I LOVE THIS FAMILY?

O, and did I also mention the pasta had no sauce? Yeah, I know, side note. It was a weird concept to me, being Italian and all. However, Louise had a solution- ketchup. WHAT?! No. I couldn’t.

I did. And I am changed. Who knew this could be so delicious? Maybe it was due to the fact that I haven’t had pasta in 3 months, but whatever. It was good.

After dinner we drove down an even narrower road than before, and brought Peter to the cricket fields. For 2 hours I watched children ages 4 to 16 play cricket. And they all had British accents. Dream. Come. True.

We got back home late, so after the children had bread and Nutella with a glass of warm milk (a treat usually reserved for weekends, but allowed today due to the celebration of the Royal Wedding), and went to bed, Tim, Carolyn, and I enjoyed a cup of tea and talked about our plans for the next day. This was my 5^th cup of tea today. I love Britain. I also love the book Carolyn gave me to read- “1066 And All That”, a satirical book about the history of England. Fricken. Hilarious. That is, if you appreciate British humour.

Tomorrow is going to be a full day. Carolyn left the sitting room to go make the batter for the mornings pancakes, and Tim and I discussed educational systems in the US and compared them to the UK. When this was done, it was about 10pm, so we said goodnight, and I went to bed.

My bedroom is usually Tim’s workshop. No, not for physics-related experiments. For model trains. Jackpot. Guess who played with trains till midnight? THIS GIRL. Ultimate win.

Saturday, April 30:

We were to rise at 7:30 to start our day. After an amazing night’s sleep, I got up and was dressed, washed, and ready to go at 7:45. The family was still in their pj’s. Wow, do I feel out of place. Plus, I am the only one even remotely awake!

So I helped Louise set the table and had a cup of tea. Carolyn was making the pancakes, which actually turned to be crepes. Yes, pancakes in the UK are what people in the US and France call crepes. When they were ready, the whole family sat down to eat our delicious breakfast. I had another cup of tea. When we were done, I helped clear the table and load a wash, and had another cup of tea. THREE CUPS OF TEA, AND IT ISN’T EVEN 9:30! I LOVE ENGLAND! AND I HAVE ENERGY!

After packing up for the day we set off to Branscome, a small village about 30 minutes away from Exeter, on the way to Lyme Regis. (aka my hometown’s namesake). On the drive we discussed “the elegance of algebra”. Yeah, apparently “maths” can be intelligent. And no, that is not a typo- they say “maths” instead of “math” when talking about the subject. Yet they say “sport” when Americans would say “sports”, like, “Rachael plays sports like tennis and volleyball”, they would say, “Rachael plays sport like tennis and volleyball”. Or, “Did you just come back from sport practice?” This can apparently be taken as a plural, when spelled and pronounced as a singular. So cool.

Anyhoo, sorry for the tangent. Back to Branscombe. Which was on the way to a small town called Beer. Really. OK BRANSCOMBE! Haha, so distracted…. The village was full of houses with thatched roofs. Being members of The National Trust, we parked for free in a car park and were able to take part in many delights of the town. For example, we went to an iron forgery where they made marvellous works (which could be seen around the town), a small bakery and bakery museum, a mill, and many cow pastures. Which we were expected to walk through to get from site to site. And there were no fences separating you from the cows. Basically, I was thisclose to a baby cow, but chickened out on petting it since the mother was giving me a death glare. Given my bad luck with cows (when I was little, I might have caused a stampede at a neighbouring cow pasture to my house, causing the cows to escape… oops) I decided this was the smart way to go.

We then stopped in an information booth in order to get some good walking paths. And in the booth (which didn’t have an attendant, it was more like pamphlets in a shed) there was a bulletin board. Apparently, Branscombe had a Royal Wedding of its own on April 27- between two school children. That’s right. A school acted out the Royal Wedding before it even happened. And surrounded by the pictures of the festivities and copies of invitations sent out, the children wrote marriage promises on little hearts and decorated them. Here are some of my favourites:

After, we headed to Branscombe’s beach, and stayed there for 3 hours and had a picnic lunch. Right next to the beach was another open cow pasture. I am so fascinated by this, sorry. Anyhoo- Branscombe Beach. It was a rock beach surrounded by gorgeous cliffs, right on the English Channel. However, the cliffs on one side were red, and on the other they were right. According to Carolyn and Tim, England is on a tilt- the west part is rising, and the eastern side is sinking. This red rock used to be deep in the earth, but is slowly climbing. COOL!

White Cliffs

Red Cliffs and the stream

From the part of the beach you enter on to where we decided to sit for lunch, there was a stream leading to the ocean. A 7 foot wide stream. We crossed it when we first got there, but all of us got our feet wet. Laying our socks and shoes out to dry, Peter, Louise, and I made a rock bridge. This took 2 hours. It was serious. While we worked, Carolyn looked on and Tim flew a kite of his own design. By the time we finished our pebble bridge, 30 people had used it to cross the stream, and even a few puppies! Finally, we were able to admire our work.

After eating a perfect picnic on the beach listening to Carolyn tell the stories of Bonny Prince Charlie, we packed up and headed back to the village, where we walked to the top of the valley and sat down for a snack of Weetbix Oat Crackers and tea. Yeah. We brought tea. I LOVE THE FAMILY! Consequently, the top of the valley was an open sheep pasture, so guess who got to have tea surrounded by baby lambs? THIS GIRL!

After 3 thunderstorms crossed over us without a drop of ran the sky finally opened up, so we headed back to the car and drove back home. Upon arriving, Carolyn started a lovely roast dinner while I watched Louise practice her music. She plays the accordion. Yes, really. After about a 20-minute recital, Tim, Louise, Peter, and I watched their favourite show, Dr. Who. It is messed up. I was totally lost, but it has been a series since the 1950’s or something, and I watched the second part of a 2-part episode. Still, it was enjoyable!

We then headed downstairs for “supper”. Roast chicken, roast potatoes, carrots, and some green veg with Indian spices on it, all covered in gravy. Apparently they usually have marmite gravy, but after finding out that I didn’t like marmite, they resisted. How nice.

Let me say, Carolyn did a GREAT job. So still, almost at the end of my trip, and no bad food. SUCK IT, AMERICA! During dinner, I found that my host family and I share a common love- Monty Python and the Holy Grail!!!!

Ok, so first, quick review: I love Monty Python. Too much. I am in England, the land of the comedians that made Monty Python. On my trip to Ireland, I rode a horse named Monty. On my highlands tour in Scotland, I saw the castle used in Monty Python and the Holy Grail. And now, a real British family that I am staying with for three days seems to be just as obsessed with this movie as me. THIS IS THE ULTIMATE WIN!

Also, Carolyn and Tim met because of Monty Python. They were both educated at Oxford and met in its “Arthurinian” club. Carolyn describes this as both “an academic and silly club”. It chronicles the tales of King Arthur, and the members dress as certain characters. Carolyn was Marianne, and Tim was Tim the Enchanter. (How appropriate!)

After saying all of our favourite quotes (so basically we recited the movie), it was time for dessert. Carolyn had made Pudding and Custard. (Cake covered in custard). It was supposedly ginger pudding that was supposed to by syrupy. O MY GOD IT WAS AMAZING. Seriously drooling thinking about it right now. GAHHH! Must. Make. Anyhoo, by the time we finished, it was time for the children to go to bed.

My host parents and me stayed up and talked for a bit. And by “a bit” a mean 2 more hours of amazing conversation. We talked about global warming, Tim’s travels as an astrophysicist (he has been to the top of a volcano in Hawaii, which has an observatory on it!), and some of the theories he has invented for astrophysics. Yeah. Fricken brilliant. It is called “Tau Squared”. Google it. It’s amazing! And I got to hear about it from the man that invented it. We also talked about the BSE crisis (haha, just wrote two papers on that- but really interesting hearing a Brit’s opinion, and showing it backed up my theses in my papers), the “jab” (vaccine) crisis, and poverty in the UK. It was so eye-opening, and I really enjoyed it!

Finally it was time for bed after helping Carolyn and Tim clean up. I want them to adopt me. They are so wonderful, so funny, so kind, and so intelligent! They have opened my eyes to so many things! I know my program head and boyfriend and parents were worried about me staying in another person’s home for a weekend (they were worried I would get someone who would lock me in a basement or ignore me), but this was the best decision I made on my time here. How else could I have had an experience like this? AND FOR FREE?

Sunday, May 1:

My last day with my host family… I’m so sad! But only one week till I return to the States! Although I am excited, it’s bittersweet.

Anyway, today the day started off with a breakfast of homemade brioche, the family’s Sunday treat. It is basically a “cake”, but really, it’s like white bread. We spread jam on it and that was that. Two cups of tea later, we were ready to be off.

While Louise went to Stage Coach, where she learns to sing, dance, and act, Tim and Peter went an worked on the tree house extension, and Carolyn and I went into Exeter to explore the city further than we did the other day.

We first headed to the “Quay”, which is pronounced “key”. Don’t ask me why, I thought the Brits had this pronunciation thing down… It is basically a port centre, where ships carrying light cargo went to unload. We then walked along the River Exe, saw a medieval bridge that used to span the Exe, but now is in some grassy area since the canal system on the river made it considerably thinner. I then got to see “The House that moved”. Apparently this house used to stand in a part of Exeter that was going to be modernized. So, in the early 1900’s, the town made an effort to keep this medieval house standing. They were turned down, so what did they do? Raise the house, set it on some wheels, and move it across the city.

The Quay

The River Exe

The House that Moved

We then walked into the centre of the city and saw where South Gate, part of the old city walls, stood. It was demolished to put a road in. However, they now have some brick lain where the gate stood in the outline of the gate. We then walked by a ton of bridal shops into the city centre to see Guildhall, and then continued walking to the Maynard School, a “public” (meaning “private” in the States) school for girls. This is where Louise goes, and also where she goes for her Stage Coach classes. After picking up Louise, we headed back home for a quick lunch of sandwiches, where I introduced the family to my favourite sandwich of all time- Tomato and Butter.

After lunch, we headed to Dartmoor, a 45-minute drive from Exeter. This is basically a VERY hilly area with large piles of granite on the hills. Surrounded by wild cows, sheep, and ponies (Yes, really. There are no fences- they roam free!!!!!) we climbed the moors, specifically Boneshill (named for the fact that hangings took place here, and no one removed the bodies from the scaffolds, so they soon turned to skeletons and their bones rattled in the wind, warning others not to follow the dead men’s ways), and went Letterboxing, one of the children’s favourite hobbies. I found 2 (basically because I was more interested in taking pictures and climbing), Louise found 2, one of which I pointed out for her, and Peter, the little monkey, clambered over boulders and ventured where no one dared. He found 9. But to be fair, 6 boxes where in the same spot. So if we counted spots, he would have found 3.

Dartmoor- Boneshill

View from the Moor

After I made some pony friends it was time to go. It was 5pm, and Carolyn had planned a cream tea for us before I had to depart at 7:16. We were home by 5:45, had some tea, scones with jam and clotted cream (yum!), and great conversation. By the time we were done, I had just enough time to see the tree house before I had to go. After thanking Carolyn and the children for a wonderful weekend, I said goodbye, and Tim drove me to the Station. On the drive we talked about his favourite places to go for observatories for his job, and the best sites to go to for good data. The answer? Chile is the best weather-wise, but you can get nasty refraction from the stars. Hawaii gets the best observations, but it only has 70% clear nights, which is apparently not very good. His favourite place, however, is in Australia.

Soon we were at the station, and after saying thank you 3974539742398 times, I said goodbye to my host dad and headed to the train.

I cannot express my gratitude to this family enough for bringing me into their home for a weekend. I had the most amazing time! They did so much for me, and made me feel truly welcome. The children were wonderful, and I loved observing REAL Brits at home. It was truly an eye-opening experience. I would recommend everyone try to stay with a host family no matter where they travel. Not only do you get to see how other people live, but it is a true learning experience. I only wish I could do it all again.

But now it is back to the real world- with two more papers to finalize (and I have yet to write one of those two) it is back to the daily grind. And then, in what I am sure will seem like a minute, I will be boarding a plane back to the US. My time here has passed so quickly!

…and yes, I realize that all my spellings of words in this post are the British spellings. No, I have not changed my ways of spelling things, don’t worry. My computer is in British mode for these papers, and I was too lazy to turn it back to American English. But still, at least you get a “flavour” for the way real English is spelled! Ha!

Cheers!

The Gaudios invade the UK

Greetings from the other side of the pond!

This past week, I had the pleasure of having my family visit me in London! For two days, I showed them around the city, and for the remainder of the week, we explored the English countryside and Wales.

The week was full of stories and fun, however, I don't have time to do them justice with all the papers I must write. Therefore, I'll just give a brief overview of what I am saying. But just watch, even though I intend it to be brief, it will become long. O well. Read on!

Saturday, April 16:

Friday night, at around 11:30 pm my family arrived at our hotel in London! It was so nice to see them, but in order to have a full day on Saturday, we had to go right to bed after settling in. However, my sister seemed to be WAY too awake, so I didn't get to sleep until 3:30am since we shared a room.

The next day we started out at 8am. Yeah. Even with jetlag my family still wanted to be up and out bright and early. Typical.

So we explored the area of our hotel- South Kensington. Although the city is very clean, look what we found early on in our walk!

Who knew London was full of daredevils?

We ended up going into the Natural History Museum and the Victoria and Albert Museum. Although we only spent about a half hour in the Natural History Museum, we spent HOURS in the V&A. It was so much fun showing my family my favorite museum!

After the museum, we went and visited Brompton Oratory, then went back to the Albert Memorial, walked through Hyde Park, and then went to Harrods so Sarah could see all the high-end designers.

By this time, it was around dinnertime, so we headed to Piccadilly Circus. We stopped in a pub for a quick dinner, and then explored Piccadilly Circus, Leicester Square, and Covent Garden. First, we went into Fortnum and Mason, so I could show my parents the Queen's grocery store. By the time we got to Covent Garden, it was time for some dessert. So we headed to Snog....

...and now my family is hooked. So much so, my mom ordered the cookbook and an ice cream maker. Guess who gets to have Snog, even when she goes back to the States? THIS GIRL!

After walking all day, we went back to the hotel to rest up for the next day.

Sunday, April 17:

Today, my family basically finished London in a day.

We started out at 7am (No joke, 7am) and went to Palm Sunday Mass at Brompton Oratory. We then went to my flat so my family could see my room. From there, we set off down the east end of the South Bank, stopping at the Tate Modern and Globe along the way.

View of St. Paul's from South Bank

We crossed the Thames at Tower Bridge, and paused at the Tower of London. And then we found out that the London Marathon was happening that day... enter "Mr. Testicles".

Mr. Testicles in his glory

We paused for awhile and watched the marathon, taking pictures of some of the awesome costumes some of the runners were wearing. We then continued through the city, stopping at St. Paul's. After St. Paul's, we walked down Fleet Street, and I showed my family my library. We then went down the Strand, where I showed them my campus and Somerset House. And it was here, that my dad got hit on by a trannie. HA! Only in London.

After we pried the trannie off my dad, we headed over Waterloo Bridge and took a ride on the London Eye. It was gorgeous out and my parents and sister got some good pictures. After we got off the Eye we went over Westminster Bridge and snapped pictures of Big Ben, Parliament, and Westminster Abbey. We then headed through St. James's Park to Buckingham Palace, which is where the marathon ended.

By this time, it was 6pm, and time to get some dinner. We got back to South Kensington and went to The Kensington Creperie. Here, I had a salmon and spinach filled crepe, and it was possibly the best crepe I have had in my life.

When walking back to the hotel, we found another Snog. And had to go in. It was a perfect end to the night!

Monday, April 18:

Today my family took a 2 hour train to Dover, on the east coast of England. The White Cliffs of Dover can be seen here, as well as a pretty awesome castle:

Dover Castle

After touring the castle for most of the day, we then toured the Underground Hospital and War Tunnels, which are under the castle and were used during World War II. The whole experience was pretty cool! And even though we didn't climb the cliffs, we were still able to get a photo op in front of them from where the castle was.

Me in front of the White Cliffs of Dover

After we had finished exploring the town, we jumped back on the train back to London, and once we arrived, we headed back to Snog. Yes. I told you my family was obsessed!

Tuesday, April 19:

Today we left London and headed into the country. After picking up a rental (A BMW M3 Saloon) we drove on the wrong side of the car, on the wrong side of the road to a small town called Woolhampton, where we stopped for lunch. And I had pigeon. Yes. Roasted Wood Pigeon. And it was delicious! I bet now those pigeons will think twice before flying into my face back in London.

Pigeon for lunch! I dare their brethren to fly at me now...

Next we drove to the village of Hungerford. My kinda town- has "hunger" in the name. We looked in some antique shops and found this lovely road:

After we finished walking around the village, we headed back to the car and then drove to Bath. We got there around 6pm, and after finding a delightful B&B to stay in, we walked around the city. We saw the Abbey, the Baths, the Circus, and many other things.

Wednesday, April 20:

It was the next day, however, that we went into all these places. First we stopped in the Roman Baths, where we took the tour and then I drank the Bath water, which is supposed to heal people of maladies. We then headed to the Abbey and walked around.

The Roman Baths

Me in front of the Baths

The sign says "Please don't touch the water"... I'm a rebel.

Me in front of the Abbey

After this, we headed to the Jane Austen Centre. Aka my dream. Here we took tea and did a tour of the museum. The best parts? Tons of paintings of Colin Firth as Mr. Darcy covered the walls. There was even one in the women's bathroom. I still don't know how I feel about that...

The man that greeted me and welcomed me into the Jane Austen Centre. I have his shoes. I don't know who should be more embarrassed...

Tea at the Jane Austen Centre

"Tea with Mr. Darcy", the type of afternoon tea I ordered :)

After touring the Centre, we walked down the Gravel Path (where the last seen of Persuasion is set!) to the Royal Crescent, and hung out there for awhile.

Me with the Royal Crescent in the background

After, we walked through the Circus to the Assembly Rooms. Jane Austen walked on these floors. Freaking. Out. Then, for Sarah, we headed to the basement to look at the Fashion Museum. And we got to try on corsets and hoop skirts. The corsets were too loose (damn the fatties of the world), so we pretended to not be able to breath and took this picture:

After we finished this museum, we walked around the city for about an hour, and then headed back to the car. Next stop, Wales. Specifically, Crickhowell.

After finding a place to stay, we went into the quaint village for a walk and some dinner. We then returned to our Inn, which was across a small stream from a field of sheep. Who apparently don't sleep. But I didn't care, it was actually a welcome change from the squeaky brakes of the trains at Waterloo.

Thursday, April 21:

This morning we started off early once again. We explored what remained of the quaint village of Crickhowell. We then got in the car and headed to one of Wales's National Parks- Brecon Beacons. Here, there were many farms, cliffs, mountains, and waterfalls. We had a ton of fun exploring this corner of the world, and a made many sheep/lamb friends. Weird though, that they ran away when I got within 3 feet of them! HA!

O yeah, and I drove today. It's a miracle we are still alive.

SHEEP! (No "Black Sheep" shenanigans here...)

Reservoir inside Brecon Beacons

Proof: me in the driver's seat. On the wrong side of the car. And soon, I was to drive on the wrong side of the road. And everyone survived. WIN.

Mountains in Brecon Beacons

Waterfalls in Brecon Beacons

After we went through a portion of the park, we headed back to the car, and made our way back to England. Our destination? Anywhere in the Cotswolds. After looking for B&B's, we found one in the medieval town of Burford. We unloaded the car, and even though it was after 7pm, we headed out to explore the town in what remained of the daylight.

Along the way we met a delightful elderly English couple. It turns out that they are native Londoners! We talked about our favorite places in the city. Turns out, they were married in Lambeth Palace, only minutes away from my flat. They had lived in London since they were children, and it turns out, they were evacuated to Brecon in Wales during World War II. And we had just come from Brecon! What a coincidence.

After we parted ways, we found a lovely footpath through a cow pasture, and many quaint cottages. I wish I could live here....

One of my dream cottages...

The cow pasture that reminded me of the scene in the new Pride and Prejudice where Mr. Darcy proposes to Elizabeth for the second time...

You see these steps in almost every Jane Austen movie... and now I got to use one in real life! Ahhh, if only I lived back then.... wait. Then there wouldn't be plumbing. Nevermind!

Friday, April 22:

This morning we started off early once again. After walking down the Main Street of Burford again to see some of the little shops, we got back in the car to drive around the Cotswolds. After taking hundreds of pictures, we ended up in Woodstock, in Oxfordshire. In this little town is Belheim Palace, where Winston Churchill was born. However, just to get on the grounds and walk around you had to purchase a ticket. Which was around £15. CRAZY! So we settled for exploring the town around it, which, just as with every other village, was beautifully quaint. I mean, where else do you find cottages like this?!?!?!

Dream Cottage #2

After walking around for awhile, we stopped for afternoon tea at The Feathers, and before we knew it, it was time to get back to London.

Having my family visit was such a blessing. It was just what I needed. I wish it could have been for longer though- for Sunday is Easter, and Monday is my 21st birthday. Both days will be spent in a library, writing papers. How thrilling...

However, there are only 2 weeks left EXACTLY till I get back to the States. YAY!

Until then, I'll be the girl in the library typing furiously away... except for next weekend, when I will be staying with a host family in Exeter! That's right- leaving London on the day of the Royal Wedding. I'm getting out of what is sure to be the busiest day EVER. And I can't wait to watch the wedding with an actual British family, and see how they react!

Tune in next week to hear about my host family adventure!

Cheers! And a Happy Easter to all my readers!

Doesn't everyone know that "Study Abroad" really means "Euro-Trip"?

This whole "do work when you are in London" thing really isn't working out for me right now. I don't think I fully understood how draining writing 16,000 words is.

Especially when I haven't written a formal essay over 1,000 words in YEARS. My education has been limited to lab reports and article reviews. I am a Biology and Conservation major, after all. I don't need to write creative, thought provoking essays! I write papers based on fact, strengthened by using examples from peer-reviewed works, which are based on studies.

I am not used to sitting in a library for 8 hours a day. And I know that is not much at all. But I NEVER go to the library for work. EVER. This is because the library is a sacred place for me. I go there to enjoy books. One of my favorite places in the world is the original part of my hometown's library. In this dimly lit room is a fireplace surrounded by comfy armchairs. One can pick up one of the hundreds of newspapers located near the bay windows or just curl up on one of the chairs and read a book. To me, this is a library.

At home, I always do work in my room. Here, it is hard to concentrate in my room due to the fact that the building behind my room is having construction done, and the workers are jack-hammering god-knows-what ALL DAY LONG. So I am forced to find another place to work.

My library at King's will fool you- it looks like a castle on the outside. In fact, it was built to house the government's most important documents until a more suitable location was acquired in Westminster. I wish the inside complimented the exterior of the building.

Instead, the inside feels like a hospital. It is bright, with white walls, laminated floors, and the humming of florescent lights constantly inundating your ears. For the past 3 days, I have called a cubby in this environment home.

This has physically drained me in a way I never thought possible. The only way I can describe it is through a scene in "Hocus Pocus", that once-creepy but now funny Halloween movie in the States that says the word 'virgin' more times in 1.5 hours than I have uttered it in my entire lifetime (Shout-out to Mary!!!). You know the scene where the witches are draining the youth from the children, and the children grow older as their youth is sucked out of them? THAT IS WHAT I FEEL LIKE.

Still, in 3 days, I have written 7,000 out of 16,000 words I need to write. That means I have finished two essays- one with a word limit of 5,000, and one with a limit of 2,000. I have reached word counts of 4,876 and 1,995, respectfully. This amazes me- I have never been that close to a word count limit! I have even finished gathering sources for the last 9,000 words.

With deadlines approaching for the first week of May, the heat is on. But I fear I won't be very productive for the next week- my family is coming to London!!!!!!!!!!!!! I am so excited!!!!!!!! CAN YOU TELL?!?!?!?!?! For four days we will be staying in London, and for the remaining 5 days, we are traveling the English countryside! So, my faithful readers, get ready to be inundated with photos upon my return!

Also, coinciding with my return to London and the departure of my family back to the States is my 21st birthday! Usually people are excited about this milestone. However, because I don't drink, this is just another birthday to me. And what better place to be than in England, where the drinking age is 18, and they couldn't care less about turning 21? PERFECT!

...Besides, with the way things are looking, my 21st will consist of me writing essays (and possibly finishing them all?) and then passing out on my bed. Not due to drunkenness, but by the exhaustion that takes over me after a full day of writing. Par-tay.

So, tune in next week to hear all about my adventures with my family!

Cheers!

Dear Scotland: I am sorry I ate all your haggis...

No, really. Look at the title again. I think I actually may have. The gym is going to be my best friend this coming week.

But enough with that nonsense- time to fill you in on my second trip to Scotland! This time, I ventured to the capital city, Edinburgh.

Wednesday, April 6:

So I guess today marks my third international flight in less than a week- after all, I was just in Ireland a couple of days ago! (I know Scotland is technically part of the UK, but whatever, I flew from England to Scotland... I consider that international.) For a life total, I have now been on 10 international flights, and only 2 domestic ones. Crazy, right? Before this trip, I had only been on 2 domestic and 4 international flights!

My journey started at noon with a train ride to London Gatwick Airport. Whoopie! After getting through the check-in and security in a record 20 minutes, I was left to read my books for my school papers- exciting, I know.

Soon enough, I was on a one hour EasyJet flight from London to Edinburgh.

It was a beautifully clear day. Since I got a window seat, I was able to get some GREAT aerial shots of London:

Hyde Park and part of Regent's Park from the plane

The London Eye!

Westminster, St. James', Mayfair, South Bank, and some of Central London from the plane

And soon enough, we were above Edinburgh:

My first view of Edinburgh

Upon landing in Edinburgh, I hopped on a bus that promised to get me to Edinburgh City Centre in 30 minutes. So, by 5pm, I was in the capital city!

Following directions given to me, I made my way towards my hostel. They sucked. Luckily I found some helpful police men and women. Although their accent is no where near as thick as the one in Glasgow, I still could barely understand them. It's like they were speaking a different language!

Finally, I found my hostel- Art Roch. Let's just say it was very... eccentric. I was greeted by some creepy mannequins that were spray painted neon colors in my room. You know what else greeted me? In a room of 16 beds, 14 were occupied by guys. What? I knew it was dorm style, but really?! Luckily, I had a bottom bunk, which meant I had some curtains all around my bed. Thank God. With my luck, one of the boys would be an Edward Cullen wanna-be and creepily watch me sleep.

By the time I was settled in it was around 6pm. My friends Naeemah, Kerry, and Julie weren't getting in until the next day. I didn't want to just stay in the hostel and do nothing, so I walked around the city.

The Scott Memorial

St. Giles' Cathedral

Edinburgh Castle, or Castle Rock, which I could see from my hostel room!

Eventually, I started to get hungry. One of the first places I stumbled upon was a little cafe called "The Elephant House". At first I was like, "O, that's nice"... until I saw this:

The front of The Elephant House

What made me freak out.

Yes. I couldn't believe it. I wonder if people make pilgrimages to this place. I figured the girls would want to go here, so I resisted the temptation to get dinner here. Instead I told myself that I would come back here later and read for my papers. I had brought one of my books with me, and the place said it was open till 11pm. I figured I would walk until the sun set, and then head to the cafe, read till closing, and head back to the hostel and go to bed. Good plan, right?

... In theory. Turns out the sun didn't set till around 9pm. This kinda freaked me out, not gonna lie. Because of this, I walked the majority of the city... on my first night.

I happened upon a whole section of the city dedicated to Greyfrairs Bobby. Long story short, this dog's master died, so every day until the dog's own death, he guarded his master's grave. Because of this deed, this dog now has a monument, a pub, a huge gravestone, and a church dedicated to him. The irony of the situation? The dog's gravesite and church are on grounds where dogs ARE NOT allowed! If a person is caught with a dog in this area, they are charged a considerable fine!

Greyfriars Bobby

After walking more of the city, I found the University of Edinburgh, a park, and a place called "Che" that served falafel and doner. Queue dinner. After getting a falafel and hummus wrap with a decently large side of chips (fries for all you Americans!) for ONLY £3, I walked to Edinburgh's Millennium Park- the Meadows. I found a bench, and had my dinner as I sat watching a group of people play rugby with Arthur's Seat in the background.

Yum Yums...

After eating every last bit of my meal, I headed back to the center of the city. The sun was still out. It was 8pm.

So I walked the entirety of the Royal Mile, the site of Charles I's coronation route. By the time I was done I was wiped, as it was 9pm. So I headed back to the Elephant House. Only to find that they were closing when their sign CLEARLY said it closed at 11pm seven days a week. Grr.

So off to the hostel I went. I hung out in the lobby till 11pm, reading for classes. It was finally an acceptable time to go to bed, so I headed upstairs.

Upon going up to my room, I was greeted by a couple only 2 years older than myself. They were from Australia. We spent the next 2 hours talking about anything and everything. Turns out that they had both graduated from Uni in December, and have been touring Europe ever since! They only have 2 weeks left of their tour- Dublin is their next and last stop before heading home. How cool is that? They were super nice, but by 1am we couldn't stay up any longer.... so we went to bed.

Only to be woken up at 3:30am by 8 very drunk Brazilian boys. They deemed it acceptable to talk loudly to each other across the room, from when they returned till when they finally fell asleep at 4:30am. Boo.

O well, that's a hostel for ya!

Thursday, April 7:

After a late (10am) wake up due to the Brazilians disturbing my much needed REM cycle, I found the Australians had already checked out. So I headed to breakfast in the Hostel alone. After having some cereal and a banana, I was out- it was 11am, and I had to entertain myself till Naeemah got in at 1pm.

Castle Rock, or Edinburgh's Castle, could be seen from my hostel, so I headed up to it. I figured the girls would want to tour it, so I didn't go in- I instead snapped some pictures and headed back toward the city centre. On the way, I found a weaving and tartan mill exhibition, and it was free! So I stopped in and learned all about Kilt making!

Kilts through the ages....

Actual looms to make the tartan and kilt fabric!

Next, I headed to the Scottish National Gallery. It has 3 buildings. I didn't even get through 1. I have seen so much art these past months that I am quite sick of it.

Luckily, Naeemah had just got to the city. I met her at the station, and after dropping her bags at the hostel, we were off!

First we stopped at The Elephant House for a quick lunch. I had to pose with the sign to prove I had been there:

After lunch, we pretty much walked everywhere I had walked the day before. After finishing that, we decided to head to new territory- Arthur's Seat, the hightest point in Edinburgh. The city is built around hills and mountains after all.

Only bad thing? Although we could SEE the mountain, we had no idea how to find a trail to climb it.

As we approached a condo complex, we stared up at the mountain, utterly confused. We must have looked completely lost.

And all of a sudden- an angel.

"Do you need help? You look lost."

An old man with snow white hair and long nose hairs (this seems to be quite popular with old British men...) stood next to us.

Long story short, the old man offered to show us the way to the trails that lead to the top of the mountain. It was a 15 minute walk. He was the sweetest man ever, and it turns out he is a Londoner! He moved to Edinburgh 23 years ago, and told us a bunch of places within the city to visit. Upon arriving near the base of the mountain, we parted ways after he told us some good paths to take.

So then we climbed the mountain. I almost made it to the top, but the wind was so intense that I got blown into the side of the mountain when climbing it. I decided to forgo going to the peak... if the wind could push me into the side of the mountain, there was no doubt in my mind that it would push me off the mountain. I settled on being about 100 feet below the summit.

Arthur's Seat in the distance

Me on the start of the trail to the top... this "trail" disappeared soon after. Which made climbing the mountain difficult, considering I was wearing boat shoes. Fail.

Yeah, it was THAT windy. But look at the city in the background!

After climbing the mountain, Naeemah and I ventured back to the city. We got to see the Queen's official Scottish residence (her husband is the Duke of Edinburgh after all...), the Scottish Parliament (which is an eye sore), and this building- "Our Dynamic Earth". Apparently it is a natural disaster simulator. No thanks.

Me in front of "Our Dynamic Earth"

After exploring this end of the city, we wandered back up the Royal Mile. And we found this:

Chocolate Soup- home of amazing chocolate soup. Really.

Long story short, they had molten chocolate. But not just dark chocolate. WHITE CHOCOLATE! SO EXCITING! I love white chocolate, so I had to get a molten white chocolate drink covered in caramel and whipped cream. YUM!

We then headed back to the hostel to officially check Naeemah in and drop some stuff off. And I found this mural when we explored the hostel...

New best friend.

By the time we were done, it was 7pm. Time for some YUM YUMS! We headed out to Grassmarket, where our hostel was, and went into a little pub called "The White Hart", which is the oldest pub in Edinburgh- it is almost 500 years old! And it was here that I introduced Naeemah to Haggis, Neeps, and Tatties. YUM!

Haggis #1 of the trip, #3 in my life

And guess what? She liked it! Seriously, it's great. We stayed in the pub till 10pm, talking with each other and the nice German couple next to us. By 10 though, we headed back to the hostel- we had to be up at 6:45 the next morning- we were going on a bus tour!

Friday, April 8:

Today Naeemah and I decided to take a bus tour of the Scottish Highlands. Best £42 I have ever spent. Our tour started at 8am, and went until 8:30 pm. We traveled almost 400 miles around Scotland, stopping in a ton of towns, including Stirling (where William Wallace aka Braveheart had his epic battle in the movie), Glencoe, the Highlands, and Fort Augustus (where Loch Ness is). Our guide told us the history of the towns we went through, and local legends. He was so entertaining!

Instead of telling you all the details of the trip, I'll just put up some pictures. However, one of the highlights was taking a boat tour of Loch Ness. Did you know that this loch is 26 miles long, and holds more water in it than all the lakes of Scotland, England, Wales, and Ireland COMBINED?!?!?! Yeah.

...and if anyone asks, I saw Nessie.

Me in front of a Loch at the beginning of the trip... so gorgeous!

Entering the Highlands... this land was owned by Rob Roy!

Me in Glencoe, formed from the most destructive volcanic eruption in the history of the Earth!

Me in the depths of Glencoe. Yeah, it's huge. I wasn't even NEAR the bottom- I was at the edge of a cliff leading to the bottom.

Just hangin' with Nessie.

Loch Ness!

Me in Fort Augustus, with the cliffs surrounding Loch Ness in the background.

Highland cows- I call them Emo Cows. They're just so... emotional... *Shake head to make bangs get out of your eyes*

The Forth Bridge in Edinburgh going over the River Forth.

After the tour, we met up with two of my new friends from Interstudy- Kerry and Julie. They are studying in Ireland, and after meeting them last week, we found that we were going to Edinburgh at the same time! They were also going on a tour that day (we actually saw them in Loch Ness) so when we got back to the city, we met up for dinner! We found a nice Mexican place (which I have been craving like CRAZY!) and enjoyed some amazing food and great company.

After planning to meet up the next day early in the morning, we headed to our hostels. Naeemah and I found a little crepe stand on our way back to Art Roch. The crepes were £2. Hard to resist. So we relented. AND THEY WERE GREAT!

Finally, it was time for bed.

Saturday, April 9:

Today was my last day in Edinburgh, so after checking out of the hostel at 10am, Naeemah and I went to the Elephant House and had breakfast. I had stromboli- one was spinach and mozzarella, and one was.... HAGGIS and sweet potatoes! Haggis #4! YAY!

We then met Kerry and Julie at Edinburgh Castle, after seeing William Wallace....

Best job ever.

Because we were at the castle, we did the tour, and got to see the Scottish crown jewels! Very pretty, but nowhere near as impressive as the English ones.

After the tour, we headed to a cafe for lunch. Where I had Haggis, Neeps, and Tatties. #3 for the trip, #5 overall. Still delicious!

We then headed to the "New City", which is across from the Old City. It is not separated by a river, like London. It is separated by a train station. Yeah, Edinburgh is small.

After wandering the streets, we saw lots of shops. Including this one. At first I only saw the three mannequins on the left. I turned to the girls and was like, "Really, who does what the one in the green undies is doing? NO ONE squats like that!"

...and then Julie pointed out the one in the pink undies. HA!

Dear mannequin with the pink undies. What the HELL are you doing? Really Calvin Klein? Really?

Before I knew it, it was time for me to get on a bus back to Edinburgh airport! After bidding adieu to the girls, I hopped on and was driven back to the airport.

I had 3 hours to kill (security took 10 minutes), so I headed to the airport restaurant, where I got....

...HAGGIS! #4 for the trip, #6 overall. AND IT WAS GREAT!

So to all those haters out there... don't bash it until you try it.

And to Scotland? If your haggis sales go up due to this blog, I think I should get some of the profit.

Finally it was time to get on the plane back to London. Although I had a ton of fun in Scotland, I was glad to get back to London. Not because I missed it though, but because I have 16,000 words waiting to be written for my papers....

Wish me luck! (I'm gonna need it...)

Cheers!