Churches, Romeo, and Saatchi

Yesterday was one of those ongoing days, but it was really great. I had my GST and Theatre class, but after that things picked up. Amanda and I went to get Thai down the road at Boonchoo. I realized how much I am going to miss the food when I get home. I don’t know how everyone gives London such a bad reputation for food and weather because both have treated us very well while we have been here. We made a very flexible plan of action to see some of the very old, smaller churches in the city. I had 3 that I knew I really wanted to see before I left London.

After lunch, we made our way towards Fleet Street to see Temple Church and St. Bride’s Church.
Temple is well known today because it was the church featured in the end of the Da Vinci Code. It is really cool and has several effigies of knights along the floor. It was a really light church, which was pleasantly surprising – there is something about dark churches that really turn me off. Afterwards, we made our way down Fleet Street to find St. Bride’s Church. St. Bride’s was beautiful and it has a great crypt that was discovered during the bombings of WWII. In the crypt, you can see the remains from the ruins of previous churches that were on the same site. There is even a perfect place that you can see where original Roman pavement once lined the ground. I was so excited to see the layers of history under this incredible and historic church. St. Bride’s is known for its wedding cake like steeple that towers close to St. Paul’s Cathedral. After St. Bride’s, we went to Southwark Cathedral, which was across the London Bridge. It is a gorgeous church, but unfortunately, we were not able to go in because they were having a service. Hopefully I will be able to make it back sometime before I go back home.

After the small church tour, Amanda and I came back to the flat to regroup and eat dinner before going to The Globe. We got to see Shakespeare’s Romeo and Juliet! It was absolutely incredible and we got standing tickets to make our experience a bit more “authentic.” The performances were great, except Juliet was a bit below par. She was really awkward in speech and movement, but Romeo and the other male roles were so incredible that it made up for her weaknesses. It was possibly one of my favorite experiences while in London this semester.

Today was another Wednesday filled with art and theatre. After waking up to get a bit of work done and such, we went to meet at Saatchi Gallery. Saatchi is one of the best contemporary art spaces in the world, so I was really excited to see it. The current exhibit is called “Unveiled” and is made up of Middle Eastern art. I was nervous about this part because I didn’t know what to expect, but I was so impressed. Many of the artists were working to break the stereotypes that have been created about them. Many of the female artists confronted the stereotypes that surround women in the household, but they did it with so much humor! After Saatchi, we went walking in Chelsea and found a great place to eat called Trafalgar. We went on to the theatre to see Tusk Tusk. I can’t believe that we just saw our last performance in London! The show was incredible and very moving – we definitely ended the theatre class on a great note!

Thank Goodness for Oxford, Steve, and Protesters!

Well, on Friday I spent a glorious day in Oxford. I cannot tell you how incredible this town is! It was super cute and had such a great atmosphere. Once I got there, I immediately saw the building for the university history faculty. There are really great bookstores that I could probably spend all day in, but I knew that I had to see the actual colleges. 39 colleges make up Oxford University and they are spread out over the town. Christ Church is probably the most well known college, and it did not disappoint. The cathedral was gorgeous. I wanted to go into the library, but I didn't have the time for it because you can only see it by going on a tour. I sought out Lincoln College, which is the college that I would love to go to if I went to graduate school at Oxford. I met with the woman in charge of graduate admissions that I had been corresponding with all semester to find out more information on the college. I was so excited to walk through the college where I could be in just a few years if everything actually works out. I'm not even sure that I could get in, but it is really exciting to have it as an option. Oxford is a fantastic place and I definitely didn't have enough time there, so I know that I would love to go back one day, even if it isn't for school.

On Saturday, Natalie, Sam, and I went to explore in Camden Market. It was such a great place to wander around. Camden is known for being a bit outrageous and bizarre. There were a ton of shops and booths set up with clothes, jewelry, and crafts. A lot of the things being sold were organic and natural, so it kind of reminded me a bit of the stores you could find in Boone. There was a lot of booths with all kinds of food, and we eventually got Chinese food from one of them. I ended up making a purchase for myself, which was a pretty cute summer dress. We spent a few hours just walking through the markets. It was a gorgeous day, so I really enjoyed spending it walking around outside with all types of people.

Sunday was a fantastic day because it was the day of the London Marathon. I was so overjoyed to see so many (about 36,000) people running the 26 miles for such great causes. Natalie and I tended to cheer for a lot of the runners by name and I can't believe how many were named either Steve, Neil, and Dan. I loved the Steves because I cheered for every one that I saw. There were so many people dressed in costumes such as Santa, Rhinos, and Tigger. I saw 2 men dressed as Pam Anderson and David Hassalhoff with a Baywatch theme. There were even a few of the runners who were on their cell phones! We saw so many great causes being represented by the runners, everything from breast cancer to seeing eye dog care. A few of the runners would acknowledge you when you cheered for them and that was really exciting! There were so many people that came out yesterday to see the runners and cheer them on as they supported such great causes! It was so cool to see something so wonderful bring a city as large as London together.

We went to see Parliament in Action today! Sam, Natalie, Chelsey, Jordan, Megan, Amanda, and I went to see the House of Commons debating. After spending about an hour in lines, we finally got to the last part right before going into the House. Unfortuately, right as we were getting ready to go in, there was a small group of protesters across from us that started chanting. We were like what!? All of a sudden there were policemen that were surrounding the people and we found out that they actually were super glued together around a statue! So we were disappointed to have our line diverted when we were so close to going in, but little did we know the people were going to take us up to the viewing gallery behind the scenes! We got to go up to the gallery and see things that the public normally doesn't see, which was awesome! The House of Commons was more empty than I expected, but it was definitely entertaining. I never thought that debating over the budget could be so funny until I saw a bunch of British men cutting each other down about it. I also learned a lot about the Swine Flu during the session because the English government is trying to create a plan of action for what may happen in the near future. I was so excited to see the room that so much history occured in and so many great men and women have been in. I learned so much about the House of Commons in AP Government in high school, so it was so interesting to actually see it in action live. Afterwards, I came home and got a ton of work done. I can't believe that this is the last week of classes!!

Such a Quick Week!

Sunday was an incredible day! Sam, Natalie, and I went to Hampstead Heath to see the city from a park on the hill. It was about a 20 minute bus ride from our flat, so it was conveniently close to be such a beautiful area. It took us a while to find the right place, but once we did, it was breathtaking. On the way to find the hill, we walked through the great park. There were several ponds that people are able to go fishing and swimming in, which was really neat to see. It was such a gorgeous place for just being right outside the city and it helped that it was a perfect day. I could not believe the view that we had from Hampstead. You could really see the entire city from Kite Hill. I saw Parliament, the London Eye, Canary Wharf, St. Pauls, and just everything along the Thames - it was incredible!

Monday was a very relaxing day. I woke up really early to get some work done, but ended up watching a movie and going to sit in a park for a couple hours. I think that I made the better decision in that situation by taking advantage of the pretty day. We had our last Education Seminar, which is crazy! I can't believe that the semester is coming to a close so quickly. I went running with Zane, and it was so great to get out and get some endorphins flowing!

Tuesday was a pretty average day. I had my GST and Theatre class and then came back to the flats to do some work. I went running with Zane again today, which was excellent. There really wasn't much to the day, but I think it is just fine to have some of those!

Wednesday was really nice because we had a neat art class. We went to this sketchy road called Vyner Street which is lined with contemporary art galleries, but the average person would never know it because they don't really advertise themselves. We went through 5 different galleries, which all held some quite interesting and odd pieces in them. I've really gotten used to the work that makes my forehead scrunch up and makes me wonder what this artist was thinking while creating the piece. I really enjoyed it though because it was so different and unique. After art, we went to Angel to get ready to go to the theatre. We stopped into this mexican restaurant, which was the closest to a Moe's as it could possibly get in London. We were beyond excited, especially because they had free soda refills!! We went to the theatre and saw Parlour Song. It was pretty different to say the least, but there were a lot of really funny parts. I couldn't believe that Andrew Lincoln, from Love Actually, was in it!! It was so cool to see him so close because his story in the movie is one of the most touching to me. After the show, we came back to the flats and settled in for the night.

Today was not too exciting, but it was a really pretty day. We had GST today until 12:30 and then Natalie, Sam, and I went to the Swan to have lunch because we had a craving for pub food. They were going to work on their Sociology project, so I tagged along with them for a bit. We went to the park in Waterloo so that they could sit and watch people, so I just listened to music and hung out. Afterwards, I came back to the flat and just enjoyed the rest of the evening.

A Gorgeous London Day

Unfortunately, today was beautiful. We were going to have a day trip to Bristol, but we decided not to because today's weather was supposed to be nasty. We realized how wrong the weather report was a bit too late, so we just hung out at the flat and got a bit of work done today. We decided to take a break and enjoy a market. We went out to Convent Garden and saw their shops, which were really cool. There was also a craft fair that we walked through that had a lot of really interesting booths. I found a few really cool things there, but I didn't buy anything. It was worth just walking around and seeing what they all had. When we were through with our outdoors window shopping, we came back to the flat to have dinner and hang out. It wasn't a very eventful day, but it was nice to just relax a bit. Tomorrow should be nice, so we will definitely be going to do something fun outside!

War and Zac Efron

I have had such a fulfilling day today! After sleeping in a bit, I got up to go to the Imperial War Museum with Bo. I went briefly last week, but didn't have an opportunity to really look around and see everything that I was interested in. We went through the Trench and Blitz Experiences where we walked through models - it was great to see how the museum was able to bring it to life so well. The sections on WWI and WWII were great, but the cases were so full of things that it was a bit overwhelming at times. The Holocaust Exhibition was incredibly moving. We spent a great deal of time wandering through it and trying to take everything in. When we were finished with the Holocaust, we walked a bit in silence because we were stunned by what we saw. We came back to the flats after spending almost 4 hours there. When I got back, Natalie, Sam, and I went to see 17 Again with Zac Efron. I didn't really know what to expect, but I was pleasantly surprised by how cute the movie turned out to be. It was really nice to sit back and enjoy a good, cheesy laugh. Once the movie was over, we went to McDonald's for dinner. It is so funny how we have come to crave it, more for the ketchup and fountain soda! A lot of our flatmates are out of town, so we came back to a quiet flat tonight to just hang out and all. I'm not sure what the plans for tomorrow are yet, but I hope we get to do something fun in London!

Quick Week

I can’t believe that I haven’t blogged in almost a week. What a bad habit I have gotten into! But in my defense, these few days have really flown by. ☺ I will begin where I left off last time. On Saturday, I stayed in and did a lot of my work for classes. There is quite a bit due around this time of the semester, but I was able to get a lot done.

Sunday was incredible! I was a bit apprehensive about spending Easter away from home and family, but we had such an incredible day. Jordan, Amanda, Megan, and I went to an amazing church service at Holy Trinity Brompton. It was the family service, so there was an abundance of super cute British children everywhere! Plus, the music and service was fantastic, so it was a fabulous day to start out the Easter Day. We even got to meet Sam and his parents there, so that was an added bonus. After church, we went back to the flat and met up with everyone else before heading out to Hyde Park. There was an annual roller blading event where people dressed up like bunnies. It was hilarious, especially the grown man in a yellow tutu trying to be a duck. The entire flat, plus Michael, went out there, so we were able to do a lot of great pictures together. We also got a lot of great Easter portraits in front of the gorgeous flowers. We even got to wear Natalie’s bunny ears in some! After we got back from Hyde Park, we worked together to make a huge and glorious Easter feast. It was so great to have all 8 of us sitting at 1 table to eat a meal that we all pitched into. It was really nice to have a taste of home.

Monday was a fun-filled day at Windsor Castle with Natalie, Jordan, and Chelsey. We got there right before the Changing of the Guards, so we were a stuck in a large group of people, but it improved over time. We weren’t able to see it, but we were able to find our guards later on. We went and saw the guards who were playing in the band. We learned that the queen was actually there! We got to see Queen Mary’s Doll House, which is famous for being so large and ornate. This dollhouse even has running water. Windsor has a special exhibit on Henry VIII, and I got really, really excited. I even got to see a letter that he wrote. It gave me chills to see how he formed his letters and wrote his sentences – it reminds me how passionate I am about history. Once we went through the portrait room where this exhibit was, we went into the State Apartments. In case you don’t know, this castle has been a residence for royalty since the late 1000s, so there is a massive amount of history within these walls. These rooms were so grand and decorated – I was immediately blown away. I believe that my favorite object throughout these rooms would have to be Henry VIII’s armor. It is the closest to the man that I will ever be – I was able to see the curve of his huge belly, the size of his feet, and the width of his shoulders. I can’t describe the feeling that I had standing in front of his armor. There are a lot of really nice rooms where the queen entertains guests and such. Afterwards, we went and got lunch at a Wagamama, which is an Asian food restaurant. We went back into the castle to see St. George’s Chapel, which was incredible. Not only was the Queen Mother buried here, but Henry VIII is also here with his favorite wife, Jane Seymour. We saw the flowers on the altar that was there for the Easter service for Queen Elizabeth II. We were just a day late! ☺ We were also able to take our tourist pictures with the guards. After we were done at Windsor, we walked down the road to Eton College. Eton is where the Prince Henry and William went. It was really pretty and Eton looked like Elon! After exploring Eton, we went back to the train station and went on back to London.

Tuesday was a boring day that started with classes. I had quite a bit of work this week, so I came back here and got a lot of stuff done. Unfortunately, I had to prepare for a big presentation that I had this week.

On Wednesday, I met my art class at Tate Britain to see the Triennial exhibit called Altermodern. There was a lot of interesting work there, but I didn’t really fall in love with any of the pieces. It was a bit too edgy for me. After going through the gallery, I went to meet Sam and his parents for dinner in China Town. It was a great dinner and it was nice to see the Jennings. After dinner, I came back to the flat to get ready for our presentation.

Today got better once class was over. We had our final presentation today, and I think it went pretty well. I’m just glad that it is over. After class, I met Natalie and we got Thai from Boonchoo. We went to the British Library – it was incredible!! I was able to see original works by Jane Austen, Thomas Hardy, and Emily Bronte. It was so neat to see their actual handwriting. I saw some writings from the Beatles – even some lyrics from Yesterday. I was able to see music by Handel and Beethoven. I got chills to see a letter that Elizabeth I wrote to the Houses of Parliament. There were incredible illuminated sacred texts from all sorts of religions. Some were from as early as the 1200’s and they look like they were brand new. I can’t believe how ornate their artwork was. The best part of this collection had to be what was waiting for me in the next room. I got to see an original copy of the Magna Carta!! That is from 1215 when the people were tired of King John. I was so amazed to be in the presence of such an influential document that paved the way for the Declaration of Independence and such. I was really impressed with the entire collection. Next week, a huge exhibit opens about Henry VIII and I am definitely going back! We came back to the flats after spending quite a bit of time in the collection to enjoy a relaxing night. I’m not sure what I will be doing tomorrow, but I hope it will be something fun!

Hampton Court and Such

Yesterday was a pretty good day. I had my group meeting with Jimmie, our GST teacher, which went well. Afterwards, I went with the history class to the Imperial War Museum. I have heard great things about their teacher, so I wanted to see him in action. He did not disappoint me - he had these incredible stories in relation to WWII that just blew me away. I can't believe that I didn't take this class, but at the same time, I am glad because I went outside my comfort zone and took Art in London instead.

This morning, Natalie and I got up really early to head out to Hampton Court Palace. It took a while to get out there, and at times it was a bit stressful, but it was definitely worth it. Henry VIII built it in 1515 and they have some great exhibits on him. We started by going out into the gardens and the maze. This maze is world famous and is the oldest in the United Kingdom. We had so much fun making our way through it, especially because there wasn't anyone else in it at the time. The gardens were absolutely incredible. It felt as if the daffodils went on forever. The weather wasn't the best, or else I think we would've spent a lot more time out there. The palace itself was so cool, but it was so confusing to get around! There were so many great rooms and exhibits - especially the one called Henry's Women. It focused in on his 6 wives and his 2 daughters. We saw Henry VIII's apartments, as well as William III and Mary II's. I was really impressed with this visit! We came back to the flats afterwards and just hung out and relaxed for the night. Tomorrow is going to be dedicated to homework - not too exciting! :)

Wednesday Update

Today was a really laid back day. I had a fantastic lunch with Courtney and Lauren. I don't live with them or run into them often, so it was really nice to catch up. We left for art class around 1:45 and met at White Cube Gallery. The exhibit was really interesting and colorful. After walking through it, we continued our journey to the next gallery. The Thomas Dane Gallery had a video installation in which the artist combined 2 family home videos from the 50s and 60s. It was really interesting to see how he presented 10 different stories on several large television screens. We then went to Mythologies. This place was so bizarre! There was some pretty dark and twisted art here.. some which really made my head spin. I did thoroughly enjoy one piece though. This woman asked a few blind people what they imagine in their head when they think of beauty and then she went out and tried to photograph that image. It was really sad though because one of the men said that he does not conceive the word "beauty" anymore, so the space where the picture was supposed to be was blank. It was quite moving. After art was over at 6, we came back to the flats. I made my dinner and just hung out with everyone, so it has been a really nice night!

Here Are Some Pictures from Kensington and St. James' Park

It Has Already Been A Week?!

I can’t believe that I have gone so long without blogging – I am so sorry to my faithful readers! This past week has gone by so quickly! I will start where I left off last week…

Last Monday was my last day at Hurlingham and Chelsea for my practicum. It was a pretty bittersweet day. I have been able to learn so much from my time at the school, and I am excited to take these experiences back home with me. I had a few bad days there this semester, but I also had a few really good ones. It has been great getting to know what the education system is like here, especially in a school that is so different than any I have been to before. I am excited to now have my Mondays free though. Now that time is starting to really slip by in London, I need to take advantage of every moment. And as much as I have enjoyed learning from Hurlingham and Chelsea, I am really excited to spend that time elsewhere by making sure I get everything that I want to see into my schedule. This particular day was difficult in the fact that it was the first day back since a relaxing Spring Break. It was definitely a rude awakening to the life that I left behind for that week. After practicum, I had my Education Seminar class until 6. We got a quick bite to eat and then headed to the National Theatre for our theatre class. We saw The Pitmen Painters, which was well done and quite entertaining, but it was a bit drawn out. I was so tired by the end of the day that it was hard to stay focused during the dry parts. Afterwards, we just went back to the flats and settled in for the night.

Tuesday was about as boring a day as any. I had a presentation in my GST class, which we did very well on. Afterwards, we had Theatre and talked about the show from the night before. After I was done with classes, I got some groceries and came back to the flat and ended up staying here for the rest of the day. I just worked on some assignments and got my life back in order.

Wednesday can be summed up in one word: cultural. I am so excited to be taking part in all of these amazing opportunities that London has to offer in the realm of arts and theatre. I haven’t ever been able to fully engage myself in these areas, so it is a lot of fun to open myself to it in such a great place. We met for Art Class at the Photographer’s Gallery. I love photography, so I was excited to see what this gallery had to offer. There were 4 photographers presented, and we went through and analyzed them and talked about our favorite pieces. I immediately knew that I was really going to enjoy this laid back atmosphere of the 2nd ½ of the semester, now that the factual midterm is over. Afterwards, we went to another gallery that had a few cityscape pieces around London. I did not like this place very much – the building was ugly and unfinished, while the photos tended to be dark and gloomy. Not really my thing. I loved the next gallery though. Our group was invited to a private opening of Marcus McAllister’s work. The gallery is on a rooftop and is actually the location of my own fake exhibit that I have to come up with for my final project. McAllister’s work was really fantastic and we were even lucky enough to meet him. He gave us an interview and talked about how he got to the point he was at and where he got his inspiration. It was really interesting to talk directly to such a great artist, especially when he was super nice. His pictures tend to have themes that deal with rabbits and moons, mostly because they symbolize the passing of time. Time is the main focus of my final project, so I was really intrigued. After art was over, Amanda, Casey, and I grabbed something quick to eat and then went straight over to the Queen’s Theatre to see Les Miserables! What an incredible show with even more mind-blowing music that I had even imagined. I loved how it was a musical reflecting the French Revolution in a way that reflected the darker and poorer group of people. It is a story that I would love to incorporate in my class one day because I like integrating literature and history because it can have a powerful impact. The music was absolutely brilliant, and I see how it is one of the most famous musicals of all time.

Thursday was a really nice and relaxing day. It started out with class, but at least our group’s presentation was already over, so I just had to sit through other ones. After class, Sam and I went to Piccadilly Circus to do a little shopping and to eat in China Town. We got back just in time because we found Jordan, Natalie, and Chelsey getting ready to go to the primary school that Chelsey has her practicum at. Her students were selling fruit kebabs and cupcakes to raise money to help the rainforest. It was way too cute! Their goal was to raise £100 to buy 2 acres of land and they ended up raising almost £150!! After enjoying some chocolate and fruit, Natalie, Chelsey, and I went over to the National Portrait Gallery to see what it was all about. It is on the backside of the National Gallery at Trafalgar’s Square. I am SO glad that we went here because I was so close to pushing it off my list. One of the only possible true portraits of Shakespeare is there, as well as the only sketch of Jane Austen. There were also a great room dedicated to Henry VIII, Elizabeth I, and other Tudors. I saw Dickens, Tennyson, Keats, and even George Washington! I ended up buying a small poster of English History that I will be able to put in my classroom! ☺

On Friday, Natalie, Amanda, Sam, and I went to the Kensington Palace. This is where Queen Victoria lived before becoming queen and even Princess Diana lived here for a little while. It was a really neat place and it had a lot of Princess Di’s dresses on display. I walked down the stairs that Queen Victoria did when she saw Prince Albert for the first time – talk about goosebumps! There was a great exhibit on debutantes and we learned how to tie bowties, curtsy properly, and waltz. I’m still working on the waltzing part haha. The rooms were so amazing, but I really liked the gardens. We tried to sit by the pond for a while until we found out you had to pay for those seats… so then we went and had our packed lunches on a bench. Afterwards, we relaxed and people watched for a good while and then continued our day. Sam left us to go back home and the girls and I went to the Science Museum to play until we were to meet Jordan and Chelsey at 5:30. The Science Museum was so cool! We decided to see a 3-D IMAX that was a cartoon about flies going to the moon with Apollo 11. It was really cute! After the movie, we played with some of the interactive exhibits and saw what we were going to look like when we are old or if we were men. If that game is right about my prediction then it is a good thing that I am a woman! A few nights before, the five of usdecided we wanted to see Spring Awakening again because it was just that incredible. Chelsey found a special deal with dinner and the show for only £20, so we did it. At 5:30, we met at the Sway, which is this little hip club/bar/restaurant to have our dinner and it was delicious. Afterwards, we headed to the theatre and found out that our tickets were upgraded!! We were moved to the middle of the 6th row… they were perfect seats. The show was even better the 2nd time, if that is possible. Afterwards, we went to the stage door to see the cast come out. It was so great. We walked to Piccadilly Circus to grab Cinnabon and go back to the flats after a long and wonderful day.

I almost forgot all about Saturday. That could be because I did absolutely nothing. I slept in a bit and got a good amount of work done, which was really nice. We went down the street for dinner at a great little Thai place, but that is about it.

We found out earlier in the week about a Chocolate Festival at Southbank, so we went on Sunday. It was really cool and some places even had free samples! I had an organic chocolate milkshake and they put apple juice in it… it was interesting to say the least. We walked over to the Thames and sat for a street performer who was incredibly funny and entertaining while escaping from chains. Afterwards, we decided to come on back to the flats. We just hung out until watching a movie – High School Musical 3 actually. We had a marathon this weekend by watching the 1st, 2nd, and 3rd each night. I finally gave in to the madness of High School Musical, and I must say that it was quite cute and enjoyable.

Yesterday was pretty good. We went to St. James’ Park and hung out there for a while before we had to go to Education Seminar. Bo and I played catch with a Koosh ball while others lay on the ground and enjoyed the day. We went from there to seminar where we learned about Religious Education in the London because it is taught in their public schools here, something that I could never imagine happening in a southern American town. After seminar, Sam, Natalie, and I grabbed Subway and then went to the Old Vic Theatre to see Dancing at Lughnasa. It was a pretty neat theatre, but the play didn’t really hit the right spot for me. I liked reading the script much more than watching the production.

Today was just one of those Tuesdays. I had GST and Theatre where nothing thrilling happened. I did get to go to Alan Christea Gallery to see Ian Davenport’s exhibit. It was so cool! We have to chose an exhibit and write a criticism about it, so I chose this particular one because he uses great colors. I really enjoyed the simplicity and beauty in his work. I plan on spending the rest of my day to get work done, so that the rest of my week is more relaxing. I will definitely not let this much time go by before posting another blog. Sorry for the length!