I found my cup of tea! And so much more.

I apologize profusely for my lack of posting here this week, but I just didn't have time! This week was every bit as crazy and as wonderful and I thought it would be. Here's a quick recap.

Monday:

Tea at the Orangery at Kensington Palace. I had Earl Grey tea and Millionaire Shortbread. It was mahvelous, dahlings, just mahvelous.

When in doubt, pinky out.

I got my own pot and everything! It was my first experience with loose leaf tea, so after a few trial and errors, I had it figured out. It was so good.

 Monday night: As You Like It at the Globe Theater. My first play at the Globe was wonderful. I loved the play, the comedic actors did a great job and it was a beautiful night.

My friend Becca and I in front of the poster for As You Like It.

Tuesday was class in the morning, a walking tour about Jack the Ripper in the afternoon and a lecture about Romeo and Juliet at the Globe that night. 

Wednesday wins the prize for the craziest day. For class that morning, we waited in line to get tickets for Hamlet that night. We got tickets to stand for the 3 hour performance, but they were only ten pounds so we were grateful to get them.

From there I went to see Wicked. It was fabulous! They were all extremely talented performers and vocalists. Yes, they did have wonderful British accents, which made everything extra fun.

Apollo Victoria Theater, home of Wicked.

After Wicked I went straight to see Hamlet, starring Jude Law. We had to stand for the whole performance, which was a bit tiring, but it was incredibly worth it. Jude Law did a fantastic job as Hamlet. He wasn't too whiny or too emo or too angry. It was really neat to see him live and the other actors were also quite good. After the show, we stood by the stage door and waited for him to appear. When he finally did, two of my flatmates got autographs and I got some pictures. It was neat to be so close to a famous person.

Look! Jude Law!

Thursday was our day trip to Stratford-upon-Avon. It's always fun to visit Shakespeare's hometown. My favorite place is Anne Hathaway's cottage. It's a lovely place and we're supposedly related, Anne and I.

I don't really know too much about gardens, but I love the ones here. They are beautiful.

It was a gorgeous day to go exploring around Stratford.

Friday night was a little more tame: Romeo and Juliet at the Globe. Romeo and Juliet isn't my favorite of Shakespeare's plays, but this production was good. They made me a little less cynical about everything.

For this season of plays, the posters are these pen and ink like drawings. I really like the style.

My friend Sara and me ready for the play.

Note the new feather hat like apparatus I had bought for myself earlier that day.

So there you have it, my crazy week! On Saturday I went to Stonehenge and Bath, which was amazing. But I should give that day it's own post, that's how cool it was. And I really need that nap right about now. I'll be back sooner than a week to share how my weekend went.

Oh, one more thing. If you who are still at home reading this could do me a favor? About 15 of my family members are leaving tomorrow morning for a 10 day mission trip in Brazil. Could you keep them in your prayers? They, I and everyone left back home would greatly appreciate it.

Thanks for reading!

Cheers,

_Kt.

All the world's a stage:A week of plays.

Ready or not, here it comes: this week is going to be pure insanity! Today I'm off to Kensington Palace to wander around and hopefully have some tea. Tonight is As You Like It at the Globe. Wednesday is Wicked with a chance of Jude Law as Hamlet in the evening. Thursday is an all-day trip to Stratf0rd-upon-Avon and Friday night is Romeo and Juliet at the Globe. I am so excited! Especially about seeing the performances at the Globe. I have yet to see either of these plays, so it will be really exciting to finally see them performed. And I am ridiculously excited about seeing Wicked. I have seen it three (or only two?) times before, but never in a "home theater" like it will be over here. It's always fun to go with people who haven't been too. Hopefully I'll be able to see a few other shows while I'm over here, especially since shows like Les Miserables and Phantom of the Opera are still playing here. 

Let's see, what have I done since I last updated? Well, we went on the London Eye, a huge Ferris Wheel type thing that gave us an awesome view of the city and was a pretty neat experience all around. 

This is what the capsules that we rode in were like. They were pretty roomy and had benches to sit. But we stood the whole time to see things better.

This time the clouds really were closer!

I think my favorite part was being taller than Big Ben for once...

A view of London from the top of the London Eye

We then went to this movie museum place, which was quite random but really fun. There were a lot of fun pictures that came out of that:

This is me attempting to look like Alfred Hitchcock. I love that man... He was brilliant!

Here I am quite excited to see Sir Sean Connery. I love his voice... a lot.

This is me attempting to pose like Vivien Leigh... it didn't work out so well. To say the least.

Saturday was Hampton Court Palace, the place most known as Henry VIII's home. It was the 500 year anniversary of his coronation, so there were festivities in place to celebrate that. One of the most interesting parts of the day actually happened in the train station on the way to Hampton Court. We noticed a lot of people in their twenties all dressed up. Now this wouldn't be entirely strange except for the fact that all of the girls had some sort of hat or feather/flower in their hair. There were even a few guys wearing top hats. There were way too many of them for it to be merely coincidence. I could not figure out what was going on, until my astute eavesdropping talent came in handy: I overheard a few of them looking for the train to Ascot. Of course! The horse races at Ascot, like in My Fair Lady! I was so glad we figured that out, because it was really beginning to bother me. I am pretty sure that I would be content to just take the tube to the train station and watch all the hats and flowers walk by. It would be perfect Saturday morning entertainment!

My favorite part of Sunday was the part when I took an hour-long nap. I have to remind myself that even though I'm in London and this is the experience of a lifetime, I do have to sleep occasionally. I felt a little guilty about staying in my room and napping, but I was pretty worn out and the nap was so glorious that I no longer feel guilty. I still have about five weeks here (for those of you counting) and will have plenty of time to do all the things I want to do while I'm here.

Well, I will let you all go now. Thank you for being so kind as to read this! I still believe that I should not have a platform for my ramblings and therefore blogging is not a great idea, but it keeps you all updated, informed and hopefully entertained. Thank-you so much for the continued prayers and keeping in touch. It is always much appreciated. I'm off to have a PB&J before going on the search for tea. 

Cheerio!

_Kt

Cricket and Parliament: I fit in now.

Today was a momentous occasion for a plethora of reasons. I managed to visit Hyde Park for about an hour and then made it home via the grocery store all by myself! This means I have officially learned a few ways to get home and don't have to be completely dependent on other people all the time. It was loverly to be able to sit in the park and catch up on my journaling. It sometimes gets overwhelming with all the ways I am chronicling my adventures. There is journaling, blogging, facebooking, photos and then talking to various people. It gets crazy! I'm sorry if I neglect my blog, but I am trying to update and enjoy London all at the same time. But enough of that... 

Some of the other reasons today was so momentous was I do feel like I fit in a little better here, although it might only be in my mind. I've spent a bit of time watching cricket while over here and I am proud to say I now vaguely understand the basic concepts of the game. When I was here last time, I was not able to figure out what was going on. One of the people I'm over here with was able to explain a little bit about was what going on and pointed me in the right direction as to understand what was happening. I feel like I can go home content now because I have a grasp on cricket. 

The other more important thing I learned was how the British Parliament works. Sort of. We were able to take a tour of the Houses of Parliament, which was very cool. The man that was our tour guide was a grandfatherly man who was very British and very knowledgeable. I'm not sure how long he has worked there, but he has certainly been there for a long time. He called Henry VIII "a brute" and commented how the Queen practices for wearing the Imperial Crown of State by wearing bags of sugar on her head. We then got to meet a Member of Parliament. He was very gracious to talk to us and explain some of the complications of the British Parliamentary system. There is a lot that goes on that I don't think I will ever fully understand, but I now know the basic gist. 

We've also recently toured Westminster Abbey, which is grandiose and epic, to say the least. To stand in the same room as Elizabeth I, Bloody Mary, Mary, Queen of Scots, and then Poets' Corner... it's awe-inspiring. It is cool to me the way medieval churches are so huge and grandiose which forces the people in there to realize how small they are in relation to the massive building, never mind in relation to God. They just don't build buildings like that anymore!

Well, in true college student form, I have homework to finish and it's already 10:30. So I'm off to read about Shakespearean sonnets and respond in a journal entry... Should be fun.

G'night mates.

_Kt

Willy, Vicky and Al.

(My two friends named Sara(h) and I in front of the V&A)

Today was our first day of classes. I'd almost forgotten that I was here to take a class. I'm glad that I am only required to take one class and that it is only for 2 hours a day. Our class today was good. We worked out a pretty intense schedule that involves day trips to Stratford-upon-Avon and Oxford, two plays at the Globe Theatre, visiting the exhibits at the Globe Theatre and even possibly (although it is a remote possibility) seeing Jude Law play Hamlet. Suffice to say that it will be exciting!

I believe I have every day planned for the next 3 weeks. The are four girls here that are leaving on July 3rd and so they're trying to get everything done they can before they leave. Tomorrow is the Globe Theatre, Wednesday is the Houses of Parliament, Thursday is class and a lecture, Friday is possibly the London Eye and Aquarium, Saturday is Hampton Court Palace. How quickly the days fill up! When I first got here and was so incredibly overwhelmed, I silently questioned by decision to be here for seven weeks. As time has gone on, I've realized that I could not have just been here for three and a half weeks and seven weeks was a good decision.

Today I went to the Victoria and Albert Museum after class. We were there for about 3 hours and still didn't manage to see half of it! I hope to go back sometime and see some more. It is just around the corner from our classrooms, which is really nice. There are always people in the museum sketching the various works of art. Seeing them made me once again wish I had picked up Gpa Ruth's artistic genes. I would love to be able to sketch marvelous works of art in while sitting in the window sill of the fabulous museum building. But alas, no artistic genes have I. 

One day I will have chandeliers in my house... They will look like this:

Or this:

Or even this:

I am certainly planning on going back to this museum during my stay here. In other exciting news, I think I can finally navigate to the grocery store and back. And I can almost get to class and back by myself. Maybe by the end of this week I can manage. In the meantime, I'll be hanging with a buddy or two to navigate my way around. 

All in all, things are going quite well here. Time is already flying by, which is to be expected, but still a little shocking. I'm trying my best to take pictures and journal and remember everything that happens, but it's harder than it sounds! 

Well, I should be a diligent student and move on to the next item of procrastination... I mean go do my homework.

G'night mates!

_Kt 

I still haven't managed to have a cup of tea yet...

...but that's ok. I've been too busy hiking everywhere and seeing  everything!

Friday was really fun. We went on a hop-on hop-off bus tour. The idea being that you can ride the bus around while it tells you all about what you're seeing and you can get off to take a closer look whenever you want. (That is as long as the bus has stopped, of course). It was nice to be able to sit down and see London unfold as we drove by. It was really nice to not have to focus on navigating and trying to remember how to get places. Instead I could just relax and take mental notes of what sites I was going to have to come back to. As I predicted, it was a perfect reminder of why I came to study in this fabulous city in the first place.

After riding the bus for a while, we got off and took a short cruise on the River Thames. That was fun because last time I was here we didn't get to spend a lot of time down by the river. We got off at the Tower of London and spent a couple hours there. We saw the awe-inspiring crown jewels and the goose-bump inspiring scaffold site where people such as Anne Boleyn and Lady Jane Grey were beheaded. I love being able to stand in one particular spot and say to myself (or anyone who is listening) "Anne Boleyn walked here. In this spot. She was here." It's such an epic feeling! 

Honestly, I think my favorite part of the Tower is the Ravens. The legend says that when they fly away from Tower, the Kingdom of England will collapse. Well it's just a silly tradition, right? The British take their superstitions pretty seriously: the ravens wings are clipped and some of them live in cages. That way they can never leave and the Kingdom is safe. Hah.

I'm sure this will come as no surprise to most of you who know me, but at the Tower of London I somehow received a bit of a reputation for knowing what I was talking about... and therefore became somewhat of a tour guide/question answerer. You know, I'm really not very good at hiding my personality or thoughts (in most situations...). It was fun to be able to discuss with the girls I was with the stories behind the places we were visiting. I told them to tell me if I was getting annoying, but no one spoke up. Yet.

Saturday we got up and followed one of our teachers to Portobello Road. I was certainly a fan! Although the song from Bedknobs and Broomsticks was stuck in my head pretty much the entire morning, I thought the market was really cool. There was everything from obvious touristy trinkets to scarves, jewelry, lots and lots of flatware and teapots, books and even clothes. I could have spent all day there and still not seen everything. I ended up purchasing two new scarves for myself and a few other things that I can't tell you about... they may or may not end up as souvenirs for readers of this very blog! Hah. 

After lunch we headed down to the Museum of London. I hadn't been there before and it was an interesting place. They were undergoing renovations, so it was smaller than I expected, but I could tell they had redone a lot of it recently, so it was really snazzy. My favorite part was Oliver Cromwell's death mask. The idea that someone took his head (which at that point was no longer attached to the rest of him...) made a plaster mold and now it's on display almost 400 years later. That is amazing. That, my friends, is the glory of history.

Tomorrow's events look to be exciting as well. I am going to Mass with some of the girls here and then we're going to have a picnic in Hyde Park. I'm really excited about our picnic because I think it will time to chill that doesn't involve me sitting in my flat. I hope to spend some time with my journal and a book or two. It should be a loverly afternoon.

I'm pretty sure this is way longer than anyone wants to read... which is another reason I shouldn't be a blogger. But anyway, thanks for reading this. And thanks again for all your prayers and support. These last few days have been great and I know prayers are helping.

Until next time. 

Cheers!

_Kt

Fish and Chips: Check.

I am here, I am here, I am here! 

Sorry about the lack of updates thus far. I left my house in Orlando at about 8:30 Tuesday morning. I got about 45 minutes of sleep between then and about 8:00pm Wednesday night. Suffice to say that me blogging about my first day in London on 45 minutes is not the best plan. So I waited until I got a lovely 12ish hours of sleep and here I am!

The plane flight was long and sleepless, as to be expected. My first day was full of orientations and generally trying to stay awake. It was certainly a little overwhelming, but that is to be expected. For lunch on Tuesday I had the traditional first meal of fish and chips. I was a certainly a fan of the fish and chips, it was pretty good. Then we basically spent the rest of the day running a few errands and killing time until bedtime. I have never seen so many people under the age of 35 excited about an early bedtime! As I knew it would, a good night's sleep made everything seem much less overwhelming.

For those of you worried about me wandering about on my own, don't be. I still can't get from anywhere to the flat (apartment for you Americans). And for those of you worried about me getting lost, don't be. I have yet to try going anywhere on my own, to be safe and to be sure I get back to where I'm supposed to be. I've only been here for two days, so there is still hope that by the last day I'm here I will be able to find my way around...

I did discover today that I am about two blocks away from the Victoria and Albert Museum, which is on my list of favorite places to be in the world. So I am very excited about that!

Tomorrow we are going on a bus tour of London. I am really excited about this because I think it will make it seem more real to be out and about in London. It will also remind me of why I'm here in the first place and all the places I can go. We had our first class meeting today and went over schedules and such. I am going to see Romeo and Juliet and As You Like It at the Globe Theatre which will be ridiculously awesome. There is a small chance I might be able to see Jude Law in Hamlet. (Like the real movie actor Jude Law in person). That would be super beyond amazing... But we'll see.

I am such a nerd... but you all already knew that. When we were talking about the stuff for my Shakespeare class I was really excited about taking this class. We are studying Romeo and Juliet and As You Like It, two plays I have never studied before. I've always been a little bitter and jaded toward Romeo and Juliet, but maybe studying it in London will make me less bitter. It's just funny how nerdy I can be because I'm sensing that most of the other people here find the actual class part an unfortunate requirement that is a bit of a nuisance and here I am actually looking forward to it. But like I said, I'm a nerd and we all knew that.

Um... I'm not sure what else you all want to know. In general, I'm doing well. Like I mentioned earlier, yesterday was pretty overwhelming, but I think lack of sleep played a huge part to that. I am feeling pretty good today and am excited about tomorrow and this weekend, although I don't have plans yet. Thank-you so much for all the prayers and encouragement so far! It's always great to get emails or facebook messages from you guys. Keep praying as I'm sure I'll be needing it for the rest of my time here! You know me, strange places and strange faces can wear on me sometimes. But so far, I can see potential and I can see where God is working. I am so grateful for my family and friends and the support you all are. Without you, this would be impossible! 

Ok, I'm waxing eloquent and sappy. That's my cue to leave. Thanks again for reading.

Cheerio!

Kt

I am underweight: 13 hours and counting.

I've done it. I have packed for six weeks in London in two bags, less than 50 pounds each and one carry on, 11.8 pounds and one purse, which will hold my computer.It actually was easier than I anticipated. The clothes all fit in the purple duffel bag (weighing in at 25 pounds). The orange suitcase has a bunch of really heavy books, a rain coat and a few other necessities. Being the heaviest bag (37 pounds), it reminds me again of the disadvantages of being such a bibliophile. Books are seriously the heaviest thing in the world to pack and move places. Yes, I am aware that there are books over there. But I am not sure what sort of books, how much I will have to pay for them and what sort of books are in the library for me. Just to be safe I brought along my own. It's difficult for me to travel without books... they are certainly a comfort to me. 

Speaking of which, to answer a burning question in some of your minds (ok, maybe just my mother's mind): yes my baby blanket is coming with me. But no, the teddy bear is not. I also have a small photo album featuring some of my favorite photos of my friends and family to keep me company whilst traveling overseas. 

Tomorrow morning Dad and I will leave the house at 8:45am to go to the Orlando airport. I leave Orlando around 10:45am and arrive in Chicago around 12:45 our time, 11:45 their time. My plane leaves Chicago at 6:00pm to fly to London. I will have ample time to become acquainted with the Chicago airport, to say the least. At 6:00pm I will board my plane to London and arrive in London Wednesday morning at 8am... London time. Which will be approximately 1am for me. Then a host of activities will take place, most of which involve orientating myself with my new residence, roommates, school and trying to be semi-awake to retain all the information given to me.

I'm not sure when I will be able to update again, but I will as soon as I can to let you all know I arrived safely. Until then and even then, any and all prayers would be much appreciated. I'm pretty confident about tomorrow's adventure because flying alone has become a habit for me, flying back and forth from school to home. But as time goes on, I will be more and more tired and less and less confident. So prayers are extremely welcome!

Well, I suppose that's all for me! This world-traveler is going to try to get to bed by 10 tonight to be ready for tomorrow. It'll be hard for this night owl, but I'm going to make the effort.

See you on the other side of the pond!

_Kt

New Shoes: 4 days and Counting.

Today Mom and I ran a few errands after dinner for London related supplies. By far the most exciting purchase was a new pair of shoes: Converse, to be exact.

These are a crazy fun print which I think is technically called crazy hippie. They make my feet, which are already pretty big anyway, look ginormous. The general consensus around my house is that they're cool but it is just weird to see me wearing closed toe shoes. In fact, I also had to purchase some socks to wear, since I didn't really own any.

This would be my actual feet enclosed by shoes. And my really messy room in the background, but that's another story for another time.

My other exciting purchase was a new bag to carry stuff around in (obviously...since that is the purpose of a bag). 

Suffice to say I will not lose this bag easily. It's not too epic and should be nice to sling on my shoulder and carry through the streets of London.

For anyone who is keeping track, that means that I will be wearing my Converse and this bag all at the same time. As well as whatever outfit I have picked for that day...

The clashing is glorious, to say the least.

That's about all I have for you tonight. I'm pretty sure this blog will get more exciting once I'm actually in London. But I can't make any promises. 

4 Days and counting.

_Kt

T-Minus One Week.

On today's to-do list: create a blog. Check.

I leave one week from today and cannot believe it's time to go already. I have a list of things I need between now and then and probably should start packing soon, since it is going to take a while for me to fit six weeks worth of clothing and such into two bags that are airplane approved. I have read plenty of helpful books and tips, so I'm sure I can do it. Maybe. 

Frankly, I'm not sure what else you all (whomever you may be) want to know at this point. So I'll run down the basics. I'm going to London to study for six weeks (June 9-July 28). I will be taking two classes: Shakespeare and The Sociology of British Popular Music (that's the Beatles part). I am ridiculously excited as studying in London is definitely a dream of mine. I have no problem admitting that I am enamored with England and the people there. They talk with awesome accents, have a history that spans longer than 250 years, have castles, free museums and have a designated tea time. I can't imagine what more someone could want in life... Although I'm sure there are many things I am leaving out. Just let me live in my fantasy world for a bit longer. I will be snapped out of it, I know.

Ok, I'm going to stop rambling now. If you don't know this about me already, I tend to ramble. And use ... way too much. And say things like "so" too much. And cannot spell to save my life. And begin my sentences with and. And end my sentences with prepositions. I apologize now for giving English majors a bad name for representing them so poorly. Just know I am a horrid English major anyway and most of them write much more properly than I do. 

Well, that's all for now. Thanks for reading! 

_Kt