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