Wait, what just happened?

Wow. This is it. I can't believe the semester is over. Time goes by too fast! I still remember that moment when I was driving from the train station to the Centre in my first taxi in London. It's like it just happened yesterday! And what a day it has been.

Over the course of the semester I took five classes, saw a history-making snow storm, saw 14 stage productions, saw one of the great wonders of the world, traveled to five countries, walked in some of the steps of the modern world's greatest events, saw some of the greatest art in the world, and made some of my greatest friends who I will forever be close to. I'd say these last few months were a great success.

I learned a lot about myself this semester and who I am. I also realized a lot about who I want to be. I arrived into a country I'd never been before and moved in with 45 people I didn't know. I was a little nervous. But very quickly, I had a family and a home across the pond. We had some hard times and a lot of fun times. We grew and learned together. I'll never forget this amazing experience and will be forever different because of it. I was given the chance to see another culture and spend time with them. I saw the differences in our cultures as well as the similarities. I realized the greatness of my country as well as its untapped potential. I realized how small the world is and how much we rely on each other. Just because we dress differently or speak differently, doesn't mean we're not alike. I come away from this experience having the desire to strengthen individual cultures and their unique traits, as well as connect us all together as people on this very small earth. For those who might read this when trying to decide whether to go on a Study Abroad or something similar themselves, I have one word to say to you: GO! You'll never have the opportunity like this again. Take advantage and do everything you can while there. No matter what it costs or what you have to sacrifice to get there, this is a dream you don't want to leave unlived.

Three months ago I came to London excited for my future. Now I leave London, once again, excited for my future.

I'll See That!

On Saturday a really interesting thing happened, and it reminded me of something I've been doing all semester: going to see theatre productions. After all, this is London, one of the greatest places to see live theatre. I counted up, and in three months I saw 14 shows, and two of them twice, so a total of 16 productions. That might seem like a lot, but it wasn't near enough for me. I love theatre and seeing these incredible shows and how well they were done was just amazing. And I discovered new shows that I actually liked better than the mainstream really popular ones. I was surprised at that. But I learned a lot about theatre and it made me motivated to go direct a new show!

There were a few shows that stood out to me. One was a small production of Uncle Vanya by Anton Chehov. He's a very famous playwright with some of the most inspiring and difficult productions available. Many directors purposely shy away from his work because they're afraid to undertake it. So when I heard we were going as a group to go see this in London, I was so excited. I have read a few plays from Chehov and love his work. This production was done in the round and only had seating for about 60-70 people, so it was really small. I loved the performance. It was very intense and I felt connected to a lot of the characters. The motivations for the characters were evident and each actor played their part well. Seeing a Chehov play, and seeing it done well, was one of the highlights of my theatre going experience.

Another show I absolutely fell in love with was a comedy called 39 Steps. It's a remake of the famous Alfred Hitchcock film, but instead of a thriller they turned it into a comedy. It was one of the funniest things I've ever seen in my life, so much so that I saw it twice. In the show there are over 130 roles, and they are all played by 4 actors. There was genius involved in doing this, that's all I have to say. Pure genius. I loved that the director and the actors really understood what comedy is, and what makes something funny, because they hit it directly on the head. It was clever and creative and had me laughing out loud almost the entire show. About 20 minutes in to the show, in my head I was thinking, "I have to direct this. I have to next semester." I went home and immediately tried to find the script online, but alas, I don't think it's available. But it made me want to take a serious show of some kind and turn it into a comedy. I love comedies. They just make you smile.

Another show I loved that I'd never seen before, or really heard of before, was Billy Elliot. I didn't know what to expect going into it but I loved it. The music was wonderful, the dancing was incredible, and the talent of the actor who played young Billy was mind blowing. But one of the things I loved besides the actual production was the fact that the story had to deal with people and a time in history of the country I was in. It was played by people of this country so it meant a little more to them. I felt the feelings of the characters stronger because it was part of the actor's history. It was an amazing performance and I loved the show in every way.

I saw a lot of shows that varied in their themes and messages. Some were musicals, some were straight plays, some were mystery plays, others were comedies. And interestingly, the show that became my above all favorite, was a show I didn't even want to go see! It was called Jersey Boys. I'd see posters for it and some people had gone and seen it and said it was good, but I didn't know anything about it and so was never interested in seeing it. So it was our last Saturday and some of us were deciding what to do. We wanted to go see a show but we'd seen everything we all had wanted to so far. Someone mentioned Jersey Boys; they's heard it was good. None of us could think of anything better, so we agreed. We went and saw Jersey Boys, and oh man. All of us became obsessed. I couldn't think of anything else after that! It told the story of Frankie Valli and The Four Seasons, whose music I didn't really know. But I loved the music and I fell in love with the show. It had the right mix of serious and comedy and truthfully told the story of the people behind the music. I came away with a great respect for these four men from New Jersey. The cast was talented, the script was witty, the characters were loveable, and the music was classis. Those are the makings of a great show, and it absolutely was.

London was a theatre dream that I took in every moment of.

The Start of Time

Yesterday we took our day trip and for the first time did not go on a coach! I kind of feel withdrawls... I love our coach! And our awesome coach driver, who we affectionately call Nigel. Instead we all took a boat on the Thames to Greenwich. I didn't realize it was that close to London. It actually is a part of London I think. The boat ride was really fun. I love boats.

When we got to Greenwich we were given time to wander around the town and get something for lunch if we so desired. Then we met up at the planetarium to see this star show. That was really neat. Our guide took us through a journey of the stars. I love the planetarium. If you have never gone before I suggest you do because it really is an unforgettable experience and every time I go I always come out with a strong desire to study astronomy. It's really fascinating.

After that we explored the building which had a bunch of rooms of hands on activities you could do. Boy are those fun. We love hands on activities. Then it was time: we saw the Prime Meridian. Really it's just a line on the ground, but the coolest line I've ever seen! We took a bunch of pictures of some of us on one side of the world, and some of us "fighting over time." It was really fun. But it's just something kind of cool you never really think about taking a trip solely to go see, but I'm so glad I went. I can't even explain what it was like. We straddled the prime meridian! That's just cool.

Then we walked around the town some more. There's the Naval College that was really interesting to see. And the Maritime Museum. One of the highlights of my friend was the chocolate cake at the cafe. True, we were in Greenwich, a great historical place. But really, what does really good chocolate cake not beat? I mean really...

Paris Please!

I like to travel. I've discovered this. I really do. So our wonderful professors decided to give us a wonderful and amazing trip: Paris. Indeed. The one in France even! We were there for four days. We took the chunnel together and checked into our hotel: yes, a hotel not a hostel. Before we actually went I figured we'd have to meet as a group at certain times to go see certain things and we'd have to meet for dinner at a certain time like we always do. I was wrong. We got there, and basically, they said, "Have fun. Be safe. Here's your return ticket. See you back in London." And that was that! We were basically let loose in Paris to do whatever we wanted! Sweet!

I don't think I've been a tourist this whole time as I was in Paris. We started everyday at like 7 and didn't come back to the hotel until like 11. We just went all day and saw everything we possibly could. One of my favorite things was the Eiffel Tower light show. Every night starting at 9, every hour on the hour till about 1, for five minutes there's a light show. Basically the Eiffel Tower sparkles. It's really cool. So every night we found a new place to watch the light show. Usually with a crepe in hand. I don't think I've ever eaten so many crepes in my life than in Paris! That was basically all I ate, but somehow, I still didn't get sick of them. Nutella and banana is just a great combination. The first night we watched the light show on this hill over looking the city. The next night we watched it from the top of the Arc de Triomphe. And the last night we layed on the grass right below it. That felt like the 4th of July and it was really fun.

We decided one day to do all the excercise one could possibly need for a week. In the morning we got to the Tower early and climbed it. Yep. All 700 steps. Then there's an elevator that goes to the very top. And I can just say: the Eiffel Tower is really big. It is. And I didn't realize just how big until I was in a glass elevator rising very high above the ground. I am slightly afraid of heights, but usually I have no problems. I got a little uneasy during that ride. I just closed my eyes and stuck my head in my friend's shoulder and tried to think happy thoughts. But I wasn't the only one. A friend who was with me who normally isn't afraid of heights got a little freaked out. We were happy to reach the top. But it was well worth the ride up. And all the steps. The view was incredible. And the ride down was much better so that was good. That day we also climbed the Arc de Triomphe and walked the entire Champs Elysees. Sorry I know that's not punctuated correctly but you get the idea. We also went into the Pantheon and had to walk through a university protest to get to it. That was pretty cool to see. The Pantheon was really neat to see.

One day we went to Versailles and spent the day there. That place is incredible. The Room of Mirrors is absolutely amazing. That's just plain beautiful and jaw-dropping. The grounds are equally amazing. It's massive first of all. It's almost like a maze you could wander through for hours. There's also this pond/lake. A few of us rented row boats and spent almost an hour on it. Just the fact we were in a boat in the lake at Versailles is amazing, but I love rowing! So that really made my day. I had a blast. I secretly hoped no one else in my boat wanted to row because I would have done it all day if I could. I did give it up for a little while but they seemed content to let me do the maual labor while they enjoyed the scenery. I preferred it that way myself.

We went to a lot of museums as well. The Louvre is just as big as every says it is. If you've never been there don't under estimate it. It's BIG. And surprisingly, the Mona Lisa, not so big. This massive wall is dedicated just to the Mona Lisa and it's pretty tiny. But the museum is cool, though a little large for my tastes. We went to a bunch of other museums but by far my favorite was the Museum Rodin. It's smaller and is just sculptures. Outside it has the Gates of Hell, with Adam and Eve looking on. There's also The Thinker and a number of others. My favorite was inside. It was called The Kiss and it was the most beautiful piece of art I've ever seen in my life. When I saw it I literally just stopped and stared because I was so captivated. I want a reproduction of it to put in my house. It was amazing and will be forever branded in my mind.

We were able to see the catacombs as well. If you get the chance, I highly suggest these. It was a little creepy and kind of weirded you out when you really took a moment to contemplate what you were surrounded by, but the entire thing was really cool. There were designs made out of the bones and you kept thinking the rows and rows would end and they didn't! It was incredible to see and amazing that all of that was just sitting under Paris.

We did so much I can't even talk about it all. But it was such a great experience and so much fun. And it was really neat to spend some time in a place where they don't speak the same language and I don't speak any of it. It made me learn how to communicate better and really try to understand the culture better. I had a blast and am so happy we were able to go to Paris!

England or So Cal?

Every Wednesday we take a day trip to somewhere around England. As if coming to London isn't great enough we actually get to spend a lot of time going elsewhere to see the beauty of the United Kingdom. This week was amazing! We've done a lot of overnight trips, which have all been great, and even though this day trip was just s short one day trip, it was definitely one of my favorites.

We went to the Royal Pavilion, which was really interesting to see. It's basically a palace, and on the outside it really looks like one, though not one from England. It almost looks Middle Eastern. It looked so exotic especially next to the traditional English buildings I've grown so accustomed to. After the initial shock of seeing the outside, we went inside, and that surprised me even more.

It's this massive building that doesn't look like all the other palaces we've seen so far. It felt more like a home and not a place that is decorated for the pleasure of visitors. It had rooms that felt like rooms a real person would actually stay in. Not that it wasn't grand: on the contrary. In one of the dining rooms there's this massive chandelier above the table that as you continue looking up, seems to blend in with the ceiling picture above. The whole thing on top are these massive dragons that looked so real. It was one of the coolest things I've ever seen, and completely unexpected in the Royal Pavilion. A dragon? Let alone a really big one above the dining room table? It was incredible. The chandelier at the bottom where the actual lights were had all these little dragon heads on it. It was amazing and definitely my favorite thing about the whole building.

I also loved the decorum because it was so varied through out the whole place. Some of them were full of gold like the traditional palace decorum. They felt rich. But others had a less expensive Asian look. It almost looked how a lot of people today would decorate their front room. It was so fascinating to see how each room changed in its decoration.

After the pavilion we, which is in Brighton, we walked to the pier. Yes, there's a pier! Next to the water!!! I love that concept! I was not expecting Brighton to look like it does. It looks like any beach city in Southern California! I thought I had walked in to a dream or something. The major difference besides the much warmer climate of So Cal? No sand here. Nope. They have little pebble beaches. Looks cool, but I think I'd rather take the sand. But for the time it was great and I loved it. On this particular beach it was like going to the Boardwalk in Santa Cruz. There were a bunch of roller coasters and carnival games. There were also ice cream and hot dog stands and a large arcade. It was so fun to walk around and go on the rides. We walked around and enjoyed the scenery and the city of Brighton. It made me smile so much!

I am Shakespeare

Ok. So I know I've talked about Shakespeare before, but seriously! Life just gets better! I have always liked Shakespeare, but my appreciation has grown tremendously since I've been here. So with this new love, when we took an overnight trip to Stratford-upon-Avon, I thought I might pass out from excitement.

We went to so many places I think I took a few hundred pictures. We went to the home of Shakespeare's mother. It was this farm, but actually a few farms all connected. Like a little farm community where everyone on the land shared the same land. There were people living there who still worked the land and dressed as people of the time would have. We were given the opportunity to do some of the same activities as the farmhands. One of the girls on the program got to chop wood, and it was very funny! She did a good job though. :)

We also went to Anne Hathaway's house, who later became Shakespeare's wife. It was so cool! It's preserved to look like it did at the time and some of it is the original furniture. I possibly sat on the same chair as William Shakespeare! Finally we actually made it into Stratford and had the chance to just walk around the town and see what we wanted. It's a quaint little town on the river and was quite peaceful. We saw the elementary school he went to and had a tour of his birthplace. Guides told us about his life growing up and the story of his father. He had a lot of money from a prosperous job but lost it all. That was sad, but cool to hear how the family came back from that. We topped it off by going to the church where he is buried. He has his name over the spot he is buried and there's a monument of his torso on the wall.

After experiencing all that we ended the day by seeing The Tempest done by the Royal Shakespeare Company. Oh incredible! It was an amazing experience that I really appreciated. They took some liberties with the play but I felt the choices the director and the production team made really worked and was supported by the text. I love to see great theatre! Especially Shakespeare productions done by the RSC in Stratford. There's just something magical about that...

Scottish and Irish Accents are Different

This program has given me the opportunity to see many places. We go to a lot of places as a group, and are given the chance to go to places on our own. Last weekend I went to Liverpool with some people, and also immediately after coming back to London took off for my next destination with friends: Scotland. We took a long train ride up to Edinburgh to relish in the Scottish culture, which I came to discover, is quite unique. We stayed in a hostel in the middle of Edinburgh, which looked a little wary on the outside, but was actually quite safe and clean and run by some very nice people. We had an adventure there to start us off. There were 13 of us who had come together on this little trip, and were booked to stay in a room with 14 beds. We were stoked to have our own room. But wouldn't you know that that one extra bed happened to be occupied??? We were a little nervous at first but they turned out to be a great roommate for the weekend and even played cards with us! We instantly made a new friend in Scotland, though they were French. Even better! We learned about two cultures at once.

Our first stop in the wee hours of the morning was going to the Edinburgh Castle. It's this massive castle on top of the hill overlooking the city. Boy was that a sight! We went in and walked around. At 11 there was a little show of a woman dressed in clothes of the day who told the story of one of the castle's famous inhabitants. Later on at 1 there was also a gun show, when the canon was shot. That was loud but really neat to see so up close. There was also a museum in the castle showing equipment and uniforms of Scottish soldiers through the ages. That was fascinating, which related to something awesome!! There was a guy walking around the streets of Edinburgh dressed in a traditional Scottish highlander! It was great! He looked straight out of the movie Braveheart!

We took some time to go out of the actual city and go hiking. There's a ridge called Arthur's Seat that's walking distance from the castle. Actually, we only did things we could walk to... But it was a really nice hike. Pretty steep in some places and we had to stop for some breaths, but the payoff was definitely worth it. The view was incredible!!! You could turn all the away around and see so far. You could see the whole city on one side, more countryside on another, and a little bay on the other. It was amazing. It was also so windy I thought I was literally going to blow off! But that made for some awesome pictures...

On another day we took a three hour walking tour, which seems like a long time, but that was actually one of my favorite things we did. We were given historical information and saw a lot of the city, but we also saw a lot of contemporary places that hold interest in popular culture. For example, we went by the cafe where JK Rowling first wrote Harry Potter on some napkins. We were able to see what she was looking at while in the cafe so we could see her inspiration. It was fascinating. And a little culture tidbit to not look like a tourist. There's an area with a heart engraved in the ground. Because of its history it has become a spot where the locals spit into everytime they walk by. You can always tell a tourist because they walk through it! Not knowing it's where everyone spits. There was a man even who brought his girlfriend there, and not knowing its history, knelt inside and proposed! He thought the heart in the ground was really romantic. Any other heart probably would have been...

And if you ever go to Scotland, you will come back saying, "Highland coo." You will. Trust me.