days 51-4: Phantom, Wesley House, and Camden Market!!

The ending of this week was JUST what I needed :) The effects and feelings of homesickness are DEFINITELY beginning to show and I'm slowly succumbing to them. However, this was our first REALLY free weekend in a long time and, unfortunate to say, our last one for a while (Until April). So I basically had ONE thing on my agenda this weekend and that was visiting the Wesley House.

In case you didn't know, OUR weekend begins on Thursday after our religion class at 2. But since we didn't have religion this week (WOOHOO)! Our weekend began even EARLIER!! yes. be jealous.

Also, this weekend, there were NO PROFESSORS IN THE CENTRE!! Durst had stayed in Oxford with his fam to do research for a project of his or something. And then, since the Crowes have to stay over travel week because there will be students in the Centre, they took they're trip to Paris this weekend!

Day 51: THURSDAY

February 24th
"Spring is upon us!!"

This was possibly the most gorgeous day of my whole trip. The sun was out and shining, hardly any clouds in the sky, and it was warm! Spring is here!! Unfortunately, I didn't go out much this day. Not at all in fact until the night. (Like I said, homesickness taking over).

But this night, for Brittani's birthday, we decided it was high time we went to see The Phantom of the Opera. Now, I love this play/story/music regardless of performances, as proven by the movie, so I was excited to see it no matter what. We headed over right before the show to see if we could get cheap tickets and sure enough, we got tickets for 25 pounds because they were the "restricted view" section. I almost didn't want to buy them because I wanted the best Phantom experience possible. But everyone else was okay with that so, whatever, I did it.

Our seats had a column in the way, hence the "restricted view" label, and so the night consisted of the obnoxious bobbing and weaving back and forth to try to see what we were missing on that three percent of the stage.
Luckily, the performance was AMAZING enough for me not to worry or care too much about that little detail. Seriously, probably the best thing of my life. I cried for almost the entire thing and just couldn't believe
I was in LONDON,
sitting in HER MAJESTY's ROYAL THEATRE,
watching PHANTOM OF THE OPERA.
The greatest love story of all time.
The first musical I was exposed to.
The.Best.
The cast was phenomenal, every last one of them. Well, the problem with Meg Giry still remains (the fact that they NEVER get a good singer for Meg. Unfortunate). But Christine, Phantom, Raoul, Madame Giry, Carlotta, every last one of them, were outstanding. I was really taken aback when I found out that the girl who was playing Christine Daae that night was the UNDERSTUDY. And she was PERFECT. I can't even imagine what the lead Christine sounds like.
I always get nervous on that first aria for Christine, "Think of Me", when she has to show her vocal range so boldly like that. I literally find myself waiting with baited breathe every time. And this time was no exception. I was a little more worried this time around because from what I had seen of Christine so far, I wasn't super impressed and a little sceptical. But, she proved me wrong and blew me away. She was, like I said, perfect. It sounded almost too good to be real. But she was. As was the Phantom.
The tragically beautiful Phantom was played by a man that has an amazing repertoire. He has played Jean Val Jean and was voted The Best [Jean Val Jean] by the British Public from 2004-2009. And he really is that fantastic. He has a face like Edward Norton and a singing voice like gold. He's simply perfect. He made you fall in love with and despise him all at the same time. And I think that's what my favourite aspect was of the whole play. The fact that all the characters became very real and made you connect with them so much that, at least for me, you cry throughout the whole thing.

I also found myself missing my family more and more with every scene. But this time, I kept thinking of one specific person that I was missing. Yeah, I missed my mom and dad because they were the planters of the theatre-loving seed in me, but I found myself really missing my brother, Cameron. I can still remember it as though it was yesterday. That one night at an ALFI years ago when the movie first came out and we were watching it with all the cousins. We both love this musical and know EVERY SINGLE WORD. (Which I found still to be true even after not listening to the music for a while). So while watching it together, we just began singing. Him the male parts and me the female parts, of course. And I loved it. I'm so thankful for siblings because you can be as weird as you naturally are without having to explain yourself to them and they'll love you anyways.
So of course, this made me remember that moment and miss him so so much.
Throughout the entire 2nd act, besides the Masquerade scene, I was crying. A continuous stream of tears running down my cheeks. And I didn't care. I.LOVE.THIS.STORY. I couldn't believe how magical this evening turned out to be and how breathless it left me. Breathless and speechless.
So of course I had to call my mom that night. I used the Centre's phone and my calling card so it basically cost us nothing and we ended up talking for almost THREE HOURS. Which meant I didn't get to bed till around 3:30 AM. It was so worth it :)

Day 52: FRIDAY
February 24th
"PANCAKE HIGH!!"
Slept in and basically didn't do ANYTHING all day. While others went to Camden and Borough Markets, I stayed in PJ's and bed all day. Until Emily and I decided we should probably visit the Wesley House Museum for Religion. It took us 30 minutes there and back and when we got there, it was closed. So we just took some pictures of the outside to prove we went and headed home. and hour and 3 minutes journey, all together.
Then for dinner, since the professors were gone, Alvaro and Thais, the centre directors, decided to throw us students a Pancake Party!! It was AWESOME!! The meal consisted of pancakes, obviously, and various toppings. Including:
Bananas
Peaches
Pineapple chunks
Toffee Syrup
Chocolate Syrup
Maple Syrup
Nutella
Peanut Butter (my own addition)
and Triple Chocolate and Vanilla Ice Cream
Basically, sugar central. It was outstanding. JUST what I needed to make me feel better.. So worth it. Then, they popped a ton of popcorn for everyone and we watched "Despicable Me" and "A Knight's Tale" to round off the best night ever!! So much fun.

Day 53: SATURDAY
February 25th
"Just kidding! It's still winter."
I was totally planning on going to the London Zoo this day and a bunch of people had shown interest but after waking up, I found that they had all bailed on me. But I was still gonna go by myself. However, London will be London and so, it was raining. Not horribly hard... Yet. So I made my way to Camden Town Station and as soon as you step out of the Tube station, you're IN Camden Market.
Now, I was probably one of the only ones who hadn't been to Camden yet and so I was shocked to suddenly be in the midst of all the craziness. Even with it progressively getting more and more rainy. But I was determined to go to the Zoo.
However, as I was walking up the street to the zoo, I realized, "It's RAINING. The animals aren't going to be out. And I'm certainly not paying 15 pounds to see cages and greenery." So, I was just going to go home. I turned around and headed back to Camden Town station, when I had another realization. I was at Camden Market. And there was a Superdrug Store. And I needed MY brand of shampoo. SO I stopped in and yes, they had my shampoo AND I splurged and gave into my depressing whiteness and bought Gradual Tanning Lotion!!
i'msickofbeingwhite table of one?!
And then I shopped around Camden!! Which was really cool! I only bought a pair of plain black tights because I didn't find a grey scarf that I loved and looked warm enough. But I ALSO bought a kabab. Made out of strawberries and bananas. Drenched in white chocolate. Yes. It was amazing.
And that was pretty much my Saturday.

Day 54: SUNDAY
February 27th
"An easy, breezy Sunday."
I can't tell you how much I loathe and LOVE Sundays. They come upon me quickly and I never feel like I have enough time in the mornings. Then, me and four other girls make the long trek to Essex, about an hour and 15 minutes away, for church. However, even though I go about my morning routine begrudgingly, I love my ward and the three little hours I get with them each week. Each week is a fun, new adventure and surprise with them, but they are the most loving people ever.

This week, I had THREE kids!! A RECORD! I had Daniel, of course, and Oliver was back this week! He's been sick for the past like 2 weeks. And then, the third was this little girl that I had never met before. And she came in late. I can't remember her name because she mumbled it and had a thick accent because she spoke FRENCH!! And only French! So, I got an opportunity to practice my French and talked to her! It was the cutest thing ever! And I was so happy with myself because I understood everything she said (regardless of her name). Which makes me even more excited to go to Paris! I know I won't be excellent, but at least I'll probably be able to understand most stuff :)

I hope I get to talk to the fam tonight and I'm so sad because tonight it the Academy Awards and there's no way for me to watch them so my parents are TiVo-ing them for me so I can watch it upon my homecoming :)

Until Next Time...

"ohhh, we're halfway there!!" DAY 50/100!!

I know I just posted, but today marks a very special day: THE HALFWAY POINT!! Yes, once today is over, I'll be exactly half finished with this wonderful adventure. Part of me wants to be home already and part of me can't believe it's already been FIFTY days and doesn't want this to end! Okay, but this post will actually be about the past three days, Monday, Tuesday, and Wednesday.

Day 48: MONDAY

February 21st

This day was also a very busy one. I feel as though my Mondays always are, even though I have no class. I woke up, got out of bed..... "ran a comb across my head"... then I went to the British Museum (TBM) for History class and some alone time. I feel silly every time I walk towards the museum entrance because I quickly realize I have the goofiest looking smile on my face. I love the museum; it's my home away from my home away from home. I know it like the back of my hand.

After TBM, I went straight to the Tate Modern for my Fine Arts class. This one I didn't enjoy as much. The whole place was confusing and bland. Then I went grocery shopping on my way home.

I love going out in the city by myself because it's seriously the only alone time you get. Everything else is scheduled and precise and with 40 other people. It's hard not to lose your marbles daily around here. Plus, when I'm by myself, I can walk as fast as I want to or mosey if I like and I can sit on the Tube and listen to my music and escape. I love it.

This night was quite and "Ideal" night. As in, we went to go see "An Ideal Husband", the play by Oscar Wilde. I went into this not knowing anything about the story or about Wilde's writing and came out a converted Oscar Wilde fan! I absolutely loved it! It was a little slow at first but the subtle humour and stabs taken at English society were brilliant. And the whole thing is very intriguing story about blackmail and betrayal in politics. I love how Wilde took what would normally be a dark and dismal story and turned it into something satirical. Like I said, now an Oscar Wilde fan :)

Day 49: TUESDAY

February 22nd

I am LOVING my World Civ class. I sit there and listen to Durst lecture on things that we're not even going to be tested on and therefore don't really have to take notes on anything he says, but I do anyways. Lots and lots of notes! I sit there wide awake and alert because everything is SO interesting!

I LOVE HISTORY!!!

Anyways, after our afternoon class, we had this lecturer guy named Simon Ditchfield from the University of York come and talk to us about English heritage. Why? No clue - the professors said it was so that BYU can use it as a tax write off and so that London lets them stay in Palace Court. Basically, the government wants to see what BYU is contributing to the community so we hold lectures like this one that are "open to the public" but no one else comes and we still get the credit!

The only downside is that, as BYU students living in the Centre, we actually have to attend and listen. And this guy was NOT easy listening. I understood every word he said, but for some reason, those words did NOT make sense to us. We were all in a state of trance as we sat through an hour of his babbling. I'm sure what he was saying was intellectual, but none of us grasped it. I felt bad for the guy, but really, he was more boring than watching an earthworm crawl.

Day 50: WEDNESDAY

February 23rd

Like I said, today is the HALFWAY point. I can't believe how much we've done.

In fifty days we've been to:

14 cities,

2 countries,

9 shows (plays, musicals, concerts),

10 museums,

and all over the Tube!

With everything we do, and the little free time we have, I can't fathom how fast March is going to go by. In case you're wondering, every week we're in a different country.

Italy the first week,

Wales the second,

Ireland the third,

and France & Belgium the fourth.

Then we also have day trips, plays, and other things that we're attending:

Jack the Ripper,

A Mosque,

Madame Butterfly,

Stratford upon Avon,

King Lear,

Billy Elliot,

Churchill War Rooms,

the England-Ghana football game,

a session at the House of Commons,

and Jersey Boys to finish off the month.

I'm so excited, I almost don't want it all to happen because I know it will FLY by.

Today, to mark our halftime, we took a day trip to OXFORD, England to see the University. I must say that I loved Oxford more than Cambridge. Maybe because it wasn't as cold.. But then again, it was raining all day. Oxford is amazing. I loved the spirit of the town and how fun and small it felt. You could walk everywhere and I just enjoyed all the history that's there.

Sites to be seen:

Christ's Church

Entrance to Christ's Church

This is the place where they filmed scenes from Harry Potter. Mainly the stairs in Hogwarts and the Great Hall where they always eat. This place also gives lots of credit to Lewis Carrol and Alice's Adventures In Wonderland. This is where Mr. Carrol got his inspiration for his book and wrote it. There's hints to Alice everywhere around the college and it's clear why he got inspiration from this strange little girl :)

The Stairs of Hogwarts:



Harry, Luna, and Hagrid :)

The Great Dining Hall:

Unfortunately, we couldn't eat there



Then we made our way across the street to the shop that started it all, Alice's Shop. This is where Alice Liddell, the daughter of the Dean of Christ's Church while Lewis Carroll was a professor there, used to buy her sugar for her afternoon tea. It was originally called Old Sheep Shop and then, after Alice's Adventures In Wonderland and Through the Looking Glass were published, they changed it. So now it's a little gift shop with all things Alice. Including some of the sugars and sweets she used to buy.

Alice's Shop Oxford:

You have to follow him down the rabbit hole

The place was adorable and I bought a cool deck of cards with a different quote from the books on each card! The whole place was filled with an air of magic and wonderment :) I also bought an Oxford jacket at this little store next door!

Then we went to Magdalen College (pronounced Maudlin) and saw the greenery and DEER!

Then we shopped a little more and I didn't buy anything else for me, yay! And since it was almost time to head back to the bus, we decided to make our way over and stop at the Eagle and Child Pub. This would have been my favourite place for sure if we had gone in. This is the famous spot where C.S. Lewis and J.R.R. Tolkien would sit and write and have nice chats together. I still get butterflies in my stomach when I think about it!! So exciting!

The Eagle and Child:

Also known as the Bird and Baby

To finish off the escapade, westopped this quaint little bookstore called Oxfam and got some SUPER cheap books. What a steal! Then, headed home - without the Durstelers. No, we didn't forget them, they're staying there this weekend so he can work on some research or something. AND the Crowes are heading to Paris tomorrow afternoon. Which means..

WE'LL BE PROFESSOR-LESS ALL WEEKEND!!!

Days 43-47 a.k.a THE MOST STRESSFUL WEEK so far...

Day 43: WEDNESDAY

February 16th

This was the day of unrest. I woke up, got ready, had to go to a museum, come home, do my FOUR sketches and writeups for each one (including research for each painting), then assemble them all and turn it in before dinner. THEN, I had to prepare my presentation on the Baroque Era for Fine Arts class (which was due the next day) AND start writing my talk and preparing my primary lesson for Sunday. UUUUGGGH!! Whoever thinks study abroad is easy, seriously, think again. This day was crazy hectic. I don't even want to think about what MARCH is going to be like; every weekend we're in a different country (Italy, Wales, Ireland, France, and Belgium). So I have no idea when I'm going to have time to do anything!!!

Day 44: THURSDAY

February 17th

So, I finished my fine arts powerpoint at like midnight-ish and just crossed my fingers that it would go okay. I think it did.. I won't know till Thursday. Then we had religion, blech. But he announced to us that we wouldn't be having class this week and since we're gone every Thursday in March, we don't have class till the 24th! Woohoo!! Then, I [kinda] worked on my talk.

Day 45: FRIDAY

February 18th

HAMPTON COURT PALACE AND DOWN HOUSE!!!!

This day pretty much made the week worth it. We took our bus to King Henry VIII's Hampton Court which was so BEAUTIFUL! SO much fun! I believe the best part was when we got audioguides and they came with velvet ROBES that we could wear!! It was so legit :)

Unfortunately, we had to take them off once we went into the gardens, but at least we felt cool walking around "Base Court" with them on. We were basically royalty; no big.

The gardens to this place were incredible. And that's saying something considering it's still winter! They had awesome looking trees and green green grass and fountains and, apparently, the oldest grapevine in the world!! It was dead, though. But we still had a jolly good time have a promenade around the plaza. So of course we all wanted pictures in the garden in front of the Palace. So, the jumping ensued. Oh. Boy. 

 

Take 1: Emily's a little confused on what to do




Take 2: Brittani attempts to model while jumping



Take 3: Now we all just fail...



Take 4: ...as I decide to headbang; the moment called for it



   

Take 5: A little slow on the uptake, Em?

After Hampton Court, we headed to Down House where Charles Darwin used to live. Now, if you've never been to England or seen British money, you wouldn't understand how big of a deal this is. Charles Darwin, along with The Queen, of course, is on their 10 pound bill. As much as we love him and think he's really awesome for everything he contributed to life as we know it, yeeahh, they do but times like a billion. So his house is still in mint condition from when he lived in it except for certain rooms that have been turned into part of the museum. However, everything still has that English Countryside feel. The house was lovely and quaint and you could go almost everywhere. Even their backyard where the greenhouse and sandbox is. It was so pretty :) I was so wrapped up in how awesome it was that I almost forgot to take a picture. So this is the only one I got, it's of the backside of the house:

 



Day 46: SATURDAY

February 19th



Everyone got up and went to Camden Market this morning, however, I just wanted to sleep in. And that's exactly what I did. My intentions were to finally get ready and make my way to the Tate Britain, but then I found my self procrastinating on Stumble.. yeah.... So Amanda came up and invited me to go on a walk with her and Natalie. Which was strange. But I accepted. And we went on the Lamsbeth to South Bank walk. This was cool because it ended on the Strand and we got to see the Twinings Original Tea Shop (Twinings is the company of the Royal Family). So this was sort of a big deal, the place was a little hole in the wall place and smelled divine!! But they were closing so it was kind of a bummer. Then we got food and came home and I finished working on my talk!! BAAAHHH!!!!

Day 47: SUNDAY

February 20th



I was so nervous for this day. I'll be honest, I haven't given a talk in sacrament meeting since I was like 14. And it didn't go so great. Nothing horrible, just not awesome. And to make matters worse, we had to take a different route to church because our normal line, Central, on the Tube was closed. So it was a long, conplicated process getting there and we left late. Fortunately, sacrament meeting is last in our ward, so it was okay. We got there on time, too!!



Primary was first and I just had Daniel again - who is adorable and I want to steal him. I gave him the lesson on the Day and the Night and we made a little craft :) He's so precious!!

Then, the innevitable 3rd hour: Sacrament. I was so nervous, I wasn't even thinking about the songs or the sacrament; just in this weird butterfly-filled trance. I tried to calm myself down because I was going last and I'd practiced AND I had just given a presentation on Thursday. I CAN DO THIS!!!

Laura spoke, then Shelbi (who I LOVE because she went like 5 minutes over, giving me just the perfect amount of time), and then the rest hymn, and then ME!!



DREEEEEAAAAAAAAD!!!! I was so nervous and I felt like I talked WAAAY too fast and I just tried to breathe. The one thing I was happy about was that I remembered to look up every once in a while! AND I made them laugh when I told them how the house I've lived in for 15 years has been in 3 different stakes and 5 different wards. And that the street it's on consists of two separate wards and has the two bishops and 3/4 of the bishoprics on that street. Yeah, gotta love M-Town.

So, I think it went well because A TON of people afterwards came up and thanked us three for our wonderful talks and were surprised at how well they all went together (even though we didn't write them together AT ALL). Amazing how that works out sometimes, yeah? I was just ecstatic for it (and this whole week) to be OVER!



Then, the young women's president, Eva, invited us to her house for dinner one week after church! Her husband is Muslim so she said he would stay home all day and cook for us! YAAAY!! We also got invited to this little girl, Lauren's, baptism in a month. It's at our ward building but we have nothing going on that night, so we're gonna try to make it :) I love our ward and I'm going to be sad to leave it in 50 days. Apparently there's only 5 more Sundays left with them. It's gonna go by so fast.



days 41 & 42: Valentine's Day and Little India

Okay, this week has already been full of unexpected surprises! With Valentine's Day yesterday and Southall today, I can't imagine this week getting any better! Except for maybe doing baptisms for the dead in the London Temple tomorrow!!

Okay so yesterday, as most people know, was Arizona's birthday! Oh, I mean Single Awareness Day. Oh, and I guess it was Valentine's Day, too.

So I woke up kind of in a bad mood cause I'm still kinda sick and I was tired and didn't actually HAVE to wake up because I didn't have class. But, I woke up to all my roommates enacting the famous

"PRETTY THING WHIMPER"

You've all heard it. The "aaaawwwwwww!!" whenever a girl sees something too cute to handle. Yeah, times that by 12. Pretty good wake up call, eh?

Well, the reason for the whimper was because the wonderful Ramzi had handmade, handwritten and delivered 33 individual valentines for all the girls of 27 Palace Court, London. So yes, *insert PTW here*. They were only the beginning of a marvelous day. After that, the packages started. Children, boyfriends, and families of everyone sent care packages of chocolates and love letters. Bouquets of roses were delivered with every ring of the doorbell. None for me, but I still loved seeing the love. (Plus, I skyped my fam on sunday night and that was beautiful :))

My day consisted of waking, reading my sweet note from Ramzi, and then heading off to TBM to do some homework and have alone time. When I arrived back home, there was another lovely and HUGE boquet of roses on one of the front tables with a note that read: 

"To The Beautiful Women of 27 Palace Court"

Not signed. However, we eventually found out that they were from Collin and Mike, two of the guys in our group. And of course, everyone was so touched! We have THE best guys in our group and I love them dearly!!

Then, we had a nice dinner and headed off as a group to the Royal Opera House to see their performance of Swan Lake. [Warning: Performance review ahead!]

Okay, so I've seen the ballet before and I can still clearly remember when my dad took me to see the Nutcracker ballet. It was just the two of us, our little daddy-daughter date night, and I remember not really having any pre-interest to see the ballet. I love ballet and think it's beautiful and I wish I could have that much strength and beauty in my body, but I just wasn't super excited.

So, The Nutcracker. I know the story and everything but didn't really know what to expect. Now, from what I remembered I followed it easily and enjoyed it for the most part and then all of a sudden, during one of the couples' dances, I wanted to cry. And then, next thing I knew, I WAS crying. I felt like an idiot. It's just ballet, why was I crying. And then I realized, it's so much more than that.

Even with Swan Lake, the dancers get up there and have to tell an amazing story of love without saying anything at all. It is art. Their medium is dance and their tools are their bodies. They are so incredible in how they express everything. The music helps the story along as well and the orchestra was amazing.

Now, this night, I was literally blown away to the point that I wanted to cry and tears began to form but I couldn't cry because I was so awestruck. The Prima Ballerina, the White Swan, was absolutely phenomenal. She was tall and thin, strong and beautiful, powerful and graceful.

She had such control over her body.

Absolute perfection.

Anytime she came out, I wanted to start crying. She was so beautiful and I'd never seen anything like it. I have such a respect for ballet and the strength it takes to push your body like that. She made it seem effortless. Every move was seamless and flowed wonderfully with the music. Like I said, she stole the show.

The story alone is amazing and with such fabulous dancers, the whole thing was incredible and the perfect event on my Valentine's in London.

After the ballet, we decided we needed some dessert to finish the day off right. But not chocolate, I'd had enough of that already. Instead, we went to Creperie Cremerie off South Kensington and got indulgent crepes! Perfect ending to a perfect day :)

Okay, now today, for History 201: World Civ class, we discussed India and the civilizations there and so, Durst felt it was only right to have Indian for dinner. And where better to have Indian than in Southall, aka "Little India"?!

It's in London but a ways away, so we had to take a train and as soon as we got off, we were in another world entirely! All the signs were in Sanskrit with English translations and it smelled very strongly of the delicious food we were about to partake of!! Needless to say, I was PSYCHED!!

But first, we needed to visit one of their temples and see what it was like to worship like them. This was a scary, overwhelming and neat experience.

We visited the biggest temple first:

Gurdwara Sri Guru Singh Sabha

As soon as you walk in, your head must be covered with a scarf and you must take off your shoes and wash your hands. Then you walk up stairs and enter the worship room that would be like our chapel. Everyone goes in and there's large white sheets covering the floor. There's an altar at the front and some men playing instruments and chanting prayers. You walk in and it's women on the left and men on the right. We didn't walk up to the altar but just sat down and watched instead.

Now, as soon as I walked in, I was overcome with a feeling I've never experienced before and still can't explain. It was part anxiousness, part overwhelmed [in the size and grandeur], part confused [as to what to do], and part awe [for the religious devotedness of these people]. It wasn't a BAD feeling, per say, but a feeling that just made me physically uncomfortable. But once I sat down, I felt a little more at ease. I sat there among my 20 white friends and for the first time in, I think, my whole life, I was the minority and everyone was looking at me weirdly. We stuck out like sore thumbs. I ignored it for the most part and just enjoyed the people and their practices. It was such an eye opeing experience and I can honestly say that I loved it.

But I still couldn't help but think, "What a contrast this will be tomorrow when we go do baptisms for the dead in OUR sacred temple". It made me that much more grateful for our church and the spirit of confirmation I feel that helps me know it's the true gospel.

After the temple, we made our way to the restaurant called Gifto's for our dinner. But on the way, we stopped at a little shoe boutique and bought some traditional Indian shoes/slippers. Mine are gold and are adorable with all their intricate beading! I probably won't wear them THAT often because they're far too uncomfortable but they were a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity that I couldn't pass up!

"Never pass up an opportunity for new shoes!"

Then we went to dinner. And, oh boy, what a feast!! It was a traditional Indian dinner with all the courses and they just kept on coming!! It was AWESOME!

Some things were better than others, but everything, as a whole, was DELICIOUS! As you can see, I enjoyed myself :)

Next came the Hunt for Henna! Some girls had already gotten it done but their directions about the whereabouts were vague and/or misleading. So we eventually found our own place and got our Henna tattoos!! Check it:  

BEFORE



AFTER

So basically an AWESOME day at Southall! If I ever have the opportunity to go back, I wouldn't think twice about it. It was an amazing experience that I'll never forget!!

Days 34-40: 2 Months Left!!

If only time went by slooowly when having fun. Yes, I think that would be most enjoyable. However, if time going by quickly means I'm having the TIME OF MY LIFE... then I'll take it. :)

This week was week 6 of my grand adventure and it included more celebrating Chinese New Year and

SCOTLAND

The greatest place ever!!

MONDAY, February 7th:

no class - went on my 6th walk for walks class -- Fleet Street to St. Paul's. Woot. did homework. woot.

Then the professor's held a group meeting to see how everything's going with the center and the program and everything and if there's anything that needed improvement. This was an interesting meeting because the "be-nice-to-everyone" period is over and people are starting to get comfortable and know their boundaries. And when boundaries are known, boundaries get pushed. Man, you could cut the tension with a knife hahaha! NOW it's becoming apparent that we're living with 32 other girls. oh well!

TUESDAY, February 8th:

We had World Civ and talked about Asian civilizations and since Sunday was Chinese New Year, Prof Durst ordered Thai food for everyone! Yay! This week's trip was British Museum. Then, afternoon class was fun and we talked about Scotland and the King's and their's and England's conflicts and what happened and William Wallace and yeah. Just to get revved up for the trip!

WEDNESDAY, February 9th:

Walked out the door at 6:58 AM, walked to the Tube, took the Tube to King's Cross, took a train 4 hours to EDINBURGH, SCOTLAND! Arrived at 12:30-ish and dropped off our stuff at the hostel we were staying at.

Then we walked up the main street to Edinburgh Castle. It's realy cool, it's like the highest peak in the city and has just the most incredible view of the town at the top.

Aaaah, Scotland

Maggie Dickson was hanged and
died and then came back to life and
lived for 40 more years.

Then we headed back to the hostel to check in and get settled in our rooms and have dinner. Holly, Liz, Me, Jamie, Jaynann, Megan, Brittney, Emily, Brittani, Emily, Michelle, and Taylor went to this supposedly really famous pub called Maggie Dickson's, which has this super creepy story behind it... and really good food!! But by then, I was already starting to feel feverish and sick so dinner got over at like 7:30 and the rest of the group wanted to walk around the town but I just walked home by meself. And promptly went to bed at 8 pm.

THURSDAY, February 10th:

Breakfast was at 8 but the day was free since they cancelled our hike up Arthur's Seat on acount of it being "too cold". So I slept in till 11:30 while everyone else was out seeing the town. Late I found out that I missed out on a lot and I'm still kind of bitter about it. (Cameron! I'm adding Scotland to THE LIST!)

Then some of us tried to find a Ghost Tour to go on but that was a bust, so we went to a cafe called Chocolate Soup instead. They had everything chocolate. You could even buy a Chocolate Shot. It's exactly what you're thinking - just a shot glass full of liquid chocolate. We all got the Chocolate Brownie Sandwich which was a brownie sliced in half with vanilla ice cream in the middle and a chocolate shot on the side to drizzle over. Something like this:

 I also got a blueberry muffin to balance it out.

After the sugar high, we were all hungover and looking for REAL food. We found a little restaurant called the Filling Station and I got a desperately needed chicken caesar salad :) Then, we began to make our way over to see Annie the Musical but got a little "sidetracked" when we all had to use the bathroom really badly! And the only place that was around was a movie theatre but the toilets were IN the theatre! So, of course we had to go see a movie! We ended up seeing "Tangled" and it was THE BEST!! (all of us very happy with our decision after hearing reviews from our friends of Annie) Such a cute movie and I highly recommend it to all :)

FRIDAY, February 11th:

We took a bus to New Lanark where the largest Cotton Mill in United Kingdom is located! Woopie!! It was fun seeing life back in those days. And we took some really great band pictures because the scenery was beautiful!! Then bus to Stirling where we visited Stirling Castle and had dinner at OUTBACK!!

CRIKEY!!

Then we headed back and checked into the SCARIEST hostel in all the land!

Not kidding. We drive up this road and see a sign for "Stirling Town Jail" and all have a good laugh joking how THAT'S our hostel... Little did we know, our hostel was the building in the CEMETARY right NEXT DOOR!!!

It had no soap, no towels, the bathroom looked like a motorhome bathroom, the water was "NOT DRINKING WATER", the blankets on the beds were plastic, no outlets, the shower was gross, and of course, the view out our window was a lovely row of graves. Oh, and the jail wall.

Then, that night, after washing our hair in the sink using the "dead people water", the girls across the hall come screaming into our room "BED BUGS! BED BUGS!! WE HAVE BED BUGS!!!" So, chaos ensues. We're all freaking out and checking our beds and thinking there's bed bugs in all of them because no one ACTUALLY knows what bed bugs look like... We were totally freaked out by everything at this point.

After getting the all clear from Taylor that we were bed bug free, we settled in for the night with our claustrophobic-feeling, plastic-pee-pad-blanket beds and began the worst sleep of our lives. Probably the funnest night of my life. No joke. :)

SATURDAY, February 12th:

The next morning, we got breakfast from the hostel and then jumped on the bus and drove back to Edinburgh to catch a 2:20 pm train back to London. When we got to Edinburgh, we had about an hour to kill and right by the train station was an "All You Can Eat Chinese Buffet!" so, yeah we went and ate our fatty little hearts out. BEST LUNCH I'd had in a very very very long time!! SO WORTH IT!!

I'm so glad I ate as much as I did because it ended up having to last me SEVEN AND A HALF HOURS ON THE TRAIN HOME!!! UUUUUUUUUUUUUUGGGGHHHHHHH!!!!!! Yes. 7 1/2 hours. Everyone was getting cabin fever and dying to get out. It was hot, we were all bored and hungry, and bugging each other trying to find ways to entertain ourselves. It was a nightmare!! Then the Tube was hotter than heck and by the time we got home everyone just wanted to shower and do laundry.

BUT!! Two of the girls' showers were STILL broken and therefore left 2 showers for 25 stinky, onry, hormonal girls. Yup, EXCELLENT combination. I jumped in that shower as fast as I could and felt one thousand times better. Then I unpacked and went to bed!

Such a wonderful weekend, you guys. And what did I learn? I basically love Scotland as much as I love London. And that's saying a lot.

"We'll Be A Dream" days 29 to 33

WEDNESDAY, February 2nd:

There was a country walk this day that everyone was supposed to go on, and I slept in. Didn't go, but stayed home and got all my homework done!! It was my first free day in over a week and it felt good to be productive :)

This day was also the day that Jeff was supposed to get shipped off to Guatamala!! So I hope he made it okay :)

Red Velvet Awesomness

THURSDAY, February 3rd: We had class all day and the religion class was super warm in the classroom and so like everybody was falling asleep and just not havin it... Then we got out of class an hour early and some of us girls headed to The Cupcake Company - where all my money will be going to now. It was the most delicious cupcake of my life. And so many flavours that they don't put all of them out in any single day, so you HAVE to go back to get all the flavours:)

FRIDAY, February 4th: (I sincerely considered writing a completely separate post for this day but whatever) Today, and this weekend, was our first free weekend in a while and after the crazy weeks we'd been having, it was nice to have time to relax and do our own thing. For some this meant Paris, Venice, and Brighton so there were like 17 people gone this weekend! What fun!!

So Friday, for me, meant leading a Harry Potter tour all around England. Yes, Harry Potter. My one and only true love. It was epic. To say the least. We visited Platform 9 3/4, Shaftesbury Avenue, The Ministry of Magic, Gringott's, Diagon Alley and The Leakey Cauldron. Some were more exciting than others, understandably, and some were under construction but for the most part, at least I can say I've been there:)

That took all day and we got home at like 4. Then we ate dinner and got ready for the best night of my life!!

 

Travis, still my favourite ginger :)



At 6:40, we left for the We The Kings concert all the way out in Oxford. Had to take the Tube to a train station to Oxford and then a bus to the venue. We got there right at nine (the concert started at 6) and had time to go to the bathroom and then WTK came on, so basically, it was perfect :) They played an amazing set and Ramzi helped me make it all the way to the front (he's a big guy - imagine Andre the Giant in The Princess Bride; "Everybody MOVE!"). So I rocked my little heart out and yelled to Travis Clark, who was beautiful, and Ramzi caught me a waterbottle that they threw off the stage, and at the the end, Travis threw his guitar pick into the audience and it landed perfectly in my hand as though it knew it's rightful home :)

Such a beautiful moment. Then we went to Tesco across the street to get some bread and cheese, drinks, Nibbles, and Pringles for the long train ride home. This ride was a lot more fun and we basically ended the night on a fantastic note. Except the Tube was closed by the time we got to it and had to take another bus home. But it was a great night, stumbled in about 12:45 and didn't get to bed till like 1:30. Perfect.

SATURDAY, February 5th:

Continuing the free weekend - me and Emily went to the Dulwich Portrait Gallery for Fine Arts and got to see a Norman Rockwell exhibit that was AWESOME! The gallery was small but exceeded my expectations! Then on our way home, stopped at Nando's for something quick to eat then a bunch of us left home at like 6 for China Town to celebrate CHINESE NEW YEAR!! with some real Chinese food. The wait was long, but SO worth it. It was delicious!

SUNDAY, February 6th:

Fast Sunday - woke up late and didn't go to church for the first time in like forever. Was weird, but I guess I needed the sleep because I slept till 1:30. (Come to find out later that, yes, I WOULD need all the sleep I can get) Had fish for dinner and everyone was upset but we had rich chocolate cake for dessert :)

YAY FOR LONDON!!



Les Miserables (CONTAINS SPOILERS)

Okay, since so many "raved" about my Wicked review, OF COURSE I'm going to discuss my thoughts on my FAVOURITE, Les Miserables. :)

Monday night we had the outstanding opportunity to go to The Queen's Theatre and see Les Miserables.

Now, if you've never seen it or heard the music or don't know the story, a part of me wants to ask how, "How have you lived your life without it??!" but then I realize, I have parents who took us to musicals and the symphony and performances like that when we were younger. I grew up listening to the Phantom soundtrack and singing along to The Sound of Music. And although I may not have appreciated them at the time, I am now forever grateful for having such cultured parents that exposed me to such things. Love you guys:)

Okay, so I can't even begin to explain my excitement as we were on our way. This was my third time seeing it and the first time, I was fairly little. I watched the first act and didn't really know what was going on and at intermission decided to read the program to see what was happening and going to happen. After reading the second act, I naively looked at my mom and said, "They all die!" She laughed and reassured me it was okay. But then, as the second act began, I promptly fell asleep. Until the very end.

Yes. I was a child, what do you expect.

Then last year, my best friend, Jeff's, high school was putting it on as their spring musical and he asked if I would go to see it and support him. So my parents and I went and my expectations weren't that high because it was just a high school, but OH MY GOODNESS. I was still blown away.

The emotion and power in the characters and the music. OH, THE MUSIC! Just absolutely incredible. I was overwhelmed with emotion and cried during the final number. A part of me felt silly but then I realized, "This is the reason this is a classic" It makes you think and feel for these characters that you've only just met and known for maybe 3 hours.

So this time around, I was ready. I knew the story and the music and knew the emotional standard set by even that little high school. I was ready to be blown away. I settled in my (great) seat and waited with baited breath and wide eyes for it to start.

I remember not breathing for the first 30 seconds. That beat in "Look Down" sucks you in and you're theirs for the next three hours. Jean Val Jean was an amazing Tenor and nailed the role perfectly. He was a big guy and just suited it well. He also played the Phantom for a short time so, yeah, he's gotta be good. Then Javert. Not what I expected at first but he proved me wrong. His voice was so rich and powerful and his portrayal of the "villain" was perfect. The slight naivety in his actions, that he's just "doing his job" and doesn't realize the pain he's causing others. He was outstanding.

The female roles I wasn't as impressed with. Fontaine could have been better but she was a very good actress. Cozette, again, could have been a better voice. But Eponine exceeded my expectations. This time around, I really connected with her the most. You could tell she had an incredible voice and I just wanted her to belt it out. And, her acting matched her singing skill. She was nothing short of phenomenal.

I also loved the set. Which, I know, sounds lame, but it was this tiny little set that I didn't think much of but the whole thing was like a lazy susan and the whole stage could turn around in circles and it made for a really cool scene changes.

In case you were wondering, yes, I cried. 4 times. When Fontaine died, Eponine died, during "Bring Him Home", and from when Val Jean died to the end. At the end, I was pretty much bawling.. Not a big deal. Just the most surreal moment of my life.

Seeing Les Mis in LONDON. I never thought that this day would come. I remember when my parents would leave us and travel and I would be so jealous. Traveling has always been something I've wanted to do and although Argentina wasn't the greatest experience of my life, I still love being able to say I HAVE experienced it. Being here is amazing and I don't want it to end. All the incredible opportunities we have here just blow my mind. Les Mis was the cherry on top... For now :)

1/4 of the way done!!

Wow time flies when you're having FUN!! Can't believe I've been here a month! It feels like years but also like no time at all. I counted, and in the last four weeks we've been to 10 different cities!! That number is just going to increase with Scotland, Italy, Wales, Ireland, and France!! I can't wait!

THURSDAY our opera got canceled!! My one chance to see the Barber of Seville and the tickets were for the wrong night! So I have a feeling that Canterbury & Dover and the opera got switched by accident..

FRIDAY we headed to Cambridge college to tour some of the colleges and of course, most of them were CLOSED. apparently going to closed things is what we like to do best. So we just walked around all day inthe freezing cold and did a Punting Ride (which is basically a gondola) down the river Cam that runs along the backside of the colleges. It was freezing and we got stalked by a duck that eventually jumped in our boat. 

Yeah. Scary stuff. 

Then, we tried to get warm and find a college that might have been open and ended up going to King's College and nothing else.. Fun. Then, we went home.

SATURDAY we went on a tour of Parliament and were supposed to go right to Evensong after. But when we were walking into Parliament, there was a police van full of barking, growling, vicious dogs ready to attack. Then Parliament was freezing cold and long and boring and we couldn't take pictures but I loved all the stuff about the Queen and how she only comes in for one day. They walked us through the process she has to go through and they showed us all the portraits of all the Kings and Queens. So cool. So then, it ended and we were going to walk across the street to Westminster Abbey to hear Evensong but all of a sudden, there were cops everywhere and a barricade set up all around Parliament. The cops had full body shields and, of course, the dogs-in-waiting. 

Yeah. Scary stuff.

Apparently, there was a student union protest arranged for that day and that time and the cops were getting ready. And we were going to get caught in the middle of it. So we made our way to the nearest Tube station, trying to go as quickly as we could but, suddenly, there were hoards of people marching the opposite way towards Parliament and the Abbey. All of them yelling and holding signs. Some were wearing ski masks and other things to hide there faces and when they caught sight of us swimming against the current, they started yelling at us to "Come on! Join us!!" Some hissed and others just gave us creepy looks and suddenly, I became scared for my life. All I wanted was to be safely in a Tube on my way home, away from the crowds. But even when we got in the Tube, the Circle and District lines were both closed so EVERYONE was on the Central line and trying to get away. I have NEVER seen the Tube that packed before and I was just freaking out inside. Trying to keep a calm, cool, and collected composure. Finally we arrived safe and sound at home and all I wanted to do was sleep. 

So I did and didn't go out the rest of the day:) And got to Skype my parents that night!!

SUNDAY nothing much happened. Lesson went well and we had Munch'n'Mingle after church again!!

This is me being Ayshan!!

MONDAY no class so I went for a walk with Brittney, Liz, Shelbi, Megan, and Emily and ended up in SOHO and CHINA-TOWN!!! Which was seriously SO cool!! We're gonna go back on Saturday to get Chinese food to celebrate Chinese New Year!! Then we stopped at The National Gallery for Fine Arts and I got to see Jan Van Eyck's "Arnolfini Wedding" and it was beautiful!! Then we had an excellent time playing around on the Lions outside in Trafalgar Square! Those things are taller than they look and very hard to climb up.. Just so you know.

Came home, had dinner and THEN!!

LES MISERABLES!! (but that's it's own separate post coming later)

TUESDAY for the History 201 class we got to go to the Jewish Museum here in London and it was really neat! It's small buts holds a lot of information about their history, immigration, discrimination, and the Holocaust. Then we came home and grabbed a quick bite and changed for the afternoon class and Afternoon Tea at Kensington Palace in the Orangery!!

This was probably my favourite event so far. It was so elegant and classy and so delicious! We had little sandwiches and crumpets and some petite tarts for dessert. I had Peppermint tea and it was outstanding! Pretty much my favourite. The hall we were in was so gorgeous and just made me feel so British. The only slip up was when they came around to pour the water into our tea cups and we hadn't opened our tea bags so the guy looked at us like we were idiots! Haha good times! Everything was just perfect:)

Then we came home, had dinner, and a bunch of us girls watched Dirty Dancing in the classroom! So much fun!! Love life!