Well, with my parents in town and only one final to go, this week FLEW by and now I'm safe and sound in America.
"the REAL last Sunday"
My family came to church with me! It was so much fun to let them see my weekly journey. An hour there, a tube, a bus, and an hour back. I still can't believe I did that almost every week. But it was a good Sunday because none of the central line was closed so it was easy to get there. They met my bishop and my little primary boys and got to experience the Stratford Ward. Then they got to eat dinner at the Centre with us.
This being our last Sunday, we had our Farewell Fireside which was a fun, emotional experience. We shared tons of memories and lots of laughs and it made me realize what a close family we were in the Centre. We were all we had and though we all didn't hang out with everyone and we had our cliques, we all loved each other and will always have those 3 1/2 months together. It may never be the same again, but I'm okay with that. I got to share this experience with 40 of the most amazing people and I wouldn't have changed it for the world.
My parents and I ended up leaving the fireside early, however, because we had tickets to go see the Ceremony of the Keys at the Tower of London. This is the oldest military ceremony in all of England that takes place EVERY single night at the EXACT same time. It's where military men come and lock up the Tower of London. It may not sound that interesting but going and seeing it and hearing all the history behind it was really quite amazing. This is what Britain is. It's built off of these age old traditions that have stood the test of time and that they refuse to give up. I think it's amazing how preserved the city as a whole is and everything they do to keep it London.
Day 97: MONDAY
April 11th
"Shoot Me Now; FINALS"
Okay, I know this is study abroad and everything's supposed to be waaay easier over here (and don't get me wrong, we got off way easy), but this final might have been the death of me. However, it also made me prove to myself that, yes, I've actually learned a buttload of stuff while being here. Crazy, right?
So, our History 323 final was at 1:30 this afternoon and I can tell ya, EVERYONE was studying like I've never seen before! Every room in the house had been converted into a makeshift private study group room and everyone was busting out whatever notes they had attempted to take from throughout the semester. It was a madhouse. And after studying for like 4 hours, it was time.
We all assembled into the classroom for the last time and met with the Durst. He handed us our test and left. Yup, he just walked out and left us to our demise. He was going to the Tate Modern to hear some guy talk about his art or something and we were left to fend for ourselves. This officially just turned into the weirdest final ever. But, as soon as I began to write my essay answers, I realized "I KNOW THIS!". Amazing. Congratulations, Dursteler. All your ramblings and silly jokes actually paid off. Thanks, yo.
I finished at like 2:30 and immediately texted my parents (who had gone to St. Paul's that morning and climbed to the top). Then, we met up at Leicester Square and got lunch, tickets to Mousetrap, and then visited Twinings!! And bought tea from there!
Sup, what?! Yeah, I got my Peppermint. I can't wait till this winter to drink it and feel like I'm back in London. Then, we headed back to our respectable homes and I went with the group to "The 39 Steps" which, may I say, was very well done. We were front front row. Like almost ON the stage. But it was a very enjoyable show and made for a few good laughs. I'd recommend it to you. So, yeah, today was a good day.
Day 98: TUESDAY
April 12th
"Temple Trip"
This morning, I woke up earlier than everyone (or so I thought) and got ready to go to the London Temple with my parents. Since Emily was going to be leaving this day, Jaynann started flipping out and made us take a roommate picture before we all went our separate ways. It was bittersweet to say the least.
 |
Brittani, Paige, Me, Emily, Amanda, and Jaynann.
6 AM. 'Nuff said. |
Then I met my parents at their hotel and we made our way to Victoria Station to take the train to Surrey where the "London" temple is. Ha. Then we were to take a taxi to the temple to catch the 11:30 session. But our taxi was late so by the time we got there we had missed the session but they took us anyways. The place was beautiful with all the green grass and blooming tulips. It was an awesome experience doing that for my mom. We took two of her family names in and did 15 other names that the temple had ready. Then we ate lunch and walked around for a bit taking pictures and such. Then we visited the Visitors' Center and had a lovely chat with the guy and called a cab that took us back to the train station. We caught a train back and as we were pulling into Victoria station, it hit me once more that I'd had a million adventures in that place and I'd never go back. The countryside was so beautiful and I just realized how much I would miss it. These next few days were gonna be rough.
 |
| I was freezing, yo. What with the wet hair and all :) |
Once we were back in London, we made our way to the Churhill War Rooms, which were awesome but pretty expensive. So my mom and I only went and the coolest thing about this museum is the fact that it's all the exact same way as the day it was left. The day the war was over, everyone just got up, turned off the lights and walked out, leaving everything to be perfectly preserved. My kind of place. It was awesome and everything was so secretive and intricate. Basically, the coolest thing.
Then, we separated and got ready to go to see "The Mousetrap", a play based off a murder mystery novel by the wonderful Agatha Christie. Now, I love Agatha Christie, and this play just happens to be the longest running play in all of Britain! So, OF COURSE I had to see it! We had front row balcony seats so we were able to see everything. The play, unfortunately, didn't feel like an Agatha Christie. The ending, the most important part being the conclusion, felt rushed and completely awkward. NOT like a real Christie ending, which are much more detailed and drawn out, taking three to four chapters discussing the physiologic behind everything and then finally revealing the killer. So, it was cute and cool to say I went, but not what I expected.
"What time do they feed the penguins?!"
I got to sleep in this day, which was much needed! Then I packed a little bit and my parents came over and brought me a suitcase (the whole point of their trip) to fit all my extra crap in. So in case you're keeping track, I have:
1 carry on duffle - all souvenirs
1 carry on rolling suitcase - all shoes and school papers
1 GIANT suitcase - clothes I brought over and whatever left-over toiletries
and now 1 GIANT suitcase (extra) - all the clothes I bought while in Europe.
and yes, each and every one was PACKED to the brim. I disgust myself sometimes.
Then, we did what I've wanted to do for forever. We went to the London Zoo. Again, expensive, but thank goodness for student discounts!! On the way, we walked through Camden Market and saw those crazy sights!
I tend to forget how much I actually love the zoo until I get there and see all the adorable animals and realize how huge the world is and how small I am and that humans are not the only creation on earth. God made so much for us to learn from and ponder on their beauty and I love animals. Especially ones you don't see every day.
This was also the last stop on my personal Harry Potter tour!! The Reptile House from
Harry Potter and the Philosopher's Stone aka HP1. It's pretty much the first building you see when walking into the Zoo and then as exiting the Reptile house, the last snake den you'll see is the home of the Black Mamba. There's a plaque there and everything to tell all the peeps that this is where it was filmed!! Then, my dad and I just walked around and toured the zoo like normal people.
We saw all sorts of aminals and had the best time. However, the other reason we went was because my dad heard that they have a public feeding of the penguins at 3 everyday. So the first thing we ask the workers was "What time and where do they feed the penguins?" and every person had the same exact answer: "Uhhhhh... I don't know if they even DO feed the penguins here..." so we resorted to being our own kind of resourceful and found out that they were in the process of remodeling the penguin house and only had a few in captivity there and they were being held in the "Birds of Paradise" section. So we eventually found them and they were all peacefully hiding among the greenery. But I was so excited to see them and get close that I decided it was time to break some rules. So I proceeded to sneak behind the gates and just chill with some of ma penguin homies for a bit :) It was fantastic!
 |
| They thought I had food so they bowed to me :) |
I might be a little obsessed :)
It was a most excellent day!!
Until I had to come home and pack for the rest of my afternoon.. On our way back to the Centre, we stopped by a Sainsbury Local to snatch up a few of my favourite treats to hold me over once I got back to the States. This included Kinder Buenos, Caramel Nibbles, Lion Bars, "British" Snickers, Bubble Lambs, and a bunch of other stuff!! Then, we hung out at my house for a little bit while we figured out how we were gonna get to the airport the next day. Then I really had to pack so my parents decided they'd try and go see Billy Elliot while I packed but it was sold out so they came back and we went and got one final gelato at Gelato Mio!
 |
| Pistachio and Peanut Butter :) |
Then it was off to bed for an early morning and day of endless traveling!!!!
Day 100: THURSDAY
April 14th
"How long have we been awake now? Oh, 28 hours straight? Cool."
Welp, it seems my adventure has come to a blissful end. I sit here now, three months later, thinking back on everything and it just seems like a dream. Like it didn't really happen but all I want is to go back, back to the place I called home. I remember waking up the next morning after being home in Arizona and crying because I didn't see Jaynann or Emily or Amanda lying in their beds. And, yes, I did in fact wake up at 8:30 like every other day I was in London. I couldn't believe my adventure was over. I was so drained and emotional and all I wanted was to go back.
My trip home started at 5 AM. I awoke, got ready and packed up my last few items. My dad arrived at the Centre at 7 AM and it was finally real to me. I was leaving. I had to say goodbye to the last few people there and try my hardest not to cry, and then we headed off to London Heathrow Airport. We got there safely and in time, however, my parents were on a different flight home. They left an hour earlier and got home two hours later than me. Dumb.
Luckily, Brittani and Sharon were both on my flight home and Brittani and I had seats next to each other!! Woo Hoo!! It was a party for most of the ride home :)
I watched movies the WHOLE time and tried really hard not to sleep hahhaa but.. ya know.Then I landed in Houston, Texas at 4:15 to catch my connecting flight that left at 4:55. Yeah, I was freaking. But I made it through the long line of customs and security and onto my flight all alone.. I was heading home and at the moment, I could NOT have been more excited. And also bittersweet.
Landing in Arizona was such a crazy wake up call. It was like 90 degrees and I could FEEL it. Ugh. But, walking off the plane and seeing my precious kids' faces smiling up at me and holding signs to welcome me home, made everything worthwhile. And then driving home with the windows down and being able to smell what remained of the orange blossoms was the clear sign that I was home again and Mesa hadn't changed one bit.
Happily, my brother flew in that night too from Utah so I had to turn around and pick him up from the airport only to come home and turn around once again to fetch our parentals. And finally, Cameron came home from work at midnight and we were once again, a family :)
And what a joyful weekend it was being home all together again. It almost made up for missing England so bad.
 |
| The only tea house in Mesa. An English breakfast for my mum's birthday. |
 |
| Do I love them?? More than you know :) |
Thus marks the end of my grand adventure. Thank you to all who supported me, I really wouldn't be here without any of you great people and I'm so glad you all got to share this incredible experience with me. Even though there were hard times, it was completely, truthfully, 100% worth every single moment spent under the English rain. I now have a deeper understanding of England, the world, and, most importantly, myself. I can't believe how much I learned while across the pond and I've made a promise to myself that I will go back. Hopefully more than once. I've also made a promise to stick with history no matter how difficult it may be at times. I love it too much to give it up. Once again, thank you all for sticking with me on my adventure. I love every one of you more than you know.
