Here Here, my honourable good friend

Today has been rainy and a bit chilly, a perfect day to go watch the Brits argue at Parliament! Its really dorky but I was so excited to have the chance to do this after learning all about British politics in AP Gov't (and still remembering some of it), I love the political process, and there were people in fancy wigs, whats not to love?!

We got to Parliament and went through their cool security where we got a badge with our picture on it, but you were looking away from the camera so its a weird picture. Then we went and waited in the grand hall which we realized later was where many great leaders, like Winston Churchill, have laid in state after they've died. After waiting for a bit we were brought up these stairs into another room to wait. This room had some statues along the wall and after a few minutes we noticed some people gathering around one of the statues. Pretty soon one of the women started yelling about "100 years ago today (someone) chained themselves to this statue to protest for woman's rights. Today we want the government to listen to us about climate change" or something like that. Then they started chanting "Deeds not words" over and over. She repeated her speech a few more times as the cops started to gather. Turns out these four people had super-glued themselves to one another and were stuck around the statue. The police weren't happy about the situation but couldn't remove the protesters so they did the next best thing, removed us. So we were brought back into the main hall and around some corridors and out into a small courtyard and then led up the stairs into the visitor's gallery.

We were watching the House of Commons, which is technically the lower house in the British Parliment, but they are the ones that are elected (unlike the House of Lords who are appointed) and they actually do all the stuff. We arrived at the end of a debate on putting in new prisons, and I didn't really understand a lot of it. But then the Secretary of State came in to give a report on the Swine Flu. He talked about what they knew thus far, and then they debated for a while about pandemic preparedness and talked about stockpiling face masks. It was really neat to hear about something thats been in the news and to hear how they discussed it. Next came a debate on the budget, which is when it got really good. I didn't really understand exactly what they were talking about (something about tarrifs on household energy) but I did understand how awesome the arguments were. They were interrupting the speaker guy and then basically insulting him and he would go right back at em. It was really funny at points, but also really exciting to see politics at work right there (yeah I know I"m a dork). Junior year I take a class in January that goes to D.C. so now I really can't wait to go sit in on a House or Senate debate and compare it to this; I doubt it will be as fun though. Americans should definitely adopt the wig thing.

Small Adventures

Well Well it has been a weekend of small adventures, trying to do everything before we have to leave this glorious city.

Thursday Jordan and I did have a successful movie premiere experience; if you consider success being trampled by a billion screaming teenage girls. We were at a Hannah Montana premiere, it was to be expected right? But it was really fun, we saw Miley and Billy Ray Cyrus, some famous British soap star named Tom, the British girl from HSM3 and Demi Lavato. It was complete madness, but I'm glad that we went. Friday I spent the day being a sociologist hanging out in Camden. Zane and I saw two very different sides of the burrough and it was quite useful for our research.

Saturday I was supposed to go to Brighton but woke up feeling not so good and the weather didn't look all that good and I had tons of work to do. So I ended up staying here, getting tons of work done; but after sitting inside and doing work all day Zane, Megan and I needed to get out. We had the grand idea of riding the circle line of the tube, in the circle. But we couldn't just get on and ride, oh no. At each stop we got out and changed tube cars and took a picture of the station. We are so cool I bet you're all jealous.

Then today was the London marathon! 35,000 people running 26 miles through London, some of them dressed in fun costumes but all of them being generally amazing; of course we had to go and watch! We found a spot and stood there for about 2 hours cheering and yelling out names and listening to the same three songs in a loop (Build me up buttercup, final countdown and some other pump up song they always play at football games). It was so much fun! We saw the serious runners and that was really cool, but the people dressed as superman or wounder woman or carrots or spider man, batman, robin, clowns, bumblebees etc etc. were the most fun!

Tonight I've just been hanging around the flat, talking to people and not doing work. Its been glorious. Tomorrow we're going to hopefully go watch a session of Parliament and then finish up the papers and stuff for the week. How crazy is it that I only have 3 days of classes left? 3!! I like that it means less class, but don't like that it means leaving London....

A sweet surprise

Yesterday, sadly, was the last day at Winton where I have spent the semester hanging out with the most fun 3/4 students and learning so much! I was particularly excited about this day because we were going on a trip to a farm; and even though the trip was really really fun it was a different sort of day than I was used to. Usually I am in the classroom all day, working with small groups of students or observing the lessons. But in the morning Ms. Collins asked me to step outside and work on cutting out some stuff for their new display board. After a bit we combined part of our class with another class and set off for the farm. I work at a daycare in the summer and we take weekly field trips with around 40 kids, 5 adults and we're in Clemmons and even that is stressful. We had about 2 kids, 3 adults and we had to take a bus and then walk around London, but surprisingly enough it was fine! The kids were so well behaved and are used to using the public transport so it was actually a really fun experience. The farm that we went to was in the middle of a city block, which was another new one for me, but the kids loved it. They got to pet the animals and feed some of them; there was this one little boy who was really scared at the beginning and didn't want to go anywhere near the animals and by the end he was running up to me with wide eyes, so excited about the chick he had just seen or the cow he touched. Moments like this make me so happy to be a teacher!

In the afternoon I was again banished to the hallway to laminate and cut out the papers I'd cut in the morning. I figured something was up and it was a really good look into the real life of a teacher. At the end of the day, after the cutest attempt at being stealth I've ever seen, the students brought me into the classroom and presented me with a wonderful card and some chocolate. They had each drawn a picture of themselves and written me a goodbye note, and then they came and gave me hugs. It was so adorable, and worth the tedious cutting! I left them with my email address and hope we can stay in touch, and if they send me a picture I"ll make sure and share.

Today will hopefully be fantastic. Jordan and I are going to Leister Square to stalk out the Hannah Montana Best of Both Worlds movie premiere. I know, dorky right. But I hear that the Jonas Brothers might be there and that makes me turn into the giddy ten year old girl I am. I'll be sure and update if there are any good star sightings!

Praha!

I had such an incredible weekend in Prague. It was nice to get away from London, go out on my own a bit and see Michelle! Prague is very different from London, and so beautiful and having my own personal tour guide made it that much better.

I got in on Friday afternoon and after a wonderful reunion with Michelle we dropped by stuff out in her dorm (the top two floors of a hotel, so cool) and ventured out into the rain for some initial sight seeing. We walked around the Vltava, the river that runs through Prague, over the the Charles Bridge and around a bit. We grabbed dinner at a pub and I had authentic Czech food and we reminisced about high school, so fun! We decided to go back to the dorm after this because it was really gross outside, and we actually got to skype with our friends back home which was so much fun!

Saturday was a full day of sightseeing. We took the tram up to the castle complex and saw St. Vitus Cathedral. Wow. It was so tall and ominous looking, but inside it was absolutely beautiful. I loved hearing all the fun little tidbits Michelle had learned about this place from her classes. We then wandered around the castle, which doesn't look like the castles around here but it was still cool, and then we hung out by this wall that had a phenomenal view of the city. After having some deep conversation we went down to Wallenstein Palace which is the current home of the senate and has a garden with peacocks! It was really pretty and green on a gray day. After a fabulous lunch we went to the Church of the Bambino. That's not actually what the church is called, but inside there is a wax Jesus that people from around the world come to worship and make little outfits for. It was bizarre. We went upstairs and got to see a selection of Jesus' clothes and it was crazy how different and detailed these things were. Then Michelle took me to the Church of our Lady of the Snow which is one of her favorite places because of how quiet it is even with its proximity to a busy square. We got to experience complete silence for a few minutes before a tour group came in and that was nice. We took a quick look at the markets at Wencelas and Old Town Square before going back to her dorm to make chicken noodle soup and hang out for the night.

Sunday we woke up late to beautiful sunlight shining in the window, it was going to be a good day! We started by going paddle boating on the Vltava. It was so much fun to be out there on the river, and we got to stop and soak up the sun which was so relaxing. Aaah so good. Then we walked back over to Old Town Square to get me some souvenirs, and Michelle found some stuff too so it was good. We walked through the Jewish Quarter, seeing some synagogues, before heading up to Letna Park. This park is up on a big hill and has a beautiful view of Prague and also has several Beer Gardens, which are exactly what they sound like, outdoor places to drink beer. We went to one of Michelle's favorites and spent the afternoon talking, catching up and laughing. I love my friend. We grabbed dinner at a pizza place and then hung out at the dorm. I left early Monday morning and got back to London safe and sound.

I'm so glad that I went to Prague. I probably wouldn't have gone if it wasn't for Michelle, but I really loved seeing the city. The buildings reminded me a lot of Italy and it was really pretty and fun. But what I loved the most was catching up with Michelle and comparing our experiences abroad. We have a lot in common and had so much to talk about! Now I'm just trying to slow down time..so little time left!

Windsor and Wednesday

On Monday I had a royally fun day. Kinsey, Natalie, Jordan and I went to Windsor Castle, the official residence of the Queen. I really like castles, royalty and chivalry and so I was excited about being there, but I also learned a lot which was a pleasant surprise that actually added to the day.

We got to Paddington to catch our train, and found out that it was going to be a lot cheaper than we thought, which is always exciting. The train only took around 30 minutes, and we even had to change once. We got to the castle, bought our tickets, went through security, and grabbed our audio tour. We walked around the grounds for a bit, enjoying the fabulous weather and the beauty of the castle. Then we went inside and saw a really cool dollhouse thing, it actually has running water and electricity which is Craazy. Then we wandered through an exhibit on Henry VIII, who the more I learn about the more I love. Then we started our tour through the state apartments. They were so beautiful and ornate, and the audio tour gave us lots of fun facts about each room. It also talked about this really cool thing called the Royal Order of the Garter. Look it up, I'm now obsessed. After walking around the apartments we grabbed a quick lunch and then went back in to see St. George's chapel. It was really cool and related a lot to the Order of the Garter, and its also where Henry VIII is buried. It was so cool to see that, and Kinsey was really excited. Before heading back, we walked over to Eton College. I had never heard of this place, but it looks a lot like Elon, which made us all really happy. We found a big green field and some cool buildings but it wasn't as cool as our Elon.

Before going into St. George's we saw that the Queen's Standard flag was flying above Windsor, meaning she was in the castle. We also found out that she usually visits St. George's on Easter because it is where her parents are buried. It made me giddy to think about her being so close. I absolutely love the idea of royalty and chivalry and so being at Windsor Castle at the same time as the Queen was really cool.

Tuesday was just a day of class. Our sociology class is starting a project where we break up in pairs and study Burroughs so Zane and I are going to be hanging out in Camden for a bit, which I think will be fun. Our theater class also went to the Globe theater and we bought tickets to see Romeo and Juliet next week which will be really fun. Then today was Wednesday, the day of no class. I got up and did some work this morning but then Megan and I decided that we wanted to go somewhere this afternoon and since Zane needed his haircut he decided to come with us. We started out by riding a bus to Trafalgar Square, which took forever because of traffic but we were in giggly moods so it was fun. We then went to St. Martens in the Fields, a church off of Trafalgar. It reminded me of the Old North Church, but then when we went to find the Crypt we found a restaurant, on top of the graves! It was interesting, but I got to take the elevator up to the street that I see all the time so it was a successful trip. We then got Zane's hair cut at the same place I got mine done and our plan was to go to another cathedral, but Megan had a better idea, lets walk over Tower Bridge. It took us a bit to get there, a tube ride, some walking and a few buses (we were in fun moods so we didn't really pay much attention to where we were going), but we got there eventually. Going up and walking over this infamous symbol of London was actually really really cool now that I think about it. We got some cool views of the Thames and the surrounding sights, and learned a lot about the bridge itself. But what makes it even better is that now whenever I see pictures of the bridge I can say, "yeah, I've walked around up there."

Its been a really good past couple of days, but this weekend I'm going to visit my friend Michelle in prauge!! I can't wait to see her and hang out in Europe, its going to be awesome : )

Easter in London

Happy Easter everyone! I didn’t really expect this before coming here, but Easter is a really big holiday over here. The schools are all out for a break and a lot of people go on vacation, that sort of thing.

I was really sad about missing Easter Sunday at my home church, but I figured Westminster Abbey would be an okay substitute. I got there sort of late (darn planned engineering works shut down half the tube system) and so I was in the back sitting not even on a seat but on the ledge of some monument off to the side, but even from that view I knew I was in a beautiful place. As the first song started I was brought to tears, not only because it was so beautiful but also because it was a hymn that I knew Clemmons Presbyterian would be singing in a few hours. The service was really moving and I loved being there.

Our flat had made plans for the afternoon to go to Hyde Park because someone read an article about a fun Easter tradition. Rollerblades are very popular in Hyde Park, but on Easter they all congregate and dress up as bunnies! We were all so excited, I was even so excited I left the flat with one brown shoe and one black shoe (I did go back and change)! We got to the park just in time to snap some pictures and see the bunnies take off on their journey around the park. It was so funny to see grown men and women with bunny ears or dressed up as carrots; my favorite was the gang of chicks with yellow leotards and wigs. We then wandered around the park, taking Easter portraits with the pretty flowers. We even got a couple of flat pictures-with all 8 of us! It is rare that we are all together and I loved spending time with these incredible girls that I have grown to love so much.

We got back to the flats and almost immediately began preparations for our flat dinner! We had been talking about doing a special Easter dinner for a while but didn’t actually plan it until yesterday. It was incredible! We pulled off a fabulous meal of ham, green bean casserole, mashed potatoes (homemade), mac and cheese, corn, Caesar salad, fruit salad and bread and then brownies for dessert. Look at all those food groups Mom. It was one of the best meals I’ve ever had, not only because the food was so good but also because we all put it together. As Megan now loves to say, “We’re all in this together,” (side note, I’ve turned my flatmates into HSM loving monsters. Megan said she would never watch them ever and now she loves quoting them).

It’s been a really great Easter; I didn’t realize how homesick I would be today, but spending such a great day with my lovely friends has really made me feel better. We’re still trying not to think about how much time we don’t have left, and days like today make me really really not want to know. Oh and I’ve posted pictures from today and other springtime adventures, enjoy!
http://www.facebook.com/album.php?aid=2008778&id=1401300102&l=bbe01bc42b

An Amazing Weekend

Four day weekends are back! Well, for most people anyways because they have finished their practicums. But I have decided to go a few extra times and so that is what I did Friday. It was the last day of their term and so the day was really chill and I spent most of it painting rainforest tribal symbols on faces, which was really fun. After practicum Jordan, Amanda, Kinsey, Natalie and I had a lovely night planned. We found a deal online where we could get dinner at a swanky restaurant and tickets to Spring Awakening! This was the first play we saw with our theater class, but since then it has moved to a bigger theater and is getting lots of publicity so I was so excited to see it again. It was INCREDIBLE! It was probably better than the first time I saw it and it was really really good then. After the show we walked over to Picadelly Circus, my new favorite place, to get Cinabon to take back to the flats. This was a great way to start my weekend!

Saturday was pretty boring. I did some work in the morning, but then met up with Jordan at Big Ben in the afternoon. We're trying to get pictures of Big Ben at every hour, on the hour so we can then make them into a clock (we're so artsy!). We met at 4, got that, and then wandered around waiting for 5. It was a gorgeous day and it was fun to walk around Parliment and down Whitehall. We even stopped at 10 Downing Street to say Hey! to Gorden Brown. Sunday was also pretty boring, I didn't actually ever leave the flats because it looked like rain, but that's London for ya.

Monday was a looooong day, but a really really great one. We had planned on going to Parliment, but they are in recess for Easter, so instead a group of us went to hang out in St. James park. It was so nice to chill and relax and breath in the fresh air. This was also necessary because a few of us (Megan, Casey, Amanda, Jordan, Bo and I) had a long night in store. We really wanted to watch UNC in the NCAA finals and there is a sports bar here in London that shows the games. So after seminar, a quick dinner, and a play (Dancing at Lughnasa; I really liked it and the theater was kind of cool), we headed over to Sports Cafe for the game. It started at 2:20 a.m. and finished around 5, and we loved every minute of it. It was so much fun to hang out with other Carolina fans (luckily no Michagen fans were present) and watch the same game I'm sure most of you were watching. Although we haven't exactly slept since then and will probably crash later today, it was all worth it to get to sing the Carolina fight song (Casey taught it to me) on a bus in London.

The miserables, fruit kebabs and art!

This week has been busy busy busy. We’ve been getting back into the routine of classes after spring break and that’s been going well. Everyone has also been trying to avoid looking at a calendar because we realize how little time we have left! There’s so much to do and so little time so we’re trying to pack a lot into our last few weeks and use our time efficiently.

Monday we had practicum, seminar and a play so my major accomplishment was surviving. Practicum was really fun because my kids were working on their rainforest photostories that they are sending to Barack Obama and Gordon Brown. It was fun to see how hard they had worked and the videos are all really cute. In the afternoon they made posters for a cake sale that they were having on Thursday. They are trying to raise 100 £ to buy 2 acres of rainforest, and again they were really excited and I loved watching them being creative. Tuesday was really boring just class all day.

Wednesday was a really good day. I got up early and went for a run, just for fun. I didn’t realize how close we were to Regent’s Park and it was so great to jog through this beautiful park on such a beautiful day. On the way back I took a turn too early and got kind of lost, but I found a bus map that helped me find my way home, and I got more exercise! Then I spent the afternoon hanging out in the flat, venturing out for some errands and doing some work. Then we went to see Les Miserables! I read the book in 10th grade and remembered enjoying it, but I also could remember really enjoying listening to the music back then and so I figured if something left that much of an impression it would be fun. I was blown away. The music was incredible, the staging was so cool, and the singing was the best I’ve ever heard. The Jean Val Jean character was my favorite, but anytime the whole chorus was on stage I was on the edge of my seat they were so captivating.

Today has been another adventure. We had class this morning and it was fine; we came back to the flats and had lunch and attempted to do some work. Then a group of us went to my practicum school for the cake sale! On Monday I was talking about how proud I was of my students and how it would be cool to go out and support them. Someone asked what they would be selling and I told them about the smoothies, cakes and fruit kebabs (pronounced kebaaabs, British accents are so cute). The fruit kebabs intrigued some people and since they weren’t doing anything else Natalie, Jordan, Kinsey and Sam came out with me to enjoy some great treats and support the rainforest! It was so fun to show them my school and I surprised my teacher and kids and I think they were really proud to show off their final product. And the kebabs were quite delicious. Afterwards I had randomly decided that I wanted to go to the National Portrait Gallery. I’m not exactly sure why, but I thought it sounded cool whenever the lady on the tube would announce it on the tube (they sometimes tell you what attractions are near each stop). Natalie and Kinsey, who are way more artsy than me came along and I am so glad they did. We wandered around the gallery, getting really excited about some portraits (William Shakespeare!), standing in awe at most of them and then joking around a bit. Going to an art gallery is usually not something I would do voluntarily in my free time, but it was a really fun and interesting experience.

This weekend is going to be another full one with lots of outings and adventures and I’m so excited! More to come next week.