Maybe eventually I'll finish writing about my travels on here; I do have a few more good stories to tell. But for now, this is a short paper I wrote for Literary Non-Fiction about London.
When Misery Has Company
I went to London last semester with 30 other freshmen for Houghton College’s First-Year Honors program. We had to pay for the privilege of living in London for three months by working incredibly hard: sitting through three-hour lectures, spending all afternoon at museums like the National Gallery and the Tate Britain, reading works of philosophy and literature by the likes of Plato and Dante in one evening, and writing a five-page paper every weekend. It was intense, and very often quite stressful. Yet now, I can look back on the experience and honestly say that I loved it.
This is not because I had fun racking my brain every Saturday, trying to figure out what an ancient chess set had to do with faith and reason, or because I enjoyed staying up late reading Hume (my friends know I did not enjoy that at all). But although I was often unhappy and sometimes downright miserable, I never truly despaired, and the reason why is, as I just mentioned, my friends. We were all going through the same things, and we made the most of that. On weekends we would write our papers together, complaining to each other about topics like “With appropriate and specific references to relevant materials, analyze and describe some of the ways in which the Renaissance was a catalyst for the Reformation,” frantically trading papers to read over and critique when we finished our first drafts.
It was this togetherness, this sharing in hard times, that made them bearable. The food at the Highbury Centre, where we all lived, was often unpalatable, but when I sat down to dinner and saw that it was their infamous quiche, I had a table full of friends groaning along with me. One day several of us were out doing our museum assignments, having discovered that we were taking yet another trip to the British Museum, when it began pouring down rain for the first time since we had been in England. For no good reason, except that we were tired and stressed, one of my friends and I began yelling at each other as we walked to the museum, shouting through the rain. We were not mad at each other, but we were able to take it out on each other without actually being mean, and when we reached the BM the situation had become funny, and I felt better.
And when I was really, truly down, someone was always there to notice, to ask what was wrong, to listen while I ranted about the anxiety and pressure of the program—and I knew they understood completely. Often I got discouraged about participating in colloquy, the group discussion we had three times a week. When I told my friends about not having an opportunity to talk because everyone else had too much to say, they could empathize, because they went through the exact same thing. Looking back on the London program now, I see that being miserable does not have to be an awful experience—as long as you have friends who are right there with you, being miserable too.
Monday, September 14, 2009
Monday, August 10, 2009
Journey to Belgium
We left Glasgow and made it to the airport with no problem. Once we got there, though, we found that Adam's and my flight to Belgium had been delayed, so we had to wait around for a while. When we were finally in line to board, alarms started going off. They'd been testing them earlier, so at first I thought it was just another test. But then everyone started walking away from the gate, back the way we'd come, and we ended up in a crowd of people leaving the airport. Outside, we stood around in a walled-in concrete area, no one seeming to know what was going on. We found Dan in the crowd, and then we just waited.
It wasn't terribly long before they let everyone back in; we had to go through security again, though. Adam and I said goodbye to Dan a second time, and then we boarded our plane. Because of the evacuation, though, the flight was further delayed, so we just sat onboard a while before it took off. All those delays meant we would be late to meet my aunt at the train station in Mechelen, Belgium.
An hour or so later we landed at the Charleroi airport. Because I was so hungry we ate before we got a bus to the train station, taking more time, and once at the station we had to figure out the train schedules. We tried asking a French-speaking attendent for help, but ran into what Adam called "not a language barrier, but a language wall". Looking at the schedules ourselves again, we got it figured out, but we had just missed the train to Mechelen.
There was supposed to be another train in a half hour, but it wasn't in the list of soon-to-arrive trains. The only thing to do was wait an hour for the next one after that--we were going to be so late to meet Aunt Karen! But since we couldn't do anything about it, we decided to make the most of our extra time and sat down in the train station hallway to play a game of chess on the board we'd bought in London and that Adam had carried through Ireland and Scotland.
Partway through the game, a man passing by stopped and asked, "Joue de cheque?", which means "playing chess?" in French. He knelt next to the board and watched our game for a while, occasionaly giving advice that we couldn't understand. Once or twice he moved Adam's pieces for him, and they weren't very good moves. Eventually he left, indicating that Adam's position was hopeless, and wishing me "Bon chance," good luck.
When our train finally came we made it to Mechelen fine, but we were two hours late, and we didn't see Aunt Karen anywhere. While I was getting money out of the ATM Adam asked, "What color hair does your aunt have?" He had just seen her riding away from the station on a bicycle.
Although I'd been to visit them in Belgium before, I didn't remember how to get from the train station to my aunt and uncle's house, so we decided the best thing to do was what we'd been doing all day--wait. We sat down on a bench in front of the train station, and--of course--we started a game of chess.
Before long Aunt Karen came riding up on her bike; she'd just left her post at the train station to check on her children, who were at a friend's house. It was a great relief to see her, and after stopping by to pick up the kids we went back to their house and had a delicous dinner of Belgian soup, finally at our destination.
It wasn't terribly long before they let everyone back in; we had to go through security again, though. Adam and I said goodbye to Dan a second time, and then we boarded our plane. Because of the evacuation, though, the flight was further delayed, so we just sat onboard a while before it took off. All those delays meant we would be late to meet my aunt at the train station in Mechelen, Belgium.
An hour or so later we landed at the Charleroi airport. Because I was so hungry we ate before we got a bus to the train station, taking more time, and once at the station we had to figure out the train schedules. We tried asking a French-speaking attendent for help, but ran into what Adam called "not a language barrier, but a language wall". Looking at the schedules ourselves again, we got it figured out, but we had just missed the train to Mechelen.
There was supposed to be another train in a half hour, but it wasn't in the list of soon-to-arrive trains. The only thing to do was wait an hour for the next one after that--we were going to be so late to meet Aunt Karen! But since we couldn't do anything about it, we decided to make the most of our extra time and sat down in the train station hallway to play a game of chess on the board we'd bought in London and that Adam had carried through Ireland and Scotland.
Partway through the game, a man passing by stopped and asked, "Joue de cheque?", which means "playing chess?" in French. He knelt next to the board and watched our game for a while, occasionaly giving advice that we couldn't understand. Once or twice he moved Adam's pieces for him, and they weren't very good moves. Eventually he left, indicating that Adam's position was hopeless, and wishing me "Bon chance," good luck.
When our train finally came we made it to Mechelen fine, but we were two hours late, and we didn't see Aunt Karen anywhere. While I was getting money out of the ATM Adam asked, "What color hair does your aunt have?" He had just seen her riding away from the station on a bicycle.
Although I'd been to visit them in Belgium before, I didn't remember how to get from the train station to my aunt and uncle's house, so we decided the best thing to do was what we'd been doing all day--wait. We sat down on a bench in front of the train station, and--of course--we started a game of chess.
Before long Aunt Karen came riding up on her bike; she'd just left her post at the train station to check on her children, who were at a friend's house. It was a great relief to see her, and after stopping by to pick up the kids we went back to their house and had a delicous dinner of Belgian soup, finally at our destination.
Friday, July 31, 2009
Two cities of Scotland
We left Ireland bright and early Saturday morning and made it to Glasgow-Prestwick airport in Scotland. The only thing I really remember about our arrival in Glasgow (after taking a train from the airport) is being surprised and confused to see that Scotland's pound notes looked different than England's; I was in a daze after getting up so early and the rush of travel. To get to our hostel we took the underground, which was smaller and much simpler than London's.
Our stop was Hillhead, and, true to the name, we had to walk up a steep hill to get to our hostel. But we finally made it, and I went to sleep as soon as I could.
After I woke up I wandered around the neighborhood with Adam; everyone else had already awakened and gone out. We walked through the grounds of a college, in a nice park by a river, and eventually up and down streets, stopping in every bookstore and thrift shop we saw. It was a very laid-back day, taking it easy after the slight stress that always accompanies travel, and it was a nice way to be introduced to Scotland.
While there we also made it to Edinburgh overnight; it was fairly inexpensive to take a bus from one city to the other. The first day we split up and each saw the city on our own (the pictures in my Scotland Facebook album give a better idea of that than my words can). We ate dinner at a Scottish pub; as usual, the pub food was amazing.
The next day was another hiking adventure, this one in the hills just outside of the city. Dan had walked up himself the day before, when it was clear and he had gotten a great view, but as luck would have it, that day was foggy. After we climbed up just a little ways, the city disappeared in the mist, the only proof of its existence the muffled traffic sounds that still reached us. I didn't really mind, though, because the fog made the landscape mysterious, even mystical, like we were in Lord of the Rings. We climbed higher--as in Howth, it was sometimes literal climbing--until we reached something that seemed to be the top. There was nothing around us but the mist; no more hills that we could see, nowhere to go but back down. It was like being on an island. The fog was so thick that I could see it obscuring the others even when they were just a little ways away.
We eventually headed back down and returned to the city, eating at the same pub as the night before. Then it was back to Glasgow, where our flights were booked out of; we spent one night there before leaving the next morning, which was an adventure in itself . . .
Sunday, July 26, 2009
Coolness
This is so cool I couldn't resist posting it on here. A condensed version of my post on Howth:
Thanks to http://www.wordle.net/. :)
By the way, I will be writing a post on Scotland soon . . . before the end of the summer, at least. I promise!
Thanks to http://www.wordle.net/. :)
By the way, I will be writing a post on Scotland soon . . . before the end of the summer, at least. I promise!
Sunday, June 14, 2009
Hostile Hostels
Okay, so that title really isn't true, but it was too perfect not to use. And we did stay in some pretty . . . um . . . interesting hostels in Scotland and Ireland. Regardless of the hostels themselves, sleeping in a room with random strangers is just kind of weird, and maybe just very slightly scary. A few nights the five of us had a room to ourselves, which was really nice. And usually the hostels themselves weren't too bad. One had dogs, the owner's pets, which of course made me very happy. A few had kitchens we could use. At some we got free breakfast.
However, there were also flat pillows, dirty walls and floors, and towels costing at least one pound. The craziest thing that happened at a hostel was when the police came to our room in the middle of the night. We always had all five of us, guys and girls, in the same room, because it was just easier, and seemed safer, to have all of us together. But one night there were no rooms with five free beds, so we had to split up. Us three girls were in a women-only room, which felt safe. But sometime after midnight two drunk French women came into the room, being noisy. I didn't actually wake up then, but I did when a loud Irish policeman came in.
Apparently the French ladies had taken a taxi, and the driver had accused them of not paying. The policeman wanted the money, but one of the women insisted she'd already paid, and both said they had no more money. The policeman argued with them, saying at one point, "You're bothering all these other people!" Finally he took one of the women away. Another lady staying in the room tried to help the other one; she ended up throwing up in the toilet before climbing into her bed, which was unfortunately right next to mine. A little while lady the other lady came back, crying.
During all this I'd been laying there with my eyes closed, just wanting to sleep since we had to get up at 5 the next morning to make it to the airport for our flight to Scotland. In the morning none of us actually got up on time, and Dan had to come knock on our door. All of this just goes to prove that sleeping in the same room as random strangers is never the greatest idea.
However, there were also flat pillows, dirty walls and floors, and towels costing at least one pound. The craziest thing that happened at a hostel was when the police came to our room in the middle of the night. We always had all five of us, guys and girls, in the same room, because it was just easier, and seemed safer, to have all of us together. But one night there were no rooms with five free beds, so we had to split up. Us three girls were in a women-only room, which felt safe. But sometime after midnight two drunk French women came into the room, being noisy. I didn't actually wake up then, but I did when a loud Irish policeman came in.
Apparently the French ladies had taken a taxi, and the driver had accused them of not paying. The policeman wanted the money, but one of the women insisted she'd already paid, and both said they had no more money. The policeman argued with them, saying at one point, "You're bothering all these other people!" Finally he took one of the women away. Another lady staying in the room tried to help the other one; she ended up throwing up in the toilet before climbing into her bed, which was unfortunately right next to mine. A little while lady the other lady came back, crying.
During all this I'd been laying there with my eyes closed, just wanting to sleep since we had to get up at 5 the next morning to make it to the airport for our flight to Scotland. In the morning none of us actually got up on time, and Dan had to come knock on our door. All of this just goes to prove that sleeping in the same room as random strangers is never the greatest idea.
Sunday, May 31, 2009
Howth, Ireland
So the first place we went after London was Ireland. We flew into Dublin and stayed there for two nights. On our first full day we just walked around, seeing the sights, browsing in bookstores and tourist shops, relaxing in a park. Then we went to Kilkenny, a smaller town, for a night; we walked around there and went to the castle and took a walk on the grounds (you can see all this stuff in my FB pictures).
On our last full day in Ireland we decided to see the coast, so we took a train out to a peninsula near Dublin where there's a little village called Howth (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Howth). It was a typical Irish day--cloudy, cool, a little rainy. But that didn't deter us from deciding to hike the cliffs; in fact, we started out intending to walk all the way around.
It was beautiful there, with the sea, two lighthouses, an island not too far away, seals, and of course the cliffs themselves, covered in a yellow-flowered plant (gorse?) and something that might have been heather. To get there we walked uphill through the town, eventually leaving it behind. We walked along the cliff edge, with the ocean, and the seals, far below, and the island always visible in the distance. The paths we took got a little interesting--some very steep, some quite narrow.
We walked for a long time, enjoying it, but when we checked the map we'd brought along and saw that we were less than halfway around (we started by the lighthouse on the top of the map and only made it to the second lighthouse), we decided to turn inland and get back to the train station that way. By then we were pretty cold, and it was raining more, so we were also wet. When we got further inland we stopped at a little store and I got hot chocolate, but it wasn't chocolaty enough, and it kept sloshing out of the cup as we walked, so it didn't really help that much. We kept checking the map to see where we were, and sometimes we really weren't sure. And I was getting pretty tired, since we'd been walking for so long.
That was about where it became a real adventure, meaning it wasn't too fun anymore. But after having to chose somewhat arbitrarily which way to go at a fork in the road, and asking directions at a house, we eventually made it back. Soaked (our outer layers, at least) and freezing, we decided to eat dinner there, and we found a not-too-expensive restaurant where we finally got to sit down somewhere warm and eat good food.
So in the end our adventure turned out well--we got to see a unique part of Ireland, risk our lives on dangerous cliffs, get some good exercise, and, eventually, rest and relax.
On our last full day in Ireland we decided to see the coast, so we took a train out to a peninsula near Dublin where there's a little village called Howth (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Howth). It was a typical Irish day--cloudy, cool, a little rainy. But that didn't deter us from deciding to hike the cliffs; in fact, we started out intending to walk all the way around.
It was beautiful there, with the sea, two lighthouses, an island not too far away, seals, and of course the cliffs themselves, covered in a yellow-flowered plant (gorse?) and something that might have been heather. To get there we walked uphill through the town, eventually leaving it behind. We walked along the cliff edge, with the ocean, and the seals, far below, and the island always visible in the distance. The paths we took got a little interesting--some very steep, some quite narrow.
We walked for a long time, enjoying it, but when we checked the map we'd brought along and saw that we were less than halfway around (we started by the lighthouse on the top of the map and only made it to the second lighthouse), we decided to turn inland and get back to the train station that way. By then we were pretty cold, and it was raining more, so we were also wet. When we got further inland we stopped at a little store and I got hot chocolate, but it wasn't chocolaty enough, and it kept sloshing out of the cup as we walked, so it didn't really help that much. We kept checking the map to see where we were, and sometimes we really weren't sure. And I was getting pretty tired, since we'd been walking for so long.
That was about where it became a real adventure, meaning it wasn't too fun anymore. But after having to chose somewhat arbitrarily which way to go at a fork in the road, and asking directions at a house, we eventually made it back. Soaked (our outer layers, at least) and freezing, we decided to eat dinner there, and we found a not-too-expensive restaurant where we finally got to sit down somewhere warm and eat good food.
So in the end our adventure turned out well--we got to see a unique part of Ireland, risk our lives on dangerous cliffs, get some good exercise, and, eventually, rest and relax.
Wednesday, May 20, 2009
Home and photos
Hey everyone, so I am home, as I'm sure all of you know already . . . Anyway, I made it safely through Ireland, Scotland, and Belgium, and here are links to some photos from those trips.
Ireland: http://www.facebook.com/album.php?aid=2021771&id=1449219994&l=e2f5e2e9e0 and http://www.facebook.com/album.php?aid=2021819&id=1449219994&l=396aac85cc
Scotland: http://www.facebook.com/album.php?aid=2021827&id=1449219994&l=b104552f95
Belgium: http://www.facebook.com/album.php?aid=2022018&id=1449219994&l=876a33e58e
I've been feeling really unmotivated since I got back, hence the lack of posts until now . . . But sometime in the near future I would like to write about some of my travel experiences. If you're interested and I'm taking too long, feel free to bug me--it may help. ;)
Ireland: http://www.facebook.com/album.php?aid=2021771&id=1449219994&l=e2f5e2e9e0 and http://www.facebook.com/album.php?aid=2021819&id=1449219994&l=396aac85cc
Scotland: http://www.facebook.com/album.php?aid=2021827&id=1449219994&l=b104552f95
Belgium: http://www.facebook.com/album.php?aid=2022018&id=1449219994&l=876a33e58e
I've been feeling really unmotivated since I got back, hence the lack of posts until now . . . But sometime in the near future I would like to write about some of my travel experiences. If you're interested and I'm taking too long, feel free to bug me--it may help. ;)
Monday, April 20, 2009
Goodbye . . .
Hey everyone, in case you didn't know, the London program is over! I wrote my last paper, and now I'm done. We're leaving the Highbury Centre in a few hours, and some friends and I are headed off to Ireland, Scotland, and Belgium. I'm flying back to the US on May 6. It's going to be hard leaving London and everyone, but traveling is going to be great, and it will be nice to be able to relax and be home.
Anyway, I just wanted to write a final post before I leave. I'm sorry that I haven't kept up better, but expect some London memory posts once I get home. I love you guys! Thanks for reading. :)
Anyway, I just wanted to write a final post before I leave. I'm sorry that I haven't kept up better, but expect some London memory posts once I get home. I love you guys! Thanks for reading. :)
Wednesday, April 8, 2009
So . . .
I can't believe the program is almost over! Less than two weeks left . . . It will be such a relief to be done, but it's going to be sad too. I'll miss London, and I'll miss my friends. For now, though, I'm just enjoying the time I have left. Today was great--short reading, short MAG, and beautiful weather. I read and wrote in the park for a while, then came back for dinner, which was chili--a good meal! And dessert was chocolate cake. So perfect. After dinner we watched On the Waterfront. We'd seen the play last week; both were good, although done very differently.
Earlier this week--on Monday, to be exact--we went to the Imperial War Museum. It deserves a mention just because it was such a hard experience. Utterly emotionally draining. Seeing the devastation caused by the war, the stories of the men who died and the people who were left behind . . . and then there was the holocaust exhibition, which was equally trying. It was painful. It was sad. Overall a pretty depressing day.
Anyway. I just wanted to let you all know what's going on. That's all for now. :)
Earlier this week--on Monday, to be exact--we went to the Imperial War Museum. It deserves a mention just because it was such a hard experience. Utterly emotionally draining. Seeing the devastation caused by the war, the stories of the men who died and the people who were left behind . . . and then there was the holocaust exhibition, which was equally trying. It was painful. It was sad. Overall a pretty depressing day.
Anyway. I just wanted to let you all know what's going on. That's all for now. :)
Saturday, March 28, 2009
Two days in Dover
Guess what? We're on break at last! Our paper was due Tuesday, and break started whenever we finished. I got mine done by 4, and then I went to meet Mom and Joe. It was great to see them again. On Wednesday we went to the Dickens House Museum, the Soane Museum, Ye Olde Cheshire Cheese pub, and Baker Street. Then on Thursday morning we left for Dover with Adam. After a longish train ride (on which I slept and wrote postcards), we arrived and found our guest house. Then we went out to the beach. It was so beautiful. Seeing the blue-green waves on the pebbled shore made me so happy.
We walked up and along the magnificent white cliffs, with the sea below the whole time. It was incredibly windy, and mostly cloudy, so it was pretty cold, but it didn't matter. It was wonderful just being there, surrounded by beauty, away from the city.
We were so high up. Mom got nervous and Adam freaked out when Joe or I went too close to the edge (Joe was more dangerous than I was). There were wild ponies grazing. We walked a long way, just wandering along. Finally we turned back, left the cliffs behind, and went back to the guest house.
After hanging out there, resting, for a while, we headed out to find somewhere to eat supper. Eventually we decided on a pub. The food was delicious. Midway through the meal we noticed some random superheroes--Spiderman, Ironman, Batman, and Superman. They weren't even together. It was weird.
The next day we went to Dover Castle. It was high up on a hill; the path up was really steep. We went on a tour of the wartime tunnels and then explored on our own. There were all sorts of random ruin-like towers and little tunnels. We couldn't go in the castle keep because it was closed, which was a little disappointing. But it was fun just walking around. We could see all of Dover.
It was especially cold and windy up there, so we stopped in a restaurant and got tea and hot chocolate. The latter had whipped cream and marshmallows. Mmmm. We also got two slices of cake (chocolate and lemon) and shared them.
After a while we went back down the hill and returned to the beach one more time. Adam read aloud the poem "Dover Beach" by Matthew Arnold (http://www.victorianweb.org/authors/arnold/writings/doverbeach.html), which we'd just had to read for the program. On the way back Mom and Joe got off the train at Canterbury, and I continued back to London with Adam, needing a day of rest, which I certainly got--I slept for 10 hours last night!
We walked up and along the magnificent white cliffs, with the sea below the whole time. It was incredibly windy, and mostly cloudy, so it was pretty cold, but it didn't matter. It was wonderful just being there, surrounded by beauty, away from the city.
We were so high up. Mom got nervous and Adam freaked out when Joe or I went too close to the edge (Joe was more dangerous than I was). There were wild ponies grazing. We walked a long way, just wandering along. Finally we turned back, left the cliffs behind, and went back to the guest house.
After hanging out there, resting, for a while, we headed out to find somewhere to eat supper. Eventually we decided on a pub. The food was delicious. Midway through the meal we noticed some random superheroes--Spiderman, Ironman, Batman, and Superman. They weren't even together. It was weird.
The next day we went to Dover Castle. It was high up on a hill; the path up was really steep. We went on a tour of the wartime tunnels and then explored on our own. There were all sorts of random ruin-like towers and little tunnels. We couldn't go in the castle keep because it was closed, which was a little disappointing. But it was fun just walking around. We could see all of Dover.
It was especially cold and windy up there, so we stopped in a restaurant and got tea and hot chocolate. The latter had whipped cream and marshmallows. Mmmm. We also got two slices of cake (chocolate and lemon) and shared them.
After a while we went back down the hill and returned to the beach one more time. Adam read aloud the poem "Dover Beach" by Matthew Arnold (http://www.victorianweb.org/authors/arnold/writings/doverbeach.html), which we'd just had to read for the program. On the way back Mom and Joe got off the train at Canterbury, and I continued back to London with Adam, needing a day of rest, which I certainly got--I slept for 10 hours last night!
Sunday, March 22, 2009
Photos again
Yet another London Facebook album: http://www.facebook.com/album.php?aid=2017319&id=1449219994&l=bb2eb82291 -- including the green hair photos!
Our excursion to Canterbury: http://www.facebook.com/album.php?aid=2017244&id=1449219994&l=2078c06ef3
And our second day there: http://www.facebook.com/album.php?aid=2017310&id=1449219994&l=eb28c2f9ae
Also, our second day in Bath: http://www.facebook.com/album.php?aid=2017061&id=1449219994&l=6b06e50b29
London album 3 has new photos too (http://www.facebook.com/album.php?aid=2014735&id=1449219994&l=a2c4a888dc).
And Cambridge and Hampton Court Palace are coming soon!
Our excursion to Canterbury: http://www.facebook.com/album.php?aid=2017244&id=1449219994&l=2078c06ef3
And our second day there: http://www.facebook.com/album.php?aid=2017310&id=1449219994&l=eb28c2f9ae
Also, our second day in Bath: http://www.facebook.com/album.php?aid=2017061&id=1449219994&l=6b06e50b29
London album 3 has new photos too (http://www.facebook.com/album.php?aid=2014735&id=1449219994&l=a2c4a888dc).
And Cambridge and Hampton Court Palace are coming soon!
Wednesday, March 18, 2009
Much better
Already this week has been so much better than last week (and the week before). Easier reading, shorter MAGG, and beautiful weather. On Monday we got ice cream from an ice cream truck (my first ice cream in London!) and read under a tree in the park.
Yesterday four of us dyed our hair green for St. Patrick's Day. It was spray-on, wash-out dye we got at a store called Preposterous Presents. We used a washcloth to protect our faces and took turns spraying each other and combing the dye into our hair. It smelled really strongly, and Eri and Steve started feeling funny. My comb turned green. Instead of doing his hair, Dan did his beard. It looked so funny. Steve had most of his hair done, and Eri and I did streaks. It turned out pretty well on all of us. (See pictures on Dan's blog, and on my Facebook eventually.)
Our friends' reactions were great, ranging from shock to amusement. Some people loved it, some seemed horrified, and it took some a while to even notice. The best part was going out to the Tate Britain and getting weird looks from strangers. Some smiled; some just stared. A schoolgirl said scornfully to Steve, "Oh my god, you have grass in your hair!" It was great.
That evening we watched the Fox and the Hound, since we hadn't done our weekly Disney movie last Sunday. And today Eri and I are done with MAGing for the week, and I've finished my reading. So I'm free! We might play tennis later; it's another lovely day. Life is fun again. :)
Yesterday four of us dyed our hair green for St. Patrick's Day. It was spray-on, wash-out dye we got at a store called Preposterous Presents. We used a washcloth to protect our faces and took turns spraying each other and combing the dye into our hair. It smelled really strongly, and Eri and Steve started feeling funny. My comb turned green. Instead of doing his hair, Dan did his beard. It looked so funny. Steve had most of his hair done, and Eri and I did streaks. It turned out pretty well on all of us. (See pictures on Dan's blog, and on my Facebook eventually.)
Our friends' reactions were great, ranging from shock to amusement. Some people loved it, some seemed horrified, and it took some a while to even notice. The best part was going out to the Tate Britain and getting weird looks from strangers. Some smiled; some just stared. A schoolgirl said scornfully to Steve, "Oh my god, you have grass in your hair!" It was great.
That evening we watched the Fox and the Hound, since we hadn't done our weekly Disney movie last Sunday. And today Eri and I are done with MAGing for the week, and I've finished my reading. So I'm free! We might play tennis later; it's another lovely day. Life is fun again. :)
Sunday, March 15, 2009
P. S.
So that post I just wrote was really random, but I thought you would all like to get at least a small idea of how my life in London is going. :) And you probably don't know who the people I mentioned are, except if you've seen photos of them on Facebook. Anyway. I miss you all!
Funday
Ahhh, Sunday feels so good after a crazy week of work. This was the biggest MAGG (Museum and Gallery Guide) we've had (according to the professors), so it took a long time and wasn't the most fun. But the John Soane House was really cool--he was an architect and his house was like a maze, and each room was unique and filled with random stuff from his collections. So that was cool. The reading this week wasn't too bad--two of the major ones were fiction, Candide and part IV of Gulliver's Travels--but one day we had this long philosophical thing, which was actually interesting but really long, and it drove me crazy. Dan drew a comic on it for me, though, and Eri wrote encouraging notes. So that made it not as bad.
Also this week Adam, Dan, Mary Beth and I finally booked our flights to Ireland and Scotland, where we're traveling together after the program. That's definitely something to look forward to. Let's see . . . I played tennis for the first time ever on Thursday, before we got the paper topic. Steve is good, but Dan, Eri and I are not--none of us three have played much before. But it was fun and silly, a good thing to do before the stress of the paper began. The topic was ridiculous; no one could really figure it out. So we were all miserable together for three days, especially on Saturday. We called the blue lounge "the room of despair", Adam repeatedly asked me to kill him, and other people were talking about suicidal urges as well. I turned in my paper right at midnight, and I know it wasn't good. But we all made it through, and now it's Sunday!
I slept till noon, went grocery shopping (it was a beautiful day), then we got a pizza for 5 pounds and watched The Prestige, a ridiculously amazing movie full of crazy mess-with-your-mind unexpectedness. It was good. So although it was another stressful week, now it's over, and this new week has started well. And next week is break, which we definitely all need. And Mom and Joe are coming to visit! So I just have to make it through one more week, one more paper, and then I'll be able to completely relax and have fun. :)
Also this week Adam, Dan, Mary Beth and I finally booked our flights to Ireland and Scotland, where we're traveling together after the program. That's definitely something to look forward to. Let's see . . . I played tennis for the first time ever on Thursday, before we got the paper topic. Steve is good, but Dan, Eri and I are not--none of us three have played much before. But it was fun and silly, a good thing to do before the stress of the paper began. The topic was ridiculous; no one could really figure it out. So we were all miserable together for three days, especially on Saturday. We called the blue lounge "the room of despair", Adam repeatedly asked me to kill him, and other people were talking about suicidal urges as well. I turned in my paper right at midnight, and I know it wasn't good. But we all made it through, and now it's Sunday!
I slept till noon, went grocery shopping (it was a beautiful day), then we got a pizza for 5 pounds and watched The Prestige, a ridiculously amazing movie full of crazy mess-with-your-mind unexpectedness. It was good. So although it was another stressful week, now it's over, and this new week has started well. And next week is break, which we definitely all need. And Mom and Joe are coming to visit! So I just have to make it through one more week, one more paper, and then I'll be able to completely relax and have fun. :)
Sunday, March 8, 2009
Stress!!!!!!!!!!!
That is what my life has been for the past week: utter busyness and pain. Okay, that might be exaggerating a little, but we had so many museum assignments and long, hard readings, and I got a B-/C+ on my last paper, which discouraged me. So it wasn't such a great week. And then I got a last start on that week's paper because I was out all day Thursday finishing up the MAG and seeing an opera (Dr. Atomic, about the atomic bomb--very weird), and on Friday I was so tired that I napped for most of the afternoon. And on Saturday I didn't have any ideas, so by the time I actually started writing it was 5pm. But the reason I could finally start writing was because I finally had something to write about, so after that it went well; I got it finished just in time, and I feel pretty good about it.
So today is Sunday, and I'm supposed to be able to relax and have fun. But it hasn't turned out that way (although we did watch Disney's Beauty and the Beast, which was great--we watch a Disney movie every week). And this week is going to be busy too, maybe even busier, so if you could all pray for me about being able to get everything done and not getting stressed, that would be wonderful. :)
So today is Sunday, and I'm supposed to be able to relax and have fun. But it hasn't turned out that way (although we did watch Disney's Beauty and the Beast, which was great--we watch a Disney movie every week). And this week is going to be busy too, maybe even busier, so if you could all pray for me about being able to get everything done and not getting stressed, that would be wonderful. :)
Sunday, February 22, 2009
Links
Here's a link to my friend Dan's blog; he posts a lot more often and in much more detail than I do. Of course it's mainly about him and is meant for his family and friends back home, but he gives good descriptions of stuff we've done. If you come across anything offensive (and if you do it will only be mildly so), I apologize--he's Dan. Here it is: http://www.houghton26.blogspot.com/ Posts that I think you'll be most interested in are the ones about Chinatown, Bath, parts of the really long one with a line from a song by The Fray as the title (he mentions my wallet getting stolen), and Canterbury.
Also of interest is my 3rd London Facebook album: http://www.new.facebook.com/album.php?aid=2014735&id=1449219994&l=a2c4a
Check out the 2nd one again too. And here's my Bath album: http://www.new.facebook.com/album.php?aid=2015247&id=1449219994&l=8dcc1 I don't think I'll ever get around to posting on here about Bath, unfortunately, but the photos and captions should give you a good idea of what it was like.
Also of interest is my 3rd London Facebook album: http://www.new.facebook.com/album.php?aid=2014735&id=1449219994&l=a2c4a
Check out the 2nd one again too. And here's my Bath album: http://www.new.facebook.com/album.php?aid=2015247&id=1449219994&l=8dcc1 I don't think I'll ever get around to posting on here about Bath, unfortunately, but the photos and captions should give you a good idea of what it was like.
Scraps
What follows are bits from e-mails that I've sent since I last posted. I know it's not much, but at least you'll get an idea of what's been going on.
Jan. 29: Last night some friends and I went to see Les Mis--it was amazing! Three of us were in the very front row (the cheap seats). The stage was right in front of us. It was scary when the actors came right up to the edge. But the music was so good. The cast did a wonderful job. It was so cool.
Feb 1: I got an A- on the first paper (about the individual and the state in Greco-Roman culture). I was surprised and happy. :) I only know of one other person who got an A-.
Feb. 21: London is so busy and so much fun. I've been staying up way too late and doing ridiculous things, like going on a walk at midnight and seeing some ghetto-looking kids frantically run by and then seeing the police with a big group of them (that was earlier tonight) and going on a walk in the evening at Canterbury and having drunk people swear at us (maybe these night time walks aren't such a good idea . . .) London is certainly a lot different from Houghton!
This weekend is wonderful because the professors surprised us by not giving us a paper! So we have a completely free weekend; it's great. I got A minuses on my first two papers, which was a surprise. I have gotten the others back yet. Tomorrow we're going to see Shakespeare's Twelfth Night; some people saw it tonight and said it was really good. So I'm looking forward to that.
Let's see . . . my favorite thing . . . it's so hard to pick. Going to Bath and Canterbury (they were overnight trips) was really fun because we stayed at nice hotels and had good food (unlike at the Highbury Centre) and had lots of free time, so those were probably what I liked best. My least favorite thing was all the trips to the British Museum, which we had to spend a lot of time at and we all got so sick of. Now we're done with it, though, fortunately. Another bad thing is the papers--they came be pretty stressful. >:(
Now let me update you on a few of the those things: I got my 3rd paper back today and got a B+, which isn't bad but is a little disappointing after doing better on my first two. Also, we didn't actually see Twelfth Night because it was sold out, but we're going to go another time instead. Yesterday was a beautiful day, practically like spring, and we went on a walk by the Thames. Utterly amazing. We've watched a lot of movies and just hung out. Tomorrow, though, it's back to school. :( But I'm still loving the whole experience.
Jan. 29: Last night some friends and I went to see Les Mis--it was amazing! Three of us were in the very front row (the cheap seats). The stage was right in front of us. It was scary when the actors came right up to the edge. But the music was so good. The cast did a wonderful job. It was so cool.
Feb 1: I got an A- on the first paper (about the individual and the state in Greco-Roman culture). I was surprised and happy. :) I only know of one other person who got an A-.
Feb. 21: London is so busy and so much fun. I've been staying up way too late and doing ridiculous things, like going on a walk at midnight and seeing some ghetto-looking kids frantically run by and then seeing the police with a big group of them (that was earlier tonight) and going on a walk in the evening at Canterbury and having drunk people swear at us (maybe these night time walks aren't such a good idea . . .) London is certainly a lot different from Houghton!
This weekend is wonderful because the professors surprised us by not giving us a paper! So we have a completely free weekend; it's great. I got A minuses on my first two papers, which was a surprise. I have gotten the others back yet. Tomorrow we're going to see Shakespeare's Twelfth Night; some people saw it tonight and said it was really good. So I'm looking forward to that.
Let's see . . . my favorite thing . . . it's so hard to pick. Going to Bath and Canterbury (they were overnight trips) was really fun because we stayed at nice hotels and had good food (unlike at the Highbury Centre) and had lots of free time, so those were probably what I liked best. My least favorite thing was all the trips to the British Museum, which we had to spend a lot of time at and we all got so sick of. Now we're done with it, though, fortunately. Another bad thing is the papers--they came be pretty stressful. >:(
Now let me update you on a few of the those things: I got my 3rd paper back today and got a B+, which isn't bad but is a little disappointing after doing better on my first two. Also, we didn't actually see Twelfth Night because it was sold out, but we're going to go another time instead. Yesterday was a beautiful day, practically like spring, and we went on a walk by the Thames. Utterly amazing. We've watched a lot of movies and just hung out. Tomorrow, though, it's back to school. :( But I'm still loving the whole experience.
Thursday, January 29, 2009
More photos
If you revisit the earlier link, there are some new photos there, and here's a link to my second London Facebook album.
http://www.facebook.com/album.php?aid=2013027&l=51185&id=1449219994
http://www.facebook.com/album.php?aid=2013027&l=51185&id=1449219994
London alone
Monday, January 19
We were going to meet at 8:15 to head to the London Institute for Contemporary Christianity (LICC), where plenary is, with the TAs guiding. So I wake up to my alarm at 7:30 and turn it off—and promptly fall back asleep. I awake later to a knock on my door and scramble out of bed to see who it is. Laura, one of the TAs, is there, wearing her coat and hat. “What time is it?” I ask. “8:15,” she tells me.
At this point I remember the dream I was having when she woke me up. I wasn’t ready to go at 8:15, and it was 8:30 and everyone was standing outside waiting for me. The first part had come true—but the second part didn’t. Laura tells me that she and everyone else are going to leave now, and she shows me on a map how to get to the LICC. We’re supposed to be there by 9, but the lecture doesn’t start until 9:15. I have a chance.
I get ready as quickly as I can and then run down to the dining room to grab one of the awesome breakfast rolls. There are none in the basket, though, and when I ask someone she says they’re all gone. I leave at 8:30, hungry.
I stride down the street in what I think is the direction of the tube station, but I haven’t done the walk often enough yet and I accidentally take a long cut. I make it there okay, though, and I find the correct platform and wait for the train amidst a crowd of strangers. The train soon pulls in, packed full. As many people as possible squeeze on, but there’s no room for me.
So I wait for the next train, and when it comes the same thing happens. When this one leaves, though, I’m right in front of the tracks, ready to push my way into the third train. When it comes I do just that, jammed in with a bunch of strangers. And then there’s an announcement—there are delays on the line. So the train sits at the station. And keeps sitting. Wearing my coat, hat, and scarf and standing so close to so many other people, I get unbearably hot.
At last we leave only to stop again. After what feels like a terribly long time, I’m ready to scream and shove the surrounding people away. Instead I rest my head on my upraised holding-on arm and close my eyes.
Eventually the train does get to my station. I get out into the wonderful air, check my map, and head off—only to soon realize I’m going in the wrong direction. So I turn and go back. By now it’s past 9:15, and I slow down, my hope of getting there on time gone.
Some familiar sights come into view—a big building with blue shutters on the windows, the park where we ate lunch on Saturday. I know I’m close, but I don’t remember how exactly to get to the LICC from here. My mind was still foggy when Laura gave me the directions.
And then I see her—Laura, coming towards me out of the crowd. All I can do is grin with relief as she puts an arm around me and guides me the rest of the way to the LICC—which is actually straight down the street, no turns or anything.
At 9:30 we get to the front doors—and they won’t open. I pull and push them both, but they’re locked. Then Dr. Wardwell comes down the hallway and lets us in. When I step into the classroom, the other students, seated at two rows of tables, break into applause. My embarrassment is swallowed by utter relief and a feeling of triumph as I greet my friends and tell them the story.
I get a few surprises—one, they haven’t started without me (which is incredibly nice and unexpected of them) and two, I’m not the only one who didn’t leave with the group. Adam and Dan aren’t here. The professors decide to start, and just as Dr. Stewart is finishing the course introduction, the guys arrive. Everyone has made it to plenary safely and soundly—if not punctually.
We were going to meet at 8:15 to head to the London Institute for Contemporary Christianity (LICC), where plenary is, with the TAs guiding. So I wake up to my alarm at 7:30 and turn it off—and promptly fall back asleep. I awake later to a knock on my door and scramble out of bed to see who it is. Laura, one of the TAs, is there, wearing her coat and hat. “What time is it?” I ask. “8:15,” she tells me.
At this point I remember the dream I was having when she woke me up. I wasn’t ready to go at 8:15, and it was 8:30 and everyone was standing outside waiting for me. The first part had come true—but the second part didn’t. Laura tells me that she and everyone else are going to leave now, and she shows me on a map how to get to the LICC. We’re supposed to be there by 9, but the lecture doesn’t start until 9:15. I have a chance.
I get ready as quickly as I can and then run down to the dining room to grab one of the awesome breakfast rolls. There are none in the basket, though, and when I ask someone she says they’re all gone. I leave at 8:30, hungry.
I stride down the street in what I think is the direction of the tube station, but I haven’t done the walk often enough yet and I accidentally take a long cut. I make it there okay, though, and I find the correct platform and wait for the train amidst a crowd of strangers. The train soon pulls in, packed full. As many people as possible squeeze on, but there’s no room for me.
So I wait for the next train, and when it comes the same thing happens. When this one leaves, though, I’m right in front of the tracks, ready to push my way into the third train. When it comes I do just that, jammed in with a bunch of strangers. And then there’s an announcement—there are delays on the line. So the train sits at the station. And keeps sitting. Wearing my coat, hat, and scarf and standing so close to so many other people, I get unbearably hot.
At last we leave only to stop again. After what feels like a terribly long time, I’m ready to scream and shove the surrounding people away. Instead I rest my head on my upraised holding-on arm and close my eyes.
Eventually the train does get to my station. I get out into the wonderful air, check my map, and head off—only to soon realize I’m going in the wrong direction. So I turn and go back. By now it’s past 9:15, and I slow down, my hope of getting there on time gone.
Some familiar sights come into view—a big building with blue shutters on the windows, the park where we ate lunch on Saturday. I know I’m close, but I don’t remember how exactly to get to the LICC from here. My mind was still foggy when Laura gave me the directions.
And then I see her—Laura, coming towards me out of the crowd. All I can do is grin with relief as she puts an arm around me and guides me the rest of the way to the LICC—which is actually straight down the street, no turns or anything.
At 9:30 we get to the front doors—and they won’t open. I pull and push them both, but they’re locked. Then Dr. Wardwell comes down the hallway and lets us in. When I step into the classroom, the other students, seated at two rows of tables, break into applause. My embarrassment is swallowed by utter relief and a feeling of triumph as I greet my friends and tell them the story.
I get a few surprises—one, they haven’t started without me (which is incredibly nice and unexpected of them) and two, I’m not the only one who didn’t leave with the group. Adam and Dan aren’t here. The professors decide to start, and just as Dr. Stewart is finishing the course introduction, the guys arrive. Everyone has made it to plenary safely and soundly—if not punctually.
My last day of freedom . . .
Sunday, January 18
I wanted to take advantage of my last day before the schoolwork started, so I decided to go to Kensington to see the hotel where my mom, sisters and I stayed when we were here in 2005. I found a friend, Lizzy, to go with me, and we managed to navigate the tube on our own for the first time and make it to the hotel. After peering into the window and taking a photo, we and saw Kensington Palace, since we were in the area.
Somewhere else I’d been wanting to go to was the Tower Bridge, so next we went there, stopping at a thrift store on the way. We walked across the bridge and saw the Tower of London as well; it was evening then so it was closed, but it was cool to see it at night.
We were adventurous and bought a bag of roasted chestnuts by the Tower. They weren’t my favorite, but since I was hungry I ate them.
It was a fun last-day-of-freedom. The next morning we had our first plenary session . . .
I wanted to take advantage of my last day before the schoolwork started, so I decided to go to Kensington to see the hotel where my mom, sisters and I stayed when we were here in 2005. I found a friend, Lizzy, to go with me, and we managed to navigate the tube on our own for the first time and make it to the hotel. After peering into the window and taking a photo, we and saw Kensington Palace, since we were in the area.
Somewhere else I’d been wanting to go to was the Tower Bridge, so next we went there, stopping at a thrift store on the way. We walked across the bridge and saw the Tower of London as well; it was evening then so it was closed, but it was cool to see it at night.
We were adventurous and bought a bag of roasted chestnuts by the Tower. They weren’t my favorite, but since I was hungry I ate them.
It was a fun last-day-of-freedom. The next morning we had our first plenary session . . .
Sorry!
My explanation for not posting = bad internet + no time. I'm so busy with work, and when I have free time, well, I'm in London with a bunch of my friends! But I still love you guys, and I haven't forgotten you! The internet is just so inconvenient here. Anyway, I have two stories from last week, and I hope to get caught up soon. Right now I have my second paper to write (we haven't even gotten the first one back yet) so until Saturday at midnight I'm going to be busy with that. For now, enjoy the posts that I'm about to, uh, post. ;P
Monday, January 19, 2009
Photo link
You can see a selection of my photos so far at http://www.facebook.com/album.php?aid=2012462&l=fc922&id=1449219994. School has started, so I'm busy. I'll write a real post when I get a chance.
Sunday, January 18, 2009
Church
Some of us went to church with Dr. Wardwell this morning. It’s an Anglican church named St. Augustine’s with a small congregation, a mix of older people and younger couples with kids. It was a big building, tall, with cool stained glass windows. We did a lot of responsive reading. Some of the songs I knew, like “How Great is Our God,” which they called “The Splendour of the King.” They sing Chris Tomlin songs in England! The kids came to the front to lead one song, “The Wise Man Built His House Upon the Rock,” which I hadn’t sung in years. Even the adults were doing the motions.
I heard that the sermon was good—I was too tired to pay complete attention. My eyes kept closing, and I had to force them open. Afterward there were drinks and cookies (which they call biscuits) in the lobby. They were good.
I liked that church well enough, but I’ll probably try out some others the next few weeks.
I heard that the sermon was good—I was too tired to pay complete attention. My eyes kept closing, and I had to force them open. Afterward there were drinks and cookies (which they call biscuits) in the lobby. They were good.
I liked that church well enough, but I’ll probably try out some others the next few weeks.
Yesterday--a walking tour of London
First we had a “meeting” with the profs in the Highbury Centre conference room. The director of the HC came and told us the rules. No going to breakfast in your pjs—which I’d done that morning, and planned to do quite often in the future. No sitting on the floor in the hallway—which I’d also done that morning, so I could get internet, and which I also thought was a good idea for the future. “This is not a dormitory,” the woman kept saying in her British accent. So there’s also nothing allowed on the outside of room doors, which is sad. This place is too strict!
We saw famous stuff. Most of it I’ve seen before—St. Paul’s, Big Ben, the Tower Bridge. Some new stuff too—Buckingham Palace, the Globe, lots of things I don’t know the names of. Everywhere you look there’s something cool to see, mostly in the form of architecture.
We rode the tube a few times. It was packed. Some streets were crowded too. Crossing the street is interesting; at certain ones (“zebra crossings,” with black and white striped poles marking them) pedestrians have the right of way, but at others there’s the normal walk or don’t walk signal, and some have neither. It’s confusing sorting them out and deciding/remembering whether to cross or wait.
We rode a double-decker bus once; we had to wait a while for the right one. Even thought you get to see stuff on the bus, I think I’ll mainly stick to the tube, since it’s faster.
I bought my lunch at a grocery store for about a pound—a delicious roll, an apple, and juice. We ate in a pretty green park with lots of pigeons pecking around.
It was cold on and off; at first it was sunny, but then it got cloudy and windy. Walking warmed me up, but if we stopped I got cold again.
By the end my feet hurt. When we got back I flopped on my bed and stayed there for a while. Dinner wasn’t as good that night—watery tomato-colored but not exactly –tasting soup, strange lasagna with lots of kinds of veggies in it (like peas and green beans) and liquidy yogurt for dessert.
That day we had the profs and TAs to tell us what to do and where to go, but soon we’re going to have to navigate for ourselves. It will be hard and confusing at first. Sometimes I think going places alone would be fun, but other times I think it will be absolutely necessary to have someone else with me at all times.
We saw famous stuff. Most of it I’ve seen before—St. Paul’s, Big Ben, the Tower Bridge. Some new stuff too—Buckingham Palace, the Globe, lots of things I don’t know the names of. Everywhere you look there’s something cool to see, mostly in the form of architecture.
We rode the tube a few times. It was packed. Some streets were crowded too. Crossing the street is interesting; at certain ones (“zebra crossings,” with black and white striped poles marking them) pedestrians have the right of way, but at others there’s the normal walk or don’t walk signal, and some have neither. It’s confusing sorting them out and deciding/remembering whether to cross or wait.
We rode a double-decker bus once; we had to wait a while for the right one. Even thought you get to see stuff on the bus, I think I’ll mainly stick to the tube, since it’s faster.
I bought my lunch at a grocery store for about a pound—a delicious roll, an apple, and juice. We ate in a pretty green park with lots of pigeons pecking around.
It was cold on and off; at first it was sunny, but then it got cloudy and windy. Walking warmed me up, but if we stopped I got cold again.
By the end my feet hurt. When we got back I flopped on my bed and stayed there for a while. Dinner wasn’t as good that night—watery tomato-colored but not exactly –tasting soup, strange lasagna with lots of kinds of veggies in it (like peas and green beans) and liquidy yogurt for dessert.
That day we had the profs and TAs to tell us what to do and where to go, but soon we’re going to have to navigate for ourselves. It will be hard and confusing at first. Sometimes I think going places alone would be fun, but other times I think it will be absolutely necessary to have someone else with me at all times.
Saturday, January 17, 2009
Currently . . .
I went to bed around 9 and woke up about 8:15 this morning. Now I've got to go; we're headed out for a tour of London led by the professors.
The first day
(Journal paraphrase from last night)
I’m in my cozy (meaning very small) room at the Highbury Centre (http://www.thehighburycenter.org/ ). It's like a maze in here—twisting corridors, several flights of steps spread throughout—and it’s huge. I haven’t gotten lost yet, although I haven’t fully explored yet either.
Back to the plane ride—we had to circle over the airport several times because of a delay. We descended very slowly. Once on the ground, we had to wait for an available gate. Finally off the plane, we waited in line at customs. After getting through we met the two professors and then waited for no-one-knew-what. It seemed we were destined to be continually waiting. At last, though, we boarded the bus and were off through London.
It was so cool—the old buildings, the green grass, the double-decker red buses, the telephone booths, the British phrases on signs. The drive did last a while, though, so it was nice to finally make it to the Highbury Centre.
I unpacked somewhat, then we all met for a trip to the ATM and to get some lunch. We walked, and although it was warm compared to PA and Houghton right now, it was windy and felt pretty cold. I got some money and a sausage roll, pastry crust with sausage inside. I was really hungry, and it was really good. After a little wandering into stores, we walked back to the HC through a light English drizzle.
Wireless doesn’t work in my room, so I ended up in the lounge, trying to make it work there on my laptop. That took a while, but finally it did. Those of us who were there played Spoons to keep ourselves awake, and it helped.
For dinner we had some sort of soup, shepherd’s pie, and an apple pie-custard dessert. It was good.
My head's been feeling weird all day, and now I feel like I'm wilting. Time for bed.
I’m in my cozy (meaning very small) room at the Highbury Centre (http://www.thehighburycenter.org/ ). It's like a maze in here—twisting corridors, several flights of steps spread throughout—and it’s huge. I haven’t gotten lost yet, although I haven’t fully explored yet either.
Back to the plane ride—we had to circle over the airport several times because of a delay. We descended very slowly. Once on the ground, we had to wait for an available gate. Finally off the plane, we waited in line at customs. After getting through we met the two professors and then waited for no-one-knew-what. It seemed we were destined to be continually waiting. At last, though, we boarded the bus and were off through London.
It was so cool—the old buildings, the green grass, the double-decker red buses, the telephone booths, the British phrases on signs. The drive did last a while, though, so it was nice to finally make it to the Highbury Centre.
I unpacked somewhat, then we all met for a trip to the ATM and to get some lunch. We walked, and although it was warm compared to PA and Houghton right now, it was windy and felt pretty cold. I got some money and a sausage roll, pastry crust with sausage inside. I was really hungry, and it was really good. After a little wandering into stores, we walked back to the HC through a light English drizzle.
Wireless doesn’t work in my room, so I ended up in the lounge, trying to make it work there on my laptop. That took a while, but finally it did. Those of us who were there played Spoons to keep ourselves awake, and it helped.
For dinner we had some sort of soup, shepherd’s pie, and an apple pie-custard dessert. It was good.
My head's been feeling weird all day, and now I feel like I'm wilting. Time for bed.
On the plane
Note: Most of these posts will be paraphrases from my journal, like this one, written on the plane.
My journey to London has begun. The plane took off about an hour and a half ago, and here we are, flying, probably over the Atlantic now. It’s been a strange day—frantic, last-minute packing, saying goodbye to everyone, leaving in a hurry, then a sudden slow-down when the three-hour drive started. We arrived at Newark early, around 5:45. I was feeling dazed by that time, so after lugging one of my suitcases through part of the airport, I was very relieved to see the familiar faces of some of the Londoners. After check-in, I said goodbye to Mom, which was sad, and went through security. We sat around there for a few hours, talking and eating, before boarding the plane. I tried to sleep after eating and watching a movie, but it was just too uncomfortable. Finally I dropped off, only to be awoken by the announcement that the plane was beginning its descent and we would be landing in about an hour. After that I gave up.
My journey to London has begun. The plane took off about an hour and a half ago, and here we are, flying, probably over the Atlantic now. It’s been a strange day—frantic, last-minute packing, saying goodbye to everyone, leaving in a hurry, then a sudden slow-down when the three-hour drive started. We arrived at Newark early, around 5:45. I was feeling dazed by that time, so after lugging one of my suitcases through part of the airport, I was very relieved to see the familiar faces of some of the Londoners. After check-in, I said goodbye to Mom, which was sad, and went through security. We sat around there for a few hours, talking and eating, before boarding the plane. I tried to sleep after eating and watching a movie, but it was just too uncomfortable. Finally I dropped off, only to be awoken by the announcement that the plane was beginning its descent and we would be landing in about an hour. After that I gave up.
Sunday, January 11, 2009
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