tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-11357615244985200092024-02-07T02:30:15.279+00:00Samantha: Semester in KingstonAnonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10039595670823121754noreply@blogger.comBlogger17125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1135761524498520009.post-35079381941673209172013-05-21T23:46:00.000+01:002013-05-21T23:46:31.075+01:00"Whats the best thing to come out of England? The road to Scotland!"If you are ever looking for a get away that includes rolling hills full of sheep, cobblestone roads, beautiful architecture, gorgeous scenery, and pretty hilarious people, Scotland is definitely your destination of choice.<br />
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A couple friends and I were able to squeeze in a 3 day trip to Scotland for the last of our traveling. And I would say we saved the best for last. Scotland was a perfect way to end the last of our major travels.<br />
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We traveled by train to Edinburgh, Scotland. The train ride was about 4.5 hours long but was totally every second. The scenery was amazing. There were fields and fields full of sheep for as far as you could see. We also traveled through some other bigger cities such as York and New Castle, so it was nice to be able to catch a glimpse of those beautiful city surroundings as well.<br />
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The first night in Edinburgh we checked into our hostel and headed out to wander the cobblestone streets of Edinburgh and find a place for dinner. We settled on a pub on one of the more popular streets called Market Street. There was a sign outside that said there would be live music so we figured that would be our best bet. We ordered some food and got some drinks and then realized the sign said that the live music wouldn't start for another 2 hours... but we still decided to wait it out. As soon as we started to talk about leaving and finding another place a giant group of about 20 guys walked in and sat at the large table next to us. Before we knew it we were being introduced to our first dose of Scottish sarcasm as they pulled our table over to join theres. It turned out that they were all members of the British Army. To say the least, it was very interesting to talk to all of them and they had many jokes and stories to tell. A little bit later another group of people came in and sat on the other side of us. They asked us to take a picture of them and while we were making some small talk, we found out that they were from Ann Arbor, Michigan! When I told them I was also from Michigan they got really excited and yelled 'GO BLUE' for all of the pub to hear! We ended up having so much fun with all of the new people we met. Needless to say it was a perfect first night in Scotland.<br />
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The next morning we went on a free walking tour that our hostel offered around Edinburgh. The tour guide was great and had a lot of really cool stories to tell, and we learned a lot about the different landmarks and buildings in Edinburgh. During the tour we also went to a famous graveyard called Greyfriars where we heard the story of Greyfriars Bobby. There we found the gravestone of Tom Riddle which J.K Rowling used to write Harry Potter. We also saw the school which Hogwarts was based off of. For lunch we went to a famous cafe called the Elephant House. This is the cafe where J.K Rowling wrote the first two Harry Potter books, and if you didn't know that fun fact you would have known as soon as you walked into the bathroom. The place is famous for its bathroom walls which are coated with signatures, quotes, drawings and about anything about Harry Potter. Everything from the door, to mirror, to sink were absolutely covered! The cafe itself was also very cute and everything there was about elephants.<br />
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After lunch we headed to Holyrood Park to climb to the top of a small mountain to get to Arthur's Seat. On the way there we saw a little candy shop and stopped to get some candy for the walk. We ended up talking to the owner for quite awhile and she gave us tips on the best way to get to Arthurs Seat! She said if we went the hard way we would each need to bring about a gallon of water with us and some hiking shoes, but if we waited until there was a fork in the road and started to head up the mountain, it was a much easier walk. She was so friendly. She also sold buttons, pendants, and magnets all made of maps. And crazily enough, we all found a button that had Kingston (where our university is) and London on it! Also, my friend who has lived in England before, found one button with the small town she had lived in on it! After we purchased some souvenirs and some candy of course, we got back on track and headed for Arthur's Seat.<br />
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Long story short, we ended up venturing up the side of the mountain when we saw what we thought to be the fork in the road. But after about 45 minutes and a couple breaks to look at the view (to catch our breath) we realized that that was far from the fork in the road the lady had told us about. Keep in mind we all had our purses and other stuff we had carried around for the day and we were nowhere near dressed for an intense hike up a mountain. We saw a couple walking down towards us and as we got closer we saw that they were definitely dressed for the occasion; hiking sticks and all. When they told us it was at least another 30 minutes if steep walking to the top. To say the least, we got our workout in for the day and it was quite the adventure. We were all very glad we decided to take that way up because the views the whole way up were spectacular.<br />
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When we finally made it to the top the views were absolutely breathtaking. All around us was a beautiful panorama of all Edinburgh. Although I will say that I am to blame for what started to happen within seconds of us reaching the top. On the way up I had commented on how lucky we were that it was not raining, because it was supposed to rain the whole time we were there. And sure enough, once we reached the top, not only rain came down on us, but mother nature decided to throw some hail and hurricane winds in there as well. We were holding on to rocks and quickly began taking pictures and then hurried down the 'correct' side of the mountain where it was a very easy walk. But the hike and the weather still could not make us say one bad thing about that adventure. We had so much fun singing silly songs on the way up like "Ain't No Mountain High Enough" and "The Climb". And the view was my most favorite thing about the whole trip. <br />
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Once we reached the bottom, we found ourselves in a little area of Edinburgh called Duddington. The lady we had met earlier that day had told us about a little pub there that we needed to check out if we had the time. After a little bit of wandering we found it once a runner ran past us, noticed where we were headed and said "the only thing that way is a pub!"And we said that was exactly what we were looking for. We were freezing and wet from all the rain and we needed somewhere to unthaw. Once we got there, we found out that it was the first pub in Edinburgh! It was really cute and the people were very nice.<br />
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After that we made the long walk back to our hostel to meet up with another friend who came to join us. After we went out and got some dinner we called it a early night and headed back to the hostel. We stayed in a 10 person dorm so when we got there we met some of our roommates. We met 2 Scottish guys who were our age. They had really thick accents so we found ourselves saying 'what' more than having an actual conversation. They laughed every time we couldn't understand them and it truly was quite funny because it wasn't like they were speaking in another language or anything. We quizzed them on some American slang and their guesses were quite funny. But as soon as they turned it around and started quizzing us, we also made some pretty silly guesses. And the fact that they used the popular Scottish slang and refereed to us as lassies was also pretty funny.<br />
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The next day we had a very early start and headed to Edinburgh Castle to meet for our all day bus tour through the Highlands. We boarded a coach at 7:45 am and did not get back until almost 9:00pm, it was a long day, but I would do it all over again in a heartbeat!<br />
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There were many stops along the way and the scenery around us was breathtaking. The highlands surrounding us the whole way was filled with valleys, hiking trails, trickling waterfalls, and beautiful vegetation. It looked as though we were just traveling through a movie scene the entire way! We made frequent 'photo op stops' and stopped at some popular landmarks as well. Our tour guide was hilarious and made the tour so much fun! He had enough interesting information, fun facts, and of course jokes and sarcasm to last us the whole day! He had many jokes about England, on of my favorites being the one I used as a title for this blog. He even wore a kilt and played bagpipe music throughout the tour as well!<br />
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Some of our stops, and sights of the tour included Fort William, Stirling Castle, Great Glen, Britain's highest mountain (Ben Nevis), Fort Augustus, Glencoe, Inverness (Capital of the Highlands), Grampian Mountains, Pitlochry, Urquhart Castle and Loch Ness. We also were able to meet many people on this tour! We met a couple American families, but the coach was filled with many different languages being spoken.<br />
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My personal favorite was stoping at Loch Ness and taking a beautiful boat tour out on the 24 mile long, and 700 feet deep loch. Of course, we spent most of our time trying to spot the famous Loch Ness Monster (Nessie), but we figured he was probably just taking a nap.<br />
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Although it was a long day, we did not let that stop us from enjoying our last night in Scotland. We headed out to a pub for some dinner, and after going in and out of many, finally found one with an available table. In one of the pubs we were in and out of, we ran into one of the American families that was on our tour!!! We laughed about it for awhile, but we never thought we would end up running into them 2 more times the next day! Perfect proof that it really is a small world!<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEitw1Jvb5YKUlLF0wudO1PpnvRnefPVF-IPLijNSasUG2B9GPqXH_UPQyJywbOsGsJ-hcwQhcDojikcAP29eXTYbAvouPH5VZYw4ogQxzn1d50C3U4nvk5TxHnOQelyl2ri3jRvmeSdjF9_/s1600/DSC_0642.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="133" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEitw1Jvb5YKUlLF0wudO1PpnvRnefPVF-IPLijNSasUG2B9GPqXH_UPQyJywbOsGsJ-hcwQhcDojikcAP29eXTYbAvouPH5VZYw4ogQxzn1d50C3U4nvk5TxHnOQelyl2ri3jRvmeSdjF9_/s200/DSC_0642.JPG" width="200" /></a>The pub where we at dinner was blasting Scottish music and because it was a Saturday night and getting late, many Hen and Stag parties (Bachelor/Bachelorette parties) were making there way in to enjoy their nights. So we decided to head to another pub. There we tried some famous Scottish Highland whiskey (I don't recommend it!!!) and ended up meeting 2 other study abroad students from America who were traveling! (Again small world) Also, one of them was celebrating her birthday! We ended up hanging out with them, and playing card games at the pub, and dancing for the rest of the night. It was so awesome to be able to meet new friends and have so much fun on our last night in Scotland. The only downfall of the night, was finding out that those who say that Scottish men wear nothing under their kilts are 110% correct. Needless to say we left after a Scottish man in a kilt decided to prove that rumor to be true to everyone around.<br />
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The next day was quite rainy, so we spent it wondering around some more and huddling under umbrellas. We decided to go to the National Museum of Scotland (which was free)! We spent a few hours there and it was an awesome museum! There we again ran into the American family from the tour, TWO separate times... It was quite crazy, and funny. At the museum we were able to see Dolly, the first cloned mammal ever, and some other interesting treasures and displays. We then headed to the top floor terrace of the museum where we were able to get yet another incredible view of the beautiful city of Edinburgh.<br />
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The long train ride home was just as beautiful as the long train ride there as we passed through many fields full of sheep and other landscapes. We all had a wonderful time in Scotland, and I definitely hope to go back someday! The people were great, and always telling jokes, and everything about Edinburgh was beautiful! I was sad it was our last major trip outside of England, but I was glad we saved the best for last.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgEvTHF5I34Uz3QAMftN6vZx-_bsbzgacquf8maXQLC4ky5KnJyPnGG_70apcGWENk8AceYvzAHS6gS60WaoEh-9tCCjVLI9B_TMYwe8U8kMvS1V3SY_NYxDoRfgs0KTo9_SFse9Ex4Ftnd/s1600/973217_10201074144632701_1830944526_n.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="121" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgEvTHF5I34Uz3QAMftN6vZx-_bsbzgacquf8maXQLC4ky5KnJyPnGG_70apcGWENk8AceYvzAHS6gS60WaoEh-9tCCjVLI9B_TMYwe8U8kMvS1V3SY_NYxDoRfgs0KTo9_SFse9Ex4Ftnd/s200/973217_10201074144632701_1830944526_n.jpg" width="200" /></a><br />As soon as I was home I spent much of my time studying for my last exam which I just had today! So my summer has officially started. I will say I wasn't exactly as thrilled as everyone else was who was cheering and throwing papers as they left Kingston University. Yes of course, I am happy to have a break from school for awhile. But being done at Kingston University was the first sign that makes it real that I am really coming home. Time has gone by so incredibly fast that sometimes I almost forget that I will be home in just a couple weeks. I had such an amazing experience at Kingston University and came out learning so much more than just lecture material. I am happy with the opportunity that Kingston University offered and the students and faculty I was able to meet, but I still can not get over that fact the it doesn't seem like that long ago that I was anxiously awaiting my acceptance letter.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjUSzuslaHNTVMHeP0Un5Yeg0o0SVO8FuLLDTwtADuCyLlwH0jfXD3ELJEA5_z5mPeLJnOkPBccfjonBZm2dCmmEhtah4-eng6kWssUmnkHj-1TyEsWQgrtx5cgO00LUJ9hX-tAGfrfH6qP/s1600/DSC_0001.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="133" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjUSzuslaHNTVMHeP0Un5Yeg0o0SVO8FuLLDTwtADuCyLlwH0jfXD3ELJEA5_z5mPeLJnOkPBccfjonBZm2dCmmEhtah4-eng6kWssUmnkHj-1TyEsWQgrtx5cgO00LUJ9hX-tAGfrfH6qP/s200/DSC_0001.JPG" width="200" /></a>Of course between studying I managed to find a day to take a break and explore London with a friend who was leaving the next day. We managed to check the rest of the things off of her 'to do in London' list including strolling across Abbey road just like the Beatles, having lunch and riding bicycles through Hyde Park, doing some last minute souvenir shopping and some last minute wandering through the city, touring Little Venice, climbing to the top of Primrose Hill, and of course saying goodbye to Big Ben. It was another wonderful day in London to add to many. We ended the night at our favorite pub and met up with some friends to say goodbye. She is the first of my friends to leave, and that was another shot of reality that soon I will have to leave too. We were all very sad, but I can't wait to visit her in the Fall at her school in New York! I was so thankful to have met such a great friend across an entire ocean and find out that she lives just over 6 hours away from me at home. Another study break we were able to make was one last trip to Richmond which was gorgeous as always. And I can only wish to be back and living there someday. It is by far my most favorite part of London.<br />
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Some other highlights of the past 2 weeks include me going to a park with Emily and teaching her how to ride a bike! I had so much fun with her and some other members of the family that day! It was a gorgeous day and I will definitely miss her when I am home! I also decided to leave a little bit of myself behind and donate 8 inches of my hair to the Little Princess's Trust which makes wigs for little girls with cancer.<br />
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Tomorrow I am going to start my summer off right by exploring London for the day! The more I realize that the time is ticking the more I am making sure that every second counts. </div>
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Here is the URL for my 'Final Countdown' photo album of my last weeks in London<br />
<a href="https://www.facebook.com/media/set/?set=a.10201073892346394.1073741832.1140914263&type=3">https://www.facebook.com/media/set/?set=a.10201073892346394.1073741832.1140914263&type=3</a><br />
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Also here is the link for my album of Scotland pictures!<br />
<a href="https://www.facebook.com/media/set/?set=a.10201032801919159.1073741831.1140914263&type=3">https://www.facebook.com/media/set/?set=a.10201032801919159.1073741831.1140914263&type=3</a><br />
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<br />Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10039595670823121754noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1135761524498520009.post-10911016052441263072013-05-05T16:08:00.004+01:002013-05-05T16:10:50.183+01:00Lions, and Tigers, and Royalty... Oh My! <div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjEWPJeaDfaMGBgIQ1K3CER79H1MG0wZvAzzvTHaGPt9qVLIWCWAHiS5lJ2x_MmicANQjx2Lhx0IWOAl83gFpwCOIrDjgQBcrI-myXMyKSTcoRHT9unIj4-vDOKfbTo6eT8C54MjkYq2xPn/s1600/IMG_6142.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjEWPJeaDfaMGBgIQ1K3CER79H1MG0wZvAzzvTHaGPt9qVLIWCWAHiS5lJ2x_MmicANQjx2Lhx0IWOAl83gFpwCOIrDjgQBcrI-myXMyKSTcoRHT9unIj4-vDOKfbTo6eT8C54MjkYq2xPn/s200/IMG_6142.JPG" width="200" /></a></div>
I find it so hard to believe that school is actually over with! It feels like just a week or two ago I was trying to find the room for orientation! But this past week marked the end of classes and the beginning of the exam period, which unfortunately means it is getting closer and closer to the time where I will have to start packing and head home. <br />
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These past 2 weeks have been among the most stressful I have ever had. Many assignments, big projects, papers, labs and presentations were due, and it was also the first time we had received any grades back. The grading scale still somewhat confuses me and it just feels weird celebrating a 67% even though it truly means an A-. I even had a Skype interview for a job on campus to add to the craziness. But I will say I think that the final week of classes is the same no matter what country you are in; it consists of no sleep, too much caffeine, and camping out in the library. Among school work, all of the study abroad students are trying to squeeze in anything and everything we have not done before we leave, as well as saying goodbye to the students already leaving soon.<br />
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However, I was very thankful to be able to get some breaks during the two crazy weeks. In London, there is always, always, ALWAYS, something to distract you from what you should be doing.<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhjbzKlY0fYzrWZdds0FM6wR_ZJfFCZrEqLHReUv2UZ2p1c9pIcwiReBJXt6TOgaFsT3yqgPUQOQnjOABjJUoz1HCnhlTUwbD4BApznwbL4XG1njq4qHyZA8zujfAZLpBmIZhpRM9KsHFOa/s1600/12021_10151568063144738_64720006_n.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhjbzKlY0fYzrWZdds0FM6wR_ZJfFCZrEqLHReUv2UZ2p1c9pIcwiReBJXt6TOgaFsT3yqgPUQOQnjOABjJUoz1HCnhlTUwbD4BApznwbL4XG1njq4qHyZA8zujfAZLpBmIZhpRM9KsHFOa/s320/12021_10151568063144738_64720006_n.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Richmond</td></tr>
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On one of the nice days a friend and I headed back to Richmond Park to try and tackle the rest of the largest of the royal parks. Our goal was to head to one end, rent some bikes, and ride through the rest. But unfortunately when we got to the bike rental area they were much more than expected, not only in price but also in style. In our heads, we pictured renting the cute bicycles you are able to rent all over London, but what was available to us was intense, and very uncomfortable looking mountain bikes. Needless to say, people take their biking seriously in Richmond Park, so instead we settled on some ice cream bars and walked through what we could. Again, we found ourselves leaving through the gate leading to Richmond so we could catch a glimpse of our favorite area. We headed to the same little pub on the water we had been before and ordered our favorite drinks, which we swear taste much better in Richmond. While we were there we made talked with a friendly group of people sitting next to us and talked about some of the differences between the States and living in England. It was a wonderful way to escape. And I can only dream of someday living in such a wonderful place as Richmond.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg1yt7v5fqZnSq7BlxcvLXxJWxXOOcS5v3py4zMLtXU2PVkSV0GSv0tfAFKn-YYHXlqq-ef2hbiojspmUBRJwzSk4DOzP2ig4FCwg1WQ5ZTlM8icqhFEIfG14_ZEmOLXPgGysrRI2yHKCQo/s1600/IMG_6130.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg1yt7v5fqZnSq7BlxcvLXxJWxXOOcS5v3py4zMLtXU2PVkSV0GSv0tfAFKn-YYHXlqq-ef2hbiojspmUBRJwzSk4DOzP2ig4FCwg1WQ5ZTlM8icqhFEIfG14_ZEmOLXPgGysrRI2yHKCQo/s200/IMG_6130.JPG" width="200" /></a></div>
On the weekend some friends and I went out in London to celebrate making it to the last week of classes. It was really fun and memories were made by all that will never be forgotten. That weekend we also made it to the London Zoo which was by far the best zoo I had ever been too. I felt like I was a 5 year old girl again running to gorilla kingdom and tiger territory. The whole zoo was so big that it took us about 4 1/2 hours to get through! We saw monkeys, hippos, penguins, owls, tigers, lions, snakes, lizards, jellyfish, lemurs, turtles, camels, giraffes, zebras and so much more. Again, it was another great chance to relax and forget about school for a bit.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjT9DywdCL14oVKRPY29sFZdEuhdxVnYy41qu7eIumU515h2ZkQdPx8V3gSEqBsHV0GFt6JvEDXA8KgLCDMZePa5KZr5o5hyDO57hdjKNTDsk98RoDxGkQTluLKGdVhDOTr8hHy8xqzT56P/s1600/IMG_5807.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjT9DywdCL14oVKRPY29sFZdEuhdxVnYy41qu7eIumU515h2ZkQdPx8V3gSEqBsHV0GFt6JvEDXA8KgLCDMZePa5KZr5o5hyDO57hdjKNTDsk98RoDxGkQTluLKGdVhDOTr8hHy8xqzT56P/s200/IMG_5807.JPG" width="200" /></a>On one afternoon I came back from my evening run to find Emily over at the house. I am always glad to see her and I went outside in the garden (yard) to find a wonderful tea party set up for her and her various stuffed animals and of course Tigger the cat. As I sat down and joined her we talked about almost anything, and of course talked to her friend bear the stuffed animal. One of the more interesting conversations...<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhcdsZrjCjEbGFuGdz8Skw4S1A5wt1YI9NSPgb5VaqtRTi-ZaXSS1snjTj3_7eMxoErhpWtcOBcmhyphenhyphenfW-J0h9xKg_q5edlyVYddSMJSlxFx3-VTsu8hbfZJVeoTizuSyHc1wyNJb2174lNt/s1600/IMG_5808.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="150" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhcdsZrjCjEbGFuGdz8Skw4S1A5wt1YI9NSPgb5VaqtRTi-ZaXSS1snjTj3_7eMxoErhpWtcOBcmhyphenhyphenfW-J0h9xKg_q5edlyVYddSMJSlxFx3-VTsu8hbfZJVeoTizuSyHc1wyNJb2174lNt/s200/IMG_5808.JPG" width="200" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Tea time with Emily</td></tr>
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Emily: "can I tell you a secret?! I have a boyfriend! His name is Freddy and he doesn't even wear glasses. He saw me at lunch today and he looked like someone who needs a girlfriend, so I smiled at him and played with him at recess...Do you have a boyfriend?<br />
Me: "No, boys are silly.."<br />
Emily: "Well go out and find one! You have nice hair, so boys will like you. And I know I know!!!! If you can't find one, Tigger really likes you, so he can be your boyfriend!!!"<br />
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She never fails to make me laugh, and brighten my day even though apparently my boyfriend is a cat.<br />
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After our British Life & Culture exam on Wednesday, all of the international students celebrated by going on a boat party on the Thames River. I will say it was one of the most fun things I have done since I have been here. We were able to go out on the deck and watch the sunset as we cruised along the river. The whole top floor was a giant dance floor by the end of the night, and we were even able to get our lecturer (professor) and the international director on the dance floor busting moves to 'Thrift Shop'! Although I will say the highlight for me was when all of the students, of all cultures and ethnicities, were singing 'Im On A Boat' at the top of our lungs. It was definitely an unforgettable night, and a great way to celebrate the end of classes.<br />
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On Thursday, a friend and LAS cohort member, who is studying in France was traveling and was in London! We met in front of Buckingham Palace (Casual right?!) and then made our way around London. We went to Camden Market, SoHo, Covent Garden, Trafalgar Square, Borough Market and Kingston. She was the first familiar face I have seen since I have been here so it was really nice to be able to catch up!<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjsUjciZ-45C8GUWex12_wPBvBtTXo5cmjiLaa0NGBqCnnZVopQXHwFu9qSoEe3Als4rIFxdMFAJQWeLtcVCxu_Pl-UxglF_JBqzh9fjQAyx4SfXPASGztMqEx6tlq2tIxxu_AzioMaO-L_/s1600/IMG_6353.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjsUjciZ-45C8GUWex12_wPBvBtTXo5cmjiLaa0NGBqCnnZVopQXHwFu9qSoEe3Als4rIFxdMFAJQWeLtcVCxu_Pl-UxglF_JBqzh9fjQAyx4SfXPASGztMqEx6tlq2tIxxu_AzioMaO-L_/s320/IMG_6353.JPG" width="240" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Prince Charles! </td></tr>
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At one point when we were heading to a tube station, we noticed a large amount of people peering over the edge of a balcony on the street with cameras ready, as we walked by we decided to check it out. As we got there, we looked down to a street filled with people! As people started exiting the a building located on the street, everyone started to cheer. Even more people started to gather around to see what was going on and we kept getting asked who everyone was waiting for, but we had no idea! Suddenly everyone went wild and we looked down to see Prince Charles exiting the building, and waving to all! Although it might not have been Prince Harry or the the Queen herself, it was still pretty cool to see royalty, especially unexpectedly like that. That day we also passed a giant premier of the new Star Trek movie! Just goes to show that there is no such thing as a dull moment in London.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiRmqnt5McioyflErqdowEZmEXQaWc5QomUPcFb5IXnZEts4tl_kYuNyC3AOWGo92tdJBVZDNDKRBSz8Rc5aPABNPW18Jwue_QG4MqdLoaTV7bf1fSMA6ge1v_gLuVDfj2qUl64X7uintnP/s1600/IMG_6365.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiRmqnt5McioyflErqdowEZmEXQaWc5QomUPcFb5IXnZEts4tl_kYuNyC3AOWGo92tdJBVZDNDKRBSz8Rc5aPABNPW18Jwue_QG4MqdLoaTV7bf1fSMA6ge1v_gLuVDfj2qUl64X7uintnP/s200/IMG_6365.JPG" width="150" /></a>This weekend I have been catching up on some sleep, working on my last assignment I have left, studying for my exam, and watching way too many episodes of Downton Abbey, which is my new favorite show. Last night, my host dad and his friend, who is in a band, asked me to join them and go to his gig at a pub. Of course I said yes. I can never say no to live pub music, it is definitely one of my most favorite things to do here. It was quite an interesting experience and quite a funny one. We watched the band play and the local's at the pub dance to the music. All in all, it was another great night to add to the list of many.<br />
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This weekend is a bank holiday weekend which means tomorrow (Monday) almost everything will be closed and almost all will be off of work. My host parents invited me to join the barbecue that apparently is taking place at their house tomorrow. I am excited for another day of sunshine (knock on wood) and fresh air.<br />
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This Wednesday I will be leaving for Scotland with some friends! Also, my mom is coming to visit the week before I leave, so we have been planning and figuring out our game plans! There is so much I would like to show her!<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj1c5_8spZQ4LAEaHsaMdGnHEGkQfEWUVJFsZ5J1ZTjXMnUqWlw92rVBFyLqm5uK9Z1-iAhNaQUXITZO1lRc7YjINW671XMISJtXGCVCbW1FXdhCiFht1z3o4NpiStxsdtgZ64gPMDw8gtP/s1600/IMG_6360.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj1c5_8spZQ4LAEaHsaMdGnHEGkQfEWUVJFsZ5J1ZTjXMnUqWlw92rVBFyLqm5uK9Z1-iAhNaQUXITZO1lRc7YjINW671XMISJtXGCVCbW1FXdhCiFht1z3o4NpiStxsdtgZ64gPMDw8gtP/s320/IMG_6360.JPG" width="240" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Trafalgar Square</td></tr>
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Because the time is ticking, and I only have about a month left here in England, I have been thinking lately of all that I will miss, but the thing is, it is so hard to pin point certain things I'll miss when I honestly will just miss it all! I also think that I have already gotten used to the differences here that it has been hard for me to recall all of the daily differences between here and the U.S. For example, I now call fries 'chips' without thinking twice, and when someone says 'cheers' instead of 'thank you', I automatically say it back or say 'no problem'. It's in all the little things that I am going to notice the differences in again when I get home.<br />
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One day last week, I stayed after one of my classes to talk to one of the girls who sat behind me, who I had never seen before. I was asking her about the class but it soon turned to talk about how much I loved London. It was funny, how I did not know her, yet I suddenly found myself telling her how much I loved London and how although I would be glad to see my friends and family once I am home, I knew I would miss it terribly and I hoped to be back someday, hopefully sooner than later... She stopped me right there and told me the most meaningful advice I have gotten since I have been here. She said "At least you have had this chance and you know how you feel about it, don't dread leaving, you can always find your way back here. Go home and finish what you started there, then who knows maybe your next chapter will start here, but you will never know until you finish the chapter you're on..." It was just what I needed. Although I love it here so much, I know I am where I am meant to be right now at CMU. I have started an amazing adventure there and I need to focus on finishing it before I think any further ahead. I am so thankful for every opportunity I have been able to have. I have met countless incredible people from all over the world. This experience has taught me more than I will ever be able to express, and I have made so many memories that a scrapbook and a few photo albums will never be able to do justice. But I will always know what I felt during those moments, and those feelings and memories will never go away.<br />
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<br />Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10039595670823121754noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1135761524498520009.post-16636364682483136792013-04-22T13:53:00.000+01:002013-04-22T16:46:27.560+01:00Here Comes The Sun <table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: right; margin-left: 1em; text-align: right;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiYoqi-AFw8i1GJZD00GAbWrjtfssrb_W1ER4mFny3bS6a6X80b7bo2kiK_8axYScbyRb2fvqeNEtE7vL2cd6ixVJ4XAnh87vTc2a1l6S9AyzHmBbtnK7bj6FcpO5hiWs78HvcQ_r9VfxPh/s1600/IMG_5549.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiYoqi-AFw8i1GJZD00GAbWrjtfssrb_W1ER4mFny3bS6a6X80b7bo2kiK_8axYScbyRb2fvqeNEtE7vL2cd6ixVJ4XAnh87vTc2a1l6S9AyzHmBbtnK7bj6FcpO5hiWs78HvcQ_r9VfxPh/s320/IMG_5549.JPG" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Another gorgeous London sunset!</td></tr>
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Another week has flown by. I can not get over how fast the time has gone and the fact that I only have 7 weeks left! Everything has gone by so fast that it all seems like a blur... so I am glad I have lots of pictures to remember it by.<br />
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Last Sunday, my host family asked me to join them for a family barbecue in a nearby town. It was the first beautiful warm day in England. Apparently the first nice day of every Spring, my host family and their family members get together and have a barbecue! It was wonderful! I was able to meet some more family members, and of course hang out with their 6 year old granddaughter Emily. We played Chinese Whispers (or 'telephone' as it is called in the U.S), and some tether ball. We had hotdogs, and burgers on the grill and sat outside in the warm sunshine. On the way back, we drove through Wimbledon so I could see what it looked like. My host dad is a driver for Wimbledon players during the tournament and has driven many players who have made it to the final rounds. He picks up players and brings them to the courts. So he was able to tell me all about the area and the courts and the inside of them where we weren't able to see. He also was explaining how hard it is to get a ticket now because it has become such a popular tournament. Wimbledon was a gorgeous area, and there were many people out and about walking and sitting in the grass enjoying the warm day.<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhVcVE2Chu5AHUzik7pH2ZfdfjKMElwxIfUUZJvv9X4BWxVZRV6aRtLXfkJWWgFD66Yqr9nUuqiWa1vUXFnv6GAp_ptw83xdNc4xbAtafzxy_TnzoiBwpQUA3WeZGEOMN9YopqgcrTr23rX/s1600/IMG_5654.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhVcVE2Chu5AHUzik7pH2ZfdfjKMElwxIfUUZJvv9X4BWxVZRV6aRtLXfkJWWgFD66Yqr9nUuqiWa1vUXFnv6GAp_ptw83xdNc4xbAtafzxy_TnzoiBwpQUA3WeZGEOMN9YopqgcrTr23rX/s320/IMG_5654.JPG" width="240" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Some of the many deer in Richmond Park! </td></tr>
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Monday was the first day back to school after 3 weeks so it felt like quite a long day, especially after finishing and turning in a 33 page report for one of my classes. I had a lot of things due this week: the grade in all my classes depends on only a few assignments so after doing mostly reading all semester it felt like a lot of work. After 2 research papers were turned in, and a presentation was done and over with, it was finally Friday. Although I can't complain about the work I do here, because living in London makes it bearable.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEisM1Tta2mWzr-Ko2szcpLbcwrzwHMi_1ogIJT3A7ZKmUXe3NMx4cDazlLOqGho6iugyQ1EoqRDWIi0DCTf81LIiCsETBoAwoSUA6MYVdKIo86i6zARvppVk0qkkGGVuBkn02A-R5wXukHw/s1600/IMG_5622.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEisM1Tta2mWzr-Ko2szcpLbcwrzwHMi_1ogIJT3A7ZKmUXe3NMx4cDazlLOqGho6iugyQ1EoqRDWIi0DCTf81LIiCsETBoAwoSUA6MYVdKIo86i6zARvppVk0qkkGGVuBkn02A-R5wXukHw/s320/IMG_5622.JPG" width="240" /></a>On Friday, I saw a friend at a cafe where I was working on some homework, and she asked me to go to Richmond park with her. Although I was not dressed for it, I said yes without the thought of walking miles through a park with my heavy backpack. But it was worth every second and my very sore back the next day. Richmond park is the largest of all the royal parks in London and it is perfect. It is also where part of the course for the 2012 Olympic cycling race was held. We walked through it for about 3 hours. It had everything! We saw some people galloping through on horses, we saw a ton of deer and sometimes you could get really close to them, even though there were signs everywhere that said not to. We stopped at a cafe and banquet area we found where a wedding was being held, and had some coffee on a large hillside where you could look down on all of Richmond.<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEihvPz4jE70GxEk9t-OlCahKKdrkdl7F6UNQW_kT-FF8RMTaLh_eV5CrXXAbhi4Nc3Pr_gpRT9MKRSuoOyOgU728N6AtBlpQ3YSKCo9vEe4FtTwmnEJN2Ohd2ef6AsoY0n6ateHkHhAPOTK/s1600/IMG_5646.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEihvPz4jE70GxEk9t-OlCahKKdrkdl7F6UNQW_kT-FF8RMTaLh_eV5CrXXAbhi4Nc3Pr_gpRT9MKRSuoOyOgU728N6AtBlpQ3YSKCo9vEe4FtTwmnEJN2Ohd2ef6AsoY0n6ateHkHhAPOTK/s320/IMG_5646.JPG" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Alex looking through the telescope at Thames Valley! </td></tr>
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Then we made our way to what is called King Henry's Mound in the park. The mound is the highest point in the park with amazing views. There is a telescope placed in the middle for even better views. One one side of the mound you look down on Thames valley. There are arrows on the ground pointing to monuments such as Windsor Castle and telling how many miles away.<br />
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We had heard that there was an excellent view of the famous St. Paul's Cathedral from the mound! We were looking through the telescope and couldn't find anything or any signs! Suddenly we looked behind us and saw a hole through the bushes behind the telescope, then we looked down and saw an arrow in front of the bushes pointing towards the hole that read 'St. Paul's Cathedral - 10 miles'. As we looked through, and then realized the telescope could be turned around, we were able to look through it, past a distance of 10 miles and see St. Paul's Cathedral. It was gorgeous. The view is protected, so although there is park all around, you look through that hole in the bushes, and see 10 miles of clear pathway so you can see the cathedral.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgzj2LJ7seFiiE5LTFeDsRrGBGPjAQco1nnKULqBgTR1XhlOEXlH84E1unCS-gTKNawsgyqBdtk5W02qg7iTSf9DyIN5uKcNhtRKzJ_7hS6G-kxR0ebcEyC3u2X3K7_2WdP8Ac7GHt-tJS6/s1600/IMG_5725.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgzj2LJ7seFiiE5LTFeDsRrGBGPjAQco1nnKULqBgTR1XhlOEXlH84E1unCS-gTKNawsgyqBdtk5W02qg7iTSf9DyIN5uKcNhtRKzJ_7hS6G-kxR0ebcEyC3u2X3K7_2WdP8Ac7GHt-tJS6/s200/IMG_5725.JPG" width="200" /></a>After squinting through the telescope for awhile we decided to walk towards it. It didn't take us long until we came to this gate that was installed in 2012 to celebrate the tercentenary of St. Paul's cathedral. The gates looked like something that belonged in a fairy tale. It was beautiful and at the top were the words 'The Way'.<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgIoEg90iqjVhyphenhyphenvhWA4jvi8huSZaUq03c6BKZYpewynFPpq9IHwXUI98f2B1ofvlqMbXMyC7NZ79PKggGUzCICfUvrvtDSanPnk9TWq7CCEqh885aNVSL3KB5GmTKheT503hlkvt0VPCoR7/s1600/IMG_5683.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgIoEg90iqjVhyphenhyphenvhWA4jvi8huSZaUq03c6BKZYpewynFPpq9IHwXUI98f2B1ofvlqMbXMyC7NZ79PKggGUzCICfUvrvtDSanPnk9TWq7CCEqh885aNVSL3KB5GmTKheT503hlkvt0VPCoR7/s200/IMG_5683.JPG" width="150" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">A tee-pee we found in the park! </td></tr>
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The park was a perfect get away. There were many times when we were walking through areas where it was only the 2 of us, and a few deer. It was quiet and nice to get away from the hustle and bustle of the city for a little while. We were so excited to just be walking through woods and fields, that it made me realize how much I take my surroundings, and ability to walk through woods, or by the lake at home for granted. After our legs couldn't take anymore walking we exited out of the Richmond gate which led us to the city of Richmond.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiP4erIfGw28E-wT3fOw3m5qJL1j03eTpCO_eCs3wp4g1foZPu__p0dFjn-2tKCKuHcuFnwRnRjcczEL-Db9eM2k5YgfwbxshYsP9BrlKljuhZp4XPfts3p9aEft97PCdGQ4YaVv3tYhl7Q/s1600/IMG_5715.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiP4erIfGw28E-wT3fOw3m5qJL1j03eTpCO_eCs3wp4g1foZPu__p0dFjn-2tKCKuHcuFnwRnRjcczEL-Db9eM2k5YgfwbxshYsP9BrlKljuhZp4XPfts3p9aEft97PCdGQ4YaVv3tYhl7Q/s320/IMG_5715.JPG" width="240" /></a>Richmond is known as one of the wealthiest areas of the United Kingdom, so of course everything was perfectly placed and incredibly beautiful. Another fun fact I learned about Richmond is that it was also assessed as one of the happiest places to live in the United Kingdom, and after walking through I would not doubt that one bit. Every little park we passed, or outside cafe was full of people sitting outside enjoying the day. We walked along the river and passed some people making boats, and many little river side cafes. We stopped at a busy little pub along the riverside and sat and told each other we would be back in Richmond park as soon as possible, except next time maybe with bikes.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjHTx-x8Xogc5ElBYYdPs5bR2ta3Me2sfgmHJkd5Pjf1gZ3z5aGUkSinSKZGYPSqYwFaUeitvJVLK6cSctPGhoWQwAcwPYBt18pGRTnp6Rhcn9dZmKG-Sfh8GQt5KsqmjimeoQLjTvYRpeZ/s1600/DSC_0008.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="213" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjHTx-x8Xogc5ElBYYdPs5bR2ta3Me2sfgmHJkd5Pjf1gZ3z5aGUkSinSKZGYPSqYwFaUeitvJVLK6cSctPGhoWQwAcwPYBt18pGRTnp6Rhcn9dZmKG-Sfh8GQt5KsqmjimeoQLjTvYRpeZ/s320/DSC_0008.JPG" width="320" /></a>Saturday morning came to early. We met at the school and hopped on the coach (I got in trouble from the driver for calling it a bus...) and we were off on our last class field trip to Stonehenge and Bath. It took us about an hour and a half to reach stonehenge, but the scenery from the top of the double decker coach was stunning. It was all rolling hills of country side. Fields, little cottages, and sheep were all you could see. It looked like it was all from a movie scene.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEghMKxjeSHUJis5IAkgT7itwYTyd07fJWUqUrSiRFfeUNDXFyJBA-KI7uHsIsdqyBTnveXV8g314TbrNQ0d3H0pFMKL48kcIlpo-AtEEJs4mHAOyf3IbDuzCP1zWfoAOBKpH7aTWHYKJlRO/s1600/DSC_0013.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="133" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEghMKxjeSHUJis5IAkgT7itwYTyd07fJWUqUrSiRFfeUNDXFyJBA-KI7uHsIsdqyBTnveXV8g314TbrNQ0d3H0pFMKL48kcIlpo-AtEEJs4mHAOyf3IbDuzCP1zWfoAOBKpH7aTWHYKJlRO/s200/DSC_0013.JPG" width="200" /></a>Although I had heard and knew what Stonehenge was, I did not know much about the facts or reasoning behind it. Nor did I know what to expect as we got there. But as our coach pulled into a field parking lot, and we got the first glimpse of Stonehenge, it was another thing that looked so surreal. Against the green grass and blue sky, there was the formation of rocks. There was a roped off area all around it that people walked around. So we were not allowed to get close.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhUHBN3GlPlset2qS46v-Gqxhqstw6ZE3vanWo6wJaZ0bKaqjPI1gRnCNxIVYBdJ6WEOuQZYK6_ndOtH8A9MNfHbXfdZPnMJngPYAQ7sw6B6NGFZr_4oTwsFx5sWUKsHYSQFD9dQFZZLm7T/s1600/DSC_0052.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhUHBN3GlPlset2qS46v-Gqxhqstw6ZE3vanWo6wJaZ0bKaqjPI1gRnCNxIVYBdJ6WEOuQZYK6_ndOtH8A9MNfHbXfdZPnMJngPYAQ7sw6B6NGFZr_4oTwsFx5sWUKsHYSQFD9dQFZZLm7T/s320/DSC_0052.JPG" width="214" /></a>While our professor was explaining some of the facts to us about the stones, it occurred to me that it was ok that I did not know much about them, because neither do archeologists, scientists, or anyone else for that matter. They have guessed that the earliest building of this world famous monument probably started in 3100BC. It is also known that it has served as a giant burial ground. People are unsure why this area was so significant, but more importantly how people made this formation so long ago. The total of all the stones is equivalent to about 84 elephants. So the thought of this formation being built that long ago with out any technology or equipment we have today is astounding.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgVDSF1s8SCQUGoprwbRgpHo-Z0GB66BFGnhEkyFInZ1FI7qi7bpjZr0MFUWVNw7JbRwA4oPFM0Mtyr4Gy_aGj4sfrc-fcOaxNaAqoT6jkrAJd8lEOkNEQZb_BpK6oZ8C1MIkvsIA003Sg3/s1600/DSC_0111.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="133" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgVDSF1s8SCQUGoprwbRgpHo-Z0GB66BFGnhEkyFInZ1FI7qi7bpjZr0MFUWVNw7JbRwA4oPFM0Mtyr4Gy_aGj4sfrc-fcOaxNaAqoT6jkrAJd8lEOkNEQZb_BpK6oZ8C1MIkvsIA003Sg3/s200/DSC_0111.JPG" width="200" /></a>After walking around Stonehenge, we hopped back on the 'coach' and headed to the city of Bath. On the way, we all had to practice saying Bath, because it is not at all pronounced like 'bath' as in a "bubble bath". It is pronounced more like' Bah-th'. So the whole coach full of students rehearsed pronouncing it on the way.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjfPOzD2GVyQCRe8l4FWJf4NbcZ0mhSH5lQ8-jUxCWYfRngXqnC0bnVANvPnr1-y7OVVfNxHQYUMaCe3gnfXPk1pZOtPxzEYou3K2IW4V2Bn9EgStrUuuVIws2egv4Avl6MYGnUbVtkqfqh/s1600/DSC_0177.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="133" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjfPOzD2GVyQCRe8l4FWJf4NbcZ0mhSH5lQ8-jUxCWYfRngXqnC0bnVANvPnr1-y7OVVfNxHQYUMaCe3gnfXPk1pZOtPxzEYou3K2IW4V2Bn9EgStrUuuVIws2egv4Avl6MYGnUbVtkqfqh/s200/DSC_0177.JPG" width="200" /></a>Once we arrived, we were free to go anywhere we liked for lunch. One of our friends is vegetarian, so we all decided on a cute little vegetarian pub we found. Of course, they all ordered vegetarian food, and I ordered the only non-vegetarian thing on the menu...a burger. We were able to sit outside and take in some of the city of Bath.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjxo2BKTvWHrOJEdxKAufEZRC3ZdhcVyfZng5chWdlvJUmLUjJJmR0MYLvwNw6LhoBFbkaWt7C_P-p-qoZLAxnX8tzUE9bLyiHZfbu6l-UIrnkXJaErohaXe9CagNXm7rk8giK0-UrpAVSu/s1600/DSC_0258.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="214" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjxo2BKTvWHrOJEdxKAufEZRC3ZdhcVyfZng5chWdlvJUmLUjJJmR0MYLvwNw6LhoBFbkaWt7C_P-p-qoZLAxnX8tzUE9bLyiHZfbu6l-UIrnkXJaErohaXe9CagNXm7rk8giK0-UrpAVSu/s320/DSC_0258.JPG" width="320" /></a>After we wandered through some of the streets and then headed to meet for our walking tour through the city. Bath is an incredibly old city. Also it is incredibly beautiful. All of the buildings built are of the same color so the city is uniform. All buildings that are built in Bath must match this golden color of stone. In our tour we were able to learn about much of Bath's history. We also walked into the Royal Cresent which is a very popular area of Bath which includes a famous 5 star hotel where many celebrities such as Tom Cruise have stayed. We also passed a house in Bath which was owned by Nicholas Cage that he sold only months ago.<br />
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The main reason for our visit to Bath was our tour of the Roman Bath's. Which is a giant spa area where (much like it sounds) the Romans used to bathe. There were four main features we were allowed to tour: the sacred spring, the Roman temple, the Roman Bath house, and the museum itself which held many artifacts and objects found there. The natural bubbling water which averages at about 150 degrees Fahrenheit or above, fills the Roman bathing area and gushes out of the natural hot springs. There is now a spa in Bath that accommodates this hot spring that people can use. It was advised not to touch the water in the Roman Bath because of the temperature and contaminants. To say the least, it did not look like anything I would want to bathe in. But like everything else in the city of Bath, it was gorgeous and truly unbelievable.<br />
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Yesterday (Sunday), was yet another sunny day, and I was able to spread a blanket out in the garden (backyard, they call it the garden here) and do some studying in the fresh air and then go for a long run through some areas that I have not been yet. Also I have booked my tickets to Scotland that will be coming up very soon on May 8th through the 11th!<br />
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I also have a Tigger update. He is now to the point where when he hears my voice when I come in, he comes running to me. I can always count on him to be in the kitchen keeping me company when I make dinner, and also sitting in the chair next to me at the table purring away. The other morning I again woke up to him on my bed laying on his back waiting to be pet. I told my host parents about this and they were completely shocked. Apparently he usually doesn't like the students that stay and has never done that before. They even said that now when I come through the door, he will even jump off his favorite spot by them on the couch to come and see me. So basically, I will be secretly bringing Tigger back in my suitcase. Although I highly doubt he would fit...<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh88I5feGjwsZWmUyGme3iZptRDxyJerLfX6l6pGUAoOGmI1qXTbXtVOM1PphqGxMUdCcW7cOK4hl2JXucAEPWCTxPT7Jg7GmIvs-1BE1ZnHCGUWGgyFDgt-ztkc-8JWq6LneCb28KWkrt9/s1600/IMG_5517.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh88I5feGjwsZWmUyGme3iZptRDxyJerLfX6l6pGUAoOGmI1qXTbXtVOM1PphqGxMUdCcW7cOK4hl2JXucAEPWCTxPT7Jg7GmIvs-1BE1ZnHCGUWGgyFDgt-ztkc-8JWq6LneCb28KWkrt9/s320/IMG_5517.JPG" width="320" /></a></div>
This week is another busy one with school work. I have a big presentation tomorrow, as well as a couple more reports due and some studying for an exam next week. It is so hard to believe that there is only 2 weeks of school left! Time flies.<br />
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Here is the link to my album of Stonehenge & Bath photos! <a href="https://www.facebook.com/media/set/?set=a.10200918854630548.1073741830.1140914263&type=1">https://www.facebook.com/media/set/?set=a.10200918854630548.1073741830.1140914263&type=1</a>Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10039595670823121754noreply@blogger.com0London, UK51.511213899999987 -0.1198243999999704151.195090399999984 -0.7652713999999704 51.82733739999999 0.52562260000002958tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1135761524498520009.post-31969144059478741342013-04-13T14:20:00.001+01:002013-04-13T16:24:04.677+01:00BienvenidoAlright, I am going to start of this post by apologizing for writing a novel. Because I know its going to happen. I feel like I could talk about this past week and a half for days, so minimizing it to the size of a blog post might be a little difficult...<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgQSAGlbgMzAiXvFnagT8bIsN4RSp8tOz8-xGm4iUhA7u0t3waw9BentSvRzINZd4LuE5knE1x78XzbMOIWBK89OdcIbb1pbsAyIa9529_9Fw0ElHbhweby5LZ3jjgY_92cHB3TzNMXadiN/s1600/photo-26.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgQSAGlbgMzAiXvFnagT8bIsN4RSp8tOz8-xGm4iUhA7u0t3waw9BentSvRzINZd4LuE5knE1x78XzbMOIWBK89OdcIbb1pbsAyIa9529_9Fw0ElHbhweby5LZ3jjgY_92cHB3TzNMXadiN/s320/photo-26.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">some self portrait drawings! lol </td></tr>
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First I will start with Easter. My host family was kind enough to invite me to join in on their family Easter dinner! It was wonderful. I was able to help hide easter eggs for their 6 year old granddaughter who I enjoy being able to see every Thursday when she comes over after school. After that we did some coloring, and played 'hairdresser' which is always fun. There were 12 of us total, and as we sat down for dinner, I realized that I was apart of a British family! They treated me as if I had been attending their Easter dinners for my whole life and I felt very welcomed. We laughed and shared stories and ate some delicious traditional British foods. As we were eating desert we found some old records and starting playing them. They came upon one that had a song titled 'I Love You Samantha' which they played and laughed because I had never heard it before. One of the grandchildren brought along his French girlfriend who was also attending Easter dinner with them for the first time. So they made a toast to us, and we spent the rest of the time sharing stories, and discussing differences between the countries. Later that night, I was able to Skype my family at home as they had their Easter dinner. So after waking up that morning, not knowing how I would feel about being so far away from my family on Easter, I ended that day feeling incredibly blessed to be exactly where I was, and I wouldn't have changed it for anything.<br />
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Next up is by far my favorite trip I have taken, and I imagine it will always be my most favorite no matter how many places I go. Feeling adventurous, I booked my flight and hostel for 5 days in Barcelona, Spain by myself about a month ago. As it got closer to actually going to Spain by myself, I started to get a little nervous, especially because I am not fluent in Spanish. Also, because it had snuck up on me so fast, I didn't really have anything planned for while I was there! But a day or two before I left, as I was walking to my room, I found a pile of brochures and flyers from Barcelona as well as a travel book that my host dad had left for me. The best part was that included with all of that was a big map, which made me feel much better about my upcoming adventure. Before I left they shared tips with me such as always keep your eyes peeled for pick pocketers.<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjhNgeuAmxVeRe8GskGwMWqBhjlXpeVH6OFJ-mXwcEmpoXw7mOPNYuiFtkdc46doH16qPeay1jka4_2EM6f_kxLgLPysX0ZqNLEyDe3qKK_HffhbZPQACl0vTu5vMm-lP6c7KeeDSfy5sfL/s1600/IMG_5042.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjhNgeuAmxVeRe8GskGwMWqBhjlXpeVH6OFJ-mXwcEmpoXw7mOPNYuiFtkdc46doH16qPeay1jka4_2EM6f_kxLgLPysX0ZqNLEyDe3qKK_HffhbZPQACl0vTu5vMm-lP6c7KeeDSfy5sfL/s320/IMG_5042.JPG" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">My favorite views are ones from a plane window.</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
The day came to leave, and because I had chosen the cheapest flight, my plane happened to be leaving from the farthest airport from me. Which happened to be a bus, a train, a tube, and another bus ride away. I managed not to miss any of them and got to my flight on time and accomplished my goal of getting a window seat. My flight was at night, so I was able to see the gorgeous sunset from a birds eye view. As I was taking pictures with my phone, the little older lady sitting in the aisle (who spoke hardly any english) asked me to take some pictures with her phone. The only problem is that she still managed to be working with a brick phone that looked like it was possibly the first to come out with a camera, so the pictures were very unclear and really didn't show anything. You could tell she was disappointed, because apparently that was her first time flying and she couldn't get over how beautiful the view was. I offered to email her the pictures I had taken and she was thrilled (although the guy sitting between us probably wasn't because he was being the translator most of the time). She kept telling me not to forget her, and she also told me many tips for my stay in Barcelona. She was also fascinated that I came from a small town of less than 2,000 people and was now living in London where the population is over 8.1 million. She kept commenting on how brave I was, and for that moment, between going from small town to living in London, and heading to a country by myself where they spoke another language, I did feel pretty brave.<br />
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The confidence booster of being brave was probably a good thing to have before I got off the plane and arrived at the Barcelona airport at 11pm where all information centers were closed. The hostel I had booked with had given me directions on how to get there, but first I had to find a bus stop with a bus to get me there. The feeling of being overwhelmed soon decreased when I heard a few other girls speaking english walking behind me. It turned out that they were also headed where I was and together we were able to find the bus we needed, and get past the non english speaking bus driver. On the bus there were a couple locals who were nice enough to help us out and told us what bus stop to get off at. Once I was off the bus it was wonderful to step out into the warm air and see palm trees! And at that point, it was midnight on a Thursday and the streets were still full of people! I found my hostel and it was at a great location! Right off of the Ramblas which is the main street in Barcelona.<br />
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As I walked into the hostel I was shocked. Everything was so nice! The walls were all very decorated and the quote 'Live Your Life' was written everywhere. There was a pub connected to the ground floor and it was full of people, as well as nice sitting areas and lots of big screen T.V's. As I checked in they mentioned that there was a problem with my booking, and I couldn't get into the room I booked for, the catch being that I was being put into a better room, where I was only sharing with 8 people rather than 12. Which I was fine with. As the very friendly receptionist explained everything about the hostel I continued to be impressed. It was 6 stories high, with the whole first floor being a lounge area and including free breakfast. I was so happy with it! I found my room on the 4th floor and found myself to be the first person in the room. But shortly after another person walked in. We introduced ourselves and I found out that he was also traveling by himself, which made me feel much better about me doing so. He was from Brazil but was studying in Italy and he was very interesting to talk to. A few minutes after that a group of girls from Chicago came in! We all talked for a bit, and then went on a walk through Barcelona and on the beach at night. It was beautiful with the ports and streets all lit up. And at that point it was getting very late, but again, the streets were still full of people! We later came to find out that people there do not eat dinner sometimes until 10pm and everything is open very late! Which means that when people go out for the night, they don't go until around 1 or 2am! It was a weird change coming from London where everything closes relatively early.<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiw3dZyqj_VdbwM0txTZqD_urbQMUiGDjTEon3a4ufBZDRRQbV3QVP_9OytzmFGaMOwXDxDLu9TOsVLBrvEiu21Rf3rvRpDIG6UGxyKTYlTm_k0nFaL1PwrwEGU-bDJeq5EzUzGM1mueS6Z/s1600/DSC_0161.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiw3dZyqj_VdbwM0txTZqD_urbQMUiGDjTEon3a4ufBZDRRQbV3QVP_9OytzmFGaMOwXDxDLu9TOsVLBrvEiu21Rf3rvRpDIG6UGxyKTYlTm_k0nFaL1PwrwEGU-bDJeq5EzUzGM1mueS6Z/s320/DSC_0161.JPG" width="214" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">one of the many beautiful narrow streets<br />
of Barcelona </td></tr>
</tbody></table>
The next day, the guy from Brazil and I went to the lobby to meet for a free walking tour that they offered. Come to find out, we had already missed the first one and we had a couple hours to kill before the next one left, which was no problem to us. Although it was pretty rainy the first 2 days, it didn't stop us from wandering the narrow streets of Barcelona and sightseeing. Our tour took us through the whole city and pointed out some of the major landmarks. After, our tour guide suggested some good places to eat and we headed into a little restaurant with some other students we had met on the tour, who happened to also be studying in London. As we sat down we noticed that there was a large sign posted that said 'No Hablan Ingles' meaning they didn't speak English. That made our decision about what to order much easier since either way we weren't really sure what we were getting. We pointed at something on the menu, and everything of course ended up being delicious. As we left is was still raining, so we ended up visiting the Picasso museum. Picasso is one of my favorite artists, and his connection with Barcelona is very strong from living and working there. The museum was wonderful and very interesting, and perfect for visiting on the rainy day.<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi4LjvmeM0IWDSPvQF6hbziHCF0TYYs8h_r34mIwc1AIWQ8-bFBQ0v5cVYenqwzTes8sbkg7MsFLa_3CF6MDvWG0c9N0NSv78KSDMWooIv0_F5wEUSvWyeMJKNZiJ4d-Z_7LwPXevm9bKDM/s1600/DSC_0684-001.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="214" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi4LjvmeM0IWDSPvQF6hbziHCF0TYYs8h_r34mIwc1AIWQ8-bFBQ0v5cVYenqwzTes8sbkg7MsFLa_3CF6MDvWG0c9N0NSv78KSDMWooIv0_F5wEUSvWyeMJKNZiJ4d-Z_7LwPXevm9bKDM/s320/DSC_0684-001.JPG" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><br /></td></tr>
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After that we headed back to the hostel where we met two other Brazilian guys who were staying in our room. It was quite funny because one spoke english very well, but the other didn't and only spoke Portuguese, so when we ended up going out with them that night, the one who knew english ended up being the translator all night because I did not know any portugese. Although I can now say I know some. We ended up going to a little pub called the L'ovella Negra (or the Black Sheep) for some homemade sangria. It was an awesome place and it was full of people. There I met someone who had just moved from London to Barcelona to teach english! He shared with me his stereotype for a typical American, which was like most I have heard; loud, obnoxious, and mostly drunk. It was quite funny because I was trying to convince him that his stereo type of americans was wrong because he was there talking to me and I was being none of those things. But right as I had him convinced that not all Americans live up to that title, a guy came over, put his arm around us, and with slurred words told us to quiz him on countries and capitals. Keep in mind, I had never seen him before, but he put his arms around us like we were long lost friends. I could tell by his accent, and I was scared to ask where he was from, but of course, the British guy asked. And his slurred answer was Boston. It was perfect timing for the worst timing. We laughed and I told him that after that night he had to refresh his stereotype on Americans, because we all don't usually drunkenly go up to strangers and ask them to quiz us on countries and capitals.<br />
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The next day many of the people I had met in the Hostel left, so I ventured out on my own to Gaudi's museum. For those of you who do not know, Gaudi is one of the most famous architects in the world and his work is found in many places in Barcelona. Most of his work is based on forms of nature and a a lot of his work contains beautiful colored tiles in mosaic patterns. I toured his museum which was the building with the famous chimneys.<br />
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjlzhyU0gtv4Bn1AVi8Gfz4ylqM8pOQnmYodQjHvpFD6Hta4N7G0WfwjusqZQ2xQdwrtlBu_WwA_tAQxFhM4s7aaRioVNZLZsV5rpgHvPNDRop4RrYScSlKEneGj2jrxMcMr_CYEsjYZ2T0/s1600/DSC_0480.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="214" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjlzhyU0gtv4Bn1AVi8Gfz4ylqM8pOQnmYodQjHvpFD6Hta4N7G0WfwjusqZQ2xQdwrtlBu_WwA_tAQxFhM4s7aaRioVNZLZsV5rpgHvPNDRop4RrYScSlKEneGj2jrxMcMr_CYEsjYZ2T0/s320/DSC_0480.JPG" width="320" /></a><br />
As I was taking some photo's of the chimneys, out of the corner of my eye I saw a group of Asian kids slowly approaching me. As I turned and said hello, one of them held out their camera, so I gladly took it thinking they wanted me to take a picture of them. But immediately one of them (I am pretty sure the only who spoke english) said 'no no we all want picture with you, Taylor Swift right?' I laughed and said no I wasn't and he acted as though I was not telling the truth. He then continued to ask if I was related. Again I disappointed them by saying no, and he replied with 'its ok, you american so you still cool...' So, they still all wanted a picture with me... individually. It was an interesting situation to say the least. After I had taken hundreds of pictures of the rooftop and the city view (literally hundreds of pictures) I wandered back through Barcelona. It was still rainy that day, so I spent a lot of time dodging the weather by stopping in little cafes and shops.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhY2BqO0PF_CH4dxfMyCsVw1v_5mVIMWoPTXVGCOFE5bLwX4EdNuM6Bx2TpAtGwigEBmD25w8pJrqZYB4HhAqVfIImiD31-Bo5a7AN0GofyahT_946g_9-rrqZfaC2CqwhWk42gCMYXlmRJ/s1600/DSC_0081-001.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="133" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhY2BqO0PF_CH4dxfMyCsVw1v_5mVIMWoPTXVGCOFE5bLwX4EdNuM6Bx2TpAtGwigEBmD25w8pJrqZYB4HhAqVfIImiD31-Bo5a7AN0GofyahT_946g_9-rrqZfaC2CqwhWk42gCMYXlmRJ/s200/DSC_0081-001.JPG" width="200" /></a>The next day was gorgeous and I decided to take a day trip to Montserrat which was about an hour train ride away. Montserrat is a beautiful mountain with a little town on top. It is also where the Virgin of Montserrat is hosted, and the beautiful church is one of the most well known in the world. I took a cable car to get to the top of the mountain and the view looking down was gorgeous. Everything there was beautiful.<br />
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I was able to walk around the mountain (well around part of it, the hike for the whole thing was 13.6 miles...) and sit in the church for a moment of silence. It was absolutely breathtaking.<br />
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The next day, I spent a lot of time wandering down the Ramblas where there were many little souvenir, flower, and other little stands to shop at. There are also many fresh food and flower markets located around the Ramblas which I stopped in as well. One of my most favorite things about Barcelona is that almost all restaurants have their seating outside near the beautiful narrow streets, or the many little plaza squares, and that means that there is always people outside singing, or a band playing, or both! Live music of some sort always filled the streets. <br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEimnxWwglImIZi9qsv5X-q7CObEkZeNkBsb2MI_97XffZnyjmnrGBMWZWCKEB0IHtesyRwEkDuzuEn0j4JntM___veIPmu_stamszl5r_Pqi8hXcMWiFV_FZnuFSn_qXQFYkgbmfOWy8XP8/s1600/DSC_0206-001.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="214" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEimnxWwglImIZi9qsv5X-q7CObEkZeNkBsb2MI_97XffZnyjmnrGBMWZWCKEB0IHtesyRwEkDuzuEn0j4JntM___veIPmu_stamszl5r_Pqi8hXcMWiFV_FZnuFSn_qXQFYkgbmfOWy8XP8/s320/DSC_0206-001.JPG" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">One of the many spectacular views from<br />
Gaudi's park. You can see Sagrada Familia! </td></tr>
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Next I went and visited Gaudi's park which was insanely beautiful! It looked as is it were a scene from a movie the entire time. It was perfect! And of course the architecture and design of the entire park was incredible and very well done. While I was on top of the highest point of the park, I met a man from Tennessee, who then introduced me to the cop on duty who had family in Michigan who were on there way to visit! Funny how you can be half way around the world from home, alone on top of a mountain looking down as far as you can see, but a moment like that can make the world seem so small.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjCmQZ8EDB0qc45KTleRlbcn6zc1wLspa9ZrfSlyVpqF3ca_7AJ5klCo__koSA3aEzUakd-FcEbB8fCKSINIURmj8D-O7-lNYGV4w90sUVavywsIPX2bKfns1Y9v9d5BALn7nBPfE95ChGQ/s1600/DSC_0612.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="133" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjCmQZ8EDB0qc45KTleRlbcn6zc1wLspa9ZrfSlyVpqF3ca_7AJ5klCo__koSA3aEzUakd-FcEbB8fCKSINIURmj8D-O7-lNYGV4w90sUVavywsIPX2bKfns1Y9v9d5BALn7nBPfE95ChGQ/s200/DSC_0612.JPG" width="200" /></a>The next day, I put my map away and just walked. I explored every street, and came across little cafes and bakeries. I walked so far that I ended up stumbling on Olympic Grounds from the games held in Barcelona in 1992! The area was beautiful! I was able to go into the stadium, and explore the park around it. I spent a lot of time there imagining the people there 11 years ago from all around the world competing for gold medals.<br />
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That day I also found La Sagrada Familia. It is a famous church that has been being built for the past 100 years. It is based on a Gaudi design and is absolutely huge. Although it is incomplete it is a world heritage site and in 2010 was proclaimed a minor basilica by Pope Benedict XVI.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiFJSZ51xNhuJzKUgXDWHyP3jb2P0Ml3SVCbfZEvY_YpH0nJkzMcDzh0aLJKuWysLRRqaHWvVZIKku5E3i47nibFFiEW3VZo-g-YeE9NId9MYh6cK2CLw45Z5kjJy0mRXOw_pIXohRqSD4U/s1600/IMG_5438.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiFJSZ51xNhuJzKUgXDWHyP3jb2P0Ml3SVCbfZEvY_YpH0nJkzMcDzh0aLJKuWysLRRqaHWvVZIKku5E3i47nibFFiEW3VZo-g-YeE9NId9MYh6cK2CLw45Z5kjJy0mRXOw_pIXohRqSD4U/s320/IMG_5438.JPG" width="240" /></a>That night one of the weirdest things ever happened to me. I was sitting in a large plaza square, watching the sunset. And I noticed a Jamaican man approaching me. He came over and starting confessing his love for me, saying that he had been working up the courage to come over and talk to me. As he is telling me this, I am thinking that he is distracting me and someone is going to try to pickpocket me (I saw people do a lot of weird things to distract people for pick pocketers), but as I looked around there was no one besides a few families and other kids around. He continued confessing his love and kept saying 'when you know, you know, ya know?' At this point I was getting a little freaked out, especially because this guy seemed so serious, I figured at any minute someone was going to grab for my purse or something. So I stood up to walk away. But at the very moment I stood up, he got down on one knee in front of me and started proposing. This of course, attracted other nearby tourists who started gathering around and 'ooohing' and 'awwwing'. To say the least I was panicked. These people thought it was legit but little did they know I had no idea who he was. Then I got the idea that this was a distraction, and now people were going to pickpocket the people watching this proposal (again, it would have not surprised me by the pickpockets I saw). As I looked around trying to see behind the people watching, I again saw no one. People were just watching as this man was on one knee in front of me and finally ended his speech by asking me to move to Jamaica with him... Everyone stared at me waiting for an answer, and the only thing I could think of to say was 'I'm sorry I can't, no thank you'. And that reply got a 'boo' from the crowd watching. I actually got boo'ed for not marrying a man I did not know... As I quickly walked away I was waiting for someone to jump out at me and say 'YOU'VE BEEN PUNKED' or a sign anywhere that said 'Just Kidding!' but there was nothing. It was honestly the weirdest thing that has ever happened to me.<br />
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On my last day in Barcelona, I headed to the beach and became a Barcelona beach bum for the day. It was a perfect way to end a wonderful trip. I had so much fun exploring things on my own, and although I was traveling by myself it was so easy to meet people. Although there was a language barrier, the little Spanish I had learned came back to me. And although it was a challenge ordering, and talking to people, it was always interesting and was definitely a learning experience. Being able to travel and go to a foreign country completely on my own was such a great accomplishment for me, and I truly learned so much about myself along the way.<br />
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When I got home, and started uploading my pictures, I realized I had taken almost 2,000 of them... So please feel free to look at my album on Facebook where I have uploaded about a quarter of them.<br />
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<a href="http://www.facebook.com/media/set/?set=a.10200865894346574.1073741829.1140914263&type=3">http://www.facebook.com/media/set/?set=a.10200865894346574.1073741829.1140914263&type=3</a><br />
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The past couple days I have been catching up on homework since our 3 week break is coming to an end. School starts again on Monday, and this week I have 3 papers, and 2 presentations due. So it may be a little busy. Tonight I am meeting other study abroad students at a local pub to celebrate our last night of Spring Break (or Easter Holiday as they call it here).<br />
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiP0qBTRYOdLEek06Nx7zS5AHtR6LXt-rO2hrQQHldcLgDV-mQVT_5Yuw8WW87RuBsXhJgAvOF-ALkSMKIEqKkguwXmLq0ShdVeRoxxO1pxbOTlOZdvspFwCEj3BwBiHDRE3Pt0Ep9ExlxR/s1600/DSC_0878-001.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="265" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiP0qBTRYOdLEek06Nx7zS5AHtR6LXt-rO2hrQQHldcLgDV-mQVT_5Yuw8WW87RuBsXhJgAvOF-ALkSMKIEqKkguwXmLq0ShdVeRoxxO1pxbOTlOZdvspFwCEj3BwBiHDRE3Pt0Ep9ExlxR/s400/DSC_0878-001.JPG" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;">My favorite view in Barcelona, which is very fitting with one of my favorite</span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;">quotes by Mark Twain...</span><br />
<b><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: large;"><br /></span></b>
<b><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;">"20 years from now, you will be more disappointed in the things you</span></b><br />
<b><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;">didn't do than by the ones you did do. So throw off the bowlines. Sail away</span></b><br />
<b><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;">from safe harbor. Catch the trade winds in your sails.</span></b><br />
<b><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;">Explore. Dream. Discover"</span></b></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<b><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: large;"><br /></span></b>
Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10039595670823121754noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1135761524498520009.post-52581900827712265142013-03-27T20:54:00.000+00:002013-03-27T21:10:18.234+00:00"I figure life's a gift, & I don't intend on wasting it..."It is safe to say I have had one of the most inspiring, eye-opening, and motivational trips of my lifetime. And it all took place in Poland.<br />
<br />
Yes, Poland. When I said I was spending my first few days of break in Poland many people asked me why. And to be honest, I was not exactly sure. Myself, and another friend tagged along with a friend of mine who was meeting some of her family in Poland for the first time! All we had really planned was to tour Auschwitz, but beyond that we did not really know what to expect.<br />
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<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: right; text-align: left;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjRJIVglz3npO292rr9c0pXrxVmDP94rFXXu8WI9FOZrxdRTIHLt45n13HgbacMIiY2CoZhSbIKDWVhFfVQlB0p4vlDhkTb0cIDe43somIocGsLMaGcU0DiOm0tmkJQt0CpP57GxxTPI6oW/s1600/DSC_0505.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="133" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjRJIVglz3npO292rr9c0pXrxVmDP94rFXXu8WI9FOZrxdRTIHLt45n13HgbacMIiY2CoZhSbIKDWVhFfVQlB0p4vlDhkTb0cIDe43somIocGsLMaGcU0DiOm0tmkJQt0CpP57GxxTPI6oW/s200/DSC_0505.JPG" width="200" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Trains run through the middle<br />
of the streets!</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
When we arrived Saturday night we were met by my friends cousin who happens to be our age! He was incredibly kind and we were also able to meet his girlfriend who ended up spending time with us on our trip as well! We went home to a beautiful home and met my friends grand aunt who was an incredibly sweet old lady who spoke no english. She greeted us warmly with many smiles although we weren't exactly sure what she was saying. That night we stayed up talking about some of the differences between Poland and the U.S and compared things to London as well! We also tried to learn some Polish terms, but it was not as easy as we thought. We also ended up skyping my friends family who still lives in the US. It was so inspiring to see her family be so proud of her for making the trip to Poland to meet her family. You could tell they were so happy for her to be in the country where her grandparents grew up.<br />
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiI0OXFFTNZ1tNz9lwK8gMANBXfLDmtbRrKRfLAuW797azBNLhZBZ5kB_FL7PO0NtCpIc_oNHYOV5A4mydrbtVbaiqoI0hCw-0sVAPNjiEEt8iRV5GhUG3B5My816lnyXpb9-vmK6FsphNU/s1600/DSC_0032.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="214" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiI0OXFFTNZ1tNz9lwK8gMANBXfLDmtbRrKRfLAuW797azBNLhZBZ5kB_FL7PO0NtCpIc_oNHYOV5A4mydrbtVbaiqoI0hCw-0sVAPNjiEEt8iRV5GhUG3B5My816lnyXpb9-vmK6FsphNU/s320/DSC_0032.JPG" width="320" /></a><br />
The next day we woke up to a beautiful breakfast prepared for us! It was delicious and I believe that is when we started to realize we would be suffering from food comas throughout our entire stay in Poland. The family was extremely hospitable and there was always some sort of polish food around for us to try. After breakfast we headed to a little village called Tylmanowa. It was a wonderful sunny day which made the town itself look like a fake village you would see at Christmas time! All of the houses were colorful, and a beautiful river and mountains created the landscape all around them. We found a place to park and we started walking up a large hill. Once we got to the top, we found ourselves at a cute little house. It turns out that that house was the very house where my friends grandpa had grown up. Because there was no one living in there, we were able to go inside and look around. It was really cool for my friend to see all of that and she was so excited which was really inspring. It really made me want to figure out my family tree and pin points places I could see as well!<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjAVPcIYKw-134dqG8F-5CwS-guvtlGUvsXD-kByUPzcHeBlyLfiN3tywVLfUqXsFgci99-ULnfQ-pOq458qbGHqtYxwhOfsdHdEmZnqJNQ_YG5QgC1HhmI3xflojeOeJDu_xb9X6o_CVfe/s1600/DSC_0127.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="149" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjAVPcIYKw-134dqG8F-5CwS-guvtlGUvsXD-kByUPzcHeBlyLfiN3tywVLfUqXsFgci99-ULnfQ-pOq458qbGHqtYxwhOfsdHdEmZnqJNQ_YG5QgC1HhmI3xflojeOeJDu_xb9X6o_CVfe/s200/DSC_0127.JPG" width="200" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Mountain Cheese!</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
After that, we headed into a tourist village called Zakopane. There were many little shops that lined the streets and many people selling what was called mountain cheese. Of course, we had to try some. The best way I could explain how it tasted, is to compare it to string cheese. It tasted much like that, but smoked. We stopped at some street venders and got some postcards and some other touristy stuff. Then decided it was time to go inside and warm up. It was so cold that when we walked into a restaurant and ordered coffee, they were only able to get us tea, because the pipes were frozen and they couldn't make anything else. After we walked around a bit more we headed into another restaurant to try some traditional polish food. My friends ordered pierogi's and I ordered a different dish which I can not recall the name of. It was all very good and very polish considering we couldn't read the menus and my friends cousin had to order for us.<br />
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<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: left; margin-right: 1em; text-align: left;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgixxvNGaYaV0URlQFpkYMumB4r2n8JPmJIu5ZqBmulJ1ntRG02ZtLM8Wuyg5m9HbtWY1IrdeYrf10YWpMTyIiKh8vzmzCXKCCzatUQlQOd7P2ZI5g6CixnzPUQkkmPexYpHKFQRBjO_IzC/s1600/DSC_0324.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="212" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgixxvNGaYaV0URlQFpkYMumB4r2n8JPmJIu5ZqBmulJ1ntRG02ZtLM8Wuyg5m9HbtWY1IrdeYrf10YWpMTyIiKh8vzmzCXKCCzatUQlQOd7P2ZI5g6CixnzPUQkkmPexYpHKFQRBjO_IzC/s320/DSC_0324.JPG" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Polish Pierogi's!</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
After we ate, we headed to some mountains and a tram that would take us up to the top where another little village of tourist shops were located.<br />
<br />
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhgf0jOQb4kqBiWXFmLYB6kC4Ogso1OeQR7kbOsO_G0dgcGLAruWDqiHY4ZxPSAm8j9iwGVixBl511mbHQdCwaSVMXQLr-reoM7FjaBkJsvecFb3kHq77RMnYBTY5jTTvO3CIsGyoeZur2X/s1600/DSC_0248.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="186" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhgf0jOQb4kqBiWXFmLYB6kC4Ogso1OeQR7kbOsO_G0dgcGLAruWDqiHY4ZxPSAm8j9iwGVixBl511mbHQdCwaSVMXQLr-reoM7FjaBkJsvecFb3kHq77RMnYBTY5jTTvO3CIsGyoeZur2X/s200/DSC_0248.JPG" width="200" /></a>Once we were on top of the mountains the view was spectacular. We spent the time taking pictures and soaking up all the gorgeous scenery around us. After our memory cards were full of images of mountain tops we headed back down the mountain and headed home. On the way back we stopped at a little shop to try out some Polish chocolate. We all got different kinds and tried each others. One of my friends immediately made a face once she tried a creme filled chocolate. We all tried it and immediately regretted it. It had a really strong taste and we kept trying to guess what flavor it could be. Finally after searching the wrapper we found a sentence in English stating 'this chocolate bar contains alcohol'. We laughed about it for a long time and so did my friends family.<br />
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<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: left; margin-right: 1em; text-align: left;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgr_7-F57gLZamIAk_Lf1ANsoimmUqEQWrt3xhAGtwZG3ksHMqe5v-ynhNxsBLDurrt1kqF3YFc4RxJiSH4fraWz8S7__34-iBOeoUN_A1y5A0nuw1GJfPD20m_4gxyOAw4rRUDf6OrkZP9/s1600/DSC_0235.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="214" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgr_7-F57gLZamIAk_Lf1ANsoimmUqEQWrt3xhAGtwZG3ksHMqe5v-ynhNxsBLDurrt1kqF3YFc4RxJiSH4fraWz8S7__34-iBOeoUN_A1y5A0nuw1GJfPD20m_4gxyOAw4rRUDf6OrkZP9/s320/DSC_0235.JPG" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">trying to create a CMU mountain picture!</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
That night we hung out at the house and talked more about Poland and the U.S. Although I have been to Paris where there were many people who did not speak English, I felt as though I was having a much harder time understanding people, and finding people that understood me, in Poland. When I was in Paris, I was with a tour group with other study abroad students that knew English. And although I was with my 2 friends who speak English, and my friends cousin who also knew some English, it was a very different experience in Poland. It really made me realize how much I wish I would have learned other languages. It is very interesting how in many places people are required to know English, (such as schools in Poland) but there are many many students in America who don't fully know another language, myself included.<br />
<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: right; text-align: right;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhq4K8Sl-SuNZwijwkeU96ti3mWAIBMHQNiTy4mClWJnPzz8-b4v7q3dXR7iN-_Rd9cKQe93pulDerDMFGf_2dzUzrHaLEmrRrKFxsnmPDox41xuX4UFg4ims_kR1wyYfo_eXY77odw-vwy/s1600/IMG_4762.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhq4K8Sl-SuNZwijwkeU96ti3mWAIBMHQNiTy4mClWJnPzz8-b4v7q3dXR7iN-_Rd9cKQe93pulDerDMFGf_2dzUzrHaLEmrRrKFxsnmPDox41xuX4UFg4ims_kR1wyYfo_eXY77odw-vwy/s200/IMG_4762.JPG" width="150" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Polish Menu!</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br />
The next day we got up and headed to Auschwitz. There is not much I can say about that day besides I believe my whole view on life has changed because of it, and everyday I am on this earth I will try my hardest to not complain about anything ever again. I know as students, we learn a lot about the holocaust in school, and we maybe even visit a museum, or watch movies and read documentaries. But until you walk where they walked, and hear the stories from that camp, and until you walk through the barracks and see how they lived, and until you walk through one of the gas chambers where women and children were sent, you have no idea what the holocaust meant. It was the most eye-opening, and terrifying experience of my life. Although some people in the tour took pictures, I did not feel comfortable doing so. So you will have to trust my word. I am very glad I went, but nothing will ever be able to erase the images of what I saw as I walked through Auschwitz and Birkenau.<br />
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<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: left; text-align: right;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhpxdYmpjcyv8hMDGnnhoEqthwsxBYz9koTs-7hPzQSczwvQLAzTJPGcma85aYPdJXc5UZ0HwWbrjoA3QcixZ4tKP1rVPwz2lUhvuSpA9RIUBBhRfTO20heSe4Uz7-TCCxywacyn6Wo6IDI/s1600/DSC_0457.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="133" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhpxdYmpjcyv8hMDGnnhoEqthwsxBYz9koTs-7hPzQSczwvQLAzTJPGcma85aYPdJXc5UZ0HwWbrjoA3QcixZ4tKP1rVPwz2lUhvuSpA9RIUBBhRfTO20heSe4Uz7-TCCxywacyn6Wo6IDI/s200/DSC_0457.JPG" width="200" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">This water was so salty, that if you were<br />
to jump in, you could would only float<br />
and not go below the surface.</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
To lighten the mood that night we decided to go out for some pizza. We ended up at this little restaurant called I Love Pizza and it was completely American themed. The walls were decorated with license plates from the states (sadly Michigan didn't make the cut) and other funny signs in English. The TV was playing MTV and while we were there we were able to hear some Taylor Swift and other American artists. One thing my friends and I have noticed, is that no matter where you go, American music is playing! Even when people do not speak English there is guaranteed to be a Taylor Swift or Justin Beiber song playing on the radio or television. We ate our pizza (with polish sausage, cucumbers (?)), and some other interesting ingredients, and then headed back to get some rest.<br />
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<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: right; text-align: left;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhkiqj4m4_G4yllvS2iKq6_-v7myTGnwGUTDN9TEsE_IbN2UULEaNTtGKVpOuRiDafqLHmX5_b0hkFBASEi_xg6Hr7wX81hD_8TXf7cSKU3zTMzKFKZiK4eJvnr-d88EuRtAHbefcYSekO8/s1600/DSC_0442.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="133" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhkiqj4m4_G4yllvS2iKq6_-v7myTGnwGUTDN9TEsE_IbN2UULEaNTtGKVpOuRiDafqLHmX5_b0hkFBASEi_xg6Hr7wX81hD_8TXf7cSKU3zTMzKFKZiK4eJvnr-d88EuRtAHbefcYSekO8/s200/DSC_0442.JPG" width="200" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">There were even Chandeliers made<br />
completely out of salt!</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
On our last day we headed to a town called Wieliczka to tour some salt mines. We walked down hundreds of steps and walked through the salt tunnels. We saw many different sculptures made entirely of salt and even tasted some of the saltiest water ever. It was really interesting to learn about what miners did to survive the long days. There were many Chapels built underground in the mines which I also found to be very interesting.<br />
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After we were done exploring underground, we headed back to the surface and toured Krakow. We went to Krakow Square which is the largest village square in Europe! It was filled with vendors selling knick-knacks, mountain cheese, souvenirs, polish sausages, and just about everything in between. It was also a little bit chilly that day so we ducked in and out of buildings whenever we could. We went into a beautiful church and came face to face with a language barrier issue. My friend and I were walking around taking pictures when suddenly a worker came over and started speaking to us in Polish. She was pointing to my camera and had a very serious look on her face so I figured that photography was not allowed. But as I looked at my friend I found her standing in front of us still snapping photographs! Because we didn't understand what she was saying we couldn't tell she had been talking to us! I would say she wasn't incredibly happy with us after that incident.<br />
<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: left; margin-right: 1em; text-align: left;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjKqfWLqaTxTRL28ApLXmahwWKDY4Fd5bamVWlzEQ0XJGv4Af-Gp5mIucdAY7JtosMah_wQCypxo11UwOlRDloL5aRV-4TRC8Q_Ofws35zt5gx7VRvMLzFe3l1Itc1dcO9MJb8b0MtdmH6V/s1600/DSC_0582.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="214" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjKqfWLqaTxTRL28ApLXmahwWKDY4Fd5bamVWlzEQ0XJGv4Af-Gp5mIucdAY7JtosMah_wQCypxo11UwOlRDloL5aRV-4TRC8Q_Ofws35zt5gx7VRvMLzFe3l1Itc1dcO9MJb8b0MtdmH6V/s320/DSC_0582.JPG" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">a view of Krakow Square</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
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After we toured the Square some more we went to the Wawel Royal Castle. We were able to walk around it and there was an amazing deck on the back where we had a beautiful view of Krakow and the Vistula river. Again we spent time taking many pictures and being tourists, and of course asking my friends cousin how to say different things in Polish. We again went out and got our fill of Polish food and then headed home to pack, so we could be ready to leave early the next morning.<br />
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<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: right; margin-left: 1em; text-align: right;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgR8kna-5l0NCjGJ6qm7dkrvfSOSx1v0YdKJJD1krMGur2QSAYgDuHodeq8YEtBZQRp348Hjy8p8k3GTMIBqOX0fRE_jnReqtfc1FduIVWLB_T2L7ZutlcMEFt5jlJuQq4RQJpgM6TAzxvZ/s1600/IMG_4738.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgR8kna-5l0NCjGJ6qm7dkrvfSOSx1v0YdKJJD1krMGur2QSAYgDuHodeq8YEtBZQRp348Hjy8p8k3GTMIBqOX0fRE_jnReqtfc1FduIVWLB_T2L7ZutlcMEFt5jlJuQq4RQJpgM6TAzxvZ/s320/IMG_4738.JPG" width="240" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Polish 'fast food'<br />
(much better than the U.S!)</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
Overall the trip to Poland was beyond great and we had so much fun! When we were saying our goodbyes we even found out that they are hoping we come back again soon, which is always nice to hear. We had a great time getting to know family and exploring Poland, where we had come with no expectations. The entire trip was eye opening in a way I cannot fully explain. Seeing long lost connections being made, being submerged into completely foreign surroundings, and learning so much about such a world changing event was all incredibly inspiring.<br />
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When we were touring the castle, and overlooking the river, I went to a spot on the fence and reenacted the famous titanic scene. My friends laughed and snapped a photo, and some nearby tourists giggled and started singing the song. Although the moment was funny, it was memorable because after thinking of the Titanic I had a quote stuck in my head the whole time. It is a quote that all titanic fans, and especially Leonardo DiCarprio fans, love and as cheesy as it may sound, I believe it sums up a lot about what I learned during this trip. It is always good to have a reminder on how precious life truly is.<br />
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEijb26saALIazA8fN9IOmuBPm4I5vOZBrTvSlc2MWoECgGEAVLEtDdcCqVqFURGnHehxGVWZ425CJch1UJrqH2rC-8SpzCsTcYn697fsjbSmFHH1d0HIqA2U9BBdszdsC9G8oVZqsxrIhya/s1600/DSC_0725.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEijb26saALIazA8fN9IOmuBPm4I5vOZBrTvSlc2MWoECgGEAVLEtDdcCqVqFURGnHehxGVWZ425CJch1UJrqH2rC-8SpzCsTcYn697fsjbSmFHH1d0HIqA2U9BBdszdsC9G8oVZqsxrIhya/s320/DSC_0725.JPG" width="319" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;">"I figure life's a gift and I don't intend on wasting it. </span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;">You never know what hand you're gonna get dealt </span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;">next. </span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;">You learn to take life as it comes at you... to make each day count"</span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;"><br /></span>
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;">-Jack Dawson (The Titanic)</span></td></tr>
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Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10039595670823121754noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1135761524498520009.post-27896955459785761072013-03-21T21:31:00.001+00:002013-03-21T21:31:44.605+00:00Defying Gravity It is hard to believe that I have not posted for 2 weeks. The time keeps flying by faster and faster and it is very hard to believe I have already been here for 60 days.<br />
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<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: right; margin-left: 1em; text-align: right;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiMW-yc16g2Yve8Jtei4p0oCp8tQvfWaTWRHuELDDScMTcRBl6Pye1fvS7V9JR6h6e1NEFHPy-Bh3RkWcx_CnCQj2IyD8HqSJF-UbB8q0vDxHUDNuIVn_r2yFgVy6lWUxvEXhkJyDLjv6aH/s1600/IMG_4312.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiMW-yc16g2Yve8Jtei4p0oCp8tQvfWaTWRHuELDDScMTcRBl6Pye1fvS7V9JR6h6e1NEFHPy-Bh3RkWcx_CnCQj2IyD8HqSJF-UbB8q0vDxHUDNuIVn_r2yFgVy6lWUxvEXhkJyDLjv6aH/s320/IMG_4312.JPG" width="240" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">I was able to catch a break on a sunny day last<br />week and read a book along the river</td></tr>
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School these past 2 weeks has been quite busy. Most modules (classes) have one big assignment due either at the end of this week, or right when we come back from holiday break, which starts this weekend and is 3 weeks long. So many students, including myself, have spent many hours in the library and finishing odds and ends so it is possible to have a worry free break! I will say I am beginning to enjoy my classes here more and more. In two of them, the major component of our grade relies on a group project, and it has been fun to work with a groups of students with completely different backgrounds than mine. I feel like I have learned so much.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEicOxdrtj3ioukzixN9ux-7ic8Oyundzq5sgFA_vD3Y672sbXTE6x1rJilF_44vJ8H43Lais7yBj4JxnKsq3OCJ5cyhnreh2vbxQmnZc3GATMlzyw2B7jlIBfO2zH90e0RvftX4UyM1BTu5/s1600/IMG_4539.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEicOxdrtj3ioukzixN9ux-7ic8Oyundzq5sgFA_vD3Y672sbXTE6x1rJilF_44vJ8H43Lais7yBj4JxnKsq3OCJ5cyhnreh2vbxQmnZc3GATMlzyw2B7jlIBfO2zH90e0RvftX4UyM1BTu5/s200/IMG_4539.JPG" width="200" /></a>Last week I was lucky enough to be able to see Wicked in the West End (area known for theatre) of London! It was my second time seeing Wicked, but seeing it again was even more magical than the first time. A group of friends and I went to dinner, had some 'American pizza', then went to the show, and then ended the night on a rooftop of a shopping center near central London. A friend had told us to check it out because of the beautiful view of the city. I will say that seeing city lights at night is one of my most favorite things. So being on a rooftop in the middle of London looking across a sea of sparkling city lights was just as magical as hearing 'Defying Gravity' live for the second time. It was quite an amazing night.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhi0zx68R8UHBdgYKSuN2x9M5ZGV7scj5cjpGvjPD6mwNIXptSoyQe5Ej00Q2jUasfIo6OFsrggMQd_Kwjg6hgHcosqoI7g7B0W_Rk6d2ecipLR1m1BZ0xW6i69-pdLQDbIvv5Dao6ZeUz4/s1600/IMG_4660.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhi0zx68R8UHBdgYKSuN2x9M5ZGV7scj5cjpGvjPD6mwNIXptSoyQe5Ej00Q2jUasfIo6OFsrggMQd_Kwjg6hgHcosqoI7g7B0W_Rk6d2ecipLR1m1BZ0xW6i69-pdLQDbIvv5Dao6ZeUz4/s320/IMG_4660.JPG" width="317" /></a>For St. Patricks Day weekend, a few friends and I decided last minute to take a trip to Brighton! It is a beautiful city on the coast and about an hour train trip away. We stayed at a hostel, which happened to be my first one. I was surprised by how pleasant the hostel actually was! We stayed in a room with about 10 other people, all in bunk beds. The employees were very nice and helpful and it was a very comfortable stay. When we got there we went out and explored some of the night life. On St. Patricks day we walked the cobblestone streets, stopping in shops and pubs when whenever we felt like it. The weather was quite rainy and cold and even was hailing at one point. But that did not stop us from having a wonderful time in Brighton. I really look forward to going back when the weather is nicer so I won't have to be so bundled up when walking on the pier and beautiful shoreline.<br />
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<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: left; margin-right: 1em; text-align: left;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiZKaJAyis2fI1m61Bww1l1QeImCGh8lLgPFubqqPN5AhEJrSklptmAe7NVzSf-DRBy9ybeSkilGuZseJ_LpzpTay7fujMqJO5-RrWkf22rQ-AurfhA6x8qFD6SCfcZvJEDW-hLxdajJYvF/s1600/IMG_4666.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="150" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiZKaJAyis2fI1m61Bww1l1QeImCGh8lLgPFubqqPN5AhEJrSklptmAe7NVzSf-DRBy9ybeSkilGuZseJ_LpzpTay7fujMqJO5-RrWkf22rQ-AurfhA6x8qFD6SCfcZvJEDW-hLxdajJYvF/s200/IMG_4666.JPG" width="200" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The shore line in Brighton</td></tr>
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Last night, our British Life & Culture class took a trip to the National Theatre in London. The National Theatre shows on many different performances. We saw a play called 'This House'. It was a political play about MP's in Parliament. Although I will say that most of it was over my head, because of my lack of knowledge of the history of Parliament, it was still enjoyable and just overall a very cool experience. <br />
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Tomorrow, I have one more lecture, and then it will be no classes for 3 weeks! I am very excited for this break. On Saturday a couple friends and I leave for Poland and I won't be back until Wednesday. We plan on touring Auschwitz and touring some of the famous salt mines.<br />
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Today, while I was talking to a classmate, I was asked if I was glad I came to Kingston, and if there was anything I would have done differently. That question really got me thinking, because if there was anything I would do differently, it would have been to chose the year long option instead of the semester long option. I can not even begin to explain what an incredible experience this has been. Although I miss CMU very much, It is hard to imagine leaving here.<br />
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With all my heart, I will tell anyone who is even thinking about studying abroad, to follow through and do it. It will be the best decision you have ever made; guaranteed.<br />
<br />Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10039595670823121754noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1135761524498520009.post-84711786441692976092013-03-07T17:59:00.004+00:002013-03-07T21:49:34.200+00:00Bonjour Paris!I can now officially say that I have completed my #1 on my bucket list; See the Eiffel Tower sparkling at night.<br />
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I will say it was a rough start to the weekend when I found myself sprinting to the train station in the rain at 5am on Friday morning, but needless to say, the weekend was well worth the surprise early workout in the rain that morning.<br />
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I signed up to go to Paris with a tour group. The weekend included a boat tour, 2 nights in a very nice hotel, the Eurostar tickets there and back, and of course a guide; who just happened to be the best tour guide I have ever had in my life, or maybe it was just the fact that he was French...<br />
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So anyway, Friday morning bright and early we were headed out on the Eurostar to Paris. It was about a 2 and a half hour train ride which wasn't bad at all, and when your ears started popping it was the sign that you were in the tunnel under the English Channel. On the train I recognized some other students from Kingston and met many more. I met a friend that I ended up spending most of my time in Paris with, and turned out she goes to GVSU and lives in a town not too far from my home town. Small world.<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgI4N_VQqJ-VaCGMaAowihEPdQULqVPErO7QmV14Ujj8oba0HIhKLw9xbPQKipmXDUM4xlBRVYmPUvCgIczI2q0n2Snkz9diwpl9s5N9tWOcpFxxugwYG9L7zgTPk8EX3HB4skb2dwepZiJ/s1600/DSCN0887.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="180" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgI4N_VQqJ-VaCGMaAowihEPdQULqVPErO7QmV14Ujj8oba0HIhKLw9xbPQKipmXDUM4xlBRVYmPUvCgIczI2q0n2Snkz9diwpl9s5N9tWOcpFxxugwYG9L7zgTPk8EX3HB4skb2dwepZiJ/s320/DSCN0887.JPG" width="320" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">First Glimpse</td></tr></tbody></table><br />
Once we got there, we got on a coach and toured part of the city. Although at this point people were fading fast in the heated comfortable coach seats, I tried my hardest to stay awake. From the coach we caught a glimpse of the famous Thinking Man statue, some of the area that was being set up for fashion week, the Louvre, and many other famous sites. After awhile the coach came to a stop, and even the people who had been dozing off suddenly awoke at the site of the Eiffel tower right outside our window. We rushed off the coach and raced to the edge of the viewing site we were on in order to get a good look at the beautiful Eiffel Tower we have seen so many times in pictures and movies. Although it was a bit cold and foggy that day, it took nothing away from the tallest structure in Paris (equivalent to an 81 story building) right in front of us. The guide had to put us on a time limit so we wouldn't stay frozen with our jaws dropped staring and taking hundreds of pictures, and so we would be able to make it to the hotel in time for check in!<br />
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<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: right; margin-left: 1em; text-align: right;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEheH9kYtnCQaPweSomqGp3VDJ8gWEvWKb9fcBIF7-_h65t_TraJXB3neMy1Kh6IU4r1y-lu7SH6Db_Wf77cjF-anj5ugngAEdTKvUfWSc4-I4y_d7lOnTPWpwKaCVXuAey5U3D28uitL5tG/s1600/DSCN0503.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="150" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEheH9kYtnCQaPweSomqGp3VDJ8gWEvWKb9fcBIF7-_h65t_TraJXB3neMy1Kh6IU4r1y-lu7SH6Db_Wf77cjF-anj5ugngAEdTKvUfWSc4-I4y_d7lOnTPWpwKaCVXuAey5U3D28uitL5tG/s200/DSCN0503.JPG" width="200" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Crowding Mona Lisa</td></tr></tbody></table>We slowly made our way back to the coach and headed for the hotel, and I knew soon I would find myself back in front of the Eiffel Tower. Our hotel was gorgeous and I was a bit surprised after hearing some stories of european hotels. It was very nice and the people were very friendly. We found our rooms and unpacked and were given free time until later that night when we were meeting for a walking tour and transportation to the Louvre. During our free time we found a bakery (which we ended up visiting countless times during the duration of our trip) and ate the best croissants and rolls we have ever had. We wandered the streets by our hotel and picked out a place to ear later that night.<br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgFhpjWoDwuV1valotqmRaMTDcO__QB9wnej04e6CN09TuA0kNxrOW_SNIM-zOIGbZTIdvlRdrxKFhznlq8CdS0mRjdbbTFb3KCPfhfXyJ46_ySxCYgq8Yml-wakO9YdgOSlVCGkGZxBzlB/s1600/DSCN0508.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgFhpjWoDwuV1valotqmRaMTDcO__QB9wnej04e6CN09TuA0kNxrOW_SNIM-zOIGbZTIdvlRdrxKFhznlq8CdS0mRjdbbTFb3KCPfhfXyJ46_ySxCYgq8Yml-wakO9YdgOSlVCGkGZxBzlB/s320/DSCN0508.JPG" width="240" /></a></div><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjr21xsASMbCaWYwhdTeOyilyTZAkQpo-rdLpEkAEgTFjxeoPbMMBQAW2cqWRnsiC9CkhGaM68JNnQB6ENzd15OI5G-qa7D58B2yZ2qDPCOyBuRzC3Bqb7o235sPK1tQ-sUAQ35LOOrIhyQ/s1600/DSCN0493.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjr21xsASMbCaWYwhdTeOyilyTZAkQpo-rdLpEkAEgTFjxeoPbMMBQAW2cqWRnsiC9CkhGaM68JNnQB6ENzd15OI5G-qa7D58B2yZ2qDPCOyBuRzC3Bqb7o235sPK1tQ-sUAQ35LOOrIhyQ/s200/DSCN0493.JPG" width="150" /></a>We made our way to the Louvre with the tour guide which included our first ride on the metro (much like the tube in london, but MUCH smellier.) Very shortly we found ourselves in front of the Musee du Louvre, one of the largest museums in the world, and the most visited museum in the world. For a museum, it was truly an exciting place to be. The glass pyramids added a bit of modern architecture to the 12th century building that was used as a fortress. We soon found ourselves following signs pointing towards the Mona Lisa. Once we finally arrived in a room with a large crowd surrounding a small painting consuming a whole wall, we knew we were in the right place. As we made our way to the front to catch a good glimpse, it finally dawned on me. I was in Paris! At the most famous museum standing in front of the Mona Lisa! A piece of art I had heard so much about, and seen in so many books and pictures. But the real thing was right in front of me! It was a breath taking moment. After spending a few hours touring through the museum we saw other famous works of art such as the statue of Nike (Winged Victory), The Venus De Milo, and many, many others. <br />
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<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: right; margin-left: 1em; text-align: right;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiPbqTDMpj7an-yXU-O-ZdruiT-NwrQWRH5zXhdWT_xNN6pccYThcWmZzDsSFnnRkPfdDy2WoSg5b5fEBo1MHOkUYUENEqlJnt0MLtZu9jiix05d1BRvOrB8t4lTFYvGXswLhPKY2Y8wh7o/s1600/IMG_4092.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiPbqTDMpj7an-yXU-O-ZdruiT-NwrQWRH5zXhdWT_xNN6pccYThcWmZzDsSFnnRkPfdDy2WoSg5b5fEBo1MHOkUYUENEqlJnt0MLtZu9jiix05d1BRvOrB8t4lTFYvGXswLhPKY2Y8wh7o/s320/IMG_4092.JPG" width="320" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The Louvre at night</td></tr></tbody></table>After we finally found the exit (or Sortie in french) we found ourselves facing a glittering object in the distance and looked at the time and knew it was the Eiffel Tower sparkling. The Eiffel Tower sparkles every hour at night. Although saying it sparkles might sound silly, it is truly what it does. It doesn't just light up, or blink on and off. It truly sparkles. We were both very excited to see it from a distance and decided to head in that direction. We walked along the Seine river and took in the beauty of Paris being all lit up around us. Our tour guide had explained to us that if Paris were a person, it would be one that wakes up and take hours to get ready and makes sure to be wearing even matching socks and underwear. It was quite a funny comparison and a true one at that. Every street, every building, is perfectly placed. The architecture matches and lights flood every street at night. It was a very well laid out city which makes it that much more eye appealing.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg9uEn9W5JAEUoQEbye1dKRszfVGbWh_wtYfcUR8NrFKRd3PfWnu10HkFrKESrOShyfmYGggODadMrK8TjT3XsQ_FSqJb8hE38bl_QNjPvkxgth63IZeQuTSzJqsPVLVxrkCPAVNcN8fNvQ/s1600/IMG_4125.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg9uEn9W5JAEUoQEbye1dKRszfVGbWh_wtYfcUR8NrFKRd3PfWnu10HkFrKESrOShyfmYGggODadMrK8TjT3XsQ_FSqJb8hE38bl_QNjPvkxgth63IZeQuTSzJqsPVLVxrkCPAVNcN8fNvQ/s320/IMG_4125.JPG" width="240" /></a><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiKULobMhlHuZ9ZYOqZRhr4V5e9pvzcpGe1wNT3BJfc84VmTdPlDAzJl86SB8hnVA1H8mMfgWTj5gER1SZ0vF9GTIfJ_8ru1F17QPwCuzln8drNeVst0F4HKmosLV2Mvi-wKvvDdmeO_13I/s1600/DSCN0516.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiKULobMhlHuZ9ZYOqZRhr4V5e9pvzcpGe1wNT3BJfc84VmTdPlDAzJl86SB8hnVA1H8mMfgWTj5gER1SZ0vF9GTIfJ_8ru1F17QPwCuzln8drNeVst0F4HKmosLV2Mvi-wKvvDdmeO_13I/s200/DSCN0516.JPG" width="150" /></a>After a long walk through winding streets we arrived in front of it. I feel like I may or may not (in other words I do) overuse the word beautiful in all of my posts. But I swear to you, this was EASILY the most beautiful and incredible thing I have ever seen. I know many people think, 'yeah its a tall Iron tower...cool' But there is something about standing right in front of it, as it lights up the sky, that makes you never want to take your eyes off of it. We found a bench and sat there and waited for it to sparkle. We counted down the minutes and as it got closer we made sure our cameras were set and ready. But as soon as the sparkling started, my focus was far from being able to take my eyes off of it to find the record button on my camera. It was instantly breath taking and my heart felt so full at that moment in time. It is truly a feeling I will never be able to explain. I instantly went back to when I started writing my bucket list, and although I tried so hard not to, I had some doubt that maybe #1 on my list might not ever happen. But there I was, watching what I had been waiting for for so long and It was even better than I expected. I truly had the feeling of acomplishment. One dream fulfilled, and that moment has given me the motivation and determination to make sure I fulfill the rest.<br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhL5v3XVTke5uSHlpU9eJypqWGP3IxQPa6qhLM6R7_S1T-xyGgJTMjE3CEbxGdcLpgtLS3NnygelCjoB-I1C7bZ2CTaL-NTOugzxHPn9z7f08N0ywhRYoEKfxgQVwIqMzuNSiT3xQFN2L-W/s1600/DSCN0748.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="150" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhL5v3XVTke5uSHlpU9eJypqWGP3IxQPa6qhLM6R7_S1T-xyGgJTMjE3CEbxGdcLpgtLS3NnygelCjoB-I1C7bZ2CTaL-NTOugzxHPn9z7f08N0ywhRYoEKfxgQVwIqMzuNSiT3xQFN2L-W/s200/DSCN0748.JPG" width="200" /></a></div>After that moment, and soaking it all in, we decided that we would come back the next night. We slowly left, and kept looking over our shoulders trying to figure out if it was real or just a dream. After successfully figuring out the metro on our own and finding our way back, we headed towards the restaurant we had picked out earlier. It was a small place and the staff was friendly, but hardly knew any english. We found ourselves playing a big game of charades and ordering something random from the menu. It ended up being fried cheese (not to be confused with fondue) served with salad, potatoes and bread. It was SO good! After we were stuffed from our surprise meal we found our way to another little bakery and bought another popular french food; macaroons. We tried many different flavors and they too were delicious! After that we called it a night and headed back to the hotel to catch up on all the sleep we had missed from the early trip that morning.<br />
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgEJRZPvmrB3qj8L5TS3HmIpZgoqK2OUr3jPz6Va22ecjZOuD7GOK1i6HQdXOYWcZpP8Ss6WJpAMkL4hZ3OXPdF1ltk8mVOvPRYKiRC8TfFr6WkN_2YasXzcEJZo7gGqXloz0c5gWCoCd3r/s1600/DSCN0637.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgEJRZPvmrB3qj8L5TS3HmIpZgoqK2OUr3jPz6Va22ecjZOuD7GOK1i6HQdXOYWcZpP8Ss6WJpAMkL4hZ3OXPdF1ltk8mVOvPRYKiRC8TfFr6WkN_2YasXzcEJZo7gGqXloz0c5gWCoCd3r/s320/DSCN0637.JPG" width="292" /></a><br />
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi6lwT0w9mHrAakkBoKDSDY6pqjmeHG79foSKpbAzmFK1z-a533_xDo8kKDFFeurKYot2c62Hn02GPdvmRsXaTTgh8dy0_Hw-1Rjolr6zc8GTj62NP5El9AKgdIabrhBGFdlvmu7Mq2_tXk/s1600/DSCN0578.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi6lwT0w9mHrAakkBoKDSDY6pqjmeHG79foSKpbAzmFK1z-a533_xDo8kKDFFeurKYot2c62Hn02GPdvmRsXaTTgh8dy0_Hw-1Rjolr6zc8GTj62NP5El9AKgdIabrhBGFdlvmu7Mq2_tXk/s200/DSCN0578.JPG" width="150" /></a>The nextmorning, we went to breakfast served by the hotel and had probably way too many croissants and then headed out for a walking tour with our guide. We walked all throughout the city including the Notre Dome Cathedral. As we walked through the Cathedral and saw the many stain glass windows and the famous Rose Windows, it was easy to decide that the Cathedral was by far my most favorite church I had seen. The architecture of it all was completely stunning and I enjoyed listening to our tour guide spend time telling us what all the engravings meant on one of the doors to enter the Cathedral, and that was just ONE of the many doors and engravings. We walked around it as well and saw the many gargoyles sticking out every which way on the sides of the building. Some of them were truly scary looking, but I managed to find ones I thought looked the most like the ones from the Disney movie. Our tour guide also enlightened us with the story of how the gargoyles got their name which was quite funny.<br />
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<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: right; margin-left: 1em; text-align: right;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgQohiq9nvs8Fn6jDzXR_j-RkpIsBUCDuYSDyLnSoTCBbktuRFTtLO7eHVymrUimw3WRghOx0EHEWk48ENlUA7mMhh-PI8okoZVJdou-c8RZgVHzoGI61U9BuVsMPUHaaBeqfaWLwtv2ahe/s1600/DSCN0591.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgQohiq9nvs8Fn6jDzXR_j-RkpIsBUCDuYSDyLnSoTCBbktuRFTtLO7eHVymrUimw3WRghOx0EHEWk48ENlUA7mMhh-PI8okoZVJdou-c8RZgVHzoGI61U9BuVsMPUHaaBeqfaWLwtv2ahe/s200/DSCN0591.JPG" width="187" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Rose Window</td></tr></tbody></table>After that, our tour guide led us to the river, where we boarded a boat for a tour along the Seine River. It was quite cold so we ended up sitting inside and taking pictures through the glass, but the sights were still amazing. We again saw many historical and famous buildings, including the restaurant that inspired the movie Ratatouille, and we caught a glimpse of the smallest house/building in France, which was only 2 small windows wide and looked much like a house made for Stuart Little.<br />
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<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: left; margin-right: 1em; text-align: left;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEifPOXtHM6ixw7Rk4vtfJ6jBbcZSKoSdeucqBQaQcoyOpq3NlDiCKRQvywSiHjLDiFTeAIpYJmQfoe5f3APRlGlPdGkxMimaxgY8AX_rXNQpxMrTz1wxkQpitTnH-EXYNlILBHj8jM1Cr46/s1600/DSCN0621.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEifPOXtHM6ixw7Rk4vtfJ6jBbcZSKoSdeucqBQaQcoyOpq3NlDiCKRQvywSiHjLDiFTeAIpYJmQfoe5f3APRlGlPdGkxMimaxgY8AX_rXNQpxMrTz1wxkQpitTnH-EXYNlILBHj8jM1Cr46/s320/DSCN0621.JPG" width="240" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Hair band I tied on for my love for Paris :)</td></tr></tbody></table><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgvGqeyJRdSYkKuCaD_WRvN80tEajIEjSjCPXhQyCDbL80-tpKmTu9xfFoSeAZ6IuTOQr2KunBdSKjdKMHnhg9ebNOrj4ff9wjwKMQ4tU3DTfA5W6bA78CUk69gEMePHw99lalnyVQ6cnxc/s1600/DSCN0618.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgvGqeyJRdSYkKuCaD_WRvN80tEajIEjSjCPXhQyCDbL80-tpKmTu9xfFoSeAZ6IuTOQr2KunBdSKjdKMHnhg9ebNOrj4ff9wjwKMQ4tU3DTfA5W6bA78CUk69gEMePHw99lalnyVQ6cnxc/s200/DSCN0618.JPG" width="150" /></a>After the boat tour, we made our way to what is known as the Latin Square for lunch. The Latin Square is full of little shops, restaurants, and bars, and is seen as the college area, or the area for the youth. We ate at a little Bistro our guide had recommended and again we were brave with what we ordered. I ended up with duck breast. But we also tried snail, which I will say I will never try again. After that we did some souvenir shopping and of course spent some time in a chocolate shop we found. We ate our chocolates and again walked along the river wandering through Paris. We found the love lock bridge during our wandering and stopped to listen to a small band performing some songs on the bridge. The bridge is filled with locks, some engraved, some painted on. Many had names, dates, initials, or notes on them. By putting a lock on the bridge and throwing the key in the river, you supposedly are showing your eternal love. It was definitely a sign that Paris is truly the city of love and romance.<br />
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<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: left; margin-right: 1em; text-align: left;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjxs5DoHJrnzziF-e8B0GY81o1OA8OEnK7DtmxDslYWHkITKmGaGlY3Sana9pD6fgF7zZUYzSqrP9p39ELulf-6oFw5PqmlAhnCsacJs2Gf5iCo8nq3Vue-AE_xUqTt6SJJbFExosAXrxwJ/s1600/DSCN0742.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjxs5DoHJrnzziF-e8B0GY81o1OA8OEnK7DtmxDslYWHkITKmGaGlY3Sana9pD6fgF7zZUYzSqrP9p39ELulf-6oFw5PqmlAhnCsacJs2Gf5iCo8nq3Vue-AE_xUqTt6SJJbFExosAXrxwJ/s200/DSCN0742.JPG" width="150" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Snails....</td></tr></tbody></table>Then we went back to the hotel to drop off our purchases and headed out again to the Latin Square for dinner. It was interesting to walk around the area full of restaurants and bistros because almost every place had someone outside trying to convince you to come into their restaurant. It was a very pushy business, and the only comparison I could think of is when people want to sell you things in the middle of the mall. We finally decided to go into a restaurant where a guy offered us a free glass of wine. We decided on fondue and it was delicious! I had never had fondue before, so I really don't have anything to compare it too, but I would guess it was better than most. Again we spent the night exploring the Latin Square and wandering through the beautifully lit streets of Paris and again made our way to the Eiffel Tower to watch it shimmer and sparkle one last time. Seeing it sparkle still had as much of a breath taking effect on me as the first time. It was the perfect way to end the last night in Paris.<br />
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<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: left; margin-right: 1em; text-align: left;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh3YNsXzbpg47y9OpCel-Fl9HQrxRDHWuTfJBjsTD1GB4ifAeQIydhiL8IwJQDVyIPqBF4RGXNmrVmRdPUpveoEsMT1vIfxM_X0YHiSfF_EXcMEjbEOtQfor6m77gQxiC593y4YsV_Yd6bL/s1600/DSCN0850.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh3YNsXzbpg47y9OpCel-Fl9HQrxRDHWuTfJBjsTD1GB4ifAeQIydhiL8IwJQDVyIPqBF4RGXNmrVmRdPUpveoEsMT1vIfxM_X0YHiSfF_EXcMEjbEOtQfor6m77gQxiC593y4YsV_Yd6bL/s320/DSCN0850.JPG" width="240" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Notice how the road has NO LINES! Crazy drivers</td></tr></tbody></table>On Sunday we woke up and checked out of our rooms and were given time to do some more exploring. We headed to the Arc De Triomphe and walked around the surrounding areas, stopping to watch some street performers. We then headed to the Moulin Rouge where we were supposed to meet our tour guide for another walking tour. It was this point that I really noticed how tough it was being in a country and not knowing the language. France was the first place I had traveled to with a language barrier for me, so I was very glad to be with a group. I was surprised by even all the signs I couldn't come close to understanding, let alone pronouncing. On Thursday before I left, my landlords granddaughter was over, and she was trying to teach some french but I couldn't seem to remember any of it (keep in mind she is only 6 and knew plenty). It made me wish I was more fluent in other languages.<br />
<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: right; margin-left: 1em; text-align: right;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjLs8kuTk5iCPmWO86cXTqb90epNEVg16CXwHPCYENjpRXVA-4UWi-JdjiSWjIzmAktwXWbPHY87dg-ZtMIUaOaY5uCHYiEYlqKeKZI_hH6jd9LGNwLpxKFlzcbwlMOxa3NISeKg6r1Gtvl/s1600/DSCN0903.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="159" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjLs8kuTk5iCPmWO86cXTqb90epNEVg16CXwHPCYENjpRXVA-4UWi-JdjiSWjIzmAktwXWbPHY87dg-ZtMIUaOaY5uCHYiEYlqKeKZI_hH6jd9LGNwLpxKFlzcbwlMOxa3NISeKg6r1Gtvl/s200/DSCN0903.JPG" width="200" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Moulin Rouge</td></tr></tbody></table><br />
We met up with our tour guide and headed up a very large hill towards Montmarte, and Sacre Coure. We passed the street that Vincent Van Gogh lived on and some other famous landmarks. Once we finally reached the top we found ourselves in front of a beautiful church with an even more beautiful view of all of Paris. It was a little hazy that day but the view was still incredible.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEicuV5XnGVVDI_2edegv2PLLAOeZJHTt89XuDSk0JyG1FCcfya1Pn_ndJUNyjr0z7JJBMIdYf9z2Squ48RNgDrzBVog_8mUcHGziv7NPYg9viO3SNcL2xEQw1VWCTk_UGxpQuw1YGXDFBCs/s1600/IMG_4214.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEicuV5XnGVVDI_2edegv2PLLAOeZJHTt89XuDSk0JyG1FCcfya1Pn_ndJUNyjr0z7JJBMIdYf9z2Squ48RNgDrzBVog_8mUcHGziv7NPYg9viO3SNcL2xEQw1VWCTk_UGxpQuw1YGXDFBCs/s200/IMG_4214.JPG" width="150" /></a>We then explored the Artist Square, where many artists sat in front of their easels painting away; either of beautiful paris landscapes, or someone posing in front of them. After wandering down some more narrow, cobblestone streets of Paris we realized that we were nearing the end of our Parisian adventure and we headed back to the hotel to grab our things. On the way back we ate at a Quick (which is supposed to be equivalent to McDonald's; but I will say I prefer McDonald's)<br />
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<div style="text-align: center;">Everyone was completely exhausted by the time we were back on the Eurostar and headed home. As we took the tube to the train station, and then finally the bus home, I had to keep looking at pictures to make sure that it really hadn't all been a dream. </div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgcZF9RsYZxkbZ2iuG6KQvjA9puUm2AAS40M7Zm2Qy0K9TNFdg0fl_cpv8UkPQvwr00M4GCcR9KMyiBLGwcaNsA044yQ-HqFd-q-htOjgZ2QgsUomEbZ5vmviOy8W_JUqHu4pFYNGi0vIJt/s1600/IMG_4082.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgcZF9RsYZxkbZ2iuG6KQvjA9puUm2AAS40M7Zm2Qy0K9TNFdg0fl_cpv8UkPQvwr00M4GCcR9KMyiBLGwcaNsA044yQ-HqFd-q-htOjgZ2QgsUomEbZ5vmviOy8W_JUqHu4pFYNGi0vIJt/s320/IMG_4082.JPG" width="320" /></a></div><br />
Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10039595670823121754noreply@blogger.com0Paris, France48.856614 2.352221900000017748.6894665 2.0294984000000178 49.0237615 2.6749454000000177tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1135761524498520009.post-9370816819486510242013-02-25T00:37:00.000+00:002013-02-25T02:17:13.786+00:00Taylor Swift & Hogwarts. I have a lot of catching up to do I know, but if you could not already tell by the title, I feel like the past week has been focused around Taylor Swift, Harry Potter and Hogwarts, which just so happen to be some of my favorite things.<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjZtW6kqYbHLDKR26TYT6GUuFlmAV6qQ929q73ObKiJBBThdaP9HVZPGLCMXwslZ4IPgE-q-6jNEs83zdalIL9Au40p2KJR3cb9qD0-eL3aaBRkcghV8cK5Y7PZS05mrYQ4SRXEyX9iK4m6/s1600/IMG_3533.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjZtW6kqYbHLDKR26TYT6GUuFlmAV6qQ929q73ObKiJBBThdaP9HVZPGLCMXwslZ4IPgE-q-6jNEs83zdalIL9Au40p2KJR3cb9qD0-eL3aaBRkcghV8cK5Y7PZS05mrYQ4SRXEyX9iK4m6/s320/IMG_3533.JPG" width="240" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Touring Parliament!</td></tr>
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I'll rewind a bit to last weekend which I have not blogged about yet. Last Friday, we took another trip for our British Life & Culture class. We started the day by touring Parliament (the big government building attached to Big Ben)! It was incredible how old the building was and how they still make it all work in todays times. Every single room was absolutely beautiful! It was interesting to see the throne that the Queen sits in during the opening of Parliament. While we were touring we caught glimpses of some of the workers and even saw one of the queens 'door openers' who are always there and ready if the Queen should ever decide to visit. The system of government was also very interesting to learn about and I was surprised at some of the differences and similarities there were with our American government. For example, much like the President of the U.S, the Queen must sign and approve every Act of Parliament before it becomes a Law. But, no monarch has refused an Act for the past 300 years<br />
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After that we were given our own time for lunch. A group of us headed for an area called Borough Market and it was not what I expected, but I mean that in the best way possible. You could tell you were getting close by all the wonderful smells that filled the streets as we made our way to the Market. I was expecting a large building with maybe a couple different food stands and although my idea was on the right track, it was no where near what the Market really is. Borough Market is one of the largest and oldest food markets in London and offers food from just about every part of the world. There were countless stands with so many different types of breads, and chocolates, and just about any food you can think of! People were queuing (a queue is what they call a line) at every stand and it was quite busy, but It was by far the best food I have had so far in England.<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh8KY1Frc-7jdsNeAf02H5BtUGCrcxYsZU3FqeDGVzXEPWsiq32MWfS8gUVUbAT_hmUxr4hryw1eztAnpRI9JCI1a42W27PSVVlG3FxHN_eCBaT8tOqGzBOd9Jfu0EkEBQXbxwrfoE8dsep/s1600/IMG_3561.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh8KY1Frc-7jdsNeAf02H5BtUGCrcxYsZU3FqeDGVzXEPWsiq32MWfS8gUVUbAT_hmUxr4hryw1eztAnpRI9JCI1a42W27PSVVlG3FxHN_eCBaT8tOqGzBOd9Jfu0EkEBQXbxwrfoE8dsep/s320/IMG_3561.JPG" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The Globe Theatre!</td></tr>
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After that we met up again with our class and toured Shakespeare's Globe Theatre. The theatre still puts on performances today and hopefully I will be able to make it to one. Our tour guide was excellent and was full of many fun facts and even told us the story of the cliche "you stole my thunder" which happens to be a pretty funny story. The museum was filled with many interesting things as well from costumes to pages of Shakespeare's will! It was an awesome experience and the place was full of history, trap doors, and props.<br />
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After the globe we made our way across the famous Millennium Bridge shown in Harry Potter and ended up on the top floor of a shopping mall a few streets over and watched the sunset in London. It was an absolutely gorgeous view and a perfect way to end another awesome day.<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhAaYntUlSwLxppkk9-LqhMWrLe8rKIMwVmy5OsCIhZC2Ufm4J5YWJmF60OP3y1zjsjlf_lvwQZgR0yteM1TyxlGvuXLJJ-ea67IQpOx1df3kj6f7oBoR57esiAFsZ9c25ei1uaOQ7y7krE/s1600/IMG_3610.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="150" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhAaYntUlSwLxppkk9-LqhMWrLe8rKIMwVmy5OsCIhZC2Ufm4J5YWJmF60OP3y1zjsjlf_lvwQZgR0yteM1TyxlGvuXLJJ-ea67IQpOx1df3kj6f7oBoR57esiAFsZ9c25ei1uaOQ7y7krE/s200/IMG_3610.JPG" width="200" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Picasso's Painting</td></tr>
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On Saturday, some friends and I went back into London to visit the Tate Museum. It is one of the more popular (and free) museums in London and is filled with mostly modern and contemporary art. It is by far the coolest museum I have been too. My personal favorite was a room filled with Picasso paintings! After that we headed to an area of London called Camden Market. Again it was not what I expected. It was not just a Market, it was basically an entire town with many markets and little tourist shops and countless booths. It was quite fun and we ended up finding some really good deals on souvenirs. It was easy to lose track of time there as we weaved in and out of shop after shop. After we had had enough, we headed back to the train station and headed home.<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiVRGdWq2MpoVxcMzkoZJY-Be_ZT4nSq05I-pMvpzWxkPnVaZyUlK8WgY5oimpWTVnhtNozWhk1Lc8rm-_sTCNqRuZYnkHmx07iQuAEZ9xk_9PRe61sCC0qPQsWOWXYLVpsl43-am4QvR7P/s1600/IMG_3641.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiVRGdWq2MpoVxcMzkoZJY-Be_ZT4nSq05I-pMvpzWxkPnVaZyUlK8WgY5oimpWTVnhtNozWhk1Lc8rm-_sTCNqRuZYnkHmx07iQuAEZ9xk_9PRe61sCC0qPQsWOWXYLVpsl43-am4QvR7P/s320/IMG_3641.JPG" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Shops in Camden Market</td></tr>
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On Sunday I woke up to a beautiful sunny day and I thought to myself 'what a perfect day for a walk!' Over 10 miles later, I was not exactly thinking the same thing... I started out knowing exactly where I was going and it was truly beautiful. I walked all around the river and past some beautiful houses and then before I knew it I was entering Hampton Court Park. At first I thought It was somewhere maybe I wasn't supposed to be because there were open fields and woods as far as I could see! It was an escape from city life and it was not that far away! I wandered through and found park maps, so I knew I was in the right place.<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg-S_AFxUolyJq7d9ykUYRf6HXffOTac1R5eD6yTe3dqVlHTsFYiXTGjdlhk2i7fG3FqBqABDHOLdjqC6lfMZUsNrzm7tuSSf-RII7wF7pu8NZ4AVl3cx-1fY764uTAuRpa-_KY-EGwyEug/s1600/IMG_3681.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="150" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg-S_AFxUolyJq7d9ykUYRf6HXffOTac1R5eD6yTe3dqVlHTsFYiXTGjdlhk2i7fG3FqBqABDHOLdjqC6lfMZUsNrzm7tuSSf-RII7wF7pu8NZ4AVl3cx-1fY764uTAuRpa-_KY-EGwyEug/s200/IMG_3681.JPG" width="200" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Sail boat racing!</td></tr>
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I stumbled across a pond and noticed many small sailboats sailing across it. As I got closer I noticed that there was a group of old men with remote controls racing these sailboats across the pond! It was hysterical. As I got even closer I noticed all there wives sitting in lawn chairs watching. I started taking some pictures and a man who was racing ran by me and said the good action pictures could be taken at the finish line just at the end of the pond. I couldn't help but laugh as I watched him pass the sailboat in front of him to take the lead. After watching for a few more minutes I wandered off again, walking through fields and by some horses. The only time I felt uneasy was when I started to noticed that there were golf balls on the path and realized that I was walking into a driving range, and I quickly changed direction. I kept walking again along the river and shortly found myself in front of Hampton Palace! Out of the castles and palaces I have seen so far, this is the one that felt like one from a movie.<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhfVCjvrpqbO5alvv1qo3QGm1MwkfRF-rEwRlxDR7jomNIbOtyUCgEM5pnIyGvuD0ab0E6MAq7U7E_pbpKoq9EqrhRSMJjiAz0U2Q_7dStpoyLLohvwqvU4Mx03nmYcaug2FaEoW5ZmjP8Z/s1600/IMG_3718.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhfVCjvrpqbO5alvv1qo3QGm1MwkfRF-rEwRlxDR7jomNIbOtyUCgEM5pnIyGvuD0ab0E6MAq7U7E_pbpKoq9EqrhRSMJjiAz0U2Q_7dStpoyLLohvwqvU4Mx03nmYcaug2FaEoW5ZmjP8Z/s320/IMG_3718.JPG" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Fairy tale trees?</td></tr>
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The trees and shrubs were oddly shaped and there were countless gardens, fountains, and statues. I wandered through a bit and heard people talk about how beautiful the place would be in a few weeks when the flowers were blooming. Since it was so close, I decided to just wander through parts of it and come back in a few weeks to see it all. I even walked by a giant maze you can walk through which I definitely plan on going back and doing. After I made my way out and headed back in what I thought the direction of my house was, I realized my phone was dead, I had no idea where I was, and I had no bus pass or had any source of help to me back home. I kept walking and asked a few people where 'Ditton Road' was along the way. Now, that would have been easier if my road was called anything else, but the thing about Ditton Road is that it is not the only Ditton Road! There is Ditton Thames Road, Ditton Hill Road, and many others. So many people were confused when I just wanted plain old Ditton Road, and every time someone knew where it was all they could tell me is that it was far... which after hours of walking wasn't the most comforting words to hear. Eventually, I made it back, still not sure how, but I did, and I was never more thankful to see the sign for Ditton Road.<br />
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Now we are at this past week.<br />
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On Monday, I booked my tickets to Poland! We plan on visiting Auschwitz and staying with a friends family that she has there at the beginning of Spring Break (which is 3 weeks long).<br />
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On Tuesday, I booked my tickets and hostel for Barcelona! I am extremely excited for this trip! I will also be traveling there over Spring Break.<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgjXCI8DW0a3dIDwblGHHZrPGa5dhXEjEctfTaZivGh053AnYV2fNdwXKjh2Sqad3HJXHMXWG_TDxO3B_96PRXfPNIaUlpQeWrULRvTvBCnN6wRe2tIJhJ52RjGcZpWnonGBt6YvJr1xhyc/s1600/IMG_3898.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgjXCI8DW0a3dIDwblGHHZrPGa5dhXEjEctfTaZivGh053AnYV2fNdwXKjh2Sqad3HJXHMXWG_TDxO3B_96PRXfPNIaUlpQeWrULRvTvBCnN6wRe2tIJhJ52RjGcZpWnonGBt6YvJr1xhyc/s200/IMG_3898.JPG" width="200" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Taylor Swift!!!!</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg4KTwW94yP6SBZgFpcVB8mi-OYi8e7OksbRgeboaohY48G5U3WO4DHD5jMMfqMj_pD0thp1h4IBK7N2dmIAwPNvUU-6N87z-4qOFg_reLKqfQjQ5P6mYhLqM7FuqYDmq8ocjiE0k26jXWV/s1600/IMG_3901.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg4KTwW94yP6SBZgFpcVB8mi-OYi8e7OksbRgeboaohY48G5U3WO4DHD5jMMfqMj_pD0thp1h4IBK7N2dmIAwPNvUU-6N87z-4qOFg_reLKqfQjQ5P6mYhLqM7FuqYDmq8ocjiE0k26jXWV/s320/IMG_3901.JPG" width="240" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">On my way to Hogwarts!</td></tr>
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On Wednesday, a couple friends and I decided to travel into London because we knew the BRIT Awards (music awards) were going on at the famous O2 arena and we thought we might be able to catch a glimpse of someone famous. Long story short, suddenly found ourselves standing by the red carpet and seeing countless famous people! We saw Ed Sheeran, FUN, Mumford & Sons, Muse, The Script, and many more including many British pop stars who we weren't familiar to us, but the teenage group of girls in front of us always would scream their names very loudly and we would just follow suit. And of course there was Taylor Swift. We saw her get out of a car across the carpet like every other person did but we were sad to not get a very good glimpse of her. A few minutes later we noticed everyone screaming at one end of the red carpet, and sure enough, Taylor Swift was making her way down autographing and taking pictures with whoever had their arm outstretched with a camera. While I was there, she was the only celebrity to walk down the red carpet and acknowledge everyone. It felt like a dream as she walked right by us smiling and autographing. She gave the girl in front of me a compliment and I swear the girl almost cried of happiness. As soon as she walked by us I looked at my phone and realized I had to leave to make it to the other side of London for a Harry Potter walk I had signed up for! I made it just in time and we were told to follow a lady who was frantically waving a wand above her head. She was quite funny and told us countless stories. We went to platform 9 3/4 and walked around places in London where the movie was filmed. I am very excited to watch the movies again and be able to pick out the places in the film that I have been! It was quite an exciting day and I fell into bed as soon as I got home, and questioned if it had all been a dream.<br />
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On Thursday I got my first grade back from a paper I had turned in. At first my heart completely stopped when I saw a 65 at the top of the paper. After having a minor heart attack I thankfully realized that a 65 is an A- here. And I quickly became much more fond of my grade.<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiu8fJwEtmyZE1celW1Knm8BXOXITl0anDEn_0naq5YTOCCeVq7VwgNYIq9mftRASehSONzkQFQowPIP-v7wOw__Hj_r0QFGUZmThJSACxFZL11e4CDXTDYhwgGTQj21FDCP0DVx2xp9QAZ/s1600/IMG_3888.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiu8fJwEtmyZE1celW1Knm8BXOXITl0anDEn_0naq5YTOCCeVq7VwgNYIq9mftRASehSONzkQFQowPIP-v7wOw__Hj_r0QFGUZmThJSACxFZL11e4CDXTDYhwgGTQj21FDCP0DVx2xp9QAZ/s200/IMG_3888.JPG" width="150" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Diagon Alley!</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhmwPsnIsuTaANHXNLSAHMvD_WbPA91i-fOxo5717v1EBgeztMDOuQdy9Jg2d4FDaSgRj3q6x86RDYdx16GjF6E4gJJUi-HSQxh9fCvWoKJpnzQN4LCzZoxv71c2ePwX2DvYQqCVlkqzeDs/s1600/IMG_3902.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="150" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhmwPsnIsuTaANHXNLSAHMvD_WbPA91i-fOxo5717v1EBgeztMDOuQdy9Jg2d4FDaSgRj3q6x86RDYdx16GjF6E4gJJUi-HSQxh9fCvWoKJpnzQN4LCzZoxv71c2ePwX2DvYQqCVlkqzeDs/s200/IMG_3902.JPG" width="200" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Brit Awards!</td></tr>
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On Friday I was able to Skype with some of my best friends from school. Thank goodness for Skype and Facetime. It truly makes everything so much easier when with a click of your mouse, you can actually talk to someone and see them. It truly is a piece of technology I do not know what I would do without.<br />
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And now we are to this weekend.<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjw6Xg9tbDt0Gw5YlNHpLs_kcQOXtCTwufIsnSu5eAJV5IiDPXgRSDq-lW5fDl_hem6dgWzfNMXFA6v-Zx7Fhtew_ResCC1kpi5drUKorAWdDdqMB63h6zKGdwK1TzZZRMZqaCd-5HftmvG/s1600/DSCN0290.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjw6Xg9tbDt0Gw5YlNHpLs_kcQOXtCTwufIsnSu5eAJV5IiDPXgRSDq-lW5fDl_hem6dgWzfNMXFA6v-Zx7Fhtew_ResCC1kpi5drUKorAWdDdqMB63h6zKGdwK1TzZZRMZqaCd-5HftmvG/s320/DSCN0290.JPG" width="240" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The Great Hall</td></tr>
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On Saturday we had yet another British Life & Culture field trip. This time the destination was Oxford! I can not imagine going to such a glorious school. There are 23 colleges within Oxford University alone! It was massive and absolutely gorgeous! The whole time I felt as if I was touring Hogwarts! We saw the library where the movie was filmed and Harry wore the invisible cloak, and the Great Hall which the one in Harry Potter was copied from. We saw students in suits and black cloaks and briefcases. We toured the cathedral which was breathtaking. As we walked in, there was a student orchestra rehearsing and they were of course, incredible. As we listened to the sound of violins we walked past the beautiful stained glass windows and monuments. It had us all dreaming of attending Oxford or Hogwarts on the whole trip back home.<br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Mummies at the British Museum</td></tr>
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Today, a group of us went into London and visited two other museums. One was the Museum of London where we were hoping to attend an exhibit but once we got there, the line was 6-7 hours long so they were cutting off the line once we were there. We are hoping to go back on Tuesday to walk through what is known as the 'rain room', where apparently it rains, but when you walk through it, you do not get wet! After that plan failed, we headed to a gigantic conservatory held in the musem. It was gorgeous and it was nice to see a lot of trees, plants and flowers, especially when it was lightly snowing outside. After that we made our way to the British Museum where we toured the Egypt floor and saw countless mummies and even mummified cats!<br />
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All in all, it has been quite a busy, and surreal 5 weeks (wait, its already been 5 weeks?!)Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10039595670823121754noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1135761524498520009.post-20899731587493886312013-02-13T14:37:00.001+00:002013-02-13T14:38:01.570+00:00Why Not?I do not think there are enough positive words in the English vocabulary to describe the kind of day I had yesterday. It started out like any other morning with a cup of tea and Tigger sitting by me at the kitchen table. I then made my way to my Human Rights Movement class that started at 11:00. After I had decided that I wanted to go into Central London. My main reasoning to go was to go to a museum that a module leader had recommended for class (no one calls them professors here... they are called module leaders, or called by their first name). So far I am sure that this whole day doesn't seem like a big deal... but heres the catch; it was the first time I was traveling into London by myself. Also I knew I would have to figure out the tube (underground subway) to get to the museum and I had only been on it once before, with someone who knew exactly where they were going. So to say the least I was a little bit nervous.<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgV8_D-TnHu_COIPtlA6Oo7x_KTC162MPM5HMb1cDrp4dUU-8O3Mm5JUv7qkJNRWBLP1n-9cLNpbMPCVbCR4bY14QLwqjkCqzeBU4xJsLxjCF8XIRFFGSvMKMJzi4a-r-3_P_0jE6mgLjAT/s1600/tube_map.gif" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="213" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgV8_D-TnHu_COIPtlA6Oo7x_KTC162MPM5HMb1cDrp4dUU-8O3Mm5JUv7qkJNRWBLP1n-9cLNpbMPCVbCR4bY14QLwqjkCqzeBU4xJsLxjCF8XIRFFGSvMKMJzi4a-r-3_P_0jE6mgLjAT/s320/tube_map.gif" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The London Tube Map!</td></tr>
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I made it on the train successfully and then got off a few stops after at Wimbledon station because by the looks of the Tube map, it looked like a straight shot to South Kensington, where the museum, (called the V & A museum) I wanted to go to was located. Turns out I was right! & before I knew it I was walking up the stairs from the Tube and right in front of my was the museum! Easy enough right? But that wasn't the exciting part. </div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg78ZCv0euy1jCJgGUSIL5NvnMf81jYNnEocgKb3nv7nwG-Lijz-n89Oizj2eE8didIwvdrR_gkgevcBLvJc7A9gjMl4f_dXHDL8OXre4ZpHsN4sMKT0EAX-DZZGwLvHI3F7Bzrzhu0l7gi/s1600/sacr.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg78ZCv0euy1jCJgGUSIL5NvnMf81jYNnEocgKb3nv7nwG-Lijz-n89Oizj2eE8didIwvdrR_gkgevcBLvJc7A9gjMl4f_dXHDL8OXre4ZpHsN4sMKT0EAX-DZZGwLvHI3F7Bzrzhu0l7gi/s320/sacr.jpg" width="240" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The costume of Scar in the Lion King</td></tr>
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The museum was so much more than I had expected. It wasn't just filled with portraits and old paintings. It was filled with every kind of art work you could imagine! From costumes from major broadway films like The Lion King and outfits worn by older rockstars, ironwork and old electronics, to crazily designed furniture, to beautiful jewelry displayed in glass cases. Another thing that was different about this museum was the overall atmosphere of the place. It wasn't a quiet, strict, no photography kind of museum that I was expecting. People were chatting away, and taking pictures of the different pieces of artwork. Many people were scattered around either sketching or writing about what they were looking at. It was very interesting and even relaxing which made it much more fun. I wandered through out the place for a little over 2 hours and I know there was still much more to see. </div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgUlwtIhFk6_-mape0ZuQZKX6xIQ8yYJLkcOil4VA1odSQZNmTV17Hz2unvVn9cxNFtz1-fvCGxTkIdcBFaB-WpaLlC8rtr1-J30Ou0ksHMugaWQ-v95qx6aFX3nTDteRApIacYZyV-fEXK/s1600/pigeon.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgUlwtIhFk6_-mape0ZuQZKX6xIQ8yYJLkcOil4VA1odSQZNmTV17Hz2unvVn9cxNFtz1-fvCGxTkIdcBFaB-WpaLlC8rtr1-J30Ou0ksHMugaWQ-v95qx6aFX3nTDteRApIacYZyV-fEXK/s320/pigeon.jpg" width="306" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Yikes!</td></tr>
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When I left the museum I realized that there was still plenty of day left, and I had not really planned anything but the museum... I could have either took the same tube to the same train station and go back home, or just wander around London and figure out along the way a different way to get home, I asked myself why not? And picked a direction and started walking. I walked through an area with a ton of little shops and markets, I stopped at one of the coffee shops and decided to sit at a cute little table outside. I was wondering to myself why no one else had chose to sit outside especially since it was such a beautiful day, but I shortly found out why people had chosen to be safe and sit indoors... At first only one pigeon showed up, as he hopped around my feet my initial thought was 'oh he's kind of cute'... That soon changed when he hopped up onto the chair next to me, normally that would not have bothered me too much, but at that same time, 2 more pigeons came out of no where and flew to the other seat next to me and one decided to hop up onto the table right in front of me! I tried tapping the table, even moved the chair around, and they acted as if they were glued to the furniture which made me a little nervous and I decided to just walk and drink my coffee. They wanted food, and they were not happy that I didn't have any. </div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhE0wLd-anGS6L5SjOtYLX21lxS5ejcC44r9V9jR8TTGpGQVX50sQ4Rm09JQpM3pAKM57Zcq4g8BVdxZw34HqpcrGv1Knzl_7wct0F3kGOwLZC-bVAbkdbv5FQZ8LcSfCMBGdCqqafxasaz/s1600/Buckingham.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhE0wLd-anGS6L5SjOtYLX21lxS5ejcC44r9V9jR8TTGpGQVX50sQ4Rm09JQpM3pAKM57Zcq4g8BVdxZw34HqpcrGv1Knzl_7wct0F3kGOwLZC-bVAbkdbv5FQZ8LcSfCMBGdCqqafxasaz/s320/Buckingham.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Buckingham Palace!</td></tr>
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As I kept walking, I found myself wandering down another street full of shops, but these shops were all name brand and most of them I did not even recognize. I also started to notice that the people window shopping were dressed incredibly nicely and even saw a couple people be dropped of in limos... I quickly realized that that was probably not the area I would be doing my shopping in, but I was tempted to go into one of them and just pretend and look... So I told myself why not? I headed into a little boutique and instantly found a super cute shirt. It was purple and pretty plain so I figured maybe it would be a reasonable price. After I flipped over that tag and saw the 3 digit price I decided I couldn't even pretend to look anymore. I headed out and kept walking by the beautiful shops. The last one I passed had a couple in front of it arguing, as I got closer I could tell they were arguing over a color. The man wanted black, but the women thought red would be best, as I got closer I realized that they were arguing over what color of Ferrari to purchase... sure enough they were just window shopping for a Ferrari in London. No big deal.</div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjwD3nkpbw3AvqSHDniul1mg8A039wtjXSgU24GA_d-x717iQhFE_W9210mE9owN4u1UkiwDX5RZx7YYX82Zi3ExjsAMkFRXEVUfEJ5CSBcwzscJgrKXUBtPQvkJMDNzRLtsUEMQat9MN8F/s1600/sq.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjwD3nkpbw3AvqSHDniul1mg8A039wtjXSgU24GA_d-x717iQhFE_W9210mE9owN4u1UkiwDX5RZx7YYX82Zi3ExjsAMkFRXEVUfEJ5CSBcwzscJgrKXUBtPQvkJMDNzRLtsUEMQat9MN8F/s320/sq.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Feeding the squirrels in the Royal Park</td></tr>
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I kept on walking and instantly wished I had a car, and any car for that matter, because out of all the days I could have worn cute heeled boots, I had decided to wear them that day and I swear my legs still have not forgiven me for that. I saw a park sign and decided to head that way and maybe find a bench. But before I knew it, I found myself in front of Buckingham Palace! (another home of the Royal Family) It was absolutely gorgeous! I couldn't imagine living in such a place. After walking around the fountains and weaving through tourists, I decided to keep walking, right beyond the palace was another park and I decided to venture through that as well. Again, it was absolutely gorgeous and filled with birds... many birds, which included pigeons. While walking through the park I had two different people stop and ask me directions for Big Ben and I felt like such a local when I was able to give them accurate directions and point them in the right way! Feeling so accomplished I decided to sit on a bench and take in the scenery which would have been really nice if the pigeons wouldn't have started to stalk me again. I am now positive that pigeons especially can sense when you are freaked out by them. Because as soon as I sat down, they were right under me and weaving in between my feet and squawking at me, probably yelling at me to give them food, but again I had none, and again I decided it was best to keep walking. I then walked by a group of people that were feeding the squirrels! The squirrels almost hopped in the tourists hands as they fed them from a bag of peanuts! It was quite funny, until pigeons starting swarming and wanted some too, I decided to keep walking again after that. </div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjDKXOszQUitJShaPggB8TEvhTwxhF-93jOOVVTjPFv3owhzPybBF2Lp_tj2qybpn0MXicVwoJoCGHJb5fg3Rb6EBnwz83PrzqWhYdRiSzvTTucExNRputeXSEOnov1RacXwK0DjhzbYQYM/s1600/IMG_3283.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjDKXOszQUitJShaPggB8TEvhTwxhF-93jOOVVTjPFv3owhzPybBF2Lp_tj2qybpn0MXicVwoJoCGHJb5fg3Rb6EBnwz83PrzqWhYdRiSzvTTucExNRputeXSEOnov1RacXwK0DjhzbYQYM/s320/IMG_3283.JPG" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Piccaddily Circus </td></tr>
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I made my way out of the park and by a few other monuments and then again I was found myself on another busy street of London. For the rest of the time I just found myself picking a direction and going with it, I stopped in a few little shops, and then realized it was starting to get dark. I walked down a few more streets and then found myself in front of the giant screen at Piccadilly Circus (much like New York's Times Square) and decided that was a perfect place to end my day. I found the nearest underground and headed for the tube. It took me a few minutes to scan the entire Tube map and figure out which one would lead me to where but I finally figured it out! As I arrived on the Train station and made it just in time to catch my train to Kingston I was so happy, and I had never felt more accomplished. To me, the best days you have are ones that are unplanned and spontaneous. The best walks you take are those where you have no planned routes. I had so much fun wandering through London and finding my way. It was an absolutely wonderful day and it truly made my love for London grow even more. </div>
Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10039595670823121754noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1135761524498520009.post-40541484264827032592013-02-11T14:30:00.001+00:002013-02-11T15:43:08.639+00:00Time Flies!I find it so hard to believe that I have already been living in London for 3 weeks! Although my parents seem to think It feels like I have been gone much longer, I feel as if I have been here for barely a week! But I do suppose that in some ways it does seem like I have been here for awhile... for example I am finally beginning to walk on the correct side of the side walk (left side, just like driving) and not run into so many people, 3rd week's the charm I guess. Also, I think I am finally getting used to the time change and I have even caught myself using some British lingo! As I have started to fall into a routine, all of these things that I was so nervous about just a couple weeks ago have started to become normal to me.<br />
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However I did wake up this morning to look outside my window and see something very unfamiliar to London, but very familiar to me at home; snow. It made me laugh when I overheard a group of people talk about how they would not be able to drive if we were going to get the 1 inch of snow that is expected. It was hard for me to contain my laughter as I thought of the many many inches of snow currently in Michigan.<br />
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<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: right; margin-left: 1em; text-align: right;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiQgA0uR0o4q-9Hvkd75lyuaeAM6aThvpRpPJFew1-ZgHYa8XYyb8FJAoAydvsEnhEmiT8F2n7w9uyr2m27rE3rwpUV1qtHWtrdkSaBULzJB3LWFwu6gOClpEaQW2Tk7nNN1uNlVNypKJaj/s1600/IMG_3199.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiQgA0uR0o4q-9Hvkd75lyuaeAM6aThvpRpPJFew1-ZgHYa8XYyb8FJAoAydvsEnhEmiT8F2n7w9uyr2m27rE3rwpUV1qtHWtrdkSaBULzJB3LWFwu6gOClpEaQW2Tk7nNN1uNlVNypKJaj/s320/IMG_3199.JPG" width="320" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Fun Times at the London Aquarium! </td></tr></tbody></table>I feel like this past week of school many things were accomplished. I successfully learned how to locate books in the library, print, and even finished one of my two papers for one of my modules (classes). In my British Life and Culture class we started to learn about the Monarchy and its role in society here. It was very interesting to get different perspectives from different students from all around the world in the class. Our professor was explaining that this period is a high point for the monarchy, because everyone seems to be a pleased with the Queen (which explains why they sell so many things with the Queens face on it here). In 3 more years, the Queen will be tied with Queen Victoria for the longest serving monarch (63 years). This week we will learn more about the subject and on Friday we take a field trip to Parliament!<br />
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This weekend was quite exciting and went by incredibly fast, like every weekend does. On Saturday, a group of us made our way into London to the London Aquarium to escape the rainy day. It was absolutely amazing! There were many giant sharks and we were able to walk through a tunnel which went through their tank! Seeing all the colorful fish and different aquatic animals was a wonderful way to escape from the rainy weather outside. After we made our way to the National Gallery, on the way we passed an area being blocked off for filming! The rumor is, Tom Cruise is in it! After taking in all of the beautiful painted portraits at the gallery we started to find our way out, but as we headed towards the exit we found ourselves in a room with Van Gogh paintings, including his famous Sunflower painting. It was crazy to think we were standing in front of the works of one of the most famous artists in the world!<br />
<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: left; margin-right: 1em; text-align: left;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhs9SGT_urzDrR0T4niKjf_Fj4xuGscnnb-DwTUnaJY9HG8M2ltcPD9fBsuFFAALrhKSBZDxag1-wto5WBhq1apbM0MF-86ar6a7B66B3Owc4forPiasjJS684im4sg07-jyFKpIudxigG8/s1600/IMG_3331.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhs9SGT_urzDrR0T4niKjf_Fj4xuGscnnb-DwTUnaJY9HG8M2ltcPD9fBsuFFAALrhKSBZDxag1-wto5WBhq1apbM0MF-86ar6a7B66B3Owc4forPiasjJS684im4sg07-jyFKpIudxigG8/s320/IMG_3331.JPG" width="320" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Happy Chinese New Year!</td></tr></tbody></table>On Sunday a friend and I made our way into London again to take part in the Chinese New Year festivities! Since the Chinese New Year is based on the lunar and solar calendars, the actual date always varies but it usually falls between late January and mid February. Each year in the Chinese calendar is represented by one of the 12 animals of the Chinese zodiac, and 2013 is known as the year of the snake.<br />
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The celebration was held in Trafalgar Square which looked like a sea of umbrellas with everyone trying to stay dry from the London rain. We were there early enough to be about 3 rows back from the stage and performance area. London holds the biggest Chinese New Year celebration outside of Asia so as you can imagine there were thousands of people present. We heard speech's from many important people including the Mayor of London. After we were able to see the dance of the Lion/Dragon. It was very cool especially because we were able to be so close!!! After, we made our way to the nearest pub to warm up with some tea, and then continued our adventure through London. We made our way to Convent Gardens, which is known for its little shops and plaza area, after that we continued to China Town for the rest of the New Year festivities. We ate some delicious chinese food and watched martial arts being performed in the streets and more dancing dragons. Beautiful lanterns and decorations lined all the streets and music filled the air. It was an amazing experience and It was definitely worth being under an umbrella all day. As it began to get dark we made our way back to Trafalgar Square for the ending ceremony which included singing, dancing, and of course fireworks. Everything was absolutely beautiful and it was definitely an experience I will never forget.<br />
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</div>Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10039595670823121754noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1135761524498520009.post-85728291777303881142013-02-03T15:30:00.000+00:002013-02-03T17:24:09.111+00:00Living In A Dream...I officially made it through my first week of school, and even made some British friends! My schedule is very different here compared to one you would find in the U.S. Instead of having the same class 2-3 times a week, I only have each of my classes once a week! They are just called lectures and they usually last 2 hours. Then for 2 of my 4 classes, I have a session once every other week called seminar. Seminar lasts for about an hour and basically its just a meeting with a group of kids in your class to talk about the lecture! Not only are schedules different, but also classwork as a whole... the difference being, there really is none! You are given the responsibility to do your reading that is scheduled on your module guide (syllabus) and to keep yourself on track. There are not any assessments (tests) to review what you have learned and no homework. In my British Life & Culture class, a class that most study abroad students take, there are a few writing assignments but that is because they try to incorporate some American schooling into the course for all of the study abroad students.<br />
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<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: left; margin-right: 1em; text-align: left;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgE4cfcXh0je2c0aFYwFGBpoK8UH6Y_93C7vNzPosv4M9mlPOL4Zgirduka0XUKnEoi8JKHu4hyphenhyphenWL4YO1t4s2EqqIKVy1c-8NBygv70lb7drM42CxG8Fkr1MXBTNYTt9pDY6bNZb4PFPUSf/s1600/482419_10151389320189738_574590562_n.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgE4cfcXh0je2c0aFYwFGBpoK8UH6Y_93C7vNzPosv4M9mlPOL4Zgirduka0XUKnEoi8JKHu4hyphenhyphenWL4YO1t4s2EqqIKVy1c-8NBygv70lb7drM42CxG8Fkr1MXBTNYTt9pDY6bNZb4PFPUSf/s320/482419_10151389320189738_574590562_n.jpg" width="240" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Tea time in London!</td></tr></tbody></table>There is a very wide range of reactions I have gotten whenever I speak in a class. Luckily most have been..."Are you American?! Brilliant! Where from? Whats it like?" and on and on. But sometimes you get the eye roll or occasional head shake. I will say I feel pretty confident after someone told me that I didn't yell all the time like most Americans, and I had a good taste in clothes compared to most Americans, even though in my head I was thinking I really wish I brought more sweatpants.<br />
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Also, College here is known as a different thing than in the U.S. College here is what is known as High School at home, and University (or Uni as most people call it) is what they call what we know as College. So when I asked which way to Kingston college one day, I ended up in front of the local high school.<br />
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So far I am very satisfied with the classes I am taking (British Life & Culture, Earth Environments, Human Rights, and an art class) and I am excited to meet more people in them!<br />
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<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: right; margin-left: 1em; text-align: right;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhA28S94tV-mBxrmOGJ5IocFlcxYntx07FsNxGOItGAzeR7HQnKSb6Vl-gKP42y3kwglfAerk-7ZRbJRxdug_mL5NnjhD0SyNiMsctOq4nwvTrzrF7BZcUxQ01cfakRLmd4dNjidYnxW7-r/s1600/IMG_2849.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="192" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhA28S94tV-mBxrmOGJ5IocFlcxYntx07FsNxGOItGAzeR7HQnKSb6Vl-gKP42y3kwglfAerk-7ZRbJRxdug_mL5NnjhD0SyNiMsctOq4nwvTrzrF7BZcUxQ01cfakRLmd4dNjidYnxW7-r/s320/IMG_2849.JPG" width="320" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The London Bridge at night</td></tr></tbody></table>To celebrate surviving the first week of 'Uni', a group of study abroad students met at a local hotspot for students on Friday night, after we headed to a club near by and we were blown away as soon as we entered. It was so nice, and so much fun! They played all old 90's music and even played the theme song to Fresh Prince of Belair. It was an absolute blast! There was a wide range of students there and you could tell people were there from all over! There were even a group of scottish guys in kilts who got really excited when they got to dance to Cotton Eyed Joe.<br />
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<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: left; margin-right: 1em; text-align: left;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEikL5FIOuEavUZY6ECb6K408eIY2GvJ7rkI7g4hrP-MF6pnka3h5DBmuYMt58SytcewzJtWM2jEXjVdZUMvgLOngWAd1E6vIBy5WmBsYzD6UaQikphj_jtKehWK6pDQipyortrufLiqO1Ty/s1600/DSC_0054.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEikL5FIOuEavUZY6ECb6K408eIY2GvJ7rkI7g4hrP-MF6pnka3h5DBmuYMt58SytcewzJtWM2jEXjVdZUMvgLOngWAd1E6vIBy5WmBsYzD6UaQikphj_jtKehWK6pDQipyortrufLiqO1Ty/s320/DSC_0054.JPG" width="214" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The London Bridge</td></tr></tbody></table>The next day<span class="Apple-style-span" style="-webkit-composition-fill-color: rgba(175, 192, 227, 0.230469); -webkit-composition-frame-color: rgba(77, 128, 180, 0.230469); -webkit-tap-highlight-color: rgba(26, 26, 26, 0.296875);"> a couple of us headed into central London. We had planned on going to the Tower of London but decided to save it for another day and ended up doing some exploring on our own! It was great! We even got lost at some points but it we were so full of pride when we were able to spot something familiar and find our way again. It is crazy to think after only being here for 2 weeks, we were starting to feel a little less like tourists, even though at one point we were stopped in the middle of a sidewalk staring at a map and all pointing in different directions.</span><br />
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We made our way to and across the London Bridge and stopped somewhere for tea to warm up soon after. By the time we left it was dark, and the sight of the London Bridge at night was absolutely breathtaking and easily one of the most beautiful things I have ever seen. After we tried to take pictures that would do it justice, but we decided nothing ever would, and continued our journey.<br />
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<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: right; margin-left: 1em; text-align: right;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiSIZ1ddI6y4VZ4m1eLU4vyOg3KqHuA1koiGpcWQzY4_rtq5LpyYPtpE3YcPTWNtHpkqwzAr0aBEPGFnE90w2HsCqJm4SWD5pZDhybSCMrrYiZNOORqGriqzzK7wXaS2tXC3r92q_OvoJtA/s1600/DSC_0121.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="214" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiSIZ1ddI6y4VZ4m1eLU4vyOg3KqHuA1koiGpcWQzY4_rtq5LpyYPtpE3YcPTWNtHpkqwzAr0aBEPGFnE90w2HsCqJm4SWD5pZDhybSCMrrYiZNOORqGriqzzK7wXaS2tXC3r92q_OvoJtA/s320/DSC_0121.JPG" width="320" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Piccadilly Circus</td></tr></tbody></table>We took the tube to Piccadilly Circus which is known as the Times Square of London! It was very crowded but still absolutely amazing. We then made our way back to the Waterloo Station which meant we were able to walk by Big Ben again and see the London Eye all lit up at night. That whole walk back I couldn't help but think I was simply dreaming and it all felt so surreal, that was until we got into the train station and heard that our train was leaving in minutes and started running towards our platform. We were all so exhausted and tried our hardest not to fall asleep on the train ride home.<br />
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Overall it was another wonderful week in London and I can't imagine anything better.Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10039595670823121754noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1135761524498520009.post-14793514361170036812013-01-29T15:09:00.002+00:002013-01-29T15:16:27.645+00:00First Day Of School... Take Two!Two major differences between living in the U.S and England have really managed to catch my attention the past two days... One, being that just about everyone goes by military time here (24 hour time). So when someone says I will meet you at 15:00 they really mean 3:00pm, not I will meet you in 15 minutes. This has taken a little time to get used too, but thankfully I have not been too embarrassed by any mistakes dealing with time. However I can not say the same for the other big difference I have come to find between the U.S and England.<br />
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Here in England, Monday is the official first day of the week, not Sunday like we are used to in the U.S. So when you look at calendars Monday is the first day listed on each week. Unfortunately I found this out the hard way. Sunday night I was preparing for my first day of school by filling my backpack with notebooks (which are also different here...) and pens and anything and everything thing I thought I may need. I took the time to pick out my first day of school outfit, but apparently I should have spent that time looking at my schedule more closely. When I looked at my schedule (or timetable as it is called here) the first day was filled with nothing which I automatically thought was Sunday, and then the next day, which I assumed was Monday like I would on a calendar at home, listed a class starting at 11:00am.<br />
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Fast forward to the morning, when I woke up at 10:15 to no alarm, because out of all my preparing, that was the one thing I had forgotten to do! I rushed to get ready, grab breakfast, and headed to the bus stop because I knew there was no time to walk. I ran to the bus stop, and just caught the bus in time. After finding a seat, I realized I forgot my schedule, which meant I had no idea where to go. At the next stop I got off and sprinted home, needless to say, at this point I was a bit of a mess. Again I grabbed what I needed, and left the house in a hurry to again arrive at the bus stop just in time. When I was finally seated on the bus for good, I was feeling better. I would make it to the school just on time, and would hopefully only be a few minutes late after finding my classroom. I also decided to count the large amount of running I had done as my exercise for the day.<br />
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As I rushed into the school, I passed a student that seemed to be confident in where they were headed, so I stopped to ask which way I should go, unfortunately I could not understand what they said, but instead headed in the direction he was pointing. After going up and down stairs a few times, and going in a few circles, I found myself outside of the classroom that was listed on my schedule. A very friendly student was waiting outside and asked if I was ok, I responded with a smile and asked if this was the class for the Civil Rights Movement, he looked a little confused but assured me that this was a "Civil something" class, so he was sure this was it. I snuck into the room and found an open seat towards the front of the lecture hall. While I was focusing on entering the classroom unnoticed, I failed to realize that the class was filled with almost all guys. As I sat down and got out a notebook to start taking notes the professor (or leader) was starting to lecture. I started to notice that what she was saying did not sound familiar to me...at all. I looked at the handout that was being passed around and right as I was reading the heading at the top "Civil Construction and Bridges" I heard the professor ask the class if they had there model bridges ready to turn in today. I immediately knew that was not where I was supposed to be. I quickly packed my things and headed for the door, of course being in the front of a lecture hall and leaving abruptly, I caught almost the whole classes attention, but as I rushed out the door, and lost my grip as it slammed very loudly I knew I had just made quite the scene.<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjmdZLvCLZldfb_77P1TXnHtft5lLghUPUySDlOQszMk5ypJvKDHTZdeDOCpfeU9cz8-Sa7hpFYwPaWnHlS_MVONOt384YNS8sDhdmxDCMFO3XdL1V9sghL5VHYFlMEJHERrt0902i7OnUE/s1600/DSCN0205.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjmdZLvCLZldfb_77P1TXnHtft5lLghUPUySDlOQszMk5ypJvKDHTZdeDOCpfeU9cz8-Sa7hpFYwPaWnHlS_MVONOt384YNS8sDhdmxDCMFO3XdL1V9sghL5VHYFlMEJHERrt0902i7OnUE/s320/DSCN0205.JPG" width="240" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><i>My new home away from home</i></td></tr>
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At that point I was very confused and found a place to sit and look at my schedule, It was then that I realized the day of nothing that I thought was Sunday, was Monday. And the class I thought I had on Monday, was in fact on Tuesday. You learn something new everyday right? It all made sense after that. I soon left after realizing I had no reason to be there and found the nearest Cafe to enjoy a much needed cup of tea. That afternoon I met up with some friends for a late lunch, and we all laughed about my first day of school. We all decided that when I am reminded of that day on the last day of school, I will simply just laugh.<br />
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After all of that, I went home and prepared for my actual first day of school, which was today! The good thing was I knew what classroom to go to, since I had already visited it. And I can now officially say I have had my real first day of class. And it was great! I ended up meeting another girl from Michigan who attends GVSU. She has been studying here for the past year and was reassuring me about classes and adjusting to the differences in classes. I only had that one class today, and am very much looking forward to the rest of my classes this week.<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjw11GDq8Pj6peiEFErbFYDYeurC2dx2wQJiofAPJep7ro7rgGFIqzgZBXFEQ547Q2kQJX8ACvjWESugU2S9AAqJhx2HUr2CGhY8UOgYBbGyqhmWi0g96l6PH__GDUHr31qcNfORITyqXqY/s1600/DSCN0201.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjw11GDq8Pj6peiEFErbFYDYeurC2dx2wQJiofAPJep7ro7rgGFIqzgZBXFEQ547Q2kQJX8ACvjWESugU2S9AAqJhx2HUr2CGhY8UOgYBbGyqhmWi0g96l6PH__GDUHr31qcNfORITyqXqY/s320/DSCN0201.JPG" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><i>Window View</i></td></tr>
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Also I have recently uploaded some pictures of the house I am staying in! My host family experience has so far been wonderful! I am definitely glad I chose to stay with a family. I feel as if I have already been able to become more adjusted to British life from things I have learned from the couple I live with, and the bonus being they have an awesome cat!<br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><i>Front gate</i></td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><i>My view from my 3rd floor window..</i>.<br />
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Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10039595670823121754noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1135761524498520009.post-90574242174306976232013-01-27T15:32:00.002+00:002013-01-27T15:32:17.839+00:00First Weekend Across The Pond<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: right; margin-left: 1em; text-align: right;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi5EUHAQd_mnsVs0DuUGzUZ3wGNyL8Com-37JcmQ7tufXIMeXl2XFIHYIjKIg-QyjuNO3SrKoMYySmP3FfYutby121stAz5UFuNBvJcifPFJBgHyNgLRlWN7EhlzXLn6oM3NT4-9g5N8vZJ/s1600/DSCN0096.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi5EUHAQd_mnsVs0DuUGzUZ3wGNyL8Com-37JcmQ7tufXIMeXl2XFIHYIjKIg-QyjuNO3SrKoMYySmP3FfYutby121stAz5UFuNBvJcifPFJBgHyNgLRlWN7EhlzXLn6oM3NT4-9g5N8vZJ/s320/DSCN0096.JPG" width="208" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><i>love at first sight <3 </i></td></tr>
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I can confidently say that I now fully understand the term 'love at first sight'. Friday morning a couple friends and I got up and met in Kingston to make our first adventure into central London. We were all a little nervous, because none of us had rode the train yet, but we very glad to find it pretty easy to get to. And on the plus side, we even got on the right train! Even though central London is less than 20 miles away, it took the train about half an hour to reach the Waterloo train station with all the stops that it had to make along the way. We were all so anxious and as soon as we got off the train we all rushed to the nearest exit of the very large train station to take in the sights! Sadly, the first step we took out of the station did not include a sight of Big Ben, the river, the London Eye and all else we were eager to see (imagine that). Because none of us truly knew where we were going we stopped at a couple maps up around the station and started to make our way to Big Ben. As soon as we saw water, we started walking faster... and faster... and before I knew it we were running across the pavement, making our way to the edge of the river to get a glimpse of Big Ben. And sure enough, it was as beautiful as any picture I had ever seen. We were all in awe and started to make our way towards it.<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiZIia2VaHjPQhwlt5E89QWR28Bx4VgFmdQ5oXwzGLn_snRGzqHUD6bFdsdSFOglSI9AXWbu4dvrxjzijxgGwaLyHh4cGaH-abPpB5LOZI1Pk2q8h594RWueSi2ulOGzVVMGPge4-d2Y0nC/s1600/DSCN0157.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="150" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiZIia2VaHjPQhwlt5E89QWR28Bx4VgFmdQ5oXwzGLn_snRGzqHUD6bFdsdSFOglSI9AXWbu4dvrxjzijxgGwaLyHh4cGaH-abPpB5LOZI1Pk2q8h594RWueSi2ulOGzVVMGPge4-d2Y0nC/s200/DSCN0157.JPG" width="200" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><i>Made a wish in the fountains!</i></td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiOR775mIMpcVTheaKxn1xcA6nRS1JLr6rNrMGDTvTrYnzBTk_84mO3boukiYGPGyZo_lX4xNms3LhEoApxeJRUpOmS5K2kqBGldZmnZSaUe7limDVDA_HgR3aFh-JSNUz22vIoKX-YYmCf/s1600/DSCN0173.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="168" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiOR775mIMpcVTheaKxn1xcA6nRS1JLr6rNrMGDTvTrYnzBTk_84mO3boukiYGPGyZo_lX4xNms3LhEoApxeJRUpOmS5K2kqBGldZmnZSaUe7limDVDA_HgR3aFh-JSNUz22vIoKX-YYmCf/s200/DSCN0173.JPG" width="200" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><i>Fish & Chips and Bangers & Mash</i></td></tr>
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After we had each taken about a hundred pictures we decided we should probably move on if we wanted to see anything else before the day was over. We continued down the main strip past Westminster and then passed Parliament (which I will later be visiting in a class trip), some other museums, which are on our list for our next trip into central London. We passed many monuments and beautiful buildings. We then found ourself standing in Trafalgar Square surrounded by beautiful fountains and the famous National Gallery. It was a bit chilly that day so as soon as we had had enough of the sights we made our way to the nearest pub for some traditional English food and tea. After warming up, we then spent the rest of our time touring the National Gallery, which was free to enter. As we made our way back to the station, the sun was setting and Big Ben was breathtaking. Lights had started to light up the city and we were all very exhausted and ready for the train ride home. It was a wonderful first trip into London and now I am looking forward to the next trip even more. There are so many things more things on my list to see there, and of course, I will be needing another glimpse of Big Ben soon!<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjIKRUqOVecF5tjY2VPYOjQL_TtN5v7_-JB59_fxSG-KuUwL6nZQtrgKNTJOoCXTQ6CC5BzUcaRy39ACZ18mp8Vb3EMyGAEdegJn_HYY_W_K7IgfhmMAtRu7WW8VH6Uxpw7tbcWcN9ZYfFc/s1600/DSCN0188.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjIKRUqOVecF5tjY2VPYOjQL_TtN5v7_-JB59_fxSG-KuUwL6nZQtrgKNTJOoCXTQ6CC5BzUcaRy39ACZ18mp8Vb3EMyGAEdegJn_HYY_W_K7IgfhmMAtRu7WW8VH6Uxpw7tbcWcN9ZYfFc/s320/DSCN0188.JPG" width="320" /></a>That night I arrived back at home around 7 and was still filled with excitement from the day. The pub right down the street had advertised live music for that night and I decided to go and check it out. I walked into the small local pub that was blaring old country music, and instantly all eyes were on me. You could tell they were all regulars and were confused by the stranger who had just walked in. I sat down by myself a few tables away from the performers and within minutes a friendly old man came and introduced himself to me and started conversation. He was incredibly friendly. After he left, a younger couple at the table next to me invited me over to there table and I talked to them for a long time about Michigan and differences between England and USA. It was wonderful conversation! They also filled me in that it was very much a local bar and everyone would look after me whenever I was there. I even was introduced to the landlord (owner) and he was also very welcoming. Before I knew it I was being introduced to all sorts of locals and the small town feel of everything there really made me feel at home. As I sat and listened to the performers sing 'Sweet Home Albama' and other old rock classics, I knew this was a place I would be coming to often.<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhhYazH42cceEDAFZBz1ryu5PgzRF0KCgrLDOyXnhnR8wrRLR3V_uUJgi-hVHrT6t8bW_d4M5LyK8AIIpmdQ084MzAVQ47tRmEhvCz2hxI2hHeNqvd9ytgUHOLqjRMlucvhnXrlJLULYn9U/s1600/DSC_0226.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="228" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhhYazH42cceEDAFZBz1ryu5PgzRF0KCgrLDOyXnhnR8wrRLR3V_uUJgi-hVHrT6t8bW_d4M5LyK8AIIpmdQ084MzAVQ47tRmEhvCz2hxI2hHeNqvd9ytgUHOLqjRMlucvhnXrlJLULYn9U/s320/DSC_0226.JPG" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><i>Where the queen herself drives in...</i></td></tr>
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The next morning (Saturday) I had my first class trip with all the study abroad students. We all boarded buses and head off to Windsor Castle, the worlds largest inhabited castle and one of the many homes of the Queen. The Queen is known to spend her weekends at Windsor and there is an easy way to tell if she is there. If the Royal Standard flag is flying, she is there, but if only the Union Jack is flying, she is not. It was an absolutely gorgeous day and the Castle and surrounding sights were incredible.<br />
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiYJRrATapAj1wVc-0F7nXAudcNQ9soi_DN1sEq_4mkTgLRuS037PEJlMn0v2AaQg7ij2kvo10unD0Uh4SIYhDBUdEmam9KnsYiUd-65WN-Zzwq2ZH22J9hzHXk24KWFPtQJcQEakEBlAx1/s1600/DSC_0266.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="133" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiYJRrATapAj1wVc-0F7nXAudcNQ9soi_DN1sEq_4mkTgLRuS037PEJlMn0v2AaQg7ij2kvo10unD0Uh4SIYhDBUdEmam9KnsYiUd-65WN-Zzwq2ZH22J9hzHXk24KWFPtQJcQEakEBlAx1/s200/DSC_0266.JPG" width="200" /></a><br />
We were able to tour around the castle and surrounding town, and also go in and tour the castle where we saw old rooms of the Queens and Kings, many dinning rooms, lobbies, St. Georges Chapel (where most royalty are rested in) and we were even able to see the Queens Doll House, which is the most famous, and I believe largest, Doll House in the World. The whole place was enchanting and just being in it made you feel like royalty. After taking in all the sights of the castle, we made our way down the cobblestone streets towards Eton College, which is the most famous school in England. Countless Prime Minsters have attended and the grounds were amazing! After another tiring but exciting day, we all boarded double decker luxury buses that took us home. We all figured that was as close as we would ever feel to being royal.<br />
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Classes start tomorrow and I am very excited to get my schedule set and see all that Kingston University has to offer!Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10039595670823121754noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1135761524498520009.post-55117838693298837532013-01-24T15:17:00.003+00:002013-01-24T15:17:53.281+00:00A '10 Out Of 10' Kind Of Day<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: right; margin-left: 1em; text-align: right;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj9RotmVJxnFkVM8aW0tFAIV6qmXMLGl3ag41LM3GYQhkgtww-ZX6bpf6dHm2zjLo9cagIwSKgShR-T5QsvG1Ryifmj8YhDXm0zpjaKT3B2hUZ6HOwbCCnIB8kkYXA2itQzxMr1NHtEM9Ee/s1600/IMG_2632.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj9RotmVJxnFkVM8aW0tFAIV6qmXMLGl3ag41LM3GYQhkgtww-ZX6bpf6dHm2zjLo9cagIwSKgShR-T5QsvG1Ryifmj8YhDXm0zpjaKT3B2hUZ6HOwbCCnIB8kkYXA2itQzxMr1NHtEM9Ee/s320/IMG_2632.JPG" width="240" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><i>Meet Tigger, the largest cat I have ever seen. <br />He has to curl up and hold on to even <br />stay on the chair!</i></td></tr>
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I knew it would be a good day yesterday when the host cat Tigger followed me into the kitchen and insisted on sitting next to me while I ate my breakfast. I enjoyed a nice warm cup of tea and then headed off to orientation at Kingston University. It wasn't too cold out, so I decided to walk instead of take the bus so I could attempt to get used to my surroundings. It was about a 25 minute walk, but it was beautiful. I walked through a couple little towns and past some beautiful churches. And best of all, I never once got lost!<br />
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When I arrived I was instantly nervous because I really didn't know what to expect, but as I entered a lecture hall type of room, I instantly felt better as I looked around at a room full of study abroad students just like me. Throughout the orientation I learned many different things about the university and overall schooling in England. It was very interesting to learn the differences between schools like CMU and Kingston University as well as other European Universities. The presenters were hilarious and made the whole thing fun for everyone. We were given our schedule there and given a chance to fix them to get them how we wanted (mine is currently being fixed) and we were then given information about our Windsor Trip this weekend for anyone who was participating in the British Life & Culture class! I am very excited, not only to see Windsor, but also take a trip with other study abroad students and get to know more!<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjYnshLV2b5h2EIAPmDlnkfsrvPf5bAjS7mybTLfqQNsQu0jYupEOPXeiR7AfVTItNZes9Npfid_bEhJAS1OkKeHILaZcAZXIWPYuugTqUmp7CaLH7v67194oRsAV44N0iHXOc6YNzGcGlu/s1600/IMG_2643.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjYnshLV2b5h2EIAPmDlnkfsrvPf5bAjS7mybTLfqQNsQu0jYupEOPXeiR7AfVTItNZes9Npfid_bEhJAS1OkKeHILaZcAZXIWPYuugTqUmp7CaLH7v67194oRsAV44N0iHXOc6YNzGcGlu/s320/IMG_2643.JPG" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><i>'Study hard, Play hard' Some advice from orientation</i></td></tr>
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On the way home I was quite hungry and realized I hadn't stopped to eat out anywhere since I had arrived. I decided on a quiet little cafe I found on my way home. I enjoyed a wrap and some coffee. The owner who delivered my coffee, instantly picked up on my American accent and began asking many questions. We talked about MTV's show Cribs (it seemed to me that he watches that often), he also asked some questions about Puff Daddy and was very interested in how he got his name, which is information I do not really know either. As I drank my coffee we made other small talk and as I was leaving he made sure to ask me to come back again so we could continue our 'American talk'. I walked out of the cafe with a smile on my face all the way back home.<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi97vuq0fQIQp1DopDGov6nvkEmRG1l-ollDnnRoG7cN9o00WfPtZOJImYi86oOzD4MuobsEpDIkEosfDbVGJt1wteq5k6Nz7cIv8KH2op7AATtlDTkXErrftqliRcE1eLxyYBLR2XCFNP2/s1600/IMG_2646.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi97vuq0fQIQp1DopDGov6nvkEmRG1l-ollDnnRoG7cN9o00WfPtZOJImYi86oOzD4MuobsEpDIkEosfDbVGJt1wteq5k6Nz7cIv8KH2op7AATtlDTkXErrftqliRcE1eLxyYBLR2XCFNP2/s320/IMG_2646.JPG" width="240" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><i>A beautiful church I walk past on <br />the way to school</i></td></tr>
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I arrived home and was only there for a short amount of time and then was off again to downtown Kingston for a welcome event held at a local pub by the school for study abroad students. There were a ton of students there and I was able to meet so many great people! I talked to some Australian girls who told me koalas are not as nice as everyone thinks, I talked to a group of French students who tried to give me a lesson and teach me some French, turns out I roll my tongue too much, so they suggested I stick to English, I even met other American students from Tennessee, California and New York! I could go on and on about all of the wonderful people I met. I had an absolute blast and I look forward to seeing those people in class! To add to my feeling of accomplishment for meeting so many other students, I also managed to find the right bus and even get off at the right stop on the way home! I was a little nervous, but my first bus trip was a success!<br />
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All in all it was a great day. Today I walked into downtown Surbiton and purchased a track phone and now am currently sitting in a lovely little coffee shop, taking in all the british accents around me, and realizing I made the best choice I have ever made when I decided to study abroad!<br />
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More pictures to be up soon!Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10039595670823121754noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1135761524498520009.post-45245244363900424572013-01-23T09:46:00.000+00:002013-01-24T15:23:03.394+00:00'Home Sweet Home'<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: right; margin-left: 1em; text-align: right;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjjycHKwvSfFNFmbYaIQJB5Kq71iP1MQF_uIKKWPFxFM1aJF2vy2zqxr5Fy-kTue9NyXBKPQAQ7RrET23IjqC0VxScn29SCWLpW_y39VFq1Ljp4gyP-8h_qTz8TmaSv6pBWNyelGKILzQhD/s1600/IMG_2604.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjjycHKwvSfFNFmbYaIQJB5Kq71iP1MQF_uIKKWPFxFM1aJF2vy2zqxr5Fy-kTue9NyXBKPQAQ7RrET23IjqC0VxScn29SCWLpW_y39VFq1Ljp4gyP-8h_qTz8TmaSv6pBWNyelGKILzQhD/s320/IMG_2604.JPG" width="240" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The beautiful view on the way into London</td></tr>
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After about 20 long hours of traveling I can officially I have crossed the pond! I had a total of 3 flights yesterday to get here, leaving from Kalamazoo, to Chicago, to Tampa, and then to Gatwick here in England. I arrived at Gatwick at about 9am (which is really our 3am) and was greeted by a very welcoming Kingston student who helped me get a taxi to take me to the school. At the same time as I was leaving the airport, another Kingston student arrived from Holland! We shared a taxi to get to the school and got some good tips and suggestions from the driver.<br />
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As we were driving I couldn't help but feel as if I were in a dream because everything seemed so backwards! We were driving on the left side of the road, and the drivers seat was on the right side of the car! Once I got used to the different driving rules, I began to notice how beautiful everything was! We drove through a lot of small towns and even some country side. All rooftops and trees were covered with a couple inches of sparkling snow.<br />
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As we passed houses I became more and more anxious to finally meet my host family! We arrived at Kingston University where we were able to call home, and register and receive other information about the school and the surrounding area. We were given lots of good information and we were even transported to our accommodation for free. As I was heading to my accommodation I felt very nervous. I arrived to a beautiful home with a little black iron gate. As soon as I opened the gate my host family was there to meet me at the door. They were very welcoming, showed me around the house, and even took me for a drive around the surrounding areas!<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEin0zD6xlVfzNF_bfxNQ3CyVihjWTj1r_yl1Uc00tUxOJEsveZuKrxUvtHLY080W2wQOGDOVUDbyVaAd_ZmR6cpJF6GI2qja26eTe0p2x0ZWh_0YiXm9Iq_Dd1E2Btjt7ztLGFo-w-hi6-j/s1600/IMG_2609.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEin0zD6xlVfzNF_bfxNQ3CyVihjWTj1r_yl1Uc00tUxOJEsveZuKrxUvtHLY080W2wQOGDOVUDbyVaAd_ZmR6cpJF6GI2qja26eTe0p2x0ZWh_0YiXm9Iq_Dd1E2Btjt7ztLGFo-w-hi6-j/s320/IMG_2609.JPG" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Some chocolate I found in my bag as I was unpacking. <br />He knows me too well!</td></tr>
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I unpacked my things and went to bed very early that night, and slept in late this morning, and I was so happy to wake up and not feel like a zombie anymore! The jet lag did not get to me too badly, but the time difference is still throwing me off a little bit. This morning I ventured out on my first walk around town and stopped at a local market for some groceries! All in all it was a very successful trip.<br />
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Tomorrow I have an orientation at the school and then a welcoming event. I am very excited to get my class schedule and meet more study abroad students!<br />
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<br />Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10039595670823121754noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1135761524498520009.post-14534234897207758672013-01-20T03:08:00.002+00:002013-01-20T03:50:29.215+00:00Ready Or Not, Here I Come...When I woke up this morning to an alarm going off on my phone, and looked at it to find this...<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi2ogLId3jik8rVFh1JnLz0IOGD5ljkt5Q7zCA-tpsKdijm5oQ6N4s8dTXbraiu7A2oV6ufWGdRC2TJjWu1T_IYLpHYoSnqbwwCC-Ty-T71X_-n_3byl9qR1pOkaWKYjkXE0Z4VsBNNSZez/s1600/securedownload.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi2ogLId3jik8rVFh1JnLz0IOGD5ljkt5Q7zCA-tpsKdijm5oQ6N4s8dTXbraiu7A2oV6ufWGdRC2TJjWu1T_IYLpHYoSnqbwwCC-Ty-T71X_-n_3byl9qR1pOkaWKYjkXE0Z4VsBNNSZez/s320/securedownload.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
I knew it was going to be a weird day. The past week it seems that time has flown by faster than ever before and I feel as if I went from my first meeting with a study abroad advisor to packing my bags within days. And even though time has gone by so fast, I know it will only go by faster from here on out.<br />
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These past couple weeks I have been handing out all the goodbyes and hugs that I can handle, and it is especially hard saying goodbye to family and friends when it still doesn't feel like your going anywhere. My bags are packed and my passport is ready, but I still haven't had that 'holy crap I am actually leaving' moment. Many people have said it will hit you when you're on the plane, so I have made sure to pack some Kleenex in my purse and am prepared to apologize to whoever ends up having to sit by me. I am extremely excited for everything that lies ahead of me from boarding the plan for England, to living with a different family on the outskirts of London, but I also know how much I will miss my family and friends.<br />
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I am most anxious to meet my host family, they seem wonderful and I especially cannot wait to meet my host cat named Tigger! I made sure to pack a toy to befriend him with, so fingers-crossed it will work and I don't end up with scratches instead.<br />
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All I do know for sure is that I am ready for this 'experience of a lifetime' that everyone has been telling me about, and I am ready for whatever lies ahead tomorrow, and the next 5 months after that! Ready or not England, here I come!<br />
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<br />Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10039595670823121754noreply@blogger.com0Homer, MI 49245, USA42.145877 -84.80885999999998142.1223315 -84.849200499999981 42.169422499999996 -84.768519499999982tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1135761524498520009.post-60291027315841037392012-12-21T05:14:00.000+00:002012-12-21T05:51:59.326+00:00The Official Countdown Has Begun! <b>The official countdown has begun! </b>30 days until I will be boarding a plane & heading for England! I still sometimes feel as though it's not real, and the next 30 days will go by and I will be no where near England. I shared that thought with my mom, who also studied abroad in Greece during her college career, and she told me it was not real to her until the moment she stepped on the plane... So if all of my emotions don't emerge before that, I am sure they will then.<br />
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It was tough saying goodbye to my friends when I left this semester, especially not being able to see most of them until next Fall. I thought that I would walk away being extremely sad, but it amazed me how much they all encouraged me, and made me feel so much more excited for the whole experience!<br />
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Within the last week I have received some information about my host family! I will be living with a couple in Surbiton, which is located about 11 miles from central London. Also, I will only have a 8-10 minute bus ride to Kingston! After I received the address of my host family, I immediately went to Google Earth and began scanning the area; it looked absolutely gorgeous and I was even able to see the house I will be staying in. It made me laugh when shortly after googling their address, I received an email from my host family, saying that they also had looked up my address on Google Earth and had noticed that there was quite a big difference between where I am from, and where I will be living (I am from a small town with a population of about 3,000). But I was soon comforted when they added at the end of their email, that I will also be living with their cat named Tigger! I am very excited to meet them and to see the area where I will be living for 5 months.<br />
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One of the things I am most excited for is to schedule classes! I have heard a lot about how different schooling is there and I am very interested to see it for myself! The day after I arrive I will be attending orientation and getting my class schedule. But before I get busy with studying at Kingston, I have been doing a little studying of my own here at home. I purchased these Fodor's Travel guides that had been recommended to me, and they are full of great information!<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh84-7wKIG6Teth-6gqq7QTVUhDCuJbJZZTuc3RUN9qWIJQO_v9-CyYBAW8fwgIF1x89PNlqhHXXTGbpW1obAeV5AmZhazi5GgSpQA7Zqb6_P909AYS7P6Z2N6r1MLbycVlBljm21wWOUbw/s1600/books.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh84-7wKIG6Teth-6gqq7QTVUhDCuJbJZZTuc3RUN9qWIJQO_v9-CyYBAW8fwgIF1x89PNlqhHXXTGbpW1obAeV5AmZhazi5GgSpQA7Zqb6_P909AYS7P6Z2N6r1MLbycVlBljm21wWOUbw/s320/books.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Fodor's Travel Guides to London & England!</td></tr>
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I would recommend them to anyone traveling anywhere! They have them for just about any place you could travel to. They include everything from prices at local restaurants, to tips from locals! They have been very enjoyable and I have learned a ton of good information that I will definitely use when I am finally there!Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10039595670823121754noreply@blogger.com0