So this week has been haunted by the 2 papers I have yet been able to accomplish. Mainly because I am a procrastinator and I mean face it, it's my last couple weeks in London and there are just other things I would rather do.
Tuesday was our last Leisure and Recreation class. We didn't make it through the whole one. It's taught by two professors and after Claire (our favorite teacher ever) did a recap from our field trip we had to bounce. Meiko was gonna lecture after they gave us a break and shes just horrible and wouldn't have actually taught us anything.
Since we had so much extra time we decided to have a Fajita Night. Aaron came back with us to Wigram and we went grocery shopping. We got soo much food. Even worse....Aaron and I made sure none of it went to waste. Our simple little Fajita Night turned into a In it to Win it Fajita Night. I have never been in so much pain from eating. 5 fajitas later and all Aaron and I could do was lie on the common room couches and moan. It was miserable yet amazing all at once. We're gonna have to continue the tradition at Babson.
Afterwards I just laid in bed unable to move....a good excuse for putting off my paper more.
Wednesday was the last real Devising London class. It was exhausting. We did a rough run of the show that took almost the whole class and she didn't give us a break. I liked our yoga though. I'm starting to get the hang of it....too bad it's over. The show is this Wednesday which is crazy. I hope we're prepared. I think Aaron and I might try to get her to cut one of our skits. After class Jessy, Aaron and I went to Subway and then to the Library. I give myself a little credit for trying to do some work. I managed to check some books out which was half.....well maybe like an eighth of the battle.
Thursday I had a presentation in London Theatre. I think it went pretty okay. I did it on the Drum Revolve at the National Theatre. OH! I went to see Much Ado Again. I might have already posted that, I'm not sure. I only stayed through half because I bought a standing ticket but it was still pretty good. I got enough notes to write my paper for that class. I love the National. I wish I had time to see one more show there. So yea the presentation went well for that class. I'm pretty much done with it. I don't think I'm going to go next week because I will have turned in all my work for it and Nicole will be here!!!
After class I went to the Library and did some work before Tourism Development which I didn't make it to. It was just gorgeous and Laura convinced me just to go back to the dorm. I hung out in her room because she has windows and it was just great. Nice and sunny and kinda warm with a slight breeze.
We were going to go out that night but instead decided to go shopping over by Oxford Circus. There were a bunch of stores I hadn't been to so we went and browsed. Afterwards we went to Starbucks because our plan is to steal complete sets of the mugs they use (I know this is immoral in some ways but I mean common they overcharge for their drinks to begin with and then the Americans end up paying double with the conversion, we deserve to take the mug too). Unfortunetly, they were only giving out paper take away cups. When we got back to Wigram we just kinda hung out. We hang out in Laura's a lot. We're here right now.
Yesterday, Laura, Meg and I thought it would be a good idea to go for a run. I mean it wasn't a horrible idea. Meg and I kept a leisurely pace in our sweats while Laura showed off and ran like 3 times as many laps as us in her special running spandexy pants. We went to Starbucks after to do work....we didn't really get any done but we did manage to get our mugs. I got a baby espresso one....it's SO cute.
It was club night so after showering, making dinner, hanging out, and waiting for people to come over we headed to Strawberry Moon. Laura's friend Kayla came and her boyfriend Jack who's from London and one of the Queen's Guards...Wilson came too. After a little while at the club this old guy comes in who I had sworn I had seen before. I thought he could be famous but I wasn't sure. I kinda just forgot about it until the DJ goes "Let's welcome the one and only George Michaels." I FLIPPED out. I was scream like a tweenager at a NYSNC concert. Mainly because I was so excited to tell mom when I got home. It was SOOOO much fun. We danced like crazy. Everyone was singing along and going nuts. So he then goes on to say he was going to bring a special guest and starts singing a song of Elton Johns. Now Jack told us earlier that Elton John goes to Strawberry Moon so I start freaking out even more. But like 2 seconds later my entire night was ruined as the WORST Elton John impersonator comes out on stage. Then I started to questioning my buddy George as well. I was so sad. When I got home I checked online and sure enough on the calendar last night was a George Michaels impersonator. I mean I'll give him credit....he was REALLY good. I was really excited though thinking I was getting a random impromptu concert from a famous person. I feel kinda stupid, luckily though I think people were too preoccupied to notice me. It was still really fun.
Today was the Cambridge Oxford Boat Race. Aaron, Laura and I headed out at like 4 for it. It was really gross out which didn't make it an excellent day for deal with crowds of drunk people on the bank of a river. It was still cool to see. It made me wish I still rowed. I'm glad I can say I went. I think Oxford won...I don't really remember. There were so many people it was overwhelming. Other than that we've pretty much just been hanging out in Laura's room. I managed to write like 800 words of my paper and have a better idea of where it's going which is good. We just had a McDonalds break. We did the math and figured its cheaper to get 2 happy meals than a regular and you can get two drinks that way and since we get bottled water I still have one to bring to the library tomorrow.
I need to get my paper done tomorrow because I still have another to write and Nicole gets here Tuesday. Soooo much work. I can't wait to be done. Okay so it's not that much work but it's really hard to concentrate. I only have like 11 days left in London....it's going by soooo fast. Okay I'm gonna work a little more and then head to bed. Tomorrow is daylight savings time so I am going to be 5 hours ahead of home again.
Post later!
Saturday, 29 March 2008
Monday, 24 March 2008
Day 78
So the London Zoo was a bust. When we went on Friday our coupons didn't work and then on Saturday it was just miserable out. On Friday we did end up at Camden Market though which was pretty cool. There was a big fire a month or so ago so most of it was shut down. It was just rows of little booths selling pretty much anything. I'm going to take Nicole and Aaron there when Nicole gets here. It will make for a fun and probably expensive afternoon. I already did my window shopping, now I have to decide what to get.
Saturday Aaron, Meg and I went to the awesome little burrito place for dinner. We found out a Fat Face is opening a few doors down from it. Fat Face is the most amazing store ever plus with the burrito place it's only a Cafe Nerro away from being Aaron's and mine dream location.
Yesterday was my first Easter not at home. It was sad. I woke up at noon and had Pop Tarts. I basically did work all day. Aaron and I met up at a Starbucks and were rather productive but I'm no where near done. I'm going to do more today hopefully finish up 2 of my assignments but then I still have a 3000 word essay and a 2000 word portfolio thing. I have till next Tuesday but I want to not have to worry about anything over the weekend. It's my second to last here and its the Oxford Cambridge Crew Race which I'm really excited for.
Alright, time to get everything together and maybe go back to Starbucks or Cafe Nerro to get some work done.
Post Later
8 Days Till Nicole Comes.
16 Days Till I'm Back in the States.
Saturday Aaron, Meg and I went to the awesome little burrito place for dinner. We found out a Fat Face is opening a few doors down from it. Fat Face is the most amazing store ever plus with the burrito place it's only a Cafe Nerro away from being Aaron's and mine dream location.
Yesterday was my first Easter not at home. It was sad. I woke up at noon and had Pop Tarts. I basically did work all day. Aaron and I met up at a Starbucks and were rather productive but I'm no where near done. I'm going to do more today hopefully finish up 2 of my assignments but then I still have a 3000 word essay and a 2000 word portfolio thing. I have till next Tuesday but I want to not have to worry about anything over the weekend. It's my second to last here and its the Oxford Cambridge Crew Race which I'm really excited for.
Alright, time to get everything together and maybe go back to Starbucks or Cafe Nerro to get some work done.
Post Later
8 Days Till Nicole Comes.
16 Days Till I'm Back in the States.
Friday, 21 March 2008
Day 75
I can tell I have a lot of work to do because I've begun posting more. I've always used blogging as a way to put off work. I guess I feel productive as long as I am typing a lot.
I had my last London Theatre class yesterday. There are technically 2 more but next week I have to give a presentation and the following I can skip so lecture wise I'm all done. Only 4 people showed up to the class and I was the only one who had seen Much Ado. That meant the teacher and I had a 25min conversation about the play in front of the 3 other people.
I liked my Theatre class....I think. I realized that I really didn't learn anything here. Since they just give you 2 assingments and much of what's said in class doesn't even apply to the assignments you can leave here without actually absorbing anything the teacher says.....except for the assignment due dates. It's a nice enough way to get through school as long as I don't royally mess up and fail a class.
We went out last night to a pub in South Kensington. It wasn't too bad, we made the most of it. We got there early to avoid paying the cover so the night started off slow with no one there. There was a band. It was two guys who I'm pretty sure came straight from a Carnival Cruise....it was pretty hilarious. I particularly enjoyed the calypso-ish version of Hotel California.
On the way back we stoped at Flames....a real dodgy little all night food stuff. I had some fries, they were good.....the ketchup not so much....but it did the job of trying to absorb the caffeine in my system (if thats even possible).
We're about to head out to the London Zoo (Laura, Callie, Meg and I). We have 2 for one passes that we got off our boxes of Frosted Flakes. It looks pretty big so it should be fun. After I want to try and get to the library....we'll see. I REALLY need to get to work.
Alright, gotta head out. Post Later.
I had my last London Theatre class yesterday. There are technically 2 more but next week I have to give a presentation and the following I can skip so lecture wise I'm all done. Only 4 people showed up to the class and I was the only one who had seen Much Ado. That meant the teacher and I had a 25min conversation about the play in front of the 3 other people.
I liked my Theatre class....I think. I realized that I really didn't learn anything here. Since they just give you 2 assingments and much of what's said in class doesn't even apply to the assignments you can leave here without actually absorbing anything the teacher says.....except for the assignment due dates. It's a nice enough way to get through school as long as I don't royally mess up and fail a class.
We went out last night to a pub in South Kensington. It wasn't too bad, we made the most of it. We got there early to avoid paying the cover so the night started off slow with no one there. There was a band. It was two guys who I'm pretty sure came straight from a Carnival Cruise....it was pretty hilarious. I particularly enjoyed the calypso-ish version of Hotel California.
On the way back we stoped at Flames....a real dodgy little all night food stuff. I had some fries, they were good.....the ketchup not so much....but it did the job of trying to absorb the caffeine in my system (if thats even possible).
We're about to head out to the London Zoo (Laura, Callie, Meg and I). We have 2 for one passes that we got off our boxes of Frosted Flakes. It looks pretty big so it should be fun. After I want to try and get to the library....we'll see. I REALLY need to get to work.
Alright, gotta head out. Post Later.
Wednesday, 19 March 2008
Day 73
So I saw Much Ado About Nothing tonight at the National Theatre. I had to wake up and wait in line at 8am to 9:30am for the tickets but it was all worth it. The National for certain shows releases tickets the morning of the shows for the crazy people who want to wake up and wait in the cold. The trade off is that you can get tickets for sold out shows for only 10pounds.
The line is very funny though. It's not like people lining up for concert tickets. In those lines you expect young/stylish people and rockers. When I got to the National this morning I was shocked (though I shouldn't have been) to see a group of professor looking people all with gray hair....it was a funny sight.
The show was good....I mean maybe not as good as the movie but I love Emma Thompson....any other Beatrice is just not the same. It was in the Olivier Theatre which is amazing. It's huge and every seat is good. The most impressive part though is the Drum Revolve. On stage there is a circular disc/cylinder that goes far down into the stage and can do anything. It spins, it rises, it drops...it's one of the most sophisticated stage technologies there is. It's also surprisingly graceful.
My only complaint would be that there were a lot of school children on a field trip or something and they were kinda obnoxious. I also forgot the seats were purple (Lawrence Olivier's favorite color) and wore my purple rugby shirt so I kinda blended in which was strange.
To top off the night I rode the number 211 bus back to Wigram. From the top of the double decker the view is just amazing. It crosses over the Thames and with the Eye on your right you get an amazing view of Big Ben and the Parliament Building. London is a beautiful city at night. It's the simple things like that which I will miss the most when I go home. I can't think of anything in the states that really compares to the cityscape of London....especially at night. I need to remember to take lots of pictures before I leave.
Along with wearing a purple shirt I also made the mistake of having a mocha before i went into the show so I'm pretty wired and have to be up early for class tomorrow. I think I might try and use the energy to my advantage and get some work done. Once I get these assignments over with I can go back to enjoying my last few weeks here.
Post Later.
The line is very funny though. It's not like people lining up for concert tickets. In those lines you expect young/stylish people and rockers. When I got to the National this morning I was shocked (though I shouldn't have been) to see a group of professor looking people all with gray hair....it was a funny sight.
The show was good....I mean maybe not as good as the movie but I love Emma Thompson....any other Beatrice is just not the same. It was in the Olivier Theatre which is amazing. It's huge and every seat is good. The most impressive part though is the Drum Revolve. On stage there is a circular disc/cylinder that goes far down into the stage and can do anything. It spins, it rises, it drops...it's one of the most sophisticated stage technologies there is. It's also surprisingly graceful.
My only complaint would be that there were a lot of school children on a field trip or something and they were kinda obnoxious. I also forgot the seats were purple (Lawrence Olivier's favorite color) and wore my purple rugby shirt so I kinda blended in which was strange.
To top off the night I rode the number 211 bus back to Wigram. From the top of the double decker the view is just amazing. It crosses over the Thames and with the Eye on your right you get an amazing view of Big Ben and the Parliament Building. London is a beautiful city at night. It's the simple things like that which I will miss the most when I go home. I can't think of anything in the states that really compares to the cityscape of London....especially at night. I need to remember to take lots of pictures before I leave.
Along with wearing a purple shirt I also made the mistake of having a mocha before i went into the show so I'm pretty wired and have to be up early for class tomorrow. I think I might try and use the energy to my advantage and get some work done. Once I get these assignments over with I can go back to enjoying my last few weeks here.
Post Later.
Monday, 17 March 2008
Day 71
So Adventure Weekend was awesome. It rained which was a bit of a downer but overall it was great. We went about 8 hours North to Keswick in the Lake District. The bus ride there wasn't too bad, we woke up early and I managed to get a seat to myself so I was able to doze off. We had our first experience with a UK rest stop. They're very similar to ones on the Masspike except nicer and on the wrong side of the highway. Our options were Burger King and a weird place that sold like "real" food. It was British stuff so not exactly good and it was more expensive. Whoppers still haven't let me down here yet. I don't think I'll be able to really eat fast food for awhile though when I get home.
We had the lame bus with no DVD player so our movie choices were limited. We watched Anchorman and Zoolander....both very bad. The scenery made up for them though. As we got closer to Keswick it was just amazing. There was clear water and green hills and everything looked like patchwork because of the stone fences/walls that were all over the place. Mainly there were A LOT of sheep. I never thought sheep would be that fascinating until of course there are hundreds and hundreds scattered all over the place and just roaming free. The roads got narrow and twisty and it was amazing the bus made it. Ocasionally it would hit the sides of the road. At one point there were a few old buildings with a one way road and you couldn't really see if anyone was coming. It was scary and we were sitting eye level with the roof because the coach was so high.
The group we went with was pretty good so we stayed in 2 different places. There was a youth hostel and then Glaramara Resort which was the one organizing the weekend and the events. Meg and I lucked out and ended up at Glaramara, it was amazing. You enter into a sitting area with a big fireplace and lots of comfy chairs. We had a room to ourself and it was pretty much a hotel room except for the bathrooms being in the hall. The beds were amazing compared to the ones in the dorm and they had actual comforters on them. The best part though was the fact that there were sheep right outside our window. We could literally count sheep in order to fall asleep and went to bed and woke up to them "bah"- ing. It was just so cool, one of those things you never really expect to do. It was one of the most beautiful places I have ever been.
After we got settled in the first night it was time for dinner which totally surpassed our expectations. We were served 3 course meals in a rather nice little dinning room. The best part was the dessert. That night was a chocolate toffee pudding...yum. After dinner all the people staying at the youth hostel came over for a quiz night. Our team didn't end up doing too well but there was a question about Buffy the Vampire Slayer and I was a little over excited to be able to answer it.
Going to bed was great, one of the best night sleeps I've had this entire time. It was a shame we had to wake up the next morning. Breakfast was at 8:30 and then we had to get on to our activities. Meg and I got to breakfast late thinking they would just keep serving but we were out of luck and all the food was good. It was English Breakfast though so I wasn't too disappointed. I mean I love baked beans but I just can't accept them as a breakfast item. There was coffee though and thats all that really matters.
My first activity was Go Karting. Now when you think of go karting, or at least when I do, I picture a steel and concrete building with colorful flags and a nice indoor track with video games around it or an outdoor track right next to a mini golf and Subway. Nope, this was at an Adventure/Horse Farm kinda thing. It was in what once I think was an "indoor" horse ring. There was hay and dirt and we had to wear helmets and jumpsuits. I mean I'm not complaining (even though it did smell like horses) but it was just a completely different experience than I expected plus Aaron didn't get to do them so it wasn't as fun as it could have been. I did win one of my races though, I was quite proud of myself. It was really great to actually be driving something again.
After Go KArting we went back and got our bagged lunches which were horrible sandwiches. I don't even know what was on them but they were gross.
Next was Viking Boat Sailing but because of the rain and wind we ended up raft building and canoing. It was cold and not very enjoyable but the guy who led our group knew a lot about the area and shared some interesting yet inappropriate facts about the local sheep.
Dinner that night was even better than the night before. I had a Mushroom and Pea Risotto, Chicken in a Leek and Bacon Cream sauce with mashed potatoes, and cheesecake. This wasn't your typical cheesecake though. It was served in a bowl, not in slices and was just awesome. After dinner was a dance. It was kinda like a middle school dance but with alcohol....I ended up in the TV room watching CSI. I enjoyed myself, especially because the day was so exhausting.
After waking up to our sheep friends after another great nights sleep we went and explored town. These people are really serious about their outdoor activities and pretty much the town consisted of A LOT of outdoor shops. Aaron and I were finally teamed back up (with Meg) so that meant finding lattes ASAP. We went to a cute little cafe but I ended up getting hot chocolate but it was still very good. Aaron got an English Muffin but I mean since we are in England it was just a Muffin, I got a little kick out of that.
I didn't want to go back to London, the country is so much better. It's clean and beautiful...and I mean yea a little boring, but so am I . The town had a theatre and a grocery store which are the only two essentials.
Unfortunetly the ride back was just miserable. Meg and I had to sit together and we slept too well to really be able to sleep on the bus. The bathroom was also locked and they didn't have the key. It was until about 3 hours into the trip that someone managed to pick the lock. An hour later we finally stopped for the first time. We were all cranky, hungry and ready to revolt against the bus driver. To makes things worse as soon as we got off the bus we were informed that there had been some type of fire alarm and everyone had evacuated. Luckily they let us in to use the toilets (my least favorite British phrase) and once we were out the food had re opened. this time we had KFC....yes, very exciting. The few hours after the stop weren't as bad, we watched Men in Black which made made me feel like I was in the 5th grade again. It wasn't enough to ruin the weekend.
Adventure weekend has been the highlight of the semester. I like cities but would do anything to live out in open space in the country....the sheep would be an added bonus. The UK is just beautiful. I want to find when it's actually nice and sunny and come back some day. I would love to rent a car and just drive and explore. London is so contained.
While Meg, Aaron and I were away Laura's boyfriend Chris came and was here when we got back.
Monday I lounged in bed all day but then it was time for McFlurry Monday. It's always exciting when we have guests (i.e Chris) but I don't know if they really grasp the greatness that is McFlurry Monday.
Tuesday we had a field trip for Leisure and Recreation. We went to Canary Warf which is like the fancy brand new financial district. It was an urban regeneration project. They also have an underground mall with like 200 shops and restaurants. It's kinda like Montreal which makes sense because it was a Canadian company that built it. I enjoy field trips that require me to go to the mall. They have this store Fat Face which is amazing, Aaron and I are obsessed. As always though I just wish the prices were in dollars. If they were though I would probably go nuts. There's also a Chilis there. I go home 3 weeks from Wednesday though so I figured it was worth it to save the $20 and just get a burger when I get back.
Later that night I finally got to go to Trader Vics. It's a Tiki Bar at the Hilton. It was sooo cool, like something out of the Polynesian at Disney. My only complaint was that the alcoholic pina coladas came in cool coconut cups while mine came in a lame glass.
Wednesday something miraculous happened. Dawn (crazy Devising London Professor) more or less complimented something I am doing in the show. There is this one stupid dance movement the girls all do and at one point we have to do a little individual dance thing and I of course have no dance ability what so ever so this one moment has me dreading class and the performance. Well I decided to do this stupid thing where instead of dancing I just kinda look around intensely for something. I thought it was lame but after we did the whole thing for her Dawn said that our pieces should have meaning and not just movement and used me as an example for what she was looking for. I mean granted she thought my name was Laura but still!!! she finally acknowledged something I did! It was a glorious moment.
I don't really remember what I did Thursday other than go to class...that might have been it.
Friday was fun Aaron and I finally spent the day together. I took him to Canary Warf because he had missed class so we window shopped and had some pizza and found Skippy Peanut butter! I thought I couldn't really taste the difference in the UK store brand stuff but after having the real thing, you can.
That night Dawn's band (yea our crazy professor has a crazy band) played at the 12 Bar Club and obviously we had to go. Aaron, Meg, Laura, Chris, Callie, Wilson, Jessy, Kate and I all went from Wigram so it was pretty awesome to have a big group. The bar was small and a little sketchy but Dawn turned out to be not that bad. It was weird to actually be able to hear her because typically she doesn't speak above a whisper. I also had the best Coke, it came in a big glass with ice. It was great to be able to hang out with Jessy. She's great but we don't hang out that often except for Devising London and the bus ride home. Most the group left early but Aaron, Jessy, Kate, and I stayed to see some of the next act and then got waffles on the way home. The waffles are so so good. It was perfect. It was a really awesome day.
Oh wow I forgot the most exciting part of the week. I'm an RA in Map Hill next year. It's the 2 year old Suites and basically the best dorm on campus. They have kitchens and little living rooms. I'm going to be living with Julie, Laura and Mila. It's going to turn out to be a really awesome year. I'm so excited. I was afraid because I've been gone I wouldn't have gotten it.
Saturday Meg and I went out and had one of the best meals. We went to Hamburger Union and had amazing cheeseburgers and fries and then followed it up with Ben and Jerry's. It was fattening, and expensive, and perfect.
Last night I picked Elina up from Heathrow. That was an experience. The way arrivals are set up is that all the people are funneled out and you just watch from behind barriers for whoever you are picking up. It's a great place to people watch. Two couple did the whole running and jumping into each others arms.....it's cute in the movies....not so much in real life. It was great to see Elina. She's staying with her best friend from home though. I took her, her friend Seva (her best friend from home's boyfriend) and Callie (Laura's friend from Babson) sightseeing. We did all the basics plus the British Museum and National Gallery. The National Gallery was amazing. I didn't realize how many famous paintings they had there. It was a very exhausting day though and once Nicole and I see Big Ben I think I will have had my fill for the rest of my life.
The ice cream at McDonalds was icy. It made for disappointing McFlurries.
Tomorrow I'm waking up early to get tickets to see Much Ado About Nothing.
So I have 4 assignments to do and then I'm pretty much on my way home. I'm really excited. This has been an amazing experience.....absolutely amazing and I will miss it but I'm getting ready to be home and get back to my life.
Alright, time for bed so I can wake up, get my tickets and then maybe head to the library to be productive. Post Later, Jeannie
We had the lame bus with no DVD player so our movie choices were limited. We watched Anchorman and Zoolander....both very bad. The scenery made up for them though. As we got closer to Keswick it was just amazing. There was clear water and green hills and everything looked like patchwork because of the stone fences/walls that were all over the place. Mainly there were A LOT of sheep. I never thought sheep would be that fascinating until of course there are hundreds and hundreds scattered all over the place and just roaming free. The roads got narrow and twisty and it was amazing the bus made it. Ocasionally it would hit the sides of the road. At one point there were a few old buildings with a one way road and you couldn't really see if anyone was coming. It was scary and we were sitting eye level with the roof because the coach was so high.
The group we went with was pretty good so we stayed in 2 different places. There was a youth hostel and then Glaramara Resort which was the one organizing the weekend and the events. Meg and I lucked out and ended up at Glaramara, it was amazing. You enter into a sitting area with a big fireplace and lots of comfy chairs. We had a room to ourself and it was pretty much a hotel room except for the bathrooms being in the hall. The beds were amazing compared to the ones in the dorm and they had actual comforters on them. The best part though was the fact that there were sheep right outside our window. We could literally count sheep in order to fall asleep and went to bed and woke up to them "bah"- ing. It was just so cool, one of those things you never really expect to do. It was one of the most beautiful places I have ever been.
After we got settled in the first night it was time for dinner which totally surpassed our expectations. We were served 3 course meals in a rather nice little dinning room. The best part was the dessert. That night was a chocolate toffee pudding...yum. After dinner all the people staying at the youth hostel came over for a quiz night. Our team didn't end up doing too well but there was a question about Buffy the Vampire Slayer and I was a little over excited to be able to answer it.
Going to bed was great, one of the best night sleeps I've had this entire time. It was a shame we had to wake up the next morning. Breakfast was at 8:30 and then we had to get on to our activities. Meg and I got to breakfast late thinking they would just keep serving but we were out of luck and all the food was good. It was English Breakfast though so I wasn't too disappointed. I mean I love baked beans but I just can't accept them as a breakfast item. There was coffee though and thats all that really matters.
My first activity was Go Karting. Now when you think of go karting, or at least when I do, I picture a steel and concrete building with colorful flags and a nice indoor track with video games around it or an outdoor track right next to a mini golf and Subway. Nope, this was at an Adventure/Horse Farm kinda thing. It was in what once I think was an "indoor" horse ring. There was hay and dirt and we had to wear helmets and jumpsuits. I mean I'm not complaining (even though it did smell like horses) but it was just a completely different experience than I expected plus Aaron didn't get to do them so it wasn't as fun as it could have been. I did win one of my races though, I was quite proud of myself. It was really great to actually be driving something again.
After Go KArting we went back and got our bagged lunches which were horrible sandwiches. I don't even know what was on them but they were gross.
Next was Viking Boat Sailing but because of the rain and wind we ended up raft building and canoing. It was cold and not very enjoyable but the guy who led our group knew a lot about the area and shared some interesting yet inappropriate facts about the local sheep.
Dinner that night was even better than the night before. I had a Mushroom and Pea Risotto, Chicken in a Leek and Bacon Cream sauce with mashed potatoes, and cheesecake. This wasn't your typical cheesecake though. It was served in a bowl, not in slices and was just awesome. After dinner was a dance. It was kinda like a middle school dance but with alcohol....I ended up in the TV room watching CSI. I enjoyed myself, especially because the day was so exhausting.
After waking up to our sheep friends after another great nights sleep we went and explored town. These people are really serious about their outdoor activities and pretty much the town consisted of A LOT of outdoor shops. Aaron and I were finally teamed back up (with Meg) so that meant finding lattes ASAP. We went to a cute little cafe but I ended up getting hot chocolate but it was still very good. Aaron got an English Muffin but I mean since we are in England it was just a Muffin, I got a little kick out of that.
I didn't want to go back to London, the country is so much better. It's clean and beautiful...and I mean yea a little boring, but so am I . The town had a theatre and a grocery store which are the only two essentials.
Unfortunetly the ride back was just miserable. Meg and I had to sit together and we slept too well to really be able to sleep on the bus. The bathroom was also locked and they didn't have the key. It was until about 3 hours into the trip that someone managed to pick the lock. An hour later we finally stopped for the first time. We were all cranky, hungry and ready to revolt against the bus driver. To makes things worse as soon as we got off the bus we were informed that there had been some type of fire alarm and everyone had evacuated. Luckily they let us in to use the toilets (my least favorite British phrase) and once we were out the food had re opened. this time we had KFC....yes, very exciting. The few hours after the stop weren't as bad, we watched Men in Black which made made me feel like I was in the 5th grade again. It wasn't enough to ruin the weekend.
Adventure weekend has been the highlight of the semester. I like cities but would do anything to live out in open space in the country....the sheep would be an added bonus. The UK is just beautiful. I want to find when it's actually nice and sunny and come back some day. I would love to rent a car and just drive and explore. London is so contained.
While Meg, Aaron and I were away Laura's boyfriend Chris came and was here when we got back.
Monday I lounged in bed all day but then it was time for McFlurry Monday. It's always exciting when we have guests (i.e Chris) but I don't know if they really grasp the greatness that is McFlurry Monday.
Tuesday we had a field trip for Leisure and Recreation. We went to Canary Warf which is like the fancy brand new financial district. It was an urban regeneration project. They also have an underground mall with like 200 shops and restaurants. It's kinda like Montreal which makes sense because it was a Canadian company that built it. I enjoy field trips that require me to go to the mall. They have this store Fat Face which is amazing, Aaron and I are obsessed. As always though I just wish the prices were in dollars. If they were though I would probably go nuts. There's also a Chilis there. I go home 3 weeks from Wednesday though so I figured it was worth it to save the $20 and just get a burger when I get back.
Later that night I finally got to go to Trader Vics. It's a Tiki Bar at the Hilton. It was sooo cool, like something out of the Polynesian at Disney. My only complaint was that the alcoholic pina coladas came in cool coconut cups while mine came in a lame glass.
Wednesday something miraculous happened. Dawn (crazy Devising London Professor) more or less complimented something I am doing in the show. There is this one stupid dance movement the girls all do and at one point we have to do a little individual dance thing and I of course have no dance ability what so ever so this one moment has me dreading class and the performance. Well I decided to do this stupid thing where instead of dancing I just kinda look around intensely for something. I thought it was lame but after we did the whole thing for her Dawn said that our pieces should have meaning and not just movement and used me as an example for what she was looking for. I mean granted she thought my name was Laura but still!!! she finally acknowledged something I did! It was a glorious moment.
I don't really remember what I did Thursday other than go to class...that might have been it.
Friday was fun Aaron and I finally spent the day together. I took him to Canary Warf because he had missed class so we window shopped and had some pizza and found Skippy Peanut butter! I thought I couldn't really taste the difference in the UK store brand stuff but after having the real thing, you can.
That night Dawn's band (yea our crazy professor has a crazy band) played at the 12 Bar Club and obviously we had to go. Aaron, Meg, Laura, Chris, Callie, Wilson, Jessy, Kate and I all went from Wigram so it was pretty awesome to have a big group. The bar was small and a little sketchy but Dawn turned out to be not that bad. It was weird to actually be able to hear her because typically she doesn't speak above a whisper. I also had the best Coke, it came in a big glass with ice. It was great to be able to hang out with Jessy. She's great but we don't hang out that often except for Devising London and the bus ride home. Most the group left early but Aaron, Jessy, Kate, and I stayed to see some of the next act and then got waffles on the way home. The waffles are so so good. It was perfect. It was a really awesome day.
Oh wow I forgot the most exciting part of the week. I'm an RA in Map Hill next year. It's the 2 year old Suites and basically the best dorm on campus. They have kitchens and little living rooms. I'm going to be living with Julie, Laura and Mila. It's going to turn out to be a really awesome year. I'm so excited. I was afraid because I've been gone I wouldn't have gotten it.
Saturday Meg and I went out and had one of the best meals. We went to Hamburger Union and had amazing cheeseburgers and fries and then followed it up with Ben and Jerry's. It was fattening, and expensive, and perfect.
Last night I picked Elina up from Heathrow. That was an experience. The way arrivals are set up is that all the people are funneled out and you just watch from behind barriers for whoever you are picking up. It's a great place to people watch. Two couple did the whole running and jumping into each others arms.....it's cute in the movies....not so much in real life. It was great to see Elina. She's staying with her best friend from home though. I took her, her friend Seva (her best friend from home's boyfriend) and Callie (Laura's friend from Babson) sightseeing. We did all the basics plus the British Museum and National Gallery. The National Gallery was amazing. I didn't realize how many famous paintings they had there. It was a very exhausting day though and once Nicole and I see Big Ben I think I will have had my fill for the rest of my life.
The ice cream at McDonalds was icy. It made for disappointing McFlurries.
Tomorrow I'm waking up early to get tickets to see Much Ado About Nothing.
So I have 4 assignments to do and then I'm pretty much on my way home. I'm really excited. This has been an amazing experience.....absolutely amazing and I will miss it but I'm getting ready to be home and get back to my life.
Alright, time for bed so I can wake up, get my tickets and then maybe head to the library to be productive. Post Later, Jeannie
Thursday, 6 March 2008
Day 60
So this morning was awesome. For class, we went on a Backstage tour of The Royal National Theatre. It was even better than The Globe. There are three theatres and we toured them all plus where they build all the props and sets. We also passed by Jeremy Irons' dressing room. The theatre is just amazing. I was in heaven. It was chaotic with people building and moving sets and setting up for tonights shows. The National works on a repertory system which means that more than one play will play in a theatre a week. This means there is always stuff going on. It was just sooo cool. I can't wait to be working on a show again, It got me sooo excited.
Anyways, this weekend is Adventure weekend. We're going about 8 hours north and doing outdoorsy stuff. I'm going to Go Kart and go Viking Boat sailing. I'm pretty excited. I'm most excited for the bus ride. I love riding on buses. Today I actually just hopped on one to see where it would take me. I ended up at the Science Museum which was nice since I could have ended up somewhere really boring....or dodgy. We're staying in a hostel which means BUNK BEDS! We'll see how that goes. Meg and I requested to stay together so hopefully that works out.
I'll be without internet which will be interesting since it's been my lifeline. Aaron and Meg will be there though so we'll have fun. The group of us went out dancing last night which was awesome. It was aviator night or something so we got free Aviator Sunglasses which I LOVE.
The past week has been kinda hectic. We had a group presentation due for Leisure and Tourism. We rocked it. Babson, if nothing else, has taught us how to do well on presentations. We did it on Access at the National Theatre which I think I might also do for my London Theatre presentation.
This past weekend we went to Warwick Castle and Stratford. The castle was my first here so it was pretty cool except for one part that consisted of 500 steps. It was a funny place though because they tried so hard to make it a legit tourist attraction. There were like shows that attempted to be Disney but not even close. It kinda reminded me of the queue line for Dueling Dragons at Island of Adventure.
Stratford is where Shakespeare was born...and died. We saw his house. It was interesting but we didn't have much time. We ate at a pub which was horrible. I got a burger which was just a very bad idea. I still have to eat fish and chips at some point.
Okay I need to pack and get to sleep because we gotta leave the dorm at like 7am and i only got 3 hours of sleep last night. I'll try my best to post when I get back. I also have more pictures to put up. Post Later, Jeannie
Anyways, this weekend is Adventure weekend. We're going about 8 hours north and doing outdoorsy stuff. I'm going to Go Kart and go Viking Boat sailing. I'm pretty excited. I'm most excited for the bus ride. I love riding on buses. Today I actually just hopped on one to see where it would take me. I ended up at the Science Museum which was nice since I could have ended up somewhere really boring....or dodgy. We're staying in a hostel which means BUNK BEDS! We'll see how that goes. Meg and I requested to stay together so hopefully that works out.
I'll be without internet which will be interesting since it's been my lifeline. Aaron and Meg will be there though so we'll have fun. The group of us went out dancing last night which was awesome. It was aviator night or something so we got free Aviator Sunglasses which I LOVE.
The past week has been kinda hectic. We had a group presentation due for Leisure and Tourism. We rocked it. Babson, if nothing else, has taught us how to do well on presentations. We did it on Access at the National Theatre which I think I might also do for my London Theatre presentation.
This past weekend we went to Warwick Castle and Stratford. The castle was my first here so it was pretty cool except for one part that consisted of 500 steps. It was a funny place though because they tried so hard to make it a legit tourist attraction. There were like shows that attempted to be Disney but not even close. It kinda reminded me of the queue line for Dueling Dragons at Island of Adventure.
Stratford is where Shakespeare was born...and died. We saw his house. It was interesting but we didn't have much time. We ate at a pub which was horrible. I got a burger which was just a very bad idea. I still have to eat fish and chips at some point.
Okay I need to pack and get to sleep because we gotta leave the dorm at like 7am and i only got 3 hours of sleep last night. I'll try my best to post when I get back. I also have more pictures to put up. Post Later, Jeannie
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