London Changes People

As my time in London is quickly running out, I've realized that I'm immensely sad to be leaving this wonderful city. Sure, I'm happy to be heading back to the US which will always be my home, but there is a part of me (and that part is much bigger than expected) that doesn't want to leave England. I feel that, in a strange way, London is my home now too.

I know I've only been here 9 weeks. A little more than 2 months is not enough to make someone forget 20 years of life in another country. And I haven't. But by being thrust into this culture, this lifestyle, and this country, I feel like London has physically become a part of me.

I remember dreaming about visiting Europe. Seeing the Eiffel Tower, the Colosseum, and Big Ben. Well, I did all of that and more on this trip. It is mind blowing to think that two months ago I had barely been out of the United States and never been out of North America. Now, I've traveled to three different countries and lived in one for an extended period of time.

This is the life I always dreamed of. I can't say it was perfect. There were certainly times where I was frustrated, exhausted, and ready to curl up in a ball and cry. But I can honestly say that I never had the phrase "I want to go home" cross my mind. There was no homesickness this time, unlike when I moved to Athens for college. I was 150% ready for this trip, there is no doubt about that.

This trip has changed me. It's not obvious to me yet, but I have a feeling that when I get back to the US I will notice subtle changes in myself. I know I already have more appreciation for my upbringing, my friends and family, and the United States of America. That is definitely clear, when comparing my home country to Italy and France I was happy to be from the USA. But on the opposite end of the spectrum, I now have a better understanding of other cultures, and a new found realization that there is more in this world than the little bubble I've been living in my entire life. Sure, you can learn about Europe in school and see pictures on the internet...but BEING here...that's a different experience all together.

I am so incredibly lucky to have been able to take this trip, meet these people, and see these places I've spent my life dreaming about. It's not something that everyone gets to do in their life, and I am so incredibly grateful.

It hit me today as we were walking back from our last class at the FSU Centre. It was the last time I was going to walk past the British Museum. Or Bloomsbury Square. Or Oxford Street. Friday morning will be my last Tube ride. My last time seeing red double-decker buses cruising up and down the streets. My last time standing on European soil.

Even though I say these are my "last times", I know deep down that I will be back. I have to come back. Somehow, and some way, I will explore more of Europe that I didn't get to see and I will make my way back to this fantastic city.

So, if you think about it, this isn't a "goodbye" London...it's more of a "see ya later" :)

London: VIP Style Slideshow

Slideshow of pictures from the sighting of the Queen, the Black Eyed Peas concert, and Celebrity Soccer Six!

As time winds down...

It has been another crazy couple of days here in London! Just when I think the quarter is coming to a close, we choose to cram more into the last few days than planned and I find myself running all over the city.

After Stratford Upon Avon on Saturday, Sunday was spent at Speakers Corner and picking up last minute souvenirs! Speakers Corner is a place where on Sunday's anyone can go and literally get on their "soapbox" to talk about whatever tickles their fancy. When we were there, we saw a man talking about Western involvement in the war in Iraq, a man preaching from the Torah, and a Muslim talking about Jihad. It was in a way very scary, especially hearing the last man talk with extreme passion about violence and revenge. One of our professors, who is in his 70's, got up and confronted the man about what he was saying and I can't say I've ever been prouder of a professor! Lincoln Clark is the most peaceful man I have ever met, but to see him stand up for what he believed in was just inspiring! Besides the scary speakers, there were quite a few funny ones, and it was really interesting to see all of the different point of views being listened to in a (usually) civil manner.

Here is a picture of Lincoln standing up to the crazy speaker!

After Speakers Corner, Patricia and Lincoln treated us all to pastries and cold drinks at a French cafe and we were able to sit and chat with our professors on a more personal level than in the classroom. They are married and have had exciting lives that I hope to emulate someday!

We left the cafe and went souvenir shopping and then we headed back to the flat, not believing that we had less than a week left in London!

This morning we woke up bright and early to go to Charleton to see the Celebrity Soccer Six tournament! This is a soccer tournament that is for charity played by popular British celebrities. It was really fun to see all of them up close, and of course, to watch some soccer! one of the girls on the trip is obsessed with the British band, McFly, and was able to meet one of the members that was there and get his autograph! We also discovered a brand new boy band that is filled with very attractive men and we were able to see them up close!

Here are some pictures:

Popular rap group, N Dubz, playing in their first game.

Two members of McFly watching from the sidelines!

Tomorrow we have one last theater class, Wednesday is our last art class/show and going away dinner, and then Thursday will be spent packing. It's crazy that our time is really almost up in this wonderful city, and I get sad thinking about leaving!

Last Weeks Slideshow!

Here is one of my last slideshows from my trip! It includes our trips to Kew Gardens, Windsor Castle, and Wimbledon!

Living in the London Limelight

The past week has been absolutely insane. And I mean that in every sense of the word!

After my trip to Wimbledon on Sunday, Monday was spent wrapping things up around the city that we have left until the end of the trip. We went in to turn in our papers at the FSU Centre, and then made our way to the discount clothing store Primark for one last quick run-through! I came away with a sundress, so it was worth the trip :) After shopping, we hopped on the Tube and made our way to Abbey Road Studios...famous from The Beatles album cover! We each tried to get a picture of ourselves walking across the street like on the cover, but it was very difficult! The intersection doesn't have a light, so we had to walk in front of traffic, and people were constantly walking both ways, making it difficult to take the picture! Here is the one I got though...

And that was just Monday.

Tuesday started off with a royal bang. And when I say royal, I mean it! We lined up bright and early in the morning to see the Queen make her way (complete with her crown jewels in a separate carriage) from Buckingham Palace to the ceremonial opening of Parliament! It was amazing to see her in person, and my pictures didn't come out so great but one of my friends got an excellent picture of her staring at the camera! Here it is:

It was just an amazing experience to have, AND it only happens every election year which comes along every 4 years. We have had great luck on this trip, that's for sure!

Wednesday we went to Kings Cross Station to try and catch a glimpse of the Harry Potter cast filming the Epilogue scene of the last movie! Unfortunately all we were able to see was the end of the train and a bunch of fake luggage stacked up...but it was cool to say I was there while they were filming! After that I headed to a Bollywood dance show called "The Merchants of Bollywood" and it was outstanding. I had seats in the second row, and left the theater wanting to dance all night long!

Thursday is when the insanity really set in. After classes, we headed to Leicester Square to try and catch a glimpse of the Sex and the City cast at the London premiere! We didn't manage to get into the actual red carpet area, but we found a spot where we could watch them come over a small bridge where interviewers stood before they walked into the theater. It ended up though, that it was a good thing we didn't get into the red carpet area, because we soon got a call from Nick, one of the kids on the trip with us, letting us know that he had 4 Black Eyed Peas tickets for the concert that night...for free.

Unfortunately, the four of us that decided to take the tickets didn't end up getting to see any celebrities at Sex and the City because we had to leave immediately to head to the O2 Arena...but we ended up having a FABULOUS night anyway. Nick's Dad was the one who got us the tickets, because he works with the sponsors that were working with the O2 Arena, so he was over here for a couple of days specifically for the concert. When we arrived at the arena, we found out they weren't just tickets, they were VIP passes onto the floor area, and then into the After Party!

Black Eyed Peas!

Our awesome spot on the floor, right as confetti started to fly!

We felt like celebrities. We danced all night to the Black Eyed Peas on the floor of the O2, about twenty feet away from the stage, and to top it all off, Tom Cruise hopped onto the stage at the end of the show.

TOM CRUISE!

The After Party was awesome too, and we got to see the BEP members up close and they even premiered a song to us that hadn't been released yet that is going to be in Tom Cruise's new movie! Two girls I was with got a hug from one of the BEP members, and I hopped into the picture with him! We danced until 1 am, and then finally headed back to the flat. It was an absolutely AMAZING night that I will never forget the rest of my life!

3 of us at the after party!

3 of us and Taboo from BEP!

All that, and then to top it all off, today I went to Stratford Upon Avon to see Shakespeare's birthplace and watched a really awesome performance of Romeo and Juliet! I have dreamed of seeing that play on stage, and it was just a surreal experience. Unfortunately, it wasn't the best day weather wise, and decided to pour down rain. This led to not a lot of pictures, and most of them came out blurry. But, I left there with memories in my head which is enough for me!

It's my last week here in London. I have mixed emotions. I'm sad because it's coming to an end...but I'm excited to move on to the next chapter of my life. I know I've learned so much while I've been here and I can honestly say I've changed in a lot of different ways. It's bittersweet that this blog is coming to an end...I've had fun keeping everyone updated, but I can't wait to see what will be blog-able next in my life!

Wimbledon!

Today I was brave and adventurous and decided to make the trip out of the city to Wimbledon! Yes, the place that the Wimbledon tennis tournament is played at every summer! I randomly came across it on a map on Friday, and made the split-second decision to book a tour and buy a train ticket...and I definitely don't regret it!

The trip there was a bit nerve-wracking though. Because it was Sunday and the weekend before a bank holiday, a lot of the underground lines were closed. This made my trip a little longer, maneuvering through two different station to get to Waterloo Station and the National Rail service I had to take. Once I got there, I found the train, and it was a smooth 20 minute ride out to Wimbledon. After I exited the station there though, was when things got complicated. I had written down in my planner that I needed to take bus 493. Unfortunately, the three bus stops that surrounded the station did not have 493 on their signs. After wandering around until 1 pm (the time I was supposed to BE THERE) and finally about to give up and ask in the station, I spotted a bus pulling around a corner that had 493 spelled out on the back. Unfortunately, I was two intersections away, and it left before I could get there. And with even more bad luck, the next one wasn't due for 10 minutes. By the time I boarded the bus, it was 1:20 pm, and my tour started at 1:30.

Finally, the bus lumbered up the hill and pulled up in front of the tennis center. I ran out, through the security check, and made it into the ticket line at 1:28pm. She gave me my sticker and receipt, and I managed to walk out right before the tour guide breezed in. I was sweating profusely at this point, but I was just relieved to be there. Now, I could actually enjoy being there and could soak up my surroundings.

The tour was excellent, and I was able to see Court No. 1, some smaller courts that are used in the opening week of the tournament, the Millennium Building where the members go, the press interview room, and then finally Centre Court! It was a surreal experience, and I hope I can go back one day when the tournament is going on. It had a magical feeling, and it was completely empty...I can only imagine what it would feel like all filled with people.

Here are some pictures:

I made it!!

Pretending to be hot stuff in the interview chair!

Centre Court!

Then I went into the museum, and saw a bunch of memorabilia and a cool movie about the tournament. I bought a poster and keychain, and hopped back onto the bus and trains to make my way back to London!

Here are some pictures from the museum:

So cool!

Old tennis dresses!

Andy Roddick quote on the wall!

The rest of my journey was smooth until I slipped on a step running to make the tube that was about to leave from the Baker Street Station. I bit it pretty hard, but somehow hopped back up and continued to run while a couple that helped me gather the stuff I dropped just watched in disbelief. Nothing gets in the way of me and my mission home!

It was an overall really enjoyable day, even with the slight speed bumps I encountered. I felt like a true London-er, navigating my way through the public transportation all by myself, and it made me realize how much I'm truly going to miss this place. I don't want to leave yet! It has just confirmed my hunch that I would love to live here someday on a more permanent basis. Now, I just have to find a PR firm that has an office over here :)

Less than two weeks left in London...let that depressing countdown begin!

Kew Gardens, 2 more shows, and Windsor Castle!

Once I arrived back in London after my weekend trip to Paris, it was go-go-go-go once again! It was our second-last-week of classes, and it seems like everything is coming to a head.

Tuesday was filled with classes, and then Wednesday we made our last trip to the National Theater to see the play "The Habit of Art". It starred two characters that were in Harry Potter, this time it was the man who played Uncle Vernon Dursley, and the woman who played the headmistress of the girls school during the "Goblet of Fire"! I don't know if anyone reading this knows who I'm talking about, but we were all freaking out! And the play was excellent on top of being star struck, so it was a very good night! It was all about the relationship between the poet W.H. Auden and the composer Benjamin Britten, but it was shown through a modern view of a theater company. It's hard to explain, but I was entertained the entire time, and found myself laughing through much of it!

Wednesday morning was spent at Kew Gardens for art class. It is a huge park filled with beautiful trees, flowers, ponds, and greenhouses. We wandered around for almost four hours taking pictures for our next art project, and just enjoying the beautiful day. Here are some pictures:

Thursday was a very busy day of classes, once again, and ended with another show, this time a vocal performance by some students at Wigmore Hall. It was interesting...not really my cup of tea...but interesting nonetheless! It was all about exploring how the human voice works, and so a lot of the performances didn't sound like conventional songs. It was cool to see people my age though, performing their craft and having such impressive voices.

Then this morning/afternoon, Friday, was spent at Windsor Castle! It's a very short train ride to get to Windsor, and then we spent the day wandering in and out of the castle, around the grounds, and in the shops. It was another beautiful day, although a little hot (London has been hit with what seems like a heat wave!), and we just enjoyed looking at all the history in the town and in the castle. Here are some pictures at Windsor:

This weekend will be spent tying up all of my classes loose ends, next week is the last week of meeting for class, and then the week after that I will have to start packing and will be flying home! It makes me sad to think about leaving, but at the same time I'm excited to see everyone at home, and just be back in the USA! There are a lot of random things I miss, and it will be nice to get back to them. Just thinking about not being in this city anymore though, is starting to make me sad! Every time I walk by Big Ben, I think about how many times I may get to see it in person, and the number is quickly diminishing!