Oxford and the Cotswolds!

 Today I went with Katie on a walking tour of Oxford and the Cotswolds!  The word "Cotswolds" comes from "Cot" meaning animal/sheep pen and "wold" meaning hills, so hills of sheep, which is essentially what that area was!!  It's an area of towns that are filled with cute cottages that used to be for the poorer people who all lived off of area farms, but now these cottages are priviledged commodities.  Our tour guide said that he was talking to a real estate agent who said that 10 years ago or so, one of these could have gone for 7,000 pounds.  Recently one just sold for 700,000! Talk about inflation!  The town we wandered around first is Minster Lovell, where all the cottages have names, not numbers.

The town features thatched rooves as well as a special slate type that I don't recall the name of...but every house is required to keep the kind of roof that was there from the beginning, even though you have to redo the thatching every decade or so.  Upkeep at its finest! 


In the town there is one church and a lovely graveyard, and through the graveyard are llamas!!! The white llama was very friendly and came up to say hello to us.  As a big fan of "The Emperor's New Groove" I was very excited by this. 

There are also ruins in the town of the Coke family's home which has a tragic story:  The Coke family had a daughter and on the night of her wedding she wanted to play hide and seek.  The groom and friends went to seek her and searched and searched the whole house and couldn't find her anywhere.  After a week they gave up and left town.  Months later the family came back because they were going to sell the house, and a servant went up to the attic to clear out the old trunks.  In one old trunk that was lined with lead, she found the dead remains of the bride daughter, who had climbed in there and been shut in with no way to get out and no one could hear her through the lead.

On a lighter note, there is a stream by the house as well as a pond.  Being a country home, visitors would often come, unexpected, for days at a time.  The family was Catholic and due to frequent feast days had to eat fish often, so they would fish in the stream and put as many as possible in the fish pond to keep for days when company was in excess and many fish were needed.  Smart, huh?  Speaking of being Catholic, the house was partially destroyed when Henry the VIII came to the throne because they supported the Catholic side. Uh ohhhhh.  That happened a lot, for the record.  Henry destroyed a huge amount of property because it was either Catholic in design/origin/belonging to a Catholic family.

We left Minster Lovell and headed to the neighboring town of Burford for lunch and wandering around its "downtown" full of cute -albeit expensive- shops.  My favorite was The Madhatter Bookshop, which sold hats AND books.  Really, can a store get any better?? The hats inside were fabulous, like the ones at the royal wedding.  I wish I had a reason to buy one, but I just couldn't justify a 50-60 pound hat for one possible tea party.  They were gorgeous art pieces though. 

After lunch we were back in the coach and off to Oxford!  Oxford gets its name from being originally a river town where oxen had to ford the river for trade to be possible. (Which obviously makes me just think of Oregon Trail..."All your oxen have died. You did not ford the river." But that's neither here nor there.)   University of Oxford is made up of many, many colleges.  One has to apply to both an individual college AND the university, as well as take exams for both. Oof! Glad I don't go there, I have to say.

 This particular building is a Christopher Wren building, who also designed the dome of St. Paul's.  Oxford is built out of a limestone which actually gives a cozier yellow tone than the gray I had always imagined it to be.  The buildings range from 1600s-1800s designs, I believe, and are just absolutely breathtaking.  The individuals colleges are built around little greens.  Item: Oxford milks its status to get money out of tourists.  To get into these individual greens is like, 3 pounds each.  We had a whole ticket deal so I didn't pay directly, but we only got into two. 

 Some scenes in Harry Potter were filmed at Oxford, including the Great Hall which is Christ's Church and the library, but these have become SUPER tourist attactions and are even pricier and crowded, so we didn't see those.  The library was also just closed for an event. Lame.  Interesting fact: Oxford's books are actually all underground, miles and miles of shelves.  The library buildings themselves are all study/reading rooms now, like this one to the right, which was the first round library, but now is relatively bookless! Still gorgeous, though. Also, you aren't allowed to walk on the grass.  That's very important. I've never seen such beautiful edging in my life.

The streets around Oxford have great names, my favorites being Magpie and this one, Logic Lane.  Come on Oxford, just keep on milking it.

This is Oxford's version of Venice's Bridge of Sighs.

This is the green of Jesus College. Yes, actually.  They have no qualms about it. Anyway, beautiful, right?? And most excitingly, there's a MAGNOLIA TREE IN THE CORNER!!!! They have magnolias in England!!! I knew I liked this country. To that point, on the train ride and coach ride around, I was noting that the English countryside is rather like Virginia.  My favorite state prepared me well. :)

We got into the great dining room in Jesus College.  For special occasions the students eat in there, in full regalia which is black suit and white tie and academic robes.  When you enter, you stand behind the chair of your choosing, and only when the priviledged tutors and such choose theirs on the upper table seating and after grace is said can you sit.  Each school has its own individual grace, said in Latin.  Our tour guide actually ate at one of these dinners, and said it was wonderful and the hangover the next day was well worth it. Oh the English and their Port!

After Jesus we went into Exeter College to see the chapel.  Exeter is where J.R.R. Tolkien went, so I was bug eyed the entire time, just thinking he had sat there, stood there, breathed there. I think you can see some Minas Tirith and even Rivendell inspiration in this architecture, don't you? :) 

Inside the chapel was the most gorgeous organ I had ever seen, painted and carved, and the stained glass windows were fabulous too.  Apparently this chapel is Victorian, especially reflected in the window art which doesn't really focus on Jesus, which apparently was a fad in Victorian architecture.

They have this lovely bust of good ole' JRR right outside the chapel.  OHHH so funny story, Exeter chapel is one of the oldest, and the man who was building it ran out of money right after gettting through the part where normally the choir would sit, but he didn't want people to know he ran out of money, so he claimed that was his intention, to have a tiny chapel like at his manor and so now all the chapels are like that!!  The Rich, manipulating society and culture since the beginning of time.

September 26th is my friend Cait's birthday, so I was going around the city taking pictures for her birthday.  There was this big alphabetical display for important figures/moments in history.  A for Jane Austen, M for the Magna Carta, K for Kafka...I don't know what C was actually...haha.

I ended the day by finally fulfilling the obligatory telephone booth picture.  I'm a class act, what can I say?

British Efficiency...Or Lack There Of

Before I embark on my first reading assignment for class - "Lonely Londoners" by Sam Selvon -, I wanted to itemize a few brief reflections on the day and Britain in general.

Item One: Best Conversation of the day:

Leaving Black Writing in Britain
Girl: "Hey, you're an American too? Oh, good I thought I was the only one!"
Me: "Ahh me too! I'm Mary by the way."
Girl: "Oh, that's my middle name!"
Me: "Really? That's great.  What's your name?"
Girl: "I'm Patricia."
Me: "Patricia?"
Girl: "Yeah"
Me: "No way, that's my middle name!"
Girl: "What! Wow! Where are you from?"
Me: "Hagerstown, Maryland."
Girl: "Ok yeah. I'm from Arlington."
Me: "My sister lives in Arlington!"
....continues on that she goes to Villanova, close to Muhlenberg, and is in my London Architecture class too. Small world!

Item Two: The British and their cards

Why do the British, or at least Queen Mary, find it necessary to have a different card for every single function?? At Muhlenberg, my ID functions as identification, gets me into my housing and buildings, has my meal plan, and can have money on it for laundry.  Here, I have an ID card for merely that purpose.  Then I have a card to swipe me into my building - which requires me to swipe at least twice, by the way, and you have to press a button to exit the building because every door is super fireproof (because it totally makes sense to make it difficult to exit a building in case of a fire...).  Next I receive a laundry card which requires me to register it online and top-up with money.  If I had a meal plan, I would need paper meal vouchers - just like in elementary school.  Maybe it is only Queen Mary, seeing as my Oyster Card gets me on every form of transportation, but still.  I hate to be one of those people to say that the United States does things better, and I cringe every time I think it, but really, we just do.  The US knows how to be efficient and run things.  The disorganization of this school is insane.  Most abroad students were registered for classes that overlapped times because the departments don't release what day and time classes are.  How is anyone supposed to plan their courses then?! It really makes no sense. Also, they run classes right up to the hour.  Meaning, one class is 2-3 and another begins 3-4, so the hallways are jam packed with people waiting to get in and out of classes.  It was a mess.  I just don't understand why they think it's a good system.  This leads me to...

Item Three: First day of class!

Black Writing in Britain should be interesting, although since I don't know modern British history (1948-present) very well I was lacking in background information but the teacher seems great and very willing to answer any questions and explain further. She also is totally Natasha Richardson's doppleganger, so I like her merely for that reason. Architecture in London: 1600-1837 is going to be awesome.  Every other week we have a field trip to look at buildings which is going to provide such a wonderful way of seeing the city.  I have two papers in each class, which shouldn't be too bad hopefully.  I'm looking foward to tomorrow's classes which will hopefully prove as stimulating!

Item Four: Student Diet

Friday I had pasta for dinner.  Sunday I had pasta leftovers for breakfast and lunch and pasta with butter and pepper for dinner. Today I had an egg and toast for breakfast, leftover pasta and peanut butter sandwich for lunch, and soup for dinner.  Carolyn blessedly had oreos and other cookies so I finally satisfied my sweet craving of the last few days, along with an impulse buy of a Snickers bar when I bought stationery and textbooks.  If I have to eat plain pasta one more time...It also just doesn't leave me full! I need more protein and veggies but I don't want to go to the grocery store because...

Item Five: First week of Rainy London!

Sunday it rained.  Monday it rained.  Tomorrow it's supposed to rain, continuing on down the week.  Ah yes, I knew last week's weather was a trick!  The wind today was so intense I thought my umbrella was going to blow up inside out at one point!  I found this Jane Austen quote that sums up basically last week's weather: ''What fine weather this is! Not very becoming perhaps early in the morning, but very pleasant out of doors at noon, and very wholesome—at least everybody fancies so, and imagination is everything."  All of us from the US were saying how chilly it was, while all the Brits were saying how this is their nice weather and how summery it is.  Now that it's rainy, my flatmate Esme says it will continue on like this at least every other day until May, with a slight cease in December to just be really really cold.  Lovely.

Item Six: The End!

My rant ceases here. Off to read!

From Palaces to Pastures

My dear readers,

I am truly in a state of distress over my inability to provide you with good pictures regularly.  Soon I shall be getting a USB cord however and the good pictures will be posted!  I took a few with my phone camera though, so they and ones I'm taking from other people off of facebook shall have to satisfy you in the mean time.  My profoundest apologies.


Wednesday I went with Eliana, Stef, Jessielynn, and Hannah to Canary Wharf, which is one of the business districts of London.  There were far too many handsome British men in suits, it was hard to hold myself together.  They are just so well tailored here! At the wharf itself there are many cute restaurants at which we did not eat, as they aren't exactly in our weekday price range.  But we did go into the Museum of London Docklands (FREE!!) which was rather interesting, giving the history of London as a city all the way from the rule of Rome and talked a lot about the shipping industry.  There was a section of the museum that was a replica of a sailor chantytown which was awesome and even smelled like burning coal/wood, which was by far the best part.  After the museum, we headed back to the East End and ate at The Greedy Cow, which is going to be my favorite restaurant.  They specialize in exotic burgers.  I had a kangaroo burger, which was out of this world.  Hannah had a camel burger, which she said was good too.  I'm excited to be a regular and try out all the special meats. 

Thursday I finally got my class schedule straightened out - Black Writing in Britain and London Architecture on Mondays and Impressionist Art in England and France and The Dickens City on Tuesdays.  I'm incredibly excited not only for these awesome sounding classes, three of which have field trip components, but also just to start class and establish a routine!  Later in the day Lydia and I went to explore an area of the East End called Shoreditch in search of Old Spitalfields Market.   This is an awesome area with tons of restaurants and saree fashion stores on every block (I am not even kidding).   It turns into a large business looking area, where the Gherkin is! I love the juxtaposition of the house architecture against the Gherkin. After turning down a little side road, we soon stumbled across our destination of Old Spitalfields Market which is a giant fleamarket essentially, with dozens upon dozens of antique stalls that sell everything from spoons and records to furniture and clothes.  It was really neat and is in an area surrounded by restaurants one of which is a Cheese shop!!!! (For those of you who don't know, I LOVE cheese!) However, for that particular day, it was a little out of my price range. I'll be taking my parents there of course. :)  As we left out the other side of the Market right across the street was St. John's Bread and Wine which I knew was supposed to be fabulous and I was incredibly excited to find it.  Unfortunately, it too was very pricey and only serves full meals at 12 and 1 pm but a nice old Englishman was there next to me and assured me it was worth the price and that I should also just buy bread from them which they sell all day, and then pair it with cheese from the cheese store.  He and I are kindred spirits with regard to food it seems.  I asked him if he had any recommendations for eating in the area and he said there is a great tapas place near there.  I made a mental note of the advice for the future, but Lydia and I decided that since we were so near to Brick Lane, we would eat there, which is the heart of the Bangladeshi district aka OUR FIRST AUTHENTIC ENGLISH CURRY EXPERIENCE.  Just walking down Brick Lane is an experience in itself.  At every restaurant's door a man is standing outside harassing the passersby if they want curry and insisting that he has the best.  We were convinced by the man who offered us free drinks with the meal - never turn down complimentary white wine if possible!  It proved to be a great choice as the food was excellent and affordable!

Friday was my first venture into central London aka everything you think of when you think of London.  Amanda, Carolyn, Lydia, Katie - a new friend from University of Michigan - and I took the "Royal Walking Tour" in which a guide took the group around and showed us all the outsides of the buildings which have housed the royal family over the years, from Queen Elizabeth I in the medieval brick house to Queen Victoria redoing Buckingham Palace and even the house used in The King's Speech!  The guide was an excellent story teller and worked for Prince Charles for a while.  The tour finished at Westminster Abbey, at which point we ate in the Abbey's Cellerium.  I had a welsh rarebit sandwich, which was to die for.  Then we toured the abbey, which was really beautiful if a little morbid due to all the tombs in there.  After the Abbey we walked outside and saw Big Ben and in the distance the London Eye.  Then we went in search of afternoon tea, but in central London, there are only very expensive and posh places for such things so we ended up going home as we were severely underdressed for any such event.  However, we did find an Cheesemonger and went in; it smelled HEAVENLY.  I have to go back and indulge myself sometime with a purchase.

 Saturday proved to be the greatest day of the week and quite possibly of my life thus far.  Carolyn, Lydia, and I took our first train venture into the English countryside to the county Hampshire into the small village of Chawton where JANE AUSTEN'S HOUSE IS AHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH!!!!!!!!! It was life changing. And no, that isn't hyperbole.  I am in love with Chawton, and the countryside in general, and honest to goodness want to live there and have my own thatched roof cottage.  We were out of the city and as soon as I viewed the first pasture I knew that THAT was why I came to England. Not for London, but for everything else.  London is amazing and I am enjoying it thoroughly but it all comes down to the fact that I am just not called to live in the city forever.  The countryside is my home.  However, I digress. Back to the facts not the feelings:  We finally got to the train after a disastrous morning navigating and renavigating and renavigating again the tube which had closed the Northern line, throwing off our itinerary.  I've now been on the District, Central, Bakerloo, Jubilee, Piccadilly...and I think maybe one other line.  I really love the tube actually.  It's so clean and clear.

NOT THE POINT sorry, right, AUSTEN, ok, so we got to the Waterloo train station and headed out towards Alton as there is no direct line to Chawton.  It was the perfect day to go to Alton though as there was a street festival and the main street was closed off and filled with all kinds of vendors.  It was adorable and everything I could have wanted to experience in a little English town.  We then walked approximately a half hour to Chawton...on the wrong side of a very busy road...with no sidewalk...and really tall grass. And we took a wrong turn, up a curved road with thorny bushes poking out and risked our lives, only to have to turn around and do it all over again.  We survived, however, and were soon on our way down a quiet country road to Chawton, along which we saw lots of sheep and even had horses come right up to us to nuzzle!! And then we turned into town, walked a ways, and then, I saw it. Her house.  The Sign with a woman's silhouette on it. Across from a pub and a teahouse.  Perfection. 

The house was perfectly situated in a beautiful garden and had many interesting artifacts of the family inside, including the writing desk at which Jane Austen wrote what we know today as Sense and Sensibility, Pride and Prejudice, Mansfield Park, Emma, and Persuasion. Magical, simply.  The gift shop was full of Colin Firth memorabilia which just added to its greatness. I want to own everything in there, but settled on a tea towel.  After we finished with the house we headed up the lane and stumbled across a cricket match in a park. MY FIRST CRICKET MATCH. I felt so authentic.

 Then further up is the church and mansion where Jane's brother lived, but we couldn't get inside because there was a wedding.  A wedding. I WANT MINE THERE.  In the graveyard of the church Austen's mother and sister are buried.
Regretfully we left Chawton and headed back to Alton and ate at a pub, The Crown Hotel.  I had sausages and mash and also tried Southern Comfort.  I have to say, I'm not the biggest fan of the latter, but the meal was great!  This was my first true pub experience and it was a great end to such a lovely day.  We then headed home on the train and I slept very well in reflection of the day which was a perfect way to mark one week of being in the United Kingdom. 

And with two gravestones to contemplate, I leave you dear reader!  Sorry that this was so long.  I shall try to be more regular in the future so posts are shorter.  This week I'll be going to Oxford on Wednesday and then Wales for the weekend so stay tuned! Thanks for reading!

Photo Evidence

Monday night I got to bed around 1:30 and fell asleep relatively quickly and soundly, jetlag catching up with me, only to be awakened at 3 by the fire alarm!!! It was absolutely the worst thing ever.  We all groggily made our way outside and waited, for almost an hour, in the windy freezing cold, I in only a t-shirt and sweats.  One guy was even just in a towel.  When they finally let us back in I fell asleep rather quickly again, my warm sheets never feeling so good, but I had to be up early again for Orientation - another day with not enough sleep. 

Tuesday was a lot of mundane, getting settled in activities - it seems these are endless, I don't know that I'll ever have all I need and finally be settled in.  Tuesday night, though, was the fun part and best event thus far! Queen Mary had a boat cruise down the River Thames for the international students!  We had to take the tube (my first tube ride!!) to Tower Hill Station, which was, to our surprise and joy, right at the Tower of London - my first real sightseeing experience!! We then walked in a huge parade of students to Butler's Wharf, so we had to walk around the Tower, over The Tower Bridge, and back down towards the wharf.  Yes, it was quite cold and windy, and no, I was not dressed properly because I was in a dress and sweater and for some reason did not consider the weather.  Body numb when you're having fun? Our boat was the Dixie Queen and the cruise was at least 3 hours (slightly too long, but what can you do.)  We expected there to be dinner or appetizers or something, and we walked in and there were only bowls full of munchies.  We were freaking out, as none of us had eaten in expectation.  I ordered my first Pimm's from the bar, which was quite yummy - I am now an official Londoner! Eventually, they did bring out essentially tea sandwiches and assorted cheeses.  I ate something unidentifiable, I think a sort of pate. It was...interesting.  I met some nice new people, including a girl from Norway and one from Holland.  The Dutch girl told me that in school she had to learn 6 or 7 languages at one point!! Greek, Latin, Dutch, English, German, French, and maybe one more...I can't remember. I was super impressed, and she speaks English very well and clearly, especially when coming from a Dutch background which is so entirely different.  She lives on the floor above me so hopefully we'll be seeing more of each other.  Anyway, it was really neat to see the city lit up at night from the river, although since it was so cold I didn't stand outside much to really enjoy the view.  The Tower Bridge lights up at night and we got to see it lift up to let us through, which was neat.  The British bartender/works were making one of us all for freaking out and taking pictures of it, claiming it was "just a bridge."  They just can't understand. The Tower Bridge is where the Olympic rings hung. This is not London Bridge, as that fell down.

After the cruise, I went with the Dutch girl and 3 Americans (including Ellie and Alex whom I hung out with the first night here) to Fast Food Chicken, one of the many Fried Chicken etc. joints in the East End.  It has shocked me how many places serve fried chicken.  It's a huge thing here, especially for the South Asian/Middle East population apparently, whereas I always associated it with Southern United States. You learn things every day!

The point of all of this though is that because of being unprepared and out in the cold the last two nights, I now have a runny nose, which lends to why I GLORIOUSLY slept until 11:30 but also to why I am still in my room, in my pajamas, at 1:09.  Yes, I have things to do, but sometimes lounging feels so nice, especially after running around constantly the last few days.  Since I don't feel like leaving my room just yet, I thought I'd put up the first batch of photos I managed to finally get onto my computer.  The best ones from last night I took with my actual camera, not my phone, so I can't put those up yet, but that will just keep you coming back for more, right? :)

 This is the Jewish Cemetery that's in the middle of campus.  It's a little startling to walk by as you are leisurely going about campus.  I haven't really explored its history yet, but will report back when I do!

 This is Tower Hill Station!!! That's Hannah and Carolyn.

 The view of Tower Bridge from Butler's Wharf.

 Pimm's!

 This is the view from my room. Awesome, right? Yeah, that railroad has a train that passes by all too often.  Thankfully, it hasn't really kept me up at night.

 My room, but soon after moving in, so it's not in it's best condition here. It still is undecorated with my pictures though because I can't find tacks for the bulletin board to save my life!! Ugh!

 My bathroom - note how the shower is just this tiny part of the floor. No rim, no separation of any kind.  It makes for a fun time.

 Ellie, Alex, and I with our first drinks!

 Carolyn and I on the top of the Double Decker bus!!

We were going to lunch and on the way back noticed this little cement boat. Not really sure why it's there, but it makes for a great photo op don't you think?

Welcome to Queen Mary, University of London

I have been in London essentially three days now and it has been quite the whirlwind! I took the provided Queen Mary shuttle from the airport to the university (I have to stop myself from saying college because British "college" is equivalent to Americans' last two years of high school.)  I got to my flat in Pooley House, which is quite nice.  I have a single with my own bathroom on a hall of 9 people, who all share a kitchen.  I have yet to meet two of my flatmates though! I don't know where they are lurking.  Those I met include two American boys, three British girls, and one Chinese boy.  They are very friendly and everyone is interested in doing things as a flat and getting along, which is quite nice. 

On Saturday, I had no internet and no phone so was unable to get in contact with anyone from Muhlenberg and thus had to find new friends to spend my first evening in London with.  I went out to dinner at our campus bar with a girl I'd met by the elevators and some of her flatmates.  She was American, as well as one boy, but then we were with four British girls.  All the Brits I've met at the Uni are first years.  The Uni integrates the study abroad students with the first years (or Freshers. Note: Do not use American term "Freshies." That is equivalent to FOB and is insulting in Britain.)  The fact that it is a new campus for me, compounded by being surrounded by Freshers, really makes me feel like a Freshman in college again, which is slightly disheartening.  I was quite glad to get to Sophomore year and feel secure in friendships and in what I was doing.  I must remind myself though that Freshman year was great, and that this certainly isn't exactly like Freshman year, and that it will be extremely worth it in the end.  (And it already is, believe me!)  Anyway, at dinner, we three Americans reveled in our ability to order beers.  I had a Guinness, which I quite liked, much to the surprise of my British company.  I suppose it's my Irish blood...After dinner, I went back to the flat and hung out with my mates, and then zonked out at around 11:30 and woke up around 11:30...Yes, a solid twelve hour sleep.  It was the most glorious thing.

Sunday I found Carolyn and Lydia from Muhlenberg, got internet, and got a phone!!! It was a much better day.  We went to the Westfield Shopping Center at the Olympic Village which was built for the games and is now the biggest inner city shopping mall in Europe.  Outside was a Native American music demonstration, which I found quite humorous and simultaneously homey.  I also rode my first double decker bus and purchased my oyster card (access to public transportation)!!! That night my flat had a pizza party - pizza for the third meal in a row for me, so far the only food I'd eaten in England.  It was a good time and nice to socialize and meet new people.  After pizza, I went with Carolyn, my flatmate Karishma, her friend Chettan (that spelling is a complete guess and probable butchering of a lovely Indian name meaning life), an American boy, and two British boys to Draper's for a Traffic Light Party, at which you are supposed to dress in either Green, if you are single, Red, if you are taken, or Yellow, if you are unsure.  As I had none of those colors in my wardrobe, I went with the ever neutral white, which proved a good choice as no one "dodgey" came up to me enquiring as to my availability.  It was a really fun evening with good music and dancing.  Note: Britons do not grind. At all.  Everyone just has a jolly old time actually looking at each others' faces.  I was impressed. 

When I got back from Draper's, the jet lag hit me.  I was laying in bed til around 4 in the morning, trying to go to sleep as I had to be up at 8 for orientation, but absolutely could not sleep.  It was dreadful.  I had even turned off my computer so I couldn't blog or waste time.  Then of course Monday morning was dreadful, tired and jetlagged.  Orientation was THREE HOURS LONG, just sitting in a lecture theatre (not hall), listening to one speaker after another.  My brain was not in a state able to comprehend.  The entire day I was tired and just mentally slow, but of course, here we are at 12:41 my time, and I'm wide awake again.  This is really getting annoying.  I'd love to sleep. 

Today we also went food shopping at Sainsbury's, which is ENORMOUS.  It's somewhat similar to WalMart...slightly smaller.  It was the busiest grocery store I have ever been in, which didn't make for the nice relaxing experience I usually enjoy when buying food.  Also, as we had to walk about a mile and carry everything, we had to be very selective in what we bought, unlike the convenience of taking a car in America.  I got chicken, grapes, carrots, butter, bread, pasta, and vegetable soup.  The randomest combos ever, but I'm hoping it works out somehow.  Carolyn, Lydia, and I got back from the store and made dinner: chicken with rice and cooked carrots.  It was a tasty and successful first venture in the flat kitchens.

I really wanted to post photos for you, but my memory card doesn't seem to fit into my new computer...just adding to the stress of a first week/weekend! Hopefully this will be amended soon, and you can see everything I'm talking about.  Also, if you didn't catch on, I'm bolding the actually educational bits about British culture, so if you are here merely to learn and skip over the mundane details of my life thus far, I'm making it easy for you :)  I'm hoping to get a little more creative with entries later on, so please bear with my for the time being as I'm just unloading these first few days onto you! Until next time then, cheerio!

"All my bags are packed, I'm ready to go..."

While the title of this post isn't completely true, that song has been stuck in my head for the last week as I prepare for my impending trip to London.  In a little over 24 hours I shall be able to sing "I'm leaving on a jet plane..." in earnest!  Speaking of packing, it has been possibly the most difficult task I've ever had to do.  I have found minimalism is not my strong point.  However, now with more wool in my possession than ever before, and with William my Hotch-Potch Doll from Williamsburg and Webster the Duck packed, I do believe I am set to conquer the city from which my ancestors sought freedom so many years ago. :) 

As I was creating this blog and searching my brain (and my mother's and sister's) for title ideas, I realized my name is part of the two things I foremost associate with London: the college I will be attending, Queen Mary, and Mary Poppins.  Oh the blessings of an age-old popular name!  Two of my goals, therefore, this semester, will be to become, quite literally (but not actually), Queen Mary and Mary Poppins/Julie Andrews, and since I've cut all my hair off, I'd say I'm well on my way to the latter!  

Actually, my inspiration for going to England has more to do with the name "Jane" than "Mary."  As a huge (understatement) fan of Jane Austen and Jane Eyre, I have always wanted to go explore the land which inspired these stories.  Prepare yourselves, readers, for many weekend trips to the mansions and grounds used in every film version ever made of a Jane Austen novel.  In Sense and Sensibility, Mrs. Dashwood states: "I would have every young woman of your condition in life, acquainted with the manners and amusements of London."  I am taking her advice and plan to acquaint myself most thoroughly with the city I am soon to call home for the next 3 months. 

Thank you for reading; I hope you find this blog informational and amusing along the way.  I look forward to sharing my "jolly holiday" with you! :)