Last Weekend

Hi All,

So it is officially December, which means I have officially entered my last week of being British. Of course I am terribly and horribly upset about this because I have come to love London and call it my home. Last time I wrote I was sleeping off a very large Thanksgiving dinner, so let me fill you in on my weekend.

On Friday, I got to sleep in which means I started off my last full weekend right. After getting up, showering and eating, a few of us girls decided to do what girls do best. We decided to shop of course. It was Black Friday after all! And even though London doesn’t celebrate Black Friday like we do in the states, it doesn’t mean we weren’t going to continue American tradition. So off we went to spend some time on Oxford Street. We wondered up and down the main street and some smaller streets off of Oxford. We tried things on, made jokes, enjoyed lunch and generally had a blast. With Christmas season right around the corner, most of the shops had amazing Christmas designs and decorations. It also meant that the streets were over-flowing with tourists and Londoners alike trying to get a head start on their Christmas shopping. After fighting through crowds to get back home, we all took a little rest, because let’s face it, shopping is a tiring sport. Afterwards we all got nice and doled up and headed out to the club Tiger Tiger. It was a great club with a variety of people. They were even playing some remixes of Christmas music. I even met another American. He’s from Mississippi, in the army, currently stationed in Germany, and was visiting London for a weekend. We exchanged stories about the different places we’ve been and the things we experienced. It’s always great how no matter where you go in Europe, you are bound to run into another American. At midnight, Mike turned 20 so we all ran and found him to wish him a happy birthday.

Saturday I also took the opportunity to sleep in again. Once up, Christine, Jamie, Megan, Nora, Trevor, Mike and I headed off to explore some more. We went to the Borough Market. It is this open air food market that has basically EVERYTHING! Fish, octopus, vegetables, fruit, juice, mulled wine, candy, cheese, and nuts are just a few of the things I remember seeing. There were even red pineapples which intrigued us. After the market, we headed back home since some of us were crashing. You’d think we would be use to late nights. After a quick nap, I watched some TV while having dinner. Then since it was raining and no one really wanted to go clubbing or to a bar, we decided to just hang out and play games in the boys flat. We had tons of fun and many laughs. It was a great way to spend a rainy evening.

Southwark Cathedral

Market time

As much as I’d like you all to believe that I like a great live and am always doing fun and fantastic things, this is not always true even while in London. Since this is the last week, Sunday had to be a homework day. I spent most of the day writing my paper for British Media & Society and studying for my theatre exam. It was a very boring day with the only excitement being a walk in the park.

Monday was another blah day. As soon as I woke up I started writing my last history essay (yes that’s right, essay, not paper. Gosh I am going to miss the History workload in London. It’s so easy here). I then went into immediate study mode for my theatre test, which I had at 3:30. After the test I ran a few errands and grabbed the last of the Christmas gifts I needed to buy. Here’s hoping I can get everything home. I took a few hours off that evening and watched some TV. Then I had to go right back to the studying and paper writing. After finishing my history essay I headed to bed.

This morning I had my British Media & Society final. We basically had to give group presentations. We had to find creative ways to write a letter and give American students advice on living in London. My group did a song and dance as our letter. Afterwards our teacher took us out for tea and hot chocolate. When I left the tea shop, I went over to Leicester Square and bought a theatre ticket for tomorrow. It’s my reward for surviving the semester. I’m not going to tell you what I am treating myself to. I’ll let you guess! You’ll have to tune into my next post to find out which show I see. Next, I went to the Tate Modern. I have spent 3 months in London and had not been to the Tate Modern so I thought I would remedy that. I walked across the Harry Potter Bridge one more time and went into the modern art museum of London. It had some pretty cool pieces. I even saw Monet’s Water Lilly’s and some Andy Warhol. After hitting up the gift shop I headed home.

I stood in front of the pony i believe

I think this was the pony. I really just liked it!

Warhol Room

Marilyn Monroe by Andy Warhol

As I was leaving, I walked across the Harry Potter Bridge and looked to my right. In the distance, I could see Tower Bridge and it hit me how much I have grown to love this place. I have never felt more at home in such a short amount of time in my life. It took me 2 years before I felt at home in Harrisonburg and at JMU. Yet here, all it took was a few weeks and I started associating London as home. As I kept walking across the bridge, my eyes just couldn't leave the sight of Tower Bridge. It was then that I realized how much I am going to miss this city. It hasn't just been a fun and easy semester, and I am going to miss the workload (though I will). No, I've gotten to know this city so well that it has become a part of me, a part of my heart. How do you say goodbye to a piece of your heart? As I was about to exit the bridge, I took one final look at the bridge and I felt like I was saying goodbye. This trip has been such a wonderful experience. I've learned so much, about life, the world, and most importantly, myself. I know how to find my way to just about any place in the city, and I can even tell you tube stops in order without the help of a map. London is not just a place I have visited, it's my second home.

Now it’s the afternoon, and I think I’m going to go take a nap before I tackle my last paper of the year. Just 1 paper and 1 in class essay separate me from freedom and sleeping in my own bed. I’ll write again soon.

Much love,
KP

I Feel Black Out Drunk on Food

Happy Turkey Day!

Well this week has been a full one. It’s hard to believe that this is my last week of class. The week started off as every other does, with me sleeping in and recovering from the weekend. I then got up and did some homework. I then decided to eat lunch out. I was lost in thought and ended up wondering into Bloomsbury Park. I had lunch there on a bench just thinking about life and reflecting on these past three months. It was a nice way to spend the afternoon. Soon it was time for my last Theatre class. Unfortunately I can’t tell you anything about the class since I zoned out the minute I got there (isn’t it amazing how little we youngsters care about work when we can see the end in sight??). Anyways after class, I came back and got ready for our last play. Our teacher decided to reward us for a good semester and she booked a musical. We went and saw La Cage Aux Folles. It was possibly one of the funniest plays I have ever seen. If you get a chance, you should definitely see it. I laughed so much and the songs were so catchy and upbeat. Soon it was time to retire since the next day was a full one.

On Tuesday I had my morning class, but since that teacher never actually does anything it was pretty pointless. We were out of class before noon. In the afternoon, we had Film class. He gave us our final quiz and of course this was the one book I actually didn’t read since it was a graphic novel (the Watchmen) and I just could not get through it all. I think I only missed one question and luckily he drops the lowest quiz grade, which will be my 9 out of 10 on this quiz. After class our outing was to Elstree Studios. This was a really cool outing except for the fact that it was 13 miles outside of London and we had to walk 15 minutes in the rain to get to the studio once we got there. Anyways, we got to tour the studios and see some sets that were currently under construction. Some of the movies that have been shot there include: Eyes Wide Shut, The Other Boleyn Girl, and the original Star Wars movies. It was quite a cool place to be.

Wednesday brought my last day of my last ever 300 level history class. Since there was only me in class that day my teacher quickly went through Thatcherism and then we headed out to the Portrait Gallery. Afterwards she bought me lunch at the gallery café and we just talked about life. I’m really going to miss her. She is one of my favorite history teachers so far. Then I hopped on the tube and headed over to Harrods to do some Christmas shopping. They have a whole section on the 2nd floor dedicated to Christmas called “Christmas World.” I got to hear lots of different Christmas music while I shopped for some ornaments. Let me tell you when you buy something in Harrods they treat you really nice. They even show you where the nice bathroom is, you know the one you don’t have to pay to go into and that has a bathroom attendant. When I was done at Harrods I hopped back on the tube and went over to Piccadilly Circus. I walked down Regents Street to get to Oxford Street which is a main shopping area. I walked up and down the street buying the rest of the things I needed before I leave. I spent way too much money and was almost late to the weekly meeting. I realized I had been shopping for over 5 hours when I finally got back to Madison House around 5:45. After the weekly meeting, it was of course karaoke time. We headed to the Old Explorer to watch some people sing some songs. I did not perform this week, but don’t worry, I am saving it all up for next week. When the pub closed we headed over to one of our favorite bars in Leicester Square called O’Neil’s. There we just talked, hung out, and listened to some music. We then headed home since the next day was going to be a full one.

With only 4 hours of sleep, I headed off to my final class of 2009 and 1st semester senior year. Professor Pacey had a guest lecturer who was a playwright and TV writer. Everyone really enjoyed this class. We even got to make up story lines for a new TV show of our creation. After class I collapsed into bed for 3 hours. I almost felt bad since so many others were running around, cooking and preparing for Thanksgiving. It was kind of like being at home when Mommy and Masis do all the work and I just show up and eat! Once I had woken, I got to work myself cutting the bread, which was my contribution to our Thanksgiving dinner. At 8 o’clock we all gathered downstairs to have our group Thanksgiving. There were about 25 of us in total and we had enough food to feed 50 people. There was so much. We all had a blast. We even had some toasts given and lots of pictures taken. After dinner, pretty much everyone helped in the clean up process and we got everything cleaned up pretty quickly. While others went out, some of us stayed in and were planning on watching a movie or just relaxing. Before we could decide what we really wanted to do, Trev and Rich decided to do a panty raid on the girls below us. We thought they were joking since they had some wine at dinner. Unfortunately they weren’t. This turned out into the most hilarious and funniest and legit fight. There was wrestling, blocking of doors, pulling and pushing, yelling, and bargaining. It was soooooooo much FUN!!! And soooooo FUNNY!!! I have not been in a fight like that since my youthful tomboy days. It was all in good fun and everyone felt like that had actually worked off all that food we had eaten.

Waiting for the eating to begin
FOOD!!

Dr. Anderson carving the Turkey

Caught Ya!

Mike and Josh eating

How we all felt after we had stuffed ourselves

Trev with his peas

Me being goofy

Panty Raid

Let the Fight Begin!

Well it’s time for me to go out and enjoy my last full weekend in London. I’ll write soon.

Much love,
KP

An American Girl in Paris

Bonjour All,

Well for the first time in my life I got to see Paris in autumn. It was so beautiful. The leaves falling off the tress, the streets lined with colorful leaves, the beginning of Christmas decorations going up. It was quite a different experience from Paris in the summertime and very enjoyable. Well, let us start at the beginning.

After an excellent night out to the comedy club on Thursday, I came right home and went to bed. You might be thinking that is totally lame, but keep reading. The next morning dawned bright and early… AT 5 AM!!!!! Yes that’s right. I had to get up at 5 to shower and dress. The girls (Jamie, Christine, Megan, Nora, Hannah, Whitney, & I) were out of the door by 6 AM to head over to the tube station. We arrived at King’s Cross and found our advisor. At 7 AM we went through customs and boarded our train for Paris. I immediately went to sleep on the train because as you all know, I am not pleasant in the morning. We arrived in Paris about 11 AM and then we girls took the metro to our hotel. We checked in to this very nice hotel. It was on the same block as the Sorbonne (or the University of Paris). Once in our room, I discovered that my roommate and I had a balcony. Outside was an amazing view and we realized that we had some very nice accommodations. To the right you could see Notre Dame and to the left was the Pantheon. It was pretty sweet. After a quick fresh-up we went over and met 2 of our professors, Rachel Barnes the art history professor and Professor Pacey (aka Jay Hicks) professor of Culture by Design, for our afternoon/evening activities. We went to the D’Orsay Museum and saw some Monet and Van Gogh paintings. Then we went to Notre Dame and walked around the church. Finally we ended up at the Louvre. We went in and saw the Venus de Milo. We then went on to see some of Michelangelo’s sculptures. Then we saw “The Coronation of Napoleon.” Finally we got to the jewel of the Louvre and saw the “Mona Lisa.” It is still breath-taking and so amazing to look at. They have also changed the rules and you can now take pictures of it (see below). Afterwards we were free for the evening. The girls and I went back to our hotel to change. Then Jamie, Megan, Nora, Christine, and I headed out to enjoy Paris. We set by the river and talked while enjoying wine (except for me since I am not a fan of wine). We then went to the pedestrian bridge where many people hang out and eat and drink. We met up with some JMU Salamanca kids there and hung out with them for a while. It was a very chill and relaxed night. We finally go home and went straight to sleep.

Jamie & Christine on my balcony

Notre Dame & I

The Louvre

Just chilling

Mona Lisa!!!!

Saturday dawned bright and early. At 11 we had to meet our professors again for some optional tours. We went and got to see the Centre Pompidou, which is an art museum that looks like an ant farm or like it’s still in construction. I believe when Professor Pacey asked me what I thought of it I said “It looks like the designer was on crack laced with speed with some alcohol on top of it all.” We then moved on to the Branley Museum. And we finally ended up at the Eiffel Tower. We didn’t go up since the lines were horrible and we had other things we wanted to see. We took the metro over to Montmartre, the other church in Paris. It has some of the most amazing views of the city… and it’s free. We had lunch over there toured the church, took in the views, and then watched and listened to some entertainment. There was even this amazing guy juggling the football. He climbed up a light pole still juggling the football. It was awesome. We then went back to the hotel for people to shower and freshen up and nap. We then headed out to dinner. After dinner, the girls and I headed over to the Eiffel Tower to meet up with some of the JMU Salamanca kids. In their program, one of the girls was turning 21 at midnight. We chilled on the lawn in front of the Eiffel Tower, again enjoying wine and champagne. I brought along some bread and cheese because it is so French. We watched 2 of the Eiffel Tower light shows. Then, on the 3rd and final light show, the one at midnight, we celebrated Suzie’s 21st birthday. The Salamanca kids and Nora went to a club, bit we decided to walk home since we were all tired and not in the mood to go to a club. Nora, our Paris expert, told us the walk from the Eiffel Tower to our hotel was like the walk from Piccadilly to Madison House in London. Nora was dead wrong. We walked for over an hour before we even got back to the Latin Quarter. But we stayed in the nice lighted areas and were safe so do not worry. We also had some excellent conversations about life on the way home and finished off my bread and cheese since we got hungry. Finally we were back in the Latin Quarter and went off to bed.

Centre Pompidou

Paris Holds the Key to Your Heart

Lawn in front of Eiffel Tower

Black & White of the city and I

Jamie and I watching the street performers

The amazing footballer

Eiffel Tower Light Show!

Me being French with my wine, cheese and bread

Sunday brought rain and gale winds. After checking out of the hotel we went and got some crepes for breakfast. Then we went in search of this Christmas Market a couple of girls from the JMU Florence program had told us about. We found it and enjoyed strolling the streets and hearing Christmas music, and see the different things on sale. At the end of it was the Champs-Elysees. We walked along this main avenue and ended up at the Arc de Triomphe. Since we didn’t climb up the Eiffel Tower, five of us decided we would climb up the Arc. The view from the top was amazing. You even got the Eiffel Tower in the pictures. It was definitely worth it! Afterwards we split into 2 groups with Megan, Nora, and Hannah taking the metro back, and Whitney, Jamie, Christine, and I walking back through the other side of the Christmas Market to the Latin Quarter. We did some shopping and then had dinner. It had been raining and windy all afternoon (Jamie broke 2 umbrellas within 10 minutes), so we decided to all meet up inside Notre Dame. When my group got there, it was to find the others sitting down. Before we knew it, Evening Mass had started. I can now saw I have been to Mass… in Notre Dame! Then we left and headed back to our hotel to grab our luggage. We made it to the train station with plenty of time to spare. Finally it was time to board and we were off to home. By 11 I was safely home and tucked away.

My last Crepe

Bridge we hung out on Friday night

Christmas Market

Merry Christmas

Champs-Elysees

Arc de Triomphe

Fire that burns for the soldiers

View from the top of the Arc

Church time

It was an amazing weekend to say the least. I got to experience Paris in autumn and enjoy it with some really cool people. Ok time to go. I’ll write soon.

Much love,
KP

Just a regular week in London

Hi All,

So Monday night I went to the theatre to see Endgame. If you ever get the chance to see it…DON’T! Stay at home, wash your hair, do some dishes, spring clean, do just about anything but see that play. It was very boring with no intermission. I actually slept through most of it, which is saying a lot because I love the theatre.

On Tuesday I had a full day of class. We went to the London Film School and saw 2 short films made by students for Media and Society. It was very interesting. Later that day I had film class. Class was pretty boring, which is normal. That night we went to the Cinema Museum to watch the film “The Lavender Hill Mob.” It was surprisingly a really fun and great film. It even had Paris as part of the setting, which rocked since we were going there for the weekend.

Wednesday brought a late start. For the first time all semester, my alarm failed and did not go off. My roommate didn’t set her alarm since she usually depends on my movement and noise to wake her in the morning. Needless to say we were both late to our 2 person history class. It got better when I got there and found out that our London Program Advisor was sitting in on class that day. But I was only 5 minutes late, so it wasn’t too bad. Our outing for history was to the Transport Museum. It was a pretty cool museum and I got to get 13 different stamps on my “passport card.” Afterwards I went back to the house and got some work done. I also packed for Paris.

Thursday was the last day of class for the week. We watched Pulp Fiction. It was an interesting movie. I had never seen it, which you would think was a cardinal sin the way my professor reacted to the news. After class I walked to Oxford Street and did some Christmas shopping. That evening we had another group outing. We went to the Comedy Store, aka a comedy club. It was a great way to spend an evening. There were 6 comedians in total and all were really funny. I laughed so hard and a few people in our group got picked on for being American of course.

I will write again soon to tell you all about my weekend in Paris.

Much love,

KP

I DON'T WANT TO GO HOME!!!!

Hello All,

So another weekend has flown by. I swear time is flying by here and I am not happy about it. There is just so much I want to do and see, yet it’s almost December. But let’s not dwell on that. You’re all here to find out what I have done since I last wrote. On Wednesday, our entire group went up on the London Eye. It was a great experience, and we got a pod to ourselves. We joked, we enjoyed the sites, and we generally had a great time. On our way down, as I stood at the window by myself, it hit me that this adventure is almost over. I was so sad. I can’t believe how fast it has all gone. I had this incredible urge to just stay in London. This experience has been one of the best of my life. While standing there looking out over the city I’ve called home for a few months, a city that I have fallen in love with, so many thoughts ran through my mind. I flashed back on all I’ve been through and how much I have grown. It seems like just yesterday I was fighting packing my stuff and having my mother force me into the car. I remember freshmen year so clearly. I was lonely, I was constantly yelling and demanding my mother to come pick me up, and I was constantly coming home to visit and holding on to the past. I remembered how I felt I couldn’t do it all alone and the constant feeling of failure because I bombed a test. I remembered the nights I spent on the phone with my mother telling her I couldn’t do this anymore and that I wasn’t cut out for college. As I stood there looking out over a city thousands of miles away from home and friends, I realized that there was always strength within me. Just three years ago, the thought of going to school a few hundred miles and 2 hours away scared the crap out of me. I didn’t think I could do it, and I fought it with every breath I took. Yet I survived and I thrived. I made new friends and I managed to keep my old friendships as strong as ever. I kept my grades up and I joined different organizations. Then I undertook the biggest risk of all: I applied to study abroad. It’s funny that just a few years ago I couldn’t even go to college without my mother having to literally toss me out of the car. Yet I willingly decided to study abroad, and London is definitely more then 2 hours away from home. To be truthful, even this summer I had my doubts about whether I could do this trip. I’ve never been away from home, my family, and my friends for 3 whole months. I’ve always seen familiar faces and the people I love have always just been a short call away. In London, I knew that that wouldn’t be so. Yet I did it anyway. And I am so glad I did, because I have found out so much about myself, things I never knew. Three years ago I didn’t think I could do it alone, yet now I know I can. I know I can go far away, and I can survive. I know I can make new friends, be responsible, grocery shop for myself, and figure out directions. This trip has made me realize that there is an inner strength in me that I have kept hidden, but here in London it has flourished. Of course I get homesick, but I know that there is no reason to let fear paralyze me. I just go out and enjoy myself. I call or email home when I need to hear a familiar voice. I’ve kept all of my old friendships strong and I’ve made some great new friends. It interesting to realize that I’m not that same girl my mother dropped off at JMU only three years ago. I look the same, I talk the same, yet I’m not the same. I’m different; I’m older, more mature, and stronger. It was an eye opening moment when I realized that high above the city.

On a less reflective note, after we got off the London Eye we realized what day it was. Yes, it was Wednesday, which means karaoke at The Old Explorer Pub. The boys and a few of the girls are regulars, but I had never been. I figured since I was already out and I had no homework due, I might as well go. Talk about a fun time. The guys all have stage names it seems and love to perform. I decided to do a couple of numbers, so I began with “Diamonds are a Girl’s Best Friend.” It was a big hit, though that might just be because college kids are wildly obnoxious when we clap for one of our own. I then sat and watched the guys perform a few numbers, some other regulars perform, and Nora my flatmate perform. Then I took to the mike again singing “Last Dance.” This was actually a big hit with the whole pub, and not just the college kids. We dance and sang the night away, then headed home.

Building projecting the message to wear Poppy's for Remembrance Day

Big Ben and Parliament

The Thames River at night

Me on the London Eye

Christine: I feel like I should squat when I stand next to you.

I'm the Queen of the World

Last Dance!

The Boys rocking out

(Rob, T-Rex, and Rich)

Oxford Christmas Lights!

Thursday I had one class. We went to the National Portrait Gallery and looked at some very moving photographs. Afterwards I had the afternoon free. I did some laundry and household chores. That night we had a play. We saw “Prick up Your Ears.” It was a very good play about the life and death of playwright Joe Orton. It left you thinking about life, love, and relationships.

Friday started one of our last free weekends. Hannah and I decided to go to Oxford for the day. We took the bus there. It was a typical rainy English day. We went up this tower that has the best view of Oxford. It also has the smallest staircase. Hannah almost bumped her head many times. Luckily I am short, so my only problem was the tight fit which made me feel fat. After that we walked around the streets and looked at the different colleges and shops. I got an Oxford shirt in JMU colors! We then ducked into a pub to get out of the rain and had a nice warm lunch. Finally we decided to tour one of Oxford’s main colleges. We did this college because not only is it famous for being a part of Oxford, but also because parts of Harry Potter were shot here. Yes I know, I’m a dork, but I thoroughly enjoy being a dork. We had lots of fun on the campus and got to see many different aspects of the college. Finally, it was starting to get dark, so we decided to hop on the bus and head back to London. We got here and dried off and then started having a dance party before going out for the night. I was dead tired after Oxford and our dance party, so I stayed in. I discovered “The Bodyguard” on TV and watched Whitney Huston’s debut film. It was a good night in my book.

On the way to Oxford. (we don't like pictures taken before noon)

I'm short enough for these stairs!

Oxford!

Standing on the stairs of Trinity

Courtyard

Enjoying the Rain

Me in the Harry Potter Hall

Even when raining it's pretty

Me saying a prayer in Christ Church

Saturday brought more rain, and lots of crazy wind. We decided to shelve our original plan of going to Cambridge for the day. Instead we hung out in the house and then we decided to take in a movie. It seemed like a rainy day activity. So we went to Leicester Square and saw “Couples Retreat.” It was a very funny movie and a good way to spend a couple of hours on a rainy day. Afterwards we came back, and most of us did not want to face the rain and wind to go out to party. I decided to watch “Rent,” and my flatmates ended up joining me and singing along.

Sunday brought homework, and lots of it! It seems when you neglect all of your homework to go explore different cities and see movies, it piles up. I had to write my theatre paper and start my history and film journals. I took a break in the midst of all this work because my Aunt Cynthia was in town for the evening. I took the tube over to her hotel and we had a delicious dinner at the Holiday Inn. We talked, we laughed, and we caught up. It was good to see family and a familiar face from home. I then had to come back and finish up my homework.

Aunt Cynthia and I at dinner

Now it’s Monday morning, and I only have one more piece of homework to do (history journal), theatre class, and a play. Well, I better go start on that history journal. This week is another jammed pack week.

I'll write again soon.

Much Love,

KP