Jealousy

My sister, Liz, gets to study abroad in Seoul, South Korea for 4 months beginning next spring. She'll be going through the University of Dayton, but it will be a completely different type of program than my London program. The experiences she'll have are beyond comprehension right now. She will be attending Korea University (one of the most diverse of its kind), taking classes and immersed in culture. I can't imagine saying this a year ago, but I'm going to miss her so, so much. Four months is a long time. She'll miss my graduation (which I'll get over)...maybe I can visit her??

London Photos!

Yes, I finally got around to uploading the hundreds of photos I have from the trip. Here's what I have so far, including the first batch:

Album 1 (London)

Album 2 (London

Album 3 (London)

Click on the above links to view the album and enjoy!

Back in the USA

On Saturday night, America greeted Amanda and I. We have been immersed in European culture for the last month and a half so it was pretty bitter-sweet coming home. Our flight went out from Dublin in the early morning of the 28th and went directly to London-Heathrow. It took about everything in us to get on that next flight to Philadelphia instead of staying in London. After a rushed entrance to our gate and a tragic goodbye to the polka dot bubble umbrella I had just purchased, we hopped on the American Airlines flight to the US. It was incredible how much of an American stereotype was on that plane, but I won't go into that.

Our arrival in Philly was supposed to be calm and easy, but with Hillary and Amanda, nothing is ever that simple. The airport there wasn't the most efficient in getting people through security and we had to run to our plane departing for Dayton. It was the last flight there so it was a good thing we made it just as the plane was supposed to take off. When we got to Dayton, I could see Mom and Terry at the end of baggage claim. Mom was waving here hands at me like I was on stage during a play in elementary school. She brought Amanda and I flowers, too, which almost made up for the luggage American Airlines lost (which has now thankfully been returned to us).

The First thing we did was eat McDonald's fries, since we promised each other we would not eat any American fast food overseas. It was so surreal being home again. My room was not quite as messy as it was when I left and my car had been cleaned out for me as well, thanks to my sister. While some things, like the UD campus and surrounding areas have changed, everything was still basically the same. Driving again was probably the strangest thing. I definitely don't miss buying gas, so I doubt I'll be driving aimlessly as much anymore. After all of my adjusting, the five of us (me, Amanda, Mom, Terry & Liz) all went out to start the celebrating of my twenty-first birthday. All in all it was a very good night for a birthday and a coming home party.

Resting is probably my first order of business, then of course I have all of that unpacking to do. It's been more difficult to explain to people how my trip was than actually adjust to being here again. I almost don't know what to say when people ask me about my favourite part of the trip. There are just so many things that come to mind, I think I need time to just sort my thoughts on the past month and a half. I have SO many photos from everything too, it might overwhelm you. Is 6 gigs a lot?

With my birthday over with and a lot of catching up to do with everyone, my 5 days back in the USA have been a lot of fun. I'm about to go see red, white and boom in Columbus tonight with Zach and Emily and tomorrow is the first reunion with my London flatmates - I can't think of a better way to spend the 4th.

Thanks for reading throughout all my travels and keep checking back for more photos and things.

Happy Independence Day, everyone!

Our Class photo at Stonehenge

I Love Dublin...

..And the Irish. That is all.

Dublin where are you?

The last 24 hours in Paris have been kind of a blur. I think I need to sit on it for awhile to decide my feelings on this city. All I can say is Amanda and I are definitely ready to be in Ireland. The MIA concert is cancelled and while Im pretty bummed about that, Im still very excited for my trip. We have to get up at about 5:30AM to be at the airport early and catch the ryanair flight into Dublin. Im pretty sad that we have to check our bags since we have bought so much crap - we got a backpack to put our new trhings in, but we almost had to get the tragic rolly backpacks that come in bright colours.

We are through with the touristy things for the most part. Today was our time at the Eiffel Tower and Liz, I completed your request (photos soon to come).

That is pretty much all I can update for now. Im SO tired!

BONSOIR!

Zürich

Im going to stop going into counrties so blindly. I mean Swiss Francs? All I had were Euros. And really, is it German they are speaking. Why didnt I listen to mom and Terry more when they speak their random phrases around the house? Luckily I loved my experience in Zürich, despite my naïveté.

We arrived early afternoon after a beautiful and exhausting train ride. Our hostel was more like a hotel with all of its accomodations, great location in the old town and fantastic decor. Other than the heat, everything else pretty much fell into place. Again, Amanda and I went with no plan and ended up having a good time by just exploring on our own. The European football tournament was held in Zürich at the time and the game that night was Italia v. España. Fans absolutely filled the streets, it was more like an enormous festival with booths set up, games and rides all along the river. Amanda and I got lucky AGAIN and found this great funk/hiphop/soul band. They were a twelve piece band, complete with horns, saxes and the works. We got right up front and just danced like we didnt just spend 6 hours on a train. The rest of the night we continued to explore and ended up at the bar that was a part of our hostel where the game was on and there were some obvious Spain fans. We figured they won since the air horn blew and all we could hear was "España, España!" The parties were still going on so after our pint, we ran down to the river and grabbed some take away Mexican food, I kid you not, it was amazingggg.

Our last few hours in Zürich were mostly spent shopping. New ruby slippers and some swiss chocolate were my new additions.

Parlez-vous anglais?

We have arrived in PARIS! The trip on the Eurostar yesterday evening was very nice, but we were still running on empty. Trying to get currency exchqnged and figuring out the metro did not sound so appealing at 11PM so we dragged ourselves over to the very long queue for the taxis. I looked over my Rick Steven phrase book about 30 times to figure out how to say "can you take us..." and after an intense ride in the back of a mercedes, we got to our hostel, Le Montclair . To our amazement, it was clean, nicely decorated and very friendly. Even more surprising, our room is above all hostel expectations. Sure we climbed 5 flights on a spiral stair-well, but we have a small private room with a private bathroom. Oh, and the view is wonderful. We have two long windows that open up to a skinny balcony that over looks north-east Paris. Sacred Heart is illuminated at night beyond the other buildings and residences and the light from the Eiffel Tower could be seen in the clouds just to the right of us.

Because of our lack of sleep this last month, we slept in, missed our complimentary breakfast and didnt get started until after noon. As we searched for hostels for our upcoming trip to Switzerland, we mingled with two english speaking twenty-somethings. Cal from NYC and Eric from Sweden ended up being really nice and helpful. We went out together and ate our first Parisian meal; a HUGE bowl of 3 cheese penne pasta and you better believe I ate all of it.

After being sent in the right direction by our fellow english speaking friends, we finally arrived at a train station to figure out our Eurail passes. In short, Amanda and I are travelling to Zurich, Switzerland in about 5 hours and staying there for about 24. Lame, I know, but we want to go to Switzerland!

The rest of the day we spent shootin the breeze, doing Parisian things. Our plan was to visit the Louvre, but it had started to close by the time we got there. It was still nice to get around, shop and explore Paris as the sun set. Solidays, a music festival was going on and there were bands on every block playing all sorts of tunes. Of course we had to watch the band playing awful covers of English songs. It was a really good time watching cute French hipsters and an old man strung out dancing to songs they didnt know the words to (except for "I shot the sherrif" I guess everyone knows that one), plus Amanda got to dance with a drunk French guy until I literally pealed him off of her. All the craziness made us hungry and we had some pizza and the best red wine I have ever had.

wooo Zürich tomorrow!

Goodbye London

I'm spending my last few minutes on Edgware Road at the i-caf to give a little update. Amanda and I rushed this morning to miraculously get packed up and head with Laura and Allison to Heathrow(they were nice enough to take our luggage back to the states for us). It's really hard to believe I only have a few more hours here. Last night was pretty emotional saying goodbye to everyone (students and faculty) at our closing banquet. We walked through Hyde Park and Kensington Gardens to arrive at this beautiful French restaurant where we had the top floor just for our group. There was a cake there with all of our names on it. After dinner the faculty members said a few words and we all hugged them goodbye. We still had a few finals to finish up last-minute, but we somehow got it done. The entire group met up later at the pub (The Duke of York, of course) and had a few rounds before saying our goodbyes.

We are set to get on the eurostar to Paris in about 2 hours. I'm really excited and nervous, but most of all I'm sad to leave London. This program has been so much more than I expected. Hopefully everything will go smoothly for my 5 days in France and 3 days in Dublin. I really do miss all of you and I got some sweet souvenirs. Mom, I had them sent home so please watch for them in the next week or so. Liz probably has the most to look forward to, mainly because every store I went in to I would say "aw this reminds me of something Liz would like."

Since Amanda and I pulled an all-nighter 2 nights ago and only got 4 hours of sleep last night (not even a nap!) we are pretty exhausted and ready to nap on the chunnel. I think our plan for tonight is to get there and somehow figure out how to get tickets for the metro. After the initial mayhem, we'll walk around, eat some baguettes and find our hostel. We don't know any French, but we're equppied with our street smarts, wit, American charm, a map and a phrase book. Should be an adventure! I will do my best to keep you posted on here.

All my loving.

Avebury, Amesbury & Salisbury

First I want to say HAPPY FATHER'S DAY to my Father and step-Father. Both of whom made this trip possible for me. I love you!

It's been awhile, but I'm back for a little game of catch up. I really wish I had more time for things like this because as we're now into our last week, I find myself already forgetting little things I've done/seen. This last week especially has been a whirl-wind week so this is my attempt to pick up where I left off.

Last Wednesday (4 June), we took our first site study trip outside of the city of London. I was especially enthused because I do miss the calmness of the country and I heard nothing but great things about the English countryside. We all hopped on the coach early in the morning and tried to nap, but our bus driver was pretty scary. I can recall being about 45 minutes into the trip when I woke up and all of the sudden it was great expanses of countryside and then patches of little town. The sky looked like a Bob Ross painting or something. We first went to a town and saw our first bit of Neolithic stone structures. We were dropped off at what seemed like a very quiet park with trails and everything, but really, it was more like a farm. There were sheep just roaming around (we had to watch where we stepped) the grassy areas with these prehistoric stones sticking up. We hiked for awhile, then took the coach to Stonehenge.





It was great to see it, after learning about it for some length in Art History. People get disappointed when they see it because it's only about 25 feet tall, but it's an amazing structure. I absolutely loved it, but what they don't tell you is how many beetles there are. We were swarmed, constantly picking them out of our hair. The only other negative to Stonehenge in comparison to Avebury is that you have to stay behind a roped off area.

The rest of the day was spent in Salisbury where we got to see the famous Salisbury Cathedral (aslo made familiar by Art History class) and we also roamed around the town a bit. Oh, and I definitely had my best veggie burger EVER there at a place called "Fish n Chips". It was super unhealthy, but made my stomach smile.








I have so much more to tell, but I must get started on the 11 papers due this week. Woo finals!! Tomorrow is our last real day out for a site-study trip :(

And quick highlight of my day today: going to Abbey Road (we definitely took the tourist photo) and seeing another Shakespeare play at the Globe.

Peace & Love
-Hill

Skye-lander

Hello all! For those of you I was supposed to call, I apologize. We just made it back to London from Skye, Scotland. It was mind blowingly beautiful. I will make a post about it, but with the 12 hour train ride today I am pretty tired and I've got a big day tomorrow in the city. I just wanted you to know I'm safe and had a wonderful time. Goodnight! And by the way, the title of this post is just one of many puns I've come up with dealing with "Skye"

London's Mine

Look! I finally added photos - in sequential, album form! click HERE to view them from my Facebook - Or just go to http://www.facebook.com/album.php?aid=2090093&l=34998&id=21907984. Whichever. They are photos from take off and our first day or two out in the city. Let me know what you think.

I'm currently working on getting a few postcards to you guys. Also, I'm still up for receiving letters! :)

Yesterday was our trip to St. Paul's Cathedral, the first Protestant Cathedral in England. It's very spatious in everyway, unlike some of the other churches we've visited. Every part of it is very open and naturally lit. The Dome is definitely the most attractive part of the design and I started to get dizzy just looking up at it. Like other cathedrals and museums, photography was not permitted, and like other cathedrals and museums we've visited, I managed to sneak a few. After that experience, Amanda and I had an awkward moment as we attempted to get our photo together on the front steps. Let's just say she tends to fall into me sometimes.

After St. Paul's we crossed the Millennium Bridge and talked about it for awhile before heading to the Tate Modern. Since Pizza Express was not so express, we only got to see the inside of the museum for about 15 minutes. What I saw was great, so we're definitely going back there to explore. We ended the day with some more English rain and a walk across the Tower Bridge.

I cannot wait until this weekend. It's our long weekend, since we get Friday off. Most people are going to Dublin or Paris, but Amanda (and 2 others in the group, Kathleen and Nathan) and I are going to Skye, Scotland. We still have to figure out the details with the train and hostels there, so I'm guessing it's going to run up the bill a bit. But it's SCOTLAND! And we were told Skye Isle is a wonderful place, so I'm sure it will be worth it.

Tomorrow we have to be ready to leave at a grueling 7AM to travel to Avebury and Salisbury. I'm ready for a day in the countryside of England and I have no idea what to expect. After the site study trip is our second group dinner, marking the middle of the program. I cannot believe it's almost half over already. I've become accustomed to the flow of the city, the sirens, the people, the food, I can't imagine being back in America quite yet.

To answer a few specific questions about life in London:

cell phones - called mobiles here, and people here are just as attached to them as they are in the States. Since most people go through their day as if only they existed, there aren't too many unspoken rules of etiquette I've picked up on. Most don't use them in the underground, but that may be because service is so poor. I wouldn't even say the English are any quieter on their mobiles, just maybe more respectful of a quiet area.

city travel - like many other cities that use a subway/underground/metro system, the London underground has the choice of getting tickets or a scanning card. We have cards (called oyster cards) that are scan-able for use of the tube or the bus systems. It's cheaper than buying weekly tickets and more efficient since it's faster to scan a card rather than feeding in a ticket - and trust me, you want it to be fast when gobs of people are rushing to get to their platform. So you go to the tube station, scan the card and the doors let you through - same goes for exiting as well. If you get through without scanning (which can be done), you are at risk of a fine if they do a random check, and those don't happen often. The oyster card works the same for the buses, but it's harder to sneak on since the drivers keep an eye on who scans their card. Buses are a neat experience, but I prefer the tube, even though it's hotter and dirtier.

food - Sure bangers and mash or fish and chips don't seem like fantastic meals, but that's British food for ya. I have not eaten any of these meals, but the pub food I have tried is fried, boiled and deliciously bad for you - especially at the Irish pub. Since London is full of European immigrants, there is literally every type of ethnic food available and it sure is good. It is kind of a joke that is said around here that the national dish is the Indian dish, chicken tikki masala. Even the "fast food" is great because they are usually sandwich shops that are chains like EAT, Enjoy, or my personal favourite, Pret a Manger. They make various sandwiches daily and it works kind of like a classy grab and go. All of these places, inluding the ethnic foods have a lot more vegetarian options as well. They are creative and really yummy - also properly labeled. The grocery stores have a lot of the same general selections, but with most animal products and other things being organic. The best thing I have eaten so far would have to be either the pasta at the pub or the avacado, spinach, tomato, cheese, yogurt wrap I had today at Pret. mmm.

internet - Our flat does technically have wireless, but it is awful strength and mostly annoys me. Only one of the guys has a computer here, and I'm the only other one with internet access because I can access it through my iPod, however this is a huge distraction and I try to make Amanda break my habit. So we've mostly been going to the i-caf to update and such. 1 pound per hour!

I hope everyone is diong well. Thanks again for the comments, I love it! Please check out my first batch of photos by clicking HERE .

Peace & Love

Gallery Hop

Short post, but picture previews!

Amanda and I went to 4 galleries here in London yesterday. The National Gallery, National Portrait Gallery, the Photographer's Gallery and the Victoria & Albert Museum. It was so overwhelming seeing amazing works of art. Tomorrow we'll visit the Tate Modern with the group as a part of our site study trip, which I'm very excited about. Today was spent getting started on the 10 papers I have due this week. Also, I have a novel to start, finish and write a paper on by wednesday. Amanda, Laura and I spent about 5 hours at our favourite pub, the Duke of York writing papers.

The weekend went very quickly and was productive, yet I'm still not ahead. Friday we went back down to covent gardens and found a cool place to hang out with everyone. Last night was a good old fashioned dance party in our flat, then ended with some good conversation with friends -- and we finally got music to play on our speakers!

If you want postcards, please e-mail me your address to hopkins.hillary@gmail.com

And mom & terry, I got the email and I'll answer the questions ASAP - they're good ones, keep 'em comin! I love all you Yanks!

Here are some obligatory shots of the last few days:

Mind the Gap!

My Flatmates on the tube

On Millennium Bridge going to the Globe

Tower Bridge from the Ferry

New Glue

I'm beginning to believe that the business here is going to be non-stop. We've seen some magnificent things so far this week, but it has been one of the most exhausting. Our schedule has been getting up between 7:30-8am and being out until later in the afternoon and not finishing homework until 2 or 3am. I'm hoping to manage my time better, as I would love to have time to go out and just sit or photograph.

Tuesday was AMAZING to say the least. We had our first time in an actual classroom for a few hours to discuss what we've done so far (and also attempt to learn some very elementary engineering). After that we went to a nearby university called AIU (American Intercontinental University - London)and visited their arts program. We got to look at some fantastic sample work and talk to some students (a few of which were from the States) about their experiences. The idea is that many students get two undergraduate art degrees - one in American and one here, so the students ranged from 18-25. I spoke with two students, one in photography whose work just blew my mind. Sure he's paying $170,000 in debt, but the opportunities the school provides are unbelievable. The other student is planning on staying in London and is already making a great wage. Their exhibition opening is tonight, but I will have to get to see it later. That night, we went as a group to see Shakespeare's A Mid-Summer Night's Dream at the famous Globe Theatre. It honestly went beyond my expectations. Everything was so well done, the acting, costumes, ambiance, music. Just being at the Globe made it the all better. It's an open roof amphitheater with all of the original design elements. We had great seats, right beside the stage in a balcony-type area. I wasn't expecting it, but I laughed until I just about cried. Shakespeare sure was kind of pervy and the actors put a great sense of physical comedy into it. After it was over, our section walked out and it was dark, of course. The view of the Millennium Bridge over the Thames looked magnificent with St. Paul's Cathedral standing beyond the other side of the river. We walked to the tube in awe of the sites and in true London fashion, it began to rain.

We were so exhausted on Wednesday because of the eventful Tuesday and gobs of homework to do. Amanda and I go on lock down in our room so we can write our papers. Last night was another one of those times because it was so tempting to go out and watch the England v. America football game. A few of the guys went to the game and said it was great even though we lost.

Yesterday we visited Greenwich (the beginning of time!) where I saw the Prime Meridian. I think if I could ever live in the city of London itself, it would have to be in Greenwich. It's so beautiful with large green spaces, river views, quaint houses and great shops. We took a ferry back to Westminster that was very chilly, but also lovely as we passed under the Tower Bridge and various beautiful homes.

As Amanda and I were eating our four cheese frozen pizza on our beds while writing papers, my loose lateral incisor fell out. I knew it was going to happen since it started to come loose after I arrived here. It was quite funny though, scaring the crap out of Amanda and the rest of my flatmates. I couldn't get ahold of Dr. Stoner so I found a Doctor on my own and told Sean about my situation. Since I wasn't in pain, I went to the site study trips until my appointment today. I felt a little embarrassed about the situation, but more embarrassed that Sean lent me fifty pounds so I didn't have to travel back to my flat. I was a little nervous getting there on my own from the South Kensington Museum since I had never truly been alone in the city. I found my tube station, connecting line just fine. I got the tooth re cemented and now I have my smile again! woo! I met back up with the rest of the group at the Victoria & Albert Museum where I was once again blown away by the art I got to experience. I literally saw my favourite photographers of all time (William Eggleston, Alfred Stieglitz, Julia Margaret Cameron, Joel Meyerowitz). I'm definitely going back to get a better look - and to see that piece by Raphael.

Once again, I'll refer you to Amanda's blog for some photos until I can get my own up here. I'm beginning to really miss my family & friends, even though I couldn't be happier about being here. Your comments really mean a lot to me! I ran up the phone bill last night by catching up with my Liz and it really made me miss home. I'll get to spend my 21st there celebrating though. Annie, I'll be sure to update for you as much as possible :) and I saw a blown glass vase today with kitties on it and it made me think of LOLcats...I'm pretty sure it's just you and Emily who will appreciate that.

Love from London!

When in London...

Apologies for the various typos, I'm typing on my iPod and can't easily make revisions.

The last few days have been incredibly busy and I have hardly had time to explain what I have really been doing do far. The weekdays are busy with site study trips, which are the equivalent of classes. 4 out of the 5 days we go out in the city with our group of 20 students and 4 faculty members (spouses sometimes included). We have carefully planned out itineraries that correspond nicely with our mass amounts of daily readings. As the city is our primary text in this program, there is a great deal of hands on learning and visual application. Everyday we meet in the lobby of our building and leave promptly at 9am and finish up around 2-3 in the afternoon. The day consists of the entire group trying to keep up with Sean (as he is the primary leader and extremely fast paced walker). We go to not one, but many sites in the city and make various stops to hear what the teachers have to tell us. Sometimes we stop along busy streets or quieter sections of parks and churches, so that can feel kind of strange. We have already seen so much that it feels overwhelming to try and explain. The idea is to learn about the city in an integrated way. This includes ideas of history, literature, architecture/engineering and aesthetics/art in London. Our trips are usually to specific sections of the city. As it would be impossible to do a completely chronological tour of the city, we instead learn each area and kind of make connections as we travel.

Thursday was our first site study trip and our itinerary included Westminster (Parliament & st. George's tower), Whitehall, the London Eye (which was unfortunately closed), Bank, Lloyd's, Swiss Re and Liverpool street. We took our first double decker bus home and Amanda and I got the two front seats on the upper level. I thought so many times that we were going to hit a pedestrian or bicyclist! Friday included sites like Monument, Magnus, London bridge (not to be confused with the tower bridge), Chespside, Guildhall, the museum of London, St. Bart's, Smithfield and Barbican. That may not make too much sense, but pictures should help when I get the chance to post some. We have also seen various beautiful churches inside and out as well as parks and squares. My favourite from this day was Postman's park, which appears in the movie, Closer.

Friday night made a splash into the awesome weekend ahead. The girls in my flat and I went to the national portrait gallery to see the vanity fair photographs on exhibit. We got all dressed up and made the mistake of wearing heels like the rest of the London women do on a daily basis. It was so great seeing some of my favourite photographer's work and so many iconic images of the last 90 years in portraiture.

After the return to the flat and a quick reunion at the pub with the rest of our group, some of us decided to go dancing. We went to an over priced, but happening place in Leicester Square and danced the night away. We all got to bond and it was nice how much we looked out for one another. Saturday was an attempt at doing homework all day then a trip to the Covent Gardens area that had a great trendy place where we all danced our faces off again. That night was our first experience with getting caught in the English rain - I loved it.

To answer a few questions I know my parents had:
I have not noticed the prices of petrol (gasoline) here, but it is undoubtedly expensive. Public transport is thecwsy to go. Our oyster cards take us all over central London (zones 1&2) in either the underground or by bus. There are a lot of cyclists here, not for fun, but as a means of travel and they fly fhrough the streets alongside the buses. Of course, the wealthy and extremely poor do not take public transportation, but it seems like the best way for most to travel. They do pretty well trying to promote energy conservation and environmental issues. Recycling us relatively easy and there are even a few "charging posts" for electric cars. Many of the new buildings are also made environmentally friendly - look up the Gerken, it's fantastic.

From what I have observed, the British do like their personal space. On the tube, especially in the busy mornings, they keep to themselves. Most read a book or the newspaper or listen to music. I try to do the same, but it's difficult in a large group. Even when I think I'm being quiet, I can still recognize the low roar of our American voices. I hate being labeled as "another loud yank" but I can see where londoners would come to that conclusion, especially after dealing with tourists daily. I have met some friendly, or at least curious British people. It's difficult to tell when they might be making fun of you since they seem to still be polite while carrying on a conversation. The pharmacist in a local drug store chatted with amanda and I about our upcoming presidential election. I was truly blown away by how
much he knew about American politics. He jokingly(?) assumed we were voting for McCain and supported the Bush administration. Another funny thing was wgen I talked to a guy from Yorkshire and when he didn't understand me he kept saying "say again, in English." I have found some uncomfortable situations with ordering food, too but I'm learning!

As I predicted, my temporary lateral incisor has come loose. It's still in place but can feeely move. If you ever need a periodontis, I urge you to go to dr. Jason stoner. I'm saying this because he is definitely kindly getting me through this problem and calling in favors for me, even overseas.

Today's trip was primarily centered around paddingtin station. I think this may be my favourite underground/train station so far. It's another rainy day and I regret bringing my rainboots and a waterproof coat. Oh well, bring on the showers! I have 7 papers total due this week and 2 to finish fit tonight so time to go at last! Amanda is currently reading a midsummer night's dream in preparation for seeing it tomorrow night at the Globe.

I know I said it before, but picture to come!

Update?

I'm dumb and forgot to bring my converter to the internet cafe, which I need to upload photos. check out Amanda's blog for a pretty good update and some photos so far. Also, I have too much homework and 40 seconds left on the internet to make a real post. Love love love!

We've Arrived in London

Sorry for this short, unorganized post, but the internet cafe is currently closing on me, so porper updating and details will come later.

Amanda and I made it here in Central London yesterday around noon after a series of strange events. First, our flight to North Carolina was delayed so much because of storms that we were going to miss our connecting flight to London. We were so stressed out about it, but luckily we got a new flight to Philidelphia, then to London-Heathrow. The best part was, they upgrtaded us to first class on accident. It was AMAZING. I felt like a celebrity and Amanda and I didn't quite know how to handle the treatment (or the space). Getting free drinks and fabulous meals while reclining in a chair all the way to London was a great way to travel. We didn't sleep much since we were so excited and overwhelmed by the service. We had the works, champagne, warm nuts, hot towels, cheesecake and comfort. Besides the stupid pressure headaches I get from fllying, it was definitely my best flying experience.

After we arrived at the airport, we easily found our luggage, went to the underground station to get our oyster cards and got a taxi to our flat. We were instantly greeted by the busy city. Since we arrived later than planned, we missed the group tour around our neighborhood with the faculty, so Dr. Hume gave the 4 late-comers a short version tour. The situation in the flat is probably the best it could be. The girls are split up into 2 groups and our flat consists of me, Amanda, Kelsie, Allison and Laura. We have two full bathrooms, a kitchen with tiny appliances and a living room.

For dinner, we had a group gathering at Al-dar, a Lebanese eatery that was fantastic. Dr. Saliba recommended some great dishes for us to try, and it helped that the waiter looked like a Middle Eastern Version of Shia Lebeouf. After dinner, the last game of the Euro Cup in football began and the whole city gathered in the pubs to watch. After our flatmates and I got groceries and unpacked, we met up with other UD students at the Duke of Yorke pub and had a pint of Stella Artois (Annie- this reminded me of you and Alex).

Today was our first real day in the city. I'll explain more later, but it was stressful, overwhelming and fun learning on the city streets with a group of 24.

Right now, My top worries (in order) of this trip so far are:

-Crossing the street
-Homework
-Money
-My loose tooth falling out

We saw so much that it's really difficult to sort it out right now with 3 minutes remaining. I'll write later, but I love and miss you all.

If you love me, please don't call or text me unless it's really important because it costs so much to use my mobile (although Courtney and Brandon, I did get your texts and I enjoyed them very much!) - my number should be the same, but you may have to include the country code (001) and if I do not answer, leave a voicemail.

Cheers!

10 Random Things I Learned in Texas

1. Reading 3 novels on vacation is an unrealistic goal
2. Traveling alone is surprisingly fun
3. Everything really is bigger in Texas
4. While taking long, indulgent showers is nice at times, it's even more pointless in Texas
5. Seeing a rainbow still makes me just as happy as it did when I was a kid
6. Being sick isn't half as bad when your best friend is down and out with you
7. Veggie hot dogs are the shit
8. Southern hospitality isn't a complete myth, but neither is racism
   
9. Courtney can in fact, make a good spaghetti dinner
10. Strangers fascinate me

The flight home was great. I couldn't stop looking out of the window as if it were my first time flying. At night when the clouds cleared, I could see the cities. The masses of light lined up looked like the pac-dots that pac-man has to eat as he goes through the maze.

3 days until London!!

Road Trip to Texas

Before I head off to London, I figured a trip to see one of my best friends, Courtney was in order. Courtney's wedding was at the beginning of February and I haven't seen her since. Actually, this has probably been the longest we've gone without seeing one another. Being so far apart from each other has been difficult in some respects, but we've been talking on the phone more than ever. With all of the expenses this summer will bring, I opted for a bus ticket down to Texas. Against my parents' preference, I got a round trip ticket from Dayton to Killeen. I have never been on a Greyhound before and I wasn't sure what I was getting myself in to, but I was excited and ready for whatever adventure the 27 hour bus ride had in store for me.

Luckily I learned what to do (and not to do) very quickly as I traveled. When I first got on the bus (that headed straight to Dallas) I sat by a guy who was my age. A group around him included twenty somethings that were very chatty. They didn't know one another, but it was interesting to see how they were already like a group of friends. It was nice to talk to them and hear about their lives, even though after a while I just wanted to listen to music and look out the window. I began to feel almost embarrassed for having luxuries like a car and a college education. The people I had talked to were my age and they had jobs and children to support. I guess more than anything, their stories made me thankful that I have the opportunities that I do, like traveling abroad for example. I never told anyone I was a first timer on the bus, but I assume this group knew since they gave me helpful pointers at my first stop. One thing I didn't expect was how much the bus stops. Most of the stops were Greyhound stations in other major cities, in which we had to get off of the bus (even in the middle of the night). The cities I can remember stopping in are: Cincinnati, Louisville, Bowling Green, Elizabethtown, Nashville, Memphis, Little Rock and finally, Dallas. I felt like I was in Tennessee for an eternity. We had an hour layover there where I began talking to an older woman from Dayton who was also going to Dallas. We talked about our families and our hopefulness for the improvement of Dayton. It surprised me, but she almost exclusively uses Greyhound for travel. She went on about how comfortable and nice her experiences have been. For mostly the rest of the trip I had the two seats for myself. I had a Mexican-American from NYC sit by me for awhile and she was very kind. Then at night I sat by a man who was wearing a Texas tuxedo with a horseshoe mustache, who was very polite and gave me both seats as soon as possible. Since I finally bought an iPod, I had fun finding music to match my experiences - mostly Johny Cash, Bob Dylan, Wilco and Th' Legendary Shack Shakers did the trick. We arrived in Dallas at 6:45am (the time of my next scheduled departure), so I missed my bus to Waco>Killeen. After the mix up and waiting for almost 2 hours, I got rescheduled to go to Austin, where Courtney graciously picked me up.


I was SO happy to be in Texas at last! I missed Courtney so much and it was nice to see the city with her. It's been so beautiful here, until recently - nearly 100 degrees on most days. The sun is closer and the sky feels even more expansive. The medians are full of these incredible wildflowers I've never seen in Ohio. They're all over and I saw purple, white and red wildflowers. I've even seen palm trees!


If anything, this week and a half in Central Texas has been very relaxing. I've spent a lot of time with Courtney and Orry, doing various things. My time here has been spent catching up with them, reminiscing, watching movies, laying in the sun and shopping. We've eaten out at so many fabulous new restaurants. I've had Italian, Mexican, French, Japanese and Korean food - who would have thought I'd get such multi-cultural cuisine? Courtney and Orry also have quite a spread here, even for my Vegetarian needs. They've been great hosts and their couch is so comfortable. Part of the time the idea of my best friend being married and having a completely different life does not surprise me at all. In fact, at times it seems so natural. Other times I still think it's completely weird and I'm just waiting for Ron and Kathy to come in. I know most people don't want to hear "you're just like your mother," but Courtney really is in some respects so much like her mom (which she wouldn't deny). The items in their refrigerator, the decor, the cleanliness, all remind me of being at the Wykoff's house.


I was supposed to be back in Dayton by now, but I'm staying until Saturday. I went to catch the bus at 1am in [scary] downtown Killeen, but when we finally made it through the stormy weather, the station appeared to be closed. Courtney had to be at the hospital since she's getting her gallbladder removed so I could not catch any of the returning buses that would get me back in less than 40 hours. I'm not above riding the bus, but 40 hours is pretty ridiculous. I have my parents to thank for getting me a flight home (Terry came to my rescue in this one). At least now, I can stay here and get caught up with all of my readings in preparation for London. It's also good that Orry and I can be here for Courtney post-op.

It's supposed to be a lot cooler the rest of my stay here. The lightning storms I've experienced are completely different from those in Ohio. The raining and the storms lasted throughout the night and into the next day. The wind blew up to 60mph in some areas and the rain sent an instant flood in the streets. The lightning was the most incredible because it's continuous and completely surrounds you. I've been spoiled with the intense heat here, I'll need to get used to moderate London temperatures soon. Only 5 more days in the States and I couldn't be happier about that!

And on an unrelated note...yay for progress!

LDN = 3 Weeks

In three weeks from today, I will be starting classes in London, England. I absolutely cannot wait. As finals week is coming to an end I find myself getting more and more anxious. There are so many loose ends to tie up at this point in the semester and so much still to do in preparation for London.

This summer is definitely one for travel. So far the master plan is to finish up school this Friday, then move back home. On the 7th I'll be taking my first trip to Texas to see my married friends for a week, which is very exciting. After my return back to OH I'll be scrambling to pack and get ready for Europe. My itinerary is to arrive in London on May 20th and spend 4 weeks there until June 21st. After the program is over, my fellow study abroad flatmate, photo major and future roommate, Amanda Baker will be traveling with me to a few other European countries. From June 21-28th we will see France, Switzerland and lastly, Ireland. We'll be back in the States just in time for my 21st birthday on June 29th!

Once I get back I hope to work at least a little while I'm at home. The end of summer might have another trip or two in store for me. Besides the occasional trip to my alma mater in Lancaster, I hope to visit another photo friend of mine who is residing in Boston for the summer. I'm not sure how that will work out, but it's an idea. A family vacation with my sister, dad and step-mom is also in the works. We'll likely go hiking in the Smokey Mountains in North Carolina for a few days.

As for now, I need to focus on finishing up with finals and saying goodbye to UD!