Hey All! Busy but fun few days here. Tomorrow will be a full week since I left, and it seems like just yesterday I was leaving San Fransico to go to Denver. Anyways, I am absolutely LOVING it here! I live in a flat with six other girls (I share a room with my friends Sam and Kelly), and we take turns cooking and cleaning. Everyone is really nice and friendly, and we have bonded pretty quickly. I started classes on Thursday, and despite the heavier workload than we would like, they are going well. I am taking Shakespeare and Moral Psych, and both of my professors are awesome. We are examining sonnets and Henry IV (part 1) in my Shakespeare class, and the history is absolutely fascinating! Tomorrow in psych we have a debate on sex involving commitment and I (along with a classmate) will be leading a discussion on Samuel Johnson's novel Rasselas.
Now on to the fun stuff. We saw Les Mis Thursday night, and it was great. Despite some disturbing scenes in the second act, the music and acting was well done. Friday afternoon I spent the day with an old friend who I went to grade school with, but have not seen for six years. She has lived in London the past four years as she is attending school year. We walked around Covent Garden, had lunch, got coffee and went to a park. We spent seven hours together, which was pretty incredible, as I cannot remember the last time I spent so much time with someone.
Last night I went to a pub with some people (10 of us) to watch the soccer (or "football," as they say here). After the first inning, three of my friends and I left and explored the London Bridge. The views are amazing!
Double decker bus, and two views of the London Bridge
Today was our first full day in London, and I am tired, as I have been on the go all day. We left our apartment at 8:45 this morning for a boat tour along the Thames. On the boat, we had great views of Big Ben, the London Eye, the Parliament, and the back of the London Aquarium. After three hours of sitting on the boat, we got off and explored Hampton Court for about 2 hours. Hampton Court is the palace where Henry VIII lived with his six wives. It was really awesome being able to see the kitchen, dining rooms, bedrooms, common rooms, and all the other places where Henry and the royal family lived in the late 1500's. After exploring the inside of the palace, we (my friends and I) walked around the gardens, which were beautiful and unlike anything I have seen. Because the weather was hot today and we did A LOT of walking, we were all exhausted.
Compared to some of the other people I am staying with, I was not very jet lagged. Unfortunately, my internal clock decided to wake me up at 5:30 this morning (I went to bed at 10:15), which is unusual as I am not a morning person. I tried to fall back asleep, but after doing so unsuccessfully after an hour, I decided to get up. I am living in an apartment with six other girls, and am in a triple with my friends Sam and Kelly. Everyone is really nice, and I have been enjoying getting to know the other people in my program. Tomorrow we start classes, and are going to see Les Mis at night. Since most of the plays we are seeing are for our Shakespeare class, I am excited to see a musical for a change.
Anyways, here are some pictures from today. More later!
House of Parliament
London Eye
Big Ben and the Royal Court
Hampton Court
Pies in Henry VIII's kitchen
Henry's room: I wish I had a bed like that!
Fountain at Hampton Court Garden
Hello Everyone!
This is very surreal. It seems like just yesterday I was telling everyone I knew as soon as I got my acceptance letter (even though I was nervous about not getting into the program). Though it felt like this day would never come, I am leaving for London tomorrow, and will be there for six weeks. Anyways, since you all want to know what I will be up to when I'm there, I thought I would create a blog. This will allow you to enjoy following what I am doing over there, and I will not have to tell the same stories over and over. While I probably will not update it every day, I will do my best to post regularly (at least once a week). Also, feel free to leave comments at the end of my posts--I'd love to hear from y'all. Do enjoy. :)
Laura
