Goodbye London

I knew that when I left for London, three weeks was either going to be too long or too short.  If I came over here and didn’t feel like I really connected with anybody, then my time abroad couldn’t end soon enough.  Or, I could fill every day with new experiences with new friends and I wouldn’t want these three weeks to end.  And as I’m ending my time abroad, I’m wishing I had more time.

I’m a different person than I was three weeks ago.  As cheesy as that may sound, it’s true.  I’ve met new people, created new memories in these past few weeks that has already left an impact on me.  I’m feeling so much more inspired to travel and do things that will allow me to experience different parts of the world and different people.  I feel like I have gained so much from my time abroad and I’m having a really hard time wrapping my head around the fact that it’s over now.

The course I took, London: Culture Capital of the World has left me with a lot of new knowledge.  I felt like with this course, I was able to experience and learn about all different aspects of London culture, from humor to theater to art.  My professor Patrick, was absolutely fantastic.  He wasn’t always able to give us the class and the course work he wanted, but he worked with what he could.  He was always open to answer questions or discuss what fun, exciting events we had done in our free time.  He’s a professor I’m lucky I had.

Beyond my university course, I’ve learned so much about myself and learned so much from the people I’ve surrounded myself with.  They’ve helped make this experience amazing and they’ve taught me some great lessons I’m going to take with me.  Max has taught me to open myself up to meeting new people in any situation I’m in and to crush every moment.  Kay has taught me to have fun in every situation and to dance every chance I get.  Ceci has taught me to be strong in who I am and that the friendships I made here hold so much importance to me.

On one of my last nights in London, I went to a wine bar with my friends Kay, Ceci, Max, Courtney, and John.  We began reminiscing about our time in London and the friendships we had made.  Ceci was my first friend I met when I flew into London, both of us waiting at Terminal 5 in Heathrow to meet with our API representative Nadia.  We stayed together this entire time.  I met Kay the day I arrived in my flat, her living in the flat right above me.  Every moment we spent together, we became closer friends.  I met Max and John (as well as our other friend Ben) a few days into my time abroad, Ceci and I finding ourselves touring the Tower of London with them before heading to a nearby pub, Dicken’s Inn where we had some drinks and got to know each other.  Max even got to jam out to some JoJo while we were there.  I met Courtney that day too, and in the evening, we spent our first night out exploring the London nightlife.  The friendships I made here in London have filled me with so much happiness and left an important impact on me.  Standing there on that bridge that night overlooking London, it hit me that this experience abroad has been one of the best experiences of my life.

This adventure has been more than I ever expected and dreamed it would be.  I hoped that I would enjoy my course and meet some cool people.  I never expected to feel immersed in the London lifestyle, meet friends I will have for life, and feel like I could call this place home.  My walk to school became familiar, became routine, and my nights were filled with laughter and plenty of smiles.  I felt like I belonged here, that London had made a place for me.  And for that, I can’t thank London enough.

My Last Week

I knew that when I left for London, three weeks was either going to be too long or too short.  If I came over here and didn’t feel like I really connected with anybody, then my time abroad couldn’t end soon enough.  Or, I could fill every day with new experiences with new friends and I wouldn’t want these three weeks to end.  And as I’m concluding my last week in London, I’m wishing I had more time.

When I realized that I had exactly one week left here in London, I made a mental note to try and fit in as much as I could in the limited time I had.  I wandered around Harrod’s (and of course didn’t buy anything) and enjoyed a drink at a pub with the girls.  That last weekend I visited the Cotswolds and Oxford with my university social program and went out to a club that night that had poor music but strong drinks.  I visited Windsor Castle, while the Queen was in, at some point, actually worked on homework.  I went to a play called The Mousetrap with my friend Nick and giggled at our rock and roll tour guide with Kay.  The two of us met up with our friends Max, Ben, John, Bennett, and David at a jazz club before ending the night at our go-to, The Roxy.  I took my last field trip with my class to the London Museum and Tate Modern, finally having fish and chips for dinner that night.  We finished the week standing on a bridge, overlooking the city at night.

In one week, I was able to pack in hours worth of events that only adds up to a third of all the crazy and exciting events I’ve been able to participate while here in London.  It blows my mind that this was my last week in the city that stole my heart.

A Day at the Theater

One of the highlights of my London culture course is that we were able to take numerous field trips around the city.  We visited a few museums but the best trip we took was to the theater.  Our class met our professor at the Apollo Theater for a matinee showing of The Audience.  Starring Kristen Scott Thomas as the Queen of England, The Audience gives people a look at the weekly meetings between the Queen and the 12 Prime Ministers, from Winston Churchill to David Cameron who have held that position during her time as Queen.

Going into the theater that day, I wasn’t sure what to expect from this play.  I didn’t know if conversations between the Queen and political figures would hold my attention, but I found myself engaged throughout the entirety of The Audience.  Thomas beautifully and confidently portrayed the Queen, transitioning throughout different times in her life with ease.  Nicholas Woodesen played Harold Wilson with charisma and Mark Dexter’s David Cameron provided some surprising comedic relief.

Every day that I ride the tube, I see hundreds of posters for plays and musicals in London and the one that I always payed the most attention to was the posters for the musical Memphis.  I had seen it years ago at the 5th Avenue Theater in Seattle but in London, Matt Cardle was playing the male lead of Huey Calhoun.  For those who don’t know, Matt Cardle won the 2010 season of Britain’s X-Factor (beating One Direction) and I’ve been a fan of his for a few years now.  I wasn’t sure if I was going to have time to go see Memphis, with so many API and Westminster events to participate in, but I had a free evening the day I saw The Audience.  So I went and bought a 20 pound ticket from the Shaftesbury Theater and was blown away when I got to the theater and realized that my ticket was in the second row.

The moment the show started, I was incredibly giddy.  And the moment Matt Cardle busted through the door of Delray’s, I couldn’t stop smiling.  The musical was even better than I remembered.  I couldn’t help but sway in my seat every time Matt opened his mouth to sing and I was pleasantly surprised by his acting skills, southern accent, and comedic timing.  Memphis was his West End debut so I was really happy to see him fit into this role of Huey so perfectly.  His voice is even more amazing live and watching him sing along with Beverly Knight who plays his love interest Felicia absolutely gave me chills.  It’s safe to say that I’ve been listening to the soundtrack for days now.  

After the show, I really wanted to possibly, potentially, maybe see if I could meet Matt.  I had gone to stage doors after shows before and met actors, so I figured, why not try?  So I wandered over to the side door and waited it out, awkwardly standing amongst a few other audience members.  Dancers and supporting actors came out in spurts but I kept waiting.  Beverly Knight came out and I managed to mutter that she was amazing before getting a picture with her.  I waited for a few more minutes before the door opened and Matt walked out.  I didn’t want to miss my opportunity so I walked up to him.  I tapped him on the shoulder and asked if I could get a picture with him.  He said of course and sounded so genuine.  After taking a picture with him, I managed to sputter out that I was in London to study abroad and that I wasn’t sure I was going to have time to see the show but since I had a free evening, I came by.  He said he was so happy I was able to make it and thanked me when I told him how amazing he was on stage.  We hugged before I walked away, wanting to give the other audience members who waited around a chance to talk to him.  

I’m not even lying when I say that that was one of the best nights of my life.  I was able to experience a part of London culture that is so huge and meet someone who I’m a huge fan of.  And the fact that Matt was incredibly sweet and kind made it even better.  Definitely a night, and a day, I’m always going to remember.

Another Weekend of Traveling

This last weekend was full of even more excursions.  On Saturday, with my University of Westminster social program, I traveled to the Cotswolds and Oxford.  Thankfully, this trip was a shorter one than the one was to York.  The Cotswolds was more of a village because of its small size. When there, I finally had tea and the most delicious tea cakes.  We were only given a short amount of time there, so before I knew it, we all boarded the bus and headed towards Oxford.

Oxford was absolutely beautiful, historical and detailed buildings surrounded us.  We were taken on a walking tour and found ourselves at Christ Church, a local college.  All of us on the tour had a little freak out moment when we were told that part of Harry Potter was filmed there!  The stairs Harry walks up in the first film to see Professor McGonagall before being sorted, I walked on them.  The Great Hall, I walked through the dining area that inspired that set design.  I couldn't get over the architecture of every building we came across and was blown away by it all.

Yesterday, Sunday, with API, I went to visit Windsor Castle.  We were able to take an audio tour of the castle, even seeing the state apartments and Queen Mary's Dollhouse.  You could feel the history in every room and in the artifacts.  After a couple hours of walking around, a group and I went to grab dinner before everyone boarded our bus to head back to London.  Overall, it was a very busy weekend that left me thoroughly exhausted.

Weekend in York

Damn, I’ve had a busy weekend.  While participating in events that API is having us do while here in London, I’m also participating in a social program through the University of Westminster.  This weekend, we were to take a trip to York, an almost four hour journey from London.

On Saturday morning, Kay, Gaby, Kristen, and I got up at the crack of dawn to head to the tube station.  The night before was a late one so I was exhausted as we made our way to Russell Square, bags and Oyster cards in hand.  We were to catch the bus with everyone else in the social program at 7:30 that morning and we left with plenty of time to spare, trust me.  We had to go from the Russell Square station to King’s Cross, then to Bank.  Unfortunately for us, the tube was delayed and we had to wait and watch as 7:30 approached quicker.  We finally boarded the tube with less than 10 minutes to get to the bus and we were all a nervous wreck.  When the doors opened at the Bank station, the four of us took off in a dead sprint.  I’m not kidding, we were running through the tube station, weaving in and out of people, hoping that the bus hadn’t left without us, only about a minute to go.  Luckily, as we ran up to the bus and our two adult chaperones, they informed us that they had heard the tube was delayed and we all, completely out of breath, boarded the bus.

The bus ride up to York was highly uncomfortable and Kay and I struggled to get comfortable enough to properly sleep.  Lots of changing sleeping positions and getting kinks in my neck.  Making only one pit stop to get food and go to the bathroom, we finally arrived in York.  We began our time there walking around York Minster and we all were amazed by how grand it was.  The architecture was unreal and the scale of it all was hard to comprehend.  From there, we were taken to the youth hostel where we would be sleeping that night.  After a quick nap, we worked our way into town for a meal at a tavern (Kay had a full bowl of cheese fries.  And they tasted amazing).  Kay and I then decided to take a ghost tour around town and our tour guide was absolutely hilarious.  He was very animated and we couldn’t stop giggling.  With all the walking we had done that day, I fell asleep that night in no time.

We all woke up early the next morning, our bus departing around 9:00.  We drove down to Fountains Abbey where we saw old church ruins and a beautiful water garden.  Kay and I decided that we wanted to see as much as we could, so we literally walked around the entire area, eventually reaching the furthest point, St. Mary’s Church.  By the time we made it back to the Visitors Center, we had clocked a time of about 45 minutes and while we were proud of how we powered through that, we were sweating and exhausted.  The next stop our bus took was at Hardwick Hall.  This house was built for Bess of Hardwick, who remarried for four times and each time, moved higher up in status.  She raised her granddaughter in this house, who she was trying to groom to be the next Queen of England, which never happened.  The house was full of so much history and I felt very immersed in the story of the women who occupied this grand house.  I also got to know a few more people who were participating in the social program with me, so that was nice!

From Hardwick Hall, our bus made one more food and bathroom pit stop before finishing our journey back to London.  It felt nice to see a different part of England this weekend.  Because I’m only here for three weeks, I don’t have as much to explore the outer scope of the country and this weekend trip offered me just that.

When the Tube Shuts Down

Last Wednesday, a tube strike began in London.  It began Wednesday early evening and continued into Thursday, all day.  Because of this strike, my class got cancelled on Thursday since my professor could not make it to class.  

I decided to take that day to myself and explore London a bit.  My flat is a close walk away from the British Museum so I headed over that morning.  I found myself climbing the stairs to wander through artifacts, mummies, statues, and “rescued” treasures.  It was amazing, to be amongst that much history.  I found myself particularly drawn to the busts of different leaders of Rome, reading all of their short biographies with patience.  I made my way through all the different exhibits, getting lost in the past.  I remained at the museum till school groups started showing up and it began becoming chaotic.

From the British Museum, I went to a 24 hour cafe called VQ where I treated myself to a full English breakfast, consisting of eggs, an english muffin, a tomato, a mushroom, baked beans, sausage, and bacon.  That was something I had put on my London bucket list and I absolutely loved it.

So even though the Tube was down, I made the most of that day in London.

First Weekend in London

This past few days have been an absolute whirlwind, to say the least.  On the morning of July 2nd, my parents drove up to Bellingham to pick me up.  I had spent the days before that frantically pacing throughout my apartment making sure I hadn't forgotten anything while packing.  From Bellingham, we continued up to Vancouver where I would be flying out of.  Once at the airport, I was able to finally grasp the idea that I was going abroad to study in London.  This trip had been a dream for so long, so for it to become reality was exciting.  I spent my time at the airport trying to calm my nerves and get my carry-ons situated.  

The flight from Vancouver to Calgary was a breeze.  I slept most of the two-hour trip and before trying to figure out how to kill the three hour layover I had in Calgary.  I ended up sitting at a bagel place and checked social media as well as went over all my travel paperwork.  I wanted to make sure that once I arrived at Heathrow, I knew exactly where to go.  The flight from Calgary was slightly less enjoyable than the one from Vancouver.  Thankfully, I had a small screen that provided me with hours of movies and television, as well as a surprisingly delicious meal the passengers were served.  The only problem was that I could not get comfortable enough in my aisle seat to get a decent amount of sleep.  I probably used my neck pillow five times in numerous different sleeping positions and just couldn't fall asleep.  By the time we landed in London, I think I probably slept three hours of the 13 hours I had been traveling.  

Because of excessive air traffic, my flight was about thirty minutes late to the terminal.  This was when I started to slightly panic.  I had to meet an Academic Programs International representative at 11:30 at Terminal 5 and I was in Terminal 2.  So, in an hour and half I had to make it through customs, grab my checked suitcase (that I was worried was going to get lost because I had taken a connecting flight), and figure out how to get to another terminal in an airport I was unfamiliar with.  Somehow, I managed to keep my cool and that was most likely due to the fact that the line at customs went fairly quickly.  I gave the official  my proper paperwork and received my Short Term Student Visa stamp in my passport.  I then walked the few yards to baggage claim where I saw my suitcase traveling around the conveyer belt.  I actually ran towards it because I was so happy to see it!  Heathrow Airport had plenty of signage and I was able to figure out that the Heathrow Express would take me to the other terminals.  An airport official kindly pointed me in that direction and I was able to quickly catch the next train, getting me to Terminal 5 with a little over five minutes to spare.  I met the API representative Nadia there as well as other students participating in the same program as me, many arriving to the terminal shortly after I did.  After a while of waiting for our bus, our group left Heathrow and started our journey to London.

I am currently living in a flat on a street full of other API students.  I live on the same floor as two other girls and four girls live on the floor above us, the stairs to their flat beginning in ours.  

My first few days here in London were spent mainly with other students studying through API.  On our very first day, we had an initial orientation and received some helpful paperwork, such as maps and our Oyster card, which would allow us to ride the Tube.  Later that night, a couple girls and I grabbed food from a nearby Pret a Manger and took it to the park right by our flats.  Everybody was so tired and I ended up crashing around 9:30.  The next day, we had a little more orientation information to go over before heading to the Tower of London.  We all received maps and were set free.  We traveled around the grounds, exploring different towers and checking out artifacts.  After that, a group of us went to a nearby inn to grab a few drinks and get to know each other.  Later that night, a group of us went out to check out the London nightlife and I was not disappointed!  Yesterday, us API students took a rainy walking tour around London, riding the Tube to different landmarks.  We saw Trafalgar Square, Big Ben, Buckingham Palace, and Piccadilly Circus.  It was nice to also be with our other API representative Lucy because she grew up in England and I spent some time talking to her about British actors and shows that I enjoyed.  We finished out our time grabbing lunch in a local tavern.

As well as participating in events with API, I was able to begin my social program with the University of Westminster.  Yesterday was our first event at the London Eye.  I'm not the biggest fan of heights but I couldn't pass up the experience of seeing the city from a new point of view.  A couple was getting married in a pod a few down from us so that was pretty cool.  As the wheel took us around, all of us mingled and tried to get to know each other, while also taking in the most amazing view of London.  From there, we took a walking tour around parts of London I had yet to see and it's safe to say my feet were absolutely killing me at this point.  I swear, I've walked so much that I'm surprised the soles of my shoes haven't worn out yet.  But we finished our day at a pub where we enjoyed a complimentary drink before my flatmates and I rode the Tube successfully back to our place.  That was quite the accomplishment for us.

Today was my first day of class at the University of Westminster.  A small group of us were taken to our orientation at 10:00 this morning where we were given the typical run down.  Safety tips, transportation help, university log-in assistance, all that good stuff.  We were then taken to a lunch before splitting up into our class groups.  My module (class) is called London: Culture Capital of the World and is on the fifth floor of the Westminster Regent Street building, so more walking for me.  My professor was a journalist and has a lot of knowledge about London culture.  During my time here, we'll be learning about many aspects of London culture, such as music, film, art, and design, while being able to go on excursions to galleries and the theatre.  I'm greatly looking forward to what 

I can learn from this class.

I have many more events through API and Westminster coming up soon and I can't wait for them.  Already I've met some really great people and I can't wait to see what more London has to offer!