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Published: February 26th 2009
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Wow! So much has happened since last time, but I wanted to make sure I was a student first so I had to finish my paper for class before I could blog. I can’t even begin to explain just how busy I’ve been with classes, journaling, OP, traveling, and everything. It sure is making time fly by! It seems like yesterday I was getting here, but then again, it seems like this is home and I’ve been here for ever. Regardless, weeks are flying by, and I am falling behind on blogging. So here you go. Here’s the past two weeks or so.
Last weekend, we had friends from the London program came visit, so we took them all around and saw the beautiful landscape that they unfortunately don’t have in the city. Saturday night was ‘the rugby game of the year’ where Wales played England. Wales was defending its championship from last year, and we were told by Tecwyn to cheer for them. On the other hand, the students we went to watch the game with are all English, so we had a nice rivalry going on. The rest of the pub was a little more aggressive in the
rivalry. They did chants, sang songs, and insulted each other. The pub was packed and everyone knew exactly what was going on- except for the Americans. But I caught on pretty quickly. It was like the Iowa v. Iowa State game, plus the Superbowl, multiplied by 10! It was really fun to be in that atmosphere and see the different culture. Rugby is really fun!
In OP we went canoeing, built survival shelters and fires, and went abseiling (aka repelling). It was such a beautiful day and to say I’ve canoed on the Menai Strait is pretty neat. My group built our fire and shelter like pros! We would have no problem staying in the woods near the bank of the sea with what we built. It was a fun, relaxed day for OP.
On Wednesday, I took off for LONDON! I stayed with my friend Kathryn who is doing the study abroad program there. She and some other friends took me everywhere around London and were excellent hosts. I couldn’t have asked for a better situation. I got there at night so we walked around and saw all the sights at night with beautiful lighting. The London
Eye, Parliament, Big Ben, and Westminster were on the way to the hotel they live at.
The next day was packed with touristy stuff. First we went to the changing of the guard at Buckingham Palace. It reminded me of a bigger version of that at the Tomb of the Unknown at Arlington Cemetery, but a lighter, peppier show. There were two bands that marched in and various men in their official dress marched continuously from one end of the gate to the other. I thought the bands would play “God Save the Queen” or something formal like that. Nope! Of all songs, here is a short list: “Can’t Buy Me Love,” “Fernando,” “Mamma Mia,” and “Dancing Queen!” I found it very funny, and it definitely lightened the mood. Then we went on an assignment they had for their British Experience class and visited the John Soane Museum, Lincoln’s Inn Park, Royal Courts of Justice, and Temple Church. It was good to see the parts of London that aren’t so touristy, but are still really nice. A few of us continued on to the Tower of London, and the Tower Bridge, which was so pretty. It helped that it
was a gorgeous sunny day, and the first they had had in a while. Later that night, we went and sang karaoke. Needless to say- and I’m sure you could have guess- I sang Celine Dion, “Because You Loved Me!”
When we woke up Friday morning, I went around with a larger group of kids in the program there and went to Trafalgar Square. We went to the National Gallery where there are paintings by Rembrandt, Van Gogh, Michelangelo, and others. It was neat to see all of these in one place, and look at the difference in paintings from each century. We walked to Covent Gardens and then went to the Imperial War Museum. This museum was more recent history so it was something I could relate to easier being American. There were different floors for each war in the 20th Century and a Holocaust display comparable to that in D.C. It was a really nice museum with countless tanks, planes, cars, and submarines in the main entrance, and then rooms and rooms of information and artifacts, so it always kept us interested.
We got up early the next morning and went to Portabella Market in Notting
Hill. It was a really fun market with plenty of fruit, veggies, baked goods, meat, clothes, and antiques. The bread and muffins looked so good! We definitely got there at the right time because as we left it was packed. We walked around St. Paul’s Cathedral and Millennium Bridge, and then over to Piccadilly Circus, just to see them. Piccadilly Circus was just like Time Square but smaller and in London. St. Paul’s Cathedral was beautiful from the outside, but we didn’t get to go in. It was fun though to see those sites. We went to a club that night, which made me appreciate the prizes of dance clubs in Bangor.
On the last day in London, I went Hillsong for church. It was amazing! It was an atmosphere I needed. It was a huge concert hall packed with people, and a concert with a message in the middle. I absolutely loved it, and I really needed it. After church we walked through Hyde Park for a while and then took off back to Wales.
Things I learned from London: I could do that program, only for a semester though, but I would miss out on small town, country-side, OP, British friends, university life, a long spring break to travel, and Tecwyn! London was a great city, but I am glad I am in Wales right now. I love it here!
Since I got back from London, I have been writing papers, researching, climbing up cliffs, journaling, going to class, playing volleyball, and planning more trips. You heard me right- climbing up cliffs! For OP we went to Holyhead Mountain at the very Northwest tip of the Isle of Anglesey and went rock climbing. It was so much fun and was a great experience. I felt like Spiderman because I was literally climbing up the side of the mountain. It was really cool, and I learned to trust my partner to help me.
I’ve been planning trips too. Tonight we leave for Amsterdam and I think a few smaller Dutch towns around there. Next week I’m going to Hay-on-Wye, a town on the border of England and Wales, to visit a family friend. Then next weekend is a fieldtrip to another castle and some other stuff. I have a test Monday and have other work to do also. But next time I blog for you, I will have done plenty more, so be prepared! It’s a wild ride over here!
Have a marvelous day! 😊
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