I did get up in time to go to Battersea park today. It was really nice - I like getting up and being able to do something like that before going on with my day.
In theatre class, we talked about Bertolt Brecht. He was a playwright who came up with the idea that it was best for a theatre production to constantly remind an audience that what they are watching isn't real - it's theatre. Through doing this, it prevented the audience from emoting with the characters and zoning out and going to their happy place - it made them think about what's really going on in the story. However, if someone actually adopted all of his advice, I think it would be a rather strange performance. For example, one of the things he said to do was constantly switch casting around (regardless of gender) and mess up the order of the scenes. This meant that characters could be wandering around with a script during a scene. You could also project what the scene is actually about onto the back wall, or maybe lyrics to a song that a character is singing and a stage manager could get the audience to sing along.
My teacher said that one time she directed a play entirely in a Brecht-ian style (in her defence she said that she was 24 at the time :] )and she purposely picked actors to sing and play instruments that had no musical ability. I don't think I would have been able to sit through that entire performance, or even three scenes.
Nicole is in Henley (another area of London) tonight - apparently there's a really nice nightlife and a rowing competition (she's on the crew team at her college). So, I've had the room to myself since I got back from class. I ate lunch and took a nap - I seem to be taking a lot of those lately. I've also been staying up later though, so that probably helps.
After my nap, I had dinner and met up with the rest of the class to go to tonight's show. The venue itself was pretty cool - it was recently converted from a library. There was writing all over the walls detailing future plans and asking for suggestions and thoughts about what to do. We also got to walk around backstage during the intermissions. In the loo, I saw a quote on the wall: 'A woman needs a bicycle like a fish needs a man.' Wondering what the bloody hell that meant, I looked it up when I got back to my room and found another quote: 'A woman needs a man like a fish heeds a bicycle.' That one makes a bit more sense.
The show was very interesting. The National Theatre gave them 9 props (including a necklace of fingers O.o) and three pllaywrights gave a number of stage directions. Three in-house playwrights then had to write one short play each involving whatever of those props they chose and the stage directions from one of the other playwrights. All three plays had different seating layouts - the first one had the audience on three sides of the stage, the second had us all around it and the third was a more traditional layout. They were all a bit strange and hard to understand at times, but the actors were amazing.
Going to shows (through class or West End) and listening to soundtracks is making me miss pit. I love playing in the pit, I'll have to ask my orchestra director if there's anything like that in the West Lafayette area when I get back to school.
It's interesting to read through my blog posts now. I usually type them so late that I don't bother proofreading them and so I find typos after. Sorry about those.
My days have been rather laid back lately and that means that the entries are shorter, but I'm going to Stonehenge, Salisbury and Bath this weekend so that should provide more long entries. Hopefully I'll be able to post something Saturday night, if not I'll do Saturday's entry on Sunday when we get back and write up Sunday's entry later that night.
It's another late night tonight, but I get to sleep in tomorrow :D
Till then,
-Squirt (my parents call me that, if you've never heard it before)
Thursday, June 30, 2011
Wednesday, June 29, 2011
Dancing Through Life (or just for an hour in my room...)
Today was fairly uneventful. In Living and Dying we talked about the Great Fire. It burned 80% of the city in 5 days, including stone buldings and lead roofs. However, everyone wanted to get everything back up and get on with their lives again quickly, so a lot of the city was rebuilt in 5 years.
After class, Brittney and I met up to plan how we're going to get to Cornwall for our host visit. (I don't know if I told y'all - I'm going on the Host thing with Brittney who is also in IES.) We looked at train tickets and it was unfortunate that they were going to be so expensive, but then we found a coach that would get us there and back for £16 each. We chose that one :D We're also excited to have someone to travel with.
I also planned out my trip to Dover. I was going to get a train ticket, but the website didn't want to accept my credit card so I found a coach to get me there too. It's £15 for both ways and the trips are about the same length as they would be on a train, so it's a win-win :D I also looked at some things to do - I'm definitely going to see the Cliffs (that's why I'm going after all...) and Dover Castle looks pretty cool too. I'm really excited!
Nicole had to go see a film screening at the Centre for a class, so I was by myself in the room for a while. I was kinda bored, so I decided to play the Wicked soundtrack and sing along. It was fun :D The Lion King came on after, but Nicole returned to I wasn't dancing around the room like I was ;]
I was still antsy and bored, so I went to wander around Battersea Park. There were a ton of water features and flowers, and I had way too much fun with my camera. I took 57 pictures, I think that's the most I've taken any day so far, and it was all in the span of an hour. I love my camera :D I've wanted to go there since we got here, and I'm hoping that I'll be able to get up early tomorrow to take another walk before class :]
Short post, but it was an uneventful day. Tomorrow we're going to see Where's My Seat? with Theatre class, so that should be interesting - apparently it's 3 different plays and we're going to move around because they're trying to figure out the best seating arrangement for the venue, which is brand new.
Till then,
-Carly
After class, Brittney and I met up to plan how we're going to get to Cornwall for our host visit. (I don't know if I told y'all - I'm going on the Host thing with Brittney who is also in IES.) We looked at train tickets and it was unfortunate that they were going to be so expensive, but then we found a coach that would get us there and back for £16 each. We chose that one :D We're also excited to have someone to travel with.
I also planned out my trip to Dover. I was going to get a train ticket, but the website didn't want to accept my credit card so I found a coach to get me there too. It's £15 for both ways and the trips are about the same length as they would be on a train, so it's a win-win :D I also looked at some things to do - I'm definitely going to see the Cliffs (that's why I'm going after all...) and Dover Castle looks pretty cool too. I'm really excited!
Nicole had to go see a film screening at the Centre for a class, so I was by myself in the room for a while. I was kinda bored, so I decided to play the Wicked soundtrack and sing along. It was fun :D The Lion King came on after, but Nicole returned to I wasn't dancing around the room like I was ;]
I was still antsy and bored, so I went to wander around Battersea Park. There were a ton of water features and flowers, and I had way too much fun with my camera. I took 57 pictures, I think that's the most I've taken any day so far, and it was all in the span of an hour. I love my camera :D I've wanted to go there since we got here, and I'm hoping that I'll be able to get up early tomorrow to take another walk before class :]
Short post, but it was an uneventful day. Tomorrow we're going to see Where's My Seat? with Theatre class, so that should be interesting - apparently it's 3 different plays and we're going to move around because they're trying to figure out the best seating arrangement for the venue, which is brand new.
Till then,
-Carly
Tuesday, June 28, 2011
No One Mourns the Wicked
This morning, it was still hot and stuffy in our room. Nicole and I both wore summer clothes to class, but once we were off the tube and out of the station we discovered that maybe that wasn't such a good idea - it was a little chilly. I decided that I was going to go back to the room to grab a sweatshirt for me and a jacket for Nicole ater my class before we met up to go to the theatre for Wicked.
Theatre class was fairly uneventful. We talked about Chicken Soup With Barley and basically agreed as a group that it was really good.
After class was a meeting for people going on the trip this weekend. We talked through the itinerary and signed up for roommates and what we want for dinner.
After the meeting, I walked with KB and Ivy to get some bubble tea. While we were there, it started pouring so we stalled a bit before going back to the tube station to get home. It wasn't raining at South Kensington, so KB decided that she wanted Ben's Cookies (this store next to the station that sells amazing cookies). Well, while we were inside there, it started raining again. We all ate our cookie and by the time we finished it had stopped again. We debated taking a bus back to the res hall, but decided that we might as well walk (it's a 5-10 min walk).
After all this adventuring, I only had about 10 minutes in the room before I was going to leave to meet Nicole after her class. I changed into jeans and grabbed jackets for us and went back to the tube station.
When we got to the theatre, there was a line to the box office and I was afraid that we wouldn't be able to get tickets, but we did and they were pretty good ones too. The cool thing about getting tickets at the box office is that we get the cool looking tickets, not the ticketmaster printoffs. That was at 5 pm, the show wasn't until 7.30. We got dinner and that killed an hour, then we stalled in a Pret for another hour until the house opened.
I got carded for the first time at dinner. Nicole and I both decided that we wanted a drink with our dinner and so I ordered a Malibu and pineapple - and the bartender asked for ID. I'm glad I moved it into my ID holder, the people at the first pub I went to didn't ask me with either drink.
While stalling in Pret, I read an article in the Evening Standard about how the British education system 'no longer encourages children to read books, let alone absorb them or get lost in them'. Evidently time and testing constraints make it so they mostly teach in excerpts rather than whole books. I wouldn't survive very long int he system as it is today :]
Wicked is such an amazing show. There were a few lines that I understood better and were better now that I've actually seen The Wizard of Oz. Nicole had never seen Wicked before, and now she's in love with the man who played Fiyero. He was a rather beautiful man :D In Britain, you can go to the stage doors if you want and see the cast and crew as they leave, so we went down there and she got his autograph and a picture with him. I'm jealous :] Before he got out there, I saw a violinist leave and I think that was the fastest packing up of a violin that I've ever seen - they were still playing when we left the theatre and she walked out about three minutes after we got to the door. Other instruments followed, but they probably had their cases with them. We could never do that - our pits were rarely big enough for us, let alone all our cases and things as well.
We both agreed that Elphaba was a very pretty woman while looking through the pictures in the programme, and she also had a great voice once the show started. I'd forgotten that they went stright from The Wizard and I (her first big song) into What is This Feeling? (she sings this with Galinda), I thought that was impressive.
Glinda had a great voice, but anyone cast as her has an amazing voice in my opinion - Glinda has such a range. Glinda and Elphaba had an amazingly fas costume change going from the scene where they decide to go to the Emerald City together and they run off stage and come back in completely different outfits for One Short Day (the song that they start when they decide to go together). It was very good.
And, in addition to being very hot, Fiyero had a great voice as well. He also danced well :D
And now it's 12.56 am and I have class at 10, so I'm going to sleep.
Till then,
-Carly
Theatre class was fairly uneventful. We talked about Chicken Soup With Barley and basically agreed as a group that it was really good.
After class was a meeting for people going on the trip this weekend. We talked through the itinerary and signed up for roommates and what we want for dinner.
After the meeting, I walked with KB and Ivy to get some bubble tea. While we were there, it started pouring so we stalled a bit before going back to the tube station to get home. It wasn't raining at South Kensington, so KB decided that she wanted Ben's Cookies (this store next to the station that sells amazing cookies). Well, while we were inside there, it started raining again. We all ate our cookie and by the time we finished it had stopped again. We debated taking a bus back to the res hall, but decided that we might as well walk (it's a 5-10 min walk).
After all this adventuring, I only had about 10 minutes in the room before I was going to leave to meet Nicole after her class. I changed into jeans and grabbed jackets for us and went back to the tube station.
When we got to the theatre, there was a line to the box office and I was afraid that we wouldn't be able to get tickets, but we did and they were pretty good ones too. The cool thing about getting tickets at the box office is that we get the cool looking tickets, not the ticketmaster printoffs. That was at 5 pm, the show wasn't until 7.30. We got dinner and that killed an hour, then we stalled in a Pret for another hour until the house opened.
I got carded for the first time at dinner. Nicole and I both decided that we wanted a drink with our dinner and so I ordered a Malibu and pineapple - and the bartender asked for ID. I'm glad I moved it into my ID holder, the people at the first pub I went to didn't ask me with either drink.
While stalling in Pret, I read an article in the Evening Standard about how the British education system 'no longer encourages children to read books, let alone absorb them or get lost in them'. Evidently time and testing constraints make it so they mostly teach in excerpts rather than whole books. I wouldn't survive very long int he system as it is today :]
Wicked is such an amazing show. There were a few lines that I understood better and were better now that I've actually seen The Wizard of Oz. Nicole had never seen Wicked before, and now she's in love with the man who played Fiyero. He was a rather beautiful man :D In Britain, you can go to the stage doors if you want and see the cast and crew as they leave, so we went down there and she got his autograph and a picture with him. I'm jealous :] Before he got out there, I saw a violinist leave and I think that was the fastest packing up of a violin that I've ever seen - they were still playing when we left the theatre and she walked out about three minutes after we got to the door. Other instruments followed, but they probably had their cases with them. We could never do that - our pits were rarely big enough for us, let alone all our cases and things as well.
We both agreed that Elphaba was a very pretty woman while looking through the pictures in the programme, and she also had a great voice once the show started. I'd forgotten that they went stright from The Wizard and I (her first big song) into What is This Feeling? (she sings this with Galinda), I thought that was impressive.
Glinda had a great voice, but anyone cast as her has an amazing voice in my opinion - Glinda has such a range. Glinda and Elphaba had an amazingly fas costume change going from the scene where they decide to go to the Emerald City together and they run off stage and come back in completely different outfits for One Short Day (the song that they start when they decide to go together). It was very good.
And, in addition to being very hot, Fiyero had a great voice as well. He also danced well :D
And now it's 12.56 am and I have class at 10, so I'm going to sleep.
Till then,
-Carly
Monday, June 27, 2011
I'm losing weight just typing this...
I'm loving the warm weather, but I'd rather not be living in a sauna O.o This morning was terrible - Nicole and I were seriously dripping in sweat. It's really gross and now it's to the point where Nicole and I are hoping that it storms tomorrow - the rain will cool it down!
Today, we went to the Monument to the Great Fire of 1666 in Living and Dying. It's a large tower with a winding staircase of 311 steps. I don't like heights, so I went up, took some pictures, and went back down. We got a certificate thing saying that we made it up the Monument, it was exciting :D
After the monument, we went to Guildhall Library to work on our research paper topics. I think I'm doing mine on infanticide - so a happy topic. But there was a case where a woman was going into labour and she just told her servant that she was feeling nauseous. Her servant didn't believe her, but she didn't know the entire truth. What I want to know is how that woman concealed the fact that she was 9 months pregnant! I thought the dresses back then flaunted your hips, not your stomach...
When I got back to the room, the stifling heat hadn't gotten much better. The unfortunate thing about the heat is it was making us both rather lazy. We needed to get laundry done and we both stalled for a while because we didn't want to get up.
Eventually, though, we did manage to get up and get it done. After, we went to the Victoria and Albert Museum. The V&A is a museum centred around art, so there were sculptures all over the place. I had heard that there was a display of pld instruments and I wanted to see that, but we couldn't find it. I did see a really cool grand piano.
We were making our way to the Thratre and Performance section, thinking the instruments would be there, and looking at some tapestries (I definitely saw the word 'tapestries' and thought it in Indiana Jones's voice from The Last Crusade in my mind. Tapestries! If you don't know what I'm talking about, watch this. It's not the best quality but you can hear what I'm hearing in my head :D ) I don't even remember what Nicole and I were talking about, but I glanced through a doorway and stopped mid-sentance and said 'Ooh, Scar!' Scar and Sarabi's costumes from the West End show were on display in the theatre section. It was really cool to see them up close like that. On the way back from the V&A, Nicole and I went to Waitrose to get me some more vegetarian country pies (they're yummy and easy to make - just throw it in the oven for 30 min and I''ve got a meal!) and we found the J2O! Nicole and I were so excited and now have to practice some self control to not drink them all right now :] We also discovered that our kitchen has a bottle opener - we weren't sure if the bottles were twist top or not - which is lucky since they aren't.
When we got back to our room, I changed into a softball shirt and athletic shorts and I'm a little toasty but much more comfortable than earlier. I checked my emails and saw that Mrs Harper - my host mom in Cornwall - sent me an email. I thought that was very sweet, and I'm excited to go visit :]
I saw on facebook that someone talked about the Blagojevich retrial and I'm so glad that I'm not there for that. I'm so tired of him.
Nicole and I were going to try and go to Wicked tonight, but it was entirely sold out when we looked online so we're going to try again tomorrow. She's never seen it, I'm excited to see it again :D Hopefully it'll work out.
This entry is a rather random and jumping entry, but that's what the day was like, really. Tomorrow there's a meeting for everyone going on the trip to Stonehenge, Salisbury and Bath this weekend. I'm curious how they're going to sort out the room assignments, by roommates? By request? I guess we'll see.
Till then,
-Carly B
Today, we went to the Monument to the Great Fire of 1666 in Living and Dying. It's a large tower with a winding staircase of 311 steps. I don't like heights, so I went up, took some pictures, and went back down. We got a certificate thing saying that we made it up the Monument, it was exciting :D
After the monument, we went to Guildhall Library to work on our research paper topics. I think I'm doing mine on infanticide - so a happy topic. But there was a case where a woman was going into labour and she just told her servant that she was feeling nauseous. Her servant didn't believe her, but she didn't know the entire truth. What I want to know is how that woman concealed the fact that she was 9 months pregnant! I thought the dresses back then flaunted your hips, not your stomach...
When I got back to the room, the stifling heat hadn't gotten much better. The unfortunate thing about the heat is it was making us both rather lazy. We needed to get laundry done and we both stalled for a while because we didn't want to get up.
Eventually, though, we did manage to get up and get it done. After, we went to the Victoria and Albert Museum. The V&A is a museum centred around art, so there were sculptures all over the place. I had heard that there was a display of pld instruments and I wanted to see that, but we couldn't find it. I did see a really cool grand piano.
We were making our way to the Thratre and Performance section, thinking the instruments would be there, and looking at some tapestries (I definitely saw the word 'tapestries' and thought it in Indiana Jones's voice from The Last Crusade in my mind. Tapestries! If you don't know what I'm talking about, watch this. It's not the best quality but you can hear what I'm hearing in my head :D ) I don't even remember what Nicole and I were talking about, but I glanced through a doorway and stopped mid-sentance and said 'Ooh, Scar!' Scar and Sarabi's costumes from the West End show were on display in the theatre section. It was really cool to see them up close like that. On the way back from the V&A, Nicole and I went to Waitrose to get me some more vegetarian country pies (they're yummy and easy to make - just throw it in the oven for 30 min and I''ve got a meal!) and we found the J2O! Nicole and I were so excited and now have to practice some self control to not drink them all right now :] We also discovered that our kitchen has a bottle opener - we weren't sure if the bottles were twist top or not - which is lucky since they aren't.
When we got back to our room, I changed into a softball shirt and athletic shorts and I'm a little toasty but much more comfortable than earlier. I checked my emails and saw that Mrs Harper - my host mom in Cornwall - sent me an email. I thought that was very sweet, and I'm excited to go visit :]
I saw on facebook that someone talked about the Blagojevich retrial and I'm so glad that I'm not there for that. I'm so tired of him.
Nicole and I were going to try and go to Wicked tonight, but it was entirely sold out when we looked online so we're going to try again tomorrow. She's never seen it, I'm excited to see it again :D Hopefully it'll work out.
This entry is a rather random and jumping entry, but that's what the day was like, really. Tomorrow there's a meeting for everyone going on the trip to Stonehenge, Salisbury and Bath this weekend. I'm curious how they're going to sort out the room assignments, by roommates? By request? I guess we'll see.
Till then,
-Carly B
Sunday, June 26, 2011
Shopping in 28 degrees
Today was such a beautiful day! It was 28 degrees C (about 85 F or so).
Nicole and I went to Oxford Street today. It was really cool - the buildings were neat and Nadal was all over the place. Nicole really likes him, so she was distracted whenever a bus with him in it would drive by :D
For lunch, we went to this place called Garfunkel's. I had the best Margherita pizza I've ever had - it was so yummy! We both had this apple and mango juice that was absolutely delicious and we're planning on looking for it when we go shopping again. We also had this dessert waffle topped with ice cream and toffee that was really good.
We went to H&M because Nicole needed new shoes and I got some fun socks. I love fun socks :D
Then we went to Nike Town - the store with Nadal posters in all the windows :] Nicole found this cool shirt - it's a Nike tennis shirt that said 'Bring on the Reign' over the Union Jack.
Then we got to the Disney store! Nicole was laughing that a 19 and a 20 year old wanted to go into a Disney store for themselves, and I laughed at her. I told her how 4 high school graduates and their mothers went to Disney World for a graduation gift, she was jealous :D There was a Beefeater Mickey in there - I got a picture with him :]
I got to skype with my mom and dad when I got back. I like talking to them :D I can't wait till they get to join me out here, and Uncle Mike is coming too! He's travelled all over the world, it'll be cool to travel with him.
Unfortunately, when we were making dinner back in the res hall, Nicole and I discovered that all of the bowls, most of the forks and our cups were gone. Wondering what the other people were doing with all that stuff, I wound up eating my ravioli with a spoon. Hopefully some of those bowls are returned by tomorrow morning by breakfast...
Today was a good day, but tomorrow needs to be a laundry day. After that Nicole and I might go to a museum - they're free and we're both college students :D
Till then,
-Carlito
Nicole and I went to Oxford Street today. It was really cool - the buildings were neat and Nadal was all over the place. Nicole really likes him, so she was distracted whenever a bus with him in it would drive by :D
For lunch, we went to this place called Garfunkel's. I had the best Margherita pizza I've ever had - it was so yummy! We both had this apple and mango juice that was absolutely delicious and we're planning on looking for it when we go shopping again. We also had this dessert waffle topped with ice cream and toffee that was really good.
We went to H&M because Nicole needed new shoes and I got some fun socks. I love fun socks :D
Then we went to Nike Town - the store with Nadal posters in all the windows :] Nicole found this cool shirt - it's a Nike tennis shirt that said 'Bring on the Reign' over the Union Jack.
Then we got to the Disney store! Nicole was laughing that a 19 and a 20 year old wanted to go into a Disney store for themselves, and I laughed at her. I told her how 4 high school graduates and their mothers went to Disney World for a graduation gift, she was jealous :D There was a Beefeater Mickey in there - I got a picture with him :]
I got to skype with my mom and dad when I got back. I like talking to them :D I can't wait till they get to join me out here, and Uncle Mike is coming too! He's travelled all over the world, it'll be cool to travel with him.
Unfortunately, when we were making dinner back in the res hall, Nicole and I discovered that all of the bowls, most of the forks and our cups were gone. Wondering what the other people were doing with all that stuff, I wound up eating my ravioli with a spoon. Hopefully some of those bowls are returned by tomorrow morning by breakfast...
Today was a good day, but tomorrow needs to be a laundry day. After that Nicole and I might go to a museum - they're free and we're both college students :D
Till then,
-Carlito
Saturday, June 25, 2011
Missions Slightly Accomplished
This morning, I checked my email and saw that I have an invitation to visit a family in Cornwall through the HOST program! It's the weekend of the 22-24 July, so that means that I won't be able to go on the IES Brighton trip, but I really want to do the HOST thing so it's ok.
Nicole and I went grocery shopping today, and afterwards I needed to get some things done so I set off again on my own. Of all the days to get mistaken for a local, I wasn't expecting it today. I was wearing my Finding Nemo seagulls 'Mine' shirt, brown shorts and tennis shoes and someone asked me for directions. Unfortunately, I wasn't able to help her.
When I set out, I had 5 mission for the afternoon. I only succeeded in one of them, with two half successes.
First: mail some postcards. Result: fail. I needed to get stamps, but the post office closed at 12.30 today, about 2.5 hours before I got there.
Second: get some cash - I'd run out. Result: half success. I was going to go to this Thomas Cook place because it has good rates, but they couldn't do it off a card so I went to an atm. I found one that won't charge me, even though Chase probably will.
Third: get some of those cinnamon things as a treat from McDonald's. Result: half success. I don't think they had them, so I got a McFlurry instead. It was yummy anyway.
Fourth: get new headphones - one of the earbuds on mine now doesn't work. Result: fail. I was hoping the Waterstone's nearby might have some, but they didn't. I'm planning on wandering around Oxford Street (major shopping street) tomorrow, so hopefully I'll find some then.
Fifth: get tickets to see Harry Potter. Result: win! Jasmine and Ivy, two girls in IES, were getting their tickets online today so they got one for me too. Huzzah!
So, all in all it wan't the most successful afternoon, but not too bad either. Hopefully tomorrow will be better.
Tonight some of the student assistants were planning a pub trip, but I didn't go. Partially because I didn't want to buy anything. I only bought groceries and a McFlurry today, no meals - I ate from the kitchen. I'm so proud of myself :D But also partially because I wanted to work on my research paper topic. I want to do something with Criminology and Justice, but I don't know exactly what. I'm thinking maybe something with witchcraft and/or murder. If my math career plans fail, I want to be a cop so this should be a fun paper to research.
I'm going to go read some Shakespeare now - we're going to see King Richard III in Theatre class so I'm reading it first. I get to sleep in again tomorrow! :D
Till then,
-Carly
Nicole and I went grocery shopping today, and afterwards I needed to get some things done so I set off again on my own. Of all the days to get mistaken for a local, I wasn't expecting it today. I was wearing my Finding Nemo seagulls 'Mine' shirt, brown shorts and tennis shoes and someone asked me for directions. Unfortunately, I wasn't able to help her.
When I set out, I had 5 mission for the afternoon. I only succeeded in one of them, with two half successes.
First: mail some postcards. Result: fail. I needed to get stamps, but the post office closed at 12.30 today, about 2.5 hours before I got there.
Second: get some cash - I'd run out. Result: half success. I was going to go to this Thomas Cook place because it has good rates, but they couldn't do it off a card so I went to an atm. I found one that won't charge me, even though Chase probably will.
Third: get some of those cinnamon things as a treat from McDonald's. Result: half success. I don't think they had them, so I got a McFlurry instead. It was yummy anyway.
Fourth: get new headphones - one of the earbuds on mine now doesn't work. Result: fail. I was hoping the Waterstone's nearby might have some, but they didn't. I'm planning on wandering around Oxford Street (major shopping street) tomorrow, so hopefully I'll find some then.
Fifth: get tickets to see Harry Potter. Result: win! Jasmine and Ivy, two girls in IES, were getting their tickets online today so they got one for me too. Huzzah!
So, all in all it wan't the most successful afternoon, but not too bad either. Hopefully tomorrow will be better.
Tonight some of the student assistants were planning a pub trip, but I didn't go. Partially because I didn't want to buy anything. I only bought groceries and a McFlurry today, no meals - I ate from the kitchen. I'm so proud of myself :D But also partially because I wanted to work on my research paper topic. I want to do something with Criminology and Justice, but I don't know exactly what. I'm thinking maybe something with witchcraft and/or murder. If my math career plans fail, I want to be a cop so this should be a fun paper to research.
I'm going to go read some Shakespeare now - we're going to see King Richard III in Theatre class so I'm reading it first. I get to sleep in again tomorrow! :D
Till then,
-Carly
Friday, June 24, 2011
A trip to Wimbledon, complete with a visit to the First Aid station!
We had an early morning today. My alarm went off at 4.23 am so I could get a shower before we gathered in the lobby at 5.15. We took one of the first trains out of South Kensington (the tube station nearest to the res hall) and got into the queue at 6.30 or so. I was number 2935 for the day, and there were people setting up camp in the queue for tomorrow around 8.30. Nicole and I had breakfast, but in the queue my stomach and back started hurting. It got worse as time went by and I started debating how long I was going to stay once we entered the compound and I found a place to sit for a bit. The compound is huge - there's 19 courts and all sorts of food and shopping places as well.
I was going to get lunch when suddenly I felt really faint and I knew I wasn't going to make it to the food court, so I went to the first aid centre. They steered me to a bed - evidently I was pale and shaking. I think I was underslept, undernourished and dehydrated, just lying down for 10 minutes and drinking some water helped immensely. The guys who were helping me were super nice too.
After that fun experience, I went to find some food and stake out a spot on the hill with the large viewing screen. The sun was out for the majority of the day - it was exciting. And my face is pretty pink now, but it was totally worth it :D
Unfortunately, there was a British female player playing at the same time of Andy Roddick's match, so I only got to see the very ending of it. The match I was watching was Laura Robson v Maria Sharapova, and Robsin gave Sharapova a run for her money. It was a good match, and goodness does Sharapova make a lot of noise when she plays. It's not like she's tired, it started on the first point!
After Andy's match clouds were rolling in and it felt like it was going to rain. I was also getting pretty tired, so I decided to leave before Andy Murray's match. It was unfortunate, I wanted to see that one, but smart. I got back and planned on relaxing and reading some Shakespeare - I got a 1252 page book of all his plays :D
When I woke up an hour and a half later, Nicole was back and I was feeling a lot better. I got dinner and watched some Bones episodes, and I'm looking forward to sleeping in tomorrow :]
Till than,
-Carly
I was going to get lunch when suddenly I felt really faint and I knew I wasn't going to make it to the food court, so I went to the first aid centre. They steered me to a bed - evidently I was pale and shaking. I think I was underslept, undernourished and dehydrated, just lying down for 10 minutes and drinking some water helped immensely. The guys who were helping me were super nice too.
After that fun experience, I went to find some food and stake out a spot on the hill with the large viewing screen. The sun was out for the majority of the day - it was exciting. And my face is pretty pink now, but it was totally worth it :D
Unfortunately, there was a British female player playing at the same time of Andy Roddick's match, so I only got to see the very ending of it. The match I was watching was Laura Robson v Maria Sharapova, and Robsin gave Sharapova a run for her money. It was a good match, and goodness does Sharapova make a lot of noise when she plays. It's not like she's tired, it started on the first point!
After Andy's match clouds were rolling in and it felt like it was going to rain. I was also getting pretty tired, so I decided to leave before Andy Murray's match. It was unfortunate, I wanted to see that one, but smart. I got back and planned on relaxing and reading some Shakespeare - I got a 1252 page book of all his plays :D
When I woke up an hour and a half later, Nicole was back and I was feeling a lot better. I got dinner and watched some Bones episodes, and I'm looking forward to sleeping in tomorrow :]
Till than,
-Carly
Thursday, June 23, 2011
'I want that skirt.' Well, I want Ronnie.'
Today was a rather laid back day again. I like these days :]
This morning, Nicole and I walked with some other IES girls to the tube, and they were all talking about last night. One had a major hangover, another boasted that she had taken 7 tequila shots (along with other drinks) and the other was saying that she got back to her room at 4 in the morning and she had no idea how that happened. Wll this while I was thinking 'And those are some wonderful examples of why I have a self-imposed limit. As fun as these stories sound, I think I'll pass.' I don't know how people go out every night and do this kinda stuff all the time.
Today, a theatre designer came in to talk with our theatre class. In the UK, the set and costume designers are often the same person, unlike in the US, but they do tend to lean one way or the other. The designer that came in today leaned more towards the set design aspect. It was interesting to hear how sets have changed over the years, from almost nothing in Shakespeare's time to the flat panel sets (flats painted for a scene) to the box sets (scene in a box) to the more abstract designs that are used often today.
After class and lunch, I was going to walk around Battersea Park until I walked to the bridge nearest us and saw that it was closed. Instead, I walked along the Chelsea Embankment street, and that was nice. It smelled like the sea - it was salty. When I walked back past the Albert Bridge, I saw that there was a footpath across the bridge, so I think I'll have to go explore Battersea Park on a later date...
Tonight we saw Chicken Soup with Barley. It's another drama, and it was a rather political one. It was still very good though.
I was sitting next to the Residence Director for IES - Mieke - and during the bows she said that she wanted one of the actresses floral poodle skirt. I replied that I wanted Ronnie, the main character's son, and she said that she wanted one of the other boys, so we were set :D
When I got back, Nicole was switching back and forth between various Lion King movies and we decided that we're going to get our Harry Potter tickets on Saturday, hopefully for the midnight showing. We have both agreed that this roommate thing was just meant to be between us :]
And that was pretty much it for the day. Tomorrow we're meeting at 5.15 am (O.o) to go to Wimbledon. I'm excited!
Till then,
-Carly B
This morning, Nicole and I walked with some other IES girls to the tube, and they were all talking about last night. One had a major hangover, another boasted that she had taken 7 tequila shots (along with other drinks) and the other was saying that she got back to her room at 4 in the morning and she had no idea how that happened. Wll this while I was thinking 'And those are some wonderful examples of why I have a self-imposed limit. As fun as these stories sound, I think I'll pass.' I don't know how people go out every night and do this kinda stuff all the time.
Today, a theatre designer came in to talk with our theatre class. In the UK, the set and costume designers are often the same person, unlike in the US, but they do tend to lean one way or the other. The designer that came in today leaned more towards the set design aspect. It was interesting to hear how sets have changed over the years, from almost nothing in Shakespeare's time to the flat panel sets (flats painted for a scene) to the box sets (scene in a box) to the more abstract designs that are used often today.
After class and lunch, I was going to walk around Battersea Park until I walked to the bridge nearest us and saw that it was closed. Instead, I walked along the Chelsea Embankment street, and that was nice. It smelled like the sea - it was salty. When I walked back past the Albert Bridge, I saw that there was a footpath across the bridge, so I think I'll have to go explore Battersea Park on a later date...
Tonight we saw Chicken Soup with Barley. It's another drama, and it was a rather political one. It was still very good though.
I was sitting next to the Residence Director for IES - Mieke - and during the bows she said that she wanted one of the actresses floral poodle skirt. I replied that I wanted Ronnie, the main character's son, and she said that she wanted one of the other boys, so we were set :D
When I got back, Nicole was switching back and forth between various Lion King movies and we decided that we're going to get our Harry Potter tickets on Saturday, hopefully for the midnight showing. We have both agreed that this roommate thing was just meant to be between us :]
And that was pretty much it for the day. Tomorrow we're meeting at 5.15 am (O.o) to go to Wimbledon. I'm excited!
Till then,
-Carly B
Wednesday, June 22, 2011
The monkey's his uncle?
When we first moved in, Nicole and I were the only ones in this half of the floor. Now, some other people have moved in and unfortunately they're loud. They're talking loudly and slamming doors right now, and they were last night. Oh well, I guess we can deal with it.
Well, since we didn't have much time at the Museum of London last class, we went back today in Living and Dying. We took a different path today - instead of walking past the plague pit (a mass grave for Bubonic Plague victims in 1665 - it will never be exhumed) we saw an intersection filled with historical sights.
On one side was the Old Bailey - the main courthouse - and I first recognised it from seeing it blown up in V for Vendetta :D It was built on the site of Newgate Prison - a large and popular jailhouse. Across the street stood a fountain that stands on the site of a public execution ground. Where we were standing, acoss from both of those, was a church and graveyard. Apparently, there was a tunnel that led from the church to the prison. So, a priest would be able to walk from the church to the prison to hear a last confession before the convicts were executed across the way and buried.
The story doesn't end there, though. On the fourth corner of the intersection was St Bartholomew's Hospital and down the street from the church was a watch house next to a pub. Resurrection Men would gather at the pub and wait for it to get dark Then they would go dig up fresh bodies from the graveyard, convict or not, and sell the bodies to doctors at St Bart's. These doctors, like John Hunter for example, wanted to understand the human body so badly that they were willing to pay graverobbers thousands of pounds to deliver bodies.
After class we got a tour of the Senate House Library. When Hitler was planning on taking over England, he was going to use that building as the head of his Nazi Party in London - it is a rather iconic building. Today, Batman was allegedly running around somewhere in the lobby. Unfortunately, we didn't get to see him or any filming.
Then we went to see one of my favourite shows of all time - The Lion King! There have been posters all over the tube stations and bus stops, I knew that I was going to go sometime while I was here. And I already want to go back. In fact, I have since I walked out of the theatre the first time - when I was 13 :D
The opening scene is stunning, if you haven't seen it ou need to. I got goosebumps throughout that scene and then they kept coming back about every 30 seconds. I'm getting goosebumps now listening to the Broadway soundtrack - I got that today.
I think that the majority of that audience has never been to a Broadway/West End musical before - you don't clap or sing along witht the songs! I know it was filled with a bunch of younger kids, but the musician in me grew steadily more annoyed - especially when the clapping wasn't in time, which it so rarely is. But that's enough ranting.
So, yes, my life may or may not be completed now - there's a violin part in the pit! In fact, I think there may have been more than one! I now have a goal for my life :D
The movie is coming out of the vault on 4 October! I'll be in a store at some point that day, I guarantee it.
Can you tell that I really really like this production/movie? ;]
For dinner, Nicole and I finally went to the Dutch Pancakes place that's across the street from the Res Hall and we're already planning on going back for dessert sometime soon :D If you didn't know, pancakes in the UK are nothing like pancakes in the US - the UK versions are more like crepes and they have a lot more choices of things to put on them, like I had an italian one with tomato and cheese on top.
Then Kemal, one of our student assistants, was having a birthday party tonight so we went to a pub and club. I'm not a clubber, but they had £1 drinks so I tried a pineapple Malibu - that was yummy :D
I need to figure out what I'm going to write for my research paper - at this rate it's going to be on the Lion King :] Maybe I'll come up with something slightly more suitable tomorrow.
Till then,
-Little Simba
(aka, Carly B)
Well, since we didn't have much time at the Museum of London last class, we went back today in Living and Dying. We took a different path today - instead of walking past the plague pit (a mass grave for Bubonic Plague victims in 1665 - it will never be exhumed) we saw an intersection filled with historical sights.
On one side was the Old Bailey - the main courthouse - and I first recognised it from seeing it blown up in V for Vendetta :D It was built on the site of Newgate Prison - a large and popular jailhouse. Across the street stood a fountain that stands on the site of a public execution ground. Where we were standing, acoss from both of those, was a church and graveyard. Apparently, there was a tunnel that led from the church to the prison. So, a priest would be able to walk from the church to the prison to hear a last confession before the convicts were executed across the way and buried.
The story doesn't end there, though. On the fourth corner of the intersection was St Bartholomew's Hospital and down the street from the church was a watch house next to a pub. Resurrection Men would gather at the pub and wait for it to get dark Then they would go dig up fresh bodies from the graveyard, convict or not, and sell the bodies to doctors at St Bart's. These doctors, like John Hunter for example, wanted to understand the human body so badly that they were willing to pay graverobbers thousands of pounds to deliver bodies.
After class we got a tour of the Senate House Library. When Hitler was planning on taking over England, he was going to use that building as the head of his Nazi Party in London - it is a rather iconic building. Today, Batman was allegedly running around somewhere in the lobby. Unfortunately, we didn't get to see him or any filming.
Then we went to see one of my favourite shows of all time - The Lion King! There have been posters all over the tube stations and bus stops, I knew that I was going to go sometime while I was here. And I already want to go back. In fact, I have since I walked out of the theatre the first time - when I was 13 :D
The opening scene is stunning, if you haven't seen it ou need to. I got goosebumps throughout that scene and then they kept coming back about every 30 seconds. I'm getting goosebumps now listening to the Broadway soundtrack - I got that today.
I think that the majority of that audience has never been to a Broadway/West End musical before - you don't clap or sing along witht the songs! I know it was filled with a bunch of younger kids, but the musician in me grew steadily more annoyed - especially when the clapping wasn't in time, which it so rarely is. But that's enough ranting.
So, yes, my life may or may not be completed now - there's a violin part in the pit! In fact, I think there may have been more than one! I now have a goal for my life :D
The movie is coming out of the vault on 4 October! I'll be in a store at some point that day, I guarantee it.
Can you tell that I really really like this production/movie? ;]
For dinner, Nicole and I finally went to the Dutch Pancakes place that's across the street from the Res Hall and we're already planning on going back for dessert sometime soon :D If you didn't know, pancakes in the UK are nothing like pancakes in the US - the UK versions are more like crepes and they have a lot more choices of things to put on them, like I had an italian one with tomato and cheese on top.
Then Kemal, one of our student assistants, was having a birthday party tonight so we went to a pub and club. I'm not a clubber, but they had £1 drinks so I tried a pineapple Malibu - that was yummy :D
I need to figure out what I'm going to write for my research paper - at this rate it's going to be on the Lion King :] Maybe I'll come up with something slightly more suitable tomorrow.
Till then,
-Little Simba
(aka, Carly B)
Tuesday, June 21, 2011
Who you calling upid-stay?
Today wound up being another fairly relaxing day - it was nice.
Class was interesting. It was the theatre class and we talked about the School for Scandal. Our teacher agreed that the production was pretty weird. However, we still picked it apart and analyzed things in ways that neither the teacher nor director actually meant them to be interpreted, but such is what happens in classes like that ;]
After class, I walked to the Brunswick Shopping Centre near the IES Centre - and this time it was actually as close as I had anticipated, closer actually. I was on a mission and I looked in a few stores and saw some possibe jackets but nothing really struck me. Then I went into the last one and saw one - it was green. However when I looked around the store I saw that everything was organised by colour - and I found the same jacket in khaki. Then I went to tha back and found another one that looked good - I actually had to choose! And neither was £75! It was an exciting moment.
So now I finally have a bloody jacket and I won't be wearing my sweatshirt all the time. Huzzah! :D
In London, there is a cafe called Pret A Manger (or just Pret) and they're all over the place. By the way, it's French so it's pronounced prey - not phonetically as pret like half the IES students call it ;] On my way to class and then again on the way to the shopping centre I stopped by one to get an apple juice. I can already tell that I'm going to miss the apple juice from there. It's delicious and the only bad thing about it is that the containers are so small. At least the store brands are almost as good.
Nicole, Lanita (a girl in my theatre class) and I were going to go to see The Lion King today, but the show was entirely sold out. The workers were as surprised as we were, but then we remembered that Wimbledon was in town - and that meant that a lot more people were too. So we got tickets to tomorrow's 2.30 matinee instead.
I don't think Nicole quite understood how much I love The Lion King until today. When we got back to the room, she was watching the movie on youtube and I was reading for class (I got it done! Yay!) and kinda half-watching the movie. Sometimes she would say a line and I would say the next, or I would glance at the screen and say a line from the scene. All word for word.
For example, I wasn't watching and I heard her say 'Ix-nay on the upid-stay' and I immediately responded 'Who you calling upid-stay?' :D Then, later on, she paused it to take out her contacts and I glanced at the screen. It showed a shot of a night sky with some trees around the edges and I said 'They're fireflies. They flew up and got stuck in that big blueish-black thing.'
Both times she looked at me, smiled and said that was really impressive. Then we both laughed and danced along with Timon's Hula :D
So yeah, it's been a good day, even better because of the amount of Lion King in it :D I can't wait to see the show tomorrow!
Till then,
-Carly
Class was interesting. It was the theatre class and we talked about the School for Scandal. Our teacher agreed that the production was pretty weird. However, we still picked it apart and analyzed things in ways that neither the teacher nor director actually meant them to be interpreted, but such is what happens in classes like that ;]
After class, I walked to the Brunswick Shopping Centre near the IES Centre - and this time it was actually as close as I had anticipated, closer actually. I was on a mission and I looked in a few stores and saw some possibe jackets but nothing really struck me. Then I went into the last one and saw one - it was green. However when I looked around the store I saw that everything was organised by colour - and I found the same jacket in khaki. Then I went to tha back and found another one that looked good - I actually had to choose! And neither was £75! It was an exciting moment.
So now I finally have a bloody jacket and I won't be wearing my sweatshirt all the time. Huzzah! :D
In London, there is a cafe called Pret A Manger (or just Pret) and they're all over the place. By the way, it's French so it's pronounced prey - not phonetically as pret like half the IES students call it ;] On my way to class and then again on the way to the shopping centre I stopped by one to get an apple juice. I can already tell that I'm going to miss the apple juice from there. It's delicious and the only bad thing about it is that the containers are so small. At least the store brands are almost as good.
Nicole, Lanita (a girl in my theatre class) and I were going to go to see The Lion King today, but the show was entirely sold out. The workers were as surprised as we were, but then we remembered that Wimbledon was in town - and that meant that a lot more people were too. So we got tickets to tomorrow's 2.30 matinee instead.
I don't think Nicole quite understood how much I love The Lion King until today. When we got back to the room, she was watching the movie on youtube and I was reading for class (I got it done! Yay!) and kinda half-watching the movie. Sometimes she would say a line and I would say the next, or I would glance at the screen and say a line from the scene. All word for word.
For example, I wasn't watching and I heard her say 'Ix-nay on the upid-stay' and I immediately responded 'Who you calling upid-stay?' :D Then, later on, she paused it to take out her contacts and I glanced at the screen. It showed a shot of a night sky with some trees around the edges and I said 'They're fireflies. They flew up and got stuck in that big blueish-black thing.'
Both times she looked at me, smiled and said that was really impressive. Then we both laughed and danced along with Timon's Hula :D
So yeah, it's been a good day, even better because of the amount of Lion King in it :D I can't wait to see the show tomorrow!
Till then,
-Carly
Monday, June 20, 2011
The Museum of London and Disembodied Voices
Well, I got my relaxing day earlier than I had anticipated.
Today's class was Living and Dying. We talked about the paintings we saw at the National Portrait Gallery and went to the Museum of London. There, we looked at various artefacts pertaining to the life of a Londoner in the late 1600s. It was cool to see the large dress on display - the skirt was massive! I can't imagine actually walking and living in one of those buggers.
On the way to the museum we walked along Aldersgate Street - the house I'm living in at school next year is named after this street. I took a picture :D
We also saw a building that survived the Great Fire in 1666 and is still standing today. It was impressive.
One of the girls and I were walking together. We both noticed how, even though it's only been a week, we can spot the tourists. It's pretty funny.
After class, Nicole and I went to Kensington Palace. Kensington is where 7 princesses lived, including Princess Diana. It was cool to see the dresses and things that they wore, and the rooms were amazing. However, some of them were slightly creepy. It was an 'Enchanted Palace' where you could walk around and try to figure out which princess belonged in each room, so they had dresses and things set up in them all. Except the clothes didn't actually have any wax body or mannequin or anything in them. Plus they had speakers playing recordings of voices when people walked past and many of the rooms were dark, so they were kinda weird. But overall it was a really nice place to see.
When we got back, we decided to stay in. We both started working on homework and I talked with Kyle. It was nice to talk with him again :]
And that was pretty much it for the day. It was nice to not be running around all day, especially since I'm planning on walking around Bloomsbury tomorrow (near the Centre) and maybe doing some shopping ;D
Till then,
-Carly
Today's class was Living and Dying. We talked about the paintings we saw at the National Portrait Gallery and went to the Museum of London. There, we looked at various artefacts pertaining to the life of a Londoner in the late 1600s. It was cool to see the large dress on display - the skirt was massive! I can't imagine actually walking and living in one of those buggers.
On the way to the museum we walked along Aldersgate Street - the house I'm living in at school next year is named after this street. I took a picture :D
We also saw a building that survived the Great Fire in 1666 and is still standing today. It was impressive.
One of the girls and I were walking together. We both noticed how, even though it's only been a week, we can spot the tourists. It's pretty funny.
After class, Nicole and I went to Kensington Palace. Kensington is where 7 princesses lived, including Princess Diana. It was cool to see the dresses and things that they wore, and the rooms were amazing. However, some of them were slightly creepy. It was an 'Enchanted Palace' where you could walk around and try to figure out which princess belonged in each room, so they had dresses and things set up in them all. Except the clothes didn't actually have any wax body or mannequin or anything in them. Plus they had speakers playing recordings of voices when people walked past and many of the rooms were dark, so they were kinda weird. But overall it was a really nice place to see.
When we got back, we decided to stay in. We both started working on homework and I talked with Kyle. It was nice to talk with him again :]
And that was pretty much it for the day. It was nice to not be running around all day, especially since I'm planning on walking around Bloomsbury tomorrow (near the Centre) and maybe doing some shopping ;D
Till then,
-Carly
Sunday, June 19, 2011
I want a sword
Man, I can't wait till I can have a nice, relaxing day. Maybe I could walk up the river. Or take a 12 hour nap...
Today we went to Windsor and learned even more fun new stuff. I had the same tour guide too, which was cool :D
Ever since William the Conqueror built it in 1066, the castle has been constantly kept up and added to - every monarch has done something.
When William the Conqueror took over London and built the Tower of London, he became paranoid and set up outposts that were each 1 day's march from London to protect himself. Off to the west, he found a hill and chose to station one there - you have to watch out for those attacks from Wales. However, this hill wasn't tall enough so he had another mound added on top of the hill and the tower was built on top of that mound. Today, the tower on top of the mound flies a flag and houses a bell that only rings when a monarch dies.
Windsor is a fairly unique place in origin - normally the town comes first and then somebody comes along and decides to build a castle there. With Windsor, there was a castle a days march from London and a town sprang up around it. Another interesting fact is that there has never been a successful attack on the castle - it's very well fortified.
Nell Gwynn, the favoured mistress of Charles II, lived down the street from the castle. Legend says that there was a tunnel built from the castle to her house for Charles II to use. I don't know why he didn't just have her live in one of his 4500 private apartments. Ok, maybe there's only 200 something...
We got to see the state apartments and they were simply stunning. I'm no art or furniture enthusiast, so I'll just say that there was a lot of both and to my untrained eye they looked spectacular, but what I enjoyed looking at were the suits of armour and the swords. There were so many beautiful swords, I wish I could've taken picures. Some of them had to be ornamental though - they had jewels and engravings all up and down the hilts and I can't imagine that those were very comfortable to fight with. I wish I could get one like some of the ones that I saw, but I know that I'll never be able to afford anything like those. In the royal bedchamber, there were the two main doors that the king's entourage used when seeing him to bed and waking him up in the morning, but there was also the subtle door in the corner that enabled him to get out and see his mistresses. It was so subtle, it was even propped open.
Across the Thames from Windsor was a town called Eton. Eton was a cutle little town, but the dominating feature was Eton College. In the UK, colleges aren't like colleges in the US. UK colleges are prep schools that prepare the students to go to university - like US high schools. The boys that attend Eton generally go on to Oxford or Cambridge. Originally founded as a school for poor boys, today it's one of the top and most expensive colleges in the country. Princes William and Harry both attended Eton - that was where Prince Harry cheeated in his art class, of all the classes to cheat in - and apparently Captain Hook also went to Eton. There's a sense of pride amongst the Etonians, a sort of brotherhood. Although, evidently Etonians either move on to do great things in life or become drug dealers.
Our tour guide just learned this recently, but she said that a law Oliver Cromwell introduced is still in effect today - it's illegal to eat mince pies. So, every Christmas, about half the population breaks the law and has their traditional Christmas mince pie.
It was a good day, but a lot of walking. about 10 minutes into the drive home, three quarters of the bus was passed out. When we got back, Nicole and I decided to watch Psych and get some Snog for dessert - it's been a good evening :D
It's 10.15 - positively early compared to recent nights ;] Nicole and I have been planning out all the places we want to go see, and tomorrow should be Kensington Palace unless something happens.
Till then,
-Carly
Today we went to Windsor and learned even more fun new stuff. I had the same tour guide too, which was cool :D
Ever since William the Conqueror built it in 1066, the castle has been constantly kept up and added to - every monarch has done something.
When William the Conqueror took over London and built the Tower of London, he became paranoid and set up outposts that were each 1 day's march from London to protect himself. Off to the west, he found a hill and chose to station one there - you have to watch out for those attacks from Wales. However, this hill wasn't tall enough so he had another mound added on top of the hill and the tower was built on top of that mound. Today, the tower on top of the mound flies a flag and houses a bell that only rings when a monarch dies.
Windsor is a fairly unique place in origin - normally the town comes first and then somebody comes along and decides to build a castle there. With Windsor, there was a castle a days march from London and a town sprang up around it. Another interesting fact is that there has never been a successful attack on the castle - it's very well fortified.
Nell Gwynn, the favoured mistress of Charles II, lived down the street from the castle. Legend says that there was a tunnel built from the castle to her house for Charles II to use. I don't know why he didn't just have her live in one of his 4500 private apartments. Ok, maybe there's only 200 something...
We got to see the state apartments and they were simply stunning. I'm no art or furniture enthusiast, so I'll just say that there was a lot of both and to my untrained eye they looked spectacular, but what I enjoyed looking at were the suits of armour and the swords. There were so many beautiful swords, I wish I could've taken picures. Some of them had to be ornamental though - they had jewels and engravings all up and down the hilts and I can't imagine that those were very comfortable to fight with. I wish I could get one like some of the ones that I saw, but I know that I'll never be able to afford anything like those. In the royal bedchamber, there were the two main doors that the king's entourage used when seeing him to bed and waking him up in the morning, but there was also the subtle door in the corner that enabled him to get out and see his mistresses. It was so subtle, it was even propped open.
Across the Thames from Windsor was a town called Eton. Eton was a cutle little town, but the dominating feature was Eton College. In the UK, colleges aren't like colleges in the US. UK colleges are prep schools that prepare the students to go to university - like US high schools. The boys that attend Eton generally go on to Oxford or Cambridge. Originally founded as a school for poor boys, today it's one of the top and most expensive colleges in the country. Princes William and Harry both attended Eton - that was where Prince Harry cheeated in his art class, of all the classes to cheat in - and apparently Captain Hook also went to Eton. There's a sense of pride amongst the Etonians, a sort of brotherhood. Although, evidently Etonians either move on to do great things in life or become drug dealers.
Our tour guide just learned this recently, but she said that a law Oliver Cromwell introduced is still in effect today - it's illegal to eat mince pies. So, every Christmas, about half the population breaks the law and has their traditional Christmas mince pie.
It was a good day, but a lot of walking. about 10 minutes into the drive home, three quarters of the bus was passed out. When we got back, Nicole and I decided to watch Psych and get some Snog for dessert - it's been a good evening :D
It's 10.15 - positively early compared to recent nights ;] Nicole and I have been planning out all the places we want to go see, and tomorrow should be Kensington Palace unless something happens.
Till then,
-Carly
Saturday, June 18, 2011
Shopping, Stories and the 'Wicked Stepmother Syndrome'
Today was a good day. To start off with, we were able to sleep in a bit - after staying up till 2 last night it was nice :]
I was going to go find a jacket and get some groceries before skyping with my parents at 12 (for me - 6 am for them. I guess they like me :D ). Well, I found a black button up shirt, but no bloody jacket. I don't know what I need to do or where to go to find a simple jacket that's not £75 O.o I did get to go grocery shopping with Nicole before noon, so that was good.
After talking with my mom and dad (Ricky wasn't there for some reason...), I went on the bus tour. The guide was good - for me at least. She had a similar sense of humour to mine, I was laughing a lot when others weren't :] I learned all sorts of fun new things, but I can't remember all of them now. I'll share what I remember.
When the Romans invaded England in the AD 40s, they established a city called Londinium on the banks of the river. They built a wall around their new square mile city, along with one along the England-Scotland border to keep those strange men in kilts out. Today, there are dragons that mark the perimeter of the original wall. When you pass a dragon, you're either entering or exiting the city.
The City of London (it's different than just 'London') is a banking hub - there were banks everywhere. When people say London, they mean the entire area of 2 cities, 32 boroughs and a river. The City of London is one of the boroughs and has its own elective staff and police force - and it's the location of the original city Londinuim.
We drove along Fleet Street in the City and our guide told us a story.
One time on Fleet Street, there was a pie shop. The owner of this pie shop was one Mrs Lovett, and her pies were absolutely delicious. No one could quite put their finger on what her secret ingredient was that made them keep coming back for more.
Around this same time, a man living on Fleet Street had been wronged and was bent on revenge. He would lure his victims into his trap with the offer of a shave, and once they were seated Sweeny Todd, the Demon Barber of Fleet Street, would slice their throats. He and Mrs Lovett would then cut up the bodies and she would take the meatiest, juciest parts back to her shop for the next day.
It's stories like this that make me even less likely to regret becoming a vegetarian >.<
We also drove by the Tower of London. It was originally built as a residence for the monarchy and only consisted of the White Tower in the middle. Then later kings built 2 walls around the outside for defence and added more towers, but it's still referred to as the Tower - singular. The last monarch to live there was Henry III (I'm pretty sure - I can't remember which Henry it was right now) but Elizabeth I was prisoner there for a time while her half sister Bloody Mary Tudor was ruling.
There have been 7 people executed in the Tower, and 5 of them were women. Of those five, 3 were queens and 2 of those queens were wives of Henry VIII - Anne Boleyn and Catherine Howard. Both were accused of high treason - and evidently it's still the law that if the wife of a king or heir has an affair it is considered high treason. If the king/heir does, it's a story for the papers. The guy sitting in front of me enjoyed that...
Just outside of the Tower walls is Tower Hill. The normal executions took place here for the entertainment of the public who would have the day off of work and school. They would cheer and apparently loved it when the axe blade wasn't sharp enough and needed multiple strokes to cut off the convict's head. I can't imagine those convicts enjoyed it quite like the crowds did...
We also learned bits about various places in the city - Piccadilly is extremely touristy and Sloane Street (near where I'm staying in Chelsea) is Designer Store Central. Charing Cross Road is the place to go to for book stores (!) and Oxford Road is lined with stores.
We also learned that about the destroyer I saw on the river tour. She's the HMS Belfast and she's now a permanent fixture in the river near the Tower Bridge. She was part of the fleet that led the D-Day invasion and has been turned into a museum.
When the tour was over, I decided that I needed to get reading on the school stuff (who does that?) so I changed into sweats and made myself some dinner. I made one of the vegetarian country pies that I had gotten at the store earlier and felt proud of myself - I've been trying al sorts of new things on this trip. I had an English pie, a drink and I finally tried Nutella (Nicole may or may not be addicted to the stuff) and I plan on trying tea and maybe even coffee sometime soon.
The reading for Living and Dying (the history class) was fascinating - it was about how most of what we know about childrens' early lives in the 1600s is from the records of convicts' testamonies. An Ordinary (clergyman) would ask for information about their lives as part of their final confession and then published books to serve as warnings to the public - a life of crome could start anywhere. The funniest line was talking about then the mother dies and the father remarries and the effect on the kids - the book called it the 'wicked stepmother syndrome' :D
Nicole and I are going to watch some Psych before going to sleep - I knew that we'd get along just fine :D Tomorrow I'm going to Windsor - I'm excited!
Till then,
-Carly
I was going to go find a jacket and get some groceries before skyping with my parents at 12 (for me - 6 am for them. I guess they like me :D ). Well, I found a black button up shirt, but no bloody jacket. I don't know what I need to do or where to go to find a simple jacket that's not £75 O.o I did get to go grocery shopping with Nicole before noon, so that was good.
After talking with my mom and dad (Ricky wasn't there for some reason...), I went on the bus tour. The guide was good - for me at least. She had a similar sense of humour to mine, I was laughing a lot when others weren't :] I learned all sorts of fun new things, but I can't remember all of them now. I'll share what I remember.
When the Romans invaded England in the AD 40s, they established a city called Londinium on the banks of the river. They built a wall around their new square mile city, along with one along the England-Scotland border to keep those strange men in kilts out. Today, there are dragons that mark the perimeter of the original wall. When you pass a dragon, you're either entering or exiting the city.
The City of London (it's different than just 'London') is a banking hub - there were banks everywhere. When people say London, they mean the entire area of 2 cities, 32 boroughs and a river. The City of London is one of the boroughs and has its own elective staff and police force - and it's the location of the original city Londinuim.
We drove along Fleet Street in the City and our guide told us a story.
One time on Fleet Street, there was a pie shop. The owner of this pie shop was one Mrs Lovett, and her pies were absolutely delicious. No one could quite put their finger on what her secret ingredient was that made them keep coming back for more.
Around this same time, a man living on Fleet Street had been wronged and was bent on revenge. He would lure his victims into his trap with the offer of a shave, and once they were seated Sweeny Todd, the Demon Barber of Fleet Street, would slice their throats. He and Mrs Lovett would then cut up the bodies and she would take the meatiest, juciest parts back to her shop for the next day.
It's stories like this that make me even less likely to regret becoming a vegetarian >.<
We also drove by the Tower of London. It was originally built as a residence for the monarchy and only consisted of the White Tower in the middle. Then later kings built 2 walls around the outside for defence and added more towers, but it's still referred to as the Tower - singular. The last monarch to live there was Henry III (I'm pretty sure - I can't remember which Henry it was right now) but Elizabeth I was prisoner there for a time while her half sister Bloody Mary Tudor was ruling.
There have been 7 people executed in the Tower, and 5 of them were women. Of those five, 3 were queens and 2 of those queens were wives of Henry VIII - Anne Boleyn and Catherine Howard. Both were accused of high treason - and evidently it's still the law that if the wife of a king or heir has an affair it is considered high treason. If the king/heir does, it's a story for the papers. The guy sitting in front of me enjoyed that...
Just outside of the Tower walls is Tower Hill. The normal executions took place here for the entertainment of the public who would have the day off of work and school. They would cheer and apparently loved it when the axe blade wasn't sharp enough and needed multiple strokes to cut off the convict's head. I can't imagine those convicts enjoyed it quite like the crowds did...
We also learned bits about various places in the city - Piccadilly is extremely touristy and Sloane Street (near where I'm staying in Chelsea) is Designer Store Central. Charing Cross Road is the place to go to for book stores (!) and Oxford Road is lined with stores.
We also learned that about the destroyer I saw on the river tour. She's the HMS Belfast and she's now a permanent fixture in the river near the Tower Bridge. She was part of the fleet that led the D-Day invasion and has been turned into a museum.
When the tour was over, I decided that I needed to get reading on the school stuff (who does that?) so I changed into sweats and made myself some dinner. I made one of the vegetarian country pies that I had gotten at the store earlier and felt proud of myself - I've been trying al sorts of new things on this trip. I had an English pie, a drink and I finally tried Nutella (Nicole may or may not be addicted to the stuff) and I plan on trying tea and maybe even coffee sometime soon.
The reading for Living and Dying (the history class) was fascinating - it was about how most of what we know about childrens' early lives in the 1600s is from the records of convicts' testamonies. An Ordinary (clergyman) would ask for information about their lives as part of their final confession and then published books to serve as warnings to the public - a life of crome could start anywhere. The funniest line was talking about then the mother dies and the father remarries and the effect on the kids - the book called it the 'wicked stepmother syndrome' :D
Nicole and I are going to watch some Psych before going to sleep - I knew that we'd get along just fine :D Tomorrow I'm going to Windsor - I'm excited!
Till then,
-Carly
Friday, June 17, 2011
How do my uncles drink this stuff??
Another long day, but it was super fun :]
This morning, Nicole and I decided to take the bus instead of the tube to the Centre. We left pretty early so we could get breakfast before Orientation part III started, and it's a good thing because it took us about an hour to get there - there was crazy traffic. We still had time to get breakfast though, so that was nice.
Orientation part III consisted of talking about the different cultures between the UK and the US and also about travelling. So many people were talking about travelling to Europe, and while I think it would be amazing to be able to, I want to come back sometime when I will have more than just a weekend to devote to visiting. I plan on exploring the UK while I'm here - I want to go to Dover and Greenwich and then there's the trips IES has planned. I also applied to go on a HOST trip. HOST sponsors trips for international students to go visit British families for a weekend for free - I'd just have to pay to travel there and back. I'm super excited for this - I really hope I can go.
After the orientation was our surprise trip with our orientation groups. One group went to Little Venice, another went on a tour of the Tower of London. Nicole's group toured Westminster Abbey, but I feel like my group lucked out - we went on a river boat tour up the Thames! It was so cool and I took a ton of pictures - some with people in them now! - and there are some good ones, even though it was gross and raining. After the boat, we walked to Big Ben and Westminster Abbey and Buckingham Palace.
I took a lot of pictures of everything, but hands down my favourite part was seeing Big Ben. It was so big and so there, I really can't describe what I felt but it was amazing. I never realised how much gold there is on Big Ben and the Houses of Parliament.
After the tour, we had a little break before we met up to go to a pub with the IES student assistants. Unfortunately, it was still raining so we couldn't walk along the Thames to the pub - we took the tube instead.
I had alcohol for the first time in my life tonight - Sláinte. I will admit - I don't know what I was expecting to feel but it definitely wasn't this sober. I tried beer - didn't like it so much. I don't know how my uncles drink it. Unfortunately I had already bought the beer, so I continued sipping. I tried Nicole's Pimms and Lemonade and liked that one. I also tried a 'chocolate' beer and a red wine and didn't like those so much either. One of the girls at the table had a friend that's a beer connoisseur and apparently that chocolate beer is supposed to be really good. We all agreed that she probably knew what she was talking about, but definitely didn't agree that it was that good.
I got myself a Pimms and Lemonade and tasted a cranberry and vodka - I liked that one too. KB, Alejandra and I (all from IES) had fun mixing my beer with the leftover fruit and vegetables from Nicole's Pimms. I still didn't like it, but Alejandra did so she finished it off. So I had a whole Pimms and tasted/drank a bunch of other things and I stayed sober - I'm pretty happy about that :D However, I don't know how some people have been going out every night - and some people went out clubbing after the pub. One drink was fine for me, thanks.
Of course, when KB, Alejandra and I were on our way back we got on the train that got delayed two stops before we were going to get off. The train stopped completely and we had to use the bathroom, so we got off the train and went to find one. When we got back, the train was still sitting there so we took an alternate route and made it back :D
I've gotten a couple comments from people saying how they're enjoying this blog and I say thanks, and I'm glad you're enjoying it! I guess I'll keep entering posts.
This is my third late night in a row (the latest yet - it's 2.20 now) and I can still taste that bloody beer, so I'm going to go brush my teeth and sleep. Hopefully it's not raining tomorrow.
Till then,
-Carly
PS - reading through this post, I realise that I talked about drinking a lot. I hope it didn't come across wrong or bad, but that was what was going on the entire evening and I had fun trying new things.
This morning, Nicole and I decided to take the bus instead of the tube to the Centre. We left pretty early so we could get breakfast before Orientation part III started, and it's a good thing because it took us about an hour to get there - there was crazy traffic. We still had time to get breakfast though, so that was nice.
Orientation part III consisted of talking about the different cultures between the UK and the US and also about travelling. So many people were talking about travelling to Europe, and while I think it would be amazing to be able to, I want to come back sometime when I will have more than just a weekend to devote to visiting. I plan on exploring the UK while I'm here - I want to go to Dover and Greenwich and then there's the trips IES has planned. I also applied to go on a HOST trip. HOST sponsors trips for international students to go visit British families for a weekend for free - I'd just have to pay to travel there and back. I'm super excited for this - I really hope I can go.
After the orientation was our surprise trip with our orientation groups. One group went to Little Venice, another went on a tour of the Tower of London. Nicole's group toured Westminster Abbey, but I feel like my group lucked out - we went on a river boat tour up the Thames! It was so cool and I took a ton of pictures - some with people in them now! - and there are some good ones, even though it was gross and raining. After the boat, we walked to Big Ben and Westminster Abbey and Buckingham Palace.
I took a lot of pictures of everything, but hands down my favourite part was seeing Big Ben. It was so big and so there, I really can't describe what I felt but it was amazing. I never realised how much gold there is on Big Ben and the Houses of Parliament.
After the tour, we had a little break before we met up to go to a pub with the IES student assistants. Unfortunately, it was still raining so we couldn't walk along the Thames to the pub - we took the tube instead.
I had alcohol for the first time in my life tonight - Sláinte. I will admit - I don't know what I was expecting to feel but it definitely wasn't this sober. I tried beer - didn't like it so much. I don't know how my uncles drink it. Unfortunately I had already bought the beer, so I continued sipping. I tried Nicole's Pimms and Lemonade and liked that one. I also tried a 'chocolate' beer and a red wine and didn't like those so much either. One of the girls at the table had a friend that's a beer connoisseur and apparently that chocolate beer is supposed to be really good. We all agreed that she probably knew what she was talking about, but definitely didn't agree that it was that good.
I got myself a Pimms and Lemonade and tasted a cranberry and vodka - I liked that one too. KB, Alejandra and I (all from IES) had fun mixing my beer with the leftover fruit and vegetables from Nicole's Pimms. I still didn't like it, but Alejandra did so she finished it off. So I had a whole Pimms and tasted/drank a bunch of other things and I stayed sober - I'm pretty happy about that :D However, I don't know how some people have been going out every night - and some people went out clubbing after the pub. One drink was fine for me, thanks.
Of course, when KB, Alejandra and I were on our way back we got on the train that got delayed two stops before we were going to get off. The train stopped completely and we had to use the bathroom, so we got off the train and went to find one. When we got back, the train was still sitting there so we took an alternate route and made it back :D
I've gotten a couple comments from people saying how they're enjoying this blog and I say thanks, and I'm glad you're enjoying it! I guess I'll keep entering posts.
This is my third late night in a row (the latest yet - it's 2.20 now) and I can still taste that bloody beer, so I'm going to go brush my teeth and sleep. Hopefully it's not raining tomorrow.
Till then,
-Carly
PS - reading through this post, I realise that I talked about drinking a lot. I hope it didn't come across wrong or bad, but that was what was going on the entire evening and I had fun trying new things.
Thursday, June 16, 2011
They wore jeans and hard hats in the 1770s?
I had another fairly busy day today. It was torrentially downpouring this morning on the way to class, which is unfortunate since I hadn't had the chance to get a rain jacket or umbrella yet O.o My sweatshirt is still wet. However, once I got to class it cleared up a bit. Of course.
Today was Theater class. We talked about what shows we're going to be seeing and picked which we would present on. I'm doubling with another girl to talk about 'Betty Blue Eyes' - which is Britain's version of a musical. My teacher said that it's nothing compared to American musicals - they don't have the American dream here. In her words, they have 'the Britich nightmare'. We also talked about the differences in culture and how that effects what plays are written, performed, attended and appreciated in the two countries. It was interesting.
After class I walked to the Waterstone's nearby the Centre - or so I thought. I looked at the map and thought it was just around a few corners, but I walked all the way up a street that changed names half way through before I saw it. I walked past a lot of tourists - they stick out - and what I think is Helena Bonham Carter's house. I'm going to have to check that out again - she's one of my favourite actresses.
When I did get to the book store, I remembered why I had been avoiding the one just up the street - I quickly had four or five books in my hands. I was good though - I limited myself to just one. I went to look at Philippa Gregory's books, thinking about getting The Other Boleyn Girl, when I saw the Diana Gabaldon books. I and my mom really like the Outlander books by her, and I was just going to see if the covers were the same here (I swear!) when I realised that they didn't have the first book. Surprised, I looked closer and saw a book I didn't recognise - Cross Stitch. Wondering what the hell that one was, I picked it up and looked at the back to discover that it was the first book! Being the nerd that I am, the appeal of owning the Britich version was great and, coupled with the fact that they didn't have The Other Boleyn Girl readily available, it quickly triumphed and I bought the book.
On the way back to my room, I finally bought an umbrella so I'm ready for the next rain storm. Which means that one won't come until the last week of classes. But hey, I'll be ready :D
After eating a quick lunch, I decided to start reading for my history class before I went to meet the rest of the theater class to go to the show. This was at 3.30.
Evidently 'reading' meant 'sleeping'. I had set an alarm for 4.50, so when it woke me up I had just enough time to not be able to do anything before we were going to meet. Oops.
On the way to the theater, we discovered that the Circle tube line doesn't actually run in a complete circle - we had to change trains halfway through. Thankfully, we still made it to the theatre in time to have dinner before the show started.
I'm not entirely sure how I feel about the production. It was called 'The School of Scandal' and was set in the late 1700s. I may be slightly biased - I LOVE things set in that general timeframe - but I felt the jeans mixed with period dress and the industrial feel of the sets (one girl was even wearing a construction hat the entire time) wasn't the best thing the director could have chosen.
Through the first part, I was watching a character and trying to figure out why he looked so familiar. I couldn't figure it out until one of the girls showed me her programme - it was Dudley Dursley! I was rather excited :D
We made it back fine - it helped that we were able to ask the IES director for directions.
While at the theater, I saw that the London Symphony Orchestra was there. I so hope I can go to see them. I also want to see the Lion King and Wicked, and then my London theater experiences will be complete :]
It's now 1 in the morning and I'm tired, so I'll say good night here.
Till tomorrow,
-Carly
Today was Theater class. We talked about what shows we're going to be seeing and picked which we would present on. I'm doubling with another girl to talk about 'Betty Blue Eyes' - which is Britain's version of a musical. My teacher said that it's nothing compared to American musicals - they don't have the American dream here. In her words, they have 'the Britich nightmare'. We also talked about the differences in culture and how that effects what plays are written, performed, attended and appreciated in the two countries. It was interesting.
After class I walked to the Waterstone's nearby the Centre - or so I thought. I looked at the map and thought it was just around a few corners, but I walked all the way up a street that changed names half way through before I saw it. I walked past a lot of tourists - they stick out - and what I think is Helena Bonham Carter's house. I'm going to have to check that out again - she's one of my favourite actresses.
When I did get to the book store, I remembered why I had been avoiding the one just up the street - I quickly had four or five books in my hands. I was good though - I limited myself to just one. I went to look at Philippa Gregory's books, thinking about getting The Other Boleyn Girl, when I saw the Diana Gabaldon books. I and my mom really like the Outlander books by her, and I was just going to see if the covers were the same here (I swear!) when I realised that they didn't have the first book. Surprised, I looked closer and saw a book I didn't recognise - Cross Stitch. Wondering what the hell that one was, I picked it up and looked at the back to discover that it was the first book! Being the nerd that I am, the appeal of owning the Britich version was great and, coupled with the fact that they didn't have The Other Boleyn Girl readily available, it quickly triumphed and I bought the book.
On the way back to my room, I finally bought an umbrella so I'm ready for the next rain storm. Which means that one won't come until the last week of classes. But hey, I'll be ready :D
After eating a quick lunch, I decided to start reading for my history class before I went to meet the rest of the theater class to go to the show. This was at 3.30.
Evidently 'reading' meant 'sleeping'. I had set an alarm for 4.50, so when it woke me up I had just enough time to not be able to do anything before we were going to meet. Oops.
On the way to the theater, we discovered that the Circle tube line doesn't actually run in a complete circle - we had to change trains halfway through. Thankfully, we still made it to the theatre in time to have dinner before the show started.
I'm not entirely sure how I feel about the production. It was called 'The School of Scandal' and was set in the late 1700s. I may be slightly biased - I LOVE things set in that general timeframe - but I felt the jeans mixed with period dress and the industrial feel of the sets (one girl was even wearing a construction hat the entire time) wasn't the best thing the director could have chosen.
Through the first part, I was watching a character and trying to figure out why he looked so familiar. I couldn't figure it out until one of the girls showed me her programme - it was Dudley Dursley! I was rather excited :D
We made it back fine - it helped that we were able to ask the IES director for directions.
While at the theater, I saw that the London Symphony Orchestra was there. I so hope I can go to see them. I also want to see the Lion King and Wicked, and then my London theater experiences will be complete :]
It's now 1 in the morning and I'm tired, so I'll say good night here.
Till tomorrow,
-Carly
Wednesday, June 15, 2011
"The fool doth think he is wise, but the wise man knows himself to be a fool".
Quote from Shakespeare's As You Like It, Act V Scene I.
It's nice to see a Shakespearean comedy - his tragedies are so popular that often you don't see anything else for a while. The company we saw was good too - you could tell they knew what they were saying (it's all too obvious when people don't with Shakespeare) and it really helped audience comprehension. It was also fun to be in the Globe. We had the groundling tickets, so we were in that group of people that is in the center of the theater and stands the entire time.
This morning was the start of classes. After walking in a few circles, I made it to class with plenty of time to spare - good thing I gave myself an hour ;] Today was Living and Dying in the 17th and 18th Century London, and it's interesting already. It's a period of history I haven't really learned much about, so I'm excited. We talked about the Black Plague epidemic in 1665 and the Great Fire in 1666, and then we went to the National Portrait Gallery. They have a portrait of pretty much anyone you could ever think of - we walked around and looked at portraits and read about some people we're going to be talking about soon.
After class, I went back to my room to meet Nicole, but we both decided that it was too cloudy to go to the Eye so we relaxed and postponed the adventure.
I needed to run a few errands, so I went out walking up and down Kings Road again. Good thing I like it, huh :D I actually saw a red Mini Cooper with the Union Jack on the roof! I didn't think people actually drove those. Behind it was a Porche, a Beamer and a Mercedes Benz - we're in a pretty affluent area, could you tell? My Oyster card was not liking me, so I went to get another one. On the way to Sloane Square (the top of Kings Road) I got a notebook and some fun highlighters from a stationery store. (The stationery store is next to a bookstore - and I actually haven't been in there yet. I'm so proud of myself, but I don't think it's going to last to much longer...) I also got the shirt I've been wanting since I saw it on Sunday :] I also had to get some more grocery stuffs. It was an expensive adventure, but hopefully I won't need to buy too much more for a good while.
It was funny - at the grocery store, the cashier actually asked to see my ID (like it says on the back of the card). I produced my Illinois driver's license and he had never seen one before so he had to call over his manager :D
On the way to the Globe, we walked across the Millennium Bridge - and I should've counted how many people commented that it was the bridge that Death Eaters destroyed in Harry Potter. I think everyone said something like that :D I thought it and talked with some other people about it and took some pictures - the Tower Bridge was off to the side and St Paul's Cathedral was right behind us.
I'll get the pictures up on facebook eventually for those of you who check both, but for now it is 12.29 am and I have class tomorrow morning, so I bid you adieu.
Good night, good night! Parting is such sweet sorrow, That I shall say good night till it be morrow.
-Carly (who seems to be in a Shakespeare mood at the moment, or maybe I'm just really tired...)
'All the world's a stage, and all the men and women merely players. They have their exits and their entrances; And one man in his time plays many parts.' (Quote As You Like It; Act II, Scene VII)
It's nice to see a Shakespearean comedy - his tragedies are so popular that often you don't see anything else for a while. The company we saw was good too - you could tell they knew what they were saying (it's all too obvious when people don't with Shakespeare) and it really helped audience comprehension. It was also fun to be in the Globe. We had the groundling tickets, so we were in that group of people that is in the center of the theater and stands the entire time.
This morning was the start of classes. After walking in a few circles, I made it to class with plenty of time to spare - good thing I gave myself an hour ;] Today was Living and Dying in the 17th and 18th Century London, and it's interesting already. It's a period of history I haven't really learned much about, so I'm excited. We talked about the Black Plague epidemic in 1665 and the Great Fire in 1666, and then we went to the National Portrait Gallery. They have a portrait of pretty much anyone you could ever think of - we walked around and looked at portraits and read about some people we're going to be talking about soon.
After class, I went back to my room to meet Nicole, but we both decided that it was too cloudy to go to the Eye so we relaxed and postponed the adventure.
I needed to run a few errands, so I went out walking up and down Kings Road again. Good thing I like it, huh :D I actually saw a red Mini Cooper with the Union Jack on the roof! I didn't think people actually drove those. Behind it was a Porche, a Beamer and a Mercedes Benz - we're in a pretty affluent area, could you tell? My Oyster card was not liking me, so I went to get another one. On the way to Sloane Square (the top of Kings Road) I got a notebook and some fun highlighters from a stationery store. (The stationery store is next to a bookstore - and I actually haven't been in there yet. I'm so proud of myself, but I don't think it's going to last to much longer...) I also got the shirt I've been wanting since I saw it on Sunday :] I also had to get some more grocery stuffs. It was an expensive adventure, but hopefully I won't need to buy too much more for a good while.
It was funny - at the grocery store, the cashier actually asked to see my ID (like it says on the back of the card). I produced my Illinois driver's license and he had never seen one before so he had to call over his manager :D
On the way to the Globe, we walked across the Millennium Bridge - and I should've counted how many people commented that it was the bridge that Death Eaters destroyed in Harry Potter. I think everyone said something like that :D I thought it and talked with some other people about it and took some pictures - the Tower Bridge was off to the side and St Paul's Cathedral was right behind us.
I'll get the pictures up on facebook eventually for those of you who check both, but for now it is 12.29 am and I have class tomorrow morning, so I bid you adieu.
Good night, good night! Parting is such sweet sorrow, That I shall say good night till it be morrow.
-Carly (who seems to be in a Shakespeare mood at the moment, or maybe I'm just really tired...)
'All the world's a stage, and all the men and women merely players. They have their exits and their entrances; And one man in his time plays many parts.' (Quote As You Like It; Act II, Scene VII)
Tuesday, June 14, 2011
Orientation Part Deux
Today was pretty busy. When I woke up at 7.30, it was already bright and sunny and our room was rather warm. We definitely face east - I opened the curtains and was temporarily blinded.
Orientaton Part II took place today at the Centre. I rode the Tube for the first time to get there, and I like it better than the El in Chicago. It's a different culture though - no one talks to people they don't know, even if they're sitting next to each other.
We verified our classes today - I'm in Theater in London: An Introduction and Living and Dying in the 17th and 18th Century London. I'm excited for the theater class - we're going to go see 6 shows! And we get a backstage tour of one.
We also signed up for field trips today. I'm signed up to go to:
The Globe Theatre tomorrow,
on a bus tour of London on Saturday,
to Windsor and Eton on Sunday,
to Wimbledon on the 24th, (I'm probably only getting a grounds ticket, which means I most likely will not see any big name players)
on a weekend trip to Stonehenge, Salisbury and Bath on July 2-3,
and to Brighton on 24 July.
I'm really excited!
After orientation, Nicole and I went to the Chelsea Sports Centre. She rows at school and I like to run, so we both worked out for about 30 min. We both know that we're going to be feeling it tomorrow, but it was nice.
If you saw my facebook, you probably saw that I only took 3 pictures today, and they're more scenery shots. I think I'm going to the London Eye tomorrow, so that should provide more pictures :D
Till then,
-Carly
Orientaton Part II took place today at the Centre. I rode the Tube for the first time to get there, and I like it better than the El in Chicago. It's a different culture though - no one talks to people they don't know, even if they're sitting next to each other.
We verified our classes today - I'm in Theater in London: An Introduction and Living and Dying in the 17th and 18th Century London. I'm excited for the theater class - we're going to go see 6 shows! And we get a backstage tour of one.
We also signed up for field trips today. I'm signed up to go to:
The Globe Theatre tomorrow,
on a bus tour of London on Saturday,
to Windsor and Eton on Sunday,
to Wimbledon on the 24th, (I'm probably only getting a grounds ticket, which means I most likely will not see any big name players)
on a weekend trip to Stonehenge, Salisbury and Bath on July 2-3,
and to Brighton on 24 July.
I'm really excited!
After orientation, Nicole and I went to the Chelsea Sports Centre. She rows at school and I like to run, so we both worked out for about 30 min. We both know that we're going to be feeling it tomorrow, but it was nice.
If you saw my facebook, you probably saw that I only took 3 pictures today, and they're more scenery shots. I think I'm going to the London Eye tomorrow, so that should provide more pictures :D
Till then,
-Carly
Monday, June 13, 2011
Walking, Sitting, and more Walking
That's pretty much all I did today. Instead of going and getting that shirt, my roommate arrived so I stayed in and talked with her. Her name's Nicole. She's cool.
At one, we went on the tour of Kings Road. It was a beautiful day today, so it was nice to be out walking around. After the tour, Nicole and I went to get her Oyster card (pay-as-you-go ticket for the tube and buses) and take some pictures of the Thames before going grocery shopping. We went to Marks and Spencers (which, funnily enough, is the same place I saw that shirt I want) and had fun looking for the food we wanted to buy. And we discovered that 'soft cheese' is 'cream cheese' in America. It was nice though - we both got these mongo water bottles, 1.5 litre bottles for 39p (39 pence, 1 pence to a pound is like 1 cent to a dollar). We also got a pizza to make for dinner tonight, which was a success. 15 minutes at 200 degrees Celcius and our first dinner on our own was a success! :D
Then we went to the information thing for the Hall - and we learned that the fire alarms in this building are pretty sensitive. The smoke from a burnt dinner could set off the building's fire alarm and we'd have to evacuate. Which isn't very desireable, being on the seventh floor. Luckily, the Fire Brigade is pretty much next door and they're pretty quick about checking the building.
About a half hour ago, we went to Snog - a frozen youghurt place across the street. It was yummy and we both enjoyed the fact that it's called 'Snog' ;D
And when I was checking my emails, I dicovered that Yahoo knows where I am. I logged in like normal and when I logged out I was at uk.yahoo.com. It made me laugh.
Tomorrow is the orientation at the Centre - I'm not sure where I'll be adventuring.
Till then,
-Carly
PS - I just realised that my name on this thing is Ayra - which is a pseudonym I use for writing. Sorry if that confused anyone, it's the only gmail account I have (or want, really)
At one, we went on the tour of Kings Road. It was a beautiful day today, so it was nice to be out walking around. After the tour, Nicole and I went to get her Oyster card (pay-as-you-go ticket for the tube and buses) and take some pictures of the Thames before going grocery shopping. We went to Marks and Spencers (which, funnily enough, is the same place I saw that shirt I want) and had fun looking for the food we wanted to buy. And we discovered that 'soft cheese' is 'cream cheese' in America. It was nice though - we both got these mongo water bottles, 1.5 litre bottles for 39p (39 pence, 1 pence to a pound is like 1 cent to a dollar). We also got a pizza to make for dinner tonight, which was a success. 15 minutes at 200 degrees Celcius and our first dinner on our own was a success! :D
Then we went to the information thing for the Hall - and we learned that the fire alarms in this building are pretty sensitive. The smoke from a burnt dinner could set off the building's fire alarm and we'd have to evacuate. Which isn't very desireable, being on the seventh floor. Luckily, the Fire Brigade is pretty much next door and they're pretty quick about checking the building.
About a half hour ago, we went to Snog - a frozen youghurt place across the street. It was yummy and we both enjoyed the fact that it's called 'Snog' ;D
And when I was checking my emails, I dicovered that Yahoo knows where I am. I logged in like normal and when I logged out I was at uk.yahoo.com. It made me laugh.
Tomorrow is the orientation at the Centre - I'm not sure where I'll be adventuring.
Till then,
-Carly
PS - I just realised that my name on this thing is Ayra - which is a pseudonym I use for writing. Sorry if that confused anyone, it's the only gmail account I have (or want, really)
London!
I'm here :D The flight was delayed taking off - apparently there was a miscommunication with the pilots so they were late. But, once they got there, we took off. We actually got food - it was rather average but I can't remember the last time planes actually gave out food so it was exciting. The lady in front of me pushed back her seat and I was getting ready to be annoyed when I saw that the lady behind me was passed out. Figuring that she wouldn't mind, I pushed my seat back as well. It helped, even if it was only an illusion, but it also helped me sleep so that was nice.
I made it to the Res Hall just fine, and when I checked in the man told me that I was only going to be in this room for the night. With this in mind, I didn't unpack and organise everything. However, when I went back down to check out of this room and into my more permanent one, I was told that I was going to be in this room for the next seven weeks. Imagine that. So now I've unpacked and bought my towels and an applicable travel adaptor. My mom and I went to Best Buy on Saturday to get one and the guy said that it would work in the UK. He was wrong. So last night I had a laptop, iPod and 2 phones but only one of the phones had any battery left or could be charged. It was interesting.
When I opened my duffle bag, I saw a paper that hadn't been in there before. Evidently the TSA decided to physically search my bag. I commend whoever unpacked and repacked that bugger, I had a hard enough time :]
When I got in, I pretty much just dumped my stuff and went out walking along Kings Road. I like Kings Road - there's so much going on and it's fun to walk along. I found a restaurant that I had read about - Chelsea Bun - and had some lunch. It was yummy :] I walked back on the other side of the street and bought my new phone and found another restaurant I had read about - Buona Sera. I glanced inside, the tables are supposed to be on a bunch of different levels. (Mom - there's stairs to go up)
I was out on a quest to find a rain jacket - of course I left mine at home and it was raining. Evidently it's a harder quest than I thought, I didn't see any. So I returned to my room and sat for a bit, deciding what to do. I was really tired, but I knew that I shouldn't take a nap - it was only 5. However, instead of continuing to explore I decided that I was too tired to appreciate any more, so I read a bunch of stuff in my room and started a list of things I need to get. It was productive enough for a rainy, jet-lagged day.
Today there's going to be a walking tour of the area. I think I'll go get a shirt I saw in a store yesterday before I go on the tour and, if it doesn't go to the Thames, I'm definitely walking down there after.
Till later then,
-Carly
I made it to the Res Hall just fine, and when I checked in the man told me that I was only going to be in this room for the night. With this in mind, I didn't unpack and organise everything. However, when I went back down to check out of this room and into my more permanent one, I was told that I was going to be in this room for the next seven weeks. Imagine that. So now I've unpacked and bought my towels and an applicable travel adaptor. My mom and I went to Best Buy on Saturday to get one and the guy said that it would work in the UK. He was wrong. So last night I had a laptop, iPod and 2 phones but only one of the phones had any battery left or could be charged. It was interesting.
When I opened my duffle bag, I saw a paper that hadn't been in there before. Evidently the TSA decided to physically search my bag. I commend whoever unpacked and repacked that bugger, I had a hard enough time :]
When I got in, I pretty much just dumped my stuff and went out walking along Kings Road. I like Kings Road - there's so much going on and it's fun to walk along. I found a restaurant that I had read about - Chelsea Bun - and had some lunch. It was yummy :] I walked back on the other side of the street and bought my new phone and found another restaurant I had read about - Buona Sera. I glanced inside, the tables are supposed to be on a bunch of different levels. (Mom - there's stairs to go up)
I was out on a quest to find a rain jacket - of course I left mine at home and it was raining. Evidently it's a harder quest than I thought, I didn't see any. So I returned to my room and sat for a bit, deciding what to do. I was really tired, but I knew that I shouldn't take a nap - it was only 5. However, instead of continuing to explore I decided that I was too tired to appreciate any more, so I read a bunch of stuff in my room and started a list of things I need to get. It was productive enough for a rainy, jet-lagged day.
Today there's going to be a walking tour of the area. I think I'll go get a shirt I saw in a store yesterday before I go on the tour and, if it doesn't go to the Thames, I'm definitely walking down there after.
Till later then,
-Carly
Monday, June 6, 2011
Pre Departure
It is 5 days until I leave for London. I am beyond excited! I don't have everything ready yet, but that's what Friday is for ;]
I'm leaving on Saturday evening and I won't be back until August 6. I'm going to have my phone for a little while, but it's bloody expensive to use it so I'm going to get one from London. Please don't text or call me - I have skype (carly.stenger) and facebook so use those if you want to contact me.
I don't know what else to say here - I don't have any interesting stories or anything like that yet. So, my next post should be from London - see you then :D
-Carly
I'm leaving on Saturday evening and I won't be back until August 6. I'm going to have my phone for a little while, but it's bloody expensive to use it so I'm going to get one from London. Please don't text or call me - I have skype (carly.stenger) and facebook so use those if you want to contact me.
I don't know what else to say here - I don't have any interesting stories or anything like that yet. So, my next post should be from London - see you then :D
-Carly
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